Faced with [Tank]'s friend request, Ethan thought it over. [Tank] was sharp enough to notice the hidden storylines and bosses in the sewers, which already put him ahead of most regular players.
Besides, the guy hadn't shown any bad attitude just now—except for calling him unlucky, which wasn't a big deal.
Players who focused on story content and posting guides were worth knowing. You never know when you might need their help down the line.
So Ethan nodded and said, "Sure, go ahead and add me."
[Tank] honestly thought Ethan would turn him down, so he asked excitedly, "Really? What's your in-game ID?"
Ethan looked at [Tank] and replied, "[Windchaser]."
[Tank] didn't catch on right away. He said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what just happened. I won't let you become the next [Windchaser], so you can trust me with your game ID."
Ethan replied slowly, "I am [Windchaser], the unlucky guy you were talking about."
[Tank] was stunned on the spot. He looked Ethan up and down, but thanks to the gas mask, he couldn't see Ethan's face at all.
As soon as the friend request went through, [Tank] completely lost it and started apologizing to Ethan like crazy.
At that moment, the player [Kayla] had finished collecting monster corpse materials and was looking at Ethan with curiosity.
If word got out that a player managed to get two purple-quality Intel rewards, it would absolutely cause a huge sensation.
Because, in every gamer's eyes, those rare Intel rewards are all about luck—only the luckiest people ever get their hands on something that valuable.
That's exactly what [Tank] thought. He couldn't help his curiosity and asked Ethan, "Man, your Luck stat must be through the roof! Two purple Intel drops? You're literally the only one in all of Dawnfall Online who's ever pulled that off!"
Ethan glanced at his wristwatch. His character stats showed his Luck was just 1 point.
Honestly, his Luck stat was nothing special. The real reason for his luck was the [Ten-Thousandfold Intelligence Reward].
But as for the [Ten-Thousandfold Intelligence Reward], Ethan was never going to tell anyone about it. So when faced with [Tank]'s question, Ethan just gave a slight nod.
Now that he had obtained the [Special Potion Intel in the No. 9527 Safe Zone Sewers], his next step was to kill as many monsters as possible to level up his character.
The Lizard Monster he just killed hadn't been enough to level him up—he was still level six.
It seemed that as his level increased, the number of monsters he needed to kill went up too.
Ethan had to reach level eight as quickly as he could, then use the [Special Potion Intel in the No. 9527 Safe Zone Sewers] to get the special potion and boost his strength.
As for [Kayla] and [Tank], Ethan figured he might still have some use for them soon.
Suddenly, [Tank] seemed to remember something. His expression turned a bit hesitant, and he looked at Ethan as if he wanted to say something, but held back.
A trace of amusement flashed in Ethan's eyes. He remembered how curious [Tank] had been about hidden storylines and bosses, so he knew that even after nearly being killed by a monster, [Tank] wouldn't give up on exploring the depths of the sewers.
Sure enough, everything was playing out just as he expected.
Still, he needed [Tank] to bring it up himself and make the request.
The next second, Ethan sheathed his [Frostblade], turned slightly, and started heading for the sewer exit. [Kayla] instinctively took a step as if to leave as well.
Only [Tank] took a deep breath and called out to Ethan:
"Wait up, [Windchaser], hold on a second!"
Ethan slowly turned back, glanced at [Tank], and said calmly, "What's up? Is there something else you need?"
[Tank] hesitated no longer and said straight out, "Man, I saw how strong you were back there—you're way better than me. I want to keep going deeper into the sewers. Would you mind helping me out a bit?"
"Here's the deal: any monsters we run into are all yours, and as long as you escort me—whether we make it to the deepest part or not—I'll pay you a hundred thousand as a reward!"
"Deal?"
[Tank] looked at Ethan with almost pleading eyes. He really didn't want to miss this chance—he'd already spent three days in the sewers before he even encountered that strange tremor.
Normally, the monsters along the way would have torn him to pieces by now.
If he missed out today, [Tank] had no idea if he'd ever get another shot at catching an anomaly like this, or if an opportunity like this would ever come again.
Besides, he'd already wasted too much time and energy, and other players had leveled way ahead of him.
[Tank] just wanted to give it one last try. If he couldn't dig deeper into the hidden storyline or boss today, he'd have no regrets.
Whether or not they made it to the very bottom of the sewers or found the source of the tremor, he'd still pay the reward—he wanted to make that clear.
After all, it was his idea to ask Ethan to escort him.
When Ethan heard the request, he hesitated for a moment, then sighed and replied:
"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee the outcome."
[Tank] shot Ethan a grateful look, nodding hard. "That's enough, more than enough! Man, thank you so much—you've helped me twice today!"
"If you ever need anything from me in the future, just say the word. As long as it's something I can do, I'll do it!"
Then, [Tank] asked if he could wire the hundred thousand directly to Ethan's bank account. Ethan said he preferred untraceable, anonymous funds.
Once Ethan received the hundred thousand, he, [Tank], and [Kayla] continued deeper into the sewers.
This time, Ethan took the lead, a slight smile curling on his lips—he was in a really good mood.
[Kayla] didn't have much combat ability, but at the very least, she could draw some attention from the monsters. [Tank] was a bit stronger than the average player.
With the two of them fighting by his side, battles against monsters would be easier and more efficient for Ethan. No matter how you looked at it, having two players helping out was way better than going solo.
On top of that, [Tank] handed Ethan an item—it was something [Tank] had used earlier in the fight against the Lizard Monster.
[Impure Potential Stimulating Potion]
[Quality]: Green quality.
[Usage Requirement]: Level above five.
[Item Effect]: Temporarily boosts the user's Strength by 2 points and Speed by 1 point, lasting for ninety seconds.
[Description]: Ninety seconds might be short for a man, but for a life-or-death battle, it's more than enough.
When [Tank] pulled out the [Impure Potential Stimulating Potion], his face showed real reluctance and pain.
A one-time-use item of green quality like this was definitely precious. If it weren't for the hidden storyline and boss deep in the sewers, [Tank] probably wouldn't have handed it over.
Soon, as they went deeper, they ran into another Lizard Monster. This time, with Ethan on board, the fight wasn't nearly as dangerous—[Tank] and [Kayla] were barely even scratched.
Of course, just like they agreed, the final blow on the monsters always went to Ethan.
After Ethan finished off this Lizard Monster, a faint warm current surged from his watch and flowed into his body.
Ethan leveled up to seven—just one level away from meeting the requirement to use the [Special Potion Intel in the No. 9527 Safe Zone Sewers]!
But just then, Ethan's watch buzzed with a message from [Lucas].
[Lucas]: [Bro, are you in the Safe Zone 9527 sewer map? Coffin Guild just gathered a bunch of level-seven players and headed to the junkyard. You need to get out of there, quick.]
Run?
Ethan glanced at his current level, then at the [Special Potion Intel in the No. 9527 Safe Zone Sewers], and the smile on his lips grew even wider.
There was still time. Once he hit level ten, the Coffin Guild players out for his head would never forget him.
Ethan replied: [I'll take care of them.]