Chapter Seventy-Six: Mastery of All Weapons

Chu Cheng gazed at the sparse list of exchangeable items on the panel, a flash of realization crossing his face as he asked, “Did Sun Yu worship as well?”

Mo Han nodded, “Yes, this time the storyline accumulated enough reputation, and less than half an hour before you arrived, he had already redeemed everything else.”

Chu Cheng… “Alright!” He had underestimated the situation. Had he known, he would have exchanged items first before checking the spoils.

The other items didn't matter, but those five uncut rare-quality primal magic gems were worth acquiring. Here, they cost only one gold each; once uncut gems were sold, they could fetch two gold per piece. Five in total, instantly netting him five gold. Of course, making money was secondary—the main thing was that he needed these five magic gems himself.

Now, with no way to obtain them, he could only choose something else. Among the remaining exchangeable items, only the gems and the Swordmaster's Notes could earn him a margin.

“No, the Mage Profession Certificate is quite profitable.” That item could sell for about a hundred gold on the outside market, yet here it required only 10,000 reputation and 25 gold, netting him a gain of 75 gold.

The problem was, in this instance, there seemed to be no market for it. Few students carried a hundred gold. The few in school with the means didn’t need it, nor would they lend him money. He could buy it now, then sell it on the campus flea market after the instance ended, but he was short on cash at present.

Unless…

Chu Cheng pinched his chin and asked with a sly smile, “Teacher Mo, hypothetical question—if I exchange the Mage Profession Certificate, does the school buy it back? And if so, at what price?”

Mo Han raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Of course the school buys it, but the price won’t match the outside market. Only fifty gold.”

“Ah, that low?”

“Yes, even for us, that’s the price.” He laughed, “If you can double your profit, that’s already good. You still want to sell at market price?”

“Heh!” Chu Cheng chuckled. “Wait a moment, I’ll borrow some money.” He awkwardly opened his communicator, intending to ask Zhang Chunlei and others for a loan. If everyone lent a little, he’d have the ten gold he needed. With a one-gold reward for a short-term loan, his chances were good.

Before he could speak, Mo Han waved him off. “How much are you short?”

“Uh, ten gold.”

“No need to borrow, I’ll cover it for you.”

“Ah, is that allowed?”

“I’m lending it privately.”

“Oh, thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing.” As he spoke, a transaction interface appeared, showing ten gold. The transaction completed, Mo Han asked, “Are you ready to exchange the Mage Profession Certificate?”

“Yes.” Mo Han tapped a few times in the air, and a prompt appeared at the corner of Chu Cheng’s vision. He opened his inventory and found the Mage Profession Certificate already exchanged. Checking his personal panel, he saw that 25 gold and 10,000 reputation had been deducted.

Before he could recover, another panel popped up—a recycling panel. Mo Han smiled, “I’m also in charge of collection. Put the item up, follow the process for accounting.”

“Oh!” Chu Cheng quickly placed the item for the transaction, and fifty gold was credited to his account. Then he traded with Mo Han again, hurriedly sending fifteen gold, clicking to confirm.

Mo Han refused, waving his hand, “A small favor—ten gold is enough.”

Seeing the teacher’s gaze, Chu Cheng did not insist. The transaction completed, and his assets instantly became forty gold and fifty-eight silver, with only 6,600 reputation left.

He then spent twelve gold and four thousand reputation to buy the two epic-quality magic gems, and another three gold and 1,500 reputation to purchase the Swordmaster's Notes.

The only items left among the worship reputation rewards were the Knight of War Profession Certificate, two Fireball scrolls, two Sunray scrolls, and a warhorse mount.

Of these, the Knight of War Profession Certificate could yield a considerable profit, but he lacked the reputation to redeem it. The spell scrolls offered no profit, nor did he need them for combat strength. The warhorse mount wasn't profitable either; few would pay a high price for a mount this early on. With money so tight, saving three gold wherever possible mattered.

He’d keep the two epic magic gems for now—uncertain whether epic gear required rare gems or epic gems, he’d decide when he had more funds. In their raw state, they were worth twelve gold; cut, fifteen gold. He could sell them if ever strapped for cash.

Exchanges complete, there was nothing urgent for the moment.

Though the Cross Fortress would launch reprisal attacks against the Orc coalition, that was a matter for half a month later. In the meantime, he dared not wander, lest Sun Yu seize an opportunity to trap him.

Now that Sun Yu was at a disadvantage, his only hope for reversal was the major event in half a month. Given Chu Cheng’s current prowess, Sun Yu’s chances of turning the tables under normal circumstances were slim.

Sun Yu likely realized this, and knew his only chance was if Chu Cheng withdrew—voluntarily or otherwise. Only with Chu Cheng gone would Sun Yu have an opportunity.

The allure of a primal hero’s mark was irresistible. No one could withstand it—not even Chu Cheng himself, and he would not yield. With it, he could cut in line, directly receive the inheritance of a superior hero, even a legendary hero. Perhaps even an immortal hero’s legacy, if he could find it.

“Should I fish in Gear City again?” “Or learn enchanting? No, too expensive.” “Perhaps practice weapon skills!”

Both the Northern Outpost barracks and the Cross Fortress barracks had training grounds. While practicing alone wasn’t as effective as real combat, it was better than doing nothing.

“Right, with worship reputation now, I can pay to learn various weapon skills directly.” The fortress barracks offered all weapon skills, each learnable for one gold.

“Strictly speaking, there are still twenty days before humanity’s counterattack. I could raise all weapon skills to level one—mastery.”

With that in mind, Chu Cheng made up his mind.

The next morning, he followed a supply convoy returning to Cross Fortress, leaving the Northern Outpost.

As soon as he left, word reached Sun Yu and his group.

“He has worship reputation now and is wary of us. Intercepting him en route is impossible.”

Sun Yu hesitated for a long while, ultimately giving up the idea of interception. If done in secret, unnoticed, there would be no consequences. But if caught or failed, the repercussions would be severe. It wouldn’t mean death, but certainly hefty compensation and expulsion from the instance. His ranking would be ruined, and he could forget about entrance exam rewards.

“No, I can’t sit and wait. I must use that item. As long as I don’t abuse it, a little risk is nothing.”

Sun Yu gritted his teeth, making his decision.

A day later, Chu Cheng returned to Cross Fortress and immediately entered the barracks, seeking advice from the many instructors to learn various weapon skills.

He already possessed skills with daggers, one-handed swords, one-handed axes, gauntlets, firearms, bows, and throwing weapons.

He then spent twelve gold to learn twelve more: crossbow, staff, two-handed sword, two-handed axe, one-handed hammer, two-handed hammer, saber, broadsword, javelin, polearm, exotic weapon, and shield.