New Game Plus: I crave challenges

The electric current still zapped on the lake's surface while the blue snake monster stared at the party in hatred.

If it would be able to fight from the water, the snake would've been confident to kill the party members as easy as killing a chicken.

But thanks to Liam's trick the fight was now in favor of the players.

"Only two thousand HP left, we got this!"

Cyclone encouraged everyone as she swung her wand. In her mind she was already imagining her new class, wielding the might of lighting to decimate her opponents.

"Hehehe…"

Balm gazed strangely at her friend as the blond woman laughed evilly.

"Heal!"

Radiant Shield's distressed voice caught Balm's attention. Fortunately, her skill was already off cooldown. With a swing of her wand a comfortable energy enveloped Radiant Shield, allowing the tank to recover.

But as if to show that it wouldn't be outdone by a bunch of players the boss drew back, putting its tail in the water.

Once again it began to recover a large amount of HP.

The party didn't need Liam's reminder this time. They brought out all their skills, crushing the boss under their attacks.

The snake was quickly interrupted in its recovery. It swayed angrily, its eyes full of rage.

Unfortunately, the party wasn't threatened by a mere gaze. They never stopped pressing on.

A short while later the snake slammed its head down like a tiny meteor. While a few of the party members fell, Liam watched his skills coming off cooldown.

The veteran dished out another round of attacks.

Boom!

Five holy marks exploded simultaneously. Finally, the snake couldn't bear it anymore. It wailed one last time before crashing to the floor, stopping all its movements.

"We did it!"

Cyclone was excited as a notification flashed before her eyes, letting her know that she advanced in her quest.

Now she only needed to bring back the snake's head as evidence and would be granted a new class.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Radiant Shield panted heavily, exhaustion written on his face:

"My friend, have some mercy on us."

"I'm with you, Cy.", said Balm as she watched her friend reach towards the snake's corpse.

A blue shimmer instantly appeared in her hand.

"Fortune, I guess you're lucky!"

Cyclone had a hint of longing in her eyes while handing over a mage robe to her idol.

"Reduces cast time? Not bad!"

Fortune put on her new robe with a grin. Suddenly all the boys had strange expressions, some averting their eyes, some taking an extra look.

Compared to traditional wide robes, Fortune's new one didn't try to hide her feminine charm.

Cyclone felt a hint of relief that this robe didn't land in her hands.

Fortune on the other hand wasn't shy, presenting herself proudly. She knew how to use her figure to her advantage as a content creator.

"Maybe I have to record less from my own perspective…"

Liam coughed awkwardly as Fortune murmured to herself.

"We got what we came for. Let's go."

"Yes, yes!", agreed Cyclone joyfully, taking the lead.

Soon the party was back at the earlier crossing, facing old man Meyhran.

"Adventurers, you are back! Has the beast been slain?"

"Old man, we have completed your quest."

"Great. You have done a good deed. The world is a bit saver thanks to you. This old man can finally continue his travels.

You know I don't have much to give. Each of you can try your luck in my tattered, old bag. But I can't promise you anything."

"Don't worry old man, I will definitely get something good!"

Cyclone rubbed her hands before opening the bag wide. A seemingly infinite darkness waited for her.

"Cy-clone! Cy-clone!"

Balm cheered jokingly as her friend rummaged through the bag. When she drew her hand back, a shining yellow light played around it.

The others didn't immediately comprehend the situation, but Liam's jaw gaped open as he stared at Cyclone's hand.

"Impossible."

"What is it, Mirage?"

"A rare item! That's the best you can get for the foreseeable future!"

When Cyclone heard Liam's explanation she first grinned brightly before quickly putting on a nonchalant facade.

"It's only rare. I can draw something like this whenever I want."

Cyclone flicked her hair with her hand as she spoke arrogantly.

"Stop pretending!"

"Hey!"

The blond woman glared at Balm, who mischievously poked her waist.

"Come on, show us the item."

"Yes, we want to see the first rare."

"Show it into the camera!"

Under the party's urgings Cyclone finally posted the information into the chat.

[Boots of Saphrala

Category: Rare

Level requirement: 12

Movement speed: +15

Magical Resistance: +4

Magical Damage: +30

Effect 1: Reduces stance cost of Flash Step by half.

Effect 2: Every time you use Flash Step lightning will strike a random enemy.

Skill: Phantom Clone

The famous elven mage Saphrala personally imbued these boots with her magic for thirty days. They were given to her daughter Maphrola, who got rid of everything reminding her of her mother after a fierce argument.]

"Wow! They even have a skill attached!"

"So strong!"

"What do we do with them?"

The party discussed for a few seconds. Everyone was enticed by the rare item even if it didn't have any use for them.

But eventually, Fortune and Balm graciously took a step back, allowing the boots to end up in Cyclone's hands.

After finding a rare item, the subsequent items couldn't raise the excitement anymore. Even as Radiant Shield retrieved a blue bow it was barely enough to move Silent Acacia.

Thus, the subsequent looting passed quickly. Soon old man Meyhran took his leave, his magical bag dangling over his shoulder.

Liam shook his head seeing the hint of greed in Bloody Edge's eyes:

"Forget it. You aren't the first and won't be last. But no one can take the old man's bag away."

"My instincts tell me the old man hides deeply."

"Of course. Else he couldn't casually travel everywhere."

"Can we trail him and accept all his quests?", questioned Cyclone with sparkling eyes, drawing laughter from Liam.

"Sure. If you manage to stick to him."

Cyclone narrowed her eyes, seemingly pondering if it was worth a try. But at this moment a deafening screech suddenly echoed through the gorge.

A monstrous hawk with a wingspan of multiple meters swooped down from the air, thirsty for revenge.

The party members felt their chest tighten. If this monster aimed for them, they could just lie down and let it kill them. There was no way to fight back.

But fortunately, the hawk didn't look at them, racing towards a spot hidden behind a few trees.

A faint breeze danced around the party members. They didn't take it to heart until they suddenly found the hawk struggling in the air.

A second later the gigantic beast tumbled. A deafening bang shook the surroundings as the hawk broke the sound barrier shooting into the distance.

"What… was this?"

"Wind magic probably."

"Eh… you know what? Maybe we shouldn't follow the old man."

"Maybe you're right…"

The party members turned around stiffly. This was the first time they saw magic of a high grade being used, leaving a profound impression in their minds.

But their apprehension quickly turned into longing. Cyclone was all the more hyped for her new class, urging the group to return to the city quickly.

However, by now it was already getting late. The party decided to separate and do their own thing.

Liam didn't feel like starting a new quest, farming some EXP instead.

An hour later the gaming time for the day was over, forcing everyone to log off.

Liam stretched and left his training room. Patting his pocket the young man smiled, feeling the black credit card with more than 60.000 credits in it.

He strolled out of the dojo, following a path through the lower city. Liam couldn't help but sigh as he watched the people who were trying to survive.

Deep rooted feelings moved in his heart.

Now that I have a path to success, I might be able to save a few people.

Many of the homeless here are innocent, left alone by the world. Yet it was those who don't have anything themselves, who reached out a helping hand to me and Serena in the past.

Especially our old community. I would love to gift Trey a console, but a poor man can be guilty for owning a jewel…

Random thoughts ran in Liam's hand when he finally reached his target, entering Ben's Pawn Shop where he pawned his champions ring off.

When the familiar 'ding' rang out, Liam furrowed his brows. Looking around, he found many cracked shelves with only a few sparsely placed items.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach Liam approached the unmanned counter. It took a few seconds until Ben came from a door at the back.

The old man had a bandage around his head, his expression icy. He spoke with a dry voice:

"Who are you? Are you buying or selling?"

"Old man, don't you recognize me anymore?"