Chapter Thirty-One: Devil's Gorge

Ye Chen had managed to gather just over a hundred Ghostshade Herbs in total. After setting aside ten for the quest, the remaining herbs were just enough to craft thirty-two Ghostshade Pills. He hurriedly bought a heap of alchemical supplies from the guild master.

A tier-three alchemy furnace cost eighty silver coins, and a tier-three alchemical flame cost seventy silver coins. The materials for thirty-two Ghostshade Pills alone amounted to a staggering fifty gold coins. Fortunately, Ye Chen was flush with cash now; if it were an average player, they wouldn’t even be able to afford the ingredients. With everything prepared, he immediately began refining pills.

“Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully crafted a Ghostshade Pill. As the first player to craft this pill, your title has advanced to ‘Alchemy Expert.’ Title attribute: Alchemy success rate increased by 5%.”

Now was not the time for Ye Chen to celebrate his new title. Without pause, he pressed on with refining more Ghostshade Pills.

In about four or five minutes, all thirty-two pills were ready. After packing up his things, Ye Chen left the Alchemist Guild and rushed straight to the nearby warehouse. He intended to retrieve the Gale Sword and the silver-grade staff; a fierce battle was sure to break out soon in Demon’s Gorge, and it was time for these items to show their true worth.

After collecting his equipment, Ye Chen reorganized his bag and checked his supplies: eighty-two Blood Coagulation Pills for instant healing, twenty Clever Pills for enhanced intelligence, thirteen Power Pills for strength, thirty-two Ghostshade Pills, and several regular potions.

He sprinted out the north gate of Fiery Mountain City and, without hesitation, used a Ghostshade Pill. His form vanished, and, like a specter, he darted toward Demon’s Gorge.

With the pill doubling his speed and granting invisibility, he didn’t need to detour around monsters—he charged straight through, consuming only three Ghostshade Pills before reaching the outskirts of Demon’s Gorge. In the distance, he could see several Tigerclaw clan players loitering at the mouth of the gorge: two hunters and an archer.

“Roar-brother is being extra cautious today. Not only do they have those girls trapped in the mine, but he’s also got us standing guard at the gorge entrance,” one muttered.

“Can’t blame him. If those girls get backup, at least we’ll spot it in time and warn the others so they won’t be caught off guard,” another replied.

“Backup, my foot! If someone was coming, they’d be here by now. This is boring—no excitement at all,” the third grumbled.

They chatted idly, oblivious to Ye Chen’s silent approach. Ye Chen smiled faintly and slipped between them, making no move to attack. This was not the time to alert the enemy.

Once inside Demon’s Gorge, Ye Chen drifted deeper, summoning the system’s map of monster distribution. Seeing the dense cluster of red dots representing level-30 Little Demons, he grinned wickedly. Even if these monsters couldn’t wipe out the Tigerclaw players guarding the mine entrance, they would certainly give them a hard time.

“Lingyue, how are things on your end?” he asked.

“Not great,” Lingyue replied glumly. “Just now, Big Sis and Second Sis managed to take out two Tigerclaw players, but now the rest are getting anxious. There must be at least twenty of them hunting us in the mine, moving in groups of five. The area where we can move is getting smaller and smaller.”

“Hold on a little longer—ten minutes at most. I’ll create chaos among those guarding the mine entrance, and then you can make your move,” Ye Chen said. He was already near the entrance, where a dozen or so Tigerclaw players were standing guard, shouting and swaggering.

“You made it to Demon’s Gorge already? That’s impossible!” Lingyue exclaimed, incredulous.

“I’ll explain later. Tell Big Sis and the others to get ready. I’ll be coming in to support you soon. Who knows, we might even pull off a counterattack.” Ye Chen’s heart was racing with anticipation. He was eager to see what would happen if seven or eight girls went into stealth with Ghostshade Pills, and if Big Sis and Second Sis were armed with the Gale Sword and the silver-grade staff. Together, they might catch the Tigerclaw clan off guard.

“A counterattack?” Lingyue let out a bitter laugh. “They have dozens of people, outnumbering us four or five to one. If we can escape, that’s already a miracle.”

“Just do as I say—prepare for a counterattack. Leave the rest to me,” Ye Chen replied with a soft chuckle. Normally, a counterattack would be near impossible, but if the Tigerclaw players were first entangled by a horde of monsters—perhaps even overwhelmed—then the odds would shift.

“Just be careful. Don’t risk yourself for us. If things look bad, just save yourself,” Lingyue said.

“Just wait and enjoy the show,” Ye Chen replied, ending the call as he surveyed the mine entrance.

A dozen players stood guard, three of whom, with bright red names, stood out the most. Ye Chen recognized them immediately—they were the same three who had ambushed him in the western outskirts of Fiery Mountain City the previous night, their leader none other than Tigerclaw Roar. As the saying goes, enemies are bound to cross paths.

“These girls actually dare to challenge our Tigerclaw clan? How foolish. Especially that Sword Dancing in the City—does she really think her Bluefeather Studio is what it used to be? Without Sword Heartless and Sword Bloodless, they’re just a toothless tiger,” Tigerclaw Roar sneered, brandishing his newly purchased rare greatsword.

“Exactly. Bluefeather isn’t what it was. With their current strength, they’re barely on par with the minor clans. Messing with us is suicide,” a red-named berserker chimed in obsequiously.

“Roar-brother, after we deal with these girls, where should the three of us hang out? Being red-named sucks—we can’t go back to the city and have to worry about getting PK’d and losing our gear,” the rogue complained.

“I’m not worried. Look at this gear—I just spent a fortune on this rare set. Losing even one piece is worth more than all your equipment put together,” Tigerclaw Roar boasted, activating a glow effect to show off his set, each piece gleaming with blue light.

“Heh, you’re on another level—we can only dream of rare gear,” the rogue said with a sycophantic grin.

“Stick with me, and you’ll be wearing rare sets too,” Roar said, clapping the rogue on the shoulder. “This set was worth every bit of the eight thousand I spent. Just now, I wiped out three of those frail little girls with a single swing each—so satisfying! Bluefeather Studio is going downhill; their gear is trash. Even their leader only has a premium-quality weapon. Doesn’t matter how skilled you are—without gear, you’re nothing.”

The group burst out with laughter and flattery, including the obviously higher-ranking berserker and rogue, their faces full of obsequiousness. It seemed Dragonstar was right—Tigerclaw Roar, the pay-to-win champion, truly called the shots in the Tigerclaw clan.

Watching Roar bask in his glory, proudly flaunting his rare set in the crowd, Ye Chen’s smile grew more enigmatic.

“This guy killed three of the girls—he’s a big red-named target now. Taking him down would drop at least four pieces of gear, maybe more if he’s unlucky enough to be stripped bare. A rare set like that could almost make up for the girls’ losses.”

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