After dinner, Lu Ming logged back online to continue grinding the Nether Ghost Tower.
Lu Ming himself didn't mind, but he was concerned about Lin Youwei, a girl who stayed up late every night, fearing it might take a toll on her health.
If something happened to this cash cow, it would be like cutting off his own source of income, which Lu Ming couldn't afford!
Moreover, grinding low-level monsters between levels 16-20 didn't motivate Lu Ming much. Once he got the Soul Set and headed to the higher planes, he could earn in one day what he currently made in two or three!
So, he decided to call it a night at ten.
After logging off, taking a shower, and lying in bed, driven by the increasing desire to obtain the Soul Set, Lu Ming picked up his phone and checked the auction house on a whim.
To his surprise, he found a piece of Soul Set equipment that had been listed for less than a minute, and it was precisely for the Trickster class!
[Soul Ring] (Level 20 Bronze Equipment, part of the Trickster Soul Set): Price 49,999!
The price made Lu Ming hesitate.
"A regular piece of level 20 Bronze Equipment only costs around seven or eight thousand, so this is six or seven times more expensive."
Of course, Lu Ming knew that the Soul Set was in a completely different league compared to ordinary Bronze Equipment.
Because, as everyone knows, the drop rate of Soul Stones from monsters in the Nether Ghost Tower is not affected by the killer's level, unlike other monsters.
Imagine how easy it would be for a level 50 player wearing a full Soul Set to farm Soul Stones by killing level 10-15 undead in the first plane!
So, for high-level professional gold farming players, the Soul Set is their path to wealth!
And for Lu Ming.
The sooner he got the Soul Set, the sooner he could go to higher planes, and his earnings would multiply. The money invested in buying the Soul Set now could be earned back in just a few days!
"I wonder when Qing Yan will be able to get the Soul Set. If she can't, I'll have to buy it myself."
"I'll buy it first, and if Qing Yan manages to get it for me, I can always sell it."
With this thought, Lu Ming, who still had over a hundred thousand in savings, was about to place an order.
But suddenly, he saw: [Soul Ring] had already been purchased!
"Damn!"
"Who was so quick?"
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Lu Ming was shocked.
This was for the Trickster class!
Even equipment for this underdog class was snatched up?
"Bad luck!"
Lu Ming couldn't help but blame himself for hesitating those few seconds. Otherwise, the equipment would have been his!
Thinking of this, Lu Ming tossed and turned in bed all night.
The next morning, Lu Ming woke up and checked his phone, finding an unread WeChat message from Qing Yan!
Lu Ming's heart leaped with joy, thinking Qing Yan had gotten the Soul Set for him.
But when he opened the message, it said: "I've asked around a lot, and it's currently very difficult to get the Soul Set outside."
"However, I've heard that if you're lucky, you can buy the Soul Set with gold coins at the black market. You can check it out."
The black market in the second layer of Sky Abyss, accessible only to players between levels 20-30.
Lu Ming had planned to visit this place once he reached level 20.
Besides the rare treasures frequently found there, he now had another goal: to see if he could get the Soul Set.
In fact, Lu Ming had an even more important reason, to fulfill a regret from his past life!
"I wonder if that goblin is still in the black market..."
Thinking of this, Lu Ming brushed his teeth with his right hand and browsed the Sky Abyss forum with his left, searching for the keyword "black market goblin."
He found that it was still a hot topic!
Forum users had a love-hate relationship with this goblin.
"Whoever can get the scroll from that goblin, I'll give them a million! Even if it turns out to be a worthless piece of paper, I'll still pay! This post is my proof!"
"Something that no one has been able to get for ten years can't be worthless, right? It's probably like the infinitely growing skill scroll from the Purgatory-level difficulty of the Scarlet Zone dungeon, another priceless treasure!"
"Anyone interested in forming a team to take down that goblin? We can split the money from selling the scroll fifty-fifty!"
"You're a genius! Do you think you're the only one who thought of that? Do you know the goblin's status? A level 50 Golden BOSS! The black market only allows players up to level 30, what are you going to use to fight a level 50 Golden BOSS?"
This post was active just a few minutes ago, indicating that the goblin was definitely still there!
Ten years ago, a goblin named [Avani], a level 50 Golden BOSS, suddenly appeared in the black market.
No one knew where he came from, but everyone knew that the goblin carried a golden scroll that was obviously worth a fortune!
For ten years, countless players tried to obtain the golden scroll from the goblin Avani, but all failed.
Because Avani ignored everyone.
But strangely, when Lu Ming approached the goblin, he was given a quest!
Lu Ming didn't know why the goblin ignored everyone else but gave him a quest.
However, unfortunately, the Lu Ming of his past life was too weak. He tried dozens of times but couldn't complete the quest given by the goblin. Plus, he was eager to level up and couldn't waste too much time in the black market, so the matter was left unresolved.
By the time he leveled up enough, he could no longer enter the black market, missing the opportunity forever.
So this time, entering the black market, he wanted to see if he could find the goblin again.
If he could still receive the quest from his past life, with his current strength, he was sure he could complete it!
What secret was hidden on that goblin?
What exactly was the golden scroll on him, similar to the [Scroll of Deification] that Lu Ming had used to obtain his current ten-star account?
Lu Ming was very curious.
"Let's level up to 20 first and check out the black market!"
Lu Ming was already level 17, not far from 20.
So, after having steamed dumplings with Lin Youwei downstairs for breakfast, they each returned to their rooms and logged back online.
The progress in the Nether Ghost Tower would be paused for now, to be continued after acquiring the Soul Set from the black market.
For now, Lu Ming planned to take Lin Youwei to a high-level map around level 30 to focus on leveling up!
Just as Lu Ming opened the map to scout for a leveling spot, a voice suddenly came from beside him: "Hey, bro, want to take on a quest?"
Looking over, he saw three male players approaching Lu Ming.
Lu Ming noticed that they were all level 30, but their equipment was all low-quality, white-label gear.
Moreover, all three were Assassins.
Lu Ming asked, "What quest?"
The leading Assassin, [Wind Light Cloud], said, "The quest to kill the poisonous scorpions from Captain Caro of the Starlight City patrol team, help us clear it ten times, three thousand per ticket, deal?"
Lu Ming replied without hesitation, "Deal, but you have to pay first."
The three men exchanged smiles.
"Alright, no problem."
With that, Wind Light Cloud promptly scanned Lu Ming's code and transferred nine thousand.
Lu Ming immediately formed a party and invited the three in.
Just as Lin Youwei thought Lu Ming had forgotten her and tried to join the party, she was rejected by Lu Ming!
"Can you cook? I don't want to eat out for lunch today, so go to the market early and buy some ingredients. I feel like having shrimp."
Hearing Lu Ming's instructions, Lin Youwei was stunned.
She didn't understand why Lu Ming suddenly asked her to do this, but she didn't think much of it.
After all, she was living and eating at Lu Ming's place, so cooking a meal for him was only fair, and Lin Youwei was quite confident in her cooking skills.
So, Lin Youwei nodded obediently, "Okay, I'll go buy the ingredients now!"
With that, Lin Youwei logged off.
Lu Ming then led the three players to the north of the city, accepted the quest from Captain Caro of the patrol team, and headed out of the city.
Hey, y'all! If you're into this novel, do come to Pawread to give me a hand and I'll be able to update it quicker over there. Thanks a bunch!