Sunset God Bow

[Quest Complete: The Beauty Salon Owner's Secret]

[Completion Rewards: Mysterious Power +100, Points +1000]

In an alley off Back Street, Li Ran emerged from the shadows.

"Come out, Scarlet Iris."

With a thought, a floating portal to the Otherworld Space opened before him. Through its dazzling halo, he could see a vast plain.

"Yip... yip-yip."

"It's fun in there. Do you want to play a little longer?"

Li Ran had no idea how he understood fox speech. Scarlet Iris's thoughts were automatically translated in his mind as she spoke.

It was incredible.

It must be the effect of the Summoner Emblem, Li Ran thought.

"There's food and drink, and I can even train?"

Scarlet Iris sent him another report, leaving Li Ran astonished.

He was almost tempted to go into the grassland in the Otherworld Space himself.

"Then go play for now. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Yip."

After escaping the Beauty Salon, Li Ran had not only learned the secret of its owner, Yang Baobao, but had also obtained three pieces of equipment by "blackmailing" her.

Those three pieces of equipment were actually the hidden rewards mentioned in the quest.

Without his Golden Finger, who would've known there was a hidden reward?

Yang Baobao was terrifyingly strong, with 800 Mysterious Power at A-rank. Li Ran estimated he would need at least 800 Mysterious Power to stand a chance against her, and even then, he'd need a full set of top-tier equipment.

As for monsters with the same Mysterious Power as an S-rank, he'd probably need a full set of purple (rare) gear to defeat one.

Still, with his current strength, he could take on the [Eliminate the Murderer] quest.

To be safe, he needed to get a little stronger first.

He took out the white box and slowly opened it. A purple glow fell across his face.

"Whoa, a legendary golden drop... Okay, a rare item."

Though it wasn't legendary, Li Ran was already more than satisfied.

He had only gotten two rare items even with his Golden Finger. What about people without one? They probably didn't even have a decent common item, and might even treasure an uncommon one.

[ Ranged Weapon: Sunset God Bow (Rare)]

[Requirements: 500 Mysterious Power, 100 Strength]

[Attributes: Mysterious Power +100, Strength +100, Agility +100, Constitution +100]

[Active Skill: Explosive Arrow: Coats arrows in flame, greatly increasing their power. Hitting a target deals damage and triggers an explosion. Can be fired three times in succession. Cooldown: five minutes]

[Passive Skill: Outlook: Increases the player's field of vision tenfold while attacking.]

"Damn, this is a top-tier rare weapon!"

Li Ran was utterly shocked after reading its stats.

Both were rare items, but the Sunset God Bow was clearly a tier above the Phantom Cloak.

Its attributes were doubled, and it even had an extra active skill.

Based on Li Ran's experience playing online games, a top-tier weapon with skills was definitely the best of its tier.

No wonder Yang Baobao had been so reluctant to hand it over—and had tried to get it back as soon as she recovered the USB drive.

If Li Ran hadn't had so many escape skills, she would've taken it back.

Li Ran equipped the [Sunset God Bow].

Combined with the reward from completing the quest, his attributes had increased significantly.

Li Ran

Mysterious Power: 780

Agility: 220

Strength: 220

Constitution: 200

Points: 1150

Active Skills: [Shadow Escape] [Shadow Assault] [Blood Sickle Flying Blade] [Explosive Arrow] [Summoning Space]

Passive Skills: [Phantom] [Thunder Mark] [Focus] [Immunity] [Outlook]

As for weapons, Li Ran already had the [Thunder Dagger], and equipping the [Sunset God Bow] didn't conflict with it.

Weapon slots were divided into main hand and off hand.

There was no distinction between two-handed and one-handed weapons. Players could wield a greatsword and a bow, or a dagger and a magic staff. They could mix and match as they pleased, equipping two weapons in total.

"Not bad. I can feel explosive power filling my body."

As Li Ran sensed the changes in his body, he could clearly tell he was vastly different from before, especially in terms of his physique.

With his current strength, even a casual punch could unleash a thousand jin of force. If he used [Magic Shadow Bite], he could bite through steel!

He really wanted to find somewhere to test the power of the Sunset God Bow.

"Looks like you made quite a haul this time."

A gray cat watched Li Ran from the eaves overhead and spoke in a human voice.

Li Ran smiled and transferred 250 points from the Points Mall.

"Thanks," the gray cat said, narrowing her eyes.

The gray cat was Song Linjia in her Shape-Shifting form. She had a passive [Lurk] skill, which was perfect for scouting and hiding. It was a major reason she had survived this long.

Song Linjia was clever and wary of the unknown, taking on only quests she was confident she could handle.

If she encountered an obstacle, she would either set it aside or think it over before asking Li Ran for help.

Before going to the Beauty Salon, Li Ran had contacted Song Linjia to ask for her help. She had been quite surprised that someone as strong as Li Ran would need help at all.

Besides, Song Linjia herself had asked for 250 points. Li Ran had been about to give her 500.

She probably hadn't expected Li Ran's quest to be worth a thousand points.

Li Ran couldn't be bothered to explain. Compared with her gear, his own equipment was ridiculously luxurious now.

If he showed it all to her, he might scare the poor girl.

"It's getting late. We should head back and rest. Tomorrow's a new day," Song Linjia said.

"Wait."

Li Ran hurried to stop Song Linjia and told her about Night of Madness, which was coming in ten days.

After hearing him out, Song Linjia's face turned deathly pale.

"So this instance never intended to let the players return to the real world alive?"

"There has to be a way to solve this!"

Li Ran looked at Song Linjia with determination.

"We'll make it out alive."

After Song Linjia left, Li Ran didn't hurry off.

"It's not even five, and it's already dark. Is the sky getting dark earlier and earlier, or is the night starting to swallow the day?"

Li Ran looked up at the pitch-black sky, his expression growing grave.

He didn't plan to go home early tonight.

He hadn't been strong enough before. He still couldn't say he was strong enough now, but he could at least protect himself. As long as he was careful, he should be able to make it home before midnight.

If danger arose, he would use Shadow Escape and flee home immediately.

For that reason, Li Ran had sent Su Bingyao a message to say he'd be home a little late.

Su Bingyao replied, "Come back early."

Those four simple words felt like a warm current flowing into Li Ran's heart.

As darkness fell, Li Ran moved across the eaves of Back Street like a creature of the night.

He blended into the darkness and watched over the area below.

With the fifteenth day drawing near, Li Ran had to take the initiative and do something for himself.

Especially after nightfall—he knew nothing about what this world was really like.

"Come on in and have some fun?"

A coy voice came from an alley below.

Li Ran looked down and saw a row of scantily clad women standing in a narrow alley.

One heavily made-up woman was tugging at a tall, burly man and calling to him in a coquettish voice.

The man was tall and powerfully built, with a devil tattoo on each of his muscular arms.

He glanced at the woman and said in a low voice, "Got anyone younger?"