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Chapter 43 - Treasury

"I told you that the Lord will reward you handsomely," Marco said happily as he led the way through the mansion corridors. "The Bandits were quite problematic the past few months. Your help in getting rid of them was priceless."

"It's only natural," Liu Ye nodded humbly as he stared ahead at the fancy wooden door with two guards protecting it. "What can I find in the treasury?"

"Oh, it's the Lord's private collection of various items that he gathered over the years," Marco explained casually. "All of them are useful for benders and you will also find some weapons to choose from. Don't worry, you will be satisfied."

Liu Ye already knew what he would be eyeing as he needed to aid his current Element. He had special items for Earth as well as Fire Element, but he couldn't use them until level 25. 

"Marco, you are back," the guards greeted with a nod while checking Liu Ye out. "Is he here to pick up a reward?"

"That's right. The Lord allowed him to pick one treasure," Marco confirmed without explaining why. It was always better to let people learn the news themselves without the need to brag.

"That's a second person today," the guard commented as he opened the door for them. "Go ahead."

Liu Ye raised his eyebrows at the guard's comment, realizing someone else might have already collected the best treasure. It was a competitive game so he could only shrug as he entered to take his pick. 

The treasury was much slower than he expected, only having around 15 platforms with various items behind glass. One of the platforms was empty, leaving 14 to choose from.

"Do you want to look around or want me to help you?" Marco asked friendly as he led him forward. "Maybe you want to check out Water Element items first?"

"Yeah, you read my mind," Liu Ye nodded as he walked between the platforms. 

He spotted necklaces, rings, bracelets as well as a few daggers and a sword. All of them had different colored crystals implanted in them. 

[Water Snake] 

Liu Ye tried to inspect one of the necklaces, but all he saw was its name without any details. It would be too easy for him if he didn't need to choose blindly. 

"From Water Element I can suggest three items," Marco introduced as he approached him. "The necklace you are looking at is similar to the Lord Dominik's Pride but it is naturally weaker. It will amplify your Elemental Power by a good amount but I don't think you are strong enough to wear it yet. It will tire your mind too much."

He then pointed at the ring on another platform and suggested, "If I were you, I would take this one. It will grant you additional raw damage which will help you defeat your enemies faster. With a short practice, you should be able to use it." 

"What about the third one?" Liu Ye asked as he pointed at the only dagger with a blue crystal. "Is it this dagger?"

Based on Marco's explanation, he wouldn't be able to use the ring or the necklace right away so he opted for the third one. Liu Ye still needed to defeat the Bandit Leader again so he planned for an immediate boost in strength.

He didn't plan on battling the Bandit Leader for another 12 hours.

[Ice Serpent] 

"This one I am not too sure about. It's a new one in the collection and I am still yet to witness its strength. Usually, weapons have no limits when it comes to the wearer so you should be able to use them right away," Marco explained while rubbing his head. "Every Elemental Weapon has a different property so I can't guess what it does. It could be helping you cast a powerful ability or something as simple as sharpening its blade with its element."

Having Marco with him turned out to be a cheat in itself. 

"I will take it then," Liu Ye decided without hesitation. Any other items would be useless to him at the current stage so he didn't have a choice anyway.

"Alright," Marco nodded as he opened the glass with a special key before passing the dagger to him. 

It was so cold to the touch that Liu Ye could barely hold it. When he checked its stats though, he ignored the coldness as he squeezed the dagger with a smile. 

[Ice Serpent] 

[Description: A cold dagger meant for merciless killing. After stabbing, the dragger will freeze the blood of your opponent within 100 seconds. It requires a constant flow of Mana and can't be detached from your opponent.]

[Effects: -1% Max HP each second]

[Requirements: Lvl. 10, Waterbending, 5 Intelligence] 

[Cost: 5 MP per second]

At first glance, it looks too overpowered but once he imagined its usage in battle, Liu Ye calmed himself down. He couldn't just stab someone in the back and switch targets because the dagger would stop working. It required Liu Ye to hold it the entire time and provide his Mana. 

If he was fighting multiple targets, the dagger was pretty much useless but the potential it had for fighting bosses was incredible. They had too many HP and 1% would equal hundreds of damage later in the game. 

"I like it," Liu Ye approved as he swung the dagger around and kept it into his inventory. 

It reminded him that he carried too many items on him that required him to visit some sort of a Bank. It would be a shame to die and lose all the items he carried. 

"Alright then, let's go then," Marco hurried as he walked back to the door when Liu Ye stopped him. 

"Wait, do you remember what was inside that empty platform?" 

"Oh," Marco hesitated while scanning all other platforms. "I think it was an Earth Stone. We had one left after the guard's training so Lord placed it inside the Treasury." 

It was no surprise that the other player picked it then. Even though Liu Ye had two stones as well, he knew the value of them would skyrocket in the future. One could only get them through special missions and from bosses which made them extremely rare. 

Not to mention the possibility of failure while using them. If there was only a 1% chance, it only meant that a lot of stones will be burned. Liu Ye could already imagine that players will end up killing each other to get one. 

"We should depart as soon as possible. We don't have time to waste," Marco informed as soon as they left the Lord's mansion. "How about we meet here in an hour and depart right after? I need to prepare my things first." 

Liu Ye calculated the time he needed for the dungeon and nodded, "See you later then." 

His scheme seemed to work perfectly as he didn't expect he would be able to receive Marco's help for so long. It was like playing with another player but without sharing the experience with them. 

A solo player dream. 

[Coins: 310 gold, 44 silver, 25 bronze]

Looking at his gold, Liu Ye couldn't help but wonder if it was normal. He just started with 6 gold and now it ballooned to 310. He could buy out the entire store if he wished to do so.

"Look! It's Grind God!" 

Multiple players called for him but he simply ignored them as he entered the General Store to restock. He found an empty pod and closed it right as the players gathered around him. 

'Oof…' He couldn't help but sigh when he saw how many players knew him right now. 'Maybe it would be better to change my outfit so they don't recognize me?'

His bandana was supposed to protect him but now everyone had the same level as him, making it hard to avoid other players. Liu Ye could only change his outfit once he reached a higher level and then pretend he was someone else. 

After filling his two stacks of Small and Medium Mana potions that cost him over 20 gold, it was finally time to spend his precious points on his Abilities. 

[Elemental Points: 2] 

Five new abilities were unlocked for him after hitting level 10 but he already knew what he wanted to improve his farming. 

[Large Water Whip]

[Description: Creates a Large whip of water with an area of effect damage. The player can control it to continuously lash at the opponent from a long distance.] 

[Cost: 3 MP per second] 

[Damage: 20 + 20% Elemental Power]

The Water Whips were his main weapon of attack and the increase in base damage would greatly improve his farming speed. The other was an entirely new ability he wanted to try for a while. 

[Water Jet]

[Description: Creates a compressed stream of water that shoots at the opponent with high speed. It is a single target ability with a long range.] 

[Cost: 5 MP] 

[Damage: 30 + 20% Elemental Power]

Liu Ye could also upgrade his Ice Projectiles and Water Boxing but Water Jet seemed too good not to try it. The knowledge caused another headache but the noises outside were much worse. 

He looked around the pod to calculate its size and pulled out a Dungeon Key without leaving. 

'Nothing will happen if I disappear here, right?'