MMORPG: The Almighty Ring

“Ayeeeee… Okay, fine. Treasure chest is yours, but you need to offer me more than just that!”

Two thousand gold coins were equivalent to twenty thousand dollars — still a huge income for Smart Tomato, but he had a family to feed. For someone who relied on gaming as his bread and butter, the money would never be enough!

“Alright! Another five hundred!”

Jiang Fei had cleared a few Unknown Dungeons, earning himself a small fortune. Naturally, he would not think much of such a sum.

“Alright! But how do I know that you have that much money? In fact, how can you guarantee that once I bring you to the location, you won’t keep it all for yourself?”

Although they had agreed on the price, Smart Tomato was still not convinced by Jiang Fei’s promise.

“Let’s just make it official!”

Jiang Fei laughed. Although the System Protocol charges a small amount of administrative fees for such arrangements, it was very secure, and the payout would be guaranteed.

“Great!”

Smart Tomato nodded. The System Protocol was indeed very secure. If Jiang Fei did not have enough money, the agreement would not be signed. Once the agreement was signed with Jiang Fei, the amount of gold coins promised by Jiang Fei would be temporarily frozen. As long as he brought Jiang Fei to the golden treasure chest’s area safely and the Legendary Quality treasure chest was truly within a hundred meters, the system would automatically deduct those gold coins from Jiang Fei’s account.

“Alright, let’s head out now!”

Once they were done signing the agreement, Jiang Fei laughed cheerfully. However, right then, Smart Tomato stared at Jiang Fei with his eyes and mouth wide open. He looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

“You… You… You are Verdure Glider?” Smart Tomato stuttered.

“Yes!”

Jiang Fei nodded.

“It is you after all! Truly… Truly…”

Smart Tomato still could not make sense of his own speech.

Jiang Fei had gained a name in Dawnlight City. He was ranked number one in terms of levels. The strongest tanker in Dawnlight City, the distributor of godly equipment and the Mobile Cash Box. Such were just a handful of Jiang Fei’s nicknames.

Once he became aware of Jiang Fei’s status, Smart Tomato stopped asking questions whatsoever. After all, Jiang Fei’s nickname of Mobile Cash Box was not for nothing!

Jiang Fei followed Smart Tomato out of the Dawnlight City. They headed towards the northern region. Very soon, they had departed from the main training area. The levels of monsters surrounding them only grew. Through the Mysterious Ring, Jiang Fei could tell that the monsters here were of Level 40 and above!

As they walked and talked, Jiang Fei got to know Smart Tomato better. He was quite the unique individual. Although he relied on gaming for survival, he took a different route from other Class Players who competed amongst each other and managed guilds. He played to explore and locate scattered treasure chests. Apart from that, he would roam around taverns, the city gate or the dungeon entrances to hear out news about such treasures. Whenever it was appropriate, he would summarize the news and sell it to interested parties.

It was not the most the lucrative lifestyle, but he had freedom. After a few successful trades in the game, he had earned himself a fair bit of cash. Therefore, he did not have much care about levelling, equipment or any of that. Otherwise, he would not have been willing to die four times in tracing the safe route.

Jiang Fei had learned much due to Smart Tomato’s own self-promotion. After all, Jiang Fei was a very wealthy man. If Smart Tomato discovered some secret location or an undiscovered dungeon, he could sell the information to Jiang Fei. This was why Smart Tomato had warmed up so much to Jiang Fei!

Not long after, the two arrived at the location. It was far away, above a small hill. Jiang Fei could see the brightly shining golden treasure chest there. Of course, he could also see that the hill was filled with tigers. These tigers were normal monsters of Level 45. Even if players formed a group of a hundred people, they might narrowly make it through. However, some of the people would inevitably die.

A massive tiger lay next to the treasure chest. The white tiger was nearly four to five meters long, and was sprawled next to the treasure chest, napping.

Road-blocking Tiger King (Beast, Leader)

Level: 48

Health Point: 200,000

Attack Power: 4,000

Skill: Mad Pounce, Tearing Bite, Clawing Attack, Tiger Roar, Sweeping Tail, Frenzy.

Mad Pounce: Randomly pounces at an enemy target. Instantly clears the aggro meter.

Tearing Bite: Immediately attacks the target, causing massive damage and inflicting bleeding effect.

Clawing Attack: Immediately attacks the target, causing a minor pushback and interrupts spell-casting.

Tiger Roar: Summons all nearby tiger monsters to assist in combat!

Sweeping Tail: Swipes at opponents behind and on both sides of the tiger, causing significant damage.

Frenzy: For every ten percent of Health Points lost, it gains an additional twenty percent Attack Power!

Jiang Fei took a look at the boss and his jaw went slack. Based on the level of most players, they could push through the small monsters with brute force, but facing the boss was out of the question. He would never last against it. Moreover, his level is just ridiculously high. Players would not be able to deal any damage towards it.

“Alright! You have completed your mission! You can go now!” Jiang Fei said as he validated the agreement in advance. The gold coins were instantly transferred into Smart Tomato’s backpack.

“Ah? Don’t you want me to bring you there? I know how to get around those normal tigers. As for the white tiger… That’s a different story,” Smart Tomato said. In his opinion, the most valuable piece of information he held was the safe route to reach the treasure chest. He had traded for it with his four repeated deaths!

“No need for that! You can go back now!” Jiang Fei said with a laugh.

“Alright then, Brother Fei. Can I add you as my friend? I will let you know if I discover any other valuable news in the future!”

Since Jiang Fei no longer needed him, Smart Tomato knew what to do. He did not forget to establish a connection with the wealthy Jiang Fei. In the future, he would not need to worry about not being able to sell his information! After all, the wealthy folks from the four main guilds combined could not possibly be any more generous than Jiang Fei!

“Alright!”

Jiang Fei nodded. Naturally, it was a good thing to have such informants as friends.

Once Smart Tomato had left with a Return Scroll, Jiang Fei smiled to himself and retrieved the Black Dragon Scale. Other people would risk their lives coming here, but Jiang Fei was different. The Black Dragon Scale could scare off even monsters that were Level 60 or Level 70. These Level 40 monsters were no match for him!

Indeed! Once he had equipped the Black Dragon Scale, Jiang Fei briskly strode towards the treasure chest. The tigers surrounding him did not even dare attack him. Not only that, they actually turned tail and fled!

“Roar…”

The Road-blocking Tiger King was roused by its brethren’s startled hisses. It straightened its back and was about to roar angrily. How dare they disturb his sleep!

At that moment, Jiang Fei stepped up. The all-encompassing Dragon’s Might nearly frightened the little white tiger to death. As a wild beast and a Leader monster only slightly higher than Level 40, it did not have much intelligence. When the all-encompassing Dragon Might appeared, the Tiger King’s legs turned jelly and it crouched fearfully. It had covered its eyes with both paws, and its tail was whooshing from side to side. The only thing missing was the sound of its mewls.