Chapter 14: Blacksmith Shop

[Island Chat Channel——]

[Check out the trading platform, Edward, the owner of the Snake Armor, is at it again. This time he's listed a Level 5 weapon.]

[Another piece of gear? How lucky can Edward get?]

[Stainless Steel Sword, no special effects, just a regular piece of equipment, nowhere near as cool as the Snake Armor.]

[Even if it's plain, it's still Level 5 gear.]

[Man, I'd kill for that Stainless Steel Sword, but no blueprints or special items to trade for it.]

[Special items? I've got some. Just collected a bottle of bear pee...]

[Keep that to yourself, buddy.]

[Speaking of which, this must be the highest-level item listed today, aside from the Snake Armor, right?]

[Most of today's listings were between Level 1 and 3, with only one piece at Level 4. There really isn't any other Level 5 gear.]

[To snag Level 5 gear, you gotta take down at least a Level 5 monster.]

[Right now, only top-tier Lords can pull that off.]

Top-tier units, naturally powerful.

And they start at Level 4.

As long as they don't run into a mob of Level 5 wild beasts, their odds are pretty solid.

As for other Lords, or those in combat professions, encountering a Level 5 monster in the wild means they gotta steer clear, lacking the strength for a fight.

[So, what you're saying is...]

[Is Edward really a top-tier Lord?]

[Not necessarily, maybe he just found the gear.]

[After careful consideration, you're clueless, dude.]

[Just found a Snake Armor, and now a Stainless Steel Sword, is Edward some kind of lady luck's favorite?]

[Clearly, the leader of the Hall of Kings guessed wrong. Edward isn't just lucky; he's a bona fide top-tier Lord.]

[A top-tier Lord? Did he loot the Snake Armor too?]

[No way. The Snake Armor is a Level 7 special item, usually only drops from a Level 7 BOSS monster. Even if Edward is a top-tier Lord, taking down a Level 7 BOSS is out of his league.]

[A Level 7 BOSS is a nightmare for any profession on the island.]

[Wonder what Edward's unit type is. Compared to the Hall of Kings leader's Golden Behemoth, whose unit has more fighting power?]

[Obviously, our leader's Golden Behemoth is stronger.]

[Golden Behemoth, known as the king of land combat. On the ground, even dragon-type units can't hold a candle to the Golden Behemoth.]

[Agreed.]

While the island chat channel buzzed with discussion.

The young man in the prairie region also received a message from a fellow alliance member.

Glancing at the bustling chat channel, his expression soured.

For him, the fewer top-tier Lords on the island, the higher his prestige, making it easier to rally people and grow the [Hall of Kings].

Now, with a new top-tier Lord emerging to 'steal' his thunder, he was naturally irked.

"This Edward, no wonder he's so bold as to ignore me and even block me, turns out he's also a top-tier Lord."

He admitted he had underestimated Edward, but it didn't shake his confidence.

"So what if he's a top-tier Lord?"

"Even among top-tier units, there are levels."

"My Golden Behemoth, comparable to dragon-type units, is extremely powerful, and can stand up to any top-tier unit."

"Not to mention, I've got the strongest alliance on the island."

With that thought, his expression gradually eased.

He then turned his attention back to the [Stainless Steel Sword] listed on the trading platform.

He scoffed, saying, "Level 5 equipment, so what? My Golden Behemoth squad has also started hunting Level 5 monsters, and it's only a matter of time before we loot Level 5 gear."

Just then~

His Golden Behemoth squad returned to the Territory, ready to rest.

But he forcefully ordered them back out to hunt, determined to loot a Level 5 item by tonight to restore his prestige as a top-tier Lord.

It was clear, though he appeared disdainful, the challenge had indeed struck a nerve.

...

In a certain mountain range of the Worlds' Floating Isles, a cave gathered a group of about a dozen fighters. There's an unspoken rule in the Worlds' Floating Isles that fighters are often teleported together to form teams for hunting on the islands, thereby increasing their chances of survival.

The group in the cave was one such team of fighters, including Knights, Swordsmen, Shield Bearers, Elementalists, Hunters, and Clerics.

Before arriving at the Worlds' Floating Isles, they were strangers to each other. But now, they were bound together, facing life and death as one.

"Captain," a young man wielding a magic wand turned his excited gaze to a middle-aged man, "There's a level five attack gear on the trading platform, a sword that's perfect for you."

The other fighters in the cave looked towards the middle-aged man with a mix of envy and anticipation.

The man, whose profession was a Knight, quickly checked the trading platform and his eyes lit up with desire. Without a mount, a sword was indeed the best choice for him.

However, he shook his head and said, "It's a great piece, but only blueprints and special items can be traded for this [Stainless Steel Sword]."

The young man replied, "Captain, didn't we just score a blueprint during our hunt this afternoon? It would be perfect to trade for the [Stainless Steel Sword]."

This statement caused some discontent among the other fighters, as the blueprint was communal property, not owned by any individual. "How can that be right?" the middle-aged man frowned, "The blueprint is our team's shared asset. I was planning to list it on the trading platform to auction it off for gold coins to distribute among us all."

His words quickly dissolved the dissatisfaction among the group, increasing their respect for him. As a captain, he needed to be fair, just, and responsible to gain his team's trust.

The young man persisted, "Captain, there's no conflict here. Once the [Stainless Steel Sword] is no longer needed, it can also be auctioned off for gold coins. And if you have the [Stainless Steel Sword] now, you could lead our squad to level up faster."

"Compared to leveling up, gold coins aren't that important," chimed in the other fighters, urging the middle-aged man to acquire the [Stainless Steel Sword]. Having a level five weapon would indeed greatly increase their efficiency in killing monsters, which was beneficial for them all.

Yet, the middle-aged man didn't immediately agree, saying, "The blueprint we have is worth more than the [Stainless Steel Sword]. Trading it would be a loss."

"In the future, when those Lord fighters become wealthy," he continued, "this blueprint could be sold for a much higher price, perhaps even for ten [Stainless Steel Swords]."

Blueprints were rarer than equipment. Even the most common Fence blueprint could easily trade for a [Stainless Steel Sword]. But they had a Blacksmith Shop blueprint, far more valuable than a simple Fence blueprint, and trading it for a [Stainless Steel Sword] would definitely be a loss.

"If we can just hold out a little longer..." he mused, "This [Blacksmith Shop] blueprint could make us rich overnight. Those Lord fighters wouldn't mind paying a hefty price for it."

"True," the young man conceded, "but time is of the essence. Keeping the blueprint does nothing to help us level up. With the [Stainless Steel Sword], our levels would soar."

"Once we're stronger, we can score even more blueprints..."

The middle-aged man furrowed his brow. The young man's argument wasn't without merit. The other professionals in the team had no objections either; they were all eager for a rapid increase in their levels.

Seizing the moment, the young man pressed on, "Captain, don't hesitate anymore. This blueprint is worthless to us compared to a level five attack gear. It's a no-brainer."

"Alright," the middle-aged man nodded. After following the consensus of the other team members and receiving unanimous approval, he opened the [Friends List].

He sent a friend request to Edward and attached the information about the [Blacksmith Shop] blueprint in the message section.

"There, now we just wait for Edward to respond," he announced.

Hearing this, the other team members were also on tenterhooks, eagerly awaiting the outcome.