Unexpected Haul and a New Quest

Ye Jue examined the equipment’s attributes. A bronze-tier item dazzled his eyes.

Hurricane Longsword (Bronze-tier, Main Hand Weapon): Level Requirement: 4. Physical Attack +10-12, Strength +4, Agility +2, Attack Speed +10%. (An unknown longsword, imbued with the power of wind.)

Wind Wolf Belt (Iron-tier): Level Requirement: 4. Health +100, Constitution +3.

Wind Wolf Ring (Iron-tier): Level Requirement: 4. Magic Attack +3-4, Additional Skill: Swiftness. (Consumes 30 Mana, increases movement speed by 30% for 10 seconds, Cooldown: 3 minutes.)

Wind Wolf Belt (Common-tier): Level Requirement: 4. Health +70.

Wind Wolf Leather Pants (Iron-tier, Leather Armor): Level Requirement: 4. Physical Defense +2, Magic Defense +2, Speed +1.

Wind Wolf Hat (Common-tier, Leather Armor): Level Requirement: 4. Physical Defense +1.

Wind Wolf Dagger (Common-tier, Main Hand Weapon): Level Requirement: 4. Physical Attack +5-6.

Ye Jue was utterly dumbfounded. An elite monster had actually dropped so many items; it seemed almost everything that *could* drop, *had* dropped.

Rings, in particular, boasted the lowest drop rate, followed closely by necklaces. Yet, among the haul, a ring had appeared.

The most crucial aspect was the ring’s attributes. Despite being merely an Iron-tier item with modest stat boosts, its skill was exceptionally practical. A percentage-based increase meant it would never become obsolete, regardless of level. Even if a superior ring were acquired later, this one could always be kept in the inventory for opportune use.

Lin Shenyue, observing Ye Jue’s astonished expression and reflecting on her own terrifying luck value, understood that the drop rate this time was likely monstrous.

She waved her delicate, fair hand before Ye Jue. “Snap out of it! It’s just a few pieces of equipment, isn’t it? Don’t look so provincial.”

Ye Jue’s mouth twitched. It was precisely *because* he had seen the world that he understood how terrifying it was to possess such equipment at this early stage.

Even now, when common-tier equipment was incredibly scarce, they had obtained a Bronze-tier item. This was more potent than using a cheat!

He handed the ring and the common-tier belt to Lin Shenyue. “These items are extremely valuable, especially now, with equipment being so rare,” he stated with a sigh.

“A Bronze-tier weapon is simply unheard of at this point; it’s likely the only one in existence. If we were to sell it, it could fetch at least 5,000 RMB. Of course, no one would typically sell it.”

“But even a common-tier weapon could sell for at least 50 copper right now. While individual players might not have that much money, major guilds could certainly gather 3 to 4 silver.”

Lin Shenyue’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go sell them!”

“Are you sure you want to go *now*?” Ye Jue asked, a hint of resignation in his voice.

Lin Shenyue’s small face flushed crimson. “Ah, well, let’s wait eight hours before selling them then,” she mumbled, a touch of embarrassment in her tone. “But by then, there’ll be more equipment, so the price will probably drop, right?”

Ye Jue nodded. “A price drop is inevitable, but it won’t plummet too drastically. After all, equipment remains relatively scarce in Divine Realm.”

“Let’s focus on quests first, so we can unlock the first dungeon as quickly as possible. Clearing it for the first time will yield substantial rewards.”

Lin Shenyue readily agreed.

Just as Ye Jue was about to leave, he suddenly slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot,” he exclaimed, “Wind Wolf corpses can be harvested!”

“Ordinary monsters don’t yield much of value through harvesting, unless one possesses high-level gathering skills. Only elite monsters or higher can produce decent materials.”

As he spoke, he used his gathering skill. After finishing, he couldn’t help but sigh. “I harvested a single wolf fang. While wolf fangs can be used to craft weapons, just one isn’t particularly useful.”

Lin Shenyue let out a small laugh. “It seems your luck value is quite low, doesn’t it?”

Ye Jue’s gaze fell upon Lin Shenyue as he muttered, “I suspect all these drops are somehow connected to you. I truly wonder what your relationship is with the Divine Realm’s owner.”

Had he not known from his past life that Divine Realm was absolutely fair and devoid of cheats, he would have suspected the person before him of hacking.

“What are you talking about?” Lin Shenyue asked, looking perplexed.

Ye Jue quickly chuckled, changing the subject. “Nothing at all! I was just thinking that I’ll leave all future gathering tasks to you. Come on, let’s head to the Level 5 quest area.”

Lin Shenyue knew this was merely Ye Jue’s attempt to cover up, but since he wouldn’t harm her, she didn’t press the matter further.

****

The Level 5 quest involved collecting ox horns. The monsters at this level were Frenzied Yellow Oxen—creatures with tough hides and thick flesh.

They possessed high health and defense, though their speed was notably slow. However, the difference between Level 5 and Level 4 monsters was significant.

After all, players gained a new skill at Level 5, and if the monsters weren’t substantially stronger, they would be far too easy to defeat.

The Level 5 monster zone lay behind the Goat Plains, requiring passage through a small area controlled by Heaven Guild.

While Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue held no fear of Heaven Guild, they also wished to avoid any delays. Thus, they planned to bypass the area entirely.

Lin Shenyue noticed Heaven Guild’s activities seemed peculiar. “Isn’t Heaven Guild acting a bit strange?” she inquired. “Their members seem unusually concentrated.”

Ye Jue cast a glance and immediately asserted, “It must be some player who defied Heaven Guild, taking advantage of the inability to PK in the新手村. They’ve directly challenged Heaven Guild.”

“From the looks of it, Heaven Guild doesn’t have a good solution either, so they’ve resorted to surrounding them to disrupt their actions.”

Lin Shenyue hesitated. “Should we go help them?”

“How could we help?” Ye Jue replied with a sigh. “There’s no Player Killing in the新手村, so Heaven Guild’s members can’t do anything to them, and currently, neither can we. Besides…”

Lin Shenyue heard Ye Jue’s unfinished sentence and understood his unspoken meaning. They had already provoked Heaven Guild, but for now, they had only drawn the attention of a small faction within it. Heaven Guild wouldn’t target them as a primary objective.

However, if they were to intervene, Heaven Guild would undoubtedly fixate on them, fueled by both new and old grievances. At that point, any action they took would become incredibly inconvenient.

With a sigh, she conceded, “Alright, it’s better to avoid trouble than seek it. Our priority is to quickly complete our own quest.”

Ye Jue looked towards the crowd, finding the surrounded person somewhat familiar, yet he couldn’t be certain. He quickly shook his head, thinking, ‘Never mind. If it were someone I knew, they certainly wouldn’t be cornered by Heaven Guild at this stage.’

Lin Shenyue followed Ye Jue, making their way towards the Level 5 monster zone.

The Level 5 monster zone was still a grassland, though its blades of grass had begun to yellow, exuding a desolate aura.

“Frenzied Yellow Ox: Level 5, Health 700/700, Attack 35-41.”

After checking the attributes, Lin Shenyue was wide-eyed with astonishment. “These stats are a bit terrifying, aren’t they? Looking at that health, I’d guess the ox’s defense isn’t low either, right?”

Ye Jue nodded. “Precisely. The Yellow Ox’s defense is at least 20 points.”

Lin Shenyue was somewhat surprised. By her calculations, a Wind Wolf’s defense was only around 5 points. Yet, a Yellow Ox, just one level higher than a Wind Wolf, boasted a formidable 20 points of defense. While this was due to the Yellow Ox being a tank-type monster, the disparity between Level 5 and Level 4 was simply too pronounced.

As if divining Lin Shenyue’s thoughts, Ye Jue calmly stated, “The difference *has* to be this stark. Once Level 5 unlocks a second skill, the most important development is that priests gain healing spells, allowing for proper team coordination during monster hunts.”

“If the stat increase wasn’t so significant, monsters would be far too easy to defeat.”

Lin Shenyue pondered this for a moment, then affirmed Ye Jue’s reasoning.

Ye Jue adopted a combat-ready stance. “The drop rate for ox horns is quite low. Even with your high luck, I estimate we’ll be fighting for a considerable time. Let’s make the most of it and start.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, then began the tedious task of farming materials with Ye Jue.