chapter 3:
First Modifications
The auction house thrummed with activity as players bustled about bidding on rare items and materials. Wan Jie sat tucked away in a rear corner, watching the chaotic scene with amusement. These normal players had no idea an existence like him was now among them, able to obtain any coveted item here with a trivial amount of credits.
Scanning through the artifact section, he decided to modify his sword again first. The rune-etched blade had served him well so far, but more formidable monsters awaited. He selected a sword called Desolation, forged from the fang of an ancient dragon lord. The stats and abilities were multiple tiers higher.
Equipping it, Wan Jie admired the exquisitely carved hilt and serrated edge that seemed to slightly distort the air around it. Just unleashing the weapon's aura caused the other auction house patrons nearby to shudder uneasily. Satisfied, Wan Jie turned his focus to artifacts.
He obtained a necklace enabling wraith form to turn incorporeal at will, gauntlets amplifying the wearer's strength tenfold, and a sentient compass that could pinpoint the location of anyone or anything. They cost a fortune normally, but the System granted unlimited credits. Soon Wan Jie's augmented status indicators borders glowed with power.
For his next trick, Wan Jie opened up the Modification System interface again. He had focused mainly on combat upgrades for now, but it was time to expand his skills. Selecting the gold coin-generating ability Money is No Object, he tweaked the parameters to produce ten times more currency per activation.
Back in reality, Wan Jie had always felt constrained by his lack of money compared to those born into privilege. Here, he need never worry about poverty again. He watched with satisfaction as a small mountain of glimmering coins piled up around him, pouring endlessly from his palm. Even winning the lottery jackpot paled compared to this.
His new wealth let him casually purchase even the rarest inventory in the auction house while other players stared in disbelief. Epic mounts, privilege titles granting access to exclusive locations, luxurious clothes - Wan Jie indulged his every passing fancy without limit.
"How...how does he have so much money?" one swordsman player asked his mage companion as they observed the spending spree.
The mage shook her head in confusion. "No normal player could amass a fortune like that. Could he have acquired some artifact that generates infinite wealth?"
Wan Jie chuckled listening to their speculation. Close, but not quite. His advantaged existence in this world remained an enigma to the normal inhabitants. Rumors would likely spread like wildfire soon of an unknown figure with inexplicable power. He looked forward to seeing their reactions when he revealed more of what he could do.
Night gradually fell over Imperial City. The auction house patrons filtered away to inns or nighttime entertainment venues. Wan Jie decided to further explore the capital himself. He now had access to every luxury and vice the city offered thanks to his unlimited credits supply.
Strolling the red-light district, Wan Jie moved from brothel to gambling parlor to fighting pit, sampling experiences that normal players could scarcely partake of due to the high entry fees. Of course the courtesans and fighters were just AI-controlled NPCs, but interacting with them here was far more engrossing than clicking on sexy avatars through a computer screen back home.
Wan Jie soon grew bored though. He had all the pleasure money could buy, but it provided only fleeting satisfaction. He yearned to truly test himself against legendary monsters and mythical heroes. Sipping wine in a balcony lounge overlooking the red lanterns of the entertainment quarter, Wan Jie considered his next move.
The disputed frontier lands between the human and orc kingdoms seemed the logical next destination. Massive bonus quests awaited the bravest adventurers there. With his overpowered abilities, he could rapidly ascend to new heights of power and glory extermination the worst horrors of the frontier.
First though, Wan Jie decided more ability upgrades via the System were in order. Browsing through options, he selected several new combat skills and support abilities. Lightning fast evasive maneuvers made him untouchable. Enhanced senses expanded his perception of the surroundings. He even gave himself a cloned duplication skill for scouting and distractions.
By sunrise, Wan Jie departed Imperial City feeling more powerful than ever. He marveled again at the vivid sensations of this fantasy world as his horse carried him along the countryside roads. Birds soared overhead across a sky so much more real than pixelated images on a monitor.
In less than a day, the sprawling farms and villages gave way to an increasingly desolate landscape. The wind picked up, scattering dust and loose dirt across the arid plains. The sounds and smells of nature faded away, leaving only howling gusts and the stench of death.
Wan Jie had reached the disputed frontier. Signs of violent struggle could be seen everywhere. Shattered carts left abandoned at the roadside, makeshift graves dug at odd angles, distant columns of scavenger birds swarming to feast. He even spotted what appeared to be bloodstains and other human remains half-buried in the loose soil off the path, remnants of horrific killings.
Most normal players never dared approach this cursed deathtrap region until they had joined high level parties and unlocked powerful skills. But Wan Jie had the power of the System on his side. He would conquer where so many others failed. Glory and loot awaited!
By midday, Wan Jie approached the coordinates for the quest [Cleanse the Charred Villages]. A massive reward was offered to any who could purge this region of the undead horrors that had arisen to infest the burnt ruins of rural hamlets in the disputed zone. Many elite teams had tried and perished already.
Dismounting, Wan Jie surveyed the quiet settlement remains down in the valley below. Skeletal houses and barns rotted under the baking sun. No movement or sound arose. But according to the quest details, vile regenerating undead lay hidden waiting to ambush the unwary.
Wan Jie calmly strode down the uneven path toward the centre of the largest village. The empty doorways seemed to stare out like eye sockets of a defleshed skull. He drew his dragon fang sword Desolation, its serrated edge glinting with malevolent hunger. No mere walking corpses could hinder his destiny.
"Come then! Rise to face oblivion!" he shouted, unleashing a pulse of power from his sword that shook the ground. Instantly, ewaves of shambling skeletal warriors arose from every doorway and ruined cellar. Empty eye sockets focused on the arrogant human who dared invade their lair as the horde closed in like a tide of bone.
Wan Jie smiled. Finally, a proper battle awaited. This world would come to know his power today.