28: Chapter 28 Extorting the Boss! Fifty Points of Freedom and Money Power

"Puchi—"

Blood splattered, staining the scorched earth atop the ruins red.

However, the expected scene of a head rolling away did not occur.

At the very instant the [Po Jun · Dragon Slaying Sword] in Qin Ji's hand was about to completely sever Li Daoyi's neck bone, a blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the Old Drunkard's waist. It was an ancient Death-Substitution Talisman, which burned out at the critical moment between life and death, transforming into a layer of golden shield as thin as a cicada's wing but as indestructible as steel, forcibly jamming Qin Ji's blade that was powerful enough to split mountains and crack stones.

"Clang—!!"

The immense counter-force caused the air to ripple with visible waves. Li Daoyi used this terrifying impact to fly backward like a kite with a broken string, slamming hard into a broken wall a hundred meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Cough, cough, cough... Blegh!"

Li Daoyi slumped miserably in the pile of rubble, vomiting large mouthfuls of internal organ fragments mixed with golden blood. He fearfully touched the deep, bone-deep gash on his neck; if not for that ancestral [Golden Cicada Shedding Shell Talisman], he would be a headless corpse by now.

"Not dead?"

Qin Ji slowly sheathed his sword, a flicker of surprise crossing his purple-gold pupils, which then turned into even more intense mockery. He casually flicked the blood droplets off his blade and stepped into the Void Realm, approaching Li Daoyi step by step. Behind him, the Black Warrior followed closely, carrying a greatsword that was still dripping blood, creating an almost suffocating sense of pressure.

"No... impossible..."

Li Daoyi looked at the bright red damage numbers above his head, his entire body trembling.

-14,200 (True Damage)!

Although that strike just now had been mostly blocked by the Talisman, the Sword Qi that penetrated his body still took away the last large chunk of his health bar. At this moment, the health of this once-arrogant "Wine Sword Immortal" remnant soul had dropped below the 10% near-death warning line.

"Your attacks... are actually all True Damage?!"

Li Daoyi's voice became sharp and distorted. That Talisman had clearly increased his physical defense tenfold, yet under this young man's sword, it was as fragile as paper. This guy wasn't fighting at all; he was performing some kind of fundamental rule-erasure!

Qin Ji did not answer, only slightly raising his left hand, as destructive black lightning arcs danced at his fingertips.

"Wait... don't move!"

Feeling the shadow of death loom over him again, Li Daoyi finally broke down. Although he was a digitized remnant soul, he possessed high intelligence and even retained the instinctive fear of death. He did not want to dissipate completely; he still had to wait for the day his true body would awaken.

"Give me a reason not to kill you."

The lightning at Qin Ji's fingertips remained poised but unreleased, his lips curling into a cold arc. "Although killing you would drop plenty of good things, I'm a rather lazy person. If you can provide a life-buying price that interests me, I might consider letting you off."

Hearing this, a struggle flashed in Li Daoyi's eyes. As a proud sword immortal, bowing to an Outlander in a Newbie Village was an utter humiliation. But looking at the Black Warrior chewing on the snake corpse and the demon-god-like youth before him, he gritted his teeth.

"I... I can give you my Natal Sword Art..."

"Trash, I don't need it." Qin Ji interrupted directly. His skill bar was already filled with Divine-Grade skills; what he lacked were basic attributes to support the consumption of these monstrous skills.

"Then... this Wine Immortal Sword..."

"Scrap metal." Qin Ji brandished the [Po Jun · Dragon Slaying Sword] in his hand; its Divine Artifact-grade luster almost blinded Li Daoyi.

Li Daoyi was completely despondent. What kind of freak was this guy?

"I want attribute points."

Qin Ji finally revealed his true intentions, his purple-gold eyes staring intently at Li Daoyi. "I know high-tier NPCs like you contain 'Source Essence Data'. Give me 50 free attribute points, and I'll pretend I never saw you today."

"Fifty points?!"

Li Daoyi's eyes widened, and he nearly choked. Source Essence Data was the core of their existence; fifty points were enough to leave this remnant soul weakened for years!

"What? Not willing?"

The lightning in Qin Ji's hand instantly surged as he made a move to strike. "Then turn into a corpse and let me take them myself. It's a bit more troublesome, but I don't mind."

"Don't! I'll give them! I'll give them!!"

Li Daoyi was scared to the point of his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, hurriedly forcing a brilliant golden orb of light from between his brows. The orb contained pure energy fluctuations; it was the most fundamental power of this world—free attribute points.

"Ding! Hidden Transaction triggered."

"Li Daoyi has paid you 50 free attribute points in exchange for his right to survive."

"Do you accept?"

Qin Ji's lips curled upward as he reached out and grabbed it, the golden orb instantly merging into his body.

"Scram."

Having received permission, Li Daoyi felt as if he had been granted a grand amnesty. He didn't even dare to leave a parting threat, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing miserably toward the horizon, fearing this calamity would change his mind.

Qin Ji watched the direction Li Daoyi disappeared but did not pursue.

Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs wasn't his style. Keeping this old fellow around might allow for a few more harvests later. Moreover, his current goal wasn't these small gains, but rather to convert these newly acquired attribute points into actual combat power as quickly as possible.

He opened his attribute panel.

[ID: Qin Ji]

[Rank: LV.10 (Experience Locked / Advancement Quest Required)]

[Class: Unclassed (All-Element Mastery)]

[HP: 158,000 / 158,000]

[MP: Infinite (Pseudo) / Current Limit: 99,999]

[Attack: 4,280 (+999 Divine Artifact Bonus)]

[Defense: 3,800 (+Passive Stacking)]

[free attribute points: 50]

"As a Level 10 player, if these stats were posted, I'd probably be reported for cheating."

Qin Ji rubbed his chin, not in a hurry to allocate the points.

His current attributes were already a dimensional strike in the Newbie Village, and he could walk tall even in the main cities. These 50 free attribute points were extremely precious; keeping them for emergencies—like putting them into 'Luck' or 'Movement Speed'—could often produce miraculous effects.

"Good work, big guy."

Qin Ji turned around and patted the Black Warrior's cold armor.

This undead creature, which was originally just an elite monster, seemed to have grown a size larger after devouring the flesh of the Abyssal Venomous Python. The ghostly fire peeking through the gaps in its armor had turned a deep dark purple. It obediently lowered its head, letting Qin Ji place his hand on its helmet, while its throat emitted a low vibration similar to a cat's purr—showing none of the ferocity it had when tearing the giant python apart earlier.

"Let's go, it's time to deal with the 'trash' in my inventory."

Qin Ji dismissed the Black Warrior, leaving only ten relatively "low-key" Skeleton Warriors to guard his side, and turned toward the dungeon teleportation portal.

...

At this time, the dungeon entrance of Newbie Village No. 10086 was already bustling with people.

"Did you hear? That tycoon squad 'Richest Under Heaven' hasn't entered the dungeon yet; it seems they're waiting for someone."

"Tch, who else could make a whale like that wait besides that number one ranked 'Qin Ji'?"

"Two cheater-tier players teaming up? Then the first clear of the Hard difficulty is practically guaranteed, right?"

"Heh, I wouldn't be so sure. The main team of the 'Grand Blueprint' guild went in half an hour ago. Entering now is too little, too late."

Just as the players were gossiping, the crowd suddenly went silent.

A heart-palpitating chill swept in from behind.

Players instinctively looked back, their pupils shrinking violently as if seeing something unbelievably terrifying. The once crowded throng instantly parted like a tide to both sides, clearing a wide path.

Qin Ji was seen wearing a tattered black mage robe, walking out from the depths of the ruins with an indifferent expression.

And behind him, ten Skeleton Warriors over three meters tall, carrying giant bone shields and heavy swords, were marching with synchronized steps like an honor guard walking out of Hell.

*Gulp...*

Someone swallowed hard, a sound that was exceptionally jarring in the dead silence.

"Is... are those summons?!"

"Holy crap! Look at the health bars! Why are those skeleton soldiers' health bars so long? Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... six digits?!!"

"Damn! These aren't summons; it's like he's carrying ten field BOSSes with him!"

Everyone was stunned by the visual impact. At this stage, everyone was still struggling to hit monsters with small fireballs, and their health was generally no more than a few hundred points. Yet this guy's summoned underlings each had a hundred thousand health? How was anyone supposed to play this game?

At the end of the crowd, a fat man wearing a gold-threaded robe and decked out in top-tier equipment was looking around anxiously. When he saw Qin Ji and his skeleton army, his squinty little eyes instantly bugged out, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a fist.

This person was the wealthiest tycoon player in this region—[Richest Under Heaven].

"Qin... Brother Qin?"

Richest Under Heaven hurried forward to meet him, his eyes scanning the Skeleton Warriors, his eyelids twitching wildly. As a top player with the SSS-Rank talent [God of Wealth], his judgment was extremely sharp. He could tell at a glance that the attributes of these Skeleton Warriors were such that any one of them could solo the second-ranked expert on the current leaderboards.

"This is a real powerhouse!" Richest Under Heaven roared in his heart, the smile on his face becoming even more radiant. "Brother Qin, you've finally come. I've been waiting for you so long!"

"Slayed a BOSS on the way, it took a bit of time."

Qin Ji explained casually, his nonchalant tone making it sound as if he had just stepped on an ant by the roadside. He waved his hand, having the Skeleton Warriors form a circle around them to block the prying eyes of the outside players, and got straight to the point:

"There's quite a lot of stuff. Are you sure you can take it all?"

"Look at what you're saying!" Richest Under Heaven patted his chest heroically. "In this game, there's no stock that I, 'Richest Under Heaven', can't take! As long as it's good stuff, name your price!"

He was so poor that all he had left was money!

"Fine."

Qin Ji didn't waste words and gave a broad wave of his hand.

*Clatter—*

A massive pile of equipment and skill books shimmering with various lights was dumped at Richest Under Heaven's feet like trash.

Black Iron, Bronze... there were even several pieces of Silver-grade equipment radiating a silver glow!

Richest Under Heaven's smile froze.

The teammates behind him—a Shield Warrior named "A-Wei" and a priestess named "Mian Hua Tang"—were all petrified on the spot, their eyes nearly popping out.

"Is... is this a wholesale market haul?"

A-Wei tremblingly picked up a battle-axe, his voice changing pitch. "A Silver battle-axe with top-tier attributes? These stats are more than three times stronger than the Black Iron one in my hand!"

"Don't be in a hurry; this is just the appetizer."

Seeing their inexperienced looks, Qin Ji's lips curled slightly as he pulled a few more items from his inventory.

This time, the light was no longer a low-key silver, but a dazzling, eye-catching gold!

Seven pieces of Gold-grade equipment!

Five C-Rank skill books!

The golden radiance was so piercing at the dim dungeon entrance that it even penetrated the Skeleton Warriors' perimeter, causing a commotion among the players outside.

*Hiss—*

Richest Under Heaven sucked in a breath of cold air, his hand which was ready to pull out money freezing in mid-air.

Gold-grade equipment? At this stage, even Silver-grade was as rare as phoenix feathers, yet this guy had pulled out seven pieces of Gold gear? And those C-Rank skill books—those were strategic resources that couldn't be bought even with money!

"Brother Qin... did you raid a Dragon's nest?" Richest Under Heaven swallowed with difficulty, his previously confident expression becoming somewhat awkward.

Although he was rich, the game had just launched, and the gold exchange rate was limited. While his liquid capital was massive, it couldn't withstand this kind of spending!

"What? Can't take it?" Qin Ji looked at him with a half-smile.

"I'll take it! Even if I have to sell everything, I'll take it!!"

Richest Under Heaven gritted his teeth, a flash of decisiveness in his eyes. He was a businessman, and even more so, an ambitious leader. He knew what this batch of equipment meant—it meant his team could jump from "first-class" to "the only one of its kind in the server"! First clearing a Nightmare dungeon would no longer be a dream, but something easily within reach!

"It's just... the price..." Richest Under Heaven rubbed his hands together awkwardly. "I only have about two thousand gold on hand right now. Can I owe the rest for now? Or settle it with real-world currency?"

Two thousand gold coins was an astronomical sum at this stage, enough to buy half the low-level equipment in the Newbie Village. But in front of this Gold equipment, it seemed a bit meager.

"No need for all that trouble."

Qin Ji waved his hand. He only wanted money to buy some basic Materials; having too much was useless. What he valued was Richest Under Heaven's channels and his 'money-power.'

"The equipment is yours, you can owe me the money. But I have one condition."

Qin Ji held up a finger. "In the future, you have the right of first refusal for the things I get. But in exchange, you must use your connections to help me collect certain special Materials I need. No matter how expensive, no matter how hard to get, you have to get them for me."

This was Qin Ji's true purpose.

As a lone wolf, he didn't have time to scour the world for those strange job-change Materials and sub-profession blueprints. Finding a top-tier "logistics manager" was the most cost-effective deal.

"Deal!!"

Richest Under Heaven was overjoyed. This wasn't a condition; it was a windfall from the heavens! Being able to monopolize the output of the server's number one expert was a massive intangible asset in itself!

"Glad we agree."

Qin Ji nodded and directly initiated the trade request.

Looking at the massive amount of gold that suddenly appeared in his inventory and Richest Under Heaven's deeply grateful eyes, Qin Ji felt no inner turmoil. These so-called "top-tier equipment" were just obsolete transition items to him, or products he had casually synthesized using the [All-Heavens Furnace].

"Alright, the trade is over."

Qin Ji turned around, his gaze crossing the crowd to land on the distant dungeon portal radiating an eerie purple light—[Twisted Jungle (Nightmare Grade)].

The real hunt was only just beginning.

As the sun set, staining the dungeon entrance a blood red, Qin Ji stood with one hand in his pocket, his Ghostly Cloak fluttering in the evening wind. The ten massive Skeleton Warriors silently merged into his shadow, leaving behind only a floor full of astonished gazes and a long, drawn-out silhouette standing proudly before the light portal leading to Hell difficulty.