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Everyone was completely exhausted from playing through the night, so they each logged off.

Zane bought two servings of rice noodle rolls and left them in the living room. After finishing one, he headed straight to bed. The soft patter of rain against the window blended with Zane’s drifting thoughts.

…

Such a familiar figure…

The person ahead was growing farther and farther away.

Don’t go…

It was like they couldn’t hear him at all.

Don’t go…

Please don’t go…!

…

His eyes burned with a raw sting… and his pillow was already soaked.

Was it too damp in here? Or… had I been crying?

Zane didn’t understand it himself. It must’ve been another dream—but different from any he’d had before. He didn’t know what exactly had happened. His chest felt tight and stifled.

He opened the window, letting the rain-washed, crisp air flood the small room. Breathing it in, he finally started to feel more awake.

…

“You’re finally up. I already soloed my way to level 15,” Shiu said when he heard noise from Zane’s room.

“Anything new happening in the game?” Zane asked.
“There is—and it’s big news from this morning! Someone’s already surpassed your level! And it’s a hidden class, too.”
“What?” Zane was startled.
“Check the rankings yourself. It’s right there on the leaderboard,” Shiu said.

Zane hurried to put on his VR headset. In a blink, he arrived in the world of Dreamscape.

His friends list showed that Endless Sea and YoyoPink were still offline, but Nangong and the others had already reached level 15.

Everyone’s been working hard! Right—better check the rankings!

Several lines of information immediately filled his vision:

It was clear how powerful Mages were in the early game—three of them were in the top ten. Even so, it was surprising. FaintTrace had been killed by Starry just recently, and yet he had climbed back up so quickly.

Endless Sea and YoyoPink had leveled up together with them… but as for that first place…

“Windblossom?” Zane muttered.

“Yeah,” Shiu said. “I heard they once placed third at the national solo tournament in Glazed Lycoris Radiata. Their skill is top-tier in the whole server. And now they’ve gotten a hidden class too. They probably didn’t show up on the rankings before because they were working on their class quest. Now they’ve shot past everyone straight to number one!”

“That strong, huh?” Zane wondered how Windblossom compared to Starry.

“Of course! We’re talking about someone who placed top three nationally! Their awareness and reaction speed are on a whole other level. Honestly, I had to slow down the tournament replays just to understand what was happening.”

“…” Zane didn’t know what to say.

“But you and Stardust are still the most eye-catching,” Shiu continued. “Two players without even class advancement yet, still managing to outpace all the big guilds. Oh, right—there’s something else. Rainflower’s guild leader issued a bounty. They’re offering 10,000 RMB to anyone who can kill Stardust even once!” Shiu said meaningfully. “Leveling’s not gonna be easy now.”

“10,000? Even I’m tempted,” Zane joked.

“Yeah, right. Never mind the fact she’s carried you—you think you could beat her?”

“Well…” Zane seriously considered his odds against Starry.

Maybe if he used his Gray Wolf form to widen the distance, then shifted into Elna form to strike with Blazing Fire? No, he wouldn’t even land a hit. His only real ranged option was Invoke: Blazing Fire.

However, with Gray Wolf’s movement boost, Starry definitely couldn’t catch him. Rapid Stride could counter her Thousand Flash Steps.

“Looks like… it might end in a draw?” Zane said seriously.
“Zane.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you’ve gotten more arrogant ever since you started playing Dreamscape.”
“…”

…

Across the entire wasteland, almost all the Bioraptors had been wiped out by Zane. Their respawn rate seemed to be very slow—he hadn’t seen a new one for a long while now.

Time to head back to the city and deal with all these materials.

Crushing a Return Scroll, he teleported away.

Oh, right— I forgot to turn in the goblin quest. Let’s get that done first.

Jeno’s face lit up with joy. “I can’t believe you actually brought back so many goblin pelts! Here, these rewards are yours!”

An equipment!?

The stats were extremely mediocre… As expected of a general store owner—stingy to the core. Still, since his cape slot was empty, it was better than nothing. Both Starry and Zane received one, clearly a mass-produced item.

He equipped it immediately. A tattered cloak draped from his shoulders, fluttering as the breeze swept past.

This looks downright foolish. Better hide the appearance through the settings.

Just as he was about to head out, a thought struck him. Zane pulled out the Hardened Scales, “Boss, you buying these?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes gleamed with greed but quickly returned to calm. “Ah, these materials… they look tough, sure, but they’re not all that useful. Frankly, I’m the only one in Wynwater City willing to take them off your hands. I’ll give you… 1 silver coin each,” he said, holding up a finger.

Hmm? Definitely fishy. Without a word, Zane turned and walked away.

“Wait, wait, young man! 2 silver coins! That’s as high as I can go! Those scales aren’t worth as much as you think!” the shopkeeper shouted anxiously.

So that’s how it is—meaning they are actually valuable!

Without hesitation, Zane strode out the door.

“Young man! Young man!” the shopkeeper’s frantic calls rang behind him. But Zane had no intention of selling to him. This kind of cheapskate? He’d get ripped off and not even know it.

He made his way to the player market square specially set up in Wynwater City.

Finding a spot with heavy foot traffic, he opened a stall and dumped all his goods: slime mucus, venomous fangs, the Blood Bat King’s fang, withered bones, undead wolf pelts, goblin pelts, and Bioraptor scales—all set up for 10-minute auctions.

Zane began hawking his wares loudly, “Rare materials for sale! Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If you need it, better grab it now!”

“Bro, are you raiding the general store or something? Where’d you get so much rare loot!?” a passerby exclaimed.

“Low profile, low profile~” Zane grinned.

“Wait a sec—isn’t that Emberveil!? The third-ranked Beginner on the level rankings!”

“Bioraptor Scales! Holy crap—aren’t those the materials for crafting Refined Scale Armor!? And he’s actually selling them!?”

…

The crowd gradually gathered around Zane.

There was no helping it—auction rules didn’t allow for instant purchases. Only when no one placed a higher bid for ten minutes would a transaction be finalized. Right now, the price for a single piece of Bioraptor Scale had already climbed to 2 gold coins! It was insane!

Zane quickly opened the forum to check the stats for Refined Scale Armor.

Its stats completely outclassed the Decayed Bone Armor! And the Harden special effect meant the wearer wouldn’t need to repair their gear as frequently—which mattered, because the higher the grade and level of the equipment, the more expensive repairs became.

Another important point: Refined Scale Armor was crafted gear. Which meant it could be mass-produced!

No wonder Bioraptor Scales were fetching such high prices—just a small stockpile could equip an entire army in Rare-grade armor. For now at least, Rare gear was still scarce and in high demand.

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