Chapter 041: Selling Everything for Equipment

As one rises in level, the pace of advancement inevitably slows. Most players at this stage are still struggling to scrape together enough gold for potions, let alone complete their equipment sets. Yet, since the very beginning in the novice village, the three Lin brothers had reaped a fortune of nearly a hundred thousand gold coins by preying on new players for their equipment, thus establishing a considerable advantage. Coupled with Lin Jia’s uncanny luck and the high drop rate in the Fragrant Stone Catacombs, the trio had managed to amass a substantial fortune.

While their leveling expenses at the Fragrant Stone Catacombs were largely offset by their income, and with the additional windfall from high-level gear, the brothers could now be counted among the game’s moderately affluent. They may not have reached the heights of the major guilds and organized teams, but they were far from lagging behind. After all, the server had only just opened, and no one had yet managed to pull too far ahead in terms of progress.

The truly unfortunate ones were the lone players—those unfamiliar with the game, lacking connections and gold, and facing a shortage of monsters to hunt. At least fifty percent of players were stuck below level fifteen, not to mention the latecomers. Many eager to join were unable even to log onto the server; just earlier, when Lin Jia and his brothers went out for a meal, they saw a crowd at the internet cafe repeatedly attempting to log in, hoping to seize a spot when someone else logged off. The brothers couldn’t help but feel relieved they’d only logged out to the safe zone before going to eat, rather than leaving the game entirely—otherwise, returning would have been a challenge.

After seeing the impressive gear on that warrior, Little Shrimp, the eldest brother decided they should pause their leveling and liquidate some of the equipment stored in their warehouse. If they could trade or sell off their stock, perhaps they could acquire some rare pieces in return.

The drop rate in the Fragrant Stone Catacombs was remarkably high, with even top-tier items appearing frequently. Though the brothers kept the best for themselves, they’d already traded a few of their earlier finds for useful gear. But as they progressed from the first to the second level, facing tougher monsters like the Red and Black Wild Boars, the Scorpion-Serpents, and Black Maggots, high-level equipment began to pile up. Too busy leveling, they’d simply stashed it all away rather than sell it to NPCs for a pittance.

Now, sorting through their hoard, they realized they had accumulated more than a hundred top-quality items! Selling them would bring in another fortune. Items such as Serpent Eye Rings, Black Crystal Rings, Pearl Rings, Taoist Bracelets, Ebony Bracelets, Magic Power Bracelets, Sturdy Gloves, Phoenix Pearls, and Platinum Necklaces—sets suitable for level 20 or so—numbered in the dozens. These were hot commodities in the current market! Even rarer items like the Rings of Virtue and Rings of Charm were among their spoils, but as Lin Jia’s pair of top-quality Iron Rings were far superior, he resolved to sell off the rest. He could always farm replacements later if he wanted to swap.

After a quick discussion, the brothers decided the eldest would remain in the private room, advertising in-game from the safety of the city, while Lin Jia would head downstairs to the public area of the internet cafe and announce their sale in person.

Standing at the center of the cafe, Lin Jia called out, “Hey, all you Legend players! I’ve got a batch of level-twenty or so class equipment for sale! If you’re interested, let me know! I need gold to buy better gear, so I’ll sell cheap!”

Though this particular internet cafe wasn’t exclusively populated by Legend players—there were plenty playing Counter-Strike, StarCraft, and Age of Empires—there were still dozens in the crowd. At Lin Jia’s shout, someone immediately responded, “Hey, what are you selling? Got anything for warriors?”

Energized by the response, Lin Jia grinned. “Of course! Equipment for all three classes—everything’s between level 18 and 22, and there are some real top-tier pieces, too. If you’re nearing level twenty, now’s your chance to buy cheap! Prices will only go up as more people start playing!”

Some players muttered among themselves, while one, conveniently nearby, asked, “Which account is yours? Mind if I take a look?”

Seeing no one else stepping forward, Lin Jia nodded. “Sure! Head up to the second floor and check my stash. Which class are you after?”

The man, rail-thin with a scruffy yellow beard, had been squatting on his chair. He hopped down, slipped on a pair of battered black slippers that looked scavenged from the trash, and grinned, “Warrior gear!” With that, he followed Lin Jia upstairs.

The fourth and eldest brothers were busy haggling with in-game buyers in the private room. Surprised to see Lin Jia bring someone in, Lin Jia pulled up a chair and said to his eldest brother, “Show him the warehouse—he wants warrior gear!”

The eldest cast a disdainful glance at the newcomer, who was still rubbing sleep from his eyes with his fingers, before opening up the warehouse in the main city. The man squinted, nearly pressing his nose to the screen as he scrutinized the items. Finally, he turned to Lin Jia, mouth agape in a silly grin. “Damn! That’s a lot of gear! How’d you guys score all this? I haven’t found a single decent drop!”

Caught off guard, Lin Jia nearly reeled from the man’s breath, but suppressed the urge to punch him and instead replied, “So, you want anything or not?”

“Yes, yes!” The man jabbed eagerly at the screen. “I want a pair of Magic Power Bracelets, a pair of Black Crystal Rings, and also two sets of Taoist gear… four Pearl Rings, four Taoist Bracelets, two Phoenix Pearls… Damn! You selling the Zhanma Blade and Demon-Slayer too? I’ll take a Zhanma and two Demon-Slayers! Got any armor? Any level 22 class sets?”

“Accessories are fifty thousand gold each! Zhanma Blade, five hundred thousand; Demon-Slayer, three hundred thousand—a total of 1.4 million gold. Which is your account? Let’s trade at the warehouse,” the eldest brother said, leaning away from the man hunched over the computer.

“What? So expensive? You could kill me and sell my corpse and it still wouldn’t be enough!” the skinny man exclaimed, straightening to stare at Lin Jia in disbelief.

“Expensive?” Lin Jia pointed to the prices shouted by other players in the safe zone. “Everything here’s five thousand per piece, regardless of class. Take a look—others are selling ‘Phoenix Pearl, 80k’, ‘Magic Power Bracelet, 100k’, ‘Demon-Slayer, 600k’. Zhanma isn’t even on the market yet. If I weren’t desperate for gold to buy gear, I wouldn’t let these go so cheap. For anyone else, I’d charge more. But since you’re from the same internet cafe and buying in bulk, I’m giving you a deal. Don’t want it? Fine, we’ll sell slowly in-game.” With that, Lin Jia turned and began advertising in the chat window himself.

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(Trouble: So much resentment! Even after keeping my promise, my ranking still fell out of the top ten—this is already the third chapter today! Ah, whatever! Last chapter before midnight, just to keep my word! My heart feels so cold right now…)