novelraw Chapter 70
Chapter 70
"Hey, are you asking me to loot the body?"
"No, let me handle it."
Xia Ya refused this time.
He wanted to prove himself!
Come on, my beloved dagger! In this three-player difficulty, you must be here!
Xia Ya grasped the dagger in Doom's hand, feeling as if he had seized hope!
But as soon as he glanced at it, the smile vanished from his face.
Just like the glow of this medieval magical dagger faded instantly.
"Ordinary Dagger": A weapon commonly seen everywhere.
Damn it!
Why, damn it!?
I just wanted something for my collection!
The highest difficulty starting quest, and it's for three players, why!?
Xia Ya was fuming, incredulously reaching in again.
Huh?
It seems...
He pulled out a belt and a strangely shaped gun.
Looking at these two items, Xia Ya's expression was complicated.
-
"Metal Buckle Belt (Belt)"
■■ Equipment
Hates Dryness: In a dry environment, your best state is only so-so. (Negative effects on attributes are doubled)
Moisture Affinity: In a damp environment, you can always maintain your best state! (Any negative effect can only reduce you to 90% at most)
Feel the Pain: Because it's embedded in your flesh, you lose 1 hp per hour.
"Tremble, creatures of flesh!"
-
"Victor (Gun)"
■■ Equipment
Current Durability 84%
Magazine: 25/75
Damage: 32
Rate of Fire: 20 rounds/second
Requires Constitution 7, Strength 7.
"Tremble, creatures of flesh!"
-
There were too many things to complain about, and he felt a mix of emotions.
To say these were bad... that would be unfair. The loot was worthy of the quest's difficulty. Whether or not he could use the mechanical civilization's equipment, just selling it as an antique on the black market would fetch a fortune. It was quite a reward, and he performed normally, not excessively greedy.
But to say these were good... Xia Ya couldn't bring himself to say it.
In any case, he was trembling all over, sweating profusely in the heat, his hands and feet cold. This damn system, couldn't it just give him his beloved dagger instead of such high-level loot... Is it so hard to get a collectible?
While Xia Ya was sulking, the others gathered around.
Lef touched the two steampunk pieces of equipment that seemed out of place in the magical world, her curiosity piqued.
"Oh oh oh! I know this gun!! Victor!"
Apulu Pie suddenly became uncontrollably excited.
Xia Ya asked curiously, "You actually know Victor? R6 or csgo? Or is it PUBG?"
"Girls' Frontline! My hair is as long as hers! She's my favorite! Can I have this gun, big guy?"
Xia Ya looked her over, thinking she should prefer the 45.
"If you like it, take it. But at best, it's just a luxurious decoration since you don't have any bullets to replace."
"That's enough. I can use the butt to bash people!"
"Alright... as long as you're happy."
Xia Ya shook his head helplessly and turned his attention to the other loot.
Besides, there were a few rolls of bandages and some tools of unclear purpose, meant for lockpicking and tomb raiding.
Drill Sergeant Doom was a tomb raider in his early years, wanted everywhere for digging up the ancestral grave of a high-ranking official in the United Holy Nation, eventually forced to join the Dark Brotherhood.
The raw material for the "pure white heavy armor containing holy power" mentioned earlier was dug up by him, from the ancestral grave of the United Holy Nation's most famous paladin, Lorenth.
In Illusory Realm, NPCs have unique personal stories. Their functions can be replaced by other NPCs, but their experiences cannot.
If Drill Sergeant Doom hadn't died on this line, and had escaped by luck, he would appear in a series of chain quests where he played a key role.
But now that he's dead, those quests won't disappear; the NPCs appearing will just be Instructor A, Instructor B, and so on.
When multiple experiences are concentrated on one person, it always seems legendary and comes with some irrelevant but poignant Easter eggs.
If Doom always managed to escape, he would eventually trigger a large tomb raiding quest, located at the entrance of the Tin Soldiers' Encirclement, named Stannum Ancient City by the Sun Elves.
And there, he would die.
Xia Ya still remembered that scene: Doom, poisoned, coughing up blood, begging to see that door. In front of it, he wiped away the greasy grime on the brass door, saw the intricate patterns and indentations, and smiled with immense relief before dying peacefully.
Though this person committed countless evil deeds in his life, at that moment, there was a sense of "to know the truth and die without regret."
This loot also solved two puzzles that had always troubled Xia Ya—
Like why Drill Sergeant Doom was so relieved before he died... and why he always liked to stay in the well.
Now both were solved.
The latter was because of this belt. The damp environment always kept him in perfect condition, immune to curse-type spells.
And the former was because he had once raided a tomb related to mechanical civilization...
The Seven Sacred Spirits had sealed all information about the Tin Soldiers, and with Doom's experience, he had no right to access those secrets. So he couldn't understand these two items, from their creation to their use, to their function, or even the phrase "Tremble, creatures of flesh."
It wasn't until he saw the door he couldn't open that he was relieved:
Oh, there's another civilization... such magnificent creations.
Unfortunately, he never got the chance to see what the Tin Soldiers' Encirclement looked like. The mechanical civilization left by the Tin Soldiers was ultimately a forbidden zone for those under the protection of the Sacred Spirits.
Thinking this, Xia Ya gently closed Doom's eyes and nodded to Yveline, signaling that she could proceed.
The Dark Elf had connections with these people, and according to Dark Elf tradition, as followers of the Queen, they should be buried by her.
But Yveline hated Dark Elf traditions and simply gathered them up and set them on fire.
...
Two hours later, the group returned to the main road, and Apulu Pie suddenly stopped, her eyes briefly unfocused.
This was the reward calculation; her starting quest was finally complete.
A few minutes passed, and Xia Ya noticed that Apulu Pie had become a level 13 Archer, and the experience seemed quite generous, as the smug seal couldn't stop smiling.
The joy was hers alone, and Xia Ya, who came to the rescue, and Lef, who saved her life, gained nothing tangible.
But it wasn't entirely fruitless.
Lef got the leather armor dropped by Corian and Doom's belt, and she seemed fascinated by the patterns on it. Xia Ya hoped she could figure out the mechanical civilization's items, and then he could take her to the Tin Soldiers' Encirclement to give Krikto a scare.
No matter which cycle, the master craftsman always looked at him like a genius looking at an idiot, full of intellectual pity, and what was worse, Xia Ya couldn't argue with him. After 177 cycles, the master craftsman always had new taunts for him, endless, completely overwhelming him in data storage.
And for Xia Ya, the greatest gain from this trip...
"Mr. Andrew, your destination is Astan City, right?" he asked.
"Yes."
The round-faced merchant smiled amicably, and because of the demise of the Dark Brotherhood group, his attitude toward Xia Ya had become much friendlier.
"In that case, I have to tell you another piece of bad news..."
Xia Ya put on a pained expression.
"Tch, he's going to lie again."
Yveline whispered to Apulu Pie.