Chapter Fifty-Two: The Fire Dragon's Treasure

The second item turned out to be a piece of leather armor.

Flame Scale Armor
Grade: Emerald
Defense +300
Vitality +500
Strength Mastery +25
Agility Mastery +25
Evasion Rate +12%
Ranged Attack Power +15%
Skill: Focus +2
Required Level: 40, exclusive to Archers.

Well, it seemed Xi would be delighted—once she reached level 40, she would have no worries about gear. This green equipment didn’t have an added skill, but instead boosted one of her core abilities by two levels—a unique trait for this piece, no doubt. Next up was the mage robe.

Illusionist’s Robe
Grade: Silver
Magic Defense +450
Magic Mastery +30
Magic Attack Power +30%
Casting Speed +5%
Mana +2000
Restores 90 mana per minute.

Additional Skill: Substitute Effigy
Consumes 300 mana; when attacked by an enemy or knocked down, instantly teleport out of pursuit using a substitute effigy. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Required Level: 42, exclusive to females.

Clearly, this one was for Long Xin. “Sigh,” I thought—after all that fuss, none of the loot was for me. Still, since all of these required level forty, no one could use them just yet. I decided to rent a warehouse storage to keep them and clear out some miscellaneous items from my inventory. Everyone was online, diligently grinding levels. Once we all reached 35, we could explore that ogre fortress. For now, though, everyone was hovering around level 30, still a ways from 35. A few more days should do it. So, I decided to venture out and level up on my own.

Entering the Forest of Death, I found the outer regions posed no threat to me anymore. Determined to go deeper, I mounted my Hurricane Wolf King and dashed ahead. Along the way, I pulled out the treasure map. The marked location was deep within the Forest of Death. Seeing the coordinates, I smiled to myself—treasure hunting wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined. I gauged the direction, stowed the map, and pressed on.

The monsters I encountered grew increasingly formidable. The area started at level 20, but now everywhere I looked, there were level 40 beasts. Yet every creature that dared pounce was struck half-dead by the Hurricane Wolf King before I finished them off with my staff.

No matter the monster’s level—excluding bosses—the Wolf King could down them in a single move. Stricken, they’d collapse helplessly, and I’d deliver the finishing blow.

After another ten minutes or so, I finally arrived at the location marked on the treasure map.

I took out the map again, scrutinizing the circled spot. Once I was sure, I ordered the Hurricane Wolf King to start digging. He obeyed, tearing at the earth with vigor.

About a meter down, we unearthed something—this must be the treasure the map indicated.

Clearing away the surrounding stones and earth, we uncovered a small clay jar, which had cracked from the shaking. Inside lay a red stone.

Ding~! You have obtained the Fire Dragon Stone and activated the hidden quest “The Fire Dragon’s Treasure.” Accept the quest?

Only a fool would refuse. I immediately clicked to accept. My quest log flipped to a new page, and at the top shone a line of golden, flickering text: The Fire Dragon’s Treasure.

Beneath the quest name, a line of instructions read: Deliver the Fire Dragon Stone to Sasha, the proprietress of the Silverglow Jewelry Shop in Blaze City.

I understood at once. The reward from the treasure map was clearly random, and I’d lucked into a hidden quest storyline. Was it just good fortune, or something else? The quest log’s instructions were crystal clear, though occurrences like this were exceedingly rare.

“Thank you,” I murmured, placing the Fire Dragon Stone in my bag. I immediately used a teleport scroll to return to town. Blaze City was one of the main starting cities for players, much like Dragon Sky City. It boasted a population of millions, nestled midway along the largest mountain range between the Blood Wasteland and the Valley of Sighs. The surrounding mountains abounded with leveling spots, especially the forests, brimming with hidden treasures that drew countless adventurers and treasure hunters. About fifty kilometers southeast of the city lay a vast volcanic region, known among players as the Sacred Land of Fire, where three active volcanoes spewed smoke and lava day and night. When I first arrived, I could clearly see the distant volcanoes roaring and raging—a truly spectacular sight.

This was my first time visiting Blaze City. At the city gates, I hailed a system carriage and simply gave the name of the Silverglow Jewelry Shop. The driver took me straight there, and I arrived without issue.

However, the NPC owner of the jewelry shop greeted me with a cheery smile and promptly dashed my hopes: “I don’t recall anyone named Sasha. But if you’d like to browse some jewelry, I have the finest craftsmanship in all of Blaze…”

“Hold it!” I cut off the rotund shopkeeper, whose face was as round and fleshy as a ball. Flipping a gold coin to him, I said, “Think harder.”

Money makes the world go round, and gold coins tempt NPCs just as much as players. This trick I’d picked up from the official forums—someone had once used ten silver coins to trigger a hidden quest, earning nearly a hundred gold in return. Now, trying it myself, I saw it worked: once the NPC pocketed my coin, he said, “Ah! That’s right. I took over this Silverglow Jewelry Shop over a decade ago. Back then, there was an old fellow named Luke working here, but he’s retired now. Still, he often frequents the Fire God Tavern in Blaze City. You might try looking for him there.”

With a new lead, I left the shop as dusk began to fall. The bustling city was lighting up, growing ever more lively and noisy. The Silverglow Jewelry Shop sat on a quiet little street, lined with small shops. Still, the street was busy, with groups of players coming and going. Twisting and turning through the alleys, I finally found the Fire God Tavern.

Inside, raucous laughter and bizarre music mingled with the shouts of rowdy patrons, bottles waving in the air as they sang. Taverns like this were everywhere in the city—a prime spot for players to pick up quests and gather information.

As I pushed open the door, the signature aroma of a bustling bar hit me: cheap tobacco and the sharp scent of alcohol. Though it wasn’t peak hour, the place was packed.

It took quite an effort to squeeze to the bar. A stunning waitress batted her eyes at me and asked sweetly, “Handsome, what can I get you?”

I tossed her a gold coin. “Anything’s fine. Keep the change as a tip.”

Her eyes sparkled as she deftly pocketed the coin and quickly handed me a jug of wine. Then she grinned and said, “You know, in all my time working here, you’re the first so generous. Handsome, are you here for a quest?”

It dawned on me—this waitress was clearly a player rather than an NPC. Players working as NPCs in-game was common—while the pay was limited by system constraints, it was a practical way to make some coins for potions or leveling when strapped for cash, though I’d never considered it myself.

Since she was a player, I got straight to the point: “Actually, I’m looking for an NPC named Luke. Have you seen him?”

She laughed. “Well, I might not know everyone, but Luke? I know him all too well. He comes here every night, never leaves until he’s good and drunk, and always gives out the most ridiculous quests. People still take them, though—usually to their regret! See that bald old man by the window? That’s him!” She winked at me as she pointed.

“Thanks!” I said.

She replied, “No problem. Take this jug of wine with you—it’ll help.”

I smiled and tossed her another gold coin. “A little tip, just to show my thanks.”

With that, I squeezed through the crowd, jug in hand, to the window seat. The NPC she’d indicated looked at least seventy or eighty, his face as wrinkled as dried orange peel. He cradled a large bowl in his hand, a jug of wine on the table, drinking alone bowl after bowl, occasionally clicking his tongue in appreciation.