Chapter Fifteen: Gathering of Heroes

More than an hour later, before the Wild Bee King had fully grown its 60th pair of wings, Lu Yang struck it down with a single Fireball spell, sending the beast crashing to the ground.

Gazing at the half-grown wings of the Wild Bee King, Lu Yang exhaled deeply. Killing a boss without sufficient mana was far too troublesome; he still needed to find a way to acquire complete equipment first.

He picked up the gear that had dropped and examined their attributes:

Wild Bee Longbow (Silver Grade)
Attack: 6–18
Strength +3
Constitution +2
Physical Damage +4

This was the top-tier equipment for novice village hunters, usable all the way through the level 8 dungeon. The other two pieces were a Pig Iron Ring (Black Iron Grade) and Black Crystal Bracers (Black Iron Grade).

Unexpectedly, he had also obtained a Mage’s Bracer. With this, Lu Yang now had bracers, rings, a cloak, and a staff—all the essential accessories. The rest were conventional armor pieces such as chestplate, shoulder guards, and greaves, which could only be acquired through dungeons.

Checking the time, it was already six in the morning. Lu Yang used a Hearthstone to return to Saint Gall City and headed for the eastern plaza.

The eastern plaza, with its large open space, had naturally evolved into a bustling marketplace where players set up stalls. After an entire afternoon and evening of gaming, many players had collected items they wished to trade with others.

Lu Yang found a spot and began setting up his stall.

Soon enough, as two human players passed by, a female player’s frantic shouts sent the entire city into an uproar.

“Ah! Black Iron equipment… Silver equipment… So much of it?”

“Where? Where are the Black Iron and Silver gear?” More players stirred, drawn by the commotion.

At this stage, owning even a single Bronze-grade item was a point of pride. Most players sold only basic cooking materials or various life-skill supplies.

“Bah, it’s just hype. Our Blood Battle guild leader doesn’t even have one Black Iron item, let alone Silver. What nonsense are you shouting?”

“Damn, it really is Black Iron and Silver gear! Look at those stats! I’m messaging the guild leader right now to come over before it’s gone!”

“I’ve already sent screenshots; they’re hurrying here.”

Not everyone was skeptical—some bored onlookers approached out of curiosity and became speechless upon seeing the gear on Lu Yang’s stall.

Gradually, the crowd grew.

Lu Yang had anticipated this. In his previous life, it was only on the morning of the third day that the guild Supreme Domination, with over a hundred level 8 players, finally defeated the Wild Wolf King and obtained the first Silver-grade item.

“Brother, will you sell your Horn Dagger for five silver coins? If so, I’ll pay right now.”

“How much is that Focus Staff? I want to buy it for my girlfriend.”

...

The initial shock passed, and some players, now somewhat recovered, began asking prices. Lu Yang smiled silently and neatly displayed the price tags on the items.

Upon seeing the prices, the crowd erupted once more.

“The Horn Dagger is selling for two gold coins? Robbery! I don’t even have two silver coins on me!”

One gold coin equaled one hundred silver coins; thus, two gold equaled two hundred silver.

“Are you kidding? A Black Iron helmet for three gold coins? Who can afford that?”

Lu Yang’s prices crushed everyone’s expectations. Just as the crowd was gasping in disbelief, a harsh voice cut through the noise.

“Move aside, don’t block the way.”

Everyone turned sharply to see a rogue-clad player pushing through the crowd, flanked by more than twenty others, approaching Lu Yang.

The rogue looked down at Lu Yang sitting on the ground, his eyes fierce.

“Kid, I want all your stuff.”

Lu Yang recognized the rogue—Black Blood, a notorious online bully both in the game and in real life. When the government cracked down, he formed a guild with over a hundred followers and recruited more than five thousand players online. Using his shameless, thug-like tactics, he bullied others in the game and eventually attracted a legion of similar scoundrels, building a small guild of tens of thousands.

In Lu Yang’s previous life, when he first formed his guild, he suffered heavy losses at Black Blood’s hands. Although he later avenged himself with the Heart of the Demon God, that didn’t mean they were friends. Lu Yang had personally destroyed Black Blood’s guild, forging a deadly enmity.

“Fine, 100 gold coins,” Lu Yang said.

“Kid, you’ve got a death wish, asking us for money?” Black Blood’s men surged forward, surrounding Lu Yang.

“Do you believe we’ll kill you?”

“We’ve got 5,000 brothers; do you dare haggle with our boss?”

“Don’t ever think about leaving the safe zone. We’ll kill you every time we see you.”

“Beat you to death.”

...

The fierce expressions of over twenty men struck terror into the ordinary players nearby, who quickly fled to the outskirts to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“This is over. That player’s done for. Whether he sells or not, he has no choice.”

“Yeah, we met Black Blood yesterday afternoon. He’s utterly unreasonable.”

“What can we do?”

In the center, Lu Yang lowered his head, clasping his chin with both hands as if deeply affected.

Black Blood, satisfied with his men’s show of force, stepped forward arrogantly.

“I’ll give you two choices: either hand over your stuff and consider it the membership fee to join my guild’s elite squad, or I’ll kill you so you can’t leave the safe zone. You decide, kid.”

This was his usual extortion tactic—but he’d forgotten this was a game.

Without looking up, Lu Yang calmly uttered one word: “Scram.”

“What?” Black Blood glared. “Say that again?”

Lu Yang looked up and met Black Blood’s gaze with icy eyes.

“I said scram. Didn’t hear me?”

Black Blood’s men were stunned. They hadn’t expected anyone to talk back to him like that. In real life, Lu Yang would’ve been beaten into a cripple long ago. Even now, none of the twenty-plus men could find the words to curse Lu Yang.

The surrounding players were equally shocked. Just how despicable was Black Blood?

On his very first day in the game, Black Blood had caused a sensation by randomly killing players. Those he killed wanted revenge but, upon learning he led a guild of over 5,000, could only swallow their anger. If anyone dared provoke him, Lu Yang had just done so boldly. The onlookers couldn’t help but worry for Lu Yang.

At that moment, a cold snort came from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned to see a line of players entering.

Their leader sneered coldly, “Black Blood, you’re as shameless as ever. You think this is your home turf where you can collect protection money at will?”

Lu Yang recognized this man as Xiong Ba Fengyun, leader of the Supreme Dynasty guild and one of the top ten warlords in the national server last life. Though domineering, he was known for his honor, and even those with grudges against him respected his character.

Black Blood’s face showed unease as he looked at Xiong Ba’s thirty-thousand-strong guild—his own five thousand were no match.

“Xiong Ba, what do you mean?” Black Blood asked, his bravado faltering.

“Of course, I’m here to buy. Friend, I’ll take all your gear. Give me a fair price.” Xiong Ba ignored Black Blood and walked straight to Lu Yang’s side.

Just as Lu Yang was about to speak, an elderly voice came from his left.

“Hold on.”

Lu Yang turned to see another group arriving from his left. Their leader was an elderly man with a gentle smile, about sixty years old, his face kind and benevolent.

“Brother Xiong Ba, what a coincidence. I happen to be in need of a two-handed greatsword. How about you do me a favor and sell me that weapon?”

Lu Yang also knew this elder: the chairman of one of the world’s top 500 enterprises, a player from the ’80s generation who, despite his age, loved gaming. After handing over his business to his son, he entered the game with a hundred million credit points, quickly making a name for himself with the support of ’80s and ’90s esports veterans. He became one of the ten great warlords of the national server, earning the nickname “Smiling Fox.”

His name was Twilight Elder. Don’t be fooled by his age or appearance—though in his sixties, he looked like a man in his forties, muscular and stronger than many younger players. In the game, he deliberately made himself look ugly to lower enemies’ guard, a testament to his cunning.

Xiong Ba was wary of Twilight Elder. The two had clashed once during an online recruitment battle over a top player, with Xiong Ba coming out on the short end.

Frowning, Xiong Ba said, “Old Fox, I want that weapon.”

The scene was set for a high-stakes negotiation.