12 Did that guy just stomp him to death?
Point out any errors I made in the chapters, as I'm very lazy and sometimes can't be bothered to reread them. Also give your opinions on something I should change or add
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The sky was a dull grey. A full moon shone, scattering faint silvery rays throughout the tranquil forest. From the crystal clear lake, one could hear the croaking of frogs. Fireflies were dancing throughout the forest. The scene was like a fantasy from a children's fairy tale.
When Feng arrived, he immediately used an Isolation Scroll. The dazzling magical runes written on the scroll came rushing out, and Feng's body suddenly became blurry. If looking from a far distance, it was very hard to notice Feng's existence. Although he was Level 6 and could kill all the monsters here, it would simply be a waste of his time as the materials the monsters dropped weren't valuable and he wouldn't get much EXP because of the curse.
Following which, he equipped the Crimson Blade. After equipping it, even with only half of his attributes he still had 20 points in Strength, so he was able to equip the Sky Armor. He had never used it in his previous life, as he had gotten the Silvermoon set before he got the chance, and simply gave it to Cola later on.
Afterwards, he headed towards the central region of the Moonlight Forest in search of Moonstones. As he didn't want to waste any time he avoided all the monsters along the way. After spending around an hour doing so, he arrived at a wide and towering forest made of stone.
Feng immediately rushed into the forest without hesitation. Along the way, he ran into Mountain Beast Fighters, which roared and chased after him.
[Mountain Beast Fighter] (Common Rank)
Level 9
HP 1100/1100
After seeing that a number of them had gathered, he started the slaughter. Although each gave him only around 20 EXP, his Skill Proficiency increased quickly. He proceeded through the forest while luring new Mountain Beast Fighters as he attacked the ones behind him. In such a way, Feng's Skill Proficiency Points increased without stop.
After three hours, Thundering Flash had risen to Level 4; Chop had risen to Level 6, Double Chop to Level 4, Wind Blade to Level 3, Defensive Blade to Level 2, and Windwalk to Level 2.
This increase allowed Feng to kill monsters with greater ease. He looted the drops before continuing. Two hours later, he finally arrived at the core of the stone forest. He went to the camp made by the Mountain Beast Fighters. After luring out the common Mountain Beast Fighters, another slaughter commenced, before he headed to the storehouse and heard a loud roar.
"Ao! Ao! Ao!"
A Mountain Beast Fighter, who was three sizes larger than its peers, rushed out from within the storehouse. The monster was covered in silver armor, and both its hands wielded a gigantic ax. Both its blood-red eyes stared tenaciously at Feng.
It immediately threw its incomparably heavy Mountain Splitting Axe. The axe flew like a rocket, reaching Feng's position in an instant. Of course, as Feng knew it was coming, he had moved out of the way before the axe reached him. Though even if he didn't know it was coming, he would have still been able to dodge it with his standards.
Following which, the giant axe continued flying before landing on the ground a distance away, deeply penetrating the earth. Its landing caused the earth to start shaking. It could be seen just how heavy this giant axe was.
Feng then used Observing Eyes on the new monster.
[Mountain Beast Warrior] (Special Elite)
Level 10
HP 3500/3500
He calmly walked towards the Mountain Beast Warrior, which became enraged seeing the ant dodge its axe and approach it. Rushing forwards, it swung its fist at Feng, who found its attack predictable and full of flaws. Not wanting to waste any time, Feng immediately went to action.
Phantom Kill!
Nine Dragon Slash!
Abyssal Bind!
The Mountain Beast Warrior became immobile while the doppelganger used Thundering Flash, followed by Feng, before both of them followed up their attack with Chop, Double Chop, Earth Splitter and some casual attacks while they had the time. All the while, nine phantom Abyssal Blades stabbed into the Mountain Beast Warrior.
When the three seconds were up, the Mountain Beast Warrior's HP had almost reached 0 and, before it could react, Feng and his ten helpers finished it off.
Afterwards, Feng looted the drops from the Mountain Beast Warrior and went into the storehouse. He unhurriedly opened all the chests, collected all the stuff in them, and left before the Mountain Beast Fighters could respawn. While walking, he checked his harvest from the storehouse, finding all the moonstones he needed, Tier 1 Gemstones, a piece of the Silvermoon set, and some other Bronze equipment, as well as the ring Feng wanted.
[Ring of Nothingness] (Mysterious-Iron ranked Ring)
Equipment Requirement: Intelligence 10
Strength +1, Agility +1, Intelligence +2
Additional Ability: Shadow of Nothingness: Allows the user to enter a state of nothingness. The user will not be able to see other players, while other players will not be able to see the user. Duration of 1 minute.
Cooldown: 5 minutes
(Only usable in a non-combative state)
Following which, Feng spent the next 15 hours clearing the entirety of the Moonlight Forest. He didn't use the Ring of Nothingness much as he slaughtered all the Mountain Beast Fighters and Warriors he came across, grinding Skill Proficiency. His harvest was practically the same as in his previous life, except a bit more stuff he got from the killing.
After Feng finished arranging his bag and confirming that there were no more profits to be gained from the Moonlight Forest, he activated the Teleportation Magic Orb, leaving the Moonlight Forest.
When Feng arrived back at Red Leaf Town, he made a trip to the Bank to store his harvest and most of his Gold Coins. All the Glimmers Feng put on auction had already sold. However, as the experts who could afford the Glimmers leveled up, their value dropped, but as they were Iron-rank, they still sold at a decent price; the 100 pieces sold earned Feng around 30 Gold Coins.
Feng only brought four Gold Coins with him and went to the Library. When Feng had originally gone to dispel the curse, he had three extra Gold Coins on him, and that's how much Sharlyn charged him for the complete Moon Drip Ceremony, so he wanted to see if Sharlyn would still charge him three Gold Coins for the complete Moon Drip Ceremony when she sees that he only has two extra Gold Coins on him.
"Miss Sharlyn, I have brought the items you requested. Can you dispel the curse for me now?" Feng took out 2 Gold Coins, 30 pieces of Moonstones, and the Teleportation Magic Orb.
After seeing the glittering Gold Coins, Sharlyn nodded her head in satisfaction. However, similar to the Holy Mother, Sharlyn shook her head and said in a pitiful tone, "Adventurer, you have truly astonished me. You managed to gather all the needed materials in such a short period. If I had known earlier, I would have told you that the Moon Drip ceremony possessed tiers."
Feng only stared at her without a change in expression.
"How much?" Before Sharlyn could promote her offer, Feng interrupted her and asked.
"Two Gold Coins" Seeing that Feng was interested, she gave her price after checking his bag and prepared to give a story about the complete Moon Drip Ceremony, but Feng simply took out two Gold Coins and passed them to her.
He had thought about just doing a regular Moon Drip Ceremony, but upon thinking that he might have received the Demon Mask because he payed for the complete Moon Drip Ceremony, he decided to pay a few more Gold Coins.
After receiving the Gold Coins, Sharlyn happily smiled as she said, "You can be at ease, Adventurer. Although this is my first time, my skills are very good. Even my teacher praised me as a genius. Let us begin right away, if you do not have any problems, then walk to the center of the magic circle. There will be a slight pain after the ceremony starts, so just endure it, and it will be over," Sharlyn pointed towards the center of the altar made of black stone. Her eyes carried a hint of excitement as she could finally start this experiment.
After turning off his pain transmission, Feng stood in position and sent a nod towards Sharlyn, indicating that she could start the ceremony. Although he could easily take the amount of pain from the ceremony, no one liked feeling pain... Well some people do, but Feng wasn't one of them, so why unnecessarily endure it when he could just chose not to?
Descent of the Moon Goddess!
Sharlyn started her prayer; divine incantations left her mouth as her fingers traced out divine texts. Line after line of divine texts floated in midair and towards the horizon. Compared to the Tier 3 magic from before, the divine texts written in this ceremony were extremely numerous.
Even after writing hundreds of lines, Sharlyn showed no signs of stopping. Sweat had already started dripping down Sharlyn's face, clearly indicating that she was somewhat exhausted. Meanwhile, the magic circle on the ground started to radiate a dazzling silver glow, the magic circle itself gradually rising into the air.
After over ten minutes had passed, a streak of shining moonlight shot towards Feng's body.
Suddenly, dark smoke emerged from Feng's body. The dark smoke was extremely reluctant to part from Feng's body as it rose into the air. He remained unbothered by it, though.
After persistently being lit by the moonlight for several minutes, the black smoke finally departed from Feng's body. However, it did not just simply fade away. Instead, it formed into a dark shadow that was a carbon copy of Feng.
"Adventurer, you need to kill this demon's doppelganger in order to dispel the curse. I have to conduct the ceremony, so I cannot lend you any aid. It is all up to you now," Sharlyn reminded.
Feng used Observing Eyes on the dark shadow.
[Ye Feng (Demon's Doppelganger)] (Elite Rank)
Level 4
HP 2,000/2,000
"Wretched Moon Drip! Despicable human! Did you think that by using the complete Moon Drip to weaken my strength, you would be able to defeat me? I'll let you know the reason why lowly humans like you will never win against us powerful demons!" The demon's doppelganger had an enraged expression as it pulled out a black longsword, slashing it Feng.
In the blink of an eye, the doppelganger arrived before Feng, but Feng wasn't planning to play around with the demon and just did the same thing he did to the Mountain Beast Warrior. Phantom Kill, Nine Dragon Slash, Abyssal Bind, Thundering Flash x2, Chop x2, Double Chop x2, Earth Splitter x2 and so on.
Why not just use his strongest move from the start and directly kill his enemy before they could react? And indeed, the demon couldn't react. Before it could even activate Defensive Blade, it was already dead. Instantly transforming into dark smoke and vanishing. It also left behind a piece of dark gray-colored equipment.
System: Quest "Moon Drip" completed. Rewarding 10,000 EXP, and "Demon Hunter" title. Reputation in Star-Moon Kingdom +5, Reputation in White River City +20, Reputation in Red Leaf Town +100.
System: Reputation in Red Leaf Town has reached 50 points. Upgrading to Red Leaf Town First-Class Citizen.
System: Reputation in Red Leaf Town has reached 100 points. Upgrading to Red Leaf Town Third-Class Noble.
Feng picked up the equipment dropped by the demon's doppelganger, while looking at the description of the demon hunter title.
[Demon Hunter]
A brave warrior and an exorcist of demons who is revered by others. Wherever you go, you will possess a status equal to a Noble. You are the grim reaper who is feared by all beings affiliated with darkness. In a 100-yard radius, monsters affiliated with Darkness will have their Attributes reduced by 10%. At the same time, attacks you deal towards monsters affiliated with Darkness will have a 10% increase in damage.
[Demon Mask] (Special Item)
Upon wearing it, the user can disguise himself as another person. Disguise cannot be broken without using a high level observing skill.
'Good, it's still the same.' Feng thought as he stored the Demon Mask.
"Adventurer, the ceremony has ended. Carrying out this ceremony has greatly weakened me, so I am going to White River City to recover for some time. If you wish to know more information about the Bible of Darkness, then find me there. I will be waiting for you." Currently, Sharlyn appeared to be very delicate, her previous shrewdness completely gone. After saying her piece, she immediately activated a Teleportation Circle and went to White River City to recover.
After watching Sharlyn leave, Feng took out the Silvermoon set and replaced his helmet, leg guard, arm guard, chestplate and belt[1] with the set, activating all three set effects
Set Effect 1: Attack Power +15, Defense +30.
Set Effect 2: HP increased by 10%, Life Shield (Tier 2): After activating, creates a Life Shield that absorbs 60% of the damage received, with 500 maximum damage absorbed.
Set Effect 3: Damage received reduced by 10%, Attack Speed increased by 10%.
Feng then switched to his Might of a Thousand title and looked at his attributes.
Feng became ecstatic when he saw they were enough, so he took out the Epic rank Rocket Boots and equipped them. Immediately, his agility shot up to over 100, activating the Intermediate Agility Hidden Passive Skill, Like the Wind. His current Strength was at around 90 and Endurance around 80, activating the Hidden Passive Skill Basic Body Strengthening. Meanwhile his Intelligence was at 15, while his Vitality a few points higher.
As he headed towards towards the Auction House, Feng pondered his next move. In his previous life, he had wasted half a day looking for an alternative route to the core of the Moonlight Forest, so he was currently ahead of schedule. As he arrived at the Auction House and cleared out the Hard Stones and Card Sets, Feng figured out what to do with his free time. After storing his stuff at the Bank, Feng left Red Leaf Town and dashed towards Gale Valley.
He used a Speed Scroll without hesitation, and his speed soared. Deciding he wasn't fast enough, Feng activated Seraphic Speed, tripling his Movement Speed for thirty second. After half an hour, he activated it again. Within a few minutes, he arrived at Gale Valley and went deeper.
After arriving at the core of Gale valley, Feng spent 30 minutes running around before finding his target. He stared at the Level 8 Chieftain-Ranked Shadow Leopard King that led a small leap of Shadow Leopards.
[Shadow Leopard King] (Chieftain Rank)
Level 8
HP 40,000/40,000
Feng simply approached them, feeling that there was no need to sneak attack. The leopards quickly noticed him and rushed towards him. Feng's doppelganger appeared next to him and used Thundering Flash, followed by Feng. Afterwards, Feng and his doppelganger started killing the leopards around the king, who could do nothing except watch all its guards be slaughtered as all of its attacks were dodged.
Even after the duration for Phantom Kill ended, nothing changed and soon, only the Shadow Leopard King was left. It could regenerate 400 HP every 5 seconds, which was a bit of a hassle, but it only meant it would take a bit longer. With him occasionally using Nine Dragon Slash and his doppelganger to do a burst of damage, along with his other skills, he was slowly whittling down the Shadow Leopard King's HP.
"Aooo!" The Shadow Leopard King bellowed when its HP reached 50%, its body abruptly expanding. At this moment, the Shadow Leopard King summoned two more Level 8 Elite Ranked Shadow Leopards, each of them possessing 3,000 HP.
The two new arrivals roared as they abruptly pounced. Feng simply dodged their pounce. Noticing that the cooldown for Nine Dragon Slash and Phantom Kill was off, he activated them and sent a volley of Thundering Flashes with his doppelganger. He then activated Seraphic Speed, before using Abyssal Bind on one of the Elite Shadow Leopards, and used his skills on it along with the doppelganger, who then went to distract the other Elite Shadow Leopard and the Shadow Leopard King, before laying in some regular attacks on it.
After three seconds the bound Elite Shadow Leopard didn't have much HP left and was quickly finished off. Feng then attacked the other Elite Shadow Leopard with the nine phantom Abyssal Blades while the doppelganger distracted the Shadow Leopard King. When the doppelganger only had two seconds of his duration left, the two of them switched places. The doppelganger used Thundering Flash, before they switched places again. Feng followed with his own Thundering Flash and other skills, finishing of the Elite Shadow Leopard.
The Shadow Leopard King, who still had around 50% HP, pounced at Feng when the doppelganger disappeared. Feng continued to barely suppress its natural regeneration. Every five minutes, he would use the combination of the Abyssal Blade's skills to quickly deplete its HP, until it eventually reached 0.
Due to the Shadow Leopard King being a Level 8 Chieftain, the EXP it gave was extremely bountiful. Moreover, since Feng was two levels lower and killed it alone, he received even more EXP. Feng quickly reached level 7, and his experience continued to climb, stopping at 89%.
Immediately after the Shadow Leopard King died, it dropped a large pile of items. There were over ten items. Feng picked up all of the drops and smiled when he saw a necklace among them.
[Shadow's Blessing] (Secret-Silver Rank, Necklace)
Level 8
All Attributes +5
Luck +3
The rest of the items were good quality too, mostly the same stuff as in his previous life. He stored them all and went back to Red Leaf Town to store his stuff, before heading to the White Sand Ruins. Although he still couldn't do the Steel Fortress Barrutia quest, he could do the two Advanced Quests there so as to not waste time later.
After arriving at the bunker Feng didn't go to the city hall, but to the place where he could get the Advanced Quests. They were all Quests requiring him to kill Level 10 Twin-headed Snakes. The Quests required 20 Snake Galls and 30 Venomous Fangs. After completing the Quests, Feng would be able to obtain rare Ore and Forging Materials. These materials were all needed to make the Mysterious-Iron Equipment and Weapons, and normally, they were extremely hard to find.
Feng went to at an oasis in the White Sand Desert where there were Twin-headed Snakes. After spending about an hour killing all of the snakes in the area, including the Twin-headed Snake King, he returned to the bunker and turned in the two quest, getting some rare forging materials and a around 35,000 EXP from the trip. He thought about going for the Ice-Blue Devil Flame, but decided against it, since it would be a pain to go through all the Evil Spirits without the Frost Grenades.
Afterwards, Feng returned to Red Leaf Town. Having nothing better to do, he gave the Bronze-ranked cooking knife that dropped from the Shadow Leopard King to Violet Cloud, cleared out all the Hard Stones and Card Sets from the Auction House, set up a stall and bought Stones, Magic Essences, Hard Stones, bought a few more stack of White Paper and Black Ink, before going to the Forging Association. Feng spent the next few hours making a few thousand Iron-rank Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Designs.
He then started making the White River City Guides, and continued making them until the alarm he set notified him that it was morning. Following which, he logged off.
.....
Early in the morning, a layer of fog still covered the outer layer of the window. Dark clouds densely covered the sky outside, and there were signs of rain falling soon.
When Feng got up from his bed, he noticed the changes in his body brought by the A-rank Nutrient Fluid. He then went through twenty sets of workout motions before going to his cramped bathroom to wash up.
Afterwards he called Blackie and went to a gourmet restaurant. He spent a two hundred Credits purchasing four sets of nutrient set meals; two for them to eat right now and the others as takeaway for lunch. They conversed while eating about what they were going to do and Blackie gave him an update on everyone's progress. He decided to let Blackie handle the matters for the party.
After lunch, he returned to his apartment and trained with the workout methods developed by Zero Wing through the years. In the evening, around 7 p.m., Feng drank his A-rank Nutrient Fluid and laid on the bed. He activated the gaming helmet and connected to God's Domain.
In the real world, the sky slowly darkened as the sun went under the mountain. On the other hand, players in God's Domain were welcoming the rise of the morning sun.
Red Leaf Town was currently brightly lit as if it were daytime. In the Trade Area, players could be found everywhere as they pushed their way through the streets. Compared to yesterday, there were a lot more players currently in Red Leaf Town, and a lot of them were new players who were Level 0.
After being officially active for two days, many people started to notice the difference between God's Domain and other virtual reality games. The battling alone was extremely attractive, not to mention other sources of entertainment. The monsters in God's Domain improved with the increase in Levels, making the battles seem increasingly real. It was no longer the usual simple bouts where players and monsters would take turns fighting each other. The battles in God's Domain were more similar to the fighting competitions in real life.
After logging in, Feng set up a stall and bought the Hard Stones from the players around. He then went to the Auction House and placed twenty copies of the Forging Designs for the Iron Glimmer Chestpiece on auction. Afterwards, Feng cleaned out the accumulated Hard Stones and Card Sets from the Auction House. He then left the Auction House, going to the Bank to store all the stuff he won't need, before unequipping Crimson Blade, changing his level and the look of his equipment with the Demon Mask, and going to the Trade Area.
At the Trade Area, the streets were currently filled with players who were holding discussions with each other. In short, it was extremely lively. It was as if a festival of celebration was being held. From time to time, Feng could also see some of the upper echelons of large Guilds running about the streets, shouting. They were urgently shouting, "Purchasing game currency; the greater the amount, the more we'll pay."
With a wave of his finger, Feng called out the Virtual Trade Center. He wanted to investigate the current trade conditions and see how much it has increased compered to his previous life.
After checking, Feng knew that he had changed things, as currently, the highest price for 1 Silver Coin had reached 100 Credits, while a majority of the people were buying them at 90 to 95 Credits. The current price had increased by no small margin.
Just as Feng was pondering over the implications of his actions, a cursing voice came from behind him, breaking his focus and reminding him why he came here in the first place.
"Boss, this bastard's the one. The day before yesterday, I saw him casually taking out 10 Silver Coins. He must definitely be rich. Now that our Guild is in such a need of money, if we don't make this brat bleed a little, there will be no justice for me being locked up for so long," Drifting Blood said with a cold smile as he pointed towards Feng, a group of players following behind him.
"Brat, you were the one who had attacked my brother?" looking towards Feng, the person referred to as 'Boss' snorted as he asked.
The person referred to as 'Boss' was comparable in size to Cola. He had a fierce-looking face, and he seemed to be around thirty years of age. It was Ironsword Lion.
Feng didn't bother looking at him and continued with his thoughts, wondering if he needed to change his plans.
Ironsword Lion looked at Feng's scrawny body. Although the equipment on Feng was of good quality, Feng himself did not possess the air of an expert, and furthermore, he did not possess a Guild Emblem. Ironsword Lion determined that Feng was just a leisure player and that he must've bought some equipment just to show off. Immediately, Ironsword Lion proudly said, "Little brother, since you've beat my underling, pay up 20 Silver Coins, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, don't blame my sword for being merciless."
It would be a miracle not to attract attention, getting involved in a robbery in the middle of the bustling Trade Area.
As expected, just after Ironsword Lion finished speaking, a crowd of players surrounded them to get in on the fun.
"Huh, isn't that Ironsword Lion from Martial Union?"
"Is he awesome or something?"
"You don't say! Why don't you look at his level and equipment? He's one of the rare few Level 5 experts, and he is wearing at least 6 pieces of Bronze Equipment. I've also seen the weapon in his hand before. It's called Knight's Longsword, a very awesome weapon amongst Level 4 Bronze Weapons. Moreover, he previously killed a lot of players outside the town, earning him a lot of glory."
"Che... they're just relying on numbers to bully others. How can that even be considered being skillful? If they're that good, they should fight those large Guilds. At most, they can only bully newbies. They're even asking that guy for 20 Silver Coins; isn't that just going overboard? Gaming experts would only have 3 or 4 Silver Coins on them, not to mention carrying 20. They are clearly forcing him into a corner."
"Shh! Speak softer! That Ironsword Lion isn't bullying people with numbers. His strength is the real deal. Previously, he was a top-tier expert in a Wuxia virtual reality game, but he was compelled to transition to God's Domain. Yesterday, he kill-stealed outside of town with other players and single-handedly defeated all four of them. Those four players were not noobs but gaming veterans. They are stronger than us by at least a few leagues. If Ironsword Lion were to hear you, then tough luck, buddy. At that time, your only way out would be to delete your account and start all over again..."
Listening up to this point, the surrounding players all sucked in a breath of cold air. They no longer dared spout baseless gossip, their eyes sending pitiful gazes towards Feng.
"This guy is just meeting one misfortune after the other. If it were normal times, he would just have to spend a few Credits to collect the 20 Silver Coins. Now, however, not only are the prices for God's Domain game currency ridiculously high, but it is also extremely hard to buy any."
"Right! Seeing such a high buying price, even I am thinking of selling my game currency. However, going with this trend, the prices will still increase in the future. I want to stock up a little more, putting them up for sale later on."
Just as the surrounding players were lamenting over Feng's bad luck, at a stall by the street, several players were quietly watching Feng. These players all wore luxurious equipment on their bodies, and each of them carried a faint smile on their faces.
"Brother Stabbing Heart, should I go lend a hand? That way, Ye Feng will have to owe us a favor," a male Cleric that resembled a skinny monkey asked as he looked at Stabbing Heart.
Stabbing Heart fell into deep thought. He felt that the Cleric's words were logical. Indeed, Feng had very powerful techniques, and he was also acquainted with a great character like the Snow Goddess. However, Ironsword Lion was a brutish expert. He also had the support of his Guild. Overall, Feng was definitely in a disadvantageous situation. If Stabbing Heart were to lend Feng a helping hand, Feng would definitely be grateful to him.
"Go, we definitely must go. However, let us wait for a while. Our value will only stand out in a crucial moment. It is also a good chance to let those plebeian Guilds know of our might," Stabbing Heart softly said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
After spending so many years within the virtual gaming world, Stabbing Heart understood a single principle. Every additional expert he befriended was an additional path he could take in the future. What's more, Feng was a great, hidden expert that was acquainted with the Snow Goddess. If he were to antagonize instead of befriending Feng, he would be digging his own grave. He would be creating a great enemy for himself in the future.
"Little fool, weren't you so awesome? How come you're acting like a fool now? I've said before that I would return, and when that time came, it would be your time of death. If you obediently hand over 20 Silver Coins right now, you can continue mingling about. Otherwise, delete your account and start all over again." Standing behind Ironsword Lion, Drifting Blood watched Feng stand there in silence. He felt immensely pleased with himself, thinking Feng had become afraid.
"Enough, Drifting Blood. I'm not an evil tyrant, nor do I wish for more trouble. These 20 Silver Coins can be considered as a lesson to him. I want him to know who he should and should not provoke." Ironsword Lion looked Drifting Blood in the eye, then turned towards Feng and proudly said, "You don't have to worry, either. I, Ironsword Lion, am a person who holds true to my words. Hand over 20 Silver Coins, and as long as you don't provoke Martial Union, we will not find trouble with you."
Feng, however, didn't even look at them and continued with his thought. Upon being ignored, Ironsword Lion became enraged.
"Brat, are you listening!" He walked closer to Feng while shouting.
"What are you yelling in my ear for?! Can't you see I'm busy!" Feng could no longer ignore him when he was being so loud. So after saying his piece, he jumped, sending a fast kick towards Ironsword Lions head.
With the Rocket Boots' Passive Skill Army Boots, Feng's kicks were much stronger, two times faster and ignored half of the target's Defense. Although Feng was currently using the Demon Hunter title, with the boost from Army Boots, even without the Might of a Thousand's boost, his Strength reached 100 when kicking someone; though, the damage still won't be as much as when he used a sword.
Feng's foot landed on Ironsword Lion's head before he could react, pushing to the side and then downwards, Feng landed with one foot on the ground and the other on Ironsword Lion's head.
"Dammit, now I forgot what I was thinking about." Feng said and applied more force on Ironsword Lion's head, causing it to pop, and his entire body turned into starlight. "Well... whatever. Probably wasn't important if I forgot about it." With a sigh, Feng fixed his gaze on the members of Martial Union "Did you guys come to bother me too?" Feng giggled as he asked.
The entire street of the Trade Area suddenly became deathly silent. Not a single person was able to mutter a word.
Ironsword Lion died, just like that. He died without even being able to retaliate.
Could it be... did Ironsword Lion just looked impressive, but was actually a weakling? Was he just a paper tiger?
However, everyone immediately denied such a silly notion in their hearts.
Ironsword Lion's equipment was not fake. Him being Level 5 was not fake, either. He was a genuine expert. However, how could an expert fully geared in Bronze Equipment, whose Defense and HP far outstripped the average player, be killed so easily? It was truly inconceivable.
This ending was the complete opposite of everyone's expectations.
And... Did that guy just stomp him to death? The people around had this thought running through their minds. They wondered if they were dreaming; or is kicking secretly OP in God's Domain, and they simply never tried it?
Some of them chose to try kicking monsters the next time they went out to grind.
And there was another question. How horrifying of an Attack Power did Feng possess to achieve such a feat?
Thinking up to this point, everyone felt utterly defeated.
What fat sheep? What tycoon? The Feng before them was simply a devil wearing a human mask, giggling at them. Meanwhile, they had been completely oblivious to the truth. A cold chill suddenly flowed through their bodies, causing them to shiver. They no longer dared to look at Feng's smiling face.
"You... You're despicable!" Drifting Blood retreated a few steps, his trembling finger pointing at Feng. Currently, Drifting Blood was facing incomparable shock in his heart. Compared to other people, he had a much greater understanding of Ironsword Lion's strength. Regarding Feng's strength, he had a deep experience and fear of it. He became even more frightened now that he was targeted by Feng once more. However, after having a better understanding of the situation, the place they were currently was a Safe Zone. What should he be afraid of? Suddenly, he laughingly said, "You're finished! Since you dared kill inside a Safe Zone, nobody will be able to protect you now. Just wait for the Guards to come give you your sentence and lock you up."
Everyone came to a sudden realization after hearing Drifting Blood say so. Previously, Feng sent all of them into shock. They had actually forgotten that this place was a Safe Zone and there were powerful Guards protecting this place. Even if Feng was powerful, was he able to overpower the Guards? In a moment, Feng would definitely be captured by the Guards, falling to a miserable end.
"Truly a pity. However, he is truly courageous for killing someone inside a Safe Zone. It would still be worthwhile, even if he were killed by the Guards and sent to closed confinement. Whatever the case, he was able to shine for a moment. He will still be a hero when he gets released tomorrow."
"So cool! Big Brother Expert, little sister knows how to warm beds! Please add me as a friend! Please help me level! I swear I'll be obedient!"
Amongst the players present, plenty started admiring Feng's courage. Not only did he dare to go against Martial Union, he even challenged the laws of Red Leaf Town. Feng was literally their idol. Quite a number of good-looking female players started looking up information about Feng. Some of them had even taken the initiative to send him a friend request, wanting to get to know him.
At this moment, a team of heavily-armored soldier walked over.
Drifting Blood pointed at Feng, laughingly saying, "Weren't you very awesome? I want to see what you're going to do this time. Not only are you going to lose a level, but you will also be confined for 24 hours. Even if you are an expert, you will be reduced to a second-rate player after being confined for a day. At that time, I'll be looking forward to how our Martial Union will take care of you. Whether you go up to Heaven or fall to Hell, nobody will be able to save you."
A distance away, Stabbing Heart was currently feeling endless regret.
Feng had taken away Stabbing Heart's rare chance at making Feng owe him a favor. Stabbing Heart did not imagine Feng would be so decisive, killing Ironsword Lion with zero hesitation. How was he supposed to show off now?
Stabbing Heart had no ways to deal with the Guards who just arrived. Regarding this situation, Stabbing Heart held bitter hatred towards Ironsword Lion. The person actually caused him to lose a good chance to ask for guidance.
Wearing a silvery-gray heavy armor, the Guard Captain walked up to Feng. The other Guards surrounded him accordingly, causing the atmosphere of the street to become abnormally oppressive.
"Mister Guards, it was him who killed my big brother. You definitely must arrest him!" Drifting Blood walked towards the Guard Captain, his face carrying a cold smile as he pointed at Feng, accusing.
However, the Guard Captain paid no heed to Drifting Blood. Instead, his deep gaze shifted to Feng, a faint smile appearing on his face, saying, "Revered Lord Demon Hunter, this place is Red Leaf Town. According to the laws of the Town, you have to pay the price for killing someone here. Otherwise, I can only invite you to make a trip to the Confinement Room."
Everyone became dumbfounded after listening to the Guard Captain's words. Drifting Blood's mouth widened even more; it could fit three chicken eggs.
What sort of situation was this?
The Guards did not actually kill Feng on the spot? Moreover, he would only be confined if he did not pay the fine. Was Feng the Town Mayor's son or something?
No, that wasn't right. The Town Mayor was already dead.
No one understood why the Guards were so courteous today. When usually meeting them, not to mention a faint smile, they were gods of slaughter with grim expressions.
"I only killed him because he threatened me. However, I am not an unreasonable person. Tell me, what price do I have to pay?" Feng nodded his head, calmly turning towards Drifting Blood and giving him a creepy smile, causing Drifting Blood to have a bad feeling.
"Two Silver Coins." The Guard Captain straightforwardly said.
"Ok, got it. Here are 20 Silver Coins; keep them." Feng took out 20 Silver Coins and passed it to the Guard Captain.
"Lord Demon Hunter, what are you trying to do here?" Looking at the 20 Silver Coins in his hand, the Guard Captain oddly asked.
"Nothing much. These people before me threatened me previously, so I still wish to kill a few more people. Take it as an advanced payment."
"..." the Guard Captain was stunned.
Finished speaking, Feng unsheathed the Abyssal Blade. He used the Level 6 Thundering Flash, three streaks of thunder instantly piercing the bodies of Drifting Blood and the others. All of them were instantly killed, dropping quite a lot of equipment. Even till death, Drifting Blood had not reacted to what happened.
At the same time, Feng's green colored player indicator had turned a devilish red.
All of the onlookers were stupefied.
Who was this Ye Feng?! He was just too awesome!
Tough, why didn't he kick them to death, too?
The players from Martial Union were the most dumbfounded now. Feng had simply spent 20 Silver Coins to purchase their lives. With money, you could do whatever you wanted!
The more unfathomable thing was that the Guard Captain did not say a word about Feng's actions. He only counted the number of players who died. Discovering that he had received 4 extra Silver Coins, he returned the additional Silver Coins to Feng before he turned around and left...
Seeing several pieces of equipment on the ground, without paying any attention to the shock and curiosity of the onlookers, Feng went over and collected them. At the very least, these items could recompense the money he lost for purchasing lives.
Just when Feng was planning to leave, a change occurred to the gazes of the onlooking players. Greed permeated their faces.
"What? You guys are looking to bother me, as well?" Feng coldly laughed as he looked at his surroundings, not the least bit bothered at being completely surrounded.
After receiving Feng's cold glare, everyone inadvertently retreated. None of them dared to be the first to attack. They were all waiting for someone to attack first, then take advantage of the situation to reap benefits for themselves.
"All of you, get out of the way! Ye Feng is a friend of our Assassin's Alliance. Whoever looks for trouble with him, will be looking for trouble with our Assassin's Alliance!"
At this moment, Stabbing Heart, along with a group of over ten subordinates, created a path through the crowd as they headed towards Feng.
When the players who wanted to kill Feng heard Stabbing Heart, every one of them were shocked.
Who actually was Ye Feng? Not only did he possess formidable strength, but the Assassin's Alliance even protected him.
"Thanks." Feng said gratefully, looking towards Stabbing Heart.
"Nonsense. With Brother Ye Feng's strength, even if I didn't show up, they would still be helpless against you. I was just pushing the boat along the current." Stabbing Heart cupped his hands, saying in admiration, "Today, Brother Ye Feng has really widened my horizons. Even I would find it hard to kill Ironsword Lion. I did not imagine Brother Ye Feng's skills to be so powerful as to get rid of Ironsword Lion so easily."
"It's nothing. He just had his guard down." Feng calmly said with a smile.
"Brother Ye Feng really is humble. However, there is one matter that I can't make sense of. Why won't the Guards find trouble with Brother Ye Feng, even when you killed players in the Safe Zone?" Stabbing Heart had faintly guessed the answer already; however, he still did not believe that Feng could accomplish it that quickly.
"Nothing much. I only have such a special privilege because I just completed a Quest and became a Noble in Red Leaf Town,"
Stabbing Heart's heart loudly thumped when hearing Feng's explanation his eyes stared at Feng, mind-boggled.
"Brother Stabbing Heart, I wonder what has happened here? Why are there so many Guilds trying to collect game currency?" Feng abruptly asked, wanting to push the conversation along his purpose.
"Oh, you don't know?" Stabbing Heart was slightly shocked, looking at Feng with astonished eyes.
Feng shook his head, saying, "I've been doing my Quest all this time, only returning now."
"So, that's why. This matter has also only recently started." Stabbing Heart came to a realization. He then explained, "Not long ago, a Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design appeared in the Auction House. You should know how good the Attributes on the Glimmer Chestpiece are. The usefulness of its Forging Design goes without saying. After all the Guilds discovered its existence, all of them started competing over it. Our Guild is no exception."
"Unfortunately, our Guild's background is still slightly lacking, and Star River Federation won the Forging Design for 4 Gold and 21 Silver Coins. Originally, our Guild had already given up. However, it wasn't long before another Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design appeared in the Auction House. That was the start of all the commotion. Every Guild has started to madly collect funds, all of them wanting to bid on it.
"The bidding this time ended with the Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design being sold for 4 Gold 40 Silver Coins. Nobody could have imagined that a third piece would have appeared right when many Guilds were feeling disappointment. Right now, everyone is still bidding over the third piece. However, according to my estimates, the third piece will be sold at an even higher price. Only, nobody knows if there will be more of the Forging Designs up for auction, so I came here to collect game currency.
"Currently, everyone is guessing that Black Flame Forger is selling the Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Designs. After all, Iron Equipment Forging Designs aren't just cabbages, not to mention similar Forging Designs. Moreover, the Black Flame Forger was the one who previously sold Glimmer Chestpieces. So, everyone inwardly understands that these Forging Designs are being sold anonymously by this Black Flame Forger."
"Currently, a lot of people wish to get in touch with the Black Flame Forger. Unfortunately, there is no way to contact that person. The Snow Goddess of Ouroboros even posted a thread on the forums, asking the Black Flame Forger to contact her; she wants to discuss the matters of cooperation and wants him to state his price without hesitation. With this, the Black Flame Forger had thoroughly become famous. Aside from White River City, the entire Star-Moon Kingdom is currently discussing the Black Flame Forger. He is currently acknowledged as the number one Forger in all of Star-Moon Kingdom."
Stabbing Heart felt deep regret as he spoke; his expression revealed reverence towards the Black Flame Forger.
"So, that's it. I wonder if Brother Stabbing Heart would be interested in purchasing the Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design?" Feng casually asked Stabbing Heart.
Although Feng only casually asked, Stabbing Heart's head, however, abruptly spun, his eyes looking at Feng with anticipation. With an excited expression on his face, he asked, "Could it be... Brother Ye Feng, you have the Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design?"
However, Feng simply shook his head.
Stabbing Heart's excited mood was suddenly extinguished, becoming downhearted. However, after he gave it some thought, aside from the Black Flame Forger and Hammer Trading, there had yet to be a third player who could bring out a Forging Design. After all, such an item depended on luck to obtain it.
"Didn't you want to bid for the Glimmer Chestpiece? I can lend you some money," Feng said in an unhurried tone.
Realization struck Stabbing Heart. Feng indeed was very rich. It was obvious that he had considerable possessions from the way he was able to take out 20 Silver Coins without effort. However, compared to those first-rate Guilds, the difference was still far too great. It would be amazing if Feng had 30 to 40 Silver Coins. Hence, Stabbing Heart said with a sigh, "Brother Ye Feng, it's not that I don't believe you, but the Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design's price is just too high. Just 20 or 30 Silver Coins won't be very useful."
"Oh, then how much do you need to bid for it?" Feng confidently asked. He wanted to help Stabbing Heart raise the price even more.
Stabbing Heart raised all of his fingers, helplessly saying, "The competition right now is becoming increasingly heated. According to my estimates, we would need at least 5 Gold Coins to secure the bid. Otherwise, there is no hope for success."
"How much do you have on your side?" Feng asked
"I have 2 Gold 10 Silver. It is extremely hard to collect game currency right now, as the other Guilds have purchased almost all of it. I have already planned to give up the competition, and instead, go and level up,' Stabbing Heart said with a sigh.
"Then I'll lend you 2 Gold and 90 Silvers. That way, you will have collected 5 Gold Coins," Feng said, smiling. He immediately selected to trade with Stabbing Heart, placing 2 Gold and 90 Silver Coins in the Trade Window.
Stabbing Heart was suddenly shocked when he saw the 2 Gold and 90 Silver Coins inside the Trade Window. He did not imagine Shi Feng would possess that much money.
"Brother Ye Feng, thank you, truly! I will repay this favor in the future!" Stabbing Heart excitedly exclaimed, "However, I can't just let Brother take a loss. Tomorrow, I will definitely return 3 Gold Coin to you."
"Brother Stabbing Heart, don't say it such. If you didn't show up today, I would not be able to avoid a bloody battle. I owe you a favor, so for these 2 Gold 90 Silvers, I'll just sell you each Silver Coin at 90 Credits. Every Guild would be in need of Coins in the initial stages of the game, so you don't have to be polite with me," Feng said in a sincere tone
"I can't thank Brother Ye Feng enough! However, 90 Credits is a little too low. I don't have the nerve to buy them at that price, and just saying it would cause others to make fun of me. I'll buy each Silver Coin for 110 Credits for a total of 31,900 Credits. I'll transfer them to your account immediately." Stabbing Heart was very joyful. Even if Feng were to have complaints about the matter, Stabbing Heart would still stubbornly transfer all 31,900 Credits to Feng.
"Brother Ye Feng, I'll be leaving to bid for the Forging Design first! If you have any problems in the future, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll definitely go all-out to help you."
Finished speaking, Stabbing Heart hurriedly left with his subordinates to the Auction House.
Following which, Feng looked for a Hotel and rented a guest room there. He then took out the Demon Mask from his bag. After wearing the Demon Mask, Feng adjusted his facial appearance. His new appearance was very different from his original self. At the same time, his Red Name also turned green. If others did not possess a high-leveled Observation Skill, they would not be able to see through his disguise.
Feng left the hotel and headed to the Chef's Association to take a look at Violet Cloud's progress first, ignoring Martial Union's assassins that were waiting for him
Compared to the currently popular Forging Association, the Chef's Association was completely deserted. There was only a fragment of Lifestyle players entering and leaving the Association.
After arriving at the Kitchen he previously rented, Feng readjusted the Demon Mask, returning to his original appearance but still hiding his Red Name.
After entering the Kitchen, Feng discovered Violet Cloud currently concentrating on making Fruit Juice. Her hand movements were extraordinarily speedy and experienced. She was currently also Level 3, surpassing many other Lifestyle players.
He then stood by the side and waited.
After more than ten minutes had passed, Violet Cloud had yet to discover Feng's presence. Meanwhile, she had already crafted more than ten cups of Fruit Juice. These Fruit Juices looked extremely refreshing, and they gave off a faint, captivating fragrance.
After she used up the materials in her hands, just when Violet Cloud was about to retrieve more...
"Ah!"
Violet Cloud was shocked into a jump as she discovered that her boss, Feng, was standing behind her. From the looks of it, he had been waiting for quite some time now.
Violet Cloud's heart became frantic as she thought about how she let her employer wait for so long. Lowering her head, she said in a nervous tone, "Sir."
"Have you completed the nine hundred cups of Fruit Juice?" Feng asked with a smile.
"En, actually sir I obtained a realization when I was making them before. After spending a lot of materials, I created a new Fruit Juice. You said that if I invent a new one, I should stop making the original and focus on it. So I only made 780 of the original fruit juices and the rest are my invention. You won't blame me for it, right, Sir?" Violet Cloud said, slightly afraid.
"Why would I blame you? As I said, for every one of your new fruit juices, you get an extra copper coin. Here are 9 Silver and 20 Copper Coins as your reward. I hope that you can bring forth many new creations in the future. As for your share in the sales of these Fruit Juices, I'll give it to you after I sell them. As for the Fruit Juices, you no longer need to make them for now. Afterward, focus on making the Wolf Meat Dishes. I still have a great use for them." Feng said as he stored all the Fruit Juices in his bag. There were more than 1,700 cups of them.
"Thank you, Sir. I will definitely complete my task." Excitement and appreciation filled Violet Cloud's face after she received the over 9 Silver Coins. She felt she was truly lucky for being able to meet Feng. Otherwise, she would still have to conduct sales out in the streets, only to end up selling just a few cups.
System: The Glimmer Chestpiece Forging Design you have placed on auction has been sold. After deducting the processing fees, a total of 4 Gold 76 Silver has been added to your bag space.
"Violet, if you wish to convert your Coins to Credits, wait for another hour or two before registering them on the Virtual Trade Center. That way, you will be able to obtain a higher price," Feng ignored the notification and reminded Violet Cloud.
"Mmhmm." Violet Cloud obediently nodded her head. Although she did not understand Feng's intentions, she still chose to believe in him. After all, Feng was currently her knight in shining armor.
Afterward, Feng gave Violet Cloud another 5 Silver Coins for her to purchase the materials needed to make the Wolf Meat Dish. He then departed from the Chef's Association, his appearance changing into an older gentleman.
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1. The other two parts were never mentioned, so I'm just gonna assume that they are a chestplate and belt.
