Chapter 72: The Dawn of a New Power

I surmised that the entire intelligence network across the game had instantly sprung to life, their focus locked onto the mysterious player who had suddenly appeared on the level leaderboard.

Once her identity was unearthed, every major guild would undoubtedly spare no expense to entice her into their ranks.

If this event proved not to be a mere bug, then a solo player capable of such overwhelming power was destined to carve out an undeniable place for herself on the future continent of Aydel!

Their predictions, I had to admit, were entirely accurate; even without my intervention, Su Yingning was no ordinary talent destined to remain obscure.

Her meteoric rise was merely a matter of time.

The rewards for single-handedly slaying the Red Water Dragon proved far more bountiful than we had ever anticipated!

Su Yingning’s level surged to 36 and 51%, while mine reached 36 and 70%.

Yet, the spoils of this battle extended far beyond mere experience and attribute points!

As a formidable sub-dragon BOSS, the Red Water Dragon had dropped a veritable treasure trove of high-quality crafting materials.

Although the materials around its neck were lost, crushed irrevocably beneath a massive stone, many other parts of its body remained exposed and accessible.

The sacrifice of the neck materials was a small price to pay for our solo triumph.

Once we had meticulously harvested the materials from the Red Water Dragon’s head, we navigated a circuitous path into the heart of the basin, swimming through the subterranean river until we reached the cavern housing the beast’s colossal body.

The other Red Water Dragons had long since departed, leaving us undisturbed to gather our spoils.

Before long, our task was complete.

Among the haul, the purple-grade Dragon Horn and Dragon Core shone most conspicuously.

Upon reviewing their attributes, Su Yingning fell into a deep contemplation, her expression torn.

The value of these two artifacts was simply inestimable!

Should they be sold, or were they treasures to be kept?

[Red Water Dragon Dragon Horn: This can serve as the core for a purple-grade accessory, guaranteed to forge a purple-grade lightning-attribute attack accessory!]

[Red Water Dragon Dragon Core: Can be inlaid into a weapon’s hilt, converting all of the weapon’s physical attack into lightning-attribute attack.]

Regardless of the Dragon Horn, the Dragon Core, however, absolutely, unequivocally, could not be sold!

The instant my gaze fell upon the Dragon Core, my mind abruptly flashed to a rather embarrassing trinket I had long relegated to a forgotten corner of my inventory.

Holy crap!

No way!

At that moment, I began to seriously wonder if Su Yingning was, in fact, the illegitimate daughter of the game’s developer.

This was where her true fortune lay, patiently awaiting her discovery!

A weapon with 230 physical attack, once converted, would become 230 lightning-attribute attack!

This wasn’t just any attack; it was attribute-based, a force far more potent than mere defense-ignoring damage!

(Total Attribute Attack – Enemy Attribute Resistance) x 2 = Final Damage from Attribute Attack

Currently, the game boasted virtually no lightning resistance equipment.

Even the rare few pieces that existed could, at best, accumulate a paltry 10 points of lightning resistance, rendering them almost negligible.

In other words, with this artifact in hand, Su Yingning could cleave through players with mere basic attacks, felling fragile opponents in a single strike…

No longer would she need to consider an enemy player’s physical defense; every blow would deal double true damage!

Across the entirety of the game, not a single piece of equipment was more perfectly suited for inlaying this Red Water Dragon Dragon Core than my own rather awkward creation!

Level 30 mages and rogues typically possessed around 400 health.

Su Yingning’s basic attack, without factoring in other equipment, critical strikes, or additional attack power from base attributes, would hit for 460.

She would be cutting down mages and rogues as effortlessly as if she were playing Fruit Ninja, slicing through them one by one… Was this game excessively easy?

‘Coach, I want to play a warrior!’

Then, I, who had been secretly dreading Su Yingning’s inevitable teasing about my supposed bad luck, proudly brandished the weapon I had forged: [Fire Mama is Not Happy At All].

Bad luck?

Hmph… no one could possibly be luckier than us, could they?

Thus, the most powerful handcrafted weapon in the entire game was officially born!

The crafter, a character bearing the rather cringeworthy name of MC Mary Sue (TL Note: The full Chinese name, 冰晶蝶灵· Q·紫梦雪雅殇雪, is a quintessential example of an overly flowery and exaggeratedly ‘beautiful’ name, often associated with ‘Mary Sue’ characters in web novels. Su Shunhua, as the crafter, finds this name deeply embarrassing.), was all that remained.

All that was left was for Su Yingning to be in a good mood someday and bestow upon me a proper name, and then everything would be absolutely perfect!

Having been preoccupied with conquering the Red Water Dragon these past two days, Su Yingning hadn’t once checked my inventory, thus remaining utterly oblivious to the existence of [Fire Mama is Not Happy At All].

Now, seeing the sword’s attributes in my hand and connecting it with the Red Water Dragon Dragon Core she held, her mind instantly buzzed, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.

“Master, to congratulate you on reaching Level 30, I took the liberty of crafting a little gift for you.

Here, take it.

Although its attributes aren’t, well, *amazing*,” I began, wagging my tail and deliberately enunciating each word with exaggerated smugness, “it is, after all, a small, humble, and utterly insignificant token of my affection… Ngh!!!”

A sudden coolness bloomed on my cheek as Su Yingning’s lips, light as a dragonfly skimming water, brushed against me and instantly withdrew.

Then, it was my turn to be utterly bewildered.

“Xiaoya, you’re absolutely incredible! You’re my little angel! I truly don’t know how I can ever thank you enough!” Su Yingning exclaimed, hugging the sword tightly as she bounced with joy, nearly knocking her head on a jagged rock jutting from the cavern wall.

‘Being a pet doesn’t seem so bad after all… Wait, what am I even thinking?!’

“Ahem, well,” I cleared my throat, attempting to mask my sudden embarrassment.

“Weapon socketing and inlaying are typically the tasks of a blacksmith, and I, uh, happened to complete the blacksmith’s life profession quests in my spare time… So, allow me to inlay them together!”

“Mmm~” Su Yingning hummed contentedly, happily handing over both the weapon and the Dragon Core.

She understood perfectly that while each item possessed significant individual value, their combined worth, once fused, would represent a geometric leap far beyond their separate sums!

Indeed, no other weapon could possibly be a more perfect vessel for this magic core than [Fire Mama is Not Happy At All].

Even higher-tier weapons might not boast a greater attack power than this sword, and besides, they wouldn’t be accessible for some time.

By the point they became viable, the Red Water Dragon Dragon Core’s value would have diminished, as players would then be capable of defeating Red Water Dragons and accumulating lightning-attribute resistance.

Unless a weapon inherently possessed a pre-existing socket, each could only be imbued with a single slot and a single enchanted item throughout its entire lifespan.

The magic core was swiftly inlaid.

The process of creating the socket merely required a sharp, purple-grade magic crystal—an item exceedingly precious to other players, but of which Su Yingning possessed dozens.

Having thoroughly cleared the battlefield, Su Yingning’s friend coincidentally sent a voice message.

[Wow, someone soloed a purple-named world BOSS! I wonder who’s so amazing… but it definitely has nothing to do with us casual players (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘xiányú wánjiā,’ literally ‘salted fish player,’ referring to a player who plays casually, without much ambition or effort.), right?~ Su Yingning, when are you free?

We’re getting ready to seriously raid the easy-difficulty Spider’s Nest dungeon; it drops level 20+ blue gear!]

“Yes, so impressive, hehe,” Su Yingning replied with a straight face, barely suppressing her laughter.

“I’m all done here and ready to go anytime.

Fairy Sister, why don’t you set a time?”

[Meet at the Spider’s Nest entrance in an hour?]

“OK!”

Su Yingning and I retraced our path from the underground river back to the basin, then climbed out onto the lake’s edge.

Basking in the warmth bestowed by the three suns hanging overhead in the game world, I felt a surge of exhilaration—the kind of grand, triumphant feeling one might experience after fifty years of secluded cultivation, emerging at last to astonish the world!

Su Yingning’s emotions, however, ran far deeper than my own.

The day she had been relentlessly hunted now seemed a lifetime away; yet today, she stood proudly at the very apex of Aydel Continent’s players!

“To have stumbled upon such a massive stroke of luck, and to have sent Sword Sweeping the World (TL Note: Likely a guild or a powerful player) tumbling to an unprecedented defeat… everything feels utterly unreal, like a dream.” Su Yingning sighed, finally turning her grateful gaze upon me.

“Thank you, Xiaoya.

Without you, I might still be languishing at the resurrection point, my screen in black and white… But since we’ve journeyed this far, side by side, then from this day forward, our names shall undoubtedly be etched into the heroic chronicles of Aydel Continent!”

‘No, I think I’ll pass.

Shadows have no need for something as trivial as glory.’

‘Still, after all this time spent adventuring in the wilderness, would it truly be acceptable not to carry my weight?’