23: Chapter 23: Those who use fire pokers are destined to be big shots.

The square at the dungeon entrance was packed with students. As their understanding of the dungeon deepened, the students from Wei City increasingly discovered the advantages of Goldshire: a good environment, low-intensity monsters, not densely packed, and ready-made buildings for overnight stays. It was practically a beginner's paradise. By this point, no student would ever claim that the capital city Roujing's student dungeon was better.

The three members of the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad had just stepped off the school bus when they felt several gazes stabbing into their backs. It wasn't the curious kind, but a prickly scrutiny, like blunt knives slowly scraping against them.

Students from No. 3 High School gathered on the east side of the square, silver school badges pinned to their collars. In the past, they would have ignored each other at most, but today was different. Hu Jinsi swept his gaze over and happened to meet the stares of several boys from No. 3 High School. There was no friendliness of peers in those eyes, only the hostility of having their territory infringed upon, as if the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad had snatched something that belonged to them.

"United against a common enemy, huh." Hu Jinsi sneered inwardly, though his hands kept moving as he put on his meager equipment one by one. "We've become public enemy number one."

It wasn't just No. 3 High School. Students from the Experimental Middle School and several other schools looked at them with a complex detachment—not hatred, but that awkward feeling of "the neighbor's kid got a perfect score," sour but forced to keep up appearances. On the contrary, classmates from No. 1 High School came over and could still greet them normally, though there was a cautious excitement in their voices, as if afraid that speaking loudly would startle something.

"Don't make eye contact, don't linger." Lin Rui lowered his voice without lifting his head, checking his weapon status to himself. "Let's go, straight in."

The three of them circled the edge of the square in a wide arc, like three cats slinking along the wall, trying their best to avoid the most crowded areas. Su Wan hugged her lyre, the instrument shielding half her face, her steps fast enough to be almost a jog.

The moment they passed through the pale green vortex, the dampness of the forest rushed to meet them, isolating the noise of the outside world. Hu Jinsi took out his bicycle, propped it up on the ground, and finally couldn't help but curse at the air: "Fuck."

This sound was short and harsh, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.

Lin Rui and Su Wan looked at him simultaneously.

His experience of living two lifetimes gave Hu Jinsi a deeper perspective on this matter. He kicked the fallen leaves on the ground, a suppressed evil fire in his voice. "The people causing trouble never care what we think. When they pushed us out to be their signboard, they didn't ask for our opinion; now that we're getting the cold shoulder, no one's coming to cover for us. They take the benefits, we carry the pot—why the hell should we?"

Lin Rui was silent, his fingers gripping the handlebars, his knuckles turning white. Su Wan bit her lower lip, her eyes slightly red, but she swallowed her words.

"Forget it." Lin Rui finally spoke, his voice muffled. "At least it's quiet in the dungeon."

Hu Jinsi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger into his Dantian. He knew Lin Rui and Su Wan were also holding back anger, but these two were better at enduring it than he was—one taught from childhood to be steady, and the other had two younger sisters to set an example for. Unlike him, a loner with no ties, so no one cared if he cursed.

"That's true." Hu Jinsi tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Being an orphan, I've got nothing to lose. You two are different; you still have elders at home to consider."

These words sounded like he was talking to himself, and like he was reminding them of something. Neither Lin Rui nor Su Wan responded. All three knew that Lin Rui's father, Lin Jianjun, and Su Wan's parents were only level 60-something professionals; in this world, they weren't big shots. If they really had to argue with the school or the Education Bureau, they wouldn't even be qualified to sit at the table.

"Time is precious." Su Wan lightly plucked a string, emitting a clear, trembling sound. "Let's go grind monsters."

...

The pumpkin fields of Stonefield Farm and Maclure Farm were as familiar as their own backyard.

The process of setting up traps had been compressed to the extreme. Lin Rui took out his enchanted engineer's shovel, activated [Tactical Fortifications (Simple)], the three pits formed in five minutes, the tripwire pulled, the tower shield tilted, and the makeshift slaughterhouse was ready. Hu Jinsi pedaled his bicycle along the field ridges, tossing throwing knives, luring herd after herd of boars.

But this time, the method of harvesting changed.

The tripwire knocked down the front row, Thunderwave pushed back the cluster, and Molotov cocktails ignited the fuel line—these were still the old tactics. But when the boars were huddled together, struggling in the sea of fire, Hu Jinsi didn't stand there with his spear to poke at them. He tapped one foot on the ground, centered his Chi, and directly activated [Spinning Crane Kick].

Using his supporting foot as an axis, his body suddenly spun like a top with its switch pressed. His leg shadows transformed into a blurry arc, and the whirlwind kicked up by his energy tore the flames to one side. Every time a circle swept past, all the fallen boars within range received kicks simultaneously, and damage numbers jumped in the air like popping beans.

[-10] [-9] [-11] [-8]...

The three seconds ended, he spent a bit more Chi to sustain it, and spun for another three seconds. Within six seconds, the HP of the boar herd in the pit plummeted collectively, and with the finishing blows from Lin Rui and Su Wan, the clearing speed was almost brutal.

"Ten minutes for traps and luring," Hu Jinsi leaned on his knees and panted after stopping, the dizziness much lighter than last week, clearly having practiced in private these past few days. "Five minutes to clear. This is an industrial assembly line."

By just before two in the afternoon, the boars in both farms had been mostly cleared, and a faint smell of burning and the embers of dissipating light points permeated the ridges. The three of them headed north on the way, harvesting another wave of Kobolds popping up in Fargodeep Mine, and their backpacks were half-filled with gold sand and candles.

Just past three, the sunlight was still slanting on the treetops. According to their usual routine, it was time to return to Goldshire or find a place to camp. But Hu Jinsi glanced at his panel, then at the map, and decisively made the call: "There's still time, let's go to Blackwell Farm. Let's clear out the Defias brotherhood periphery today, and fight the elites tomorrow."

"Won't it be too rushed?" Su Wan asked.

"Rushed is exactly what we want." Hu Jinsi shouldered his long staff. "Dungeon time is limited, we should clear as much as we can. Besides, our equipment and levels are up now, no need to be as timid as the first time."

Lin Rui didn't object, just silently tightened his round shield. The three of them pedaled toward the east, the wheels rolling over the gravel road, making a rattling sound.

The Defias bandits at Blackwell Farm were having a terrible day.

The lone members patrolling the periphery were knocked down by Lin Rui's Charge before they could react, followed by Hu Jinsi's short sword, and Su Wan's crossbow bolts blocking their path. Occasionally encountering a group of two, Su Wan would put down her lyre, put her hands on her hips, and take a deep breath—

"You bunch of red-masked losers! You can't even hold a sword steady and you dare to come out and rob people? Go home and grow pumpkins!"

[Street Cursing]!

The sound was sharp and piercing, like a rusty file stabbing into the ears. The targeted Defias bandit's movements visibly stalled, his eyes reddened, clearly having received mental damage, and the weapons in his hands swung without any momentum.

"This skill..." Hu Jinsi muttered while finishing off the enemy, "Although the style is like a shrew cursing in the street, it's really useful. Why isn't there a skill for snarky remarks?"

"Shut up." Su Wan's ears were slightly red, but she was stubborn. "As long as it works."

By five in the afternoon, there were no standing red masks left on the farm's periphery. The three of them retreated to the Tower of Azora, blocked the stone door, lit a campfire, and spent the first night under the starlight at the top of the tower.

...

The second day's pace was even faster.

By noon, the Defias members inside Blackwell Farm had been wiped out. Even that stealthy rogue who had once made them look miserable had nowhere to hide under the illumination of Su Wan's [Faerie Fire], and was pinned to the ground by Lin Rui's Charge and body slam, finished off by a short sword.

After a short lunch break, the three turned to the depths of the farmland. That giant boar nicknamed "Princess" made another appearance, its hind hooves scraping the ground, tusks turned outward, the momentum of its Charge still like a brown tank. But this time, the three of them had experience. Tripwires, pits, tower shield obstruction, Su Wan's Tashas Hideous Laughter for control, Hu Jinsi circling behind to poke the anus—everything was done according to plan.

When the giant boar wailed and turned into light points, an unexpected drop appeared in mid-air.

[Undigested Champion Radish]

[Item Type: Consumable]

[Usage Count: 1/1]

[Effect: Immediately restores all HP and Mana/Chi, but for the next 1 minute, you will uncontrollably make loud "snorting sounds" and randomly move toward nearby food (including food on enemies).]

[Item Description: Half a radish found in Princess's stomach, still covered in soil from Stonefield Farm. It seems to have been soaked in the digestive juices of some "Champion Pig," emitting a strange energy.]

The object emitted a strange odor, a mixture of digestive juices and the fresh sweetness of plants. When the panel description popped up, their expressions twisted simultaneously.

"Immediately restores all HP and Mana... or Chi?" Hu Jinsi read halfway, his brow just about to relax, then he saw the next line, "But for the next minute, uncontrollably make loud snorting sounds, and randomly move toward nearby food? Including food on enemies?"

The air was quiet for three seconds.

"Lifesaving item." Lin Rui said in a deep voice.

"But using it means social death." Su Wan added, imagining herself running after jerky in an enemy's backpack while snorting on the battlefield, shivering all over, "What is this ghost thing..."

"Half a radish dug out of Princess's stomach," Hu Jinsi pinched his nose and picked up the radish, like picking up a hot potato, "Use it and you get full stats back, but you become a humanoid boar, chasing after food. Has the malice of the world's consciousness in this dungeon become this deep?"

"Sell it." The three said in unison.

No one wanted to take this thing. Hu Jinsi stuffed it into the deepest part of his backpack, deciding to put it on the exchange after leaving, with the title "Emergency Lifesaving Item, Side Effects at Your Own Risk," whoever wanted to buy it could buy it.

Next was the main event—the elite trio in the east hut.

With the intelligence from last week, the process of setting traps this time was as relaxed as building Blocks. Lin Rui set the trap in the old spot. Su Wan gripped the Mist of Mist scroll, standing in the designated position, her palms slightly sweaty.

"According to the plan." Hu Jinsi lowered his voice, "Su Wan, you curse first."

Before the official battle, Lin Rui put on that second-hand heavy armor again, the red mask pulled over his head. But this time his hands were empty, until the moment Su Wan tore the scroll and the mist engulfed the hut entrance, he threw a grenade with each hand.

"Boom! Boom!"

The muffled sound of the explosion burst from inside the house, firelight rolling in the mist. Su Wan immediately put down the scroll, put her hands on her hips, and shouted at the hut in the mist—

"Listen up, you losers inside! None of you with red masks have any guts! If you have the ability, come out and fight your Grandma Su Wan one-on-one!"

[Street Cursing]'s sound waves pierced through the fog, stabbing into the house like a needle. Three seconds later, the wooden door was smashed, and the first to rush out was indeed the elite warrior holding a two-handed greatsword. His eyes were blood-red, his breathing heavy under the mask, clearly completely enraged by Su Wan's taunt, ignoring the other two, charging straight at Su Wan.

"Well done!" Su Wan tapped her toes, retreating lightly, just in time to retreat behind the tripwire at the 4 o'clock position.

The elite warrior fell headlong into the trap, pressed down by Lin Rui's mountain-crushing weight, and Hu Jinsi's short sword followed up to harvest. The subsequent script was exactly the same as last week: the elite rogue tried to stealth and circle behind, but was exposed by the mist, stepped into a trap, had his stealth broken by Spinning Crane Kick, and was then taken out by a combo from the strong man. The warlock stayed in the house and wouldn't come out, but the three of them exploited the blind spots, wearing her down bit by bit with throwing knives and crossbow bolts until she turned into light points.

The second kill, the drops were significantly shrunk. Only one valuable item floated up in the light points—

[Blood-stained Defias Mask]

[Armor Type: Cloth Armor]

[Equipment Slot: Head]

[Defense: 0]

[Effect: Let out a roar, causing surrounding enemies to have a chance to flee in fear (based on your intimidation strength), lasting for a few seconds. Cooldown 1 hour.]

[Item Description: The mask is stained with mud and blood, and one seems to be able to smell the breath of fear and despair.]

This mask was the same style as the ones worn by Lin Rui and Hu Jinsi, but the color was darker, as if it had been repeatedly soaked in blood.

"0 Defense?" Lin Rui frowned, "And the effect is based on intimidation strength? If I wear it and roar, the enemy might just burst out laughing."

"It's useless for me too." Hu Jinsi spread his hands, "Where would a monk get intimidation? I'm not one of those bald big shots."

"You could try shaving your head." Su Wan suddenly interrupted, suppressing a smile, "Doesn't it say that being bald adds critical hits and intimidation? If you shave it, this mask will fit."

"Forget it." Hu Jinsi was firm, "Looks are a lifelong matter. Keep this thing, with such a niche effect, I guess no one wants it, listing it on the exchange is just a waste of space."

The mask was put into the backpack, keeping the Champion Radish company.

There was still time before dark that day, so the three of them biked to Crystal Lake. The campfire tactic remained efficient, and after more than an hour, the murlocs on the lakeshore were cleared again. Before dark, they returned to Goldshire and spent the second night by the fireplace in the Lions Pride Inn.

...

As soon as the third day dawned, the three of them rode their bikes to Westfall.

The tactics planned during the break finally came in handy. Hu Jinsi took a new iron-wrapped hardwood staff out of his backpack, but this time he didn't wrap oilcloth on both ends, choosing only one end, soaking it in blazing fire glue, and lighting it.

"Why only burn one end?" Su Wan asked curiously.

"Save durability." Hu Jinsi waved the single-headed fire staff seriously, the flames drawing orange-red trajectories in the air, "If you light both, it burns too fast and will be useless in half an hour. A single head can last twice as long. Believe me, the future of those who use fire-poker staves is all big shots."

What he didn't say out loud was: when practicing in private, he couldn't handle the double-ended flaming staff at all. His center of gravity was unstable, the flames fluttered wildly when he swung it, and he almost burned off his own eyebrows. The single-ended flaming staff, while not looking as intimidating, was at least usable.

The tactic was a success. Hu Jinsi charged into the pack of Gnolls with his flaming staff, first scorching their fur, then breaking their bones. The ignited Gnolls' defenses collapsed, and they wailed as they tried to flee. Su Wan didn't need to hold her hand crossbow and ignite arrows one by one anymore; she was freed up, hands on her hips, cursing at the fleeing backs—

"What are you running for! Come back and die! You bunch of unwashed mutts!"

The mental interference from [Street Cursing] caused the Gnolls attempting to flee into the forest to falter; some froze in place, while others turned back in a rage, only to run straight into Lin Rui's short spear. The trio's reaping efficiency was significantly higher than last week.

The only problem was that tall Gnoll.

It was like a moving magnet, wandering deep in the woods with two lackeys always by its side. The trio had to repeatedly interrupt their grinding rhythm, hiding in its blind spot and waiting for it to patrol past before continuing. This stop-and-go rhythm dragged on until nearly two in the afternoon, when they finally cleared out all the Gnolls except for it.

"It's the only one left." Lin Rui poked his head out from behind a tree. In his binoculars, the tall, shirtless Gnoll wearing tattered leather pants was squatting on a rock, gnawing on something. "And its two henchmen."

"The usual trap setup?" Su Wan asked.

Hu Jinsi licked his lips, his gaze lingering on the Gnoll's massive frame for a moment: "It's just one elite, let's test our current strength. Always being chased around, I feel stifled."

Lin Rui pondered for two seconds, then nodded: "To be safe, I'll switch to heavy armor."

He pulled out that secondhand suit of tin-can armor, the plates clattering as he put it on, and snapped the red visor over his head. His weapons were swapped for [rixats elegy] and a relatively intact tower shield. Hu Jinsi and Su Wan's equipment remained the same, except Hu Jinsi switched his long staff to the single-ended ignited state, and Su Wan held her lyre in front of her, all five spell slots fully charged.

"Let's go."

The battle was initiated by Lin Rui. He didn't Charge directly at the largest Gnoll, but instead activated [Charge], lunging straight at the scrawny Gnoll nearby carrying a sling!

Dirt exploded as the ten-meter distance was closed instantly. With a tower shield to the face, the slinger Gnoll was sent stumbling backward before it could even pull the leather cord. Lin Rui fought while retreating, intentionally creating distance from the tall Gnoll, using his tower shield and short sword to entangle this ranged lackey.

The tall Gnoll roared and lunged forward with another claw-wielding lackey. But Hu Jinsi had already flanked to the side, poking with his flaming staff to ignite the slinger lackey's mane, then sweeping the staff toward the other lackey's hind legs.

"Su Wan! Clear the small fry first!"

Su Wan unleashed a torrent of abuse, using [Street Cursing] to prevent the Gnolls from concentrating. On Lin Rui's side, he took a hit from the slinger Gnoll's club, used his round shield to Block, triggered [Honorary Counterattack], and slashed his short sword across the opponent's chest. But he didn't rush for the kill, instead continuing to kite, avoiding taking more damage to reduce the pressure on the party's healing.

Hu Jinsi dropped the flaming staff, drew Lin Rui's spare standard-issue short spear, and stabbed fiercely at the two burning lackeys along with Su Wan. He used his high-frequency output to trigger [Mist of Mist], and white healing mist rose around Lin Rui's feet, slowly restoring his health.

"Energizing Chi!" Hu Jinsi cast a single-target heal on Lin Rui, warm chi flowing in to pull his health bar back up.

"Healing Word! Another one!" Su Wan cast two beams of white light in succession, her lyre music as rapid as a rainstorm.

Two minutes later, the two lackey Gnolls dissipated into motes of light one after another. The trio immediately turned toward the largest elite.

Hu Jinsi picked up the flaming staff from the ground; the flames hadn't gone out yet. He lunged forward, the flaming staff thrusting straight into the tall Gnoll's flank—

"Sizzle!"

The mane ignited, and the flames spread wildly along its fur. But this time, the elite Gnoll's reaction completely exceeded expectations. It wasn't forced back by the flames; instead, it let out a deafening roar, a brutal red light erupting in its small eyes, and it spun around violently, abandoning its pursuit of Lin Rui and lunging straight at Hu Jinsi!

"What?!" Hu Jinsi was caught off guard.

Those massive claws swiped down with a foul wind; he couldn't dodge completely, so he could only raise his staff to tank the hit.

"Riiip—"

The wooden staff snapped in half with a crack, and the massive claws landed on Hu Jinsi, [-45]

Sharp pain exploded from his left shoulder; claw marks tore through his school uniform, and blood instantly soaked the fabric. Hu Jinsi's health points plummeted by nearly a third, and he was knocked sideways, nearly collapsing to his knees.

"Jinsi!" Su Wan screamed.

Hu Jinsi gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain, and immediately activated [Roll]! His body rolled rapidly along the ground for three meters, opening up some distance. Then, without hesitation, he activated [Expel Harm]! The retrograde chi within his body was forced out, warm air flowing through his entire body, and a green [+32] number flashed over his head as his wound barely closed.

But he looked down at his school uniform—from his left shoulder to his chest, four long claw marks had completely torn the fabric, like a tattered flag.

"My school uniform..." Hu Jinsi's voice changed pitch, filled with genuine grief, "Two hundred! Two hundred credits! This crappy school uniform costs two hundred and twenty each!"

The volume of that wail made it seem as if it wasn't his flesh that was injured, but his lifeblood. Indeed, to him, the price of this school uniform far exceeded the sum of all his combat equipment since he awakened—throwing knives were one credit each, long staves were eighty credits each; this school uniform was simply a luxury among luxuries.

Seeing the elite switch targets, Lin Rui immediately activated [Heavy Strike], thrusting his short sword straight at the Gnoll's back in an attempt to pull back aggro. But the elite Gnoll ignored him entirely, its blood-red eyes locked tightly onto Hu Jinsi, and it kicked off with its hind legs, lunging again!

"Charge!" Lin Rui roared, transforming into an iron cannonball, attempting to knock the opponent over with the weight of his heavy armor.

The effect of [rixats elegy] triggered! The ghostly blue sword light flared at the moment of impact, slicing off one-eighth of the elite Gnoll's remaining health with a single strike. Unfortunately, the beast's strength was outrageously high; Lin Rui's collision was like hitting an old, deeply rooted tree. He didn't knock it over, nor could he even push it back; instead, he was sent stumbling back half a step by the recoil.

The elite Gnoll felt the pain and finally turned back, its aggro re-locking onto Lin Rui. It raised both claws, bringing them down with a whistling sound that tore through the air!

Lin Rui raised his shield to Block—

"Bang!"

The Block failed. Or rather, he blocked, but not completely. The immense force transmitted through the tower shield; although the [Block] skill reduced the damage by 40%, the remaining impact still made his arms go numb, his head buzzed, his vision went black, and he fell into a stunned state.

"Lin Rui!" Hu Jinsi shouted. Just as he was about to rush up, he saw that the elite Gnoll didn't continue attacking the stunned Lin Rui, but instead suddenly turned and launched a [Charge] toward Su Wan!

The speed was too fast. Su Wan's lyre music had just started, [Tashas Hideous Laughter] hadn't formed yet, and the Gnoll had already charged to within three meters of her. She had no time to dodge, and could only watch helplessly as those giant claws swiped down—

At the critical moment, a figure rushed in from the side at high speed!

[Parkour]!

Hu Jinsi consumed 1 point of Chi, his movement speed instantly doubled, and with a leap, he crossed five meters, crashing in from the side like a cannonball, knocking Su Wan flying! Su Wan fell into the grass clutching her lyre, rolled twice, and looked up, still shaken.

And Hu Jinsi's back was completely exposed to the elite Gnoll.

"Riiip—"

Another swipe, four bloody marks slashed from his right shoulder all the way to his left waist, the back of his school uniform was completely ruined, and pieces of fabric flew away like butterflies.

"Don't just stand there in a daze!" Hu Jinsi grimaced in pain, reminding Su Wan, but his first reaction was actually to look at his clothes, "This beast targets the expensive stuff!"

On Lin Rui's side, the talent [Iron Will] triggered at this moment—the stun duration was reduced by 30%. He recovered his ability to act early and, without hesitation, activated [Tactical Roll], his heavy armor rumbling as he rolled behind the elite Gnoll, slashing his short sword fiercely at its ankle!

[-14]

This sword strike finally took effect. The elite Gnoll's ankle was injured, its massive body lost balance, and it collapsed with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Well done!" Hu Jinsi endured the intense pain in his back, lunged up, and activated [Flurry of Blows]! Consuming 1 point of Chi, he struck repeatedly with his left and right legs, lashing out at the Gnoll's injured ankle; followed immediately by a knee strike, slamming into the inside of the opponent's knee!

[-8] [-9] [-10]

All three strikes landed on the lower limbs, the Gnoll's ankle emitting a teeth-grinding sound of bone cracking, and it was completely unable to stand. At the same time, the [Mist of Mist] triggered by the attacks rose in white mist around them, slowly restoring Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui's health.

Lin Rui seized the opportunity to Roll over, sitting on the Gnoll, and slammed his tower shield down, pressing it hard against that fang-filled wolf face. His right hand extended the short sword from beneath the shield's edge, thrusting straight into the opponent's chest, which had been charred black by the fire!

"Pfft!"

[-16]

The elite Gnoll struggled frantically, muscles bulging, and actually flipped Lin Rui, shield and all, onto the ground! Its massive body tried to push itself up, front claws flailing wildly, and it looked like it was about to reverse the situation—

"Smile!" Su Wan's voice exploded from the grass.

She had endured the brief paralysis from spell backlash, and [Tashas Hideous Laughter] was finally unleashed! The mocking melody poured precisely into the Gnoll's consciousness, the beast stiffened all over, the corners of its mouth pulled upward uncontrollably, and it let out a cackling, strange laugh, the power it had just gathered instantly draining away.

Lin Rui seized the opportunity, rolled over to press on it again, his tower shield pinning the Gnoll's throat, and his short sword stabbed once, twice, three times, frantically into its chest!

Hu Jinsi was on the side, activating [Flurry of Blows] four times in a row! Fists, feet, knees, and elbows poured down like a rainstorm onto the Gnoll's head and neck vital points. Every attack triggered [Mist of Mist], the white mist growing thicker and thicker, slowly pulling the trio's health bars back up.

Finally, with a wail of unwillingness, the elite Gnoll's body swelled, stiffened, and then dissipated into motes of light.

Post-battle.

Hu Jinsi collapsed onto the ground, his back against a broken tree, gasping for air. He opened his panel and glanced at it—his Chi pool was completely empty, [Energizing Chi] was used, [Expel Harm] was used, [Parkour] was used, [Flurry of Blows] was used four times, and [Roll] was also used. Except for the passive [Golden Sore Medicine] not triggering (his health didn't drop below 35%), he had spent almost all the resources he could use.

Lin Rui wasn't much better off. He lay on the ground, the hinges of his heavy armor groaning under the strain, [Iron Will] had rarely triggered once, reducing control time by 30%. His short sword and tower shield were covered in wolf blood and mud.

Su Wan walked over clutching her lyre, her face pale; of her five spell slots, only the last one remained, the rest were completely empty.

"...We won." Her voice was weak as she sat down next to Hu Jinsi.

Su Wan initiated [Resting Song], the soothing lyre music flowing through the woods like a layer of warm gauze, wrapping around the trio's exhausted nerves. Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui silently took out [Roasted Boar Meat], chewing mechanically, pulling their health points up bit by bit.

After the motes of light completely dissipated, only one piece of equipment remained on the spot.

[Skinning Battle Axe]

[Type: One-Handed Axe]

[Damage: 7-14]

[Effect 1: +1 Strength]

[Effect 2: +1 Final Damage]

[Effect 3: When you use this axe to deliver the final blow to a beast, you can immediately perform a skinning/harvesting check; if successful, you will obtain leather of that beast's level.]

[Item Description: This rough axe blade is covered in dried blood and fur debris, with a dirty leather cord wrapped around the handle. It is clearly a tool used for quickly stripping fur from prey, rather than a refined combat weapon.]

It was a crude one-handed axe, looking more like a skinner's tool than a proper combat weapon.

"A gold-farming axe." Hu Jinsi picked it up and weighed it, curling his lip, "Might be useful for farming boars to get more skins, and it has some use when paired with a high-attack-speed class. But our party's high attack speed..."

"Is you," Lin Rui finished, "But your high attack speed is all unarmed damage, and this axe adds weapon damage."

"Useless," Su Wan concluded, "Just something to sell."

The three of them looked at each other wearily, almost too tired to even complain. The sun had begun to set, and the light in the forest turned dim and yellow.

"Back to Goldshire." Lin Rui stood up, bracing his knees. "Last night, rest."

"Agreed." Hu Jinsi stuffed the battle axe into his backpack and patted the dirt off his butt, "This school uniform... I'll need to replace two of them when we go out. 220 each, 440 for two... My heart is bleeding."

"Doesn't the wound on your back hurt?" Su Wan glared at him.

"It hurts." Hu Jinsi admitted honestly, "But my wallet hurts more."

The three of them pushed their bicycles out and rode slowly along the forest path. The wound on Hu Jinsi's back had scabbed over, but the tattered strips of his school uniform fluttered in the wind, looking more like a defeated army than victors.

When the silhouette of Goldshire appeared at the end of their vision, dusk had already fallen. The lights of the Lions Pride Inn shone at the end of the street like a warm star.

The three of them parked their bicycles at the inn's entrance and got off.

Then, they all stopped in their tracks at the same time.

On the steps at the entrance of the inn stood a semi-transparent figure.

But the appearance of this figure was somewhat familiar to Hu Jinsi.