A piece of equipment shimmering with red sparks signified a Viscount Level item to Chu You. Judging by its appearance, it was undoubtedly a weapon.
He quickly moved forward, picking up the Viscount Level weapon first, before tidying up the rest of the equipment.
The drop rate for wilderness bosses was always 100%; there was never an embarrassing situation where they didn't drop anything.
You have obtained a weapon: Qianling's Samurai Katana. Single-handed weapon, Viscount Level. Attack Power +29, Hit Rate +5, Critical Hit +10, Critical Fatal Damage +10%, Attack Speed +5. Note: Equipping this weapon increases the attack range by 1.5 meters. Required Profession: Warrior. Required Level: Level 5.
Damn! This was a top-notch piece! The best equipment that could appear during the novice stage was Viscount Level. Platinum and above were only available through job changes, depending on one's luck.
Looking at this weapon, Chu You could not help displaying a gentle expression. This was essentially a mini telescopic weapon, extending a warrior's attack range by 2 meters. With this piece of top-tier gear, Chu You's attack range was now a whopping 3.5 meters.
Going by past experiences, any weapon that could increase the attack range was definitely valuable—worth a substantial amount!
If this weapon were to be wielded by an expert player, its output would definitely be escalated, making it even stronger.
Without uttering a word, Chu You immediately put away his Pure White Sword into his backpack and equipped the newly acquired Viscount weapon.
Immediately, Chu You widened his eyes, a flash of surprise in them.
Why?
Because, the weapon was too long!
Generally, the length of a weapon was relative to the player's physique. The weapon would automatically adjust according to the player's physique to reveal its unique characteristics.
But, with a naturally long weapon paired with a tall and slender player—what effect would that have?
This katana had a slender body, with a blade at its tip. Paired with Chu You's 2-meter-tall physique, it had a total length of 1.9 meters. With a 40-centimeter handle, the blade itself was 1.5 meters long. This was essentially an elongated version of a real katana (for those unfamiliar with a katana's shape, you can look it up online. Simply put, the Japanese Katana originated from the katana).
After equipping this weapon, Chu You couldn't sheath it at his waist as he used to do, as this weapon didn't have a scabbard. So, what could he do?
He had to carry it! With his right hand gripping the elongated hilt, the slender blade rested on his right shoulder, with the sword's edge appearing at the left rear end. This was Chu You's signature pose, designed by the System, for putting away his weapon.
What if he needed both hands for certain actions? The weapon would automatically be stored in his backpack.
Chu You swung his new Viscount Level Katana a few times, feeling its surprisingly light weight. There was practically no weight to it, much to Chu You's satisfaction.
Then, Chu You went on to check out the rest of the equipment.
Hero's Robe Leggings. Viscount Level. Intelligence +5, Magic Attack Power +2, Physical Defense +12, Health +80. Required Profession: Mage. Required Level: Level 5.
Hero's Battle Boots. Viscount Level. Strength +3, Physical Defense +7, Health +60, Movement Speed +3. Required Profession: Warrior. Required Level: Level 5.
Acquired item: Heart of Qianling - high level material for the creation of weapons.
Gold Coin +100.
Experience +12000.
Chu You's experience points had increased by a third in one go. His attack power had surged to 91, and his attack speed, 19.
The only regret was that no chest armor was dropped. Chu You had earlier thrown away his novice upper garment, which meant he was now shirtless.
Looking around to see that there was nothing left on the ground, and then down at his bare upper body, a hint of amusement appeared in Chu You's eyes.
In Celestial World, nude figures weren't allowed—even emitting the upper body—unless the equipment was broken into pieces and there weren't any replacements in the backpack, like Chu You's current situation.
And if that was the case—would it be possible to never take off one's equipment if there weren't any replacements in the backpack?
When undressing, the System would automatically provide the player with a layer of underwear.
As a result, in order to achieve the shirtless effect, many players racked their brains and finally thought of the idea of breaking equipment. However, this shortcut was fraught with grumbles.
Although there was a certain chance that one's upper garment with zero durability could be broken, it was only a slim chance, terrifyingly slim at that.
Moreover, for this broken equipment effect to occur, the damage dealt by the attacker had to be extreme. This often resulted in awkward scenarios where the equipment wasn't broken, but the player was killed.
Being shirtless was the ultimate goal of many players during the middle or late stage of the game. It represented a kind of "fashion"—a rare kind of "unconventional look".
Walking around the city like that would certainly make heads turn—ninety percent of the time at the very least. It was simply too cool.
Chu You's amusement was expressed right here, though he wasn't an exhibitionist. If he had an upper garment he could wear, he would definitely put it on.
Shortly after, with the lightweight and slender katana on his shoulder, Chu You headed towards the cave entrance with big strides.
Bent over, Chu You crawled out of the cave. To his astonishment, even after leaving the cave and reaching a distance of 1.5 meters away from it, the blade of his weapon was still inside...
Outside, it was already noon. The Celestial World game had a day and night cycle. The daytime was a bit longer, with 32 hours being daytime. Chu You had already spent more than half the night and the morning inside the cave.
Looking at the real-world time, it was already 6 o'clock in the morning.
It was only then that Chu You remembered a friend of his. Upon opening the communication system, he noticed Lin Luor was still online.
In an instant, Chu You suddenly realized a serious problem. His real-life body was still located in the bamboo forest, appearing somewhat dull.
Had she been running all this while? How far was she from him?
Assuming that she had started running since 11 o'clock at night, she would have been running for seven hours by now, which was 14 hours in game time. Could she have such great stamina?
This was a serious problem! No, he had to check with this girl.
Chu You immediately sent a voice message to Lin Luor.
"Lin Luor, what are you up to?"
After a minute, Chu You looked up at the sky...
After two minutes, Chu You surveyed his surroundings in boredom...
After three minutes, Chu You had the idea of blasting the little demon piglet nearby...
"I'm almost there!" came a voice message from Lin Luor's icon.
"What? You're almost there?" Chu You was shocked, his premonition was gradually becoming a reality.
"What's wrong?" the other side was equally stunned.
"No...where are you coming from?"
"From Falling Flower village in Pang Mountain City!" Lin Luor replied.
Chu You immediately started to type in the location on his map.
He selected the destination, starting from his current location and found: You need to run for 4 hours to reach there! (Gametime)
Shit! Chu You was amazed by this result. He had relied on the boosts to his movement speed and physical strength. Lin Luor definitely didn't possess any such speed enhancements. Therefore, it would take her even longer to get there.
"What a silly girl..." Chu You muttered to himself in the bamboo forest. If he'd known she would be running all this way, he would never have agreed to meet her here. After all, a player's stamina isn't infinite — they need to take breaks to rest now and then, right?
"Okay... once you're there, send me a message. I'll wait here for you."
"Mmm!"
Since she was on her way, he couldn't possibly leave now. He glanced around and started walking in the direction of a low-level monster zone.
About half an hour passed in game time.
Chu You received a notification.
"Chu You, I've reached Liuying Village. Where are you?"
"Er... Leave the village and go to any unoccupied level one monster zone. Wait for me there and send me the coordinates." Chu You was still marked red (meaning he was a criminal), and appearing in the novice village would instigate unnecessary trouble.
Lin Luor found Chu You's command odd but didn't question it and randomly picked a direction to run.
"I'm at 131, 874, 658."
Hearing her voice, Chu You, who was already in the level 4 area and nearing the level 3 area, replied.
"Okay, wait for me. I'll be there soon."
Chu You briskly started running towards the slope.
Along the way, Chu You encountered a few players. He ran past them, his tall and slender figure disappearing into a faint puff of red smoke under their astonished gazes. Of course, his unique 'appearance' and eye-catching weapons invoked their curiosity.
'Phew', he was finally close to his destination. But he was completely out of stamina and had to walk.
She should be nearby. Excitement bubbled up inside Chu You.
Yet a trace of confusion flashed across his eyes. He couldn't understand where this surge of emotion was coming from. Could it really be true that he had feelings for her, just as his female classmates were suggesting?
That was impossible. He'd nearly forgotten about her. It must be her other identity that drew him in — Luoshui Huixi! Chu You was sure of it. He only ever thought of someone else when he pondered over his feelings.
That person...was still in primary school, living in Youyou Orphanage.
Thinking about that little girl, Chu You burst into laughter.
When he had some free time, he'd go visit her — see what kind of person she was when she was younger.
Having only walked a few steps, he turned around and saw three players following him at a distance of about 100 meters. Their eyes filled with surprise, Chu You's level and unique togs filling them with awe.
"Follow me again and I'll kill you all." Chu You's voice wasn't loud, just enough for the players in front of him to hear. Seeing them stop in their tracks, Chu You turned around and continued on his journey, occasionally glancing back to make sure they weren't attempting to follow him again.
Chu You arrived at a woodland and checked the coordinates. He was on the right path.
As he kept on walking and gradually passed a piece of obstructing terrain, the figure dressed in priest's cloth armor came into his sight. It was Lin Luor.
A faint smile began to curve on his lips, but was quickly withdrawn.
Chu You's demeanor changed substantially in that moment, his face turning cold as he approached.
"Won't you even tell me your name?" A level 2 warrior player named Magical Yin Cang looked frustrated. Around him, five players of different professions surrounded Lin Luor.
"Adding a friend is so much trouble?! Are you ill or something?" Another player said impatiently. He wasn't that interested in women. He was just there because the Boss was there.
When Magical Yin Cang first saw Lin Luor's face, he was utterly shocked. Although he knew that one could 'beautify' themselves in the game, her charm had had him completely captivated.
My eyes were captivated by a glance at you among the crowd!
After just that one glance, Magical Yin Cang was enthralled. He decided to follow her, at least he could add her as a friend first, the rest could come later. Who knew what could happen next, maybe he could impress her with his experience...
Who would have thought that this beautiful girl completely ignored him.
Despite his best attempts at being nice, she completely disregarded him, causing his face to darken.
Just as the tension began to mount, a cold voice echoed in the minds of everyone present.
System Alert: A notorious red-named player is approaching your location. Please exercise caution and kill on sight!