Wolf Fang Necklace

"Ding! You killed a [Wild Wolf] and gained 40 EXP. For killing a monster five levels above you, you gained an additional 20 EXP."

"Ding! Talent effect triggered. Poison Damage Boost increased by 1."

"Ding! Congratulations! You leveled up. HP +20, Mana +10. You gained 5 free attribute points. Please allocate them wisely."

After using seven potions and killing another five Wild Wolves, Wu Shaozhen received the level-up notification right on schedule. Yet he looked utterly dejected. Sigh. He couldn't grind his talent anymore.

He put all his attribute points into agility, and his stats changed accordingly: level LV4 → LV5, HP 270 → 290, Mana 90 → 100, agility 25 → 30, movement speed 28 → 33. His poison damage rose to 23, and his EXP was 0/3,000.

He walked over to the Wild Wolf's corpse and picked up four copper coins and a Wolf Claw. To his surprise, there was also a piece of equipment-a type of accessory he had never seen before.

[Wolf Fang Necklace]

Quality: Plain

Physical attack +10

Critical Hit Rate +1%

Equipment requirements: None

Wu Shaozhen blinked. This piece was pretty good—definitely top-tier among plain equipment. That 1% Critical Hit Rate was especially remarkable.

Hmm... this equipment doesn't seem much use to me. Poison damage can't crit, either. Looks like none of the early-game attack gear is much use to me. Equipment with skills will be useful later on. Since I don't need it, I might as well sell it. Another payday! Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Anonymous listing, bidding mode, ten-minute auction. Confirm.

"Holy shit, everyone, check the auction house!" Someone sharp-eyed spotted the equipment in the auction house immediately and hurriedly called it out in the regional channel.

"Fuck, a necklace with 10 attack and a 1% crit chance? I just busted my ass killing Goats to get a weapon drop, and it only has 4 attack! They're both plain equipment, so why's there such a huge difference?"

"Exactly! The armor I got can't compare to that Wild Boar Leather Armor listed earlier, either. Could these be drops from higher-level monsters?"

"Hey, big shot selling the equipment, can you tell us where that necklace dropped? I'll go camp there."

"I'd like to know, too."

"Make sure you win that equipment for me!" Young Master Huang stared fixedly at the necklace in the auction house. Clearly, having someone snatch the last auction out from under him had left him deeply annoyed. Besides, since he had put all his points into strength, this necklace would be a tremendous boost. That one necklace outclassed the weapon he had spent 20,000 yuan on. The 1% Critical Hit Rate was even more tempting. Although the chance was low, it was the difference between none and some. Without the necklace, he would never land a critical hit. With it, one could happen at any moment.

Elsewhere, Jun Lin looked at the necklace in the auction house, a rare gleam of eagerness appearing in his eyes.

"Jun Lin, this equipment goes perfectly with your talent," Nan Feng said seriously. They all knew Jun Lin's talent: critical hit damage increased by 100%. In other words, while other people's critical hits dealt double damage, his dealt triple damage. But first, he had to be able to land a critical hit. Without any crit chance, the talent was completely useless.

"We can't let this equipment slip away," Jun Lin said firmly.

The masked woman, too, showed every intention of securing this equipment.

As soon as the equipment was listed, its price soared. Clearly, plenty of people wanted it, but there were only three truly major factions in this Novice Village.

This time, Wu Shaozhen kept a close eye on the bidding. Although the surprises from the last two sales had felt great, this time he wanted to see how the auction price climbed. When it passed 20,000 yuan in under five minutes, he was overjoyed.

More than nine minutes had passed, and the necklace's price had settled at 30,000 yuan. Hardly anyone was bidding anymore-not because they couldn't afford it, but because they didn't think it was worth it.

"Young Master Huang, no one's bidding anymore. This necklace is definitely yours this time," the boy said.

"No. Have you forgotten what happened last time? Someone's bound to try to snatch it in the final second. Raise it straight to 50,000 at the last second. I'll make sure those opportunists get nothing," Young Master Huang said with a sneer.

Soon, the auction reached its final second. Several bids appeared at once, and in the end, a player who bid 60,000 yuan won.

"Fuck! Playing dirty!" Young Master Huang was so furious he nearly cut down his subordinate. He hadn't lost because of money. He had lost the mind game.

Seeing the notification that she had lost the auction again, the masked woman sighed. She had also bid 50,000 just now, believing that amount already exceeded the equipment's maximum value. She hadn't expected someone to offer 60,000 for a piece of plain equipment. She simply couldn't understand that price. Didn't everything have a limit to its value? No matter how good its stats were or how badly it was needed early on, it was still just plain equipment that would be obsolete in a day or two.

"Uncle Liu, is my understanding of this game not thorough enough?" the woman asked the middle-aged man beside her.

"Miss, I never used to play games. Do you know why your father had me enter the game as well?" Uncle Liu asked.

"Is Dad planning to invest in businesses inside the game? Your judgment is the most discerning, Uncle Liu, so he sent you in to see whether it's worth investing in, right?" the woman asked.

"Yes. You've always been clever, miss. You only need a hint to understand most things. Would you like to hear my take on this game?" Uncle Liu asked.

The woman nodded.

Uncle Liu said gravely, "As I see it, this is no longer a game. It's humanity's second world-a world of the mind. In the future, it will encompass all of humanity's mental and emotional life. So when I return, I'll advise your father to move most of his real-world businesses into the game."

The woman's pupils contracted. Only after a long silence did she say, "I know what to do now."

Elsewhere, Jun Lin equipped the necklace, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Sixty thousand, Jun Lin! Are you sure a piece of plain equipment is worth that?" Hao Ran asked, pained by the expense.

"It is. Accessories already have a low drop rate, and one that adds crit chance is a rare find. This piece will probably last me through the entire Novice Village. This small investment will pay itself back countless times over later. This game is completely different from previous games. It's our opportunity, and we have to seize it," Jun Lin said seriously.

"Yeah."

"Ding! The item you listed in the auction house has been purchased by a player for 60,000 yuan. After deducting a transaction fee of 9,000 yuan, the remaining 51,000 yuan has been transferred to your linked bank account."

Wu Shaozhen was dumbfounded. He had known this necklace would sell for more than his previous equipment, but he truly hadn't expected it to reach 60,000 yuan. When he saw the price sitting at 30,000 near the end, he thought that would be about it. Instead, the final second had delivered an enormous surprise.

"There are so many rich people out there!" Wu Shaozhen marveled. Before entering the game, he had only 700 yuan in savings and had been worrying about rent. Now, in less than six hours, his savings were approaching six figures. He would never even have dared to dream of this before.

"Keep it up! I'm done renting. I've got a dream now-I'm going to buy a home! Haha!"