Chapter 63

The phone call was from an old acquaintance in the professional circle, Old Huang, a sleazy man known as the "Information Broker." He called to ask if Fang Yi was the same Fang Yi from "Miracle," and of course, Fang Yi denied it outright: "Ha, if I had revealed any information, I could have sold this news to a bunch of buyers for a high price—most of them are my enemies."

"Can you contact that Fang Yi? Someone wants to buy the dagger he has," the Information Broker said anxiously, as the thief was currently making waves in "Miracle," with one system announcement after another, far from the pace of an ordinary player.

"How would I have his contact information? I've already tried adding him as a friend, but he hasn't even enabled the friend request function, and my messages have gone unanswered," Fang Yi said offhandedly, pressing the flush button on the toilet and checking his hairstyle in the mirror—it seemed he needed a haircut.

"Yeah, I've tried contacting many people, including old acquaintances from 'God of War,' but the thief hasn't responded to any of them. If we could catch this hot topic..."

Dream on! Fang Yi ignored the Information Broker's rambling and hung up the phone. It was true that some of his old friends might have entered "Miracle," so he should take some time to sort through his message manager.

Putting on a random T-shirt, Fang Yi went out and headed to a nearby old-fashioned barbershop.

Perhaps it was his age, or maybe he was just a conservative and nostalgic person, or most likely, he was just frugal—though he wouldn't admit it. Fang Yi instinctively disliked those fancy, oddly named barbershops.

The sign of the barbershop in front of him simply read: "Barber." The barber was a master in his sixties, surnamed Yuan, who had been working there for over thirty years. Fang Yi had been renting a place in this suburban neighborhood for over a year and had been a regular customer here.

"Out of game time?" Master Yuan asked with a smile as he saw Fang Yi walk in.

"Yeah~ It's pretty quiet here today~" Fang Yi looked around and said with a grin. Old Yuan was also a trendsetter, often entering the game at night, and he and Fang Yi had some common topics.

"It's 8:50," Master Yuan pointed to the clock on the wall and gave Fang Yi a look, "If you had come any later, I would have already entered the game."

Fang Yi wisely didn't continue the conversation about the number of customers, just closed his eyes and let the electric clippers run over his head, chatting casually with Master Yuan.

"My grandson says he doesn't want to go to school anymore. He keeps saying that playing games can earn money, so there's no need to spend three years in college and three years in graduate school. He's having a tough time with his parents," Master Yuan said while trimming Fang Yi's thick, hard hair.

Involving someone else's family matters, Fang Yi hesitated and didn't respond. After the haircut, Fang Yi paid and looked at his new buzz cut in the large mirror on the wall. "He's still young. Whether it's a smooth road or a bumpy path, he might not be able to tell the difference. A little setback might make him come back."

"Still young, huh? See you later," Fang Yi said with a smile, bidding farewell to Old Yuan and leaving the barbershop.

The suburban night wasn't as hot as the city. Fang Yi strolled down the street, recalling the past, when he first entered the game and started from scratch, trying to understand the game's currency system to make money; being chased and killed repeatedly due to his lack of skills; being scammed out of over 5,000 universal coins in a trade... He had come a long way.

When you're young, you don't understand that elders want to guide their children onto a smooth path. Later, you realize that choosing a thorny path means there's no turning back. He hoped Old Yuan's grandson would understand this.

In the virtual world, there was no environmental pollution. The fresh morning air made Fang Yi feel much better, and his mind felt lighter. System announcements would pop up from time to time, announcing that someone had become the first blacksmith apprentice, or that a team had defeated a level 15 wild boss. This was the world of "Miracle"! A magical world full of fame and opportunity!

According to the agreement from the previous day, Fang Yi arrived at the West Gate of Tashir on time and easily found the team of Silk Gatherer. It was impossible to miss them, with Silk Gatherer and Black Mountain Sprite, two tall and beautiful women, standing at the front of the team.

"Days haven't passed, and you've changed your equipment again!" Black Mountain Sprite walked up to Fang Yi, who had changed most of his gear, and teased, "Was that dagger you got yesterday? Really?"

The timing of the system announcement and the dagger's appearance on the list was too coincidental, so Fang Yi couldn't deny it and just nodded. Everyone's attention shifted from Fang Yi's distinctive backpack to the dagger on his waist. A rare weapon, with millions of players, there were still fewer than a hundred weapons on the weapon ranking list, making it impossible not to draw attention.

Silk Gatherer didn't say anything when they met, just smiled at Fang Yi, looking somewhat tense, which left Fang Yi puzzled.

The team quickly gathered, and they all left the city, soon arriving at their destination: the entrance to the Naga Abyss dungeon.

A ten-person level 15 dungeon was the highest level challenge currently available to players. Fang Yi observed that the team members were well-equipped, with some unique and advanced gear, especially the Warlock named Fire Kirin, whose staff was at least a fine-grade item, and his dark purple robe might even be a rare item.

The first kill of a dungeon boss had a high chance of additional rewards, similar to the drops from a wild boss. Given the team's strength, going for the first kill reward was a good choice.

The entrance to the Naga Abyss was hidden in a pool of water. At least four or five teams were preparing to enter, and they all gave the well-equipped team Fang Yi was in a strange look, as they were all competitors here. Captain Fire Kirin didn't seem bothered and led the ten-person team into the dungeon.

The Naga Abyss was a deep cave, with plant roots hanging from the ceiling, taking up most of the space above. However, the cave was quite spacious, and the ten people walked inside without feeling crowded. Fang Yi's gaze swept over the distant darkness and landed on two tall monsters standing in the center of the path.

The monsters were about seven feet tall, with emerald-green scales on their backs, long tails dragging behind them, and crocodile-like mouths that occasionally made a hissing sound like a reptile. They held an iron anchor in their right hands and a turtle shell shield in their left. The information from the detection skill confirmed Fang Yi's guess: these were level 15 elite Naga Brutes!

Typical gatekeeper monsters, with high defense and health, the elite template compensated for the lower damage from carrying a shield, serving as a litmus test for the team's hardware configuration.