"Now that we can't log out of the game, everyone can chat together in the guild when they have free time. If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave anytime, there's no loss anyway." Seeing their hesitation, Xiao Hua suggested.
"Let's go in and check it out!" Mang Mang Xue and Arsenic glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. Indeed, as Xiao Hua said, having a place to chat with others while they couldn't log out was beneficial.
Xiao Hua quickly sent them invitations, fearing they might change their minds.
Inside the guild, it was quiet. Mang Mang Xue found it a bit odd and opened the guild member list. Surprisingly, she recognized several people among the few dozen members. These individuals were known for frequently switching guilds, so finding them all in the same guild was quite rare.
"Unless something unexpected happens, I should be able to finish making the 100 potions by noon tomorrow. However, I can't guarantee how many will turn into Master-level potions. I've only used the tool once and haven't done large-scale production, so the exact ratio is uncertain," Arsenic added.
"No problem. Once you're done, just send me a private message, and I'll come to pick them up." Xiao Hua knew that probabilities were unpredictable; many of his skills were based on chance, so he was well aware of the uncertainties.
Arsenic and the others left. With over a day until noon the next day, Xiao Hua thought about forming a party to level up.
"I have some issues to discuss with Piaoling. We'll join you once we're done, okay?" Xiao Hua proposed to the group, and Fang Ning replied first.
"Still discussing?" Xiao Hua was surprised. It had been nearly five hours since he left, and they were still deliberating. That was impressive!
"We want to do it perfectly, right?" Fang Ning replied confidently.
Xiao Hua could hardly imagine when three women pursuing perfection would agree on something.
"I'm in!" But Fang Ying was clearly not part of the perfection-seeking group. She was bored and jumped at the chance when she heard Xiao Hua's suggestion.
If only Fang Ying was going with him while Fang Ning and Piaoling stayed behind, Xiao Hua felt uneasy about the situation.
"What should I do..." Since he had suggested leveling up, he couldn't refuse Fang Ying outright and thus sought help from Fang Ning.
"She's bored here. Just take her along to cheer her up." Fang Ning was focused on designing the perfect house layout and didn't pay much attention to this matter.
"What if something goes wrong?"
"I'll chop you up!" Fang Ning replied bluntly.
Xiao Hua realized that pampering Fang Ning too much was a mistake and decided to teach her a lesson at an appropriate time.
While contemplating how to discipline Fang Ning, Fang Ying happily arrived at the location Xiao Hua had given her.
"Brother-in-law." Fang Ying greeted him shyly.
Seeing Fang Ying acting so bashfully, Xiao Hua found it hard to connect her with the cold little girl he knew. He sighed and said, "Let's buy some supplies first."
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Fang Ying nodded obediently and followed Xiao Hua to nearby shops to restock on potions before heading to a training spot outside the city.
From the city to the outskirts, the streets were bustling with people. Due to the inability to log out, the number of online players had surged. Usually, Snow City was quiet during this time of day, but today, many were heading out in groups to level up or complete quests instead of going to work.
Outside the city, they mounted their mounts and traveled for over an hour to reach a monster spawn point in the snowy forest.
Here, 32-level Snow Bears spawned. Unlike the smaller 17-level Snow Cubs outside Snow City, these bears walked on two legs, stood nearly two meters tall, and were massive and powerful with high defense and attack power. However, the monsters were scattered, making them safe to hunt, and they offered decent experience points. Xiao Hua planned to prioritize safety due to uncertainty about Fang Ying's combat skills.
Teamwork was essential for efficient hunting. Xiao Hua planned to have Fang Ying lure the monsters while he provided backup.
"Okay!" Fang Ying agreed without hesitation and drew her bow, firing an arrow at a distant Snow Bear!
—230!
Xiao Hua knew Fang Ying had good equipment, but seeing her deal 230 damage without using a skill still shocked him! The Snow Bear had 250 defense, meaning Fang Ying had nearly 500 physical attack power, which was impressive!
—270! —288! —256! —274! —265! —263!
Fang Ying's six consecutive shots dropped the Snow Bear by 1500 HP, accounting for one-third of its total health!
Clearly, Fang Ying focused on strength, adding points only enough to allow her skills to connect smoothly. Her attacks were not particularly fast, but she dealt consistent and high damage due to seamless skill use. The Snow Bear collapsed before reaching her, still seven to eight meters away. The downside was that she needed to constantly drink mana potions to maintain her skills.
With Fang Ying's high output, Xiao Hua rarely got a chance to attack. The Snow Bear was either dead or nearly dead before he could reach it.
"Let's split up to be more efficient." Realizing that Fang Ying was effectively carrying him, Xiao Hua suggested splitting up.
Fang Ying agreed, and they each took one side, hunting separately. Every time Fang Ying killed a monster, she would glance at Xiao Hua, seeming happy to see him still there.
After enduring this painful yet torturous situation for a day and night, Xiao Hua hoped for a message from Fang Ning to rescue him, but she and Piaoling were busy dealing with NPCs, completely forgetting about him.
The next day at noon, Xiao Hua finally received a message from Arsenic. Relieved, he quickly left the training spot despite Fang Ying's reluctance and met Arsenic in the city.
"Good luck! I produced seven higher-grade resistance potions. I hope they'll be useful to you." Arsenic was excited, having enjoyed the chance to craft potions without financial constraints.
**Cold Aura (Mutated)**: A benign mutation of a regular potion, comparable to a Master-level potion. It grants immunity to normal burn damage for 30 seconds upon use.
Immunity to normal burn damage was uncertain, but Xiao Hua had to test it in the lava cave to see if it worked.
Taking the resistance potions from Arsenic, Xiao Hua headed back to the lava cave. With the experience of entering and exiting, he quickly reached the innermost lava cavern.
Facing the red-hot rocky ground again, Xiao Hua stood just a step away and drank a Cold Aura (Mutated) potion without hesitation.
Feeling a cool sensation spread through his body, Xiao Hua summoned a decoy and moved forward. If the potion failed, he would simply return to the city.
The decoy stepped onto the red-hot rocks without taking any damage, indicating the potion worked!
Encouraged, Xiao Hua quickly directed the decoy towards the Flame Giant. He had only seven chances to get close, and he needed to make the most of them.
The potion's effect lasted only 30 seconds. From entering the red-hot rocks to reaching the lava area, it took time. Xiao Hua calculated silently, noting that it took 16 seconds to reach the lava, leaving 14 seconds to wait for the Flame Giant to move near the edge.
The Flame Giant moved slowly and unpredictably, so Xiao Hua had to time it perfectly for the decoy to reach the lava edge when the Flame Giant was also nearby.
While the decoy stealthed towards the lava edge, Xiao Hua was concerned about another issue. Ninety percent of major bosses could see through stealth. If the Flame Giant had this ability, he would have no choice but to give up.
Fortunately, neither the Flame Giant nor the red-hot rocks broke stealth, making it nearly impossible for players to get close without this potion.
The Flame Giant didn't break stealth, and the decoy was positioned at the edge of the lava area, waiting for the Flame Giant to approach.
The Flame Giant moved slowly in the boiling lava, and its movements were unpredictable. As the potion's duration neared its end, Xiao Hua decisively moved the decoy into the lava!