Chapter 97

The next battle was a foregone conclusion. The two warriors had hoped to find a scapegoat, and even in their dying moments, they wanted to drag the other side's spirit priest down with them. However, they were completely overwhelmed by the气势 of the already berserk Black Mountain Imp, and died without understanding why the seemingly harmless female warrior was so疯狂.

"Phew... Phew..." Black Mountain Imp panted heavily, only now feeling the soreness and weakness in his hands, and he plopped down on the ground with a thud. Fang Yi circled around, picking up the dropped equipment, muttering, "Only two pieces, these guys have such good luck..."

The Silk Gatherer was also exhausted from overexertion. The brief battle of just over a minute had left her nerves taut, and she hadn't yet recovered. Looking at Fang Yi, who seemed completely unaffected, she couldn't help but wonder if he did this kind of thing often.

"Let's find a place to rest for a bit," Fang Yi said, looking at the two exhausted figures. "This is their base, reinforcements will definitely come soon."

Ten minutes later, the three of them had arrived at the nearest sampan and moss inn. In the spacious guest room, Black Mountain Imp lay lazily on the bed, unwilling to get up. The Silk Gatherer propped her chin on her arm, slouching on the table, her expression showing a hint of fatigue.

After meeting Fang Yi in real life, the two of them felt a strange sense of familiarity when they entered the game again. The sense of distance and alienation in the virtual world had diminished significantly, and they no longer felt as constrained in their interactions.

Fang Yi found it a bit strange that the two of them seemed different, but he couldn't pinpoint what had changed.

"Really refreshing!" Black Mountain Imp sat up, leaning back with his hands supporting him on the bed. His large, clear eyes sparkled. "Why didn't I realize how fun PKing is before?"

"Because most of the time, we were the ones getting killed," The Silk Gatherer shot a glance at Black Mountain Imp. During the battle, Black Mountain Imp had transformed into a berserker, wielding two long swords and cutting down enemies with gusto, while she had been busy in the background.

Black Mountain Imp understood The Silk Gatherer's point and chuckled. He turned to look at Fang Yi, "Why did you take so long to get here? Weren't you already at the West Gate?" He said with a hint of annoyance, watching Fang Yi still critiquing the dropped equipment.

"Oh... I took the time to buy some scrolls and repair my equipment," Fang Yi said with a slightly apologetic smile. "When I got your message, I was haggling with that swindler. The blacksmith's shop is quite far from here, and I scared you, didn't I?"

The Silk Gatherer also sat up, stretching lazily, her smile still serene. "It's not a big deal, we're not kids. But how could these people be so... low-quality." She hesitated for a moment before using the rather mild term "low-quality."

"Joining a guild comes with many benefits. Once players reach level 20 and the guild has a base, the advantages are even greater. Even slightly famous guilds are often overcrowded, so the quality of players is bound to be mixed."

"Especially the peripheral players, it's not worth getting angry with them. They must have realized that the Heart of Holy Light quest is not simple and will stop at nothing to complete it. Didn't you notice their guild emblems?" Fang Yi looked at the two with a frown, then smiled and took out a gleaming silver dwarven battle axe from the loot. "They're from the Silver Scepter."

The Silk Gatherer and Black Mountain Imp remained silent. The Silver Scepter was well-known, a large guild that spanned several games.

"So what? No matter how powerful they are, they'll have to go around me! I'll cut them down!" Black Mountain Imp said with a hint of resentment, clearly still angry about the despicable faces of those people earlier.

Fang Yi had also heard a few words when he arrived on the scene. He glanced at The Silk Gatherer and wisely chose not to comment, instead changing the subject. "By the way, I didn't realize it before, but you, Little Imp, have quite a bit of the spirit of a woman who doesn't yield to men. That aura scared me. I think you'd be a good fit for a berserker."

"Really?" Black Mountain Imp asked Fang Yi hopefully, nodding in satisfaction after getting confirmation. "I think so too. At first, I felt safe with a shield and the team needed it, but I didn't expect dual-wielding to be so fun!"

The Silk Gatherer also laughed, covering her mouth. Black Mountain Imp's demeanor earlier was more like an enraged orc than a woman.

"Take a look at this," Fang Yi handed the dwarven battle axe to Black Mountain Imp. "It was dropped by the last warrior. It should be better than yours, and if you want to dual-wield, it's a good choice."

"Wow? He had such good luck!" Black Mountain Imp exclaimed, looking at the axe's attributes, unsure if she was admiring or mocking the warrior's "good" luck.

Icebreaker Axe (Fine Battle Axe)

One-handed

Level requirement: 18

Durability: 50

Weight: 23

Damage: 31-57 + 2 fire damage

Cleave (Passive): When you use the Heavy Strike skill or your attack is a critical hit, the Cleave effect is triggered, dealing 10% of the normal damage as wind damage to any enemy within a 3-foot radius of the current target, and increasing the damage of your other weapon by 20% on the next attack.

"Whistling Wind!"

The Silk Gatherer leaned in to look at the Icebreaker Axe's attributes and kept praising it. "But don't you need it?" Black Mountain Imp swung the gleaming battle axe, looking very satisfied, but soon realized that the thief in front of her was the true dual-wielder.

"Too heavy, I can't even lift my arm with this thing." Fang Yi said helplessly.

The Icebreaker Axe clearly had superior attributes for its tier—highly specialized and more popular among players than general attributes. The Cleave effect, in particular, was a significant boost for dual-wielders. Unfortunately, Fang Yi's build focused on speed, and this battle axe didn't fit his agile thief's playstyle.

"By the way, Fang Yi, after you ambushed that thief, why did we suddenly have a Courage Aura in our status?" The attentive Silk Gatherer had noticed this change during the battle and recalled it now.

"That's from my necklace's aura effect, which I got from a Japanese player," Fang Yi chuckled, touching the cool pendant around his neck. "It's a +1 morale boost, a good thing. But the story behind it is long, I'll tell you later."

"Didn't the system increase your luck value because your charisma was too low that day?" Black Mountain Imp looked at the thief's necklace enviously. "Isn't that the seventh necklace on the accessory list? It's like having a free bard, hehe."

"Morale is a great attribute, with wide-ranging effects, including speed, initiative, and resistance boosts. This +1 morale is more useful than +1 resistance or +1 initiative," The Silk Gatherer said happily after seeing the equipment stats Fang Yi had shared in the party chat.

"Right, by the way, did you guys have any other gains here?" Fang Yi, after showing off his equipment, remembered the main topic.

"Let's talk about the quest. It seems to be getting more complicated," The Silk Gatherer said seriously.

The inn's facilities helped speed up their recovery, and the two girls had already recovered. Black Mountain Imp stood up and joined them at the table.

"Oh, right, speaking of the quest, the Heart of Holy Light quest has more content now," Fang Yi patted his head, remembering that the two in front of him didn't know that his thief's stealth quest had merged with the Heart of Holy Light.

After sharing the adventure log with them again, The Silk Gatherer and Black Mountain Imp also saw the subtle changes in the quest content.

"The Night Mask is interested in minerals? Aren't they experts in kidnapping and assassination?" The Silk Gatherer asked, puzzled.

"I'm not sure either, but the fact that the Red Robe Mages and the Night Mask are both in Tashluth is suspicious."

Fang Yi rubbed his chin, looking at the bustling street outside the window. "Both are top-tier evil organizations in Faerûn. While they're not to be feared, they do have some reservations about the old man, Somanu. Now that Somanu is staying in Tashluth, there's no reason for them to cause trouble."

The Silk Gatherer and Black Mountain Imp didn't understand the extent of Somanu's madness, but Fang Yi knew all too well.

During the Red Robe Mages' most prosperous period in the Dragon Coast, they were practically untouchable. If the game's fantasy background were translated into game data, there were nearly thirty high-level mages of level 40 and above stationed in the Dragon Coast, controlling the most important trade routes in Faerûn. The slave trade around the Falling Star Sea reached its peak during this time.

When the Harpers were temporarily silent for unknown reasons, and the North Council was still observing, Somanu suddenly emerged and almost wiped out the Red Robe Mages. One of the legendary mages of the Red Robe Mages, Reilar, who was stationed in the Dragon Coast, nearly lost her head in a battle with Somanu.

Although the old elf was also severely injured, he was cunning enough to escape immediately after the killing. The trade network the Red Robe Mages had built in the Dragon Coast was destroyed in an instant, and Somanu's name became infamous for generations.

"Somanu wants us to investigate the cause of Syd's death first. The small mystery in Tashluth is just a side task. But I feel this isn't that simple. If we have the chance to delve deeper into the Night Mask, pay attention to this aspect."

The Silk Gatherer and Black Mountain Imp nodded. In the game, no one minds the trouble; the more effort, the greater the reward. This is an eternal truth in the game, as long as you have the strength.

"Let's talk about our progress over the past two days," The Silk Gatherer said, straightening up and began recounting the progress of the quest. "Little Imp and I found the Turner that Somanu mentioned..."