After ending the call with Heizi, Shi Feng looked around. No players had noticed his sudden appearance, so he turned into an empty alley.
Opening an Adamantite Grade chest would definitely cause a commotion.
Opening an Adamantite Grade chest boldly in a crowded plaza to show off to other players was something only a newbie would do.
Compared to the real world, the game world had no restraints. The major powers' desire for supreme treasures was self-evident. Players without strength often faced the best possible outcome of being killed back to Level 0. If the items inside the chest didn't drop...
Congratulations, you could spend the rest of your life living in a city. While everyone else went out into the wilderness to kill monsters and level up, you could wander around the city until, a few months later, you were honorably promoted to "City Guide."
Shi Feng wasn't an Assassin who could use stealth to evade pursuit. He also didn't have enough strength yet, so naturally he had to keep a low profile.
In the empty alley, Shi Feng observed his surroundings quietly for a while. Only after confirming that nobody had followed him did he take out the black longsword.
Looking at the black longsword, Shi Feng furrowed his brows.
Abyssal Walker, Demon Weapon. Class requirement: Swordsman. Bind this equipment?
"Should I equip it or not?" Shi Feng looked at the Abyssal Walker in his hands, troubled.
He was very familiar with Demon Weapons. Unlike ordinary equipment, Demon Weapons had no quality grades. They were even rarer than Epic Equipment, and their power was unparalleled. Naturally, they came with a drawback: backlash. The slightest mistake could turn a character into a cripple. They were double-edged swords.
In his previous life, several experts in the Star-Moon Kingdom had become top players overnight because of Demon Weapons. Even at the height of his power, Shi Feng could only look up to them. However, after some time, two experts who owned Demon Weapons had failed to deal with the backlash effect properly and had become useless characters. In the end, they could only start over.
"Forget it. I'll put it aside for now. I can't take that risk yet." Shi Feng shook his head and stowed away the Abyssal Walker. He had to earn 16,000 Credit Points within the first ten days of the game, and the pressure was immense. If anything went wrong, all his efforts would be for nothing.
Shi Feng then took out the Adamantite Grade chest.
Looking at the gold-inlaid chest, Shi Feng couldn't suppress his excitement. "In my previous life, they got potion recipes and forging blueprints from a Mithril Grade chest. I wonder what kind of good stuff will come out of an Adamantite Grade chest?"
He had played God's Domain for ten years, yet he had seen fewer than twenty Adamantite Grade chests.
Every fight over an Adamantite Grade chest was a major battle. Having one all to yourself was almost unthinkable.
As he slowly opened the chest, a golden glow suddenly burst out from within, lighting up the entire alley. At night, it would have been as bright as a beacon, drawing everyone's attention.
Shi Feng didn't dare let his guard down. He immediately took out everything inside, and only then did the glow gradually fade.
Fortunately, the alley was empty, so nobody would notice the brief flash of light.
"God's Domain's chest mechanics are really ridiculous. Good thing it's daytime." Shi Feng glanced at the chest beside him, then turned his attention to the three treasures in his hands.
They were two ancient books and a piece of armor.
The armor was Mithril Grade, far worse than he'd expected.
Sky Battle Armor, Mithril Grade, Plate Armor. Equipment requirement: 20 Strength. Equipment Level: 5. Defense: +25. Strength: +6. Stamina: +3. Agility: +3. Durability: 30/30. Additional Attribute: Weakened Force. After equipping, physical damage taken is reduced by 15%.
Seeing the armor's attributes, Shi Feng was surprised. Although its level was much lower than the equipment he'd gotten from the chest in his previous life, its attributes were top-notch. If a Warrior-class player wore it, they'd have extremely high Defense, and Weakened Force would make tanking a physical boss no problem. It would surely sell for a fortune.
"Excellent. I've got a Level 5 chest piece now." Shi Feng happily put away the Sky Battle Armor. Swordsmen also wore plate armor, and with this equipment at Level 5, he could easily serve as a Shield Warrior.
When Shi Feng saw the names of the two books, he was immediately startled.
The Book of Forging and the Secret Manual of Potions—both were priceless treasures.
Everyone knew that forging and Alchemy were extremely difficult to learn. Every Forging Master and Alchemy Master represented the strength of a guild. Even the Shadow Guild, which controlled ten major cities, had only two Forging Masters and five Alchemy Masters, and every one of them was treated like royalty.
But with these two books, he could train a Forging Master and an Alchemy Master.
"I remember there's a hidden quest somewhere in Dark Moon Valley. Not only does it teach you forging for free, it also rewards you with a forging talent. With that talent and the Book of Forging, I could become an Advanced Forging Apprentice in no time and make a fortune crafting Bronze Equipment." Shi Feng remembered Yichui Maimai, a player in the Shadow Guild. Yichui Maimai had become a Forging Master because of that hidden quest.
Dark Moon Valley was a Level 4 monster zone, and that quest was difficult and time-consuming.
"Looks like I'll need to buy some things and prepare properly." Shi Feng put away the two books, sent Heizi a message to meet him in the Trade District, then headed there.
There were plenty of players in the Trade District. Many players came here to rest after tiring themselves out killing monsters. They would sit down for a drink and a chat, while others sold materials they'd gathered from killing wild monsters.
Shi Feng found an empty spot, spread a white cloth on the ground, laid out the herbs he'd picked and the equipment he'd obtained, and started his stall.
A Level 4 Common Cloth Shirt was priced at 1 silver and 20 copper, while the Bronze Cross Shield cost 21 silver. At this stage, those were fair prices—quite cheap, in fact.
"Rare herbs and high-grade equipment! Come take a look if you're interested!" Shi Feng called out casually.
There were plenty of players with stalls in the Trade District, but they were all selling materials like herbs and ore. Not a single player was selling equipment yet. Shi Feng's shout immediately made him the center of attention.
"No way, he really has equipment! And it's a Bronze Cross Shield!"
"That's insane luck. I don't even have a single piece of Common Equipment, and he already has Bronze Equipment."
"This is Level 5 equipment? You've got to be kidding me. Am I seeing things?"
"What's so surprising? Don't forget, an expert killed the mayor. That was a Level 15 Elite! Now all the players in town can't accept the mayor's quests, and some of the players who'd already accepted them are so furious they're spitting blood. They'd love to eat that expert alive."
"21 silver? That's way too expensive. I don't even have one percent of that."
The many onlookers were astonished. God's Domain had been open for less than ten hours, yet someone had already obtained such high-level equipment. Most unbelievable of all, he was actually selling it.
Everyone knew that the major guilds and studios equipped themselves with whatever gear they obtained to build an advantage. They would never sell it. The average player was Level 1; nobody even dared dream of Level 5 equipment, let alone a Level 5 Bronze Cross Shield. But 21 silver was far too expensive. An ordinary player earned less than 20 copper in a day, while 21 silver was 2,100 copper—completely unaffordable.
As Shi Feng watched the crowd grow, he smiled slightly and said nothing.
He wasn't counting on ordinary players to buy anything. What he wanted was publicity.
Before long, a team of players hurried over, led by a Shield Warrior.
"Make way, make way! Now that we're here, we'll take everything at this stall. The rest of you can leave."
The Shadow Guild team shoved their way through the crowd, opening a path for the Shield Warrior.
Shi Feng glanced over and recognized him. His name was Flame Tiger, and he was the leader in Red Leaf Town. In his previous life, Shi Feng had been unable to rise quickly and had repeatedly been used as cannon fodder. Flame Tiger's "efforts" had been responsible for three-tenths of it. He hadn't expected to run into him so soon.
"You're the stall owner?" Flame Tiger looked at the blue Cross Shield, visibly excited. Then he glanced at Shi Feng. Without the Eye of Observation, he couldn't see Shi Feng's level. Shi Feng wore newbie gear and had no guild emblem, so he was just an ordinary player. Still, he'd managed to get equipment, which was probably just luck.
Shi Feng nodded. "That's right."
"Good. I'll take everything. One silver, take it or leave it," Flame Tiger said arrogantly.
It was as if the stuff on the stall was worthless junk and he was doing Shi Feng a favor by offering one silver.
"I don't haggle. Please stop acting like a big shot and getting in the way of my business." Shi Feng wasn't angry. He simply ignored Flame Tiger.
Flame Tiger's face turned ashen. He glared at Shi Feng and sneered. "Are you sure you want to make an enemy of the Shadow Guild? I'll give you one more chance. Think carefully before you answer."
The other five Shadow Guild members immediately surrounded him.
Shi Feng rolled his eyes at Flame Tiger and answered bluntly, "Idiot."
He actually dared threaten him in Red Leaf Town. Did he not know that fighting was forbidden in town?
"You're asking for death!" Flame Tiger roared, his eyes bloodshot. He wished he could kill Shi Feng on the spot.
"Hahaha, this is interesting. How could the Assassin Alliance miss out on a Level 5 Bronze Cross Shield?"
More than ten people arrived. Every one of them wore the Assassin Alliance emblem, and the one speaking was Cixin. Cixin took one look at the stall owner and immediately froze.
Shi Feng—the expert who'd passed the bronze-tier challenge on his first try—had shown up here and even obtained Level 5 Bronze Equipment. He must have killed a high-level Elite monster. Cixin admired Shi Feng even more.
"Here's 24 silver. I'll take everything. Consider it a token of friendship. If you get any good equipment in the future, please think of the Assassin Alliance." Without another word, Cixin traded Shi Feng the 24 silver. The guild had worked hard to save it up, but making friends with an expert like Shi Feng was worth every coin.
"Sure. Since you're so straightforward, I'll throw in the 50 copper as well. We'll keep in touch." Shi Feng understood that Cixin was offering him a friendly gesture. It would be nice to work with a major guild like this.
The players around them were stunned by the Assassin Alliance's generosity. They'd paid 24 silver without even blinking. This was what a major guild looked like. Many players wanted to sign up, while a guild like the Shadow Guild clearly had no future. They all cast disdainful looks at them.
After being scorned by Shi Feng and humiliated by the Assassin Alliance, Flame Tiger's face flushed red, and his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. He called over an Assassin and said coldly, "Shadow Wolf, keep an eye on that guy. I'll make him regret opposing the Shadow Guild."
Meanwhile, Shi Feng, who had already left, was buying things in the Trade District.
With more than 24 silver on him, he had more money than the entire treasury of an ordinary guild in Red Leaf Town. He was loaded, and he started spending freely.
He bought 20 bottles of Black Iron Beer, worth 25 copper each.
He bought 30 Smoke Bombs, worth 20 copper each.
He bought 100 apple pies, worth 5 copper each. They restored 30 Health per second for 10 seconds.
He bought 100 bottles of Magic Water, worth 5 copper each. They restored 30 Mana per second for 10 seconds.
He spent more than half his fortune in one go, leaving him with just over 3 silver.
"Brother Feng, you're finally here. What are we doing now?" Heizi had been waiting in the Trade District. His face was dark, and he looked at Shi Feng with resentment. God's Domain had been open for more than nine hours, and aside from getting the Explorer title, he hadn't gained a thing. He was about to die of frustration.
"Come on, let's go grind some monsters." Shi Feng smiled and sent him a party invitation.