Chapter 73 -73-Kneel and Call Me Dad, Then Buy Some Mage Gear
The moment Hesul said that, the players around them pushed aside their unease and immediately nodded along, backing him up.
"Exactly, exactly. That guy didn’t explain himself clearly just now. It should be that his equipment has to be better than Boss Hesul’s."
"Isn’t it just S-rank gear? Boss Hesul has that too!"
"Boss Hesul, take it out and show him what real gear looks like!"
With the crowd twisting the original terms, the wager was instantly changed into one where John’s equipment had to be stronger than Hesul’s own gear.
Hesul, looking smug, pulled out a piece of equipment and slapped it onto the counter.
It was a breastplate.
As he revealed its information, the full stat panel appeared before everyone.
[Frostglow Breastplate]
[Quality]: S-rank
[Attributes]: Attack +2100, Defense +3500
[Effect]: Grants 50% immunity to ice-element magic damage after being equipped, and adds a frost effect to attacks. After hitting a target, it deals 1000 frost damage every 5 seconds!
...
For a warrior-class player, this breastplate could already be considered top-tier.
And in Apocalypse, elemental clashes could trigger even higher damage.
Frost and fire just happened to create a clash effect.
No wonder Hesul had been willing to spend 10,000 gold coins to get that Flaming Gauntlet.
The surrounding players immediately began praising him.
"See? I told you Boss Hesul has an S-rank item too."
"They’re both S-rank, so nobody loses this bet."
"I think Boss Hesul’s breastplate is obviously better than that dagger. That guy doesn’t even dare reveal the effect. It’s definitely some trash ability!"
In just a few words, they had already twisted the result of the wager and declared John the loser.
Their shamelessness was plain for all to see.
John frowned.
A pack of people who couldn’t keep their word.
Still, he could not be bothered to argue.
After all, there was no way he was going to lose.
So John said seriously, "Now that we’ve made it clear this time... as long as my equipment is better than what you’re wearing, that counts, right?"
Hesul froze for a moment. "You still want to keep betting?"
He had originally planned to use his status as the vice guild leader to force the other party to bow his head, then simply void the wager altogether.
He had not expected this man to actually take it seriously.
Hesul laughed.
"What, don’t tell me you have SS-rank equipment?
I’m not afraid of letting a little information slip.
I can tell you this: in Zone 2, only three people currently possess SS-rank equipment.
And obviously, you’re not one of them!"
That familiar look of disdain appeared again.
John could not be bothered with more nonsense.
He directly took out an amulet.
[Divine Protection] (SS-rank)
[Attributes]: HP +15000, Magic Resistance +15000
[Effect]: ??? (This player has chosen to hide it.)
...
Naturally, this magic-resistance charm had already been fused up to SS-rank later on.
John simply wanted to keep a low profile and had no intention of exposing its effect.
Otherwise, if the effect of complete immunity to magic attacks were revealed, every player present would be scared out of their minds.
Even so, this SS-rank item alone was already enough to leave the crowd stunned speechless.
Especially the warrior-class players—what they feared most was magic damage.
And this amulet actually provided 15,000 magic resistance!
"My god, who the hell is this guy?"
"That amulet’s stats are insane. And he even hid the effect. I bet the effect is even crazier than the attributes."
"With gear like this, even 1 million gold coins probably wouldn’t be enough to buy it."
"And that’s assuming the owner would even want to sell it!"
...
Amid the jealous and envious stares of the crowd, John looked coldly at Hesul.
"Do you have SSS-rank equipment?"
Hesul’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
His lips trembled nonstop, yet not a single word came out.
Because he really did not.
Unless he went and borrowed one from the guild leader right now.
But anyone with half a brain knew that the guild leader would never lend him an SS-rank item over something this trivial.
What was more...
Hesul looked at John with fear in his eyes.
Who knew whether this guy might pull out an SSS-rank item next?
Thud!
In full view of the crowd, the dignified vice guild leader of Thunder Guild dropped to his knees in front of John.
"D-Dad...!"
That single word made the scalp of everyone around him go numb.
From this moment on, Hesul would likely never be able to strut around as arrogantly as before.
John had won the wager, yet his face remained expressionless.
To him, this bet had only ever been a way to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Clack!
Right at that moment, a golden piece of equipment appeared on the counter.
[Dragonflame Staff]
[Quality]: S-rank
[Attributes]: Magic Attack +10000, Mana +20000
[Effect]: Summons dragonflame over an area of 500 × 500, dealing 15,000 damage per second to all enemies within range for 10 seconds.
Each use consumes 1000 mana. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
[Price]: 1,000,000 gold coins
...
The instant this piece of equipment appeared, John seized it before the other players could recover from their shock.
He had just obtained the mage Codex of Classes.
What he lacked now was mage equipment.
This Dragonflame Staff happened to perfectly fill that gap.
To John, 1,000,000 gold coins was practically pocket change.
Besides, once it was in his hands, he could modify its attributes anyway.
This place isn’t safe to stay in any longer.
John knew that after revealing an SS-rank item, he would definitely become a target.
He immediately pushed through the crowd and vanished from everyone’s sight.
...
Only after he had left did the crowd finally react.
The mage players’ eyes instantly turned red with envy.
"Holy crap, was that S-rank equipment just snatched up?"
"You can’t exactly call it snatched. That thing cost 1,000,000 gold coins."
"Damn, he just tossed out a million gold coins like it was nothing. Who is this guy?"
"No idea. But judging from all the S- and SS-rank gear on him, he’s probably some hidden powerhouse."
The crowd was in an uproar, all of them discussing John’s identity.
Meanwhile, Hesul walked out of the tent in a daze.
Ignoring the greetings from numerous players along the way, he returned straight to Thunder Guild headquarters.
The moment he got back, Hesul went to find the guild leader, Lucy.
Lucy was a mature beauty in mage robes, her voluptuous figure brimming with seductive charm.
The moment she saw Hesul return, she immediately asked, "Did the Wandering Merchant Guild have any S-rank mage equipment?"
Hesul nodded blankly.
Lucy’s eyes lit up. "Did you get it?"
But Hesul shook his head.
Lucy’s expression changed at once. "Who dared to snatch equipment from Thunder Guild?"
With a bitter look on his face, Hesul recounted everything that had happened in the tent.
After hearing it, Lucy’s chest rose and fell violently with shock.
"How could this happen?
That player actually has SSS-rank equipment, and can even throw around 1,000,000 gold coins like it’s nothing!
A powerhouse like that... and he isn’t a member of Thunder Guild?"
"No. We absolutely cannot let a man like that slip away.
We have to recover the Sacred Banner of the Absolute as well.
He must join Thunder Guild!"
At this moment, the goddess worshiped by Zone 2’s players had only one man in her mind.
She immediately issued a guild-wide bounty order on the spot,
commanding every member of the guild to search for John’s whereabouts!
The entire Thunder Guild mobilized at once, searching all across Highland City and its surrounding areas.
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to fail.
Because John had already used a Pass Permit to return to Zone 5!