Chapter Twenty-Three: The Little Rabbit of Heaven and Earth

After distributing the equipment, everyone went their separate ways, and Zhang Shan continued to farm monsters alone. The boss they defeated earlier gave him over twenty thousand experience points, but since so many people shared the reward, it wasn’t as much as it could’ve been—if fewer had participated, he might have leveled up. Checking his experience bar, Zhang Shan estimated he could reach level twelve today. Leveling up to twelve required 180,000 experience, which would take more than seven or eight hours. Leveling was becoming increasingly difficult, and reaching fifteen would probably take another two days.

Gradually, Zhang Shan noticed that the number of players on the Bowang Wasteland map was increasing. It was likely due to the system announcement triggered by their first kill of the Sentinel Captain, attracting many players to the area. Previously, he’d spent hours grinding here without seeing another soul. The magicians’ passive resistance made it nearly impossible for magic-based players to fight, and physical players struggled to withstand the damage from the monsters, especially since they attacked from range, pelting stones at melee players before they could even get close—making them highly inefficient to farm.

But now, players would brush past him from time to time, and he occasionally saw melee teams farming the magicians as well. Zhang Shan was annoyed. Though he knew he couldn’t monopolize the entire map, the increasing crowds were troublesome. With this in mind, he kept changing grinding spots, trying to minimize encounters with others. In games, players often resorted to violence over the slightest disagreement. Zhang Shan’s gear was solid, and he wasn’t afraid of a fight, but if he killed one and a whole group showed up in retaliation, it would be a hassle.

He moved deeper into the wilderness, seeking out quieter areas. After slaying another magician, a beam of light fell into his backpack. Another drop? He didn’t pay it much mind; with so many monsters slain, junk items would inevitably drop, usually plain gear. Still, he opened his backpack to check.

What was this? It wasn’t equipment, nor did it look like a material. Could it be a quest item?

Strange Tube: This is a peculiar tube that emits a mysterious aura. Its purpose is unknown. You may visit Eastern Capital and consult the legendary engineering master, Master Lu, who might know more.

The item description confirmed it wasn’t equipment or a material—it needed an NPC to interpret, likely a quest item. He wondered what kind of quest it would trigger.

But to unlock its secrets, he’d have to travel to Eastern Capital and find Master Lu. That was a bit much—teleporting to Eastern or Western Capital cost ten thousand gold coins. Where was he supposed to get that kind of money?

Still, any item requiring a legendary master to decipher had to be special. He needed to find a way to gather ten thousand gold coins and make the trip.

In fact, he already had two mysterious items: one was the mysterious metal substance dropped by the boss earlier. Both items seemed unusual. He hadn’t returned to town, so they were still in his inventory, which felt unsafe. Perhaps he should return and store them; if he died and lost them, it would be a shame.

He’d been grinding for hours anyway—time to repair equipment and restock supplies. He recalled his pet and started the teleportation process.

Suddenly, the teleportation failed, and stars appeared above Zhang Shan’s head.

Damn, he’d been ambushed.

System: Player "Heavenly Bunny" has launched a malicious attack against you. Retaliation within three minutes will not incur penalty points.

Zhang Shan was stunned—he’d been hit by a rogue wielding a dagger, his health dropping by over a hundred.

The rogue’s "Gouge" skill could stun a target for three seconds—a powerful ability. That this rogue had mastered it meant he wasn’t a typical player.

Still, Zhang Shan didn’t panic. There were no other players around, just this rogue. With his level ten cloak, he had over eight hundred health points, no longer a fragile target. The rogue’s damage would require several hits to kill him, and Zhang Shan wasn’t about to give him the chance.

Once the stun wore off, Zhang Shan ran forward, summoning his pet as he moved. The rogue, "Heavenly Bunny," chased after him. Zhang Shan was down to half health, and he hadn’t brought any large health potions—only small ones that restored fifty points, barely enough. If the rogue’s "Gouge" skill cooled down and stunned him again, Zhang Shan would be done for.

He drank a small potion, doubled back, and counterattacked, instructing his pet to chase and attack the rogue.

A shot struck "Heavenly Bunny," dealing less than two hundred damage. The rogue’s health bar appeared—he had over fourteen hundred health, nearly double Zhang Shan’s, probably thanks to a high-quality cloak. No wonder he dared to pursue Zhang Shan so relentlessly.

Zhang Shan stopped fleeing and faced off against the rogue, trading blows. His pet’s attack was impressive—higher than Zhang Shan’s own—but its attack speed was so slow that its normal attacks couldn’t hit the rogue.

After a couple more exchanges, Zhang Shan was down to less than two hundred health, while the rogue still had nearly a thousand. Normally, Zhang Shan would be a lost cause.

But Zhang Shan had an ace up his sleeve; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen to fight head-on.

As the rogue prepared to strike again, Zhang Shan suddenly had his pet execute the combo skill. Seven rapid attacks landed on the rogue, who instantly dropped to the ground, dropping two junk items.

The rogue could dodge the pet’s normal attacks, but skills were unavoidable. The combo skill delivered seven hits in a flash, each dealing at least two hundred damage with its current strength—enough to instantly kill most players.

"Heavenly Bunny" lay on the ground, refusing to revive in town, instead launching a tirade.

"Trash from Storm Guild! Just you wait. I won’t rest until I kill you down to level zero!"

Damn, could someone be so shameless? He was the one who ambushed Zhang Shan, yet he had the nerve to curse him. Zhang Shan had certainly broadened his horizons.

Zhang Shan picked up the two items from the ground and retorted, "Hey, Bunny, are you actually a rabbit lord? Are you really this shameless?"

"Go to hell, you trash! If you’ve got guts, don’t run!"

Zhang Shan ignored him. Only a fool would stay—who knew how many of them were around? If they caught him, it would be a disaster.

The teleportation cooldown was still running, so Zhang Shan could only try to move to a deserted spot. The map was vast; he could hide anywhere, and it would take a while for anyone to find him.

The return token had a long cooldown. Zhang Shan found an empty corner, cautiously farming monsters while messaging his team. "Just got ambushed by a rogue from Heavenly Guild—almost died. That was close."

"Damn, where is he? We’ll go kill him. They seemed quiet today, but I guess they’re starting trouble early. We can’t let this slide."

"No need; I already dealt with him. Once my return cooldown ends, I’ll head back to town."

"Which Heavenly Guild member was it?"

"A rogue, Heavenly Bunny."

"No way! Heavenly Bunny is one of their core members, known for slick moves and good gear. How did he ambush you and still get killed?"

"He underestimated me. My pet got close and unleashed a seven-hit combo. Instant kill. Hehe."

Awesome.

"Damn, Six-Bar, the Heavenly Guild trash is flaming you in the area chat."

At that moment, Storm World spoke up. "Ignore them. Focus on leveling. Don’t spread out too much. If they try anything else, fight back decisively."

Zhang Shan checked the area chat. Sure enough, Heavenly Bunny was still ranting. Zhang Shan paid him no mind; the best way to deal with shameless types was to ignore them. If they dared to come again, he’d simply kill them.

As he farmed, Zhang Shan pondered where to level next. Returning here was no longer an option; someone like Bunny, so brazen, was probably gathering people right now to hunt him across the map.

Ordinary players didn’t worry him—those with stun skills did. If two showed up, he couldn’t hold out. If he died and lost a level, it would mean wasting half a day’s progress.

He should switch locations, and return after some time. They couldn’t hunt forever; they had their own leveling to do.

As he considered this, a blue light flashed into his backpack. Another item? Blue?

Zhang Shan opened his bag and laughed. It was a premium item.

Fine Silk Cloak (Blue): Increases health by 3900. Level requirement: 15. Equipment type: All classes.

An excellent item. Though only blue quality, cloaks were rare—he’d never seen a blue cloak in the auction house; green was the best available. An extra 3900 health was powerful, but it required level fifteen, so he couldn’t use it yet.

Should he sell it? That strange tube required a trip to Eastern Capital to discover its purpose. If he sold the cloak for gold, it would fetch at least ten thousand, covering teleportation costs.

The cloak was level fifteen gear; he couldn’t use it yet, so for now, it served him better as gold. When he reached fifteen, he could make do with a plain or green cloak.

He decided to consult Wind Chime about its price.

"Wind Chime, I just got a great item and want to sell it. What do you think it’s worth?" Zhang Shan showed her the stats of the fine silk cloak.

"No way, your luck is incredible! You managed to get such a premium cloak? Was it dropped by a regular monster?"

"Yes, it was from a magician I just defeated."

"You really plan to sell such a good item? How do you want to sell—gold or blue coins?"

"I’m short ten thousand gold. I found an item earlier, probably a quest item, and I need to visit Eastern Capital’s NPC. No choice—if I don’t sell the cloak, who knows when I’ll have enough for teleportation."

"Jealous of your luck! What kind of quest item is it? Does it say what it’s for?"

"No idea. It’s a strange tube, and only the legendary engineering master in Eastern Capital can identify it."

"The legendary master is a top title for the engineering profession. Any item requiring such an NPC must be special—worth the trip."

"That’s what I think too."

"Gold is depreciating now. The exchange rate with blue coins is about one to five, and will probably drop further. I’ll trade ten thousand gold and five hundred thousand blue coins for the cloak. Deal?"

"Deal. Where do we trade?"

"At the exchange hall entrance. I’ll return to town and convert the gold first."

"Wait for me. My return cooldown needs another minute or two—the earlier attempt was interrupted by Heavenly Bunny."

"Okay, I’ll go back and get the gold ready."