I Want to Become Immortal

Xiao Jie took the firewood knife and was just about to leave when another person walked into the Blacksmith Shop—a young man with a bare chest carrying a staff. He looked quite refined, likely only around twenty years old.

One look at his getup and it was clear he was a new player.

Xiao Jie glanced casually at the man's name.

I Want to Become Immortal (Returnee), Level: 1.

The man scanned the Blacksmith Shop after entering and headed straight for Wang Kai.

"Excuse me, are you Wang Kai, the one who sells gold?"

Wang Kai replied, "That's right. Who are you, and what can I do for you?"

"I want to buy some gold. I'm the younger brother of 'I Want to Seal the Heavens'."

"Oh, oh, oh! So you're the brother of little brother Feng Tian. No wonder the name looked so familiar. How is your brother doing these days? I haven't seen him in a long time."

"He's dead."

"Sigh—my condolences, brother."

The fatty said with a hint of regret.

Xiao Jie watched their conversation with a cold eye, unable to help feeling a touch of melancholy in his heart.

"I want to buy gold," I Want to Become Immortal said.

"Sure, how much?"

"Five thousand coins."

Damn, are newbies this rich? Xiao Jie was a bit startled. Five thousand coins was fifty thousand yuan. Why was he getting so many copper coins? Was he planning to gear up and head out of the village to adventure?

Right, he thought, didn't I have the same idea earlier?

"No problem. For the sake of little brother Feng Tian, I'll give you a five percent discount. By the way, are you looking to gear up? How about I just calculate it for you directly? I'm an apprentice at the Blacksmith Shop, so I have access to internal pricing. Plus, there are some hidden items that require reputation to purchase, and I can help you unlock them."

It was true that money talked; Wang Kai was exceptionally enthusiastic toward I Want to Become Immortal, a stark contrast to his attitude toward a penny-pincher like Xiao Jie, who haggled over the cost of repairing a firewood knife.

"This... wouldn't that be inappropriate? Should I pay you the difference?" I Want to Become Immortal asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Aiya, brother, what are you saying? You're being too formal! Your brother and I are great buddies; his brother is my brother. Come, let me introduce you to the good gear in this shop. Oh, right, let's add each other on WeChat first..."

That's why I have to be prepared. I'll spend money to buy gold. As long as I have a full set of gear, I won't be afraid.

In no time at all, I Want to Become Immortal was fully equipped.

He wore thick leather armor, leather boots, and a horned leather helmet—it wasn't that he couldn't afford iron armor, but his weight capacity wasn't high enough. Wearing iron would incur a weight penalty, so he had to stick to leather.

For weapons, he chose a Serpent Spine Longbow, a fine steel sword, an iron-inlaid shield, and a cold iron spear... he was armed to the teeth.

For a newbie without skills, all weapons lacked extra advantages, but conversely, they had no major disadvantages either. Naturally, the more the better; he could choose based on the different monsters he encountered, as he could switch them during combat.

This set of gear cost over three thousand coins. Wang Kai traded the remaining money directly to I Want to Become Immortal. All he needed now was to buy some wound medicine and food supplies, and he would be ready to leave the village to adventure.

Xiao Jie thought to himself that this guy was really going all out. Fifty thousand yuan spent just like that. Still, while he looked much more formidable in that gear, it was still too risky for a level one.

He couldn't help but offer a reminder, "Buddy, I think you should be a bit more cautious. It's very dangerous outside the village, and you know that if you die in this game, you're really dead, right?"

I Want to Become Immortal said confidently, "I know, but I have a reason I must become stronger. And with my skills, as long as I'm careful, it'll be fine. I'll start by exploring slowly with the weakest mobs, so don't you worry about me."

Don't worry, brother. Since this game has immortals, there must be a resurrection spell. I will definitely bring you back. The young man in front of the computer looked at his heroic avatar on the screen, his eyes filled with determination.

His voice still held a hint of childishness, yet it was exceptionally firm.

Xiao Jie sighed inwardly. Fine, no point in being a busybody. He thought to himself and said nothing more.

This kind of thing was, after all, a personal choice.

Watching the man walk out of the Blacksmith Shop without looking back, he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion—Little brother, I hope you survive.

"You're such good friends with that 'I Want to Seal the Heavens,' why didn't you try to talk his brother out of it?" he couldn't help but ask Wang Kai, who was standing nearby.

Wang Kai, however, was completely indifferent. "It's useless. You can't talk sense into someone who's hell-bent on dying. Everyone who plays this game is bold and confident in their own abilities. Since he knows the truth about this game and still dares to go out and kill monsters, it means he's either confident or has a reason he must adventure. What's the point of persuading him?

"Besides, how do you know he isn't some hidden expert? Maybe he really can kill gods and Buddhas if they stand in his way, and he'll return covered in top-tier gear.

"And as for danger, you can never truly understand what it's like until you've experienced it yourself. So why bother persuading him? Anyone who wants to adventure will have to face this sooner or later. At least with the gear I helped him pick out, his survival rate has increased significantly. You could say I'm taking care of him for his brother."

Xiao Jie was speechless. Your attitude really is all about 'everyone is equal and respect others' choices,' isn't it?

But he wasn't wrong.

At least the guy had a set of decent gear. When he eventually went out to adventure, he wasn't even sure he'd have that luxury.

Right, enough dawdling. Time to go chop some wood.

Since he had decided to follow the path of caution, he would stick to it.

Stepping out of the Blacksmith Shop, Xiao Jie didn't rush to the mountain to hack at trees.

Instead, he pondered where he had gone wrong. Why couldn't he make any money?

The matter of chopping wood needed more research. Logically, a game wouldn't make it impossible for players to make ends meet. He must be doing something wrong.

After a moment of deep thought, Xiao Jie suddenly smiled. Why was he struggling so hard? He could just go online and ask.

Since this game was so realistic, there must be real-world logic to things like chopping wood that he could learn from.

Exiting the game, he logged directly into his usual knowledge forum, [Boundless Sea of Knowledge], and posted a thread asking a daily-life question.

[Inquiry: Does anyone know any tricks for firewood chopping? I keep breaking my firewood knife whenever I try. Will reward heavily for useful answers.]

He casually attached a fifty-yuan bounty to the post.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the forum members to reply.

While waiting for responses, he decided to take care of lunch.

If his character in the game could be well-fed, he certainly couldn't let himself go hungry.

He opened the refrigerator, but aside from a few eggs, it was completely empty. Looking at the barren fridge, Xiao Jie felt a wave of frustration—it was supposed to be Han Luo's turn to go grocery shopping today.

Forget it, he'd just boil some noodles.

He skillfully boiled water on the induction stove, added the noodles and egg in one fluid motion, and tossed in two fish balls to liven up the flavor.

A large bowl of noodles was ready in no time. Just as he was about to dig into the steaming meal, his phone rang at the most inopportune moment.

Xiao Jie picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number, and he felt a slight prickle of unease, vaguely guessing who it might be.

After a moment of hesitation, he answered the call.

Xiao Jie said in a deep voice, "Hello."

"Hey, Brother Xiao, remember me? It's Liu Qiang. How have you been lately? Did you play the game I had Han Luo bring back for you yesterday?"

It was that scumbag, just as he thought!