Chapter 159 – Purple-Tier Phoenix (Part 2)

No one saw where that enormous golden bird came from—it seemed to appear out of thin air, flapping its beautiful wings as it soared into the sky. People only caught a fleeting glimpse before the magnificent creature vanished beyond the horizon, leaving behind only its melodious cry, slowly dissipating into the wind that rustled through the forest.

Flying General of Dragon City no longer cared about how extravagant the lovebirds on the roadside were. With a flash, he dashed into the dense forest, chasing in the direction the phoenix had disappeared.

438 blinked in a daze. What… just happened?

Coffin Shop didn’t speak, but he was inwardly surprised. The fact that 715 had suggested buying the item was already shocking, but now he’d actually succeeded. Objectively speaking, Refined Into a Demon’s gameplay skills were average—his bizarre pets carried most of his weight. But now it seemed those strange pets weren’t the cause but the result. 715 might not be a shrewd player… sorry, that was an insult to the word “shrewd” =_=, but he was undoubtedly a qualified Demon Refiner. He had the sharp instincts and precise awareness of one, with his own system for capturing and refining demons—and it was undeniably effective.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I succeeded…

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Halfway. Unless you know where it flew off to.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Being able to see but not eat is so sad.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: If you can see it, you’re not far from eating it.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’m fine, no need to comfort me. Just think about Qin Xiaoxiao—she summoned it five times and still didn’t catch it~~ [snickers]

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: ……

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh, do you think my schadenfreude will make me lose RP?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Compared to what you’ve stockpiled, it’s a drop in the bucket.

The summoning had succeeded, but the phoenix vanished in the blink of an eye. The two of them headed west, following the direction it had disappeared in. By 7 p.m., when 438’s father got off work and picked up his wife from cram school on the way home, the squad still hadn’t found a single clue.

The moment he heard the key turning in the door, 438 decisively yanked out the computer plug, opened his textbook, and propped his head in his hand in a contemplative pose. The entire sequence was executed flawlessly—so smooth he wanted to give himself a thumbs-up.

At 9 p.m., his mother finally went to bed, and his father was watching a football game in the living room. 438 quietly shut his bedroom door, booted up the computer, and logged back in.

No. 4 Coffin Shop had been leaning against some nameless rock in Spirit Valley for two hours, ever since his buddy had gone offline. It was a very sudden disconnect—right as the guy was stubbornly insisting on telling him the origin of that girl with the aerial skill. Yes, stubbornly, because Coffin Shop hadn’t actually said he wanted to know. (Well, muttering in his heart didn’t count.)

Then, the guy had just… logged off.

Coffin Shop suspected it was on purpose.

During those two hours, he had turned down three business deals—because the clients insisted on trading in the Main City—killed four players—because they found his lonely, handsome figure too irresistible and kept pestering him—and let six pets go—unlike 715, who indiscriminately captured anything that moved, Coffin Shop was a zombie with standards. Even if he was slaughtering, he was picky about it.

Coffin Shop didn’t know why he was still standing here, but he just didn’t feel like moving. He had this nagging feeling that the guy would log back in, and when he did, Coffin Shop wasn’t sure if he could hold back his Netherworld Ghostly Claws…

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: You’re still here?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Were you waiting for me??

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: [crying][crying][crying][crying][crying][crying]

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Enough.

Alright, since he at least knew how to be grateful…

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: So Hachikō¹A real Japanese Akita dog who waited for his owner at Shibuya Station every day and continued to do so for over nine years following his owner’s death. really exists in this world TAT

Never mind, just kill him =_=

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: So is your house safe now? No more unplugging?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Yeah! I swear on my honor!

Since the guy’s honor was worth something, Coffin Shop decided to give him one last chance.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: In the two hours you were gone, four people summoned the phoenix using Nirvana.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Wow, everyone’s so skilled (⊙o⊙)!

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Is it really okay to praise yourself like this?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Oops, you saw through me >_<

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: ……

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: But still, no one’s caught the phoenix, right?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [raises eyebrow] Did you think of something again?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’m not sure yet, but summoning the phoenix isn’t the hard part—catching it is. Let’s keep looking.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Not going to the Item Mall to buy more Nirvanas?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: No need.

Coffin Shop didn’t press further. He could sense the Demon Refiner’s quiet confidence and smugness. Before, he would’ve dismissed it as blind optimism, but after the phoenix summoning, he had a feeling 715 knew what he was doing.

Ten minutes later—

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh, have we been here before?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: What do you think?!

Great. Under 715’s leadership, they’d gone full circle and ended up back where they started.

The self-aware Demon Refiner relinquished command, letting Coffin Shop take the lead. He instructed him not to follow any particular direction—just to make sure they covered as much new ground as possible.

Coffin Shop didn’t ask questions. Instead, he mentally mapped out Spirit Valley, dividing it into a grid, and began systematically guiding 715 through each section.

At first, he was convinced 715 had figured something out. But as time passed, he started to wonder if he’d been too naïve—

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured Wild Boar.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured Lark.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured Longhorn Beetle.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured White-Headed Bird.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured Mountain Spirit.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured Tudigong.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has captured…

The list was too long to recount in full. Suffice it to say that by 10:30 p.m. Beijing time, Refined Into a Demon 715 had captured a total of 24 pets, spanning multiple categories—birds, beasts, spirits, and monsters. To put it bluntly, if you were a pet or even vaguely resembled one and happened to cross 715’s path, your fate was sealed: captured or killed.

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: How many Pet Satchels did you bring?

A Demon Refiner could only carry three pets in battle, but their inventory could hold many more—provided they had Pet Satchels bought from the General Store.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Fifty.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Should I go buy more?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: But my inventory slots are full…

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Hey, do you have any slots left?

Coffin Shop felt his veins about to burst out of his skin and rocket toward Pluto alongside that golden phoenix!

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Weren’t you supposed to be catching the phoenix? Can you forget about these random pets for a second?!

The moment Coffin Shop sent that message, another flash of golden light nearly blinded him.

Refined Into a Demon 715 answered him with actions.

The golden light landed about seven or eight meters away, by a small lake. The lake’s surface held a swan, two ducks, and a few unidentifiable waterfowl. On the shore, a water buffalo, a red-crowned crane, and a peacock were drinking, while two sparrows hopped around playfully on the buffalo’s back.

Out of all these options, 438 had set his sights on the red-crowned crane.

But the golden light arrived, and the crane wasn’t captured. Instead, it turned hostile, abandoning all elegance as it charged furiously toward the Demon Refiner and the zombie!

Coffin Shop entered combat mode, while the Demon Refiner beside him had already begun chanting a second capture spell.

Soon, a second streak of golden light split the sky.

But this time, it was aimed at the peacock.

Just as Coffin Shop was puzzling over this, another golden light appeared midair, enveloping the charging red-crowned crane.

Wait—there was another Demon Refiner!

Coffin Shop realized what was happening and quickly zoomed out his view. Sure enough, behind him and 715 stood another Demon Refiner! In truth, 715’s second chant had still been targeting the red-crowned crane—the intruder’s capture was the one aimed at the peacock!

And right then, 715 typed out four words—

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: No, it’s the peacock!

Coffin Shop was completely baffled. Instinctively, he looked back at the lake—but the peacock was gone. In fact, all the animals by the lake had vanished, leaving only a massive phoenix circling above the water, its golden plumage dazzlingly bright!

Suddenly, Coffin Shop understood what 715 meant. It wasn’t the red-crowned crane—it was the peacock. The golden phoenix had been right under the players’ noses the whole time, but it had altered its form, blending in, staying inconspicuous. Only when faced with a capture skill would it reveal its true self!

No wonder Refined Into a Demon had been capturing mobs all this time. No wonder he’d said either the person shouting in World Chat was lying, or the golden phoenix’s form wasn’t what they’d imagined…

He’d already figured it out!

No—Refined Into a Demon wasn’t the only one who’d figured it out. Another Demon Refiner had realized it too—and had even pinpointed it more accurately!

By then, the intruder had already summoned his pet—but instead of attacking the golden phoenix, it went straight for 715!

715 clearly hadn’t expected the other player to target him. He hesitated before summoning the girl with the aerial skill, but her first attempt failed, and the enemy’s pet continued its relentless assault!

Coffin Shop narrowed his eyes. The next second, he accelerated forward and slammed the intruder with a combo of Netherworld Ghostly Claws + Specters and Ghouls!

The intruder’s pet was formidable, completely overpowering 715’s aerial girl. But no matter how strong the pet was, it couldn’t make up for the Demon Refiner’s inherent squishiness. The intruder’s HP bar instantly dropped by a third!

Yet the intruder’s reflexes and mechanics were sharp. Before Coffin Shop could land a second hit, he’d already leaped away, dodging the zombie’s attack range—and even managed to type a message mid-retreat:

[Local] Today’s Demon King: Mercenary run?

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Helping a friend.

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  A real Japanese Akita dog who waited for his owner at Shibuya Station every day and continued to do so for over nine years following his owner’s death.