After logging off, Jiang Bai had no appetite for cooking and simply ordered takeout before opening the Genesis forum. The game had been live for several hours, and he thought it was the perfect time to catch up on the latest discussions and expand his knowledge.
At this moment, a highlighted post on the forum caught Jiang Bai's attention in a surprising way.
"Who on earth is the first player in the entire server to obtain purple gear, 'Empty City Old Dream'?"
"Ha ha..."
The title of the post instantly amused Jiang Bai. The replies below were filled with various speculations, and some even mysteriously claimed to know the person's identity, suggesting a WeChat red envelope of 10 yuan for the information.
"Whoa, people are already making money in my name?"
Jiang Bai continued scrolling down until another post caught his eye.
"What are the hidden professions in Genesis and how can they be obtained?"
"So soon, people have already started researching hidden professions?"
Jiang Bai hastily opened the post.
"Hello, players. Now that Genesis has launched, we believe the most pressing concern for players is the issue of hidden professions. Everyone must already be familiar with the basic professions in Genesis. The six basic professions represent different directions for hidden professions..."
"So, how exactly can hidden professions be obtained? The editor is also very curious. Please continue to follow this post, and the editor will bring you the latest information..."
"Damn it!"
After reading, Jiang Bai was extremely disappointed. "It's just a marketing account. Annoying..."
After the takeout arrived, he hastily finished his meal and couldn't wait to log back into the game.
The familiar login screen was both exciting and captivating.
As the newbie village interface slowly loaded, the bustling scene still met his eyes. Four hours after the game launched, the newbie village was still packed with people.
"Excuse me, let me through..."
Jiang Bai squeezed his way through the crowd towards the blacksmith's spot, earning quite a few disapproving glances.
"Level 2 white knight's hammer for sale, only 5000 copper coins. Passersby, take a look!"
"Top-tier mage skill Fireball for sale, price negotiable."
...
The cries of vendors along the way were incessant. These people preferred not to sell their items on the trading market to avoid the 10% handling fee.
"Sure enough, the price of level 2 white gear is starting to drop!"
Jiang Bai keenly seized this good news. For him, the lower the price of these junk gears, the faster he could synthesize equipment for other parts.
The once deserted blacksmith's place now had a few scattered players, indicating that the leading players were mostly around level 4.
"I need to speed up the process."
Jiang Bai pushed his way to the front of the blacksmith and slapped his longbow onto the blacksmith's counter with a "bang," "Old man, I'm here to turn in the quest."
The blacksmith, who had been busy with his head down, slowly lifted his head. The initial annoyance on his face gradually disappeared upon seeing Jiang Bai, and then turned into astonishment.
"It's you?"
"It's me!"
"You're here to turn in the quest?"
"I'm here to turn in the quest!"
"You've completed it?"
"I've completed it!"
"Impossible!"
The blacksmith was full of doubt, scrutinizing Jiang Bai from head to toe, "The difficulty of my quest, how could you possibly..."
Before he could finish, the blacksmith's gaze fell on the two pieces of equipment on Jiang Bai, and the rest of his words died in his throat, his eyes filled with shock.
When he spoke again, his tone was full of respect.
"Young man, could you let this old fellow take a look at your weapon?"
"Sorry, old man, I don't have time to waste with you. Hurry up and let me turn in the quest."
"Alright!"
Without further ado, the blacksmith's eyes gleamed, and then a golden light rained down from Jiang Bai's head.
"You have completed the quest [The Blacksmith's Bet], gaining 1000 experience points, 3000 copper coins, and a random equipment item, a Willow Staff. Additionally, for completing the advanced hidden quest, you gain 100 reputation."
"Wow, 1000 experience points!"
Jiang Bai watched as his level jumped from 2 to 3, the experience bar rising halfway before stopping.
"I directly leveled up by one and a half levels. Another 500 experience points and I'll be at level 4!"
"3000 copper coins go without saying, a single quest is worth 3000 RMB!"
"This is the benefit of hidden quests! Although difficult, the rewards are indeed substantial!" Of course, the biggest surprise was still the staff.
Willow Staff (Good)
Magic Attack: 9
Intelligence: 2
Equipment Level: 4
"Green gear!"
"Colored!"
"And it's a green gear with Intelligence 2! The level is just right!"
Jiang Bai immediately opened the trading market and searched vigorously. Sure enough, there were no green weapons for sale on the market at the moment!
The drop rate in Genesis was just that low!
At most, there were a few green armors, all at exorbitant prices.
Of course, this did not mean that no one had obtained green weapons on the server for such a long time. It was just that they were too sought-after, either used directly by the players or sold as soon as they were listed.
"I'm rich! I'm really rich!"
Jiang Bai's trembling hand placed the staff into the consignment interface, but instead of setting a fixed price, he chose the auction mode, starting the bid at 1 gold coin!
Jiang Bai had no doubt that the final sale price of this staff would definitely be a pleasant surprise.
Not to mention the extreme rarity of green weapons at the moment, but mainly the attribute boost it provided to top players far exceeded what ordinary players could imagine.
Especially for those tycoon players competing on the level and equipment lists, in this global MMORPG, having their company's name displayed was a benefit that could not be compared to a few gold coins.
Sure enough, the moment the staff was listed, Jiang Bai's private chat channel exploded.
"Bro, take the item down quickly. Name your price, and let's trade face-to-face!"
"Bro, I want the staff. 5 gold for a fixed price. Let me know if you're selling."
"How about offline trading, bro..."
Looking at the private messages pouring in, Jiang Bai tried to stay calm. Admittedly, 5 gold coins, worth 50,000 RMB, was indeed tempting, but going through the auction, the final price would not be much lower, or even higher.
After listing the equipment, Jiang Bai checked his mailbox. The previous Wild Boar Staff had been sold, netting him 9000 copper coins. Jiang Bai's assets had now reached 2.3 gold.
He then took a look at the prices of other equipment.
As the majority of players reached level 3 and above, the prices of level 1 or 2 white gear were plummeting. Level 1 white gear was now hovering around 1000 copper coins, while level 2 white gear was around 2000 copper coins.
Although the prices had hit new lows, the cost-performance ratio was still not high, and Jiang Bai had no intention of selling his white gear just yet.
"Wait a bit longer."
Jiang Bai thought for a moment and slowly shook his head, "Wait until I reach level 4 and see what the equipment prices are then."
He casually equipped the Wild Boar Leather Boots and allocated the two attribute points he gained from leveling up to agility. Jiang Bai then prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute, young man."
Suddenly, the blacksmith's hoarse voice called out to Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai was taken aback and turned his head in confusion.
"What's up, old man?"
The blacksmith leaned against the weapon rack behind him, sizing up Jiang Bai, "You're planning to leave just like that?"
"Come on, old man, you can't be falling for me, can you?"
To be honest, the high intelligence level of the NPCs in Genesis was something Jiang Bai hadn't anticipated.
"Get lost."
The blacksmith narrowed his eyes, "Although you've completed the challenge quest I gave you, I have even more difficult quests here. Since I see potential in you, I'll give you a chance. Do you want to try?"
"You're trying to trick me again, old man?"
Though he spoke like that, Jiang Bai's heart was already stirred up.
Obviously, this blacksmith was no ordinary NPC.
More clearly, he had triggered a chain of hidden quests.
"Trick you?"
The blacksmith was so annoyed by Jiang Bai that he was almost fuming, "Feel your conscience, isn't the quest reward substantial enough? And do you think just anyone can receive a challenge quest from me? Hmph, in my old man's opinion, you're probably just scared, aren't you?"
"Scared!?"
Jiang Bai immediately raised his voice, "Don't try to provoke me, old man. Just bring on whatever quests you have. I'll take them all, one by one!"
"Good!"
The blacksmith's spirit was lifted, and then the system prompt sounded.
You have triggered a chain challenge quest, The Blacksmith's Trial (I). The system has forcibly accepted it for you.