Chapter Seven: Boots of Silent Steps

The person approaching was indeed the one from Imperial Dynasty, accompanied by seven or eight companions. Witnessing the moment I defeated the boss, their faces turned green with envy and rage.

Seeing how cocky I looked, Imperial Dynasty spat angrily, "You brat! How dare you steal our boss. If you want to keep playing this game, I advise you to hand over whatever the boss dropped. Also, I see your fighting gloves are pretty good—I’m willing to pay handsomely for them. But if you refuse, don’t blame me for making a deal with no strings attached!"

Clearly, he was jealous of my fighting gloves and had his eyes set on my gear. It seemed there was no way this would end peacefully.

I smiled and replied, "The boss drops belong to me, and I won’t give you anything. If you want a fight, come at me—I still need to return and change my class."

Imperial Dynasty gripped his iron sword tightly and snarled, "You don’t know your place!"

A player nearby stepped forward and shouted, "Kid, you’d better be sensible. Making enemies with us is no small matter."

Another one chuckled maliciously, "This brat doesn’t know his place. Boss, let me teach him a lesson first!"

Imperial Dynasty said, "Alright, go teach him so he knows what’s what."

"Sure, boss. One of me is enough to handle him!" Imperial Dynasty cast me a glance and scoffed, "A rookie? I wouldn’t even bother with him!"

I couldn’t help but laugh. The guy rushed at me, yelling, "Little rookie, watch me take you down!"

His iron sword came crashing down, and just then, another Imperial Dynasty player with a dagger slipped to my right, stabbing without warning!

I felt a slight pain, and two numbers floated above my head: 24 and 32!

The attacker was shocked and blurted out, "Such… high defense!"

His strike barely shaved off a fifth of my health, leaving them astounded. Meanwhile, both their names turned yellow, indicating malicious attack—I had been waiting for this moment!

"Whoosh!" My fist landed squarely on the chest of the iron sword wielder. With a crunch, he was sent flying, coughing up blood and turning into white light as he was teleported back to town.

The one who tried to ambush me cursed furiously, "Damn you, killing my brother!"

Without hesitation, I punched him in the head. His skull cracked, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere—378 damage appeared above him. His dagger slashed my shoulder, but only dealt a pitiful 27 points of damage.

Having dealt with both of them, I let out a cold laugh and said quietly, "If you have no skill, don’t try to act tough."

I dispatched two yellow-named players in an instant, yet my PK value didn’t increase at all. The two dropped several small potions, which I scooped up and stashed in my bag—they were here to deliver supplies, it seemed!

Imperial Dynasty was stunned, frozen for a moment before spitting, "Vile bastard, you just wait—Imperial Dynasty won’t let this go." With that, he led the remaining members in a hasty retreat.

Upon returning to the village, three people approached—two I recognized: Beacon of Fire and Fortress of Fire. The third was a female player clad in a creamy white mage robe, her ample curves stretching the fabric taut, the roundness of her hips barely concealed, and her snow-white legs beneath the robe inviting all manner of fantasies.

I shifted my gaze back to Beacon of Fire, who shook his head and smiled, "Brother, did you kill that boss?"

I nodded, admitting frankly, "Yes. Since you couldn’t finish it off, I stepped in."

Beacon of Fire laughed, "No harm done, as long as it’s not taken by those other two groups. By the way, did you loot any gear? If there’s anything you don’t want, would you consider selling it to us first? We’ll pay double the current market price!"

I eyed him suspiciously, and Beacon of Fire smiled, "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Beacon of Fire. These are my friends, Fortress of Fire and Heart of Fire. We’re comrades from another online game, searching for faded glory. Our guild has over a hundred members, and I’m their leader."

I smiled, "Impressive, interesting."

Beacon of Fire continued, "Friend, if you managed to snatch the boss from Imperial Dynasty and Snow Night, that proves you’re not ordinary. Would you like to join us and conquer the world together? Also, we still don’t know your true name…"

Only then did I realize my name had been hidden all along, making me seem like a real expert.

I promptly revealed my name.

"Vivid Dragon…" Beacon of Fire murmured, then laughed heartily, "Such a cartoonish name! Anyway, check what the boss dropped. You can choose your future class right here, and if there’s any gear you don’t want, we’ll buy it at a high price!"

At the same time, Beacon of Fire sent me a friend request, which I accepted. Fortress of Fire and Heart of Fire added me as well.

I opened my inventory and looked at the two items—a pair of shoes and a piece of armor. First, I examined the armor’s stats:

Wildlands Armor
Grade: Light Blue
Defense +50
Defense Specialization +1
Required Level: 15

I sent the item’s profile to them, and both Beacon of Fire and Fortress of Fire were visibly eager. Such a fine blue-grade armor was rare and precious for warriors.

Beacon of Fire asked, "Is that all?"

I replied, "There’s also a pair of shoes."

Beacon of Fire smiled, "Let’s see the shoes. By the way, have you decided on your class?"

I said, "Let’s see first."

But the shoes were labeled "Unidentified," so we headed to the appraisal shop. Inside, an old master was fiddling with antiques, looking quite content.

I tossed the shoes onto the table and said, "Appraise!"

The appraiser glanced back, gave a soft "Oh," and said, "I didn’t expect such a treasure. Excellent, excellent. The appraisal fee is five gold coins."

Damn, that’s steep. Still, I handed over five gold coins, mourning my dwindling funds.

Stealth Step Boots
Grade: Purple Gold
Defense +15
Strength Specialization +2
Agility Specialization +2
Evasion Rate +12%
Movement Speed +20%
Required Level: 10

Everyone was stunned. These boots were purple gold grade—the first purple gear in the entire server, most likely.

After nearly five minutes, Fortress of Fire exclaimed, "Awesome!"

I was amazed too—those five gold coins were well spent! I’d gladly pay double. Not only did they add two points each to strength and agility, but also 12% evasion and 20% movement speed. That meant, whether chasing or fleeing, I’d always be a step ahead. In duels, my survival chances were far better than most, at least in the early stages.

Fortress of Fire and Beacon of Fire stared at me, grinning impatiently, "Has this guy gone mad with joy?"

I stopped smiling, immediately put on the Stealth Step Boots, then said to Beacon of Fire, "If you want the Wildlands Armor, name your price!"

The two exchanged a look, and Beacon of Fire offered, "How about twenty gold coins?"

I glanced at him and smiled, "Alright, it’s yours." We began the transaction.

Beacon of Fire then said, "Brother, have you considered joining a team? Though we don’t have many members, they’re all close friends. If you’re interested, we’d welcome you with open arms!"

I was tempted. After all, he’d immediately traded the gear to Fortress of Fire, showing how much he valued his brothers. With a leader like that, following him would surely lead to good fortune.

I replied, "I’m not ready yet. Let me think it over. If I decide, you’ll be the first to know!"

Beacon of Fire nodded, laughing heartily, "Alright! We need to go level up, so we’ll head out now!"

I watched the three leave Fool’s Village, then made my way alone to the village chief’s residence.