164. Shani's Bet!
By eight o'clock the next morning, Triss's alchemy hut had reopened. The players, who had been waiting impatiently for new stock so they could hurry up and complete the Trial of Strength, finally saw the item they had been dreaming of.
A generous supply of fire oil was put on the shelves, then swiftly bought up by players waving their gold coins.
This time, the fire oil was still the "upgraded version," made with higher-quality Blaze Gel. Leading Pigeon, now the alchemy hut's senior apprentice, thumped his chest and promised that this stuff would be even more effective against elite ghouls.
The other alchemy apprentices also waxed eloquent as they persuaded their brothers to buy a little extra.
There was a reason they were so eager to sell: the cunning Triss had tied their pay to the hut's sales.
For every item sold, the players currently working at the alchemy hut would receive a small payment.
It wasn't much, but compared to the players' lack of any reliable income in the game so far, doing a bit of work for His Grace the Blood Vulture was acceptable.
Still, even with the vital fire oil and bullets specifically designed to deal with vampires, not everyone could complete the Trial of Strength as smoothly as Little Ashina and Brother Rod. These aids only increased the odds of success; they didn't guarantee it.
Lumina and Brother Rod had both repeatedly stressed in their posts that players should train their main skills to at least proficient before attempting the trial.
But that couldn't hold back the players' restless urge to show off.
After all, everyone else had already passed. If I was still stuck, wouldn't that prove I was a noob?
The paradox was that, in the online world, who could