The Luxury Accessory Box slowly opened, bursting with a dazzling array of colors that shimmered brilliantly.
Fortunately, Shi Feng was in a dim alley where no players would come to wander. Otherwise, it would surely have stirred greed in countless players, who would have killed him and stolen his treasure.
The glow faded. Inside the Luxury Accessory Box lay a purple-gold ring, a circle of text carved around its edge. It looked like ancient Elvish script and seemed to contain boundless magic. Beside it was a simple-looking silver necklace.
"Good. It really is the Gravity Ring." Shi Feng let out a sigh of relief when he saw the ring. He carefully took it out and examined it.
Gravity Ring: Mystic Iron Grade, Level 0 required. Strength +2, Agility +1, Stamina +1. Grants the skill "Gravity Liberation," which greatly reduces the gravitational force on the wearer, making the body as light as a feather. Lasts 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
"Fantastic! It's not Bronze grade after all." Shi Feng's eyes lit up as he read the description. The outcome was even better than he had imagined.
Equipment in God's Domain was divided into Junk, Common, Bronze, Mystic Iron, Mithril, Fine-Gold, Dark Gold, and Epic grades.
The equipment the system gave players at the start was all junk. No one would even buy it, and at this stage, no players had Common-grade equipment. Common equipment could be bought in big cities, but it was very expensive. Bronze-grade equipment was extremely rare and came with bonus attributes, while Mystic Iron-grade equipment was even more precious. Only bosses had a chance of dropping it.
In his previous life, the Gravity Ring that player had mentioned was Bronze grade and only added 1 point of Strength. Its "Gravity Liberation" skill lasted only 15 seconds. But completing the quest at Level 0 rewarded him with a Mystic Iron-grade Gravity Ring. It was truly unexpected.
As for the necklace, it was a special gray item that NPC merchants liked and would buy for a high price.
Shi Feng put on the Gravity Ring and allocated all 4 free attribute points he had earned from leveling up to Agility.
Shi Feng's Agility immediately reached 12 points. His attack speed increased to 5 points, and his movement speed to 6—about the same as an Assassin of the same level who focused entirely on Agility.
"Once I reach Level 3, my Agility will hit 20 points. Then I can unlock the hidden basic skill for the Agility path." Shi Feng looked at his attribute panel, feeling eager to see what would happen.
Shi Feng stretched his limbs and felt much more agile than before. If he faced Mayor Cross now, he would not be nearly as helpless. And if he could reach 20 Agility and unlock the basic skill Agile Swiftness, his physical abilities would be incredible—almost a match for the martial arts masters in wuxia novels.
He then put 15 free mastery points into One-Handed Sword Mastery and saved 5 for later. His One-Handed Sword Mastery reached 20 points, advancing from Apprentice to Beginner Swordsman. The damage dealt by one-handed swords increased by 10%. He still needed 30 more mastery points to advance to Intermediate Swordsman.
As a Swordsman, becoming a master of the sword required more than just basic attacks. Skills were essential. The more skills a Swordsman learned, the more versatile he would be in battle, allowing him to deal greater damage.
Shi Feng was a skilled swordsman and a reborn player. With a special item like the Gravity Ring, the next step to leveling up quickly was obvious: learn plenty of Swordsman skills. Only then could he bring out a Swordsman's true potential. Otherwise, he would be stuck using basic attacks and would never be able to kill monsters efficiently.
"I remember there's a Black Market Challenge in Red Leaf Town's Trade District. The first player to clear it should get a Swordsman skill book." Shi Feng thought it over. Most skill books dropped from monsters three to five levels higher, and the drop rate was very low. No players could hunt those monsters yet, so obtaining other Swordsman skill books would take a long time. He didn't have time to grind for them, and the Black Market Challenge was the only way to get a skill book quickly in Red Leaf Town.
Red Leaf Town's Trade District.
Shops lined both sides of the street: potion shops, smithies, bars, and more. The place was bustling, like a small marketplace. But God's Domain had only recently opened, and players were busy leveling up. They didn't have time to enjoy everything it had to offer, so the Trade District wasn't at its liveliest yet. Only a small number of players in production classes were there, learning support professions such as Enchanting, Forging, Alchemy, Cooking, Engineering, and Refining.
"Buying herbs at a high price! Contact me if you have any."
"Buying ores! No black people."
"Buying high-level equipment. Price negotiable; can pay in Credit Points."
Staff from many studios and guilds had set up stalls along the Trade District's streets to purchase supplies and equipment.
Shi Feng didn't stop. He hurried toward a two-story building guarded by high-level goblins. A sign above it read "Black Market." It was Red Leaf Town's underworld, an entertainment venue built by greedy goblins.
Inside the Black Market was a goblin Auction House. A staircase led down to the cellar, where two open areas lay below: one was the Arena, and the other was the challenge course.
Several players were already on the challenge course, taking on the goblins.
"Come on, you can do it this time!"
"Go on, kick those goblins' butts!"
Several players cheered for an Assassin on the course, their eyes shining red like crazed gamblers.
The challenge was a test of player skill. In an area 30 yards long and 10 yards wide, every player's attributes were set to 10 upon entering the course. Skills could not be used, and equipment had no effect. Players could only dodge or block shots from goblin muskets. Reaching the finish line counted as a victory.
The goblins offered three challenge levels: Bronze Prize, Silver Prize, and Gold Prize. After completing a challenge, players had to wait three days for it to refresh. Entry cost 5 copper for Bronze Prize, 5 silver for Silver Prize, and 5 gold for Gold Prize. The higher the challenge level, the better the rewards—and sometimes Dark Gold-grade equipment even appeared.
For the first player in Red Leaf Town to clear a challenge, even a Bronze Prize challenge could offer rewards comparable to a Silver Prize one.
Shi Feng remembered that in his previous life, a Swordsman named Kuang Feng had been the first player in Red Leaf Town to clear the Bronze Prize Challenge, earning a rare Swordsman skill book.
After a short while, the Assassin on the course was hit and fell at the 20-yard mark, still 10 yards from the finish.
"Damn it, so close! Do you guys have any money left? I'll definitely clear it next time," the male Assassin said repeatedly after reviving outside the course.
A male Priest shook his head. "Boss Cixin, we gave you all the money we had. We're really broke."
Hearing the name Cixin, Shi Feng was startled. He turned his gaze toward the Assassin.
He wore a black outfit and was short and very thin, like a monkey. Shi Feng could hardly believe that the Assassin ranked tenth on the Star-Moon Kingdom Assassin leaderboard was this little "Monkey."
The Assassin named Cixin turned his gaze to Shi Feng and sized him up. His eyes held the look of someone who had found prey. He came over and smiled. "Hello, friend. I'm Cixin, an Assassin squad leader in the Assassin Alliance. Lend me 5 copper, and I'll pay you back 20 tomorrow. How does that sound?"
Cixin wasn't willing to accept this failure. He had been only 10 yards from the finish and had figured out some of the patterns. With another chance, he was sure he could clear it. So he hoped to use the Assassin Alliance's name to intimidate Shi Feng into lending him 5 copper.
The Assassin Alliance was a famous major guild in the virtual gaming world. Any veteran gamer would know its name. Someone who had become an Assassin squad leader had to be a top expert, an object of admiration for countless players. An ordinary player would surely jump at the chance to curry favor and hand over 5 copper. As for paying it back, that probably wouldn't happen.
"5 copper?" Shi Feng thought for a moment, then replied, "I can lend you 5 copper, but you'll owe me 50 tomorrow."
Cixin was taken aback. That wasn't how he had expected this to go. He was the renowned Cixin, an Assassin squad leader in the Assassin Alliance. Couldn't Shi Feng at least pretend to be polite? Was he a gaming rookie?
Seeing that Cixin had gone quiet, Shi Feng asked, "So, are you borrowing it or not?"
"I am." Cixin was about to cry. Other players called him an expert whenever they saw him, but Shi Feng didn't even react. Still, the reward was so tempting that he decided 50 copper was worth it.
"Here's the 5 copper. Let's add each other as friends, and don't forget to pay me back 50 tomorrow." Shi Feng traded Cixin 5 copper from the 60 he had gotten for selling the necklace, then reminded him again to repay the 50.
Cixin took the 5 copper and replied with tears in his eyes, "Sure. I won't forget."
Shi Feng had no idea what Cixin was thinking. After completing the trade, he headed for the green-skinned goblin administrator.
"Sir, time is money. What do you need?" the goblin administrator said haughtily.
"I want to enter the Bronze Prize Challenge." As he spoke, Shi Feng handed over 5 copper.
The goblin administrator weighed the coins in his hand and nodded with satisfaction. He opened the wooden door to the challenge course and let Shi Feng in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new challenger who wants to take on the challenge! Please welcome this brave Swordsman!" the goblin announced loudly.
"Boss Cixin, that guy who lent you the money has entered the challenge too," the male Priest reminded him.
Cixin, who was still recuperating, laughed. "That guy's a total rookie. Does he think this challenge is that easy? The course is only 30 yards long, but once you reach the 15-yard mark, the goblins change their attack pattern and fire much faster. Even I had a hard time dealing with it, let alone him."
"Of course. Boss Cixin is so impressive, and he only made it to the 20-yard mark. I bet that guy won't even make it past 5 yards," the male Priest said with a nod and a laugh.
Inside the challenge arena, the three goblins at the finish line were ready, their muskets aimed at Shi Feng on the starting line.
The countdown on the challenge course began flashing.
3...
2...
1...
The challenge began!