Chapter Forty: The Abyssal Staff

[Demon War Boots] (Silver Gear)
Defense: 85
Strength: +16
Agility: +10
Required Level: 27
Set Effect (Demon Two-piece Set): Increases melee physical damage by 8%

[Abyssal Staff] (Gold Gear)
Attack: 319–563
Intelligence: +25
Constitution: +25
Required Level: 22
Bonus: Increases dark magic damage by 15%.

[Demon Legguards] (Silver Gear)
Defense: 103
Strength: +20
Agility: +15
Required Level: 27
Set Effect (Demon Two-piece Set): Increases melee physical damage by 8%

Staring at the three radiant pieces of equipment, Ye Chen had to admit he had underestimated their value. Two silver gears and one gold—Demon Berserker had truly delivered. Even more astonishing, the two silver gears formed a set; with their dual attributes of strength and agility, they seemed tailor-made for Jian Qingcheng’s aggressive playstyle. The extraordinary defense of the silver gear also made up for her lack of vitality, and equipping these would surely give her a dramatic increase in power.

As for the Abyssal Staff, Ye Chen was at a loss for words. Its attack power alone was worthy of its gold status, but what surprised him even more were the dual bonuses of +25 intelligence and +25 constitution—this was the pinnacle of gold gear attributes. An increase of 15% to dark magic damage was a godsend for any dark mage, and, most importantly, it was a gold weapon that could be equipped at level 22. Ye Chen only needed one more level before he could wield it.

Jian Qingcheng looked at the two pieces of the Demon set and smiled lightly. “These boots and legguards are excellent. I’ll take them.”

No one objected; both were level 27 heavy armor, and none of the other girls could use them even if they wanted to. Once Jian Qingcheng stored the gear, all eyes naturally turned to the Abyssal Staff. Its remarkable stats made every magic class player present covetous; the two elemental mage girls and the holy priestess could hardly tear their eyes away. Only Drunken Longing glanced at it casually before shifting her gaze to Ye Chen, smiling meaningfully.

“As for this Abyssal Staff…” Jian Qingcheng walked over to Ye Chen, opened a trade window, and said with a smile, “Whether in terms of stats or contributions today, this weapon belongs to our hero of the day—Ye Chen.”

Seeing that Jian Qingcheng had already confirmed the trade, Ye Chen grinned and accepted, thinking to himself that good deeds truly are rewarded. He had helped the group selflessly through their crisis, and already the fruits were appearing.

The magic girls were slightly disappointed to see Ye Chen claim the Abyssal Staff, but none showed any jealousy. Ye Chen’s performance had already won them over, and after all, they had all benefited from his generosity—he’d saved their lives and given them expensive special-effect elixirs. How could they have the nerve to object?

Second Sister Drunken Longing smiled sweetly, raised her beautiful eyes to Ye Chen, and shook the silver staff in her hand. “Hero Ye, now that you have a gold staff, I won’t be returning this silver one to you.”

“It’s yours,” Ye Chen said boldly with a grand gesture. With a gold staff available at level 22, he no longer needed the silver staff that required level 25. Giving it to Drunken Longing, who had saved his life, cost him nothing.

With the Demon Berserker’s loot distributed, Big Sister Jian Qingcheng handed ten gold coins to each member. Then the group produced the equipment they’d picked up from the fallen members of Fierce Tiger. There was quite a haul—nineteen pieces of excellent-grade gear, more than the number of players they’d slain. But this was to be expected; earlier, the Fierce Tiger guild had lost twenty to thirty members to monsters, and their surviving members had gathered up the equipment from those deaths, only to drop it again when they were killed. The red-named berserker in particular dropped eight items alone, likely holding many of his guildmates’ retrieved gear. Being red-named meant losing everything; he was truly unfortunate.

Ye Chen gained the most, having picked up all eight rare pieces dropped by Fierce Tiger Roar. These, of course, would be pooled and redistributed, except for the bronze dagger, which was rightfully his alone—won by his own skill, unrelated to the studio.

The excellent-grade equipment was distributed among the girls who were still missing pieces for their setup. The eight pieces of rare gear were all constitution-boosting heavy armor, and only Jian Qingcheng and Lingyue could wear them. Since Jian Qingcheng favored an aggressive approach and didn’t need such gear, all eight rare pieces went to Lingyue.

Ye Chen handed Lingyue the items one by one. When he passed her two small sapphire rings, the lady knight’s face turned a deep red. She hesitated briefly, biting her lip before finally accepting them.

Ye Chen chuckled and, seizing the moment, squeezed Lingyue’s hand. Their palms met, and Lingyue’s blush deepened as she quickly withdrew, her clear eyes betraying a shy delight rather than any resistance.

There’s hope, Ye Chen thought happily. It seemed Lingyue didn’t dislike him—perhaps she even held some affection. With some effort, he might just win the beauty’s heart.

He watched joyfully as Lingyue equipped her new gear. On a woman, the set was stunning—perfectly outlining the knight’s graceful curves, cinched at the waist, accentuating her long legs. The few cutout designs added a touch of wild charm and allure—a true beauty.

Blushing under Ye Chen’s heated gaze, Lingyue shot him a quick glare before darting back into the group to escape his eyes.

Drunken Longing, observing everything, easily sensed the subtle tension between the two. She sidled over to Ye Chen, giving him a teasing look. “So, when did you two start your little affair? Don’t say I didn’t warn you—no funny business in the studio. I’ll be watching.”

Ye Chen rolled his eyes in annoyance. “What affair? You’re ruining the mood. We’re just friends, pure and simple!”

Most of the group had red names by now, so they couldn’t return to town and needed to find a place to level up and work off their infamy. But finding a suitable spot was tough, as most areas were crowded at their level range, and they didn’t dare risk the busier locations. After some discussion, Ye Chen finally asked 2058 for advice and found a relatively secluded place: the Necromancer’s Cavern.

The girls all trusted Ye Chen by now and had no objections to his suggested leveling spot.

Jian Qingcheng nodded, and the party immediately set out, heading straight for the Necromancer’s Cavern.