Player [Kayla] and [Tank] instantly widened their eyes, staring in shock at the player standing behind the Lizard Monster.nShe gripped her longsword tightly and drove it straight into the Lizard Monster's head.
In an instant, the Lizard Monster let out a tortured howl, thrashing its head wildly, while its sharp claws tore apart everything around it.
But no matter how much the Lizard Monster struggled, the player's longsword remained lodged firmly in its body.
Finally, the Lizard Monster's resistance gradually weakened, until it collapsed heavily onto the ground, motionless, with blood slowly pooling beneath it.
Player [Tank] touched his body as if waking from a dream, realizing he was still alive.
A look of sheer delight crossed his face, and he was just about to thank the player who had saved them.
The player who killed the Lizard Monster quickly pulled the longsword out of the creature's head.
Her gaze was cold as she stared at him and [Kayla].
Player [Tank] was startled for a moment. He had a strong feeling that if he made even the slightest wrong move, the longsword that had just killed the Lizard Monster would be plunged into him in an instant.
But player [Kayla] seemed completely unaware of the tension. With gratitude written all over her face, she started to walk toward Ethan. She opened her mouth and said:
"Thank you for saving us, I really appreciate—"
She stopped halfway through her sentence. A purple glow suddenly appeared over the corpse of the Lizard Monster.
It was a purple-quality Intel reward!
Player [Tank] and [Kayla] opened their eyes as wide as they could, staring intently at the glowing purple Intel reward.
They both swallowed unconsciously. Player [Tank] was the first to snap out of it. He shook his head, took two steps back, and said to Ethan,
"Buddy, you killed the Lizard Monster and saved my life. Whatever drops, it's yours by right."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to fight you for it."
Player [Kayla] slowly pulled back her gaze as well, took a few steps back, and said to Ethan:
"I'm just curious since it's my first time seeing an Intel reward. Please don't misunderstand."
Listening to what player [Tank] and [Kayla] said, Ethan just gave a slight nod and didn't say anything more.
He wasn't the kind of guy who took people at their word so easily.
He put the freshly dropped purple-quality Intel reward into his [Inventory]. Ethan still held the [Frostblade], keeping it pointed toward player [Tank] and [Kayla].
At the same time, he nudged the Lizard Monster's corpse with his foot, trying to see if anything else had dropped.
Unfortunately, there was still no equipment or items at all.
No wonder players always complain that the drop rate in "Dawnfall Online" is so low—it's honestly enough to make people despair.
After that, Ethan took a few steps back, keeping his distance from player [Tank] and [Kayla].
He glanced at the Intel reward in his [Inventory], and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
[Special Potion Intel in the No. 9527 Safe Zone Sewers]
[Quality]: Purple
[Requirement]: Player Level 8
[Description]: In the sewers of Safe Zone No. 9527, you'll find not only disgusting monsters but also special potions that'll make you happy. After using it, your level will jump straight to 10 and you'll get 5 extra attribute points—with no side effects at all.
This was exactly the Intel reward Ethan wanted: something that could boost his strength fast, and help his level catch up to the players who jumped into "Dawnfall Online" the moment it launched.
Plus, if he could find the potion mentioned in the [Special Potion Intel in the No. 9527 Safe Zone Sewers], he wouldn't just hit level 10, he'd also get 5 attribute points.
That would easily give him higher combat power than most players, even if he was wearing no gear at all.
There was no way Ethan would ever consider selling this purple-quality Intel reward. He knew very well that only by constantly getting stronger could he keep killing new monsters and scoring even better Intel drops.
Just as Ethan was checking the Intel reward, a soft female voice spoke up:
"Um, I can help you take the Lizard Monster's hide to the equipment shop in the Safe Zone. The owner can process it for you. It'll cost about 500 Dawn Coins, and you'll get a white-quality piece of gear out of it."
"If you don't need it after it's made, you can always sell it. White-quality gear usually goes for around a thousand bucks."
Player [Kayla] reminded Ethan.
Ethan shot [Kayla] a surprised look. Some monster parts could indeed be crafted into weapons, gear, or items, but only if players had built up enough rapport with the game's NPCs.
A lot of players spent tons of Dawn Coins collecting monster materials, only to find that the stuff they made didn't even cover the cost.
That was exactly why Ethan hadn't bothered collecting monster corpses before—he didn't know any NPCs who could craft gear or items.
Right now, almost no players had taken up life skills, so weapons, gear, and items could only be obtained through quests, buying from shops, or monster drops.
Since [Kayla] mentioned it, she probably knew the equipment shop NPC in Safe Zone 9527.
Ethan thought about it for a moment.
Maybe, in the future, he'd get his hands on some rare monster materials and need [Kayla] to take them to the shop for processing.
So, Ethan finally spoke up: "You guys can have the Lizard Monster's corpse. White-quality gear isn't much use to me."
At this point, Ethan didn't care about white-quality weapons, gear, or items anymore. Even green-quality gear, which was a step up, didn't really excite him.
What he wanted now were more blue-quality weapons, gear, and items—or even purple-quality if he could swing it.
When [Tank] and [Kayla] heard Ethan's answer, they instinctively glanced at each other. Both of them could see the surprise in each other's eyes.
[Kayla] asked eagerly, "You mean it's for me? Really?"
Ethan watched [Kayla] get all worked up over it and found it a little odd. She had only shown mild curiosity when she saw the much more valuable purple-quality Intel reward a moment ago.
But now, over a monster material that would only make white-quality gear, she was genuinely excited.
Soon enough, [Kayla] was crouched by the Lizard Monster's body, using a small knife to process the corpse.
Player [Tank], meanwhile, stayed where he was and said to Ethan:
"Let me introduce myself. My in-game ID is Tank. My forum name is also Tank. You've probably heard of me. Seriously, thanks a ton for what you did."
Ethan gave [Tank] another look. The sewer quest guide he'd read earlier was actually posted by this guy.
[Tank] continued, "You have no idea. I've spent three whole in-game days down here trying to uncover the hidden storylines and bosses in these sewers!"
"Finally, today I got my shot. If you hadn't stepped in to help, I'd be daydreaming back at Noob Nest right now."
Ethan waved it off and answered coolly, "It was nothing."
[Tank] picked up on Ethan's distant tone, so he took the initiative to say, "Hey, don't worry—I won't breathe a word about that purple-quality Intel reward drop."
"You know [Windchaser], right? That unlucky guy got targeted by the Coffin Guild just for a purple Intel reward."
"He's probably still stuck in the Safe Zone. If he read my quest guide and had any brains, he'd come down here to the sewers and try to keep surviving."
As he spoke, [Tank] got the feeling that the player across from him was getting even colder.
He could only scratch his head awkwardly and force a stiff laugh.
The atmosphere grew a little tense. [Tank] wasn't sure what to say. Ethan had just saved him, and he felt like he should do something in return.
As for the purple-quality Intel reward, sure, he was jealous—but that was it.
If someone gets a purple Intel drop, that's just luck. If he'd killed that Lizard Monster himself, there's no way he'd have gotten something like that.
So, [Tank] looked at Ethan and said, "Why don't we add each other as friends? If you ever need anything from me, just ask."
"Really, I owe you one today."