Chapter 127 – Heaven-Sent Bounty
by Salted FishWherever life takes us, we meet again.
The commander wiped his sweat, trying to reconcile the dissonance between Thousand Mountains the person and that voice that could make ears pregnant, while typing—
[Dutch Chamber of Commerce] Imperial Noob: Mic’s broken, didn’t get a new one in time, but I can hear the commands. Won’t affect the dungeon run. Also, my guild tag’s gone, no idea why.
The beauty of the virtual world was that no matter how unreasonable something was, you could always blame the innocent system. It was just the system acting up—take it or leave it. Wanna fight? Come at me then. ╮(╯_╰)╭
War Since Ancient Times didn’t press further. Or perhaps, this wasn’t something worth fussing over. Fang Zheng’s tagless account quickly got its guild tag back, and then he heard Thousand Mountains say, “Listen up, everyone. Follow my commands from start to finish, keep up with the mechanics, and I guarantee we’ll clear this. Let me repeat—I don’t care if you’re brain-dead, just don’t be mechanically impaired.”
Fang Zheng was still basking in the allure of that voice, which made him infinitely more tolerant of the bluntness. But the others were clearly already used to Thousand Mountains’ broadcaster-like tone, and the complaints started rolling in—
“Alright, alright, you’re the best.”
“Clearing is whatever, purple drops are the real deal.”
“You think he’s running this for you? He already geared his healer, now he’s farming for his Blood Warrior.”
“Why talk about farming now? Look, we’re still two people short!”
“Thousand Mountains, can you even fill the slots? If not, I’m out.”
“……”
From the replies under the forum post celebrating the server’s top ranking, it was clear that Thousand Mountains wasn’t exactly popular among Holy Light Sanctuary players. But experiencing it firsthand still took Fang Zheng by surprise. If this were the Ghost Server’s Five Peaks Pavilion and Meteor Blitz—two factions that were constantly at odds but temporarily united for a common goal—then the sniping would make sense. But this team was entirely made up of Dutch Chamber of Commerce players, comrades from the same guild. Yet the sharp-tongued remarks were relentless. Judging by how naturally everyone (including Thousand Mountains) took it, though, this seemed to be their usual dynamic.
Lost in thought, the thirty-man team finally filled up. Thousand Mountains reminded everyone to get ready while adjusting the YY settings to make himself the only one with speaking privileges—clearly to prevent chatter from disrupting his commands later. But before he could finish, someone jumped in—
“Ugh, my friends’ team is short one. Gotta go help.”
Fang Zheng was stunned. Before he could react, the member count dropped from thirty to twenty-nine. The dude just left!
Some already-frustrated players, seeing the hard-won full team fall apart again, couldn’t take it anymore and left without a word!
The YY channel erupted in curses—some aimed at the quitters for being inconsiderate, others at Thousand Mountains for being incompetent as a leader.
Fang Zheng felt like he’d witnessed something extraordinary. Damn, this wasn’t a united guild raid—it was a PUG! The culture in Holy Light Sanctuary was baffling, completely incomprehensible! TAT
After the chaos settled, the team stabilized at twenty-five members.
From start to finish, Thousand Mountains didn’t say another word. Fang Zheng was puzzled by his uncharacteristic restraint when he suddenly noticed the member count rising again. Within seconds, thirty slots were filled!
This time, Thousand Mountains didn’t hesitate. He queued the dungeon, and they were in!
Fang Zheng quickly memorized the ID of one of the new joiners before switching back to the game screen.
Though he’d never downed the final boss, Fang Zheng had memorized every phase of this dungeon. Combined with Thousand Mountains’ step-by-step guidance, it really was as he’d said—as long as you weren’t mechanically impaired, you’d be fine. Once the dungeon hit a stable phase, the commander started whispering the ID he’d just memorized to satisfy his burning curiosity—
[Whisper] Imperial Noob: I thought this run was doomed. Glad you guys made it [tears]
A humble attitude never offended anyone—unless the person was a lunatic. And whether this player knew Imperial Noob or not, there was nothing objectionable about that message.
Sure enough, the normal response came quickly—
[Whisper] Toxic Tulip: It’s cool. Thousand Mountains might suck at other things, but when he’s desperate, he’ll make offers you can’t refuse. I was free anyway, so why not take the free loot?
[Whisper] Imperial Noob: Feels like I’m working for free here…
[Whisper] Toxic Tulip: [Laughs] Next time, just ignore him first and wait for him to come begging.
[Whisper] Imperial Noob: With my skill level, I’d be waiting till the next century.
[Whisper] Toxic Tulip: True, haha.
[Whisper] Imperial Noob: What’d he offer this time, anyway?
[Whisper] Toxic Tulip: ‘Lusong Coal Mine endgame dungeon, level 70+, any class welcome, guaranteed clear, loot up for rolls, extra payment on top.’
[Whisper] Imperial Noob: ……
[Whisper] Toxic Tulip: You think I could say no?
Of course not. Anyone who turned that down might as well spend the rest of their life watching windmills…
Though Tulip’s message was calm—no exclamation marks, just commas and periods—Fang Zheng could feel Thousand Mountains’ rage. Maybe at the quitters, maybe at his own lack of pull. But either way, he’d retaliated by “finding five replacements in minutes.” The difference between Mad Lad and Thousand Mountains, despite both being loaded, was that the former would throw money at himself when angry before going out to fight, while the latter would throw it at others after himself.
The endgame dungeon’s mechanics were still brutal, but under Thousand Mountains’ command, even the toughest phases crumbled. The team breezed through to the mobs beneath the stone wall. If Fang Zheng had thought Thousand Mountains’ “guaranteed clear” was arrogance before, he now leaned toward it being confidence.
“Noob, Tulip, Qianli—you three, come down with me.”
There were only four items, and Thousand Mountains decisively gave three to the players he favored.
The Ghost Server’s commander was surprised by the honor but quickly rationalized—his nimble gameplay naturally shone everywhere~\(≧▽≦)/~
Armed with the gifted item, Imperial Noob leaped down the stone wall, ready for battle.
The mobs were still annoying, but they couldn’t wipe the team now that the players knew their patterns—especially with Thousand Mountains’ pinpoint commands, always arriving a second before the mobs’ next move.
With the mobs cleared, Thousand Mountains was in a good mood, singling out the commander for praise: “Noob, everyone says you live up to your name, but I think you’re severely underrated.”
Restoring the client’s reputation was the ultimate goal of this service—
[Team] Imperial Noob: Doesn’t matter~ I’ve always been about that low-key luxury life [deep exhale]
Finally, the final boss. The run had been smooth but cursed—no drops, big or small. Some were already complaining in chat. Fang Zheng, however, was in high spirits because the moment he’d been waiting for was coming.
Facing the boss that had stumped every server, Thousand Mountains didn’t hesitate. As the tank, he pulled without a word and began directing everyone—which classes did what, how the three teams should position.
Fang Zheng focused, clearing his mind of distractions, following commands while memorizing every detail.
Previously, they’d never gotten past half health. At that point, the boss would unleash an AoE nuke—literally an AoE wipe. Even Birdy’s Solid as a Rock couldn’t save them. Instant wipe.
As the boss’s HP slowly dropped, Fang Zheng’s heart raced. He almost warned Thousand Mountains about the incoming lethal AoE, but then realized—this guy had cleared multiple times. He had to know the key mechanics. Fang Zheng’s job wasn’t to overstep but to absorb every detail.
A flash of insight—the boss’s HP bar was almost at half. Visually, it looked like half, but based on the current mechanics, Fang Zheng guessed the deadly nuke was still seven or eight seconds away.
“Everyone, stop attacking!” Thousand Mountains suddenly barked.
Fang Zheng’s hand trembled slightly on the mouse, his reflexes stopping his key presses before his brain could process it.
Most of the team stopped, but a few slowpokes still let off a skill or two after the command. As if anticipating this, Thousand Mountains repeated the order, giving them just enough time to stop before the critical moment.
No—not as if. Thousand Mountains had anticipated it. That’s why he’d left those seven or eight seconds—enough for a second command and delayed reactions!
Fang Zheng was genuinely impressed by his game sense. This level of control was even harder to master than pure mechanics.
With everyone stopped, the only thing moving on-screen was the boss’s heavy breathing. Fang Zheng’s palms were slightly sweaty. He didn’t know how the boss would react—would it still do the AoE, or take another route?
Something miraculous happened.
The boss didn’t do the AoE. It didn’t nuke. It started physically attacking Thousand Mountains, who held aggro!
Someone faster than Fang Zheng started healing Thousand Mountains, but after one cast, he stopped them: “From now on, no one does anything. No attacks, no heals, or the boss will go berserk. Wait for my signal to resume.”
For about two minutes, Thousand Mountains and the boss traded blows. He chugged Major Health Potions like water—who knew how many types he’d bought to stagger their cooldowns.
Only after they resumed attacking—long after—did Fang Zheng confirm beyond doubt: the boss’s AoE nuke never happened. If you avoided that trigger point, the skill just… didn’t exist!
How Thousand Mountains figured this out was a mystery, but now the commander knew too~\(≧▽≦)/~
Knowing the winning strategy put the Ghost Server’s leader in high spirits. For the entire second half, he hummed, “Good luck comes, good luck comes~~”
Then the boss fell, and luck arrived—
The Lusong Hammer. The exact same purple Lusong Hammer as the one in Thousand Mountains’ hands!!!
As a veteran healer, Fang Zheng’s thirst for a top-tier purple healing hammer was a hundred thousand times greater than his thirst for a top-tier pretty boy. The moment the loot roll window popped up, he smashed his mouse within 0.01 seconds!
[System] Imperial Noob rolled 18 points.
[System] War Since Ancient Times passed.
[System] …
[System] Bleak Red Maple rolled 9 points.
[System] …
[System] Toxic Tulip passed.
[System] …
[System] Bodhi Tree rolled 2 points.
[System] …
[System] Split Personality rolled 4 points.
[System] …
[System] Snowfield Wanderer passed.
[System] …
Though the commander’s roll was low, though the competition was fierce, though some non-healers rolled too—none of it mattered. The moment the number 18 descended like a blessing, fate was sealed.
[System] Imperial Noob obtained Lusong Hammer.
It took Fang Zheng half a minute to process this. Unable to contain his excitement, he slammed the table and stood up: “I rolled the Lusong Hammer! I got a purple weapon! AAAAAHHH—”
Fifth Brother and Diamond were startled at first, then joined the celebration—
“Damn, you’re lucky! This is some 438-level luck, haha!”
“No way you actually cleared it?! And got a purple drop?! You’ve used up a lifetime’s worth of luck today!”
The three nearly started dancing hand-in-hand in the private room. Only the vice commander remained glued to his screen, unmoved.
The commander poked his shoulder indignantly: “Hey, did you hear me? I rolled a purple weapon! The Lusong Hammer!”
The vice commander finally looked up: “Yeah, heard you.”
The commander was even more annoyed: “And you’re not happy for me?”
The vice commander had a solid reason: “Why? It’s not worth much.”
The commander thought he was being unreasonable: “How is it not worth much? It’s a top-tier purple, dude!”
The vice commander thought he was delusional: “Yeah. Twenty bucks.”
“Can I raise the price…?”
“Think about your reputation.”
“But I never said this was a prize run…”
“You never said drops cost extra either.”
“I hate you.”
“Opposite.”
“Can’t you let me be happy a little longer…?”
“Better to pop the bubble early.”
“Why are you always so cruel to me…”
“Because I love you deeply.”
“……”
“Goddammit, I can’t take this! I’m going out for a smoke!”
“Fifth Brother, wait for me!”
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