The moment Diana handed the cloak over, everyone froze. Even Don.
He blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Diana… you can use this too. You need Agility for accuracy."
Diana didn't even hesitate. "You need accuracy more, you impossible man who dumped everything into Strength." Her lips curved slightly. "And don't argue. You took one of my Qiankun Strike skills. We're even."
Don frowned. "How much is a skill book worth?"
Diana waved him off. "Enough nonsense. Just take it." Before he could refuse, she activated gifting mode. The cloak transferred instantly. There was no way to reject it. Don stood there for a second, helpless.
Meanwhile, Diana stretched slightly, a hint of fatigue finally appearing. "Level up quickly. Get your gear sorted. I'm logging off." She glanced at Bernita and the others. "You too." Then, without another word, she took out a Return Scroll. A flash of light, and she was gone.
Silence lingered. Then Cappuccino patted Don's shoulder. "Brother Don… you're really lucky to have such a girlfriend."
Don scratched his head awkwardly. "Girlfriend? We only met today."
Bernita covered her mouth, laughing softly. "Then it must be fate. Just like meeting you today, Brother Don."
Don smiled faintly, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait. I never even asked. Where are you all from?"
Cappuccino grinned. "I'm from Liverpool, I'm a Scouser."
Don's eyes widened. "You too?!"
"Of course."
They stared at each other for a second, then burst out laughing. "Fellow townsman!"
Bernita laughed even harder. "Brother Nuo, you're so silly! You couldn't even recognize your own hometown accent!"
Cappuccino looked helpless. "This kid's Liverpool English is too standard. I thought he was from London."
Don shook his head, then asked, "Which district?"
"Anfield."
Don paused, then laughed again. "What a coincidence. I'm also from Anfield. Around Kirkdale."
"Not far at all."
Cappuccino nodded. "Then let's do this. This week we grind. Next week we meet. Have a drink."
"Deal."
Bernita immediately puffed her cheeks. "Brother No! You're talking about drinking again! You drunkard!" Cappuccino just smiled.
Then he spoke again, more seriously this time. "I've been gaming for seven years. Started from Faith. Still here now." He glanced at Bernita. "She's my in-game wife. We've played together for four years. She studied nursing before. After graduating, she joined me."
His voice carried quiet pride. "We've been through a lot." Then he looked at Dust. "And him. I met him three years ago."
Finally, his gaze returned to Don. "Brother Don, your skills. Your character. They're both solid." A pause. "Interested in joining us?"
Don blinked, slightly surprised. "You guys… a guild?"
Cappuccino nodded. "Reincarnation. Ranked thirty-fifth in America. About a thousand members, mostly friends we met years ago. We don't aim to dominate. Just play together, make enough to live well."
Bernita leaned in mischievously. "Brother Don… there are lots of pretty girls in our guild too."
Don laughed softly. "I can't answer right now. Give me a week."
Cappuccino nodded immediately. "No problem." Then he grinned. "Even if you don't join, we're still brothers. Right?"
Don nodded. "Right."
And just like that, they parted ways. The trio headed toward another village to regroup with their guild, while Don turned back toward the wilderness. He still had one quest item left, and it didn't take long. After defeating four more Flame Goats, the final item dropped. Quest complete.
Seeing no one around, Don immediately took out the cloak and an Unsealing Stone. He pressed it onto the equipment. Light flared. Hope surged. Then crack. The stone shattered.
[System Notification: Unsealing failed.]
Silence. Don stared blankly. "GRD system. So you take my money and don't even refund me?" He sighed, then pulled out another stone. "Last try."
This time the light exploded, multicolored, brilliant, then stabilized. Success.
[Flame Cloak. Unsealed]
[+0.2 m/s Movement Speed]
Don's eyes lit up. A small bonus, but incredibly valuable. In combat, movement was everything, kiting, chasing, escaping, positioning. This was worth it, even at the cost of four gold coins.
He exhaled slowly and checked his experience bar. Still short. Not enough to equip the cloak yet. A grin spread across his face. "Guess I'm not sleeping today. Let's grind."
And just like that, Don stepped forward again, back into the fire.
But he thought of something. "Lets get things set first..."
Back in town, Don took the quest items directly to Old Man Ilgno. The old man was delighted to see the sheepskins and accepted them eagerly.
"Young man, thank you so much! My old leg pain will definitely not flare up this winter. Wait five minutes while I go find the tailor Potter. I'll bring you a gift when I come back!"
With that, he headed straight for the armor shop.
A gift? Don was pleasantly surprised. His mind immediately started racing. 'Could it be a weapon? Ideally a bow, nothing too extravagant, just bronze grade. That alone would make boss fights significantly easier.'
While he was daydreaming, he made a trip to the general store to replenish his supplies: red potions, blue potions, and iron arrows.
After restocking, he returned to the spot where he had met Ilgno. The old man was already standing there with a smile on his face, holding a piece of armor shrouded in a fiery red glow. Don's heart pounded.
In Realms Online, the drop rate for equipment from quests was extremely low, roughly ten percent. He had been remarkably lucky so far. Out of three quests, two had actually rewarded him with gear.
"Young man," Ilgno said warmly, "these leather trousers are made from the toughest hide of the Flaming Goat. Consider it a gift from this old man. I hope you will wear them and join our anti-magic army to drive those monsters out of Saino and off the continent for good!"
[Quest Completed!]
[Reward: Warm Wool Leggings]
Rewards:]
[+40,000 EXP]
[+120 Reputation]
The next item was [Sheepskin Leggings]
Don took the leggings from the old man. A heavy weight settled into his hands, and upon closer inspection, he almost went crazy with joy.
[Sheepskin Leggings]
[Grade: Bronze]
[Type: Leather Armor]
[No level requirement]
[Physical Defense +65]
[Magic Defense +65]
[+7 Strength]
[+9 Agility]
[+7 Constitution]
[Additional: +200 HP]
The stats were incredible. No level requirement, no unsealing needed, and the attributes were remarkably high. It was practically tailor-made for his situation. He equipped the armor without hesitation and checked his stats with a satisfied grin.
[Bane. Human, Apprentice Thief]
[Level: 14]
[HP: 1670]
[Attack: 1042–1127]
[Physical Defense: 184]
[Magic Defense: 159]
His experience bar sat at seventy-five percent. Just twenty-five percent more and he could equip the Flame Cloak, which would push his stats even higher. Without wasting time, he thanked the old man and wandered through the village, hoping to find more quests. As his level increased, NPCs who had previously ignored him should start paying attention, making quests easier to come by.
But things didn't go as planned. This time, he couldn't find a single NPC with a quest available. 'These days, why is it so hard to get a job?'
However, just as he was running dejectedly toward the teleportation point in the village center, he noticed something. Under a crooked locust tree ahead, a ragged vagrant lay sprawled on the ground.
The man wore a tattered suit of armor, his boots riddled with holes, revealing his toes in a rather comical sight. But his appearance was striking despite the disheveled state. Beneath a scraggly beard, he had a full forehead and a square jaw, with large, piercing eyes set beneath thick, sword-like eyebrows. Above his head floated a line of text:
[The Fallen Warrior Long Wu.]
Long Wu. The name sounded distinctly Eastern, which immediately caught Don's attention.
Realms Online was primarily a Western fantasy MMORPG, with most NPCs bearing Western names, but the game did incorporate a handful of Eastern elements. The only one Don was particularly familiar with was the nature goddess Luo Yu, a spirit who had gained divinity and evolved into an ultimate god, playing a pivotal role in the main pantheon. In his experience, any NPC with an Eastern flavor tended to bring good fortune to the player.
He walked up to the vagrant immediately. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of alcohol mixed with body odor became. Don quietly lowered his perception settings and approached as if nothing was wrong.
Unexpectedly, before he could even speak, Long Wu looked him up and down and said, "Kid, let me ask you something. What's the most taboo thing for a person who drinks?"
The seemingly random question threw Don off. He scratched his head. "Being disturbed?"
"Wrong!"
"No money to buy alcohol?"
"That's not right either!"
"There are no snacks to go with the drinks?"
"Idiot! Even more unreliable!" Long Wu picked up a broken wine jar from the ground and poured what remained into a cracked, chipped bowl. The liquid sloshed unevenly, half of it dribbling through the fractures.
Then it dawned on Don. "Is it because you don't have a proper vessel for holding the wine?"
Long Wu's eyes brightened. "Hey! You're pretty quick-witted, kid!" He set the broken bowl down and leaned forward. "How about you do me a favor?"
Don was secretly delighted. A business deal was about to be made.