95: Special equipment, super armor granted!

The moment the damage number floated above the old man's head, Lin Yue knew his gamble had paid off.

"How did you do that?"

The old man quietly rubbed the back of his head. In that instant, he genuinely hadn't noticed where that fireball had come from, which led to him being caught off guard and attacked by a Spell that suddenly appeared from behind.

"Just a little trick of manipulation."

Lin Yue revealed a victorious smile.

He had used this very maneuver back in the Novice Village during the treasure of the gods quest when fighting against the Evil God Emissary.

The attacks from the first ninety-nine fireballs were merely a smokescreen; the final fireball, the one that shot into the sky, was Lin Yue's trump card.

He concealed the attack trajectory of this fireball. While the old man was fully occupied blocking hundreds of Spell attacks, Lin Yue maneuvered the fireball around to the old man's back.

Strike where the enemy least expects it.

That's how he managed to land a hit on the old man.

"A fireball that can change direction... If you had used this move from the start, I definitely wouldn't have been hit."

Feeling the heat on the back of his head, the old man said with a serious expression.

"What, are you a sore loser?"

Rolling his eyes, Lin Yue retorted impatiently.

"Hahaha, Young Man, This Old Man is not one to go back on his word."

Leaning on his cane, the old man came before Lin Yue. The open ground outside the village entrance, after the battle between the two, was now a scene of devastation, pitted and scarred everywhere.

However, the old man paid it no mind. With a casual grab in the air, a heart-protecting mirror appeared in his hand.

"This is your reward. I keep my promises."

Tossing the heart-protecting mirror to Lin Yue, he soon received a System prompt.

"Ding, you have received a gift from the Mysterious Old Man, special equipment xuan ming heart-protecting mirror +1."

xuan ming heart-protecting mirror (Special Equipment): No level restriction.

Effect One: You gain the Unyielding Body state. Unyielding Body lasts for 120 seconds. During this state, all control skills are nullified. Cooldown: one hour.

Effect Two: You gain immunity to fifty percent of debuff effects, such as: Slow, Curse, Poison, Burning Effect, bleeding, etc.

Durability: 100/100

Seeing these attribute effects, Lin Yue was truly dumbfounded.

Unyielding Body is a skill unique to Warrior-Type Classes, and it's only obtainable after job advancement, with a very low acquisition rate.

Unlike NPCs, it's much harder for players to master the Unyielding Body skill. The reason is none other than the fact that the effect of this skill is simply too overpowered.

Immunity to all control skills—just this one effect makes it almost indistinguishable from invincibility.

In a boss battle, having this Unyielding Body in hand would undoubtedly be a Sharp Weapon for turning the tide.

Then there's Effect Two: immunity to fifty percent of negative effects. It might not seem like much, but Lin Yue knew this effect was already incredibly overpowered.

There are many types of negative effects, and a fifty percent reduction in them would significantly increase a player's chances of survival.

A great item!

Impatiently equipping the heart-protecting mirror, if Lin Yue were to face the old man in another match now, he wouldn't be so passive.

"Let's go, Young Man, stop staring at it."

Seeing the old man had no intention of continuing the fight, and Lin Yue had originally wanted to try the heart-protecting mirror again, he could only give up.

Returning to Phoenix Village, he followed the old man into the house.

"Old Woman, hurry up and prepare some food. This Young Man and I hit it off right away; we must treat him properly."

As soon as they entered, the old man shouted at the top of his lungs, being very enthusiastic towards Lin Yue.

It could be said they became friends through their fight. The old man hadn't had a good fight in hundreds of years, and Lin Yue's arrival had put him in a much more cheerful mood.

Considering the old man held clues about the Phoenix, and Lin Yue was currently completely clueless, he half-heartedly agreed and sat down at the table.

The Old Woman nodded and began cooking. Soon, steaming hot dishes were served on the table.

Lin Yue just sat quietly, waiting to see what kind of scenario would be triggered.

"Here, have a drink?"

Pouring a cup of wine for Lin Yue, the old man looked at him with a smile.

"Sure!"

Lin Yue's alcohol tolerance was decent, so he didn't refuse.

A mouthful of strong wine went down. It felt smooth and mellow upon entry, with a rich aroma, while simultaneously, a scorching sensation filled his mouth.

"Ding, you consumed fierce phoenix wine. Your spell power is permanently increased by +5."

Hearing the System prompt, Lin Yue was stunned. The blazing fire wine the old man poured for him was actually like the City Lord's Mansion's Top-Grade Biluochun tea—it could increase attributes!

"How is it? I usually can't bear to drink this wine. It's only because we have a guest."

Although the old man said this, seeing Lin Yue down it in one go, he quickly refilled Lin Yue's cup.

The intense spiciness and heat transferred from his mouth to his stomach. It had to be said, fierce phoenix wine tasted better than many raw spirits in reality.

"Refreshing! Excellent wine!"

After two consecutive cups of strong wine, Lin Yue let out a long sigh, his chest filled with exhilaration.

"More. How much you can drink is your good fortune."

The old man laughed, clinked cups with Lin Yue, seemingly inspired by Lin Yue's boldness, and also downed his cup in one go.

The old and the young drank together like this, while the Old Woman sat quietly nearby, watching the two compete in drinking.

For hundreds of years, this was the first time she had seen the old man so happy.

Taking a bite of the green vegetables.

"Ding, your movement speed is increased by +0.2."

Holy crap, it can even increase movement speed?

Lin Yue immediately perked up and started devouring the plate of unremarkable little green vegetables.

Not only could fierce phoenix wine increase attributes, but even the dishes made by the Old Woman could boost stats.

"This Stir-Fried Winter Bamboo Shoots with Meat is delicious!"

Taking another bite of the Stir-Fried Winter Bamboo Shoots with Meat, Lin Yue felt very content.

"Ding, your Critical Hit is increased by +0.1%"

Chicken and Mushroom Soup!

"Ding, your Accuracy is increased by +0.1%"

This time, Lin Yue was genuinely excited. Whether it was Critical Hit or Accuracy, these were rare enhancements.

It just so happened that Lin Yue hadn't eaten much in a long time, so the old man inviting him to eat was exactly what he wanted.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed.

After several rounds of drinks and tasting various dishes.

"Young Man, can you still drink?"

A full large pot of fierce phoenix wine had been completely emptied by the old man and Lin Yue.

It was a full four jin in quantity, and Lin Yue alone drank at least two and a half jin.

"No more, no more."

Letting out a satisfied burp, Lin Yue was stuffed.

From just this one meal, his spell power alone had increased by a thousand points, his movement speed by five points, and his critical strike and Accuracy by five percent each.

"Thank you for your generous hospitality!"

Lin Yue stood up to help his digestion and respectfully addressed the old man.

First giving special equipment, then treating him to a meal that increased attributes—it would really be ungrateful if Lin Yue didn't express his thanks.

"Being able to eat is a blessing!"

The old man also stood up and led Lin Yue out of the house.

The entire village was quiet. In fact, aside from the old man and the Old Woman, there was no one else left.

"They've all died, died of old age. If you hadn't come here, the two of us would have been buried in a few years too."

Hearing the old man's words, Lin Yue felt somewhat moved.

These NPCs living in the ruins weren't having it easy either. From birth to death, they might spend their entire lives stuck in this Small World.