Trading a Bird Knife for a Sword

Various melee weapons hung on the racks.

Longswords, shortswords, one-handed hammers, battle axes, spears, daggers—their quality ranged from white to green.

There were a few blue ones as well, but they were locked in glass cabinets on the top shelf, and the numbers on their price tags made people not want to look twice.

Gan Ming was only looking at green equipment now.

The attributes of white gear were too terrible.

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The iron shortsword in his hand already had two chips in it, and its durability had dropped considerably. If he kept using it, it would sooner or later snap on a monster.

If he was replacing it, he might as well get something that would last a while.

He began browsing the weapon list.

Green-quality one-handed weapons

were priced from 30 to 80 Contribution Points.

The ones just over 30 were transitional goods with base attributes slightly better than white gear.

Compared to white equipment, they were stronger in durability and one or two additional attributes, making them the most cost-effective choice.

Above that, items costing more than 50 Contribution Points began to come with special effects.

Things like "attacks inflict bleeding" or "critical hit rate +2%."

When Gan Ming flipped to the third page, his finger stopped.

[Edgesteel One-Handed Sword (Excellent)]

[Type: Weapon · One-Handed Sword]

[Physical Attack: +25]

[Additional Attributes: Strength +3, Agility +2, Endurance +1]

[Equipment Requirement: Strength ≥20]

[Durability: 55/55]

[Creator: Chen Tiesheng (Production-type Awakened)]

[Note: An excellent-quality weapon. Its blade has been tempered with Source Essence, granting it sharpness and durability above standard equipment of the same grade.]

Price: 42 Contribution Points.

Gan Ming looked at "Physical Attack" and "Equipment Requirement."

+25 physical attack. That was a lot.

His broken shortsword only gave +5.

A fivefold difference.

It also came with three attribute bonuses: 3 Strength, 2 Agility, and 1 Endurance—basically six free attribute points.

And the equipment requirement was not high either: 20 Strength.

He currently had 12 Strength, so he was still short by 8 points.

Gan Ming opened his attribute panel.

[Strength: 47 (12+35)]

[Physical Attack (Main Hand): 61.4 (56.4+5)]

Yes, the reason he had been able to level from 1 to 8 so quickly in the Woodland

was that he had put every "unassigned attribute point" gained from leveling into Strength.

That allowed his [Fanged Charge] to deal nearly 150 points of charged damage at level 8.

After all, the official recommendation was perfectly reasonable.

Strength was the most cost-effective attribute in the early game.

While increasing damage, it also solved the problem of meeting equipment requirements.

Gan Ming was exceptionally clear-headed about that.

Even if he wanted to save points, he could wait until the mid to late game.

Right now, the priority was staying alive.

And Strength could greatly increase his combat ability.

"Get me an Edgesteel One-Handed Sword."

Gan Ming pointed at the Edgesteel One-Handed Sword on the screen and asked the staff member behind the counter,

"Can I trade in my old weapon?"

The staff member leaned over to inspect the miserable iron shortsword at Gan Ming's waist.

"Yes. Standard shortsword trade-in value after depreciation: 7 Contribution Points. Final price: 35."

Damn, a white knife could trade in for that much?

Gan Ming was a little surprised.

"Fine."

Card swiped.

Payment deducted.

He handed over the old shortsword and received the new sword.

The moment Gan Ming picked up the Edgesteel One-Handed Sword, the feel was noticeably different.

The iron shortsword had felt like he was holding a sheet of metal—light and flimsy, with no heft to it.

This sword had weight. It felt solid in his hand.

Under the lights, the blade gleamed with a cold bluish-green sheen.

That was the trace left by Source Essence tempering.

He equipped the sword, and his attribute panel instantly refreshed.

[Strength: 50 (12+35+3)]

[Agility: 15 (13+2)]

[Endurance: 9 (8+1)]

[Physical Attack: 85 (60+25)]

Before entering the Woodland, his physical attack had been 19.4.

Now, it had increased more than fourfold.

Of course, the 35 attribute points had contributed to that. It was not entirely the sword's bonus.

But the result was real.

His attack power had risen from the level of "needing five minutes to grind down a level-three Pig Monster" to something fairly respectable.

The next time he entered the Woodland, if a Pig Monster lasted ten seconds, it would only be because Gan Ming was going easy on it.

Gan Ming closed the attribute panel and took another lap around the trading area.

He had originally wanted to look at Storage Rings too.

A capacity of 50 cubic meters would be full after storing a dozen pigs and two Tree Spirits.

If he fought any longer next time, it simply would not be enough.

He found the Storage Ring counter in the general goods section.

100 cubic meters: 300 Contribution Points.

200 cubic meters: 750 Contribution Points.

500 cubic meters: 2,200 Contribution Points.

Hiss...

Gan Ming looked at those three numbers, then turned and left.

He would just pretend he had never come.

300 Contribution Points.

He had risked his life all day to earn 40. If he neither ate nor bought equipment and saved every point, it would take nearly four or five days.

And that was only for the 100-cubic-meter version, which was just twice as large as the one he had now.

What if he wanted the 500-cubic-meter one?

No wonder that receptionist at the association had recommended loans the moment she opened her mouth.

This pricing system was designed to force people into borrowing money.

Gan Ming left the trading area and walked to the stairway on the second floor.

There was an exchange counter beside the stairs, and the screen above it displayed live exchange rates.

[Contribution Point Exchange]

[Daily Exchange Limit: 500 Contribution Points]

[Service Fee: 3%]

Gan Ming stopped in his tracks.

One to 135.

The 5 Contribution Points left in his pocket were worth 675 yuan in cash, and that was before the service fee.

Adding the 1,600 in his card, he had 2,275 in total.

Then there was the 35-Contribution-Point Edgesteel One-Handed Sword he had just upgraded to.

His entire fortune as a level-eight Awakened was only 7,000 yuan.

Meanwhile, the full set of green equipment on that archer, Xue Ping, started at 3,000 to 4,000 yuan per piece.

A whole set would cost at least twenty or thirty thousand.

Then there were arrows, potions, daily consumables—expenses would easily reach six figures.

The gap?

It was a little big!

Sighing to himself, Gan Ming quickly headed downstairs.

When he walked out of the association's doors,

the sun had already moved west of its peak.

He took out the folded exploration guide from his ring.

There were five zones, and he had already visited the first one.

West City Outskirts Woodland, recommended level 1 to 15.

He was level 8 now, so in theory, he could keep grinding there.

But that place had two problems.

First, it closed at four in the afternoon.

It was one-thirty now. Travel would take time, and he could only fight for two hours at most.

Second, there was that archer.

The other man had let him go for now, but that did not mean he would do so next time.

There was no need to seek revenge right now.

The third zone, Tunnel Zone No. 7, was recommended for levels 10 to 30 and would not open until eight tomorrow morning.

The fourth, South District Old Industrial Park, was recommended for levels 15 to 40.

There was even less reason to consider the fifth.

So only the second zone was available.

Eastern Suburbs Ruins Zone, 12 kilometers away. Invasion progress: 18%. Recommended level: 1 to 20.

It was only 4 kilometers farther than the Woodland, but its recommended level cap was 5 levels higher.

That meant the types and strength of the monsters inside would be a step above.

Yet its invasion progress was only 18%, 4 percentage points lower than the Woodland's.

Its zone rating was also low risk.

Gan Ming put the guide back into his ring and calculated how much time remained today.

If he left at one-thirty, the trip would take thirty to forty minutes, putting him inside a little after two.

The Eastern Suburbs Ruins Zone had no listed opening hours, which meant it did not have a four-o'clock closing rule like the Woodland.

If he fought until dark before coming out, he would have at least four or five hours.

"Not bad. Plenty of time."

Then he set a goal.

First, he would steal every monster skill he could encounter in the Ruins Zone.

As for levels...

Reaching level 15 would be ideal. If he could not, it did not matter—he could continue in Tunnel Zone No. 7 tomorrow.