Chapter Seventy-Two Level 20

Ximen Yu remained silent, but that didn’t mean the pile of loot before them would go unallocated. Zhao Nan clutched the Source of Mana in his hand; with this artifact, he wouldn’t even need mana recovery potions. This was the treasure he had come for from the start, and it had to end up in his pocket.

“Gold will be split evenly among everyone here. As for equipment, if there’s something that suits you, you can take it,” Zhao Nan said calmly, looking at Ximen Yu. “If it’s mage gear, I’ll step back.”

Ximen Yu had naturally noticed the item Zhao Nan was holding. Though curiosity flickered in his eyes, he wisely refrained from asking. He glanced around at the others gathered; aside from Zhao Nan, there were several people present—himself included—fit to wield magical equipment.

“At present, only my guild in Dongyuan City has an enchanter capable of double enchantments. I propose this: I’ll enchant all your gear for free, in exchange for first pick—of course, I’ll only take one piece, and only mage equipment. For anything else, we can negotiate, or I can offer something else in trade.”

“What if there’s nothing you want?” Zhao Nan asked.

“Even if I don’t choose anything, the enchantment offer stands,” Ximen Yu replied with a light laugh. “Let’s call it the start of a friendship, shall we?”

Zhao Nan looked to Gao Mingyang, and especially to Xu Fei, Xu Yang, and Jiang Lun. All three were suited to mage gear, so if even one of them objected, he wouldn’t agree to the proposal.

“I’m fine with it,” Xu Yang said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s always better to make a friend than an enemy.” The last half of her sentence was spoken only in their party channel, for her own team to hear.

Her body was still frail, a sickness pressing on her; her complexion was pale, as if a gust of wind could topple her.

“There’s a specialized clinic in Dongyuan City… Let’s take you there afterward,” Zhao Nan said quietly in the team channel. Xu Yang’s eyes brightened, and she nodded silently.

Xu Fei and Jiang Lun voiced no objections either. In the end, Ximen Yu secured the right to first pick in exchange for enchanting everyone’s gear.

“Damn, Gao Xiang is unbelievable—even though he’s not here, a golden bow dropped!” Gao Mingyang suddenly exclaimed, holding up a bow as tall as himself, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Given their friendship, any grumbling was merely in jest.

Ultimately, Ximen Yu chose a necklace and swiftly equipped it, a satisfied look on his face—it was clearly no ordinary item.

Phoenicia, even in a weakened state, was a high-level boss, and the loot she dropped did not disappoint. This was why the “Blood Shadow” guild had surged in strength after felling her in the past.

But the fortune that had once belonged to “Blood Shadow” was now divided among these present. Most of “Blood Shadow”’s experts had been depleted, their strength greatly diminished, and their ranks in disarray. It would be a long time before they could recover.

Everyone came away with something. Fenina received a sword of purple quality—the Night Demon Sword. Its attributes were excellent, boosting her current combat strength by twenty percent, and would only be more powerful once enchanted.

Gao Mingyang had passed on the Night Demon Sword, so as compensation, Zhao Nan handed him the purple greatsword he’d acquired from Nanyang Sheng.

“There are plenty of ways to train as a Sword Brave, but I think the brute-force path suits you best. With a few more strength-boosting items, your power will grow considerably,” Zhao Nan said, handing over the greatsword.

The sword was so wide it resembled a door plank. Gao Mingyang frowned and hefted it with effort. Since his job change, his strength had increased considerably—while he couldn’t wield it as effortlessly as Nanyang Sheng had, he could still manage. He wiped the blade lovingly, only to be met with Simen Xiaowu’s cold sarcasm: “Never seen a sword before?”

Gao Mingyang chuckled awkwardly, making a mental note to avoid this cross-dressing woman in the future if possible.

“The rest can be split evenly by item count,” Zhao Nan said.

He divided the leftover goods into two piles—what remained after everyone’s picks. Though some were still decent, none were indispensable.

“What are your plans now, Mr. Zhao?” Ximen Yu asked, not in a rush to claim his share.

After this, unless something happened between the two guilds, a basic friendship could form. Zhao Nan left Ximen Yu with a favorable impression—for now, at least, he was someone worth befriending.

The future of “Purgatory” was uncertain.

How many humans were left in the world after the Cataclysm? No one knew. At this stage, no one expected monsters to attack the cities. Each city had its own defense systems, and the players’ collective strength was another factor.

Unless absolutely necessary, Zhao Nan didn’t want to weaken Dongyuan City’s player base. If Zuopang Long of “Blood Shadow” hadn’t tried to kill him, that guild wouldn’t have fallen. The same was true for Nanyang Sheng—once among Dongyuan’s elite, but brought low by greed. In truth, his loss was a shame for the city’s collective strength.

But who could he tell this to? Who would believe him?

Explaining would be difficult. Nor did Zhao Nan have the energy to unite all of Dongyuan’s players. Even if he wanted to, it would take far longer than a month or two.

All he could do was strengthen his own group as much as possible before the first wave of monsters assaulted the city.

“From here on, it’ll be a dull stretch of grinding for levels,” Zhao Nan said.

Ximen Yu shrugged easily, his tone wistful. “If I could adventure with you, I’m sure it would be exciting… but alas.”

There was no need to elaborate; those who understood, would. Simen Xiaowu knew her brother well—he cared little for others’ opinions.

After this parting, there would likely be few chances to meet again. Suddenly, Simen Xiaowu whispered a few words in Ximen Yu’s ear. Receiving his nod, she turned to Zhao Nan’s group and said, “Let me fulfill my brother’s earlier promise.”

“You’re not… that level-19 enchanter, are you?” Gao Mingyang blurted in disbelief.

“Mind your own business!”

Her retort was unmistakably feminine, drawing a few odd glances. Only half the people present knew the truth, making the atmosphere awkward.

Zhao Nan shook his head. Gao Mingyang and this woman in disguise were destined to be rivals. “I’ll leave it to you, then,” he said.

He handed the Sighing Staff to Simen Xiaowu. Watching her take out her enchanting tools and begin working with practiced skill, Zhao Nan finally had a sense of just how many Clarion Crystals “Purgatory” had farmed in the Locke Forest.

No wonder Phoenicia had awakened early.

Gao Xiang soon rejoined the party. During the fall, he had landed on a jutting rock and been injured, and had remained in place, unable to face the swarms of zombie rats alone.

Ximen Yu’s people were also back in position.

One person remained missing—the last of the “Guardian Knights.”

But Ximen Yu took that matter upon himself, clapping Zhao Nan on the shoulder and squinting. “I owe you again, Mr. Zhao, for taking out a worthy rival for me…”

His eyes gleamed with cunning—a fox’s gaze, a wild dog’s hunger for fresh meat. Even without knowing about the monster siege, Zhao Nan could sense the other man’s fervor for building his own power.

“Let’s part ways here. Until we meet again.”

…

…

Monster Era, Year 0, January 18.

A streak of light flashed across Zhao Nan’s body. He paused in what he was doing, quietly opening his character panel so as not to disturb the others grinding monsters nearby.

At last, he had reached level twenty.

There were two days left before the monster siege foretold in history.

He called everyone over and said in a low voice, “I need to leave the party for a day.”