Chapter 125: Collecting Equipment Materials

I abruptly disconnected, gasping for air while glancing down at the incriminating evidence in my lap. Finding that Phantom Moon was still in the game, I let out a sigh of relief and quickly disposed of the evidence.

Once everything was tidied up, I reconnected to the game. I reappeared exactly where I had left off, just outside the hot springs. Recalling the scene from moments ago, I shook my head violently, not daring to dwell on it any further.

The next order of business was to find some quests. I had heard the rewards here were quite generous. This village didn't rely solely on its hot springs to attract players; it served as the only supply point for the depths of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain, which was arguably the most difficult of the four great dangerous zones. Since players had made the Snow Mountain their premier leveling ground, the small market here had become exceptionally lively. With the average player level rising, but high-quality equipment remaining scarce, a vast number of life-skill players and various NPCs had set up shop, leading to a sprout of crafting workshops.

"BOOM!" A deafening explosion rocked the air. A building to my left suddenly blew up. The blast startled both players and NPCs alike, and naturally, a crowd began to gather. I joined them.

"Cough, cough, cough..." A series of hacking coughs drifted from the smoke.

"What happened?"

"Ugh, ouch, ouch, ouch." As the smoke cleared, a green shield appeared, only to shatter. Standing behind the debris was an old dwarf, shouting, "Hahaha! It's finished! Finally, it's done! The newly improved gunlance, now equipped with a gunpowder ignition system! It even shattered a shield made of wyvern scales in one hit! This is the strongest weapon now; the next era will be the era of the gunlance! Hahaha! Right, I need to give it a name... Yes, I'll call it the Dragon-Slayer Cannon! A weapon that can knock down a flying dragon in a single blow! Wahahahaha!"

"It's that guy again."

"What kind of crazy experiment is he running now?"

"He thinks those pieces of junk he invents can take down a dragon? What a delusional fool!"

The surrounding NPC villagers began to chatter incessantly.

The old dwarf stood up and announced, "Adventurers! Do you want this weapon? I can sell it to you for just ten thousand gold coins!"

"Are you kidding? That's way too expensive."

"You might as well be robbing us!"

"This NPC knows how to make money, that's for sure."

The players around us began to mutter. My intuition told me that talking to this guy would definitely lead to an unexpected gain, so I stepped forward. The dwarf saw me and said, "Kid, are you interested in my work? If you want to buy it, I can give you a discount."

I shook my head. "I'm not here to buy anything."

"Then what are you here for?"

I replied, "This is a weapon crafting workshop, isn't it?"

The dwarf chuckled. "Haha, what do you want to forge, adventurer?"

I said, "Equipment for a Summoner." My current gear was indeed falling behind my level, but Summoner equipment was notoriously difficult to obtain. I figured I'd try to get something custom-made and see if I could trigger any hidden quests.

The dwarf said, "A Summoner? Interesting, very interesting. Come in, lad. Let's have a private chat." With that, he walked into his dilapidated shack.

Inside the workshop, the dwarf pulled out something like a magnifying glass and inspected me. "Two pieces of sealed equipment—not bad. That glove is also quite good. But compared to those, your other gear is trash. If you don't mind, I can craft a set of armor suitable for you. The fee is five thousand gold coins."

"Can you make it any cheaper?" I asked.

The dwarf replied, "If you want a discount, you'll have to find the materials yourself. How about I charge you only one thousand gold coins for the labor costs?"

I thought for a moment and said, "Deal."

The dwarf laughed. "Haha, a straightforward lad! I'll forge both your weapons and armor. I'm listing the materials you need—get moving, time waits for no one!"

He scribbled a massive list on a piece of paper at lightning speed and handed it to me. I immediately set off to gather the materials. For the next while, I scrambled desperately, climbing snowy mountains, trekking through grasslands, being chased across the world by countless bosses, getting cornered by rivals, and fighting over monsters. I spent a full week in the mines, frantically digging until I was exhausted. During these two weeks, I didn't even participate in guild wars, though luckily, my guild wasn't declared war upon during that time. My own guild did declare war once, and I heard we actually won, which cheered me up for a bit.

Another new day. It was Sunday. I entered the game early, determined to collect every single material for my gear. I pulled out the list: Gray Crystals, Lotus Stones, Golden Beetles, Ancient Fish, and more. Most had been collected, but two remained: Thunder-Crush Stones, and the hide and fangs of an Ice-Fang Saber-Tooth Tiger.

I headed into the depths of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain to hunt the beast, as the list indicated they lived near the White Ruins in the mountain's heart.

The location was the Cold Forest, coordinates 401:7943. It was a snowy woodland filled with coniferous trees. Few life forms survived in this harsh, frozen wilderness, so the monsters here were perpetually starving, constantly on the move in search of food. The target I was looking for lived in this godforsaken place. The bitter wind made me shiver; I found myself envying my Sonic Werewolf, as the wind was nothing to its thick fur. I had a fleeting impulse to skin it for a coat, though I knew that was impossible.

The Sonic Werewolf was to my left, and Amaterasu was to my right. Dragon-War had said he was afraid of the cold and didn't want to come out—which surprised me. Weren't dragons warm-blooded? "Speaking of which, what exactly is this Ice-Fang Saber-Tooth Tiger? And what are the White Ruins? Do you know, Amaterasu?" I asked.

Amaterasu replied, "The Ice-Fang Saber-Tooth Tiger is likely a relative of the Ice-Fang Tiger. As for the White Ruins, it used to be a city, but it was destroyed by war."

"A war ruin?"

"I believe so."

"Regardless, as long as I take down that beast and buy the stone, I'll have a brand-new set of gear. I need to give it my all," I said excitedly.

"Understood."

"ROAR!"

A black shadow suddenly appeared in front of us. We immediately took our stances. The shadow moved with shocking speed, lunging at us. The Sonic Werewolf roared and pounced, but the creature dodged nimbly and appeared behind us. I whipped around to face it.

It was a blue tiger with a pair of long, protruding fangs. My "Eyes of Truth" scanned it: Ice-Fang Saber-Tooth Tiger, Level 50, Elite Beast. Its description: About one meter at the shoulder, weighing nearly 300kg. Though not massive, it possessed a sturdy frame, especially its forelimbs. Its two ten-centimeter fangs were deeply embedded in its upper jaw, nearly level with the top of its head, while its lower jaw featured small protective flaps. Its hind legs and tail were short, and it was remarkably agile, feeding on large mammals. Its fangs could cause frostbite upon piercing prey.

"ROAR!" With another roar, the tiger charged. I dodged urgently. "Amaterasu!" Hearing my call, she dove into its right flank, her twin blades flashing. The Sonic Werewolf unleashed a "Crescent Whirl," firing six crescent-shaped energy blades, but the tiger leaped into the air, dodging both attacks. It spun in mid-air and pounced toward me. I extended my Ruyi Staff and lunged, but it tilted its neck to avoid the blow. It didn't stop there; it slammed its forelimbs into the ground, causing cracks to ripple outward. We lost our balance, and our health bars plummeted.

"Take this!" Amaterasu, having regained her footing, shouted and charged in with her blades, but the tiger swayed and dodged again. I joined in with the Sonic Werewolf, but every attack was effortlessly avoided.

"This thing is fast!" I grunted, using "Cloud-Step Assault" to lunge, but it dodged again. I swept my staff around, but it leaped clear. The Sonic Werewolf attacked, but the tiger jumped onto its back, driving its fangs deep into its body. With a spray of blood, the tiger pulled back. The Sonic Werewolf collapsed, its skin turning a sickly blue-purple—it was clearly infected. Knowing I couldn't catch it, I decided to let it catch me. I raised my left hand, and it bit down, clamping onto my wrist. I lunged forward, hugging its neck, and drove its own frozen fangs into its throat. The tiger thrashed violently, but the harder it shook, the tighter I held on. "I'm not beaten yet!" I roared, using every ounce of my strength to drive the fangs deeper into its neck.

It roared, its body convulsing as it slammed into a nearby tree with me still attached. The tree snapped, and it slammed into several more, causing my health to drain rapidly.

Finally, the tiger stumbled toward a slope, and both man and beast tumbled over the edge.