Chapter 56: Ten Consecutive Draws (Please Keep Reading)

Staring at the martial artist’s class change quest before him, Shen He found himself momentarily silent. Yet, come to think of it, in the list of already defeated opponents, there were the names of Fist Master Li Ding and Weapons Specialist Lin Helu. It seemed, then, that Sanda also counted as a form of boxing! If that was so, then Taekwondo—with “fist” in its name, but actually a leg-based derivative of Hwarangdo—could count as a leg technique. In that case, this class change quest didn’t seem all that hard after all.

There were actually quite a few practitioners of joint locks; just a casual search online would turn up plenty of them. The only real challenge was likely in the internal styles. The representative internal styles would be Taiji, Xingyi, Bagua, and Wudang boxing. He just wasn’t sure if these were in line with the quest’s requirements.

Seven days wasn’t a long time. Perhaps while practicing later, he could ask Lin Helu about it and try to settle things within the province. Although he had already achieved his goal in martial arts, the thought of having spent a hundred thousand yuan and leaving the rest unlearned felt like a waste. Shen He still planned to master the remaining three martial arts.

Returning to himself, he shifted his gaze to the reward for Main Quest One and claimed it without hesitation. The next moment, a one-armed version of the Earth Dragon set landed in his arms, the whole thing resembling a suit made of thin plastic film—cheap and shoddy in appearance. But judging by the original Earth Dragon bracer, its defensive power was far from weak, even surpassing that of stab-proof vests. What’s more, it provided a slight boost to his attributes, which eased some of his dissatisfaction.

With a thought, Shen He donned the Earth Dragon set. Instantly, a faint sheen of light radiated from his body, and the set materialized on him, swiftly turning invisible, as if it had never appeared. He sensed it carefully: the required attributes for the full Earth Dragon set were easily met at the first rank; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to wear it at all. The complete set—armor, bracers, greaves, helmet, and even a pair of gloves—each boosted his stats by two points. It wasn’t a percentage increase, but it was already quite good. Now, Shen He truly could kill an ox with his bare hands.

Suddenly, he took out the Strength Orb and pressed it to his chest. The armor at his chest opened up a small slot, just the right size for the orb. Instantly, his strength attribute rose by 5%. Shen He’s eyes lit up.

So it was that simple to use this thing? Yet, having a gemstone embedded in his chest always gave him the feeling that he could only survive three minutes. He wondered if it would blink; if it did, that would be even more interesting.

[Ding! Congratulations, player, for unlocking the achievement of embedding a jewel for the first time!]
[Points +1000]
[…]
[Survival Guide: Oh ho! It’s rare for you to show some smarts—using the Strength Orb and acquiring the full Earth Dragon set. Right now, you’re like an unkillable cockroach—unless you meet a real powerhouse, of course.]

Shen He ignored the Survival Guide and focused on the 1000 points, his eyes full of delight. A full thousand points—wasn’t that enough for a ten-draw pull? Excitement welled up inside him. He stood, washed his hands with soap in the bathroom, then lit incense before the family photos at home. Only then did he return to the sofa, take a deep breath, and steel his resolve.

All in! Ten draws at once!

With a thought, the freshly acquired 1000 points vanished in an instant. Before his eyes, ten special blind boxes, visible only to him, floated in midair, accompanied by a phantom tune he conjured in his mind. The ten blind boxes opened one by one.

As the first box opened, a pair of underwear flew out and landed in Shen He’s hand. Looking at the underwear, Shen He wore an expression of a “grandpa watching his phone on the subway.”

The boxes continued to open in turn.

[Congratulations, player, you’ve obtained a pair of Super Elastic Underwear. Even if your body grows ten times larger, you won’t break them!]
[Congratulations, player, you’ve obtained Tetsuya-san’s Camcorder. Point it at an enemy for a powerful attack! (single-use item)]
[Congratulations, player, you’ve obtained a pair of Super Elastic Pants—the same family as the Super Elastic Underwear.]
[Congratulations, player…]
[…]

One after another, the boxes yielded outerwear, T-shirts, underwear, pants, and a hat—each part of the Super Elastic family, all promising not to break even if his body grew tenfold.

But—what a rip-off…

What use did he have for these things?

He wasn’t the Hulk, after all. The first five were all useless. Wasn’t this supposed to be a world where money could change everything? Shouldn’t there at least be a guaranteed prize?

The only remotely useful item was “Tetsuya-san’s Camcorder,” which seemed nothing more than a homemade gun disguised as a camera—a single-use item capable of delivering a powerful strike. How powerful, he didn’t know, but it should be useful in a pinch.

Then there was “Li Mei’s Barbecue Honey Glaze.” Of course, not the Japanese-style Li Mei, but the real Li Mei Barbecue Honey Glaze. (Li Mei Barbecue Honey Glaze: Use it for grilling meat; after eating, you’ll receive a temporary boost to your attributes.)

He also got an unknown Lion’s Mane biscuit. (Lion’s Mane Biscuit: This is a magical cookie. Eat it to restore a large amount of stamina—even the Tiger Vanguard of Shamon Pass loves them. Oh my, the Tiger Vanguard has overeaten again.)

Reading the fine print, Shen He felt as if he was being mocked.

The ninth was a little blue bottle. Yes, its name was simply “Little Blue Bottle.” (Little Blue Bottle: Always feeling depleted, drained of energy? Try the system’s special Little Blue Bottle—instantly restores all your mental strength.)

Shen He pursed his lips, at a loss for words. Though the Lion’s Mane biscuit and Little Blue Bottle seemed useful, he didn’t see himself needing them anytime soon.

He fixed his gaze on the final blind box. As it opened slowly, countless rays of golden light burst out, dilating Shen He’s pupils and sending his heart racing.

Wow! A golden legend!

From the midst of the radiant light, a small dark shape gently landed in his hand—it was a ruby.

(This is a finely crafted ruby, which can be inlaid into your equipment, rendering it immune to wear and tear from time or use.)

Reading the message on the panel, Shen He was silent for a long while. If he hadn’t misunderstood, this ruby was just like the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, able to negate equipment wear. If he could live for ten thousand years, then so too could any equipment set with this ruby—usable for ten thousand years!

It wouldn’t wear out, though could it still be destroyed? Presumably, yes.