Chapter 10: Getting Ready For the Raid

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Upon returning the auction site, Lin Jie realized that there were more ‘Headhunters’ in the city hall. They were earnestly staring at the auction basket. There were even people grabbing onto players and asking them if they had the Slow Restoring Mana Potion, creating an air of panic.

They should have come to know the good of it!

The Slow Restoring Mana Potion could allow a priest to have infinite sustenance. This was like offering a person high-class delicacies every single day. After having experienced this luxury, reverting to eating normal, everyday food would create a huge sense of contrast. Talk about cutting off supplies directly?

After a Mage had experienced the luxury of unlimited spell casting, he would be hard-pressed to continue living the life of having to use his wand as a useless stick and rest to recover his mana after casting just two spells.

Lin Jie took out 20 bottles of Slow Restoring Mana Potion and offered them for sale at 20 Bronze coins each. In the blink of an eye, all bottles were sold, with every bottle being sold at about 23 coins.

However, to prevent buyers from trying anything sneaky, Lin Jie acted as if he did not have the potions and wiped out all the Poison-Antidote Potions and ingredient recipes first before finally settling down to sell the potions.

After selling one batch, Lin Jie paused the sales and turned around to head to the training grounds to buy a batch of Fear Devils’ Spit. With them, he concocted 200 bottles of Slow Restoring Mana Potions and coupled with the ones he had concocted previously, he had a total of about 350 bottles. He put up everything for sale at the same price – 20 Bronze coins per bottle.

‘Ding~’

‘Ding~’

‘Ding~’

Successful trade notification alarms kept sounding. Those headhunters were afraid that Lin Jie did not have enough stock and hence they bought all they could with their money. Only after spending all their money did they realize that there were still hundreds of bottles of Slow Restoring Mana Potions available for sale.

Lin Jie laughed. This was exactly how to make use of a consumer’s emotions. Stock up; open up supplies when people are anxious and hence overly willing to buy them, and reap huge monetary rewards. It would then be fine even if the remaining supplies could not be sold.

The stats of the Broken Blade were too bad! To unlock the first-level restriction on the Broken Blade, many ingredients were needed. Various elemental crystals, monsters’ crystal cores, etc. were needed. Quite a few gold coins were needed at the very least. If it had not been for the players’ lack of knowledge on the actual value of the rare ingredients, the cost of breaking the seal on the Broken Blade would have been much greater.

After a large number of sales of the Slow Restoring Potions, he earned an additional 22 Silver coins in his bag. The Silver Coins had a huge purchasing power, 2 Silver Coins could buy an entire normal Bronze Armor! The remaining ones? Guess they shall be left in the market.

Of course, money should never be left to rot in one’s hands. Lin Jie decided to buy some equipment for himself:

+1 Endurance Wild Bear Helmet, +2 Strength Fearless Armor…

He upgraded his entire kit and looked much more glamorous. The only thing tainting it was the rust on the Broken Blade.

“Fu Sheng, we are ready to conquer the Cat Demon Lair. Are you coming along?” Qiu Yuan asked.

“Yes, I’m coming. Give me another half an hour.” Lin Jie nodded and looked at his level before heading to the equipment store.

“Young man, what do you want?”

“Holy Flame Torch, 70.” Lin Jie retrieved 3 Silver Coins and 50 Bronze coins and placed them on the counter to the shock of the boss. He then took the Holy Light Flame Axe and left! Next, he returned to the Spirited Lake of the Undead once again and realized that the map had been wiped out by the Ironwall Empire! The Gradeless Treasure Chest still had not respawned yet and also there were people from the Ironwall Empire guarding the place. It was impossible to get it alone.

Lin Jie dispelled his thoughts and activated the Feather Drop Gem. Once again he floated towards the Spirited Lake of the Undead and landed lightly on the ground.

This time, collecting the dead souls’ Wretched Thoughts was much easier. After pouring the Death Language Potion everywhere, the Undead that appeared all turned into ashes under the threat of the Holy Flame Torch, leaving behind only the shimmering Wretched Thoughts.

Returning to Allaso, he then realized that the ‘Dwarf Potioneer’ had already vanished and in place of him was the Allaso who was donning a Lich Robe and appeared like a dried up corpse—he had revealed his true self!

“Young man, I am Allaso.” The Lich Head stared at Lin Jie. No one knew what he was thinking of.

Lin Jie smiled and replied, “Hello, Potioneer. This is what you wanted.”

“Hahaha… give it to me.”

-‘You have completed Allaso The Fisherman’s Request. Completion status 100%. The Lich clan has increased their affection towards you by 20. You have achieved a neutral status regarding your popularity among the Liches.’

-‘You have gained 57374 experience points.’

-‘You have gained Golden Waving Cape.’

Lin Jie realized that this mission could be completed in one go and the rewards would stack.

[Golden Waving Cape] (Gold)

No job restriction

Required level: 2

Defense: 10-15

Strength: +4

Endurance: +4

Reduction in backstab damage: 10%

Additional Effect: Wave Transmission. Attacks towards your back have a chance to become nullified.

Lin Jie lowered his head and looked. The mission reward only helped him to raise his level to level 2, 87%. Leveling up had always been a challenging thing. Being helpless, he could only rush to the Cat Demon Lair at this level.

————————

Glen Forest, Cat Demon Lair.

“Are you lacking an MT 1 ? Defense 30, Health Points 200, requesting for entry.”

“Need a high-level Priest?”

Many stragglers crowded around a team, enthusiastically promoting themselves. This team was Team Netherblue, the team that Qiu Yuan was part of. Early on, having a team was the dream of every player. This meant that players had the qualifications, and not just wander around aimlessly.

“It’s fine, thank you. We have enough people already. We are just waiting for a friend,” a white-armored handsome young lad politely smiled and replied to the players’ request. His gentlemanly demeanor made him seem like a very comfortable person to be with. His name was Mighty Wings of Heavens. He was a level 3 Warrior, with a decent kit and level and could fit into a decent role in any team. However, for a long time, Mighty Wings of Heavens had always been loyal to Team Netherblue.

‘Die for a girl and become a scholar for a girl.’ Mighty Wings had always regarded this saying as his motto. He had made a name for himself in the game and even rejected an invitation by the Ironwall Empire.

In Team Netherblue, Mighty Wings was pretty popular as well. After rejecting the individuals with a smile, he politely and gentlemanly nodded his head to his teammates.

“Hmph.” Qiu Yuan turned her head and did not bother to look at this guy who had such a fake smile. Indeed, he contributed a lot to the team. Indeed, he had a decently strong kit. However, there was something that she could never accept – he was interested in both herself and Netherblue at the same time!

As the core of the team, the highly supported Netherblue accepted Mighty Wings’s smile and had no choice but to return the favor with a smile of her own. Netherblue was wearing a light blue armor, wielding a longsword, and had long silky waist-length hair. However, she did not appear to be weak and yet gave people a valiant vibe. She was the leader of Team Netherblue, and also a very close childhood friend of Mighty Wings.

Mighty Wings leaned on the tree trunk and asked smiling, “Little Yuan, where is the person you want us to bring along?”

Qiu Yuan gave a partial look at him and coldly replied, “What’s the rush? Besides, we don’t even know who we are bringing along!”

Mighty Wings smiled lightly and did not argue. He just looked on afar and replied, “I’m just afraid that he would delay everyone. As you know, my biggest dream is to help Team Netherblue make it on the Leaderboard!”

“Keep acting!” Qiu Yuan disapproved.

Netherblue patted Qiu Yuan’s shoulders, signaling her not to argue. She then turned to Mighty Wings and said, “No need to rush, he could be caught up with something urgent.”

Mighty Wings shrugged his shoulders and said, “I am just displeased that he is making us wait here in the sun.”

“Sorry I am late.”

Lin Jie rushed over, fatigued from travel, and smiled to the team, “I am Fu Sheng.”

Just as he was about to shake hand with Netherblue, Mighty Wings intercepted and shook Lin Jie’s hand, “Brother Fu Sheng, we have been waiting for you.”

With his behavior, any bystander would definitely think that Mighty Wings was a warm and inviting person. However, Lin Jie uncomfortably furrowed his brows. In his previous life, when he and Qiu Yuan met, Mighty Wings had already left the team. Even then, Lin Jie had still heard stories from Qiu Yuan about this guy. For instance, he had directly brought up the issue of marriage with Netherblue to her parents without her permission, and after getting their approval, he had even visited Qiu Yuan’s house to talk about marriage…

Mighty Wings was highly wary of male strangers as he scrutinized Lin Jie’s equipment and smiled. ‘A level 2 player. What is that weapon in his hands? Sword? And a broken sword at that?’

In The New Age, although the Blank Equipment was the lowest level, there were still types of equipment that were even trashier than the Blank Equipment. Examples included spades and shovels that could be obtained within the town. Those items could not even be considered as weapons.

If this rusty broken sword was not trash, could it be some divine weapon?

Coupled with such a low level, Mighty Wings immediately classified Lin Jie as a ‘Super Newbie.’ He said understandably, “My name is Mighty Wings of Heavens. If you don’t mind, you can call me Elder Brother. Find me if you encounter any trouble in the future!”

Qiu Yuan was stunned when she saw Lin Jie’s level. Wasn’t he already level 2 when they separated?

Why was he still level 2 after so long?

She knew Lin Jie’s skills very well.

Netherblue lightly furrowed her brows, but after all, he was someone whom her best roommate invited and hence she could not just reject him outrightly.

She laughed. “Brother Fu Sheng is only level 2, but the average level requirement to enter the Cat Demon Lair is level 3 and above. We need a level 4 teammate. Water, give a call to Fire and ask him to get online.”

The team’s MT was a burly man called Water-Broiled Beancurd. He earnestly smiled and nodded, “OK!” After a short while, he helplessly said, “Fire said he has something to do today and cannot come online.”

The Cat Demon Lair was a level 3 dungeon. Players could enter if their average level was higher than three.

To make up for the under-leveled Lin Jie, they had to find a level 4 player. Coincidentally, the only level 4 Mage in the team was offline, causing them to be unable to enter the dungeon.

The team had already been a little-unsettled waiting for Lin Jie. Realizing that they couldn’t enter the place, their faces dampened. They couldn’t wait to kick Lin Jie out of the party and accept any random passerby.

Mighty Wings rubbed his chin and helplessly said, “There aren’t that many level 4 players around now, but I do know a friend. He is the MT of the elite team of the Ironwall Empire. Let me call him.”

Water dumbly laughed. “Oh, the great Mighty Wings even knows someone from the great Ironwall Empire.”

“Making more friends makes things easier.” Mighty Wings contacted him. After ending the chat, he embarrassingly said, “That friend is caught up with something, he needs about 45 minutes. Let’s wait for him.”

Lin Jie’s heart sank. ‘This guy is a cunning dude!’

His response to Lin Jie’s predicament served three purposes. One was to show that everything he did was for the good of the team; secondly, it was also to display his ability to step up and solve problems; and thirdly, it was to intentionally increase the time in which other team members felt unsettled and hence begin to ostracize Lin Jie! Yet the way that he put it across seemed like he was merely speaking for himself and hence others could not find anything to nitpick.

Indeed, a team member, Monkey, could not hold it in any longer and said, “Can’t we just substitute him for someone else? We can go in and fight the monsters first and return to get him after, right?”

Mighty Wings hastily said, “This cannot do. Fu Sheng is Qiu Yuan’s friend, and that means he is our friend as well. Wait for a moment, it’ll be quick.”

“What the heDarn it! We are merely doing him a favor. Not helping is also perfectly fine. Why should we waste our time?” Monkey had fallen into the trap. The more he showed that he was flustered, the better Mighty Wings’s image would be!

Qiu Yuan almost could not hold it any longer, as she put her hands on her hips and stared. “What’s the rush for? You can wait for a girl in school for a few hours, and now you get impatient waiting for a teammate?”

Monkey held back and angrily said, “Fine. It’s up to you. Anyway, the game does not use gift cards, we can just waste all the time we can.”

Lin Jie shook his head and said, “Forget it. Let’s just find a random passerby.”

Netherblue whispered, “Everyone is just ranting, please don’t mind us. Don’t panic, I do know a few people too, let me try to get one of them.”

“It’s fine, let me do it.” Lin Jie persisted and shouted, “Cat Demon Lair lacks 1 member to make 10. Looking for a level 4 and above, any job is fine!”

The news invited contempt from many players. Level 4s would already have gone to Arosso’s Peak, who would even go to the Cat Demon Lair? Besides, what business did a level 2 dude have trying to tout?

Mighty Wings saw this scene and immediately got delighted. He blocked Netherblue who was about to step up and say something, and he announced, “Since he wants to call out for people, let him do it. If you try to stop him now, you are just not giving him face.”

No one applied. Lin Jie furrowed his brows and extended the call-out to the entire map. “Cat Demon Lair lacking in one to make ten. Looking for a level 4 and above, any job is fine!”

Still, no one applied!

Monkey sneered. “Idiot! Back off if you can’t get anyone! Waste of time!”

When Lin Jie was calling-out, another notification popped up, “Cat Demon Lair lacking in one to make ten. Looking for a level 4 and above, any job is fine!” Sender – Qiu Yuan.

She stood by his side, panting but continued using her clear voice to call out. The pretty lady effect attracted many people, but level 4 players generally would not need to join an unknown team.

Lin Jie was touched. Making a fool of himself was fine, but making Qiu Yuan make a fool of herself was too much. He gritted his teeth and shouted again, “Cat Demon Lair, looking for a level 4 and above Bronze Shield MT. Offering 20 bottles of Slow Restoring Mana Potion as a reward!”

‘Ding~’

‘Ding~’

‘Ding~’

At that moment, tens of requests instantly appeared!

Qiu Yuan was shocked and nudged Lin Jie’s shoulders, “Are you mad? It’s 20 bottles of Slow Restoring Mana Potion! We could have just waited for 40 minutes. What’s the rush?! This is pissing me off.”

Lin Jie smiled. “You already came to help me call out, how could I let you make a fool of yourself with me?”

“I…” Qiu Yuan looked down and was speechless.

Mighty Wings saw this scene, and a tinge of hatred flashed across his eyes. In his eyes, Qiu Yuan and Netherblue were his forbidden territory! Those who messed with them shall die!

Lin Jie saw a rather familiar name in the middle of things – “Midnight”. This person was one of the Triumphant Midnight’s elite team members and had a low-profile but had pretty decent skills. Lin Jie pulled him into the team.

Midnight was half-dressed in the Claw Equipment produced in the Cat Demon Lair, and half-dressed in the Flood Equipment produced in Arosso’s Peak. He held a Bronze Square Shield and looked as if he was an Iron Beast.

When Midnight appeared with the words ‘Triumphant Midnight’ above his head, it attracted the attention of many people. Even Netherblue could not have thought that Lin Jie could pull in someone from the Triumphant Midnight. That was a really famous guild. Anyone from it was at least a legendary expert!

Mighty Wings adjusted his bearings and put on his biggest smile, as he intercepted Netherblue and offered to shake Midnight’s hand. He smiled. “How are you?”

Midnight had a stern look and stared at Mighty Wings and asked, “Are you the one with the potions?”

“Er… nope.”

“Then piss off.”

Mighty Wings’s smile got stuck on his face. He did not expect that Midnight was so unforgiving.

Lin Jie handed over the 20 bottles of Slow Restoring Mana Potion into Midnight’s hands and offered his hand, “Fu Sheng.”

“Midnight.” Midnight patted Lin Jie’s hand and said, “Die once, and I leave. No refund.”