Long Line, Big Fish

At the entrance to North Peak Mine, several adventurers limped out.

Including Jack, the strongest among them, everyone wore the expression of survivors of a disaster, as if they wanted nothing more than to kiss the ground beneath their feet.

They had come so close to being left inside, becoming undead forever unable to find peace.

Gazing at the faintly setting sun, Wei Lu, his temples touched with gray, murmured softly.

"Unbelievable... We actually survived."

Though it had come at the cost of betraying Saint Siss...

Then again, his faith had never been that devout, and his soul was hardly noble. If he had sold it to a demon, then so be it.

No matter how devout he was, he would never be reincarnated into a wealthy family anyway. He might as well live this life well.

Jack said nothing. He had been pondering whether making a deal with a demon had been worth it.

Though he had never expected to ascend to heaven after death, dealing with a demon was still different from dealing with Pirates.

But it was not as though he had a choice.

Given enough distance, a Bronze-level necromancer could easily deal with a warrior of the same level.

And considering the entire Silver Scimitar had fallen into his hands, that guy was clearly more than Bronze-level. He might even be Steel or Silver! Under those circumstances, refusing to cooperate had meant certain death.

As for now...

With incriminating evidence recorded against them, they were already in the same boat as that necromancer.

"What about Chris?" the long-haired young man carrying a shortbow asked Jack.

Of the entire group, he was probably the only one who remembered that they had come here today to rescue someone.

Jack narrowed his eyes and glanced at the cave behind them, his voice indifferent.

"Look at Bond. I don't think she has any chance of surviving."

It was regrettable, but he had already done all he could.

After all, they only knew each other through work, and they got along reasonably well.

At most, once he got familiar with that strange-tempered necromancer someday, he could collect her body and bury her on a dirt mound.

As for anything else, there was nothing he could do.

Looking at their grim-faced leader, Wei Lu asked quietly from the side.

"What about that kidnapping job? Are we still doing it?"

Jack thought for a while before finally shaking his head.

"...Forget that job. That reward is too high. I have a feeling something is wrong with it, especially since the client's identity is far from simple. I heard they're someone close to the lord."

Grand Duke Campbell had not been well lately. He was probably simply getting old.

He had heard that, aside from the Empire's emperor, most Chosen Ones did not have peaceful old ages.

The client had not said who they wanted kidnapped, yet they had promised an enormous payment. It gave him an ominous feeling.

Especially since he had just cursed Saint Siss. He might be in for a few unlucky days.

For the time being, he should stick to business with lower risks.

That said, this evil necromancer had also exceeded his expectations.

He had assumed the guy would ask him to procure some difficult contraband, but he had not expected him to merely order a batch of weapons and tools.

Selling weapons to a necromancer was still the sort of job that could cost him his head, but it was nowhere near as risky as kidnapping a noble.

All he had to do was transport the goods to the abandoned inn outside the mine, leave them there, then conveniently discover the "treasure" buried in the haystack beside the stable.

He had plenty of people under him who could handle this kind of work. There was no business safer than this...

When he reached the carriage, Jack stopped and swept his companions with a warning look.

"No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today. Understood?"

Everyone nodded and solemnly swore vicious oaths.

"Understood!"

Jack nodded in satisfaction, then jumped onto the carriage first and patted the driver's shoulder to signal that they could leave.

Come to think of it, this really was a good method. Why had he never thought of it before? Rather than making these irreverent fellows swear to Saint Siss, it was better to make them swear to the Demon God before a Recording Crystal.

That way, as long as he had the recording, it would be like having them by the balls.

The more Jack thought about it, the more brilliant he found the trick. This was fucking inhuman!

Once he got back, he ought to buy a few Recording Crystals himself.

They were bound to come in handy someday...

Inside the mine.

Watching the adventurers depart, You You was still muttering reluctantly.

"Lord Demon Lord, are we really just letting them go? Don't we need to lock them up?"

"You You, there are cages in this world that can be seen, and cages that cannot."

Gently stroking the Crystal Ball in his hand, Leon stood in the shadows and spoke unhurriedly.

"This is called Long Line, Big Fish. Learn it."

Just moments ago, he had ordered one hundred iron swords, one hundred spears, one hundred shortbows, as well as daggers, Leather Armor, and shields from Jack.

Though the players had seized a large amount of equipment from the ratmen, those were ultimately weapons meant for cannon fodder. They were barely usable and naturally not as good as purchased equipment.

Besides, he needed to deliver on the promise he had made in the previous update—giving the Hell Money in the players' hands somewhere to be spent.

This was also part of improving the players' gaming experience.

Aside from weapons, Leon had also purchased tools such as hammers, nails, and pliers.

The little rats in the mine had mostly been cleared out, so it was time for him to put some effort into building his territory.

After observing for half a day, he had discovered that not every player was enthusiastic about fighting and killing. Quite a few simply wanted to quietly farm.

These tools had been prepared for them.

Though Leon could have gone into the city to buy these goods himself, setting aside whether he, unfamiliar with the area, could find firsthand suppliers, an unfamiliar face suddenly purchasing so much equipment would inevitably alert the local lord.

After going in such a big circle, he would not even save much money. He might as well leave it to the people of Underground Street.

As long as it was not too excessive, Leon did not mind letting his partners earn a little as well.

After all, doing business with a necromancer was not without risks. It was their rightful share.

And that was not all.

Leon had other expectations for that quick-witted fellow.

When Grand Duke Campbell had walked through the streets, Leon had personally seen the devotion on those believers' faces... That was not something a few fear-spreading attacks could shatter.

If he wanted the name Leon to resound throughout Thunder City, he had to start prying away at the weakest point in Thunder City's faith.

For example, Underground Street was a suitable place...

Deep within the mine, near the Demon Lord Territory, most of the players had gathered around the pit, looting Rat Rat corpses.

One tail could be exchanged for one hundred Hell Money.

Though most of the tails had fallen into the labyrinth, the ones left outside were enough to keep them busy cutting for a while.

The Skeleton Soldiers carrying small knives worked away while creaking out off-key harvest tunes. Only One Gulp of Septic Tank was squatting before a pile of ashes, searching for something.

Some skeletons were simply born with thought processes different from other skeletons.

Gou Shi, who had just returned from the "boss room," happened to see what he was doing and curiously walked over.

"What are you looking for?"

Brother Yikou had not wanted to pay him any attention, but the latter was clinging beside him like a stubborn plaster and getting in the way.

Unable to endure the pestering any longer, he could only answer.

"I don't know what the thing is called. Anyway, it's shiny and looks like it should be worth something."

"Shiny?" Gou Shi froze for a moment and asked in confusion. "What thing?"

"This thing!"

Brother Yikou raised his hand and opened his skeletal palm, revealing several dark green crystals the size of rice grains lying inside.

The moment Gou Shi saw the little things, his eyes widened.

"Holy shit? Diamonds?!"

"Not diamonds. I think they're something like magic crystals. They're hidden near the cervical vertebrae. I only found them by accident."

After a pause, Brother Yikou continued.

"Oh, and only skeletons left behind after players die have them. The ones buried in the ground don't... Too bad there's no NPC shop. I don't know whether these can be sold for money."

Brother Yikou did not know that the things he held really were magic crystals. Adventurers could take them to the Adventurers' Guild to exchange for money, and they were one of adventurers' main sources of income besides completing commissions! Unfortunately, the magic crystals dropped by Skeleton Soldiers were the lowest-quality kind. The Adventurers' Guild offered little for them—not even a Copper Coin.

After all, summoning a Skeleton Soldier only required one point of faith.

However, the players knew nothing about these things outside the game.

Suddenly thinking of something incredible, ghostly flames flickered in Gou Shi's pitch-black skeletal eye sockets.

"Wait, magic crystals can be recovered from player corpses, which means... as long as we keep killing ourselves and reviving, we can endlessly farm magic crystals!?"

Hearing that, Brother Yikou, who had still been rummaging through his own ashes, froze as well.

"Holy shit, you're a fucking genius!"

They could not sell the magic crystals for money now, but who knew about the future? If an NPC shop opened and these things could sell for several hundred Hell Money, would they not strike it rich?!

The two exchanged glances and instantly understood the unspoken expression on each other's faces.

"Stockpile some?"

"Obviously we have to stockpile some!"

Just as the two were discussing who should die first and who should die afterward, a dark green notification window suddenly appeared before every player.

Version a.0.2 Update

1. Revival Mechanism Changes!

Except for special faction events such as "Monster Siege," players who die accidentally during adventures will lose at least 20 Contribution Points. (20 Contribution Points is the death penalty for Skeleton Soldiers. Specific penalties will be assessed based on the player's role identity. Please see the detailed rules for more information.) 2. Friends and Party System Update!

You can now add friends in-game! Go send a private message to the awesome bro (or sis) you just met!

3. Ownership Mechanism Update!

Equipment purchased from NPC shops will automatically have ownership registered. Equipment picked up can be registered after being appraised at an NPC shop by paying a handling fee equal to 10% of the equipment's assessed value. Registered equipment can be listed on the official consignment platform, "Consignment." In addition, other players may not occupy registered equipment. Once the registered owner asserts their rights, the game officials will forcibly enforce them against the occupier. For penalties for maliciously damaging other players' equipment and rewards for recovering equipment, please see the detailed rules.

4. NPC Shop Update: NPC shops will open within three days, and some equipment illustrations have been updated in the setting collection! NPC shops are also recruiting salesclerks. Wages will be paid in Hell Money. Casual players are welcome to apply~ 5. The closed beta player cap will be raised to 500. Interested players, reserve your spots now! Friendly reminder: game IDs cannot currently be changed. For your gaming experience, think carefully before entering your ID!

Looking at the update notice floating before them, Brother Yikou and Brother Gou Shi froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

Other than the first item in the update notice, they did not read any of the rest, nor were they in the mood to.

Death penalty...

Twenty Contribution Points deducted for every death! How the hell were they supposed to farm now?!

"Fuck!"

"Was that bug fix really necessary right now?!"