Chapter 25: The Shattered Caliburn

Chapter 25: The Broken Sword in the Stone

Inside the equipment shop, the shopkeeper was no longer looking glum, nor was he surrounded by a crowd. The plump man seemed remarkably relaxed. Seeing Lin Zheng arrive, the shopkeeper beamed and greeted him warmly, "My dear customer, I am so glad to see you again!"

"I believe you will be even happier to see this!" Lin Zheng skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point, producing the Boss Core. Upon seeing the item, the shopkeeper was so delighted he nearly shrieked, his smile wider than ever.

Lin Zheng submitted the Boss Core, and the system immediately prompted: "Quest 'The Test of Extreme Cold' completed. Obtained profession title 'Ice Fighter', Level +2, all skill levels +1, obtained Dark Gold equipment 'Cold Star'!" A Dark Gold reward! Lin Zheng was ecstatic; the payout was incredible! He quickly opened his inventory to find a ring he hadn’t possessed before. He was even more thrilled now—Dark Gold equipment was impressive enough, but to receive a rare ring on top of that was a bonus!

Cold Star: Level requirement 35, Dark Gold.
Physical Attack: 220-260, Magic Attack: 220-260
Strength: +22
Constitution: +22
Soul Snatcher: Critical hit rate +2%
Cruelty: Physical Attack +250, Physical Defense -100
Cold Star: Skill cooldown reduction 20%
...

This ring was overpowered! Lin Zheng stared at the stats in shock. The physical attack bonus alone was 510 points, and with the 22 Strength points converting to another 112 attack and 44 defense, the 100-point defense penalty was negligible! Lin Zheng had been level 31; he gained 2 levels after killing the Frost Crystal Dragon Beast and another 2 from completing the quest, putting him exactly at level 35—just enough to equip the ring.

"How was it? The rewards were good, right? What did you get?" asked Lin Zheng after equipping the ring.

"I got +2 levels, +1 to all skills, and a sword—a level 35 Gold-tier weapon! It’s amazing! Brother Shengun, thank you so much for taking me on this quest!" Xiaomeng lunged at Lin Zheng. The girl had a habit of throwing herself at people whenever she was excited. Lin Zheng patted her hair affectionately and said, "I got a title called 'Ice Fighter'—sounds pretty imposing! And my reward was this Dark Gold ring."

"No way! How is your luck so heaven-defying?" Yang Qi widened her eyes, filled with envy and jealousy. "I only got a pair of Gold-tier boots! This is so unfair!"

"Heh! Who told you to let me accept the quest? Besides, aren't you an expert? Next time, find a quest like this and bring us along to make a fortune!" Hearing Lin Zheng’s teasing, Yang Qi felt so frustrated she nearly suffered internal injuries. Her years of gaming experience had been completely defeated by this guy’s absurd luck.

"Hehe! I had good luck, too. I got a piece of Gold-tier cloth armor. What about you, Youxi?" Lilith said happily, her eyes turning to Youxi.

"This." Youxi opened her palm to reveal a crescent moon necklace. When Yang Qi saw it, she was stunned once again. The luck of these siblings, Lin Zheng and Youxi, was simply broken! One got a ring and the other a necklace—both ultra-rare equipment!

Moonlight: Level requirement 30, Gold-tier.
Physical Attack: 60, Magic Attack: 60
Physical Defense: 30, Magic Defense: 30
Constitution: +18
Intelligence: +20
Moonlight Radiance: Healing effect +50%
Moonlight: Healing spell consumption -50%
...

It was clearly a necklace designed for a healer. Seeing the stats, Lilith’s eyes turned into stars; the attributes were incredible, and the necklace was beautiful.

"Youxi! Can I trade my armor for this necklace?" Lilith asked, looking at Youxi with anticipation. Youxi didn't even hesitate and nodded immediately. Lilith cheered and traded with Youxi. With this necklace, Lilith’s healing output would surely be much more powerful!

"So, shopkeeper, I’ve brought you the item. Can I have the sword I asked for now?" Lin Zheng said to the plump man, who was busy admiring the Boss Core. The shopkeeper jumped, "Ah!" He quickly stashed the core away and said apologetically, "My apologies! I was just so happy. Wait a moment, customer, I’ll get the sword for you right now!"

The shopkeeper went behind the counter, stood on his tiptoes with some effort to reach the sword case on the wall, and happily handed it to Lin Zheng. "When I bought this sword, the traveler told me it was an incredible blade, a treasure from a place called England. But unfortunately, it’s broken."

"Broken?" Lin Zheng was surprised. He looked closely at the sword in the case and indeed, there was a faint crack in the middle of the blade, splitting it in two. When Lin Zheng grabbed the hilt, he only pulled out half; the other half remained in the case.

"What a pity! It’s such a cool-looking sword," Yang Qi said regretfully.

"It really is! I wonder if we can find another one just like it?" Xiaomeng seemed to like the design, too.

"Come to think of it, this sword looks like one I’ve seen before!" Lilith said, staring at the broken blade.

"You’ve seen this sword?" Lin Zheng looked at her, puzzled. Lilith nodded. "The more I look at it, the more it resembles a sword from an anime. It’s called Caliburn!"

"Caliburn? What’s that? Don’t give me that foreign gibberish; I don’t understand it!" Yang Qi said ignorantly. Lin Zheng rolled his eyes. "You idiot, could you be any more uneducated? Caliburn is the legendary sword from English folklore. King Arthur, the legendary king, became the King of England after pulling it from a stone. Oh, you might know the Chinese name better: it’s the Sword in the Stone!"

"The Sword in the Stone! You could have just said that! Making me guess with 'Caliburn'—you know I didn't even pass my English Level 4 exam!" Yang Qi’s proud display of ignorance made Lin Zheng want to smack her.

"It’s the Sword in the Stone. Legend says it broke during a duel. Since the shopkeeper said a traveler from England sold it to him, it fits the legend perfectly. Why don't you check its item description?" Lin Zheng was curious and chose to display the attributes:

Sword in the Stone: The divine blade that chose a king. It was broken during a conspiracy and lost its divinity. Only a Master-tier blacksmith can repair it. Repairing it will trigger the quest "Seeking Avalon"!

"It really is the Sword in the Stone!" Yang Qi said in shock. "And it can be repaired! If it’s fixed, it’s probably at least a Celestial-tier item! But what a shame—it requires a Master-tier blacksmith. By the time a player reaches that level, it’ll be a year or two from now! This thing is basically useless, just a collector’s item."

"Doesn't matter. I bought it as a collector’s item anyway. If I can fix it later, great; if not, so be it." Lin Zheng shrugged and tossed the sword into his dimensional bag. He looked at the group, "It’s late. Let’s log off and get some sleep."

"Yeah!" the three girls nodded. Staying up late wasn't something beauty-conscious women did.

"Right, we made a fortune on this quest. Let’s have a meal together tomorrow to celebrate!" Lin Zheng suggested. In truth, it wasn't just to celebrate. He hadn't seen Youxi in nearly eight years. While it was unlikely she would change her appearance in the game, he wanted to see the real-life Youxi.

"Okay! Okay! When and where? I spent all my living expenses this month on the login device for *Phantom Spirit II* and have been eating instant noodles for days! I’m definitely going to make you pay for a feast!" Xiaomeng exclaimed excitedly. Lilith looked a bit shy, whispering, "Do I have to go?"

"No way! If we’re going, we go together!" Lin Zheng refused firmly. Lilith lowered her head, whispering, "Alright then! But, you aren't allowed to make fun of me when you see me in person!" So, the girl was insecure about her real-life appearance! Lin Zheng laughed, "I’m not that shallow! It’s settled then: tomorrow at 11 AM, at Longyuan Restaurant. Youxi, you must come!"

"Hehe! Don't worry! I’ll definitely bring my Youxi along!" Xiaomeng promised proudly. With that assurance, Lin Zheng felt relieved and patted Youxi and Xiaomeng on the head.

"Hey, why didn't you ask for my opinion!?" Yang Qi complained. Lin Zheng rolled his eyes. "You’re such a glutton; would you really stay away if I didn't invite you?"

"I’d go, of course, but the question is who’s paying?" Yang Qi asked righteously.

"I’m living off you, and you’re eating my food—who do you think is paying?"

"Damn! So you’re the one treating, but I’m the one paying? That’s so shameless!"

"..."

The three girls logged off quickly. Lin Zheng, thinking of the meal tomorrow, decided to put his gold coins on the trading platform provided by *Phantom Spirit II*. It was safe and reliable, though it charged a 1% fee. He had earned quite a lot—518 gold coins after rounding off! With gold in high demand, 518 coins was an astronomical sum. Lin Zheng kept 100 for himself and listed the remaining 418. With the current market price high, he didn't want to be too greedy, so he set the price at 80 RMB per coin. As soon as he posted them, a "Ding" sounded: "Your gold has been sold. 33,106 RMB has been deposited into your account."

That was fast! Over 30,000 yuan gone in the blink of an eye. There were indeed many rich people playing this game. Lin Zheng sighed, and seeing Yang Qi was still online, he said in the team channel, "Hey rogue, aren't you logging off? We’re eating tomorrow; don't stay up all night and miss it!"

"Wait! I’m setting up a stall and putting it on auto-manage before I log off!" Yang Qi replied.

"Oh? You can auto-manage a stall after logging off?" Lin Zheng asked curiously. The official website hadn't mentioned that.

"Yeah! I did it last night!"

"That’s great! I’ll go set up a stall too. Where are you? I’ll come over—you have to tell me the right prices so I don't lose money!"

"At the plaza, come over!"

...

With Yang Qi’s help, Lin Zheng set up his stall and enabled auto-management before logging off. In the middle of the night, he climbed out of his game pod, used the restroom, and collapsed onto his bed, sleeping until the next day.