C12 Equipment and Props

After Xiao Hao downed the blood agent and rinsed off, he collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

"Man, I totally blew the host away!"

"I got caught before even reaching the mountain of corpses. I was under the impression that the host was clueless, thinking he was on the first level while I was on the fifth. Little did I know, the host was way up in the stratosphere!"

"It was a deliberate discovery!"

To keep the "aggro" from slipping, he concealed himself well, then taunted them by flashing his phone light.

Next, he had the seahorse and ghosts drag out the time while he searched the mountain of corpses for the soul tonic herb!

Incredible, even when the scent of the soul tonic herb gave him away, he kept his cool and mastered an advanced skill application!

It looked simple, but the hiding terrain, the split-second decisions on which way to run, and the method and positioning of the seahorse and ghosts' tugging—it all really taxed the brain!

Is this really how the game is meant to be played?

My mom asked me why I was kneeling to watch the livestream.

Since I tuned into livestream number 869, I can't stand to watch any other players' streams. It's just amateurs pecking at each other, struggling even with a level 0 monster.

The host's fighting style is next-level, requiring some serious thought, unlike the other newbies who fight as if it's a turn-based game.

Xiao Hao had to suppress his laughter.

The netizens missed something crucial.

Scouting the terrain and pinpointing coordinates early on did indeed require a lot of mental effort.

But the real challenge was navigating landmarks and directions.

He was deep under the sea, where light was scarce, and his night vision was extremely limited.

Imagine being dropped in an endless desert without a guide; you'd just keep walking in circles, unable to find your way out.

Right-handers tend to circle counterclockwise, left-handers clockwise.

So, as Xiao Hao fled, his direction would unwittingly veer off course, even without the use of his legs.

It's like a right-hander riding a bike blindfolded; they can't go straight and end up going in circles.

As Xiao Hao made his rapid escape, he had to keep his mind running at top speed, making timely adjustments to his direction based on the subtle landmarks he remembered along the way. That was the real challenge.

Truth be told, Xiao Hao didn't consider his brain to be anything special. He was just doing his utmost, leaving the rest to fate—just like the majority of ordinary people. Plain ordinary. Otherwise, he wouldn't be just another corporate drone in the real world. His sole focus was on surviving by any means necessary.

Yet, that didn't prevent him from savoring the accolades from his Alien Land followers.

Regrettably, the streamer hadn't realized that harvesting the soul tonic herb would leave a trace of soul essence. If he had, his plan could have been more flawless.

Indeed, as he passed by the small hill, I found myself worrying for the streamer.

It was fortunate that the mountain of corpses was a maelstrom of disordered soul essence; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the slightest chance to flee.

...

Xiao Hao intended to reflect on the operation, but discovered that the chat had already done it for him.

Clearly, he hadn't been careful enough.

While gathering the soul tonic herb, he had sniffed it, detecting no scent whatsoever. He assumed that once he had the herb safely in his spatial grid and made his way to a complex terrain, he would be able to make a clean getaway. What he hadn't accounted for was the essence of the soul itself having an aura.

This was beyond his realm of knowledge, but thankfully, it was a close call without consequence.

Xiao Hao accessed the trading platform, finding nothing there that wasn't already in his possession.

Clicking on the forum, he saw the players were still listless. He was about to exit when the forum users, eagerly awaiting a high-level player, immediately noticed Xiao Hao's presence.

"Big Boss! Number 869! Got any blood agents?"

Blood agents?

Xiao Hao glanced at his inventory—six bottles remained.

"Fellow seniors, are you selling any soul tonic herb?"

"I'd wager that the damned ghost intentionally leaked the existence of the soul tonic herb just to drag me to hell!"

So that's how the players knew about the soul tonic herb—it had been leaked by other ghosts.

Yet, as Xiao Hao read their messages, something felt off.

This wasn't the way his countrymen spoke.

It appeared that the game had not only gone global but also came equipped with a translation feature.

Indeed, the wild monsters repeated only a handful of syllables, yet Xiao Hao could understand them, all thanks to the game's translation feature.

Xiao Hao had a dozen soul tonic herbs in his possession.

However, they didn't have anything he desired.

"If you're short on soul tonic herbs or blood agents, bring out your most valuable items. If you have something I want, I'm open to a trade."

This announcement sent shockwaves through the community.

"Ahhh! The boss has blood agents again! And soul tonic herbs too!"

"I've got an iron block..."

"Number 968: I'm not interested in materials. I have enough of those."

"Number 968: And no, I don't need food either."

"???"

"Then what are you looking for?"

"Oh, God, while I'm still fretting over food, someone's already solved their basic needs!"

"Is this really just a game we're playing?"

The forum was abuzz with excitement.

Xiao Hao waited in silence.

He was well aware of the game's many enigmatic items and pieces of equipment.

He had found treasures in chests and plundered a fair share from a ghost.

Regrettably, many items didn't catch Xiao Hao's fancy.

Take the "Delightful Cigarette," for instance. It promised smokers a tenfold increase in pleasure, but at the cost of an inevitable addiction to smoking.

Such useless items were promptly discarded by Xiao Hao into a storage space and forgotten.

Thankfully, the ghost's hoard had fattened Xiao Hao's inventory with many wondrous items and pieces of equipment.

Most of the items were cards, designed to protect the Shellfish House, while the equipment was for his personal use.

Since wild monsters wouldn't attack the Shellfish House on their own, Xiao Hao glossed over the card items.

His focus was on two particular pieces of equipment.

The first was an all-black, faceless mask.

The game described it thus:

Shadow Mask: A special piece of equipment that blurs your face and renders you immune to detection skills.

Xiao Hao tested it and found that upon wearing it, his face became a shadow, reminiscent of Shadow Vanishing, except it only obscured his face.

Most importantly, this equipment didn't drain any energy when it merely blurred his face.

The second item was a pair of silk gloves.

Do-over Gloves: These gloves allow you to copy any one skill from any Guardian. You can only hold onto one skill at a time, and if you choose to copy another, the previous skill is forgotten.

Once Xiao Hao slipped on the gloves, they seemed to meld seamlessly with his palm's skin, not affecting his sense of touch in the slightest.

To use the gloves, he simply had to select a Guardian's skill, and it would be temporarily replicated in his personal information panel.

Currently, Xiao Hao was playing solo, rendering the Shadow Mask unnecessary for the time being.

But the Do-over Gloves? Their utility was immense.

By entrusting the offense to the Guardian and duplicating the Emerald Armor, Xiao Hao could significantly bolster his defense, which was sorely lacking.

When he tried using the Emerald Armor skill, he was amazed to see a set of Emerald Armor materialize and clothe him. The armor was not only stunningly stylish but also weightless, preserving his agility.

Regrettably, while the armor was equipped, Xiao Hao could sense his stamina depleting.

As Xiao Hao was wrapping up his equipment trials, a buyer for the soul tonic herb could no longer contain their impatience.

Anyone who managed to escape from a ghost-type wild monster was no ordinary individual.

"Are you gathering equipment?" Xiao Hao inquired, sensing the buyer had something of interest.

"Yes."

"Look at this. I wouldn't part with it unless I was in dire straits," the seller insisted, then sent over a screenshot of the item—a pair of black Martens.

The Boots of Leaping: These boots ensure a safe landing, injury-free, no matter the height of your jump, and significantly enhance the wearer's leaping prowess.

Xiao Hao wasn't sure of their immediate use but traded for them anyway, better safe than sorry.

The next player looking to trade for the soul tonic herb offered up a card.

Sluggish Card: This card can slow down a wild monster's attack speed when they assault the main camp. (Effective for 8 hours)

Indeed, all cards came with an expiration.

To Xiao Hao, these cards hinted at an inevitable future—the game would one day lift the ban preventing wild monsters from attacking the Shellfish House.

The Deep Sea Phantom was bound to return.

Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Hao made the trade for the card.

The last person desperate for the soul tonic herb was the one incessantly pleading on the forum, repeatedly calling out "Senior, Senior" in hopes of assistance. Sadly, he had neither the equipment nor the cards to trade.

Xiao Hao wouldn't have minded playing the good Samaritan if he had resources to spare. But he had risked his life for these items, so he preferred to reserve his generosity for someone more capable.

When the other player failed to secure the soul tonic herb, he gritted his teeth and proposed a different kind of trade—a pledge. He promised that, upon receiving the herb, he would execute one of Xiao Hao's commands unconditionally, even if it meant his own death. Naturally, there were limits; he couldn't request a loophole like "obey several more of my commands."

Xiao Hao wasn't concerned about any breach of contract with the game as collateral. The real question was whether the player was worth the gamble; the stakes of the promise were high. After all, he could die the next moment, rendering the promise null and void.

Deep under the sea, the player was on pins and needles. Minutes later, the game signaled a successful transaction. In his excitement, he tumbled off the bed, only to realize after catching his breath that his forehead was slick with cold sweat.

Ultimately, Xiao Hao decided to take a chance on him. Surviving an encounter with a deep-sea phantom indicated he was no ordinary player. A binding promise seemed like a fair trade. With a bit of luck, it could even turn into a windfall.

Still, Xiao Hao kept his expectations in check to avoid disappointment. He made his investment without much thought and soon put it out of his mind.

As for those players seeking blood agents, most were hoping for a free ride without offering anything substantial in return. Without a solid promise, Xiao Hao promptly refused them.

Having had his fill of the forums, Xiao Hao logged off, only to be greeted by a sudden alert on the game panel: "Attention players: The three-day novice protection period is ending soon. Restrictions preventing monsters from attacking the Shellfish House will be lifted."

As Xiao Hao's eyes scanned the game alert, a chill settled in the pit of his stomach.

It seemed that if things were going too smoothly, it was a sure sign that trouble was on the horizon.

He hadn't anticipated a swift reunion with the Deep Sea Phantom.