Chapter 128: The Second Monster Siege

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This... this was what he called “not bad”? I really had no idea what was going on in this dwarf NPC’s mind. Its attack power was even higher than the Ruyi Staff’s, and it also possessed the sharpness of an A-rank weapon. Most importantly, the man had transformed the purple-grade Ice Fang into the silver-grade Frostglint Sword. That could only be described as a qualitative leap.

“Thank you,” I said.

The old dwarf chuckled. “There’s no need to thank me. Bring me better materials in the future, and I can forge even stronger equipment for you. Of course, the price... heh.”

The system never forgot to exploit the players’ wealth. After paying a thousand gold coins, I prepared to earn some more money. I had nearly spent all the coins on me. If I did not start making money soon, I would soon be reduced to wearing nothing but my trousers. With the Frostglint Sword on my back, I left the old dwarf’s workshop and began looking for ways to earn.

After the latest update, the system had added a new feature for every class: a secondary-weapon slot. A secondary weapon was essentially a backup weapon. Whenever one’s primary weapon was knocked from one’s hand, the secondary weapon could be drawn instantly. It could also be switched to during combat, eliminating the need to rummage through one’s backpack every time a weapon change was required.

Unlike primary weapons, secondary weapons were not restricted by class, since they were universally usable. However, when a player died, there was also a certain chance that the secondary weapon would drop. Moreover, not every weapon could be equipped as a secondary weapon. They were generally small weapons such as daggers, pocket crossbows, short sabers, or other concealed weapons.

The Frostglint Sword in my hand could actually be equipped in the secondary-weapon slot. That greatly increased my chances of survival. Sometimes, I could even pretend to be a warrior and flirt with the pretty priestesses.

Dressed in my brand-new equipment, I strode toward Amaka City, a system city located outside Heavenly Dragon City in the Blood Wasteland. It was the city closest to another player city, Blazing Fire City.

There were four player cities in the China region. Heavenly Dragon City, where I lived, was one of them, and it had the largest player population. The system’s main city had yet to open, and no one knew its exact location.

Amaka City stood at the foot of a volcano called Mount Anmaijia. Since the volcano was dormant, players did not need to worry about it erupting. The area was rich in minerals and produced large quantities of high-purity ore and energy crystals, attracting countless players who came here to gather resources.

Aside from mining, the Blood Wasteland also contained vast unexplored regions waiting for players to develop. Most importantly, for the four cities in the China region to be connected, a road had to be opened between each of them. The players would have to build those roads with their own hands.

This undoubtedly added to the enjoyment of the game. The system had also revealed that the first player or team to complete a road would receive a generous reward. One thing had to be remembered, however: the system would never open the roads for the players itself. That was precisely why it had created this feature.

Location: the Hunter’s Guild in Amaka City.

There was no quest hall here. Instead, it had been replaced by a place called the Hunter’s Guild. Countless players from across the China region gathered here to complete quests and trade, because the system did not charge transaction fees in this city. Many players were willing to travel all the way here simply to save money.

There was, however, one drawback. Player information could be hidden here. Sometimes, if someone scammed you, you would not even know the person’s name. If you disliked that, you could go to another city—but the system would charge you there.

I carefully browsed the quest board in the Hunter’s Guild. I only cared about one thing when choosing a quest: how much money it paid. Everything else was irrelevant.

After searching for a long time, I still could not find a quest that suited me. Fortunately, the quests here refreshed once every hour. I accepted several of the better-paying ones and went off to pass the time.

* * *

After completing four quests, I returned to the Hunter’s Guild. There were still ten minutes before the next refresh, so I decided to rest while waiting.

“May I sit here?”

A voice came from beside me. Judging by the voice, it was a woman. I turned my head and saw a female player walking over in a suit of dark-red armor.

I had seen her before. She was the woman who had competed with me in the auction yesterday. The two-meter-long katana on her back made her easy to recognize. Not many people carried weapons that long, and it certainly was not a spear or another charging weapon.

I nodded. “Sure.”

“Thank you.”

She sat down without paying me the slightest attention.

“Hello. I feel as if we’ve met somewhere before,” I said, though the moment the words left my mouth, they sounded rather strange to me.

“Who are you?” she asked indifferently.

“Look, everyone. Another idiot is trying to cozy up to Big Sister Red Lotus.”

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“He’s definitely going to fail.”

“Big Sister Red Lotus isn’t exactly the warm and friendly type.”

“I really want to see her face. Why does she always wear a helmet?”

...

The surrounding players began whispering among themselves. From their reaction, it seemed that this woman was a regular here.

She sat beside me for ten minutes. When the new quests appeared, I immediately rushed to the board. I spotted a particularly good quest, but just as I reached for it, another hand took it first.

It was Red Lotus, the woman who had been sitting beside me. She quickly picked up the quest document and was about to go register for it when I said, “Why don’t we do it together? This quest allows a party, doesn’t it?”

If I had not noticed that the quest allowed up to three people, my invitation would have sounded like I was trying to force myself on her.

The other party, however, answered as if nothing had happened. “I don’t need a party.”

“Haha, well said, Big Sister Red Lotus!”

“That makes exactly one hundred men Big Sister has rejected.”

“Kid, give up. Big Sister Red Lotus never parties with anyone.”

The Hunter’s Guild erupted once again.

It seemed this woman was a complete lone wolf. At that moment, three more people entered through the door.

“Haha, the strongest trio from Blazing Fire City has arrived!”

“That kid was probably trying to cozy up to Big Sister Red Lotus. I still remember how she cut that guy into eight pieces and hung him outside the city.”

“But the three of them really are powerful. I heard that the day before yesterday, they took down the level-sixty boss Earth Bear King in the central region of the Blood Wasteland.”

“No way. Last time, a hundred-man party went after it and still couldn’t defeat it!”

...

As soon as the three entered, the players in the Hunter’s Guild began discussing them again. From what I heard, these three were clearly no ordinary people.

I noticed a wolfhound-head emblem on their chests. I recognized it immediately. They were members of the largest mercenary group in Blazing Fire City—the Four Hounds. I had seen quite a few videos of them on the forums, though I did not recognize their faces.

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The handsome man leading the group walked up to Red Lotus.

“Miss Red Lotus, would you like to go hunting with me?”

“Not interested. I’m going to do a quest, so move aside,” Red Lotus replied.

The handsome man continued, “Then how about letting the Four Hounds lend you a hand?”

“That has nothing to do with you. Move.”

This time, Red Lotus’s voice turned cold.

A warrior standing beside the handsome man said, “Miss Red Lotus, don’t put it that way. Our leader is only trying to help.”

At that moment, a thunderous rumble erupted outside, like the sound of countless beasts trampling the earth at once. Everyone in the guild listened to the enormous roar, their expressions changing. From the sound alone, one could clearly sense wave after wave of beasts charging past.

Everyone rushed out of the city, only to discover that they were not beasts at all, but monsters. They swept past like an avalanche, their target unmistakably Heavenly Dragon City.

“What’s happening?” one player asked nervously.

The booming tremors continued for more than ten minutes before gradually fading away. Clearly, the main tide of the monster army had already passed.

Judging by the sound and its duration, even saying that there were more than ten thousand monsters would probably be an underestimate.

“Ding! Does everyone remember the last monster siege? This time, the conspirator has activated the magic formations deep within Sighing Canyon and the Blood Wasteland, summoning an army of otherworldly monsters that fell into this world during ancient times and launching the second monster siege. After this battle, either the conspirator will suffer a crushing defeat, or Heavenly Dragon City will be destroyed. The siege will last six hours. Players who die will lose one level. If Heavenly Dragon City falls, they will lose an additional three levels. Furthermore, any player who dies during the siege will be forcibly logged out!”

When the system announcement appeared, everyone knew that something terrible was about to happen again.

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