21 Thoughtful Rain's Identity

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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Two hours later, Feng went to Beastman Munition Factory after storing all of the ores he had mined. Through the two hours, Feng managed to become an Intermediate Mining Apprentice and get some more Proficiency Points, pushing him close to becoming an Advanced Mining Apprentice. Moreover, the EXP he got from mining put him only a thread away from Level 16.

Outside of the Beastman Munition Factory, Cruel Blade and the others had already gathered at the Dungeon's entrance. They currently discussed their strategy to raid the Dungeon.

During the time they spent waiting for Feng, they challenged the Dungeon twice more. However, the end result was still the same. Obtaining the First Clear of a Hard Mode Team Dungeon was much more difficult than they had imagined.

Although they had managed to clear the Hard Mode of a 10-man Team Dungeon, some other Guild was already a step ahead of them by the time they cleared it. Right now, only the First Clears of 20-man Hard Mode Team Dungeons were available. However, the Hard Mode of a 20-man Team Dungeon was obviously more difficult compared to a 10-man Team Dungeon.

No matter how much thought they put into it, they could not come up with any methods to clear the Dungeon. They could only wait for Feng's arrival at the Dungeon's entrance. This was also a good chance for the team to get some rest.

Although Stabbing Heart had continuously recommended Feng, Cruel Blade did not place much hope in him.

After all, the Assassin's Alliance was an apex second-rate Guild. Experts were a dime a dozen within the Guild. Meanwhile, they had gathered 20 experts to raid the Beastman Munition Factory, but they still died under the first Boss' feet. What difference would an additional, independent player with good techniques make?

"Guild Leader, someone's coming," one of the Guild's scouting Assassins suddenly spoke in the team chat.

Hearing that someone approached, Stabbing Heart thought that it was Feng. Hence, he turned his gaze towards the entrance.

However, the person walking over was not Feng at all. Moreover, it was not just a single player, but a group of players.

This was a 20-man team. The members of this team all wore impressive equipment; practically all of them wore a mix of Bronze and Mysterious-Iron Equipment, with the majority being 

Mysterious-Iron Equipment. There were also a few players among them wearing Level 10 Class-specific Set Equipment that only dropped from Level 10 Team Dungeons. Although they were only individual pieces, at this stage of the game, they were definitely considered top-tier equipment to Guilds.

The leader of this team was a Guardian Knight. Judging by appearances, the man looked to be around 25 years of age. There was a nasty smile on the man's face. The man wore a mix of red and white-colored heavy-armor and carried a blood-red cross-shield and longsword.

"It can't be, right? That Shield Warrior has the complete Bloody Brilliance Set Equipment! That's a Level 10 Mysterious-Iron Set Equipment!"

"The glow from his shield and longsword show that they are both of Secret-Silver rank. How come I have never seen such equipment before?"

The members of Assassin's Alliance started a quiet discussion when they saw the leading Guardian Knight.

The Bloody Brilliance Set Equipment could only be obtained from Level 10 Hard Mode Team Dungeons. The fact that this group of newcomers had gathered a full set displayed just how powerful their team was.

"They seem to be players from Dark Star." Making a careful observation, Stabbing Heart suddenly discovered that the Guild Emblem these players donned belong to that of the Guild, Dark Star. He then observed the leading Guardian Knight, suddenly exclaiming in shock, "He's Dark Star's Lone Tyrant!"

Cruel Sword's complexion immediately turned grim at these words.

Lone Tyrant of Dark Star was currently number one on the Ranking List. In addition, Dark Star had also managed to obtain the First Clear of two Hard Mode Dungeons. Due to the contribution of these two factors, Dark Star was already like the sun at high noon, and they were currently in their heyday. Cruel Sword did not think that Dark Star would make their move so soon; they were already attempting to raid a 20-man Team Dungeon. If they really obtained the First Clear of a 20-man Team Dungeon, the Assassin's Alliance would truly be in an embarrassing position in White River City.

After all, due to obtaining the luxury guidebook of White River City in advance, the Assassin's Alliance had made ample preparations before entering the city itself. As a result, they enjoyed a flourishing period after they entered White River City. Many players even thought that the Assassin's Alliance had the possibility to surpass the first-rate Guilds.

Hence, now that Dark Star was on the rise, players would naturally compare the Assassin's Alliance and Dark Star, resulting in the Assassin's Alliance's status in White River City becoming very awkward.

"Oh? Isn't this the Guild Leader of the Assassin's Alliance? What a coincidence!" Lone Tyrant laughed as he spoke to Cruel Sword, "Unfortunately, you guys have simply wasted your time by coming here, as the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory already belongs to Dark Star."

The other members of Dark Star similarly revealed disdainful smiles as they looked at the members of the Assassin's Alliance.

Currently, throughout the White River City region, Dark Star's influence surpassed that of the Assassin's Alliance. Moreover, Dark Star had a much shorter history than the Assassin's Alliance. 

The Assassin's Alliance current success lay in the fact that they had a long-established history, so the benefits they provided to their Guild members were slightly better. However, Dark Star would definitely surpass the Assassin's Alliance in the future.

"We'll see about that." Cruel Sword ignored Lone Tyrant's provocation, only coldly replying with a single sentence.

Only by personally experiencing it would one understand the difficulty of a 20-man Hard Mode Dungeon. It would be meaningless to argue with a little bastard over who would obtain the First Clear of a Hard Mode Dungeon.

When Lone Tyrant saw that his provocation had failed, he quickly lost interest and turned to leave.

At this moment, a deep and low voice resounded by everyone's ears.

"Sorry, I'm late." The person speaking was precisely Feng.

"Brother Ye Feng, you're finally here!" Stabbing Heart, who was originally enraged due to Lone Tyrant's provocation, immediately cheered up when he noticed Feng's arrival. He hurriedly went up and welcomed Feng.

Meanwhile, this was the first time Cruel Sword had personally met Feng. He discovered that Feng's level and the quality of his equipment were indiscernible. Moreover, looking at Feng's age and appearance, he was obviously just an immature youth; he did not possess the sharp temperament of a top-tier expert at all. However, he had obtained the First Clear of the Hell Mode Dark Moon Graveyard with Gentle Snow. Coupling that with the widespread battle footage from before and the fact that Feng was the first player to enter White River City, Feng should possess some real skills.

However, they were not here to fight other players in the Dungeon. Although Feng had impressive combat capabilities, one could not clear a Dungeon by depending on combat capabilities alone. Hence, Cruel Sword did not look favorably upon Feng.

"Hahahaha! What a joke! So even the famous Assassin's Alliance has to invite someone to raid a Team Dungeon! Moreover, you've even invited an independent player! It seems that the Assassin's Alliance only amounts to this much. To think that I've always thought of the Assassin's Alliance as an actual opponent, I was truly blind!" Lone Tyrant looked at Feng, then turned to look at Cruel Sword again before involuntarily laughing.

"You!" Stabbing Heart wanted to flare up in rage; however, he had no counter to Lone Tyrant's words.

After all, what he said was true.

The other Assassin's Alliance members had also lowered their heads in shame. At this moment, their hearts harbored dissatisfaction towards Stabbing Heart. They were already disappointed with Stabbing Heart's previous decision of inviting Feng, so the humiliating situation now only made it worse. Yet, although they wished they could immediately chase Feng away, they dared not voice their opinions.

After making fun of the Assassin's Alliance, Lone Tyrant's gaze shifted towards Feng. Pretending to be surprised, he sneered and said, "And here I thought the Assassin's Alliance had invited some amazing person. Isn't this Ye Feng, the first player to enter White River City and the previous first place on the Ranking List?"

"I am truly sorry about this. I never imagined that you would be so easy to surpass, so I accidentally snatched away your first position. Oh? That's not right? Why can't I find your name within the top 100 of the Ranking List? It seems that there is a limit to a person's good luck. Without any real strength, one would quickly be surpassed by others. Isn't that right, Little Brother Ye Feng?"

Although Lone Tyrant could not see Feng's current level, he did not think that Feng was anything amazing. Otherwise, why would he choose not to display his level? There was only one possibility for such an action, and it was because he was too shameful to show his level. Feng was clearly the first player to enter White River City, yet, a majority of players surpassed him in levels. So it was very logical that he would choose to hide his level in shame.

"Brother Ye Feng, let's just ignore him and enter the Dungeon." Afraid that Feng would grow angry and leave, Stabbing Heart hurriedly dragged Feng away from the players of Dark Star.

"The players within the White River City region have constantly used the Assassin's Alliance as a comparison to Dark Star. Previously, I had felt proud of this matter, but now, I can only feel embarrassment. Please don't associate Dark Star with you all anymore in the future. We really can't bear this sort of shame." Lone Tyrant did not care much about an expert who was already past his prime. He shifted his gaze once more to Cruel Sword, mocking him.

"An apex second-rate Guild? Pah! They aren't even comparable to a third-rate Guild!"

"The Assassin's Alliance has truly declined. If I were them, I would have long since killed myself to avoid the embarrassment. They have actually allowed a lucky noob to join their team. Did they think that, by doing so, they could obtain the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory? Who are they trying to kid?"

"How could you say such a thing? This is known as birds of a feather flocking together! A trash of a Guild would naturally seek out a trash player to aid them! If this situation happened in our Guild, we would have long since expelled such noobs from the Guild! Allowing such trash to join our team would definitely lower our intelligence and strength!"

"Hey, you've got that wrong! In reality, the Assassin's Alliance is so powerful that they are not afraid of having a noob as a team member! They could still clear the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory with no problems, even with such a member on their team! This is definitely something Dark Star can't dream of comparing with!"

The relationship between Dark Star and the Assassin's Alliance had long since been similar to that of fire and water. Now that there was such a good opportunity, the members of Dark Star took this chance to ridicule the Assassin's Alliance.

Immediately, the atmosphere on the Assassin's Alliance's side became abnormally depressing. The players from the Assassin's Alliance all resentfully glared at Stabbing Heart.

Contrary to expectations, however, Stabbing Heart did not feel any heartache due to these hateful gazes. Instead, he felt apologetic to Feng. Originally, Dark Star merely directed its ridicule at the Assassin's Alliance. Now, even Feng had been dragged into this matter.

Feng stood out from the crowd. With pupils as deep as black holes, he gazed at Lone Tyrant. He then calmly said with a smile, "I'm very curious about something. If the nobodies that you've looked down on suddenly obtain the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beast Munition Factory a step ahead of you, then what would you all amount to?"

Feng's words struck Lone Tyrant and the others.

Immediately, the atmosphere became incomparably tense. Neither side spoke a single word, and both sides stood on the cusp of lashing out right now.

However, nobody intended to make the first move.

After all, everyone present understood that, if they took action right now, it would lead to an all-out war between the two Guilds. Regardless of who won and who lost in this confrontation, both sides would take heavy losses. Hence, be it Cruel Sword or Lone Tyrant, neither wished for such a situation to occur.

As both sides could no longer endure the stifling atmosphere...

"Getting the Hard Mode's First Clear ahead of us? With trash like you?" Lone Tyrant's complexion abruptly turned cold. With a ridiculing smile, he spoke with contempt, "Good, very good! Let everyone see the truth, then! I really want to see if your strength is as good as that mouth of yours!"

After he finished speaking, Lone Tyrant led his team into the Beastman Munition Factory. Moreover, they chose to immediately start with the Dungeon's Hard Mode without warm-up or preparation. They clearly wished to prove to Feng and the Assassin's Alliance just how wide the difference between them was.

"Why are they trying to act so bold? They will suffer defeat when the time comes." Stabbing Heart curled his lips, revealing a cold smile.

Without personally experiencing the 20-man Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory, one could not truly gauge the difficulty of the Dungeon. Otherwise, they would not have sought Feng's help.

They had only chosen this method as a last resort. After all, the Assassin's Alliance was in a precarious position right now, and they were in dire need of a breakthrough. Hence, they had to obtain the First Clear of a Hard Mode Dungeon.

"That's right! Dark Star is nothing! They'll cry with regret once they enter the Dungeon!"

"Guild Leader, let's hurry and enter! We must teach those bastards from Dark Star the strength of the Assassin's Alliance!"

"That's right! Guild Leader, we must get the First Clear this time!"

The players from the Assassin's Alliance wiped away their depression from before. They all cracked their knuckles as their thirst for battle grew.

Due to Feng's actions, the Guild Leader of the Assassin's Alliance, Cruel Blade, viewed Feng in a new light.

Cruel Blade considered that Feng might not just be all talk.

Due to Feng's provocation, the team's originally downcast mood underwent a complete change. Right now, everyone was indignant over the injustice they had received rather than depressed, and they immediately wanted to charge into the Dungeon and slaughter the Boss within. They wanted to obtain the First Clear of the Hard Mode Dungeon, letting the players from Dark Star witness their might.

Feng didn't bother with Cruel Sword's renewed opinion of him and merely quietly joined the Assassin's Alliance's team, entering the Beast Munition Factory with Cruel Sword and the others.

"I think that everyone should know what to do by now. However, since this is Brother Ye Feng's first time entering this Dungeon, I'll give you a short explanation on what you should expect later on. Your task is to go all-out, dealing damage, while simultaneously evading the skills of the Elite monsters. On another note, the monsters here have very high Attack Power, and they deal a ton of damage, even to the MTs. Moreover, these monsters are immune to crowd control skills. Hence, healers will be under a lot of pressure. They will have no time to heal anyone other than the MT, so you need to be careful not to pull aggro," Cruel Sword explained patiently.

"Alright, that's it for my explanation. Let's first use the four Elite monsters guarding at the entrance as practice for our coordination."

Finished speaking, Cruel Sword directed two of the team's MT to charge at the four axe-wielding Level 10 Elite Beastman Warriors.

[Beastman Warrior] (Elite Rank)

Level 10

HP 50,000/50,000

As this was a Dungeon, the monsters in here had both their HP and Attack Power greatly increased. They were much stronger compared to the Level 10 Elite monsters out in the fields.

One of the two MTs was a Shield Warrior, while the other was a Guardian Knight. Each of them held the two monsters' agro.

A normal attack from the Shield Warrior only dealt -32 damage to the Beastman Warriors. When the Shield Warrior used Heroic Strike, he only dealt -66 damage. Meanwhile, the Guardian Knight fared even worse than the Shield Warrior. The Guardian Knight's normal attack only dealt -24 damage, while his Divine Strike only dealt -51 damage.

Both of these MTs were Level 10 players, and both of them wielded Mysterious-Iron Weapons. 

Even if it were a one-handed weapon, when faced with an Elite monster of the same level, it should not deal such little damage.

Although the two MTs took care to evade the attacks of the monsters, they were very clumsy. As a result, the number of attacks they received exceeded the number of times they dodged. 

Moreover, each time they received an attack, they needed to retreat a few steps before they could stabilize themselves. The only fortunate thing was that the damage they received was not high; they received around -300 damage from each attack. Meanwhile, each MT possessed around 2,400 HP. With two monsters attacking each MT simultaneously, each MT received a rough total of -600 damage; a quarter of their total HP. This situation resulted in the healers suffering.

"I wish to say something; is that alright?" Feng looked at Cruel Sword, asking softly.

Although the Assassin's Alliance now possessed Lone Tyrant as a great enemy, the members of the team still had negative opinions of Feng. They only kept their mouths shut due to his relationship with Stabbing Heart. However, if Feng dared push his luck, they would not sit idle.

"Speak your mind. As long as it benefits the Dungeon raid, we will not reject it," Cruel Sword had managed to discern Feng's capabilities somewhat. He could somewhat understand why Gentle Snow would take a fancy to Feng. After all, Feng indeed possessed strength.

"Can we replace the two MTs?" Feng asked, holding nothing back.

Although Feng's tone was soft, power filled his voice. It caused the female healers nearby to tremble, nearly failing to cast their heals on the two MTs.

The two MTs tanking the four Elite monsters were similarly shocked stiff, receiving a direct hit from the giant steel axes of the Beastman Warriors. Damages of over -400 points appeared above both MTs, and the two retreated close to half a dozen steps before they managed to stabilize themselves.

The other damage-dealing team members also froze. They all stared at Feng with dumbfounded gazes, thinking that their ears had played a trick on them.

Replace the MTs?

What kind of joke was this? The two players tanking the Elite monsters belonged to the top three MTs of the Guild. Yet, Feng wanted to replace them with someone else? Wasn't he just looking for trouble?

Feng's decision would be understandable if the two MTs had made an error while luring the monsters, or lost the monsters' aggro. However, neither of the MTs made such mistakes. So, why should they be replaced?

"Did they do something wrong?" Cruel Sword asked.

MTs were the core of a team. A powerful MT could greatly reduce the raiding difficulty of a Dungeon; a team should never rashly replace their MTs.

"Nothing." Feng shook his head.

"Since there are no problems, why should we need to replace the MTs?" Cruel Sword wrinkled his eyebrows.

The two MTs in question were furious right now, clearly displaying their displeasure. Feng was just someone they had invited, yet, he dared criticize such powerful MTs like themselves? Wasn't he being too arrogant?

"Their ability to evade attacks is just too poor. To put it bluntly, they are taking too much damage. When they face a Boss, even four healers will not be sufficient to keep them alive. Moreover, their damage output is too low. In a Boss battle, even 1% of HP could decide victory or defeat."

"I'm guessing that, when you guys faced the first Boss of this Dungeon, aside from having insufficient damage, your healers' mana ran dry as well. In the end, the result was a complete team-wipe," Feng said with a smile.

Listening to Feng's words, the two MTs immediately fell speechless...

Cruel Sword was also awestruck. Clearly, he had not mentioned the matter of their team-wiped to Feng before. Yet, Feng correctly guessed each detail of their previous encounter.

Everything Feng had just said was clear and logical, and Cruel Sword agreed that he needed to make some changes.

"I wonder if Brother Ye Feng has any suggestions on how we can improve? What kind of MT do we need?" Cruel Sword earnestly sought Feng's guidance.

The other members of the Assassin's Alliance were no fools, either. They had discerned the meaning behind Feng's words. As a result, the dissatisfaction they felt towards Feng in their hearts lessened greatly, while respect slightly grew. Each of them perked up, focusing Feng's wise opinion.

"It's very simple. Look for two Guardian Knights who have allocated their Free Attribute Points in the ratio of 2 Strength: 1 Agility: 2 Endurance. It would be best if they have learned both Guardian Aura and Power Aura," Feng unhurriedly spoke.

Within moments, Cruel Sword had found two Guardian Knights from his Guild that fit Feng's requirements. However, these Guardian Knights' techniques were not anything impressive, and their equipment was sub-par at best.

One of them was White Feather, and he only possessed slightly over 1,700 HP. The other Guardian Knight was called Water Lake, and his HP was just over 1,800 points. Furthermore, the two's Defense was lower than the previous MTs by more than 200 points; they were on completely different levels.

However, Feng saw nothing amiss after examining the two's equipment. The remaining problem would be their techniques. Feng then continued by explaining to the two Guardian Knights how they should battle the Elite monsters and how they should dodge attacks. As for how much of his explanation they actually understood, that would depend on their own comprehensive abilities.

Following which, Feng instructed one of the Guardian Knights to activate Guardian Aura, increasing the Defense of the entire team by 20 points. He then instructed the other Guardian Knight to activate Power Aura, increasing the Strength of the entire team by 5 points. Feng also switched his title to Might of a Thousand, greatly increasing the Attributes of the entire team. As a result, the HP of the two Guardian Knights almost reached the 2,000 HP threshold.

The team's jaws dropped when they witnessed the brilliant effect brought about by Feng's Might of a Thousand title.

Increasing all Attributes by 10%? This was an outstanding weapon for Dungeon raiding. Such an increase was the equivalent of raising every team member's equipment by an entire rank.

With such a brilliant effect, they had far more confidence in dealing with the Bosses of the Dungeon.

Hence, everyone started clearing the Elite monsters with great excitement.

Although the Beastman Warriors dealt around -450 damage to the two Guardian Knights with each hit, these Beastman Warriors only managed to land one out of every three attacks. In comparison, the previous two MTs would receive two out of every three attacks, taking an additional -150 damage every three attacks. With such a glaring difference in damage, the burden on the healers greatly lessened. Moreover, as they faced more battles, the two new MTs gradually evaded with better efficiency, taking fewer hits as a result. This had allowed the healers to expend less of their mana, thereby increasing their endurance.

By the time they arrived before the first Boss of the Dungeon, Karur, the healers no longer felt any pressure in healing the two Guardian Knights. They even had time to attend to the other team members.

Karur was a large and ferocious Beastman. He was twice as large as a normal Beastman, and his body was fully covered in steel-like, scarlet muscles. On his back, Karur carried a mammoth magical saber that was as long as he was tall. Meanwhile, Karur himself was a Level 12 High Chieftain ranked Boss with a whopping 450,000 HP.

"Brother Ye Feng, I wonder if you have any ideas of how to best raid this Boss?" When facing with Karur once again, Cruel Sword's thoughts started growing heavy. After all, Karur had already team-wiped them multiple times.

"No need. I got it." Saying so, Feng used Wind Blade and dashed towards Karur, leaving behind an afterimage and a stunned Cruel Sword.

'Did he just say he's going to kill it on his own?' Everyone began doubting their ears. In their opinion, Feng seemed like a wise person, so how could he say something so stupid? They looked towards Karur to see that Feng had already arrived in front of it, when his sword suddenly started glowing, turning into a miniature sun.

Before Karur or the members of Assassin's Alliance could react, Feng went past Karur and stopped a few yards behind it. With a slight wave of his sword, the glow on it disappeared, and Feng returned it in its sheath. Meanwhile, Karur collapsed with its HP bar empty. Everyone stared dumbstruck at Karur's corpse. The boss that team-wiped them multiple times, that made them unable to progress through the dungeon, just died in a single hit.

Stabbing Heart jaw hung open. Although he knew that Feng was amazing, he never imagined that he would be this amazing.

Cruel Sword was also awestruck. He had originally been prepared for a long and grueling, with a high chance of getting team-wiped. But what was this? Killed in one hit? Was this really the same boss that made clearing the dungeon impossible for them?

"Aren't you going to take a look at the drops?" After Feng walked back, he asked in confusion when he saw Cruel Sword and the others just standing there, looking dazed. 

Reminded by Feng, everyone finally recalled the fact that Karur, who had just died, was a High Chieftain ranked Boss. The loot he dropped would doubtlessly be bountiful. They had forgotten this fact due to their shock at Feng's strength. 

"Stabbing Heart, just where did you find a Swordsman expert as amazing as him?" Mu Qing's exquisite lips parted as she gaped and involuntarily questioned Stabbing Heart.

As Mu Qing had not started out in Red Leaf Town, she was not particularly knowledgeable about Feng. Since the launch of God's Domain, she had always focused on leveling up and raiding Dungeons. Even after she entered White River City, she had not met many players who could surpass her.

Hence, Mu Qing naturally considered herself as a top-tier expert. However, Feng had utterly shattered that belief. 

"Hehe, isn't this big brother amazing? Shortly after I started playing God's Domain, I discovered Brother Ye Feng's prowess! With such a massive damage output, the First Clear of this Hard Mode Dungeon will definitely be ours this time!" Stabbing Heart gleefully said. After all, he was the one who had invited Feng to this raid. Now that Feng performed so valiantly, shocking everyone on the team, Stabbing Heart felt extremely proud.

"Scram! You're not Ye Feng; what's there to be proud of?! If you have the ability, then show me that you can kill a boss in one hit!" Mu Qing glared at Stabbing Heart.

"Little Sister Mu Qing, you think too highly of me! How can I compare to Brother Ye Feng? He is the publicly acknowledged god-ranked expert of White River City!" Stabbing Heart smiled bitterly.

Previously, the players who still had some complaints about Feng now had none.

At this moment, Cruel Sword suddenly sent a private message to Mu Qing, "Mu Qing, you're one of the great beauties in our Guild. You can see how amazing Ye Feng is; it would be a shame not to recruit him into our Guild. It wouldn't be too good for a brute like me to invite him directly. Can you use your charms to persuade him to join us? If you manage to pull Ye Feng into our Guild, I can guarantee that your current treatment will increase by threefold, and you will also be promoted to an elder of the Guild." Cruel Sword also tried to think of a few other methods to recruit Feng into the Assassin's Alliance. 

However, he immediately discovered that the Assassin's Alliance did not have any great benefits to Feng. With Feng's techniques, even first-rate Guilds would willingly wage a bloody battle with each other to recruit him. As for the price tag the Assassin's Alliance could offer, any first-rate Guilds could easily double or triple the amount. Hence, the only option Cruel Sword had remaining was to play the relationship card.

Looking at Feng's age, he should only be in his early twenties. He was at the age where he should be both vigorous and passionate. Meanwhile, a great beauty like Mu Qing was perfect for this situation.

Although Cruel Sword hated resorting to such methods, the competition in God's Domain was just too intense. There were plenty of Guilds using similar tactics. If he continued being conservative, he might regret it in the future.

"Guild Leader, are you for real?" Mu Qing excitedly asked.

"Of course," Cruel Sword earnestly replied.

"Guild Leader, leave it to me! With this young lady's charm, I will definitely recruit Ye Feng into our Guild!" Mu Qing laughed coquettishly, her large eyes shifting towards Feng.

Cruel Sword had similarly notified Stabbing Heart of his plan. However, Stabbing Heart simply shook his head and smiled bitterly after he heard it.

Stabbing Heart really wished to say, "If even a saint like Gentle Snow and a demoness like Zhao Yueru failed to capture Ye Feng's heart, I'm afraid Mu Qing will not have any chances at all."

Although Mu Qing was indeed a beauty as pretty as a flower, when Stabbing Heart gazed at Mu Qing's flat chest and recalled Gentle Snow's and Zhao Yueru's outstanding lethal weapons... They were on entirely different levels...However, Stabbing Heart did not try to ruin Mu Qing's beautiful fantasy.

After distributing the drops, everyone advanced towards the next Boss.

Now that Water Lake possessed a Level 10 Mysterious-Iron ranked shield, his Defense and HP had both increased significantly. As a result, they easily dealt with the monsters they met on their journey. Within 10 minutes, they arrived at a fighting arena.

In the middle of the arena, Morlock, a Beastman Assassin, stood there. He was also the second Boss of the Beastman Munition Factory.

[Morlock] (High Chieftain Rank)

Level 12

HP 400,000/400,000

Although Morlock's HP was lower than Karur's, Morlock was, in reality, much harder to deal with than Karur. Unlike Karur, Morlock was an Assassin. During battle, Morlock would unpredictably disappear and reappear at another location. He would also frequently attack players while ignoring aggro, choosing to attack players on the rearn line rather than those on the frontline.

At this moment, everyone in the team looked towards Feng, intending to obtain his opinion on how to deal with this second High Chieftain Boss, but they suddenly noticed that he wasn't next to them anymore. 

Thud!

The sound of something falling interrupted their thoughts. They looked in the direction of where the sound originated from, and saw Morlock laying on the ground with zero HP, while Feng was standing next to the corpse, in the process of sheathing the Abyssal Blade.

Everyone was shocked speechless once again, but they were more or less expecting it this time. They all felt blissful from the fact that Feng had joined their team. 

Right now, no one on the team felt the same panic they had when they first entered the Dungeon. They could joke around with each other and had even become pals with Feng. Occasionally, they would even ask Feng to teach them a few battle techniques.

While Feng gave out casual pointers to pass the time, the team members' admiration for Feng gradually grew.

Under Feng's casual guidance, many players in the team exhibited noticeable improvement.

Soon after, everyone arrived at the final throne room. Here, they met the final Boss, the Dark Warlock Salou.

[Dark Warlock Salou] (High Chieftain Rank)

Level 12

HP 500,000/500,000

Feng then proceeded to one-shot the final boss with Flame Burst.

Seeing Salou fall, everyone jumped in celebration.

The Beastman Munition Factory belonged to the category of Expedition Dungeons. Unlike the Dark Moon Graveyard, which was a Survival Dungeon, players only needed to kill the final Boss in an expedition Dungeon to clear it; there was no need to leave the Dungeon for the clear to be official.

At this moment, the White River City Region System Announcement had already appeared.

White River City Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Assassin's Alliance for becoming the first team to conquer the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory. All players within the team will be rewarded with 50,000 EXP and 1 Silver Coin.

White River City Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Assassin's Alliance for becoming the fastest team to conquer the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory. All players within the team will be rewarded with 50,000 EXP and one Tier 1 Gemstone of random Attribute.

After a round of mad celebration, everyone finally welcomed the most exciting moment.

They began examining the item drops of the Dark Warlock Salou, the final Boss monster of the Beastman Munition Factory.

Compared to the previous two Bosses, the loot from Salou was far more bountiful. While sorting through the loot, Cruel Sword finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Basic Fire Resistance Potion recipe. The previous two bosses hadn't dropped any Forging Designs or Recipes, and although he had tried offering Feng some swordsman equipment previously, Feng had rejected it. If the finals boss didn't drop any Designs or Recipes either, he wouldn't have anything to give to Feng. 

Following which, Cruel Sword handed the Basic Fire Resistance Potion Recipe to Feng.

"Brother Ye Feng, you've helped us out so much, yet, you're only taking one item. I am truly embarrassed about this, so please let me pay you another 500,000 Credits as compensation. Otherwise, if the other Guilds discover this matter, they will definitely mock us for being insincere!" Cruel Sword said with a laugh as he looked at Feng.

Putting aside the advertising benefits brought about from obtaining the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory, just the equipment they obtained was already of considerable value. It was especially true for the Secret-Silver ranked Elemental Scepter. The value of this staff alone could compare to half a dozen pieces of Level 10 Mysterious-Iron Equipment. Hence, spending an additional 500,000 Credits to compensate Feng was a minor matter.

To put it another way, the Assassin's Alliance had made a huge profit from this deal. After all, the First Clear of a 20-man Hard Mode Team Dungeon held extraordinary significance, as up until this moment, any Guild had yet to obtain the First Clear of a 20-man Hard Mode Team Dungeon.

Obtaining the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory had undeniably allowed the Assassin's Alliance to break free from their awkward position in White River City. They no longer had to suffer the suppression from Dark Star.

Of course, by giving Feng 500,000 Credits, Cruel Sword also had the intention of deepening the relationship between Feng and the Assassin's Alliance. Cruel Sword still wished to recruit Feng into the Guild.

Feng could easily see through Cruel Sword's intentions. However, he merely smiled in reply, receiving all that Cruel Sword offered without hesitation.

[Basic Fire Resistance Potion]

After consumption, increases Fire Resistance by 15 points for 1 hour.

"Brother Ye Feng, are you free tomorrow?" At this moment, Mu Qing walked over to Feng after receiving a silent hint from Cruel Sword. Sweetly, she said, "My party is planning to raid the Old Ruins, a high-level 10-man Team Dungeon, tomorrow. However, one of the original party members had applied for leave due to some personal matters. I'd really love it if you would join me. Will you?"

After a Team Dungeon was cleared, it would have a Cooldown period of three days. Hence, they needed to wait for three days before they could enter the Beastman Munition Factory again.

Standing to the side, Cruel Sword inwardly clapped his hands at Mu Qing's performance.

Relationships needed care and gentle nurturing. Although he could tell that Feng had no interest in Mu Qing, with increased interactions, who was to say would happen in the future?

"I still have something that I need to do tomorrow. Let's find some other time to go Dungeon diving." Feng naturally rejected Mu Qing. He had zero interest in both the Old Ruins and Mu Qing.

Mu Qing's innocent eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment. She did not think that her charm, which had only brought her success so far, would fail against Feng.

Was she really lacking in charm, or were Feng's defenses just too high?

---

Elsewhere, while Feng and the others had arrived before the final Boss, Dark Star's Lone Tyrant still tangled with the first Boss of the Beastman Munition Factory, Karur.

As of this moment, Lone Tyrant and his team had already experienced three team-wipes. Moreover, Karur's Avatar Slash had caused all three. They had not improved one little bit since their first battle.

Lone Tyrant grew hysterical at this situation. He did not know why a 20-man Dungeon would have such a huge increase in difficulty compared to a 10-man Dungeon.

After pondering for a long time, Lone Tyrant discovered the reason for their failures.

This Boss needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. However, our overall damage simply isn't enough to finish him. Unless the team's equipment is further upgraded, the possibility of clearing this Dungeon doesn't exist. Do we really have to go and upgrade our equipment before trying again? Lone Tyrant wore a hesitant expression as he glared at Karur.

Due to his previous boasting, he was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. However, Lone Tyrant suddenly came to a realization. If the damage of his own team were insufficient to deal with Karur, then the Assassin's Alliance, who had poorer quality equipment, would have even less of a chance of killing Karur. At this moment, the team from the Assassin's Alliance must certainly be stuck at the first Boss as well. When Lone Tyrant thought about this, his mood immediately lifted. He decided to reflect on their raiding strategy, giving the Boss another try.

Suddenly, two system notifications relating to the Assassin's Alliance rang out beside everyone's ears.

In the beginning, the members of Dark Star thought that they had heard wrong. Hence, they quickly called up the announcement interface. The extraordinarily large and clear words proved them wrong. The Assassin's Alliance had indeed obtained the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beastman Munition Factory.

Immediately, the atmosphere surrounding the members of Dark Star sunk.

Why was there such a large difference between their two teams? Weren't they supposed to be stronger than the Assassin's Alliance?

How could the Assassin's Alliance have already obtained the First Clear, while they were still stuck at the first Boss?

Lone Tyrant felt like he had just been given two tight slaps to his face when he looked at these notifications; his cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

He felt even worse when he recalled Ye Feng's words from before.

If the nobodies that you've looked down on suddenly obtain the First Clear of the Hard Mode Beast Munition Factory a step ahead of you, then what would you all amount to?

At this moment, those words were like sharp swords, continuously slashing at Lone Tyrant's pride.

Lone Tyrant truly never imagined that such a situation would occur.

However, Lone Tyrant was no fool. He did not believe the Assassin's Alliance had relied on only themselves to clear the Dungeon. The only possible way they could do so was with to Ye Feng's help.

Just where did this mysterious person come from?

In reality, Dark Star wasn't the only one to have been shocked by this piece of news. When the announcement spread throughout the entire White River City region, it had grabbed the attention of many other Guilds.

The Assassin's Alliance's position in White River City was self-evident from the fact that their development speed had surpassed even that of a first-rate Guild. However, Dark Star's fame had recently suppressed Assassin's Alliance, adding to the fact that they had not produced any significant results from the Team Dungeons, their status in White River City had become slightly awkward.

Now that they had obtained the First Clear of the Beastman Munition Factory, their fame instantly soared. This allowed the Assassin's Alliance to regain their rightful reputation. From now on, their development speed would definitely be faster than before.

---

Just as everyone discussed the Assassin's Alliance's First Clear, Feng had already made a trip to the Bank to store the recipe and most of his money, bringing only 70 Gold Coins, and arrived at the Library of White River City. Although he took less time to clear the Beastman Factory then in his previous life, he wagered that Thoughtful Rain should still be here at this time.

At the entrance of White River City's majestic Library...

Aside from a large number of NPCs entering and leaving the premises, there were also plenty of players surrounding the Library's entrance. However, no matter how hard they tried, they still could not enter the Library. Hence, a majority of these players were currently trying to befriend some of the NPCs here, increasing their intimacy in the hopes of these NPCs taking them along into the Library.

There were even some attractive female players that tried to seduce the NPC nobles.

Meanwhile, the players that attempted these actions were mostly mages such as Elementalists, Cursemancers, and Summoners.

As for why these players tried to get into the Library?

It was mainly because of the amazing skills they could learn within the Library. Aside from obtaining these skills from monsters and Dungeons, the Library also possessed some of the more common, high-level mage skills. As for healers, they would have to visit the Light Temple to learn their respective skills. Meanwhile, all melee classes could learn new skills from their respective class instructors in the Apocalypse Temple.

These players had read about the Library in the White River City Guidebook by Feng. Hence, they had all come here to obtain new skills. After all, compared to upgrading their weapons and equipment, it was much easier to upgrade their arsenal of skills.

Seeing Feng walking towards the Library's entrance, the spectating players by the sidelines revealed sneers on their faces.

"Look, another new guy is trying to enter."

"How many players has that been already?"

"Let's watch the guard kick him out."

Most of these players had suffered a loss at the hands of the gatekeeper. As none of them possessed an entry pass, the guards had chased them all away. There were also some players who tried to cause a scene after being refused entry. However, these players were either jailed or sent flying away with a kick.

Just as Feng was about to walk towards the tightly shut large steel doors, a female Elementalist pulled on Feng, stopping him.

"The guards here will kick out any player without an entry pass. It is best if you do not try to approach them," the female player warned Feng.

Feng turned his head and looked at the female player that had stopped him.

Immediately, Feng discovered that the female player who stopped him was very beautiful. Feng felt a sense of familiarity when he looked at this female player. Of course, it wasn't just because Thoughtful Rain, the female player, was a former member of Zero Wing. After all, Feng had felt the same sense of familiarity from her in his previous life. He only later discovered the reason he was familiar with Thoughtful Rain was her identity in the real world.

Thoughtful Rain was none other then his class monitor, Zhao Ruoxi[1]. She had originally kept her real identity private when she joined Zero Wing, and Feng didn't bother to find out who she really is. It was only when they were going to the Greater World and she had to come in real life did Feng find out she was Zhao Ruoxi. 

That had been a bit of a awkward situation. After Ruoxi's birthday, she and Feng never met again in real life. Although they talked over the phone a few times, Feng soon became to busy and forgot about her, especially so when he moved from Jin Hai City.

By the time they met again, it had been over two years later. When Feng's dense nature lessened a bit, he realized that Ruoxi had feelings for him, and that him completely forgetting about her existence had hurt her.

"Thanks," Feng said.

Thoughtful Rain faintly smiled. She thought that, since Feng had shown his appreciation, he must have a kind personality, unlike others who would reply to goodwill with malice. Hence, she pointed towards the group of players a short distance away that was currently surrounding a few NPC nobles, softly saying, "En, your attitude isn't so bad after all. If you wish to enter the Library, it is best if you obtain an entry pass first. You can also try to befriend one of those NPC nobles. They possess some entry passes."

"Miss Rain, are you trying to enter the Library as well?" Feng asked.

"En, but those NPC nobles are simply too vile. So, I was just about to leave in search of an entry pass somewhere else." Thoughtful Rain nodded her head. However, when she recalled those fat and oily NPC nobles, an expression of disgust appeared on her face.

"Since that is the case, why don't you enter the Library with me?" Feng asked.

"Enter?" Thoughtful Rain asked in confusion, "Do you have an entry pass?"

"No." Feng shook his head. He then smiled as he explained, "However, I have other methods."

"It shouldn't be possible, right? The guards here will only allow those with an entry pass or those related to the Library to enter," Thoughtful Rain revealed an unconvinced expression as if saying, "You're tricking me."

Feng merely smiled at her reaction, not bothering to explain. He then walked towards the large metal doors. Before Thoughtful Rain could stop Feng, the guard on duty had already noticed him.

The spectating players in the distance all started snickering at the thought of the misfortunate about to befall on Feng.

"This noob is trying too hard to impress the beauty he just met. I want to watch the guard put him in his place."

"With his figure, I'm guessing that the guard will send him flying over 10 yards. If he continues making a ruckus, the guard might even capture him and hang him by the Library's entrance for display."

"That isn't right. The guard kicked that last Berserker over 10 yards. I bet that he will fly 15 yards away!"

Just as everyone wore mocking smiles, the guard moved forward and blocked Feng's path.

"Halt!" the powerful and mighty guard at the entrance suddenly blocked Feng with his spear. He then coldly said, "You will need to present your pass if you wish to enter the Library."

"I'm a Demon Hunter. Will that do?" Feng swapped out his Might of a Thousand title for the Demon Hunter title, asking.

"So, it is Lord Demon Hunter! Please pardon my rudeness!" The gatekeeper immediately retracted his spear, showing Feng extreme respect.

This situation immediately stunned the spectating players standing at a side. Their mouths gaped as the scene left them speechless.

Even after they tried countless methods to obtain an entry pass from the NPC nobles, they still failed. Yet, the noob before them had actually made the gatekeeper kneel before him in respect just by uttering a single sentence.

Could this be the rumored secret signal? Or was it the entry password?

Feng nodded towards the guard. He then pointed at Thoughtful Rain, saying, "She is a friend of mine. However, she does not possess an entry pass. I wonder if she can enter with me? I can be her guarantor."

"Of course! Since she is a friend of the Lord Demon Hunter, she is naturally allowed to enter!" The guard took a look at Thoughtful Rain, immediately noticing that she was an exquisite beauty. He then returned his gaze to Feng, an understanding look on his face as he hurriedly said, "In addition, here is a Library Member's Emblem. This will allow Lord Demon Hunter's friend to enter the Library freely in the future." Saying so, the guard respectfully passed the Library Member's Emblem to Feng.

Feng accepted the Library Member's Emblem from the guard. 

"Miss Rain, please hold onto this Library member's emblem properly. In the future, you simply need to wear it on your person, and none of these guards will bar you from the Library," Feng said, handing the emblem to Thoughtful Rain, who was currently still in a daze.

Following which, the two of them entered the Library under everyone's stunned gazes.

Some of the players were immediately dumbfounded. A few female players also revealed their envy as they watched Thoughtful Rain.

At this moment, the players who had previously mocked Feng ran up to the Library's entrance.

"Halt!" The gatekeeper blocked all the players, coldly saying, "You will need to present your pass if you wish to enter the Library."

"I'm a Demon Hunter. Will that do?" these players repeated Feng's words, inwardly praising themselves for their clever minds.

"How brave! You actually dare to impersonate the Lord Demon Hunter?!" When the guard swept a glance over these players, he failed to discover any of them in possession of the Demon Hunter title. Immediately, the guard flared with anger.

In the end, all these 'smart people' ended up in tragedy.

After Feng and Thoughtful Rain entered the Library...

Thoughtful Rain's eyes flashed with a hint of shock when she saw the spectacular scene inside the Library.

The interior of the Library was like something from a fantasy world. Countless documents and materials were displayed all around the Library, and a massive, transparent crystal globe occupied the center. This crystal globe was like a supercomputer; one could search for any information available pertaining to the Star-Moon Kingdom.

Meanwhile, numerous open-air meditation rooms made of Magic Crystals decorated the surroundings of the crystal globe. Inside these meditation rooms, players could either research new spells or practice using their current spells.

"Let's part ways here; I still need to look for someone. If you want to learn high-level skills, the Tier 2 instructor over there can help you," Feng pointed towards a mage in white robes standing by the large crystal globe.

"Thank you," Thoughtful Rain appeared slightly embarrassed as she expressed her gratitude. Originally, she had intended to help Feng. Never would she have imagined that she would be the one who received help instead. She then said, "Seeing as you are so familiar with this place, are you perhaps a professional player?"

"I guess you can put it that way," Feng nodded.

"Let's add each other as friends, then. I don't normally play games, so I usually buy my game equipment from others. In the future, if I am looking to purchase equipment or do a quest, I can also look to you for some help." Thoughtful Rain beamed a smile as she sent Feng a friend request.

"That's fine, but if you need help with a quest, it would be best if you contact me about it in advance," Feng accepted the friend request.

After Feng left, Thoughtful Rain inspected his ID.

"Oh? He is Ye Feng, White River City's number one expert?"

As Feng had kept his ID hidden, it was only revealed after Feng accepted her friend request.

Although Thoughtful Rain was not a gaming expert, having a poor understanding of the gaming world, Feng's fame had long since shaken the White River City region. He had also received many titles such as White River City's number one independent player, god-ranked expert, and so on.

Furthermore, Feng had also personally penned the luxury version of the White River City Guidebook she had bought. So, how could she not know who Feng was?

"No wonder why I thought he looked familiar. It turns out that he is Ye Feng. This looks interesting." Thoughtful Rain's bright red lips slightly lifted upwards as she lost herself in her own thoughts.

---

On the Library's uppermost floor, Star-Moon Hall...

Several Level 180 Tier 1 Knights stood guard outside of Star-Moon Hall. These Knights wore rigid expressions. Under normal circumstances, even normal nobles were not allowed into the Star-Moon Hall. However, these Knights did not stop Feng this time.

On the contrary, they immediately parted the crystal doors for Feng upon his arrival.

"I've been bitterly waiting for you for so long; why have you only decided to come now?" Sharlyn asked, smiling sweetly from her seat next to a shiny, stone table. The woman currently wore a set of pure white, magical robes. The delicate and luxurious robes radiated a faint silvery glow, making Sharlyn appear as though she were a flawless noble saint. She crossed one thigh over the other, revealing fair, supple skin. It was almost as if Sharlyn was trying to toy with Feng.

At this moment, Sharlyn was no longer a Level 20 Tier 3 Divine Official, but a Level 180 Tier 3 Divine Official.

"Why are you standing there, daydreaming? Come over here and sit! We have plenty of time to have a lengthy chat." Sharlyn smiled faintly as she pointed towards the empty seat beside her.

Feng took a seat next to Sharlyn and asked "You previously told me to come here to find out more information about the Bible of Darkness. So how much will it be?"

"I didn't think that your moneymaking speed would be so fast. This big sister has truly underestimated you." Sharlyn unhurriedly said, "However, I now have a new piece of information. I wonder if you would be interested in hearing it? Moreover, this information is extremely accurate. It will definitely help you in locating the Bible of Darkness."

"Just say it. How much do you want?"

"Not much; 50 Gold Coins would be enough. Of course, you-" Feng didn't want to listen to her advertisement, so he immediately took out 50 Gold Coins when he heard the number, and placed them on the table. 

Sharlyn's eyes shone as she saw the small mountain of gold. After snagging the Gold Coins, she unhurriedly took out a letter and handed it to Feng. She then said, "This is a contract for White River City's Starstreak Trading Firm. As long as you bring this contract to President Henry, he will tell you how to reach the Dark Den."

"Thanks." Feng thanked Sharlyn as he received the contract.

"I have faith in you. Don't make me wait too long. As more time passes, the strength of the great demon will also increase. At that time, even I might not be able to challenge it. As for you, you'll just have to live the remainder of your life as a walking corpse," Sharlyn warned.

System: Second phase of the Epic Quest 'Darkness Descends,' 'Gospel Project', accepted.

Quest content: Go to Starstreak Trading Firm and look for President Henry for more information about the Dark Den. Rewards unknown.

After leaving the Library, Feng hailed a horse carriage and hurried over to Starstreak Trading Firm.

As the horse carriage galloped through the wide streets, Feng could see players who had just arrived at White River City all around. Through the passing of time, the atmosphere in White River City had grown livelier. There was a high possibility that, in just another few days, the streets of White River City would be packed with people.

Ten minutes or so later, the horse carriage halted in front of the storefront of Starstreak Trading Firm.

The Starstreak Trading Firm's store appeared luxurious. The building had a total of six floors. This store was definitely one of the tallest buildings in White River City, making it extremely eye-catching. Moreover, it was situated in a very good location; right in the heart of the Trade Area. The Bank of White River City was also just next door, while the Auction House was only a short distance away.

There were only eight shops in total situated within this golden district. Among them, three shops occupied the largest areas; each occupied two to three times more land than the other shops. Naturally, Starstreak Trading Firm was one of these shops. Moreover, Starstreak Trading Firm similarly occupied such a golden district in the other seven cities. It was obvious just how powerful the background of Starstreak Trading Firm was.

At this moment, Feng suddenly received a system announcement.

White River City Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Ouroboros for becoming the first team to conquer the Hard Mode Crystal Ruins. All players within the team will be rewarded with 50,000 EXP and 1 Silver Coin.

White River City Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Ouroboros for becoming the fastest team to conquer the Hard Mode Crystal Ruins. All players within the team will be rewarded with 50,000 EXP and one Tier 1 Gemstone of random Attribute.

This system announcement undeniably caused a sensation among the players in White River City.

First-floor reception hall of Starstreak Trading Firm.

The Starstreak Trading Firm's store was different from normal stores. As it specialized in big businesses across cities, it had its own specialized reception room set up in the building. At the same time, there was also a sales area located on the first floor of the building. The sales area sold various merchandise such as clothing, weapons, equipment, potions, alchemy products, magic scrolls, and much more. This place was just like a supermarket in reality.

"Esteemed Sir, how may I assist you?" The beautiful and dignified young lady at the receptionist counter smiled at Feng.

"I wish to meet President Henry. Please tell President Henry that Lady Sharlyn sent me to speak with him," Feng said.

"Please wait for a moment. I will notify the president immediately."

The receptionist immediately took out a Multicolored Communication Crystal, transferring Feng's information through the crystal.

After several minutes...

"Mister Ye Feng, the President is waiting for you in the President's Office on the third floor."

"Thank you."

Immediately, Feng walked towards the spiral staircase in the distance.

When he arrived before the President's Office on the third floor, he met two Level 150 guards who stood by the office's door. When Feng walked up to the office, the two ferocious-looking guards immediately parted the sturdy, mahogany doors for him.

Inside the luxurious and spacious office, a man in his fifties sat on a sofa in the middle of the room. The man had an elegant and dignified appearance. This person was indeed President Henry of Starstreak Trading Firm, and he was a well-known financial magnate in White River City.

"Your Excellency, Ye Feng, please, sit," President Henry said when his eyes met Feng's, his finger pointing to the beastskin sofa before him.

"President Henry, this is the contract that Miss Sharlyn wanted me to bring to you." Feng sat down. He retrieved the contract from his bag, handing it over for Henry's inspection.

"No need. Before you arrived, Her Highness Sharlyn had already notified me of your coming here. I've also learned some information about you from Her Highness Sharlyn. The young truly are promising," Henry praised. He then said, "Since you are here now, I feel reassured."

"President Henry, I wonder what you need my help with?" Feng asked.

"To be honest, bandits have snatched one of our shipments carrying precious merchandise, costing the trading firm massively. To make up for the loss, our trading firm had to pay a large sum of money as compensation, which in turn, resulted in our trading firm facing its current crisis. So, I hope that Your Excellency can help us resolve this predicament. Otherwise, if this problem drags on for another month, our trading firm will have to declare bankruptcy," Henry unhurriedly explained.

"Then, President Henry, are you telling me to get rid of those bandits and retrieve your stolen merchandise?"

"It would be best if that is possible."

"Then, which band of bandits stole your merchandise?"

"The Black Scorpion Corps of Black Cloud Ridge, led by Black Scorpion himself. He is a Level 180 Tier 3 Shadow Warrior. If you can get rid of him and retrieve our merchandise, I would greatly appreciate it."

Feng entered deep thought and wondered if he should try killing the bandits this time in order to save some money. He still had around thirty days, so he'll be able to reach Tier 1, and depending on whether or not his plans work, he might be able to kill the Black Scorpion.

Noticing that Feng was deep in thought, Henry once more unhurriedly said, "If Your Excellency feels that this request is too difficult, there is a second option. It is also for this reason that Her Highness Sharlyn sent Your Excellency here.

"In reality, our trading firm also feels that it is impossible to retrieve the merchandise. The only possibility for Starstreak Trading Firm to get through this predicament is for us to collect 30,000 Gold Coins within a month.

"Her Highness Sharlyn has always praised Your Excellency as a business prodigy. If Your Excellency manages our Starstreak Trading Firm, I believe that we can achieve that goal."

System: Epic Quest Phase 2 'Gospel Project' accepted.

Quest content: You have become the manager of Starstreak Trading Firm! Earn 30,000 Gold Coins within a month and resolve Starstreak Trading Firm's predicament! Rewards Unknown.

"Your Excellency Ye Feng, from now on, the entire Starstreak Trading Firm will be under your command. We will carry out any orders you give. Also, I would like to introduce you to someone. If Your Excellency needs anything, simply let her know," Henry said, clapping his hands once.

At this moment, the large doors of the office suddenly opened, and a beautiful girl with golden-blonde hair stepped into the office. The girl with blue eyes wore a beautiful purple dress; the edges of her dress brushed against the red-carpeted floor. The girl had a fair and pretty face, and her long wavy hair, which reached her buttocks, fluttered in the wind as she moved. Her bangs covered her sea-blue left eye, while her uncovered right eye looked just like a shiny, blue gemstone. As she walked closer to Feng and President Henry, her thin red lips formed a tranquil, yet attractive, smile.

"Anna, from today onwards, His Excellency Ye Feng will be the acting president of Starstreak Trading Firm, while you will be His Excellency's assistant. You must properly assist His Excellency, understood?" Henry asked.

"Yes, President. I will not disappoint His Excellency Ye Feng."

Following which, Henry sent a beaming smile at Feng as he said, "Your Excellency Ye Feng, from today onwards, the Starstreak Trading Firm's fate will be in your hands. Anna is very familiar with the Starstreak Trading Firm, and she is also very intelligent and capable. If you have any commands, please don't hesitate to let her carry them out."

System: Player has activated the NPC Administration System. Please call out the NPC Administration Interface to manage your subordinated NPCs.

"Leave the matter of Starstreak Trading Firm to me, then." Feng said. Although he had more than enough Gold Coins to finish the quest immediately, he was planning to use the Starstreak Trading Firm to gather some resources and recruit people for the Candlelight Trading Firm first. 

Feng called out the system interface, investigating the NPC administration interface.

[Ana] (Ye Feng's Assistant)

Gender: Female

Age: 20

Loyalty: 50

Charm: 86

Physique: 60

Wisdom: 91

Level: 50

HP: 10,000

Shortly after, under Anna's lead, Feng, who changed his appearance to Black Flame, left the President's Office to tour the Starstreak Trading Firm. In truth, however, even without exploring the place, Feng already had a thorough understanding of the Starstreak Trading Firm.

Just as Anna guided Feng around the Starstreak Trading Firm, a few players who came to purchase some necessities such as food, water, scrolls, and potions were immediately dumbstruck when they noticed the duo.

"That NPC is beautiful!"

"Just who is that player? Isn't he too good at getting the ladies? He has even managed to land an NPC sister. This won't do; I need to convince him to teach me!"

The scene of Feng and Anna walking together immediately attracted the attention of plenty of players. In reality, such attention wasn't just due to Anna's beauty. It was also due to the fact that Feng had managed to get together with a female NPC. Such a feat was far more stunning than just getting together with a beautiful female player. Countless male players glowered at Feng in envy. Meanwhile, this information spread throughout the forums like a storm, especially the footage of Feng and Anna strolling through the sales area.

This footage became a sensation among players, and it allowed them to gain a new perspective on God's Domain.

"This should be enough," Feng looked at the surrounding onlookers as he revealed a faint smile. The reason he had asked Anna to come out for a stroll was precisely to attract attention. He then spoke to Anna, "I've decided to change the Starstreak Trading Firm's business model. I wonder if that would be alright?"

Anna's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. She looked at Feng with a confused expression as she thought, He has just taken the position as the acting president, yet, he is already taking such a bold and decisive action? Is this person really a business prodigy?

However, Feng was her boss. Moreover, President Henry had already instructed her to listen to Feng. Hence, she nodded her head, saying, "If Your Excellency wishes to change the business models, I wonder what Your Excellency needs me to do?"

"Very simple. I wish to hire adventurers to craft items for me, then sell the items they have crafted. So, I need you to get someone to refurbish the eight shops we own. The first and second floors of the building will be used to sell our wares, while the fourth to sixth floors will be rebuilt as a workspace. Also, get the news out that we are hiring Lifestyle players. Whether they are just normal people or adventurers, as long as they reach our standards, we will offer them 30% more than what others are offering."

Listening up to this point, Anna grew shocked.

This wasn't just a change in the business models; this was practically a change of occupation...Immediately after Feng gave his command, Anna started making the necessary preparations.

Compared to a normal NPC, Anna was simply too smart. In just a short amount of time, she had already finished carrying out Feng's request.

The entire Starstreak Trading Firm had also started its renovation. Following Feng's request, the first and second floors were outfitted with sales counters. The first floor sold only the commonly used items, while the second floor would sell exquisite and precious items. Meanwhile, the fourth to sixth floors were refurbished into workshops for Lifestyle players.

Out of those three floors, the fourth floor consisted of solely Forging Rooms, while the fifth floor consisted of Potionmaking Rooms. The sixth floor consisted of workshops for the remaining classes and a warehouse meant for the use of both NPCs and players.

Meanwhile, the Starstreak Trading Firm's renovation had attracted the attention of many players.

Due to the footage of Feng and Anna from before, plenty of players had arrived the trading firm to take a look out of curiosity. Yet, by the time they arrived, they discovered that the Starstreak Trading Firm was actually undergoing renovations.

This situation made all the players grow even more curious. Just what was going on here?

"Your Excellency Ye Feng, the matter you requested has been completed. Does Your Excellency have any other instructions?" Anna spoke gently as she walked up to Feng, a tranquil smile on her face.

"Good. How many people did you manage to recruit?" Feng asked.

"From the eight cities, we've recruited 245 Potionmakers. Among them, 209 are Basic Potionmakers, 29 are Intermediate Potionmakers, and 7 are Advanced Potionmakers. In addition, we also recruited 228 Forgers. Among them, 188 are Basic Forgers, 31 are Intermediate Forgers, and 9 are Advanced Forgers." Anna took out a name list and place it on the table.

"Your Excellency, I feel that it isn't very appropriate to offer such a high salary. Since we are hiring so many people, we will also have to provide an equally large number of materials. We will take a huge loss through this transaction. If we continue down such a path, not to mention a month, the Starstreak Trading Firm will go bankrupt within ten days," Anna said worriedly.

In order to hire all these people, the Starstreak Trading Firm had offered 30% more than the market price. The trading firm also had to bear the failures of these crafters. This was simply madness.

Moreover, whether it was potions or equipment, neither could earn them a lot of money. The sales of these items were similarly average.

Anna truly could not understand why Feng would invite all these people to work here. Wouldn't it be better to purchase the finished products from these crafters? That way, their trading firm would not have to suffer any losses.

Unfortunately, Anna had no idea just how important these Potionmakers and Forgers were to the current players of God's Domain.

"You don't need to bother with this. The remaining thing we need is to convince the Basic Potionmakers to continuously make the Basic Recovery Potions and Basic Mana Regeneration Potions that they are adept at making. As for the Intermediate and Advanced Potionmakers, get them to make Intermediate Recovery Potions and Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potions. For the Forgers, get all of them to make only Whetstones," Feng said with a smile.

There were plenty of NPC Potionmakers and Forgers in God's Domain. Meanwhile, only players with their own shops had the right to hire these NPCs. Otherwise, even when players provided the materials, these NPCs would refuse to make anything for these players.

However, there was a downside to getting these NPCs to make items. Simply put, they were slow. The number of items they could craft within a day was fixed. As for the advantage, NPCs had a much higher success rate, so they did not waste as many materials as players did.

Meanwhile, during the later stages of God's Domain, as player-made items grew in abundance, the usefulness of these NPCs would similarly start to wane. Right now, however, these Forgers and Potionmakers were of great use to Feng.

It was especially true for the Intermediate Recovery Potion and Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potion. These two items were very useful to players, as they could save their lives during a crucial moment.

Although these two items were common products, and their respective recipes were also available for sale at the Potionmaking Association, the players at this stage of the game were simply incapable of crafting them. Meanwhile, these two potions were only available for purchase from hidden NPCs, and only a limited amount was sold each day. They were items that a majority of the players in God's Domain had no chance of enjoying.

If these NPC Potionmakers crafted these two potions, their success rate would be more than 70%. The materials needed to make an Intermediate Potion were only around 30 to 40 Copper, yet, each completed bottle could sell for 5 to 6 Silver Coins. If Feng deducted the cost of hiring, he would still make a profit of 4 to 5 Silver Coins. So, why wouldn't he carry out this transaction? Players needed these items the most right now. If the Starstreak Trading Firm sold these items, they would make a killing.

There were also the Whetstones. This was an item that all players lacked. Currently, each stack of Hard Stones sold for 14 Silver Coins, while a stack of Whetstones sold for 40 Silver Coins. When comparing the success rate of Forging Apprentices and an official Forger, how could the former even hope to win over the latter?

The only problem was materials. As the Starstreak Trading Firm had previously only purchased finished products from Forgers and Potionmakers, they did not have any materials of their own stored up. Now, they needed to provide the materials for these crafters.

Although the trading firm could purchase the more common materials at low prices, Feng needed to be the one to gather the materials required to make Intermediate Recovery Potions, Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potions, and Whetstones.

However, Feng was not afraid of this. The herbs needed to make the Intermediate Recovery Potion and Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potion were not very expensive.

After all, these herbs were utterly useless to players right now.

The players in God's Domain at the moment were still Apprentice Potionmakers. Crafting Basic Recovery Potions was already impressive. Why would they bother wasting materials to make unrewarding potions? As a result, the herbs required to craft Intermediate Recovery Potions and Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potions were very cheap.

As for Hard Stones, Feng wasn't worried. After all, he still had a humongous stock in his warehouse. He had enough for these NPC Forgers for a long time. He would also sell these items in eight different cities. With all of these advantages, it would be challenging not to make a profit. Moreover, Feng also revealed one of his trump cards.

Peak Whetstones!

Peak Whetstones were much stronger than a normal Whetstones. Not only did they recover triple the amount of a weapon's durability, but they could also increase the weapon's damage.

Feng had already intended to sell each for 14 Silver Coins, and one stack would sell for 2 Gold, 80 Silvers. As long as he placed the Peak Whetstones on the second floor, a majority of the players would fight over it, especially the large Guilds.

Oftentimes, just a 1% difference in damage could decide the victory or defeat of a Boss raid. Meanwhile, the Peak Whetstone provided a 5% increase to a weapon's damage. So, how could the various Guilds, who were currently in a rush to raid Dungeons, miss out on this item? They would definitely be in a mad rush to purchase them.

Previously, Feng had kept all the Peak Whetstones for his personal use. Later on, he passed some of them to his teammates, leaving him with 3,000 or so for himself. With this amount, the Starstreak Trading Firm should be able to last a relatively long time.

Afterwards, Feng left the follow-up work to Anna, while he departed the Starstreak Trading Firm alone.

Inside a hotel in White River City.

Along with God's Domain's evolution, players understood the importance of rest. If they grinded monsters without rest, not only would their Stamina decrease, but their Concentration would also fall. Hence, after a day of battle, players would now rest at the hotel, having a drink and chatting with each other.

Players discovered that places like restaurants, hotels, and bars allowed them to recover Stamina and Concentration more quickly. After relaxing for two or three hours, they would feel refreshed and filled with energy.

"Did you hear? The Starstreak Trading Firm seems to be undergoing renovations. I heard that they are going to release new products for sale."

"Who doesn't know about this? After I made some inquiries, I found out that the Starstreak Trading Firm has also recruited tons of Potionmakers and Forgers. The trading firm is even hiring Lifestyle players right now. However, no players have dared apply for a position yet, thinking that it wouldn't be a reliable job. I wonder what sort of new items they are going to sell?"

"Aside from the common usage items, what else could an NPC-owned store sell? They can't possibly offer Bronze Equipment or rare potions, right?"

"That sounds about right."

While the players in the hotel conversed, a male player suddenly pushed open the saloon doors, panting.

"Big news...! Starstreak Trading Firm has finished its renovations and has officially opened for business!" the panting Ranger exclaimed to his companions loudly.

"Why are you making a fuss? Aren't they just reopening their business? We don't lack Basic Potions or Common Equipment right now, so we don't need to replenish our stock." As the leader of the party, the Shield Warrior rolled his eyes as he watched this embarrassing companion of his. Others would make fun of them for the Ranger's unsightly appearance.

Indeed, just like the Shield Warrior had feared, the other players in the hotel sent belittling glances, mocking smiles on their faces.

"Leader... listen... to me..." That Ranger excitedly said, "I saw Whetstones inside the shop! There are also Intermediate Recovery Potions and Intermediate Mana Regeneration Potions! Moreover, the Basic Potions are cheaper than anywhere else!"

"What did you say? There are Whetstones?" The Shield Warrior froze, stunned.

The entire hotel fell silent.

"Let's go. Take us there immediately! We have to buy all of them, now!" The Shield Warrior abruptly stood up, casting Charge and arriving at the Ranger's side. Grabbing the Ranger by the arm, he immediately rushed out of the hotel, running towards the Starstreak Trading Firm.

The other players inside the hotel were dumbfounded by this scene.

What?

"Crap, they're going to buy out the Whetstones! We need to hurry as well!

"After entering White River City, players' need for Whetstones had not decreased in the slightest. On the contrary, their need had grown. It was especially true when they faced high-level monsters, as the durability of their weapons reduced at a much faster rate.

As a result, the popularity of Whetstones had exploded. The available supply was far from meeting the demand.

By the time everyone had arrived at the Starstreak Trading Firm, a sea of people had already obliterated the shop's doors.

Aside from Whetstones, the players present also fought to purchase the Intermediate Recovery and Mana Regeneration Potions like madmen.---Meanwhile, this information had quickly spread to the ears of the various Guilds.

"Guild Leader, I've already collected a large sum from all our members, and we've managed to purchase 30 stacks of Hard Stones. This amount should be enough to last us a long time," Stabbing Heart spoke through the system communicator.

"Good. The moment the money-making team sends over the latest batch of Gold Coins, immediately return all the money we borrowed from our members," Cruel Sword excitedly said.

---

Aside from the Assassin's Alliance, other Guilds also frantically gathered funds.

"Snow, just what is happening at that Starstreak Trading Firm? Why would they suddenly start selling these items?" Zhao Yueru wrinkled her crescent brows when she looked at the latest news that she had just received. She then said helplessly, "We've already spent a lot of money to purchase our previous stock of Hard Stones. We don't have any money to purchase any more right now."

"I've heard that the Starstreak Trading Firm is also selling limited edition Peak Whetstones right now. Rumor has it the Peak Whetstone's effects are at least triple that of normal Whetstones. In addition, it also provides a 5% Damage Buff! Although it is more expensive, costing 14 Silver Coins per piece, we would have a much easier time raiding the Dungeon Bosses with them!"

Gentle Snow shook her head, a helpless expression appearing on her beautiful face as she said, "Under normal circumstances, NPCs would never sell these items. However, there is something strange going on. A player has created a connection with the Starstreak Trading Firm. I'm just wondering who could possibly achieve such a feat. Also, who would possess enough funding to supply so many Whetstones and Intermediate Potions. This is simply unbelievable. Send someone to investigate this matter immediately."

Recently, she had managed to raise 20 Gold Coins and had purchased Hard Stones with that money. Yet, the Starstreak Trading Firm now sold Whetstones. She had not received any information before this incident, causing her to suffer disaster.

Currently, the issue of weapon durability had caused a roadblock in their Dungeon raiding progress. Everything would be too late by the time their Guild's forgers managed to turn those Hard Stones into Whetstones. Other Guilds would have long since surpassed them.

They needed to obtain the Whetstones right this instant, especially the Peak Whetstones.

---

Meanwhile, Feng was currently increasing his Mining Proficiency. After three hours, he was getting close to becoming an Advanced Mining Apprentice. 

Di... Di... Di...

When Feng heard the ringtone for his communicator, he discovered the caller was Gentle Snow. However, she was not looking for Ye Feng, but Black Flame instead.

"Black Flame, are you interested in making a deal?" Gentle Snow immediately asked without any greeting.

"A deal? I wonder what sort of deal Miss Snow wishes to make?" Feng asked.

"I know that you are related to the matter of the Starstreak Trading Firm, so I wish to purchase some Whetstones from you, especially the Peak Whetstones. I'll pay Credits, and I'll buy as many as you have right now," Gentle Snow said.

"So, you desire the Whetstones. This should be simple. However, I need Gold Coins far more than Credits right now. If Miss Snow has a lot of them, I can definitely sell you my entire stock." Feng did not refute Gentle Snow's claim. After all, it was not strange that she had discovered his relation to the Starstreak Trading Firm.

"I'll pay you three times of the market price via Credits." Gentle Snow did not want the other Guilds to catch up to them. Hence, she did not mind spending some extra Credits.

"Miss Snow, there is no need to continue. You and I both know how important Gold Coins are right now. If you do not have the sincerity to conduct this trade, let us just forget it altogether."

"I am sincere about this deal. However, I've recently purchased a large batch of Hard Stones, so I don't have any excess Gold Coins at the moment. How about five times the market price?"

Gentle Snow felt helpless right now. Black Flame certainly had a powerful backer supporting him, so he might not value Credits as much as Gold Coins. However, she truly had nothing she could use to trade. She only had Credits.

"Let's just forget about the Credits. Don't you have a lot of Hard Stones right now? Let's exchange using Hard Stones, then."

"Exchange?" Gentle Snow's beautiful face froze. Stunned, she asked, "What will the ratio of exchange be?"

"That will depend on you. For the normal Whetstones, it will be a 1-to-4 ratio. As for the Peak Whetstones, I require a 1-to-15 ratio," Feng stated calmly.

"Fine. However, I only want Peak Whetstones. Moreover, I want to conduct the trade immediately." After giving the matter some thought, Gentle Snow felt that this exchange seemed reasonable. However, Gentle Snow inwardly cursed at Feng for being too hateful. It is as expected of the Chief Forger of Star-Moon Kingdom.

If she allowed the forgers in her Guild to make Whetstones right now, they could produce one Whetstone with every four or five Hard Stones. Meanwhile, Feng had accurately suggested trading one Whetstone for four Hard Stones. The result of this exchange was just slightly better than the result the forgers in her Guild could produce. So, Gentle Snow agreed to trade the majority of their stock of Hard Stones for Peak Whetstones, leaving the remainder for the forgers in her Guild to increase their Forging Proficiency.

"Alright, then. Look for an NPC named Anna once you arrive at the Starstreak Trading Firm. She will conduct the exchange immediately," Feng instructed, chuckling. Soon after, Feng disconnected the call, resuming his mining.

Feng's trade with Gentle Snow was only a small interlude. After Gentle Snow had exchanged four stacks of Peak Whetstones with Anna, under Feng's instructions, Anna made the exchange mechanism open to the public. The exchange ratio was the same as he previously mentioned to Gentle Snow. As a result, many players who lacked the money to purchase Whetstones started frantically exchanging their Hard Stones. They no longer needed Forging Apprentices to rip them off.

With this, not only could the Starstreak Trading Firm deal with its material supply issue, but it could also make a profit from this exchange. This scene caused many Lifestyle players to have second thoughts about applying to work at the trading firm.

A few hours later, Feng became an Advanced Mining Apprentice. Following which, he logged off.

Feng trained his body as usual, before heading to the workshop. The construction was completed and most of the gaming facilities they ordered have arrived. The only thing left is for living stuff for the people who were staying in the workshop to arrive.

While Feng was in his office looking through some papers for the Workshop, there was a knock on the door... 

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1. Idea from all the clues LOC gave, as well as fanfiction "Whispers of Antiquity" by getmeoutahere on Archive of Our Own