After hanging up on Hei Zi, Shi Feng glanced around. No players had noticed his sudden appearance, so he slipped into an empty alley.
Opening a Gold-grade treasure chest would definitely cause a stir.
In a crowded plaza, boldly cracking open a Gold-grade treasure chest and flaunting it to other players was something only game newbies would do.
Unlike the real world, the game world had no constraints, and the major powers' desire for super treasures went without saying. For players without strength, the best outcome was usually getting killed back to level zero. And if the items inside the chest didn't drop...
Congratulations — you could spend the rest of your life confined to a city. While everyone else headed out to the wilderness to kill monsters and level up, you'd be wandering around the city. A few months later, you'd "proudly" graduate to the rank of City Guide.
Shi Feng wasn't an Assassin who could Stealth to evade pursuers. He didn't have enough strength yet either, so naturally, he needed to keep a low profile.
In the deserted alley, Shi Feng quietly observed for a while. After confirming no one had followed, he first took out the black longsword.
Staring at the black longsword, Shi Feng's brow furrowed.
The Abyssal. Magic Artifact. Required Class: Swordsman. Bind this equipment?
"Should I equip it or not?" Shi Feng looked at the Abyssal in his hand, conflicted.
He was quite familiar with Magic Artifacts. They were different from ordinary equipment — there was no quality tier. They were even rarer than Epic-grade equipment, and their power was unparalleled. But they came with a corresponding drawback: backlash. One misstep and the character would become worthless. It was very much a double-edged sword.
In his previous life, several top experts in the Star Moon Kingdom had risen to the very peak thanks to Magic Artifacts — even at his strongest, Shi Feng could only look up to them. However, after a period of time, two of those Magic Artifact wielders had failed to manage the backlash properly. Their characters instantly became trash, and they had no choice but to start over from scratch.
"Forget it, I'll put it aside for now. I can't afford to take risks right now." Shi Feng shook his head and stored the Abyssal away. He needed to earn sixteen thousand Credit Points within the first ten days of the game — the pressure was immense. If anything went wrong, all his efforts would be for nothing.
Next, Shi Feng took out the Gold-grade treasure chest.
Gazing at the gilded treasure chest, Shi Feng couldn't contain his excitement: "In my previous life, even the Mythril-grade chests they opened contained potion recipes and forging blueprints. I wonder what good stuff a Gold-grade chest will drop?"
He had played in the Divine Realm for ten years, and in all that time, he had never seen more than twenty Gold-grade treasure chests.
The battle over each Gold-grade treasure chest was a massive war. Owning one alone was almost beyond imagination.
Slowly opening the chest, a brilliant golden radiance suddenly burst forth, illuminating the entire alley. In the dead of night, it would have been a dazzling beacon, impossible for anyone to miss.
Shi Feng didn't dare hesitate. He immediately extracted everything inside, and the golden light gradually faded.
Fortunately, it was a deserted alley, and no one had noticed the brief flash of light.
"Ugh, the Divine Realm's chest mechanics are such a rip-off. Good thing it's daytime." Shi Feng glanced at the chest beside him, then shifted his gaze to the three treasures in his hands.
Two ancient books and a piece of battle armor.
The battle armor was a Mythril-grade item — far worse than what he'd hoped for.
Sky Armor. Mythril Grade. Plate Armor. Requires 20 Strength to equip. Required Level: 5. Defense +25, Strength +6, Endurance +3, Agility +3. Durability: 30/30. Special Attribute: Weakened Force — reduces physical damage taken by 15%.
Seeing the battle armor's stats, Shi Feng was stunned. Although the equipment grade was far lower than what he'd obtained in his previous life, the attributes were top-tier. If a warrior-class player wore it, the defense would be sky-high — and with Weakened Force, tanking physical bosses would no longer be a problem. Selling it now would definitely fetch a sky-high price.
"Great, I've got level 5 armor." Shi Feng happily stored the Sky Armor away. Swordsmen could wear plate armor too — at level 5, equipping this piece would let him serve as a Shield Warrior without issue.
When Shi Feng saw the names of the two books, he was immediately startled.
A Forge Book and an Arcane Alchemy Record — both were priceless treasures that money alone couldn't buy.
Everyone knew that smithing and alchemy were extremely difficult to learn. Every Master Blacksmith and alchemy master was a symbol of a guild's strength. Even the Shadow Guild, which controlled ten great cities, had only two Master Blacksmiths and five alchemy masters — each one treated like a lord.
But with these two books, he could cultivate one Master Blacksmith and one alchemy master.
"I remember there's a hidden quest somewhere in Dark Moon Valley — not only does it grant free smithing training, it also rewards a smithing talent. With a smithing talent combined with the Forge Book, one could quickly become an advanced apprentice and craft Bronze Equipment for massive profits." Shi Feng recalled the player Yichui Maimai in the Shadow Guild — it was precisely because Yichui Maimai had completed that hidden quest that he'd become a Master Blacksmith.
Dark Moon Valley was a level 4 monster zone, and that quest wasn't easy to complete — it took a lot of time.
"Looks like I need to buy some supplies and get properly prepared." Shi Feng stored the two books away, sent a message to Hei Zi to meet at the Trade District, and headed toward the Trade District.
At this hour, there were quite a few players in the Trade District. Many players who were tired of grinding monsters would come here to rest — sit down, have a drink, chat. Some players also set up to sell materials dropped from wild monsters.
Shi Feng found an open spot, spread a white cloth on the ground, placed the herbs he'd gathered earlier and some equipment on it, and began setting up his stall.
A level 4 common cloth tunic went for 1 silver 20 copper, and a bronze shield for 21 silver. At this stage, those prices were fair — practically a bargain.
"Rare herbs and high-grade equipment — anyone interested, come take a look!" Shi Feng called out casually.
There were plenty of players setting up stalls in the Trade District, but they were all selling materials — herbs, ore, and the like. Right now, not a single player was selling equipment. One shout from Shi Feng and he immediately became the center of attention.
"No way — he actually has equipment, and it's a bronze shield!"