Chapter 76: Bewitching Words That Mislead the Masses

After declining Farewell’s well-intentioned but unnecessary offer to pay for their medical expenses, Lin Jia and his two companions left behind the silent trio standing in the corner of the first floor of the Fragrant Stone Catacombs, neither fighting monsters nor speaking. Without even guessing, they knew the trio was in contact with the Taoist who’d just been killed. In all likelihood, it wouldn’t be long before a horde came seeking revenge. Both Lin Jia and the eldest were already marked with red names, making it unwise to engage in any more player battles. If they died and dropped their top-tier equipment, the loss would far outweigh any gains.

It seemed inevitable that the “have-nots” would soon lay claim to this place. Sure enough, before long, the warrior named Luce—who had been slain by his own allies (sorry, brother Luce!)—stormed into Fragrant Stone Catacombs 3, leading a sizable squad of players. Without a word, they launched a furious assault.

Seeing the situation was dire, Lin Jia and his friends realized their opponents had called in at least twenty players of various classes—likely schoolmates or close friends, since they’d rallied so quickly. Hoping to repeat their earlier harassment tactics—retreat, then return to nibble away at the enemy—they found the exits at both ends of Catacombs 3 blocked. Now they were truly trapped.

Without hesitation, the three brothers each used a scroll to return to “Red Name Village,” a desolate hamlet tucked away in the far corner of the Mengzhong continent, where Lin Jia had first arrived. Since nobody knew its real name, players affectionately called this haven for killers “Red Name Village.”

Though the server had only been open a few days and most players were still grinding monsters and racing to level up, Red Name Village was already packed to the brim, a sea of crimson as far as the eye could see. Evidently, players with violent tendencies were far from rare.

Now that Lin Jia and the eldest were marked as red names, they could no longer enter cities to buy potions or supplies, and had to make the trek to the guardless Sabak City for restocking. Worse yet, they’d just lost their prime leveling spot at the Fragrant Stone Catacombs—a painful loss indeed.

As the trio prepared for the long journey to Sabak, Farewell suddenly messaged Lin Jia: “Did Luce just bring people to wipe you out?” Lin Jia replied, “Yes.” Farewell swore, then fell silent—likely off to discipline his classmate’s younger brother.

Looking at the eldest and the fourth brother, Lin Jia asked, “What should we do? Should we go help? Looks like Farewell’s side is outnumbered.”

The eldest hesitated. “We’re both red now. What if we die and drop our gear? Maybe we should switch to junk equipment?”

Fourth Brother glared. “What good would that do? With trash gear, you can’t kill anyone. We’d just be cannon fodder! Better to stay out of it than go suffer for nothing.” The eldest thought it over and fell silent.

Lin Jia felt that not helping would be disloyal, yet risking his high-end equipment made him anxious—he’d nearly had a heart attack earlier when the Sea Soul had dropped. Glancing at the chaos of players in Red Name Village, hacking and slashing at each other even in supposed safety, a wicked idea struck Lin Jia. He grinned slyly at Fourth Brother. “No need for us to go personally! Watch this!” The eldest and Fourth Brother looked at him, bewildered.

Suddenly, Lin Jia shouted in the Red Name Village safe zone, “Oh no! Fourth Brother! My top-tier bracelet dropped! Damn! A Black Ebony Bracelet with Magic 0-8! Hurry, go pick it up for me!” The eldest and Fourth Brother were dumbfounded—how could a Black Ebony Bracelet with 0-8 Magic exist? That was ridiculously overpowered!

But Lin Jia’s words had clearly caught the attention of the surrounding players. Standing in the safe zone with one bracelet intentionally removed, Lin Jia soon found every player inspecting his gear. Cries of shock quickly erupted: “This mage’s equipment is insane! A 1-5 Sea Soul?!”

The eldest, still confused, stammered, “Second Brother, what are you up to?”

Lin Jia didn’t answer. He left his seat, walked over to Fourth Brother’s computer, and typed, “No point going! Too many people! Even if your bracelet dropped, someone else would snatch it up first!” On the screen, Fourth Brother’s warrior, “Wind Without Heart,” displayed a line of text above his head, drawing players’ attention.

“I’m going to kill that bastard for revenge!” Lin Jia typed on Fourth Brother’s machine, then returned to his own and entered, “It took me ages to get this from a hidden map! Among all my crazy gear, that 0-8 Black Ebony Bracelet is the best. I bet it could sell for several hundred bucks!” Watching Lin Jia dart between the two computers, the eldest and Fourth Brother gradually caught on and grinned, joining in.

The eldest said, “A few hundred? Don’t be so clueless! The 1-7 Demon Slayer I got the other day sold for 800 to a guy at our internet cafe! Hurt to let it go, but now I have to use this junk! Your Black Ebony Bracelet is way more insane! I bet nobody would dare offer less than a thousand!” Players nearby, seeing the +3 Accuracy and +3 Taoist Demon Slayer Sword in his hand, nearly lost their minds. Such broken gear called junk? Then what counted as top-tier?

A nearby Taoist couldn’t resist asking, “Bro, what hidden map are you talking about? Where did you get all this crazy gear?”

Lin Jia waved a hand, signaling the others to stay silent. After a pause, he said dismissively, “Nothing much!” and ignored the player, who was left itching with curiosity. Soon, the three of them were bombarded with private messages asking about this mysterious “hidden map.”

Lin Jia and his friends ignored them all. Then Lin Jia said, “Let’s go! Those guys are probably still in the hidden map, grabbing loot! Time for revenge!” With that, he led the way toward Sabak, with the eldest and Fourth Brother right behind. The players they’d left salivating over the rumor of the hidden map couldn’t resist—they all surged after Lin Jia’s group. In an instant, the once-crowded Red Name Village was deserted. A late-arriving red-named player glanced around the empty village and muttered in confusion, “Huh? Why’s it so quiet? Am I the only one here? Did I go to the wrong place? This is nuts!”

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[Author’s Note: I’ve read all the feedback in the safe zone (review section). Even if I haven’t replied to every comment, I’ve taken your suggestions to heart. For issues like “unreadable dialects,” I’ll be making corrections in future chapters, thanks to everyone’s input!

Let me ramble for a moment. Some friends have said my updates are too slow, or complain that each chapter is only 2,000 words, and yet I still keep asking for votes. I admit, updates are slow because I have other commitments and can’t write full-time like a professional author, but I promise never to skip updates entirely! When I say I’ll post two chapters tomorrow, I mean it—even if I miss a day, I’ll make it up the next!

As for the short chapters, that’s simply to rack up more clicks and recommendations. The aggressive vote requests are for the same reason. As you know, this book is one of 20 selected works in the “Legend” writing contest. Only the top vote-getter this month will win. My votes are looking good, but since my application for a week of homepage promotion from the 25th to the 31st was denied, I lost my final push. Some other entries are on the leaderboard and not far behind in votes. So next week, I’ll be updating like mad to chase votes. Once the contest ends, chapters will be longer and I’ll stop bothering everyone with these rambling notes at the end!

I won’t say more—otherwise, this will be as long as the chapter itself. I got hurt yesterday and haven’t been in top form, which has slowed me down, but I’ll keep updating! Please support the book! If you like it, please cast your votes for me every day from tomorrow until the 31st!

PS: There will be another update tonight!

Thank you all!

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