Chapter Eighty-Two: The General’s Helmet

The long sword glimmered with a faint cyan light—it was unmistakably a bronze-grade weapon.

[Magma Sword] (Bronze Grade)
Attack: 133—251
Strength: +12
Required Level: 21
Additional: Physical critical rate increased by 5%

A spark lit up in Draconic Starcleaver’s eyes. His own weapon was still a level 16 rare-grade short sword—neither imposing in appearance nor up to par in level or attack power. Now, he could finally trade up from a musket to a cannon. Without a thought for his pride, he sidled up with a shameless grin, “Brother Nightfall, about this weapon…” As he spoke, his eyes clung to the Magma Sword, as if he might start drooling at any moment.

“It’s yours,” Ye Chen replied, flipping the Magma Sword over to the only swordsman in their party.

“Thank you, Brother Chen, thank you!” Draconic Starcleaver caught it as if it were a priceless treasure, stroking the blade with the tenderness of a lover, making the rest of the group shudder involuntarily.

The remaining item—a helmet—was a real find, gleaming with a silvery light. It was, astonishingly, a silver-grade piece of equipment.

[General’s Earthen Helm] (Silver Grade)
Defense: 75
Constitution: +18
Strength: +13
Required Level: 22
Additional: Defense increased by 10%

When the party saw the helmet’s attributes, the Draconic Guild players’ eyes widened in disbelief—even Ye Chen was somewhat taken aback. It was an excellent piece of gear, and that additional attribute was nothing short of extraordinary. Unfortunately, it was clearly intended for heavy armor classes, so he couldn’t claim it for himself.

Several of the heavy armor users in the party were already staring at it greedily, and even the berserker and knight who had fallen in battle were clamoring for it in the party chat, each voicing a strong desire to claim it.

“Er, Starcleaver, what do you say—could you lend this piece to Team One for a while? I can arrange for a few rare items in exchange as compensation. What do you think?” The Thief Who Never Leaves Empty-handed couldn’t help but try to poach it. Their team had run so many instances and never once seen such an outstanding silver-grade item, especially one that was perfect for a tank. Right now, such gear was simply priceless.

“Brother Thief, why don’t you go cool off somewhere else. Even if you gave us several rare items, or offered silver for silver, or two for one, I still wouldn’t make the trade,” Draconic Starcleaver retorted with a smirk. The General’s Earthen Helm was a remarkable tank’s item, and equipping it would greatly boost survivability, making future dungeons and boss fights far less dangerous for the team.

In the end, the General’s Earthen Helm went to Draconic Bull, the party’s main tank. The two poor off-tanks had to make do with the gear Bull swapped out—there was no helping it, as he was both the toughest ascetic and the main tank.

With the loot distributed, Ye Chen was in good spirits. This dungeon run had netted him not only two skill books and a bronze-grade ring, but also nearly 300 gold coins in dividends—a considerable haul.

Behind the Rock Lord stood a huge stone tablet, the dungeon leaderboard. Ye Chen stepped forward and pressed his hand against it, and at once, a notification sounded in everyone’s ears.

“Ding! Congratulations, player Nightfall’s party has completed the King-level Rock Forest. As the first party in Liemountain City to clear the King-level Rock Forest, you are eligible to appear on the Liemountain City dungeon leaderboard. Party leader Nightfall, please choose whether to list your name individually or in the name of your group.”

“In the name of the group.” Since it had been agreed beforehand, Ye Chen would not go back on his word.

“Ding! Group name selection successful. Please enter your group’s name. Note: More than half of the party members must belong to the group to use the group name on the leaderboard.”

This rule was clearly in place to prevent players from abusing the rankings. Ye Chen wasn’t surprised and immediately entered “Draconic Dominance,” the name of their guild.

“Ding! Operation successful. Draconic Dominance is now the first group in Liemountain City to clear the King-level Rock Forest.”

“Thank you, Brother Nightfall,” The Thief Who Never Leaves Empty-handed and Draconic Starcleaver both broke into slightly excited smiles. The Draconic party members cheered as well; as guild members, their sense of honor was strong.

“Let’s head back, turn in the quest. I imagine the Heart of Stone will yield a fair amount of experience,” Ye Chen said with a smile.

The Thief Who Never Leaves Empty-handed glanced at the time—it was already past one in the morning—then nodded, “Sounds good. After we turn in the quest, I’d like to discuss a little business with you about potions, Brother Nightfall.”

“You two talk. I’m dead tired—damned dungeon won’t even let you use a return scroll. Otherwise, I’d log off in town right now,” Draconic Starcleaver complained, eliciting a round of laughter from the group as they retraced their steps out of the dungeon.

…

The night was cool as water. Though it was already past one in the morning, the area around the Rock Forest instance entrance was still packed with players. Most fixed parties had already entered or finished the instance, leaving mostly solo players, making the place even more lively. The shouts for party members and calls for team-ups filled the air.

Amidst this marketplace chaos, one party standing before the dungeon entrance was conspicuously out of place and drew the attention of many players. Not only was their group large, but it also included several striking and alluring female players. The most eye-catching of them all was the team leader—a priestess clad in creamy white robes. She was tall and voluptuous, her face charming and seductive. Though not a peerless beauty, she had an alluring, captivating presence. If Ye Chen were here, he would have been startled, for he knew this woman—she was none other than Divine Fox Moon, who had recently plotted against him and Monk Dingyuan.

“Sister Moon, shouldn’t we call Unfeeling Sword and Bloodless Wind over? That guy Nightfall is with the Draconic crew. I’m worried we might not be able to hold our ground,” said Left Handed Legend, who had previously threatened Ye Chen. He sidled up to Divine Fox Moon with a fawning look, his eyes shamelessly drifting to the deep cleavage peeking from her robes as he swallowed hard.

Divine Fox Moon seemed oblivious to his gaze. Instead, she straightened her already generous chest and responded with a coquettish smile, “No need to worry, Little Left Hand. What of the Draconic Guild? You should know, Divine Fox is no ordinary third-rate studio. Not to mention our hundreds of elite members, just our higher-ups are enough to keep Draconic in check. I refuse to believe they’d risk a feud with us over a mildly capable upstart.”

“You’re absolutely right, Sister Moon. The top experts in Liemountain City are all with Divine Fox—Unfeeling Sword, Bloodless Wind, who doesn’t know their names? The only thing is, I’m afraid The Thief Who Never Leaves Empty-handed won’t play along; he seems to value that Nightfall kid,” Left Handed Legend said, sidling even closer, trying to brush against her.

“Oh? I’ve met Nightfall before. He has some skills, but his level and gear aren’t anything to brag about. The Thief is a seasoned expert—why would he value someone like that?” Divine Fox Moon frowned slightly.

“I don’t know about that—his level’s actually quite high, and his gear is excellent. He even took out Fierce Tiger’s Blood Blade, and Fierce Tiger’s Roar got the worst of it. He even broadcast in the city channel, swearing to take Nightfall down. You didn’t know, Sister Fox?” Left Handed Legend asked, surprised.

“Is that so? I’ve been grinding with Unfeeling Sword and the others these past couple of days, so I didn’t hear about it. So the kid really does have some skill. Hmph, all the more reason he can’t be allowed to stay. The old score with him can be settled now—let him see just how formidable Divine Fox can be,” Divine Fox Moon said, biting her lip. The memory of Nightfall stealing her Netherworld Pill and walking away with the best loot left her smoldering with resentment.