Chapter 8 – Temporary Trio

Polly wasn’t online, likely only logging in at night. As Fang Zheng was thinking about this, a familiar name suddenly dashed past him—Refined Into a Demon 438. The Demon Refiner was clearly busy with something, running at breakneck speed. But what could possibly be worth such haste on a ghost server? Curiosity piqued, Fang Zheng casually typed—

[Say] Milk is Mom: What’s up?

(T/N: This is a very rare chat tag in this novel. It’s similar to “Local”, but slightly different. The word itself translates to “nearby,” but I’m pretty sure it functions like the “Say” chat I’m familiar with. “Say” is a more specific, close-range type of chat. Messages sent in Local are seen by everyone in the same area, even if they aren’t on your screen, but you can only see “Say” messages if the player is close enough to appear on your screen, even a shorter distance than that in some games. Think of it as “indoor voice” hearing distance.)

The Demon Refiner stopped. After a few seconds, they replied—

[Say] Refined Into a Demon 438: You talking to me?

[Say] Milk is Mom: Yeah.

Since Milk is Mom had been far away when the zombie killed him yesterday, the Demon Refiner didn’t recognize him.

[Say] Refined Into a Demon 438: Gathering. Need something?

“Gathering” referred to roaming the mountains and fields to collect herbs or ores, which could be used to craft potions or gear—usually part of Life Skills. But for Demon Refiners, the scope of gathering extended to one more thing—monsters. Demon Refiners were also a magic-based class, but unlike Spirit Masters, they didn’t rely on their own spell output. Instead, they carried a few pets of their own, such as the four elemental spirits (wind, fire, water, earth) granted by the system by default. They could also capture monsters in the game as pets. Moreover, the game had a dedicated Demon Refining system for this class, allowing them to toss two or more creatures into the refining system to synthesize a new pet. Of course, the success rate of refining wasn’t guaranteed—just because you combined powerful monsters didn’t mean you’d get an even stronger one. It depended on the monsters’ attributes, specialties, and even auxiliary potions. Given the countless monsters, ghosts, and divine creatures across Huaxia’s map, the permutations and combinations were as vast as the stars. Thus, the Demon Refining system remained largely unsolved to this day. To be precise, the various refining combinations players had tried and shared online barely scratched the surface.

[Say] Milk is Mom: Gathering monsters?

[Say] Refined Into a Demon 438: Yeah. The guild said this place is sparsely populated, so gathering and refining pets is easier and more efficient here.

[Say] Milk is Mom: This place? What do you mean?

[Say] Refined Into a Demon 438: Our guild moved to Huaxia Summit months ago. I’m the only one left here.

Fang Zheng took a closer look and finally noticed the three big characters floating above the other player’s head—Five Peaks Pavilion.

No wonder Polly had killed him so ruthlessly—they were old enemies.

But if the guild had already left, what was the point of refining good pets here alone? Fang Zheng wondered, then quickly realized—ghost servers were the perfect testing grounds for Demon Refining. So what if the pets couldn’t be used here? As long as he recorded the refining data and sent it to the guild, they could replicate the process on the new server.

[Say] Milk is Mom: So you’re just playing here alone? Does the guild pay you?

[Say] Refined Into a Demon 438: Nah…

[Say] Milk is Mom: *pats shoulder* You’re such a good comrade.

What Fang Zheng really thought was, if I were the Legion Commander, I’d love having such a useful fool too.

Three seconds later—

[Say] Refined Into a Demon 438: But I’m so lonely TAT

……

The daytime on Mirage Server was uneventful, so Fang Zheng soon returned to Huaxia Summit.

That afternoon, Mad Lad first farmed Terracotta Warriors, then moved to Shennongjia, successfully leveling from 29 to 37. To his relief, though he was still PUGing, the daytime student players were far more reliable than the night owls. None of the tear-jerking tragedies from last night repeated—just sweat and laughter, all perfectly harmonious.

At 7 p.m., Fang Zheng hastily made a cup of instant noodles and logged into Mirage Server while slurping.

Little Polly was online—what a delight.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Heavenly Lake?

[Whisper] Polly: Let’s go.

Polly’s reply was instant, making Fang Zheng wonder if the guy had been waiting for him all along.

At the same time, Polly, sitting in front of his computer, was thinking the same thing—He whispered me the moment I logged in. Is he that obsessed with me?

Often, so-called beautiful misunderstandings are just that—misunderstandings. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Let’s go” meant meeting at Heavenly Lake, so Fang Zheng didn’t dawdle. He immediately steered Milk is Mom toward Changbai Mountain. But midway, another whisper popped up—

[Whisper] Mad Lad: What level is that alt now?

No greeting, no small talk—this client’s bluntness was totally not charming!

Grumbling aside, the client was still king. So while running, Fang Zheng typed—

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: 37.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Fast.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: I’m a professional ^_^

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Still getting business in this server?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Barely.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Ever thought of transferring?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: We’ll see.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: You won’t make big money like this.

Damn, is this guy so bored he’s holding a roundtable discussion with me?!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Brother, I’m busy. If you wanna talk business ideals, take a left at the door.

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Busy? With what?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Dungeon!!

[Whisper] Mad Lad: You run dungeons?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Am I an NPC or something!!!

If not for the unpaid balance, Fang Zheng would’ve blocked him on the spot!

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Seems you’re not very professional.

The other concluded, clearly thinking that Fang Zheng—who doubled as both a player and a power leveler—was far from being a true pro.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: No refunds after purchase =_=

[Whisper] Mad Lad: Heh, not asking for one. What dungeon you running? Let’s go together.

Why did that “heh” sound so much like “dumbass”?!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Sorry, we’re full.

[System] Mad Lad has requested to join your party. Accept?

Does this guy not understand Chinese? =_=

Well, free labor was free labor.

Clicking “Accept,” the party list expanded to three.

[Whisper] Polly: ?

Since Fang Zheng was the party leader, Polly naturally asked him about the newcomer.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Just a rando, here to leech.

[Whisper] Polly: Your friend?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Nope.

[Whisper] Polly: Oh.

Polly didn’t press further. An extra person meant an extra safety net for the dungeon—he didn’t mind.

But the client soon realized he’d been duped—

[Party] Mad Lad: Your “full party” is two people?

[Party] Milk is Mom: Yep. Never heard of duo dungeons?

[Party] Mad Lad: Only heard of duo comedy acts.

[Party] Milk is Mom: Oh? Which one’s your favorite? Ever listened to the full version of The Western Chamber? Thrilling stuff!

Faced with such a shamelessly adaptable conversationalist, Mad Lad conceded defeat.

By the time Milk is Mom reached Heavenly Lake, Polly had also arrived. After five minutes, Mad Lad was still missing. Polly debated whether to prompt him or wait…

[Party] Milk is Mom: Oh right, we’re running Heavenly Lake Dungeon. Assassin, hurry up.

Polly inhaled his cold noodles into his windpipe and nearly coughed himself to death.

So those five minutes were spent contemplating life?!

Finally, the Assassin arrived, and the trio plunged into the lake. This time, they didn’t use voice chat, but with prior experience and an extra person, locating and fighting mobs went smoothly. Mad Lad showed great interest in Solid as a Rock, politely seeking advice. Though Polly was a man of few words, he answered what he could, making the two seem like long-time gaming buddies. Fang Zheng, however, was too immersed in the joy of obtaining the Heavenly Lake Core to care.

[Party] Mad Lad: Where to next?

Jiang Yang was still pumped. It had been ages since he’d enjoyed dungeon-running in this server, and today’s glimpse of Solid as a Rock’s skills left him buzzing.

Polly wasn’t usually one for crowds, but disliking crowds didn’t mean he liked solitude—otherwise, he wouldn’t have logged in on time today after yesterday’s Open-World Map run with that healer.

“I don’t play games; I play loneliness.” Only those who’d experienced ghost servers understood the desolation behind those words.

[Party] Milk is Mom: Potala Palace?

Fang Zheng picked one of the simpler max-level dungeons—though the standard setup still required six people.

[Party] Polly: Three might be pushing it.

Ah, what seemed impossible to others was merely “pushing it” for experts…

[Party] Mad Lad: I’ll swap to full DPS gear. Should be doable.

Assassins were a technical class—their DPS couldn’t match magic classes, but their defense was better. Their defense couldn’t match Blood Warriors or Berserkers, but their DPS surpassed those two. They also had sneaky skills like trap-laying. Plus, this class could use bows… Among Huaxia’s eight major classes, there was no dedicated Archer, but Assassins could wield bows.

[Party] Milk is Mom: Full DPS? How strong?

In a well-balanced dungeon party, Assassins usually wore full DPS gear (unless they had solo tasks, like pulling War Chariots in Terracotta Warriors). With a tank and healer, Assassins only needed to focus on dealing damage. But “full DPS” varied by player—or rather, by gear.

[Party] Mad Lad: Wait.

With that, the Assassin used a Town Portal Scroll.

Fang Zheng and Polly followed suit, returning to Nanjing Road.

Mad Lad had clearly visited the warehouse already. By the time his teammates arrived, he stood at a crossroads in full shimmering scale armor.

In the deserted street, the flashy Assassin was impossible to miss.

Fang Zheng hovered over the other’s gear—

[Perfect Desert Fortress Assassin Set]

– Chestpiece: All five attack +5 gem slots filled, +15 enhancement.

– Leggings: All five attack +5 gem slots filled, +15 enhancement.

– Bracers: All five attack +5 gem slots filled, +15 enhancement.

– Greaves: All five attack +5 gem slots filled, +15 enhancement.

– Boots: All five attack +5 gem slots filled, +15 enhancement.

Fang Zheng, in front of his computer, turned to stone.

Running Desert Stronghold Legion War ten times might reward five class-specific gear pieces. With eight classes, the chance of getting one for your class was 1/2 × 1/8 = 1/16. Meaning, you’d need to win sixteen Legion Wars to maybe get one piece. To collect all five? At least eighty runs! Since Legion Wars were weekly, assembling the full set would take eighty weeks—nearly two years! And that didn’t even account for enhancement time. Each attack +5 gem costs 20 RMB, and multiple attempts were often needed to socket one successfully. With five slots per piece, filling all twenty-five would require at least 100–200 gems. The enhancement gems were cheaper at 10 RMB each, but damn, each piece needed +15 enhancement! And each point was added one by one—fail once, and you lost a point! Those 75 total points were a bottomless pit!!!

The conclusion? This guy was the most despair-inducing entity in the game—the only thing worse than bots: a whale.

What set experts apart wasn’t just skill but also composure. Unlike Fang Zheng, Polly remained perfectly calm—even engaging in discussion…

[Party] Polly: What’s your physical attack with this set?

[Party] Mad Lad: 2857.

[Party] Polly: Impressive.

Now’s the time for calm praise?!

[Party] Polly: How much did the gear cost?

[Party] Mad Lad: 20K.

[Party] Polly: Enhancements?

[Party] Mad Lad: 12K.

[Party] Polly: Nice.

Are you two discussing Monopoly money?!

[Party] Polly: Waste to keep it in this server.

[Party] Mad Lad: Can’t help it.

[Party] Polly: Heh.

[Party] Mad Lad: Heh.

[Party] Milk is Mom: You two keep chatting. I’m out =_=