Wang Qianduo had always been a practical person. When he played games, he followed a guide whenever one was available.
He had no particular passion for exploration—or rather, he didn't have the time for one.
So practicality had become a habit over the years.
If life hadn't forced their hand, who wouldn't have a heart curious about the unknown?
"Hello. You look troubled. Has something happened?"
Wang Qianduo walked up to an officer NPC and asked. It was the standard opening line for picking up a quest, one of a hundred.
"Ah... I don't know what's been going on lately.
A swarm of Sand Scorpion Star Beasts suddenly appeared at the Red Iron Mine on the fourth planet in Star Sector Three. The mine's profits have plummeted, and they keep damaging the mining machines, too.
They've given me a serious headache. Recruit, can you help me?" The NPC officer sighed.
"Leave it to me. I guarantee I'll get the job done!" Wang Qianduo said with a nod.
"System notification: You have received the quest [Norse's Troubles]."
[Norse's Troubles] (Normal): For some unknown reason, a swarm of rampaging Sand Scorpion Star Beasts suddenly appeared at the mine, giving Norse, the person in charge, a serious headache.
Quest requirement: Kill 20 Sand Scorpion Star Beasts
Reward: 30 experience, 1 Silver Crystal
"Then I'll be counting on you!" Norse said, then stopped paying attention to Wang Qianduo. He had already exited intelligent dialogue mode.
Wang Qianduo glanced at his quest log and nodded with satisfaction. With this quest, he'd now picked up all three quests at the mining sites on the mining planets in Star Sector Three.
He was still quite far from leveling up. Norse's Troubles was already a quest with a high reward for the early game.
But compared to that experience bar...
Sigh... let's not talk about it...
"Zero, when do you think I'll be able to fly?" On the way to the mine, Wang Qianduo looked up at the Mechas soaring through the sky and asked the AI, Zero.
With Zero's assistance, he had no trouble moving around anymore. Now his thoughts had begun to take flight.
"To fly, your Mecha must reach level five and be equipped with a Propulsion Device," Zero answered seriously.
"However, I recommend that you make time to practice your Mecha piloting skills at the Training Ground. Otherwise..."
Zero really was a quick learner. It hadn't taken long for him to learn how to trail off with contempt. Wang Qianduo felt terribly awkward.
"Got it. I'll go when I have time!" Wang Qianduo thought it over, then answered seriously.
He wasn't the sort of person who ignored advice. He always gave other people's suggestions serious consideration.
If there's something to fix, fix it; if not, take it as encouragement!
He chatted with Zero along the way and soon reached the mine. He could now control his Mecha well enough to run.
Although he'd managed it with Zero's help, it was still a pretty big improvement.
When he arrived at the mine, what first caught Wang Qianduo's eye wasn't the quest monster, the Sand Scorpion, but the dense crowd of Mechas.
A tawny Sand Scorpion had just appeared in the world. Before it could even breathe in the fresh air of this beautiful world, countless players slew it with a seemingly endless barrage of attacks.
You heartless people! Little Huang the adorable scorpion had only just been born...
Just as Old Wang was lamenting how ruthless the other players were, a Sand Scorpion spawned beside him, and Wang Qianduo accidentally bumped into it.
The scowling Sand Scorpion raised its pincers and swung at Wang Qianduo, as if it wanted to say hello to Old Wang!
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?"
Wang Qianduo jumped in fright and instinctively drew his Minghong Blade, chopping the creature right on the head.
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Old Wang's damage was no joke. His strike dealt exactly enough to take down the Sand Scorpion's 90 HP.
Wang Qianduo: "... You really don't inspire any pity!"
The players around him were stunned. If they hadn't mistaken what they saw, that was a starter Mecha, wasn't it?
How had he dealt nearly a hundred damage with it? And that blue-glowing blade in his hand was freaking gorgeous!
They looked at the energy glimmering in his weapon, then at the drab alloy swords in their own hands.
This world was so damn unfair!
Seeing that he could kill the monsters in one hit, Old Wang didn't dwell on it. He waited right there for the Sand Scorpion to respawn. He was going to kill it twenty times.
Old Wang swore on Zero's honor that he wasn't doing this to get revenge for the Sand Scorpion startling him from behind. He was simply completing the quest.
Zero: ＼(〇_ｏ)／
Now that the Minghong Blade had been shown off, he didn't plan to hide it anymore. It was bound to him, so he couldn't lose it anyway.
"Hello, friend. Could I bother you for a moment?"
Just after Old Wang killed another Sand Scorpion, a Type-II Prototype Mecha came up beside him. A man's voice came through the local channel.
"What is it?" Old Wang looked at him and the few Mechas following behind.
At the same time, he wondered, No way! No way they're here to steal my blade, right? What do I do? I'm nervous—this is the first time I've run into something like this!
"Hello, friend. Would you be willing to sell the weapon you're holding?" the man asked.
The man's name was Lin Hanshi. It didn't have any special meaning; he'd simply been born on the Cold Food Festival.
Hanshi didn't look good as a name, so his parents had named him Hanshi instead.
Lin Hanshi was a bona fide rich kid, but he wasn't some thoughtless fool. On the contrary, he'd been an excellent student since childhood and was very well-mannered.
When the news broke that Mechas from Mecha World could be brought into reality, he entered the game right away and began recruiting people.
But leveling in this game was genuinely difficult. He'd missed the launch, and even after spending half a day completing the tutorial, he'd only just managed to reach level two.
He'd only made it that far because the skilled gamers he'd recruited had protected him. Otherwise, he'd probably still be struggling at level one, like most of the people here.
Just now, as he was getting ready to leave and do the main quest, he'd seen this Mecha with a skin holding a treasured blade. It had killed a Sand Scorpion in one hit—a monster that took their group quite a while to deal with. He'd been stunned.
Now that was the kind of progress he wanted!
Actually, he'd planned to recruit Wang Qianduo at first, but Old Wang's performance had made him abandon the idea.
He'd better ask about buying the blade...
"So you're here to buy the blade. You got me all worked up for nothing," Wang Qianduo muttered.
"What did you say, friend?"
"Ahem... nothing. I said this blade isn't for sale."
"Don't rush to turn me down, friend. I can offer ten thousand. If that's not enough, we can discuss it!"
Hearing Wang Qianduo refuse, Lin Hanshi hurriedly spoke up. He really wasn't cut out for negotiating. Wasn't he practically inviting the other guy to fleece him?
"How much?"
Wang Qianduo was stunned. If he'd heard correctly, the other guy was offering ten thousand for the blade that had come free with his six-yuan first recharge!
"Oh, my God..."
Only then did he finally realize just how valuable his game cheat was. This was practically...
A ticket to the top!!!
"What do you think, friend? It's just a beginner weapon, after all. My offer is already quite sincere."
Hearing how stunned Wang Qianduo sounded, Lin Hanshi quickly spoke again.
"I'm sorry, I..."
"Fifty thousand! Let's be friends, pal. Final offer—fifty thousand!"
Seeing that Wang Qianduo was about to refuse, Lin Hanshi hurriedly cut in.
"You've got it wrong, friend. It's not that I don't want to sell it, but this blade is bound equipment, so it can't be traded. I can only apologize!"
Equipment obtained as a cash-purchase bonus was always bound and couldn't be traded.
The system had already told him that bound equipment couldn't be traded or discarded. It could only be destroyed or dismantled.
Besides, even if he could sell it, he wouldn't. He had to rely on it to build a future, after all!
Still, fifty thousand was no small sum! That was more than he earned in a month, and he was already a high-income earner.
He'd also spent his last bit of savings on the game today, so he badly needed to make some money back.
But those two words—bound equipment—had shattered his hopes, to say nothing of anything else.
If it weren't for that, he might have agreed when the other guy raised the price just now.
After all, he'd gotten this equipment far too easily...
"I see! What a pity. Let's add each other as friends. If you get anything good in the future, contact me directly. My nickname is Shihan!"
Lin Hanshi said that after reluctantly glancing at the Minghong Blade in Wang Qianduo's hand.
So cool. How did someone so amazing end up... Ah...
Wang Qianduo had no idea what he was thinking. If he had, he might have slashed him with the blade just to show him what the Minghong Blade could do.
"Sure, Shihan. My name's Thousand King!"
Wang Qianduo accepted the friend request, said goodbye to Lin Hanshi, and went back to grinding monsters alone.
Ah, the strong were always lonely!
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