Chapter 53

The shouts of the rogue drew the attention of many people around. Fang Yi's movements were not slow, but the purple light was like a light bulb in the pitch-black night, extremely conspicuous on the ground lit only by moonlight and torches. However, the members of the Heaven's Domination around him did not have Fang Yi's superior strength and were still engaged in fierce battles with their enemies. They could only watch helplessly as the rogue threw the purple-glowing equipment into his backpack.

Fang Yi quickly surveyed his surroundings. The battle was in a heated phase, but without their leader, this group was only putting up a last stand. It was only a matter of time before they were wiped out. Ignoring the Blood Dance rushing towards him, he directly entered stealth mode.

Blood Dance was extremely frustrated. He had been killed by this rogue in their first encounter, and then in the Troll Plains, he was directly killed by the portal because he was a step too slow. Now he was only level 11. This damned rogue had the audacity to pick up a piece of purple equipment right in front of everyone! He must be stopped!

As Blood Dance gritted his teeth, the rogue's figure suddenly disappeared before his eyes, followed by the system message, "Player Fangkuai has left the party."

The painful memories of the vicious rogue still lingered in Blood Dance's mind. He instinctively took two steps back and leaned against the overgrown rock wall. Seeing several teammates rush towards the entrance of the cave, Blood Dance realized that Fangkuai might be trying to escape. He found himself drenched in cold sweat.

Qi Tanshan also noticed that Fang Yi had picked up the purple equipment. He immediately sent messages to the few people at the back, instructing the ranged classes to form a wall to block the entrance. This way, Fangkuai would have no chance of escape. However, Fang Yi reacted quickly and left the party just as the Heaven's Domination members gathered at the entrance. As the party leader, Qi Tanshan immediately lost the rogue's location information. (The party leader can view the location of party members on the map.)

However, Qi Tanshan was not in a hurry. He had observed the terrain when he entered; there was only one entrance. There would be plenty of time to search later. Within five minutes, the group of Japanese players, without their leader, were slaughtered. Qi Tanshan immediately ordered a thorough search of the area.

But five minutes passed, then ten minutes, and Qi Tanshan began to lose his composure, personally joining the search party. After half an hour, Qi Tanshan, in a fit of rage, discovered that the rogue had vanished into thin air!

More than half an hour earlier, near the cave exit. A magical fluctuation quietly appeared on the rock wall, which rippled like water. The surface of the rock wall gradually revealed a vague shadow. In the next moment, the rough rock wall blossomed layer by layer, and the human-shaped shadow landed lightly on the ground.

Fang Yi put away the Deep Earth Walker amulet in his hand, silently thanking his luck. He had escaped the group attack but almost died inside the rock due to insufficient mana. The "Head-On Strike" quest on his task list was marked as completed. Staying there would only increase the danger—turning against them was expected, but he hadn't anticipated the rogue's escape trick. Fang Yi looked at the two items in his hand and grinned.

Captain of the Cavalry's Amulet (Rare Necklace)

Neck

Level Requirement: 15

Durability: 5

Weight: 1

Bloodshed (Passive): Whenever your melee attack hits an enemy, there is a chance to absorb 1 point of the enemy's health and add it to your own. The lower your health, the higher the health absorption effect.

Aura of Courage: Your rich combat experience and outstanding leadership always keep you and your teammates in the best state. All friendly players within 25 feet have +1 Morale. (Can be turned on and off)

"An ornate polygonal pendant with the purple dragon emblem of the Kingdom of Cormyr"

*Note: Morale: Under normal circumstances, a player's morale is 0. Morale can increase a player's movement speed, casting speed, initiative, and resistance to external injuries, diseases, and certain negative effects (such as dragon fear). (Some bard skills have similar effects)

The other item, a round stone, was what truly made Fang Yi's heart race. This masterpiece of nature glowed in his hand, as if absorbing all the surrounding light into the center of the stone, forming a vortex of light that shouldn't exist. The stone's attribute was only one line:

"Extremely rare natural gemstone, unknown effect"

Fang Yi could immediately tell that the egg-sized stone in his hand was a fine piece of jade, with a refreshing and vibrant green that was both transparent and lively. In the center of the stone was a silver-white spot, and surprisingly, the edges of the spot formed a regular hexagram, emitting a watery glow in the center of the jade, giving the impression that the hexagram was pulsating.

Fang Yi swore he had never seen such a beautiful stone. Even without any attributes, the jewelry made from it would be enough to drive many female players crazy. Moreover, Fang Yi's intuition told him that this stone was definitely a top-tier item. However, his mediocre appraisal skill, used for five minutes, failed to reveal any additional information about the gem. Fang Yi decided to find a high-level NPC appraiser in the West Gate.

The appearance of this beautiful gem on the fat Japanese player made Fang Yi think of the word "mine" he had overheard from the three Japanese players earlier—should he stay in Greenwind Canyon a bit longer?

After a brief thought, Fang Yi abandoned the idea. First, the Heaven's Domination had already made this place their future base, and the Japanese players would likely not be able to complete quests here, just like him. Second, without any quest leads, finding a mine would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. With this in mind, Fang Yi put the gem back in his pocket and entered stealth mode.

The bright moonlight reflected like white jade on the canyon walls, casting shadows at the bottom of the valley. Using the reflections from the rock walls, Fang Yi skillfully navigated through the forest. Between the entrance of Greenwind Canyon and the Bull's Horn Camp, there were only small monsters below level 15, which could not detect the rogue in the darkness.

Mason Lionmane and the other druids stood on the highest point of the camp—the platform at the top of the towering tree in the center. The firelight from the Red Robe Mage Camp was clearly visible in the distance. The raging fire was contained within a small area, which Fang Yi had specifically instructed Qi Tanshan to pay attention to. Otherwise, even if they killed all the Red Robe Mages, burning hundreds of acres of forest would likely turn his reputation in the Bull's Horn Tribe negative.

The druids looked at Fang Yi with respect. Mason Lionmane stepped forward and made a unique but solemn gesture to Fang Yi.

"You and your companions have saved this forest, adventurer. Since ancient times, only the bravest and most valiant warriors have been honored with the title of 'Rhos' in our tribe. From now on, please allow us to call you the Guardian of Greenwind Canyon, the Hero of the Bull's Horn Tribe, Rhos Fangkuai!"

System Message: Congratulations, you have completed the quest "Head-On Strike" with 50% completion, earning 535 experience points.

You have obtained Mason's Stomping Boots.

Congratulations, you have earned the Hero title "Rhos." As the first player to earn a Hero title, your deeds will be widely celebrated in the land of Faerûn.

Your reputation with the Bull's Horn Tribe has increased by 732 points.

Your reputation with the Bull's Horn Tribe has reached Respected.

As the first player to reach Respected reputation with any faction, you have earned the achievement "Famous for a Time."

World Announcement: Congratulations to player Fangkuai for earning the first Hero title "Rhos" in Faerûn. His story will be celebrated in the land of Faerûn forever.

A series of system messages almost blinded Fang Yi. Asking for help was not ideal; the completion rate was only 50%, and if he had done it alone, he would have earned over a thousand experience points. But compared to experience, gold was better.