Chapter 39: Good Heavens! We've Run Into the “Oxfly”!

This map was truly enormous. The three brothers had split up and searched for quite some time, only to discover that around the staircase was a vast open area. From the darkness came the sporadic snarls of monsters. Lin Jia, already notorious for his terrible sense of direction, now felt utterly lost. He had no choice but to follow behind his brothers, feeling his way forward along the wall. The second floor of this stone tomb was simply excessive in size, and to make matters worse, it was pitch black throughout. Before long, even the fourth brother, who was said to have the nose of a hound, was lost.

“…Didn’t we just come through here?” Lin Jia asked cautiously as he zapped the not-so-dense wild boars nearby, keeping an eye on his surroundings. He called out to the fourth brother, who was dashing back and forth. Even Lin Jia, the perennial directionless wanderer, now recognized the terrain, which meant they must have passed through this spot more than once.

With a dry laugh, the fourth brother admitted bluntly, “This is our eighth time here! This place is a massive maze in the shape of a square loop. No matter how you walk, you stay stuck in this circle! In short… we’re hopelessly lost!”

The eldest brother came running, leading over ten monsters toward Lin Jia, who was hiding behind an E-shaped low wall. After dumping the monsters on him, he ducked aside and said to the fourth brother, “Why don’t we head back to Fragrant Stone? At least it’s more fun there. I’m exhausted from luring monsters!”

“Do you even know the way back?” the fourth brother asked. The eldest brother simply shook his head.

“How about we just go back to the city?” Lin Jia suggested, still shooting electricity at wild boars. “I’m out of potions!”

The eldest and fourth brothers checked their own packs. The fourth brother agreed, “Alright! Let’s return to the city. This place is too big, and we can’t even buy supplies here. We’re better off leveling up at Fragrant Stone. Once we’re stronger, we can explore other maps!” With that, the two brothers handed Lin Jia the last few medium mana potions they’d scavenged, so he could finish off the last few fat boars.

Once the final wild boar collapsed with a howl, the trio scooped up the coins and a pearl ring meant for a Taoist that had dropped. Just as they were preparing to teleport back to the city, the darkness was pierced by several shouts—the battle cries of warriors in combat.

Startled, the three exchanged glances, then hurriedly searched along the walls. After circling around, they were shocked to see a patch of bright light on the opposite side of the short wall where they’d just been!

“Someone’s here?” The three brothers stared, eyes wide with disbelief. Had someone discovered a secret map? Why hadn’t they seen anyone passing through Fragrant Stone these past couple of days?

Uncertain, they ran toward the light—only to be startled once again by what they found.

A warrior clad in green heavy armor stood there, surrounded by several other players in medium armor!

The other group clearly noticed Lin Jia and his companions as well. After dispatching the few remaining monsters, the leader—a warrior wearing the exceedingly rare heavy armor, known as “Little Shrimp”—sent a message: “Hey, brother! What level are you? Where did you get that armor?”

Little Shrimp was obviously addressing Lin Jia’s little mage, “Mad Ling Jia.” But Lin Jia, quick-witted as ever, didn’t answer the question. Instead, he redirected the conversation, “Haha! You got yourself a nice set too? Already level 22? Impressive!”

Little Shrimp and his friends walked over and stopped in front of Lin Jia. Suddenly, he cried out, “No way! Brother, are you a mage or a warrior? Damn, your gear is insane!” He was probably examining Lin Jia’s equipment at that moment. Lin Jia, alarmed, stepped away casually. Years of camaraderie meant that the fourth brother didn’t even need to glance at Lin Jia’s movement; he simply stepped forward and, playing along, flattered Little Shrimp, “Wow! Bro, your gear is off the charts!” In truth, the three of them hadn’t even thought to check the other group’s equipment panel.

While the fourth brother chatted, Lin Jia took the opportunity to inspect Little Shrimp’s gear. What he saw left him quietly astonished. Little Shrimp was clearly an old hand at online games—not only was his level at least 22, higher than the three brothers, but every piece of his gear was top-tier for the warrior class! At least half the equipment was entirely unfamiliar to Lin Jia.

The heavy armor itself was nothing special—just a standard piece—but on his head was a helmet shaped like a skull, aptly named “Skull Helm,” with a defense rating of 2-3 and requiring 30 attack power to equip. His necklace was a blue jade necklace, a rare piece with attack 2-3, and an extra magic 0-1, though the bonus wasn’t on a main stat and thus was a bit underwhelming. He wore a pair of bronze, full-metal gloves, carved with hollow skull faces on the backs—“Reaper’s Gauntlets,” attack 1-2, requiring level 22. The ring, which Lin Jia had seen before, was a “Skull Ring,” also shaped like a little skull, attack 0-3, and likewise requiring 30 attack to wear.

Most impressive of all was the weapon Little Shrimp wielded—a double-bladed axe with a deep, black luster. The axe’s body was solid and shadowy, the blades gleaming with a cold, chilling light.

Asura: Attack 0-20, Strength +1, Weight 40, Level 22 required.

It even added a stat Lin Jia had never seen before: “Strength.” Even if he didn’t know exactly what this did, Lin Jia knew that aside from the primary stats for each class (attack, magic, spirit), it was extremely rare to see extra attributes added to gear. This strength boost was undoubtedly a special bonus.

Lin Jia did a quick calculation: this warrior’s attack power was at least 38! Taking in the high-level warrior’s gear, Lin Jia, though a mage, felt a chill run down his spine. The savage appearance of the set, paired with that otherwise comical green heavy armor, somehow exuded a murderous aura that was both intimidating and dangerous. The overall impression was one of weight, sharpness, and menace.

“Look at his gear!” Lin Jia whispered. The fourth brother didn’t respond. When Lin Jia glanced over, he saw him staring fixedly at the gear, jaw clenched in envy.

Heavens above! The entire set was top-tier, rare, and utterly extravagant—a collection impossible to buy even if you had the gold. Skull Helm, Reaper’s Gauntlets, Skull Ring, Asura Axe! It looked like a complete set, far surpassing any known warrior set in both stats and rarity. Lin Jia couldn’t even begin to estimate the value. Except for the heavy armor and blue jade necklace—though even the Skull Ring had only ever been seen once, in the safety zone, worn by another warrior. And not to mention the other items; even the warrior’s blue “Jade Necklace” was a top-quality, over-the-top piece.

“Who is this warrior?” the fourth brother muttered through gritted teeth. “I’ve never heard of him in any of the major gaming guilds!”

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(A brief aside from the author: I’m exhausted! Someone accused me of trying to mess with you all? I won’t name names, but I never said I’d update right after midnight—don’t blame me for not updating! Wouldn’t I want to climb the rankings in the early hours of Monday? Haven’t you seen my ranking drop? It’s just that I have to work late shifts, that’s all. Tears… I mean what I say! Today, there’s a wild update! At least three chapters, maybe five if you’re feeling wild too! That’s a major taboo with the new book ranking word count limit! Preview: Chapter 040 – Hidden Map Exposed)

Let me recommend a friend’s book—the one currently sitting right above mine, clinging to first place and still asking me for promotion! It’s called “Chess Fighter.” Here’s the link: [click to view image link].