Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Contacting Toby, Acquiring Another Artifact

John possessed the spatial awareness talent, but his current strength was too weak to break through stable spatial barriers. He could only shatter weak points in the fabric of space.

If the Secret Area where Toby planned to build the city was a stable one, John wouldn’t be able to break through it.

Especially since he didn’t even know the Secret Area’s exact location.

Then he remembered the world announcement Toby had made three days ago.

The Mike White Family had publicly extended an invitation to him—perhaps this could be his way in.

Acting on his idea, John opened his friend list and sent a friend request to Toby.

Almost immediately, his request was accepted, and a private message followed.

Toby: “Godslayer?!”

John glanced at Toby’s message. The guy was clearly shocked as well.

He replied briefly.

Godslayer: “I’m interested in your offer. Maybe we should talk.”

In Green Moon.

Toby’s excitement was palpable when he saw John’s message. But then his expression darkened, and a sly smile crept across his face.

The bait he had thrown out two days ago had finally caught its prey.

As for why John had waited two days to respond, Toby didn’t think too much of it—perhaps John hadn’t been online or had just made up his mind.

He quickly replied.

Toby: “Green Moon, face-to-face.”

He closed the chat, feeling a wave of relief.

“So, Godslayer, I thought you were stronger than this. In the end, you’re just another ordinary person!” Toby sneered, his expression brimming with confidence.

“Someone, come!” he called out toward the door.

A subordinate hurried in, bowing respectfully. “My lord, what are your orders?”

Toby replied calmly, “Inform the Green Moon city lord that the city-building plans are temporarily postponed. Follow the previous plan and wait for my instructions.”

The subordinate looked at Toby with some confusion but didn’t dare ask any questions. He simply nodded, bowed again, and left the room.

The room fell silent once more.

Toby felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, the stress of the past few days melting away.

He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and swirled the unknown liquid in his glass, muttering to himself, “Godslayer, the Elemental Secret Area will be your grave.”

He downed the liquid in one gulp.

…

Back in the Dark Forest, John used the path through the Beast Clan’s Secret Area to re-enter it.

Boom…

Loud explosions and the sound of curses and fighting echoed through the area.

“Bastard, leave the Dragon Fang behind!” It was the voice of Ice Phoenix.

John didn’t know what was happening, but he quickly headed toward the sounds of battle.

Ahead, snow and flames filled the air, creating a scene of fire and ice.

Clashing in a chaotic display.

Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix, two powerful mythical beasts, were teaming up to attack a massive dragon.

The dragon was covered in purple scales, with two horns on its head and wings on its back, exuding an immense aura of power.

“Avis?” John looked at the purple dragon in disbelief.

Avis had undergone a complete transformation. Gone was the lizard-like form of a Western dragon; now, Avis resembled an Eastern dragon with wings on its back.

“Master, help!” Avis, noticing John, called out in desperation. Under the combined assault of Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix, he was completely overpowered and frantically sought John’s help.

“Stop!” John hurriedly commanded Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix to cease their attack, then asked angrily, “Why are you attacking Avis?”

Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix halted their assault, and Avis quickly took the opportunity to hide behind John’s massive frame, breathing a sigh of relief.

Although he had successfully evolved to a legendary grade, his strength was only at the fourth tier, making him no match for Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix.

“Hmph!” Fire Phoenix snorted, flames dancing around her as she struggled to contain her anger, refusing to even look at John.

Ice Phoenix, with a cold expression, pointed at Avis and angrily said, “You’d better control your pet! This guy stole our Dragon Fang.”

Dragon Fang? A dragon’s tooth?

John was puzzled.

Avis, however, put on an innocent, obedient expression and leaned close to John’s ear, whispering, “Master, it’s actually a low-grade artifact.”

An artifact?!

John’s eyes widened slightly, and he couldn’t help but swallow nervously. Avis was indeed looking out for him.

He whispered back, “Can you put on a show?”

Avis blinked his large eyes, his expression a mix of innocence and stupidity, as he looked at John with apparent confusion.

Wham!

John suddenly kicked Avis in the head.

“Ouch!” Avis yelped, looking hurt and aggrieved. “Master, why did you kick me?”

Though his scales were thick, John’s strength was considerable. Even though it didn’t harm his health, the kick still hurt.

John sighed inwardly and quietly reminded Avis, “Run toward the exit of the Secret Area!”

Saying this, he kicked Avis again, this time with more force, while shouting angrily, “You useless creature! You’ve only been away for three days, and you’re already stealing things? Is this how I’ve taught you? Just wait, I’ll beat you to death today!”

Finally catching on, Avis quickly played along, begging for mercy as he cried out, “Ouch, Master, stop hitting me! I know I was wrong.”

His pained cries filled the air as he clutched his head and scurried off—toward the Secret Area’s exit.

Seeing this, both Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix felt a pang of guilt.

They had initially suspected that John had instructed Avis to steal the Dragon Fang.

But now, seeing how harshly John was disciplining Avis, it was clear that he hadn’t known about it.

“Kid, just have him return the Dragon Fang and let it go. No need to actually beat him to death,” Ice Phoenix called out, somewhat concerned, as she watched the pained Avis flee.

John maintained his righteous facade, even drawing out the Sword of Divinity and Demons, and declared angrily, “No way, today he needs to learn a lesson. Stealing small things as a child leads to stealing bigger things as an adult.”

Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix were left speechless.

Small? Avis was probably several times older than John.

And this wasn’t some trivial theft—he had stolen an artifact.

However, there was some truth in what this human was saying. Perhaps a good lesson was indeed in order.

Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix mulled over John’s words, nodding occasionally. They decided to use this saying to discipline the younger members of the Beast Clan in the future.

“Master, I was wrong! I’ll never do it again!” Avis, seeing John pull out the Sword of Divinity and Demons, was genuinely frightened and sped up his escape toward the Secret Area’s exit.

Avis knew well how strong John was, and with the addition of the Sword of Divinity and Demons, John could seriously injure him.

“This isn’t good—they’re trying to escape!” Ice Phoenix finally realized what was happening as he watched John and Avis, one chasing and the other fleeing. “Quick, stop them!”

He spread his wings and flew toward John at high speed, but he was too far away—it was already too late.

Hum!

The space around them rippled, and in an instant, John and Avis disappeared, escaping from the Beast Clan’s Secret Area.

“Despicable! You treacherous scoundrel!” Ice Phoenix erupted in fury, cursing loudly.

Only now did he realize that John had tricked him. He was about to chase them out of the Secret Area.

When a flicker of flames stopped him—Fire Phoenix intervened, sighing as she said, “Let it go. Consider the Dragon Fang a gift to this adventurer.”

“Big brother, that’s an artifact!” Ice Phoenix fumed, unable to swallow his anger.

Fire Phoenix reminded him, “Don’t forget, we still need this human’s help.”

Ice Phoenix fell silent, frustration boiling inside him as he gritted his teeth and said, “That bastard got lucky.”

…

After escaping the Beast Clan’s Secret Area, John and Avis flew non-stop.

John was wary of the Beast Clan giving chase, ready to enter the Death Land at a moment’s notice.

But there was no movement behind them.

It was clear that Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix had no intention of pursuing them out of the Secret Area.

John let out a sigh of relief, then patted Avis and asked curiously, “Avis, what kind of artifact is it? Let me take a look.”

Avis opened his mouth and spat out a short dagger, which floated into John’s hand.

The short dagger was pure white, curved, and about a meter in length—elegant yet menacing.

[Dragon Fang: Low-Grade Artifact]

[Requirements: Assassin class, Strength 1000+, Agility 500+]

[Physical Damage: +1000, Strength: +1000, Agility: +200, Spirit: +100]

[Additional Attributes: Critical Hit +10, Attack Speed +10, Luck +2]

[Special Effect: Bloodthirst; Absorbs 5% of the damage dealt by normal attacks and skills as health, restoring your own HP.]

[Attached Skill: Dragon’s Might]

[Dragon’s Might: Auxiliary skill that boosts all stats by 20% and increases physical damage by 50% for 10 minutes. Cooldown: 1 day. No resource cost.]

[Description: A powerful artifact forged from the Dragon Fang of a fallen Tenth-Tier Holy Dragon, imbued with the dragon’s overwhelming power.]

What a powerful weapon!

John examined the dagger’s stats, impressed by the three hidden attributes.

And the special attack effect it provided.

The Assassin class, which focuses on high attack and agility, typically suffers from low health and defense, but the Bloodthirst effect would greatly enhance the survival capability of any Assassin wielding this weapon.

The Dragon’s Might skill be also an excellent auxiliary ability.

However, since John already possessed the Sword of Divinity and Demons, the Dragon Fang felt a bit redundant.

“I’ll save this for Sini,” he thought.

The dagger would be far more effective in Sini’s hands, where it could truly shine.

Artifacts that weren’t equipped wouldn’t appear on the rankings, so the weapon leaderboard remained unchanged.

“Avis, you did well,” John said as he stored the dagger away, patting Avis appreciatively.

“Hehe, Master, it was nothing,” Avis replied happily, then added, “Master, the Beast Clan has plenty of treasures. If I hadn’t accidentally revealed myself, I could’ve stolen their most valuable treasures.”

The Beast Clan’s most treasured artifact was said to be prepared for the prophesied savior, an item rumored to hold immense power capable of helping its bearer ascend to godhood.

John was intrigued and said, “We might get another chance in the future.”

Avis nodded, his massive form streaking through the sky as he asked, “Master, are we heading back to Flame City?”

“No, we’re going to Jade City,” John decided. He wanted to see what Toby was planning.

Although Flame City was the closest, its teleportation array had been shut down.

Flame City’s establishment had angered many, and Ritchie, concerned about potential disruptions from players and the Dark Humans, had ordered the city’s teleportation array to be closed.

Only military personnel and members of the Blues Family were allowed into Flame City, with all other players being strictly vetted.

John had recently destroyed Silverleaf City on the outskirts of the Dark Forest, so the nearest city was Jade City, a Level 1 city.

With Avis having broken through to the legendary grade, his flight speed had more than doubled.

It took them less than two hours to reach Jade City.

Jade City was bustling with activity, full of players and lively chatter.

Not wanting to cause a stir, John recalled Avis before entering the city.

As soon as he stepped into Jade City, he felt an overwhelming sense of hostility—not from the players, but from the city guards.

It was clear that he was now on the Dark Humans’ wanted list.

The guards in this Level 1 city were only Level 30, with second-tier strength.

John couldn’t be bothered to deal with them and made his way directly to the teleportation point, heading for Green Moon.