```
[Cold Frost Staff (Gold Level): Spell Power +70.
Additional: Intelligence +15; Each skill hit slows the target by 20% for 3 seconds.
Suitable for Mage, Priest, Summoner. Required Level: 9.]
[Phantom Boots (Gold Level): Defense +25.
Additional: Movement Speed +10%; When attacked, automatically generates a phantom that absorbs one single-target damage, with a fixed cooldown of 3 minutes.
Suitable for all classes. Required Level: 9.]
[Blood Tide Greatsword (Gold Level): Attack Power +55.
Additional: Strength +15; Attack Lifesteal +10%; Defense Penetration +10%.
Suitable for Warrior. Required Level: 9.]
"Three pieces of equipment, two of which I can use!"
"And the additional effects are excellent. One slows down enemies, the other generates a phantom. Gold-level equipment is truly powerful!"
Jiang Chen immediately replaced his Withered Wood Staff with the Cold Frost Staff and Phantom Boots.
Intelligence: 75 (↑10)
Spell Power: 220 (↑70)
Defense: 34 (↑25)
The two pieces of gold-level equipment significantly boosted Jiang Chen's stats.
Of course, the most important were the two additional effects.
The skill damage slow effect was incredibly useful for kiting.
The phantom generation could absorb one single-target damage, a life-saving skill!
Similarly, the Blood Tide Greatsword was a top-tier item.
Its additional effects were outstanding.
Attack Lifesteal was self-explanatory, and Defense Penetration was extremely effective against bosses!
"The Blood Tide Greatsword can be put up in the marketplace for auction!"
As for the price it could fetch, Jiang Chen couldn't estimate.
Besides the equipment, the boss also dropped another item:
[Bright Moon Dress Blueprint (Rare): After learning the blueprint, you can craft the rare costume 'Bright Moon Dress.' Only tailors can learn it.]
"It's a costume blueprint."
Jiang Chen pursed his lips.
Costumes were purely cosmetic, changing the appearance of clothes without providing any combat bonuses.
In Jiang Chen's view, the only benefit was that costumes could increase a hidden attribute: Charm.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
This made it easier to gain favor with NPCs.
However, the effect was quite limited.
Thus, Jiang Chen had little interest in this item.
Of course, it wasn't that costumes were worthless.
On the contrary, in [Gods], costumes were always in high demand, whether in the early or mid-to-late stages.
Many people were willing to pay high prices for them.
So Jiang Chen never quite understood why a purely cosmetic item with no combat attributes could sell for hundreds or even thousands of RMB.
And there were plenty of buyers!
Some particularly rare costumes could even fetch tens of thousands of RMB.
And they remained popular!
However, despite not understanding it, Jiang Chen knew this item was valuable.
But at this stage, the blueprint wasn't worth much.
It required a life profession, a tailor, to learn.
And life professions could only be unlocked after reaching level 10.
Players willing to spend time on life professions wouldn't level up as quickly.
Jiang Chen estimated it would take at least half a month before life profession players started to become mainstream.
Only then would costume blueprints become valuable.
As for becoming a tailor himself and using the blueprint?
Jiang Chen never considered it.
Even if tailors could make a lot of money, it required talent, at least the ability to design clothes and create blueprints.
It wasn't just about obtaining blueprints.
Moreover, his goal was to become a god.
Everything else was secondary.
By now, it was already past 2 AM.
Qing Ying yawned beside him.
Jiang Chen turned to the two girls, "Will you be online during the day?"
Qing Ying: "It's the weekend, no work. I'll be online when I wake up."
Tao Xiaoyao: "I'm on summer break, so I'll be online during the day."
"Alright, let's rest for now. See you during the day."
With that, Jiang Chen headed towards the Beginner's Village.
"Okay, see you during the day!"
Qing Ying and Tao Xiaoyao also returned to the Beginner's Village, handled some of their own matters, and logged off to rest.
Jiang Chen opened the marketplace.
He saw that his Sharp Dagger (Silver Level) had already been bid up to 225 gold coins.
There was still over an hour left until the auction ended.
This wasn't the final price; the real big spenders would bid at the last minute.
Jiang Chen believed the final price would surprise him.
Then, he checked the market prices for common and bronze-level equipment.
He listed the four common items gifted by enthusiastic players, the bronze-level longbow dropped by a small monster, and his Withered Wood Staff in the marketplace.
All were set with a buyout price.
Level 3 common items: 2 gold.
Level 5 common items: 4 gold.
Level 5 bronze-level staff: 50 gold.
Level 7 bronze-level longbow: 60 gold.
After handling these "small items," Jiang Chen opened the auction mode.
He listed the Blood Tide Greatsword (Gold Level) for auction.
Starting bid: 1000 gold coins.
Auction duration: 12 hours.
This was a suitable time.
The top-tier players hadn't reached level 10 yet, so waiting a bit would fetch a higher price.
In his previous life, the first gold-level item in the marketplace appeared three days after the server opened.
It was a gold-level helmet that sold for seven figures in RMB.
Moreover, the helmet's attributes were nowhere near as good as the Blood Tide Greatsword.
Jiang Chen believed many people would fight fiercely for this Blood Tide Greatsword.
After setting everything up, he chose to log off and rest.
Rather than staying up late, it was better to get up early with more energy.
……
After logging out, Jiang Chen removed his gaming helmet.
He made some instant noodles for a late-night snack, ate quickly, and took a shower.
Then, he lay down on his bed.
He didn't sleep immediately but checked his phone.
He saw that the top five trending topics on Weibo were all about [Gods].
[No.1: Today, 'Gods' launched globally simultaneously!]
[No.2: On its first day, 'Gods' reached over one billion concurrent players worldwide!]
[No.3: Creator Company announced that gaming pods have entered mass production and will be available globally in limited quantities next week.]
[No.4: Celebrities are flocking to 'Gods.' Have you encountered your idol in the game?]
[No.5: …]
Not just Weibo, but other social and entertainment apps were also filled with trending topics about [Gods].
"It's almost 3 AM!"
Jiang Chen glanced at the time and quickly turned off his phone.
He set an alarm for 9 AM and fell into a deep sleep.
……
Morning.
"Knock, knock!"
Jiang Chen, still in a deep sleep, was awakened by a knock on the door.
He groggily reached for his phone and checked the time.
It was exactly 8 AM.
"Jiang Chen, time to get up!"
A mature, elegant voice came from outside the door.
"I can't believe I forgot about her..."
Hearing the voice, Jiang Chen knew who it was.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes, threw on a pair of pants, and climbed out of bed.
When he opened the door, he saw the curvaceous Xia Rui'er standing at the door.
She was wearing a white sports t-shirt and a sports skirt.
Her long, smooth legs were adorned with a pair of running shoes.
She was covered in a light sheen of sweat, clearly just finished with her morning run.
She was holding a cup of soy milk and a bag of steamed dumplings.
"Sister Rui'er," Jiang Chen greeted.
"I just finished my morning run and brought you breakfast," Xia Rui'er handed him the soy milk and steamed dumplings.
At the same time, she stared directly at Jiang Chen.
He was still shirtless, and although he didn't have explosive muscles, he was well-toned and defined.
Xia Rui'er squinted her eyes, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth.
"Hey, Sister Rui'er, we pay with money, not with our bodies!"
Jiang Chen took the breakfast and said seriously.
Xia Rui'er rolled her eyes at him, "You always have a smart mouth, don't you?"
"What class did you choose in 'Gods'?"
"Of course, a warrior. A real man leads the charge!"
At that moment, two young men passed by in the hallway, excitedly discussing.
"It feels like the era has changed overnight. Not only are the TV and phone filled with 'Gods,' but everyone around is also talking about this game."
Watching the passersby, Xia Rui'er sighed and asked Jiang Chen, "By the way, which Beginner's Village are you in?"
"."
"Too bad we're not in the same village. I can't even fight small monsters and was hoping you, the full-time pro, could help me out."
Jiang Chen remembered that Xia Rui'er had bought a gaming helmet, but her skills were quite average, just a common player.
Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly asked, "Sister Rui'er, didn't you say you majored in fashion design?"
"Yes, why?" Xia Rui'er asked, puzzled.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. He knew who should use that costume blueprint!
```