Chapter 45: The Tattered Silk of a Defiant Hero

After several hours of effort, the three brothers finally managed to sell off all the equipment they had in stock. Their account balance soared to an astonishing 3.17 million gold coins, leaving them grinning from ear to ear. At a time when most players were so poor they’d have to sell their own skin to buy potions, the brothers had already amassed a fortune that seemed almost unbelievable. Who wouldn’t be overjoyed? At this point, apart from the leaders of large organizations and gaming guilds who might have some spare funds, only Lin Jia and his friends could afford to level up without worrying about potion money—and even save a little on the side. Perhaps their savings weren’t as impressive as those of others, but at least they hadn’t purchased any gold coins through shady black market deals like the organized players had. That made it all the more meaningful.

Besides the three million in gold, their leader had also managed—quite by chance—to trade a rare pair of “Magic Resist 0-1, Attack 0-1” enchanted bracelets for a “Skull Helmet” from the Skeleton set for their fourth brother. Unfortunately, no one was willing to part with a “Skull Ring,” probably because of its rarity and the reluctance of those who owned one to sell. As a result, their fourth member was still two attack points short and couldn’t equip the helmet yet, leaving him beside himself with frustration.

There was nothing for it but to shout in the marketplace, offering high prices to buy both the Death’s Gloves and the Skull Ring. They wondered if the Skeleton set might even include a necklace—what a shame it would be to miss a piece!

The three of them called out for almost half an hour in the safety zone of the main city. At last, they managed to pry a pair of Death’s Gloves from the hands of an organization leader strapped for cash, spending a jaw-dropping 1.6 million gold in the process! It was only because few were willing to pay such a sum for equipment right now, and because that leader was truly desperate for money, that they succeeded at all; otherwise, no one would have agreed to part with such a rare pair of gloves.

With half their funds gone in an instant, their leader glared at the fourth brother as if he wanted to take a bite out of him. But the fourth brother, newly equipped with his prized gear, paid no attention to these dark looks, beaming as he swapped out his “Defense 0-2, Attack 0-1” sturdy gloves for the Death’s Gloves, slipping them onto his wrists…

Not suitable for your class.

The five blood-red words that popped up in the chat box left the three brothers momentarily stunned. The fourth brother’s hand shook as he moved the cursor over the Death’s Gloves: “Required Level 22!”

“Damn it!” the fourth brother roared, nearly spitting blood onto the monitor. The three of them had only remembered that Xiao Xiami’s Death’s Gloves offered 1-2 attack; with a pair, the fourth brother would be able to equip both the Skull Helmet and Skull Ring. In their excitement, they’d never noticed that the gloves required level 22 to wear.

“Heavens above!” The fourth brother stared up, eyes brimming with tears. “Why must you torment me so?!”

“Forget it, let it go!” their leader patted the weeping fourth brother in consolation. “Just one more level and you’ll be able to wear them! You’re almost there, anyway…” As he spoke, he sneaked a look at the barely-begun experience bar showing the fourth brother at level 21.

“Level up! Level up!” Driven by frustration, the fourth brother’s fighting spirit flared anew. He shouted as he ran to the warehouse, stashing away any equipment he couldn’t use, bought potions, and then dashed out of the city alone. The leader and Lin Jia exchanged a silent glance with the fourth brother in between them—he seemed so agitated that he might have lost his mind. With the third level of the Fragrant Stone Tomb swarming with mid- to high-level monsters, what could a mere level 21 warrior hope to achieve but a brutal beating? But Lin Jia and the leader could only store away their own equipment, stock up on potions, and follow Lin Jia into the third level of the Fragrant Stone Tomb.

A new round of frenzied slaughter began. But from the way all the monsters onscreen were moving in fits and starts, it was clear the server was at its absolute limit; even the monsters were starting to lag. Watching their leader’s character run and stop while luring mobs, Lin Jia broke out in a cold sweat. One slip-up and they’d all be mobbed to death. The only saving grace was that when the leader’s character froze, the monsters would freeze too. Dangerous, yes, but not hopeless…

Lin Jia wasn’t about to risk his life. He obediently stayed behind the E-shaped wall, casting lightning spells at a snail’s pace. After each blast, he’d have to wave his arm and cheer for more than ten seconds—a hero’s pose so ridiculous that Lin Jia wanted to punch the screen. The fourth brother, meanwhile, was already close to hurling the computer out the second-floor window in frustration.

“I can’t take it anymore!” The leader slammed his mouse down and stood up, shouting in fury, “What a garbage server! I’ve died three times already! I can’t stand it!” Luring mobs was hard work, and with the server lagging so badly, he’d bravely sacrificed himself three times. He was so frustrated he didn’t even want to go back for the 1–4 Daoist magic Phoenix Pearl necklace he’d dropped—he just hit revive and returned to town.

So the fourth brother had to take over luring monsters. Lin Jia went to retrieve the necklace for the leader, then decided to return to town as well. There was no point staying; in these conditions, leveling up was impossible. If you paused for even a second, by the time your character responded you’d either be on the brink of death or lying flat, watching the black-and-white “TV show” of monsters strutting over your corpse.

After returning to town and handing the necklace back to the leader, Lin Jia slumped in frustration and pushed his keyboard aside. “I say, let’s call it a day. This is totally unplayable! Why don’t we play some StarCraft instead?”

“No way! That’s exhausting! Let’s just take a break!” The leader opened a music site and lost himself in the tunes, while Lin Jia and the fourth brother started a StarCraft skirmish, leaving their game characters safely parked in the protected zone and switching over to duel each other in StarCraft.

They hadn’t been playing long, the rattle of Terran Marines’ machine guns filling the room, when someone knocked on their private box’s door. The brothers were already in a foul mood after their frustrations in Legend, and the fourth brother had just been overrun by Lin Jia’s Zerglings twice, then violated by his Protoss Zealots, and now had his base “scorched earth” by Lin Jia’s Terran Marines. He was on the verge of losing his mind. The moment the door was knocked, he leapt up and roared, “Who is it?!”

The door hesitantly swung open. The Taoist brother Feng Jian Yue, who’d been sitting downstairs with Monkey earlier, poked his head in timidly. “Guai Zi… Monkey says he wants to treat you guys to drinks. Are you coming?”

The fourth brother froze, glanced at Lin Jia, and Lin Jia checked the time on the computer. With a grin, he pushed back his keyboard and stood up. “Let’s go! It’s already past six!”

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(A note from the author: Whew, work was exhausting today! I nearly fell asleep at the computer while writing just now! I’ll post this chapter and take a nap, then write more in the middle of the night. If any night owls are up, you can wait to see the brothers’ real-life backgrounds in the next chapter, or just check it out in the morning, so you’re not waiting around!

P.S.: The “Legend of the Mage” has officially been selected as part of Qidian’s “Legend” writing contest today! Thank you all for your support during this time! From now on, every vote you cast is crucial for me—whether I can break into the top three depends on how enthusiastic you are! So tomorrow, I plan to give you a “wild” update to give you all a beating, dear readers! Stay tuned! There’s a button below—do what you will!)