Chapter Ten: Warmth and Coolness

Yeyu's forceful reply wasn't meant to draw attention; rather, he simply didn't want to owe anyone a favor. When faced with a player like "Off by Three Years," Yeyu knew only the most direct approach would settle things.

World24 Liangye: "Off by Three Years, tonight at nine. If you don't dare to show up, be prepared to pay the price for your words."

World20 Knows Warmth and Cold: "Off by Three Years, do you dare accept?"

World21 Off by Three Years: "Heh, how could I not?"

World25 Liangye: "Tonight, the south gate of Hero Town is a non-safe zone."

World19 International Flirtation Chief Instructor: "Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Liangye was just level 24, and now in the next message, he's already level 25?!"

World20 Fierce as a Tiger: "You saw right—Liangye has already reached level 25."

After completing the chivalry quest, Yeyu and his companions all reached level 25, only five levels away from unlocking the hidden dungeon at level 30. Their next quest was to learn the Art of Forging.

Quest level requirement: 20.
Quest givers: Magistrate of Hero Town, Hero Tower Master.

Quest description: "Through your actions, you've proven both your martial skill and wisdom are outstanding. The entire world will become your stage, but before you truly step into this world, there are still things you must learn. Go speak with Master Artisan Shen Gong in Hero Town; he will teach you some very useful skills."

After finding Master Artisan Shen Gong, he would introduce the group to the game's production skills and have them forge a level 20 weapon suited to their class. Turning in the weapon to the Hero Tower Master would prove their proficiency.

Quest objective: Learn production skills and forge your chosen weapon.
Quest turn-in: Master Artisan Shen Gong, Hero Town.

As the four walked through Hero Town, their four Abyssal Demon mounts drew the gaze of every player. Many had already reached level 20, and the Abyssal Nightmare mounts had sold out. Liangye had, without a doubt, become the most famous player on the Xuantiang server that day.

When they arrived at Master Artisan Shen Gong's location, a crowd of players gathered to watch. In "Godfall," equipment inspection was available—clicking a player revealed their gear and stats.

Current Chat – Flavorful Fairy: "All four of them are wearing beginner-exclusive gear sets, and the stats are impressive. Compared to them, our attributes really do lag behind."

Current Chat – His Love Turned to Charity: "Not entirely fair; it's just that Liangye is brilliant. His fixed party all wear the beginner-exclusive sets, and with the party bonus, all those buffs together make quests and combat much easier."

Current Chat – Addicted to Sickness: "I just want it to be nine o’clock already. I really want to see how Off by Three Years and Liangye settle things tonight."

Yeyu and his group ignored the crowd and clicked through Master Artisan Shen Gong's quest, swiftly forging a level 20 string-type weapon. Just then, Yeyu's friend list icon flashed repeatedly; upon opening it, he found a message from Knows Warmth and Cold.

Knows Warmth and Cold: "Liangye, could you help me take down the Hidden Thief Expert?"

Liangye: "If it’s not urgent, please wait until I finish the main quests in the newbie area."

Knows Warmth and Cold: "Haha, sure, sure. Tell me, how are you leveling so fast? Is there a reason besides double experience?"

Liangye: "Just pick up every available quest as you go."

Knows Warmth and Cold: "Wait, that's it?"

Liangye: "Yes, that's all for now. I’ll message you later."

With that, Yeyu moved on to the next quest. The upcoming newbie quests were designed to help players understand the most basic functions of "Godfall."

Quest level requirement: 20.
Quest givers: Magistrate of Hero Town, Hero Tower Master.

Quest description: "Legendary weapons aren’t born; they must be refined and forged countless times to become sharp and indestructible. This is what you’ll learn next. Seek out the Refinement Master in Hero Town—he’ll teach you the secrets of refining weapons. Speak with him to learn the refining process, then report your success to the Hero Tower Master."

Quest objective: Learn about refining and forging equipment and weapons.
Quest turn-in: Refinement Master, Hero Town; Hero Tower Master.

Though the introductory mainline quests seemed dull, their main purpose was to familiarize players with the core mechanics of "Godfall." With VR headsets now compatible, Yeyu and his friends were eager to immerse themselves in the world as soon as their devices arrived.

Upon reaching the Refinement Master, Yeyu followed the prompts and selected "Refine and Strengthen."

To refine and strengthen, you chose the equipment to be upgraded and inserted the necessary materials. On the right was an "Enhancement Talisman," a special paper that increased the chance of success. If the process failed, the equipment wouldn't disappear but would drop one enhancement level.

Currently, enhancement was available up to level 20. Yeyu had read that, in older servers, the highest anyone reached was level 18. Enhancement Talismans only dropped from world-class bosses and had a 60% success rate, meaning failure was still quite common.

There was also a special attribute stone known as an "Augment Stone," which came in various grades: inferior, medium, superior, ultra, saint, and divine. The ones sold by newbies in the server stalls were all inferior, but even these were priced beyond the reach of most ordinary players due to the server's newness.

"Third Brother, do you think we need to refine our current gear?" Huang Hong asked, stretching and turning his head.

"There’s no need," Yeyu replied, shaking his head. "Besides, the beginner-exclusive sets can't be refined anyway."

He continued, "At this rate, we only have three main quests left in the starter area, and all side and available quests are done. Special quests can wait until later; with the server’s level cap, we’ll have time to complete them."

"Alright, we’ll follow your lead," Qu Zheng said, raising his left hand in a playful salute, his face the very picture of sly delight.

Yeyu finished the quest quickly. The four were just a sliver away from level 26; clearly, the next quest would push them over the threshold. At this pace, Yeyu was confident in maintaining his lead.

Just then, a world announcement stole everyone's attention, even Yeyu and his group looked up at the broadcast.

Jianghu Almanac: "Congratulations to player Warmcool for obtaining the final Abyssal Nightmare mount. We award player Warmcool a 5,000-point game credit voucher, redeemable for any non-limited store items."

"What the—? The final one gets such a reward?" Luo Feng stared wide-eyed at the announcement, black lines forming on his face at this unexpected bonus.

"Don’t forget, the top ten Abyssal Nightmare winners got plenty too. We received quite a lot of credits, which should save us some expenses," Luo Wei shrugged, comforting Luo Feng with a smile.

"But honestly, doesn’t Warmcool’s name sound like a couple's name paired with our Third Brother's?" Tan Cong grinned slyly at Yeyu, who could only shake his head in disbelief at the direction the conversation was taking.

"Warmcool and Liangye, Liangye and Warmcool… It does sound like a couple’s match. Third Brother, don’t you think other players might get the wrong idea?" Qu Zheng blurted out. No sooner had he spoken than the world channel erupted with messages—Qu Zheng’s mouth was truly prophetic.

World21 Soft but Wants to Be Cool: "Wait, isn’t Warmcool’s name a perfect match for Liangye’s? Like a couple."

World20 Addicted to Loneliness: "Now that you mention it, they do sound like a pair."

World20 Softhearted to the Core: "Roses and a hundred years of happiness! Liangye is the most famous player in our region now—an absolute leveling maniac. Anyone seen what level he’s at today? Will he reach the server cap of forty?"

World22 Wild and Steady: "He might be level 27 or 28 already. Last time he spoke in the world chat, he was already level 25. At this rate, he’s probably at least 26 or 27."

Yeyu paid no mind to the world chat, but his five roommates kept on bantering. He glanced at them, helpless, but now that they’d mentioned it, curiosity about Warmcool’s identity crept into his heart—the name suggested she was probably a girl.