Chapter 460: Server Update

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Once everything was accounted for, Zhang Yang traveled to Thunderstorm Castle and then to White Jade Castle. There, he used the [Party Summon Order] and "pulled" everyone back, as per Han Ying Xue’s insistent instructions. After everyone gathered together, Han Ying Xue and Wei Yan Er dragged Zhang Yang along, making sure that he did not run away when it came to Identifying the Mythical equipment for them.

Although he did not want to, he did not have much of a choice to begin with. He took out all the Mythical equipment and gave them to the Identifier.

The older gentleman was taking his time, reading a piece of newspaper. When he saw Zhang Yang coming into his store, the man placed down his reading glasses and spoke to Zhang Yang in a rather annoyed tone. "Young man. There’s no need to rush. A gentleman must always be conscious of his posture."

The man walked lazily towards the table and picked up the [Frost Vengeance Ring] to examine it. He then picked up a piece of magnifying glass. The man gasped with a loud snort and placed the ring closer to the magnifying glass. He discarded his reading glasses and looked at the ring again, only to be shocked by it. "W-What is this? Such a masterpiece! Only a master craftsman could have made this marvelous piece. My god. Young man, you have no idea how fortunate you are, to have stumbled upon this ring!"

"Nuff said. Get to revealing the Ring’s properties," said Wei Yan Er as she had been tapping her fingers on the wooden table since the beginning. "How much is it?"

Although Zhang Yang had not noticed it, the little brat had a rather refreshing, innocent appearance, that was able to entice a "dangerous" part of society, a certain group of people who had preferences for flat and short females. Her high-pitched voice was able to attract many male eyes, and many had even sent private messages, trying to court the young lady. All of them were of course blacklisted by the little brat, almost immediately.

The old Identifier examined the ring and after 3 to 4 minutes later, the old man looked up at Zhang Yang with a satisfied look. "2,000 gold coins."

"You, bloody, stinky, greedy old man! How dare you charge us 2,000 gold coins for 4 equipment! Might as well put a gun at my face and demand for my entire life savings then!" cried the little brat.

"One! One for 2,000 gold coins!" The old man was not startled by her outrage. Instead, he put on a stoic face and emphasized the fees. Behind the counter, his legs have given up, and were trembling like crazy!

Zhang Yang placed the outer side of his hand on the little brat’s head and ground his knuckles, hard.

"Get it done." Zhang Yang told the old man. Zhang Yang was not surprised at the Identifying fees. He had visited this place often. In fact, 2,000 gold coins for Identifying was after a 50% discount, for having the title, "Hero of White Jade Castle". If someone else were to have their equipment Identified, it would cost 4,000 gold coins.

"2,000 gold coins just for Identifying? What the hell is that equipment?" A passing male elven Spellcaster walked by and observed the equipment that were being Identified. Although he could pick it up, it could be taken out of the premises. Zhang Yang immediately noticed that the man had a faint smile on his face. It was the same kind of smile any cunning, conniving fox would carry. "Hm. Bro, this magic staff. Sell it to me."

Zhang Yang had no intention of selling it off then since Daffodil Daydream was supposed to use it. Zhang Yang looked straight at the player and took notice of his name and profile information.

"Royal Highness of Thunder, Level 87, Male Elf, Pyromancer, The Myth".

When Zhang Yang saw the guild "The Myth", a surge of anger rose up his heart. Still, for a mere magic staff, it was not worth the trouble of taking down the entire guild. Instead, Zhang Yang nonchalantly pushed him aside. "Sorry bro, we’re using it."

Even though he was rejected, Royal Highness of Thunder did not leave the premises. He stood by and continued to observe the equipment being handled by the Identifier.

Ka ching! Ka ching!

After paying 6,000 gold coins, the properties of the two rings and the necklace were revealed. Zhang Yang swapped his old ring for the Great Earth Ring and raised his HP to 96,980. His HP was just an inch more to reaching 100,000!

As for the last item on the menu, the old man took his time to analyze the magic staff. Zhang Yang had seen this many times before since he was the only guy bringing ridiculous weapons to his shop. What the old man would do would be to pick up the magnifying glass, express a shocked and surprise face, rub his eyes, and shout out the price. This would often happen when an extremely rare item is presented to him. However, this time, the old man took even longer to examine the item before announcing the price.

"Looks like the staff won’t be just 2,000 gold coins…" Zhang Yang sighed heavily.

"What?! That’s absurd!" cried Daffodil Daydream. The other ladies of the team were not interested since the staff would end up in Daffodil Daydream’s hands. She felt a little guilty since Zhang Yang would be paying the fees.

"T-This is…an ancient miracle. An ancient power! A blessing from the past!" cried the old man.

"This is new," said Zhang Yang to himself.

"Say…We have given you the opportunity of a lifetime to witness and hold an ancient artifact in your hands. Perhaps you could give us a little service by lightening the fees?" said Wei Yan Er.

"10,000 gold coins." The old man expression reverted back to his stoic composure faster than Fatty Han could look at a nip slip. "I expect full payment. Not even a copper coin less."

Zhang Yang sighed and paid the man 10,000 gold coins.

"WTF?!" cried Royal Highness of Thunder. He had never heard of such a high fee when it came to Identifying a single equipment. Even his own Yellow-Gold equipment had cost him a few hundred gold. What could the equipment prowess be, if the price for Identifying it was so high!?

After receiving the sack of gold coins, the old man picked up the magic staff and tweaked it here and there, before handing it back to Zhang Yang. A bright glow shot up to the sky when the staff left the old man’s hand, and into Zhang Yang’s.

[Epicormic Branch of the Tree of Life] (Mythical, Magic Staff)

Magic Attack: 5,778 – 6,478

Equip Effect: Increases Magic damage and Healing rate by 20%.

Equip Effect: 2% chance to heal yourself on every attack on a target. Healing rate is equal to the damage you had dealt.

Use: Summons the Life Tree to protect you. Grants Invulnerability for 2 seconds.

Level Requirement: 110

Special Effect: Level Requirement lowered by 20 Levels.

Note: This powerful magic staff contains the essence of the Life Tree. It has a portion of the power of the Tree of Life!

"Oh dang! The Magic Attack is so high! It’s so much stronger than my current attack power!"

On the far side of the shop, Royal Highness of Thunder gritted his teeth. A glint of jealousy and envy was prominent in his eyes.

Zhang Yang peeked around and noticed how much of the player around were reacting the same way as Royal Highness of Thunder.

Zhang Yang then tapped Daffodil Daydream’s shoulder and whispered into her face. Wracked with paranoia, he had put his face extremely close to her. "Daffy. I want you to keep your guard up. I don’t want any of the guys to be approaching you."

Even before Zhang Yang had spoked, Daffodil Daydream was already blushing like a cherry tomato. A puff of steam shot out of her head when Zhang Yang spoke like that to her.

"I..I...I…I…I D-Don’t worry…I…I…I won’t fall for anyone else...!"

Wei Yan Er laughed maniacally and rolled on the floor. "Sister Daffy. What noob tank was saying, he wants you to be careful of other people who might literally jump on you! They are aiming for your staff, not you!"

Zhang Yang nodded and turned his gaze to Daffodil Daydream to wait for a reply. However, Daffodil Daydream had a totally alarmed, eyes widened, cherry tomato red face. She was so embarrassed of her own reaction and had immediately disappeared by using a [Teleportation Scroll].

"That’s a cute reaction," said Wei Yan Er.

"Oy dummy…What’s with you? Why do all girls flock to you? Did angels get together and made a dream come true? Did they sprinkle moon dust in your hair of gold, and star-light in your eyes of blue? Haha! Is that why all the girls in town follow you all around?" Han Ying Xue grumbled.

Zhang Yang frowned. "Did you just quote the song lyrics of "Close to You" by The Carpenters?"

"Haha! So you do know your oldies! Just so you know, girls love it when a guy listens to old songs! Looks like the Daffy girl would never be able to escape your evil grasp." Han Ying Xue teased him.

On the sidelines, Sun Xin Yu made it a point to fidget with her daggers, and glared at Zhang Yang with murderous eyes.

Zhang Yang sighed. He was tired of dealing with the two women. After exiting the shop, Zhang Yang head straight to the Royal Castle and when he approached the gate, he reported his name to the guard and was led to the Royal Chamber of Star and Luna, where Princess Serena was. It was easy to enter the Royal Castle now, compared to previous attempts. Perhaps it was because he had already completed the quest.

As he entered the chamber, Zhang Yang saw Princess Serena slouching on her throne in a completely un-princess-like manner. There was a frown on her face, and she was sulking as if she had been waiting for quite some time for Zhang Yang to arrive.

Zhang Yang quickly approached her, and kneeled down, 10 meters away from the throne. He saluted the princess and greeted her. "Princess Serena. It is I, Zhan Yu."

"Zhan Yu! You have returned!" Princess Serena got to her feet immediately and walked closer to Zhang Yang. "Have you found the Meteor Sword?"

"Your Highness. You’ll be glad to know that I had found it." Zhang Yang took out the sword from his inventory and presented it to her, holding it up high above his head, and kneeling down at the same time.

Princess Serena bent down and took the sword out of Zhang Yang’s hands.

"This, this ‘is’ the Meteor Sword!" She exclaimed. Princess Serena returned to her throne but remained standing. Instead, she stood facing Zhang Yang and held the blade up with both hands, the flat of the blade placed against her forehead. The magical swirling green dragon that was "living" in the blade of the sword shrieked and flew out of the sword. It then magically expanded, and turned into huge dragon measuring close to a hundred meters wide! The dragon flew around, finally coming to a rest behind Princess Serena. The dragon roared magnificently. It’s roar echoed throughout the palace, and even spread across the entire city! All the citizens knelt before the castle, expressing not fear, but admiration, for the magical beast.

The dragon was not in physical form. It was ethereal and was phasing through the walls and pillars of the chamber.

"All hail Princess Serena! Long Live Princess Serena!" All the guards in the palace and chamber shouted out their salutations for their beloved Princess Serena.

"Rawgh!" the dragon roared and dispersed into millions of green participles. It then swirled around the chamber space, and before rushing towards Princess Serena. A bright light shone out, and the entire castle was illuminated with a warm light. The clouds in the sky were pushed away, revealing the giant ball of fire in the sky, to introduce a new light upon the castle.

Shring!

A golden light radiated from Princess Serena’s character. Zhang Yang knew the light. It was all too similar when a player leveled up. Back then, Princess Serena was 20 Levels higher than Zhang Yang and thus, he had never been able to see her profile. This time, he knew that the princess had gained not one, not two, but 30 consecutive Levels, for the light had burst out for a total of 30 times. Although Zhang Yang could not remember her Level, he clearly remembered her being a Holy tier boss. After the radiance stopped, Zhang Yang checked her status, and was stunned at the word - "Ascended".

[Serena, Princess of White Jade Kingdom] (Ascended, Humanoid)

Level: ???

HP: ???

Defense: ???

Note: True wielder of the Meteor Sword! Her power rivals the Gods. None shall be on equal to her.

Such a dominating presence! Zhang Yang was extremely envious of Serena, especially at how she could gain 30 Levels, just by holding the sword against her forehead. Perhaps, he should have done it himself earlier!

"I thank you, Warrior Zhan Yu! You, truly are my one and only warrior!" After gaining the status of Ascended, Princess Serena’s armor morphed into something, even more, grander than before. The smile on her face when she was with Zhang Yang had never been more radiant. "I could never have achieved this without you, Zhan Yu. If you had not brought me the sword, my father, the King would have married me off to Amula of the Black Dragon City. Hmph. I understand the logic of my father wanting to protect the citizens of this kingdom. But, that does not mean that he could just marry me off to any perverted scoundrel!"

Zhang Yang could feel the anger in her words, even though she was merely frowning in frustration. Back then, when she was merely wielding the Sword of Life and Death, she could massacre all the players and make rivers flow with blood. But, now that she held the Meteor Sword…only God knows of what she would be capable of.

‘Ding! Your Relationship with Princess Serena has increased!’

Oh! Come on! Relationship? Zhang Yang wanted something more materialistic, for once! Zhang Yang maintained a stoic facial expression and said, "It is an honor to serve the Princes, I ask for nothing but your good graces, my Princess."

Princess Serena nodded her head happily. "With this sword, We can unite all the Kingdoms in this Union to form an Empire! You, Zhan Yu, Our warrior, you are by greatest benefactor!"

‘Ding! You have completed the quest: Search of the Meteor Sword. Obtained 20,000,000 Experience Points!’

‘Ding! You have obtained a reward: Level +3, SP +2, Luck +3!’

Shring! Shring! Shring!

Zhang Yang’s character glowed in a brilliant golden light, three times, and rose from Level 98 to Level 101!

‘Server Announcement: Player Zhan Yu has become the first player to achieve Level 100! Obtained reward: SP +1, Luck +3!’

‘Server Announcement: The first Level 100 player has emerged. Chaos Realm will be available for entry after the server patch. Inheritance Patch will be implemented. Please refer to the official website for more information about the Inheritance Patch!’

‘Server Announcement: Server Update and Service Patch will commence in 30 minutes. Please log out to prevent any item loss. Please refer to the official website for more information about the patch content. Please make necessary preparations before the patch!’

Zhang Yang was thrown away. He had just received 4 SP in one go! Zhang Yang was happy, although only for a millisecond before frustration kicked in. The main story quest - "Search of the Meteor Sword had only rewarded him with a Level +3, SP +2 and Luck +3. Though it may seem a lot for anyone else, Zhang Yang felt that all the effort that he put out for the past few months was a complete waste!

"Oh!"

Just then, Zhang Yang remembered something important. Zhang Yang immediately took out the mysterious box that he had found from Queen Madisha and handed it to Princess Serena. "My Princess, I have found a box but I am unable to open it. I hope that Princess Serena could assist me in opening this mysterious box."

Somehow, he knew that the real reward lay within that box.

Princess Serena smiled warmly and knelt down to his level. "Zhan Yu, you have shed much blood for me. If there is anything that We can do for you, We will do everything in Our power to help you out."

To hear such words coming from a Princess’ mouth was everything that Zhang Yang could hope for.

Princess Serena took the box and examined it. She then places the box on the floor and pointed the sword at the box. With a quick hum, the box opened ever so easily, when Zhang Yang and everyone else could not.

With an eager heart, Zhang Yang peeked into the box…Only to see…

An egg!?

What’s this? A herbal egg? Would it grant Zhang Yang unbelievable powers after he boiled it?

Zhang Yang was on the verge of crying. When all hope had been poured into the box, all it could do was to give him an egg. An egg, that looked like a regular chicken egg!

[Mysterious Egg]

Description: Who knows what will hatch from this egg? Perhaps, you should wait and see…

Incubation time: 71 Hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.

Bound.

An egg. Zhang Yang had suffered for so long, only to be rewarded with an egg.

No matter, Zhang Yang had one last hope remaining. This egg had to be a Mythical Beast’s egg! That was the lie Zhang Yang told himself, although he knew that it would be 1 in a million chance for it to be a real Mythical Beast’s egg. Still, there was still hope. No one knew what it was, or what would hatch out of it!

After leaving the Royal Castle, Zhang Yang immediately logged out of the game since there were only a few minutes left before the server update started. By that time, it was already way past midnight. Zhang Yang stripped down to his boxer and found that he stunk. His shirt felt like a crumpled, dried up biscuit. It must be from the excessive dried sweat, thanks to such a stressful quest. Zhang Yang sighed heavily, and made his way to the bathroom for a shower and went to bed soon after.

It took him a whole night to regain back his vitality, and he had even overslept for an hour past 8am. Zhang Yang did not skip his routine workout, even though he had woken up slightly later. However, unlike his old house which was already destroyed. Zhang Yang’s new housing estate required him to drive for quite a distance to buy regular fried dough and soy milk. The housing estate which he lived in now did not have roadside stalls nearby since it was an upscale, uptown kind of area. If he wanted to get some light snacks and cheap food, he would have to drive. That’s one of the tradeoffs he would have to bear.

Zhang Yang bought breakfast for five and by the time he made it back home, the four ladies had just woken up from their beauty sleep. Everyone got up, got dressed, put on their thick layers of makeup and ate breakfast. Sun Xin Yu had gone off for work, while Zhang Yang had taken the job as Wei Yan Er’s private driver to her school.

Wei Yan Er was already 18 years old. She had already finished her high school. The purpose of Zhang Yang sending Wei Yan Er to school on that day was to fill in a form about her future job prospects.

In truth, it had been terribly difficult for Wei Yan Er to graduate from high school, due to her frequent lapse in concentration, her lack of academic intelligence, and her poor memory. Still, she was not bothered by it. Her future path had already been decided. For her, taking on high school was nothing but a ritual, a ceremony that she had to go through to be ‘normal’.

…

The developers had announced the server patch out of the blue and had even made the server patching duration to as long as three days. Hence, with nothing to do at home. Zhang Yang had invited Fatty Han to come over at night and have a little fun. They then moved on to a hotel and had a grand dinner to celebrate Wei Yan Er’s official graduation from high school. Naturally, the bill had to be settled by none other than Zhang Yang.