When Manho was inspecting the loot, the New Haven players were in an uproar because of the system announcements. In another town, a man with a large build, clearly a swordsman, turned to his companion and said, "Scorpion, get me everything you know about this 'Prince of Nothing' right now."
The short man in thief's clothes, known as Scorpion, looked at the swordsman in surprise. 'He never asks about other people...' he thought. Quickly regaining his composure, he replied, "Yes, boss. I'll try, but it's going to be difficult." New Haven was known for its strict privacy policies—no one could access information about another player, not even the game's creators.
In yet another town, a squad of ten players was battling a huge wolf. One of the mages suddenly stopped attacking when he heard the announcement the thief had a red hair and one red eye he looked in his late twenty . He smirked, thinking to himself, 'Prince of Nothing... so that's why he needed the money.'
Every major guild in the Kingdom of Starry Night had heard the announcement. In New Haven, there were many kingdoms but very few empires—five known empires and around fifty kingdoms. The Starry Night Kingdom ranked in the top 20, boasting numerous cities and abundant resources. In Manho's previous life, the guild that controlled the Starry Night Kingdom was an upper-class guild called the Dominators. They were powerful even in the larger world of New Haven, supported by a few first-rate guilds like the Aurora Guild, which controlled several cities.
Manho's pile of loot included two skill books, one weapon, some materials, and two gold coins. In New Haven, currency consisted of copper, silver, and gold coins, with 1 gold coin equal to 100 silver, and 1 silver coin equal to 100 copper. What excited Manho the most was one of the skill books, a thief skill he desperately needed:
#### **Skill Book: Vanish (Thief)**
- **Type**: Skill Book
- **Skill**: Vanish
- **Description**: Grants the Thief the ability to instantly become invisible for 1 minute. While invisible, movement speed is increased by 15%, and the first attack made while invisible deals 200% weapon damage.
- **Cooldown**: 30 seconds
- **Mana Cost**: 25 MP
- **Class Requirement**: Thief
This skill was an upgrade to the basic Stealth skill he had received when he first started playing. It was rare in the early stages of the game, but as more players progressed, it became more common. Manho thought to himself, 'This will help me massively with my next steps...'
He then examined the other skill book:
#### **Skill Book: Elemental Burst (Mage)**
- **Type**: Skill Book
- **Skill**: Elemental Burst
- **Description**: Grants the Mage the ability to channel the power of multiple elements, releasing a burst of fire, ice, and lightning in a 10-meter radius, dealing elemental damage to all enemies.
- **Cooldown**: 3 minutes
- **Mana Cost**: 40 MP
- **Class Requirement**: Mage
When Manho read the skill description, he wanted to run with the loot and never look back. This was an even better skill book than his own. 'Damn mages... lucky bastards,' he thought, before turning his attention to the other item.
#### **Staff: Staff of Primal Instinct (Mage)**
- **Type**: Weapon
- **Item**: Staff of Primal Instinct
- **Description**: A staff crafted from the bones of a Savage Monkey, pulsating with primal energy. It enhances the wielder's control over elemental magic.
- **Level Requirement**: Level 5 and above
- **Rarity**: Silver
- **Attributes**:
- +40 Magic Power
- +20 Intelligence
- +5% Spell Critical Hit Chance
- +3% Spell Lifesteal (Heals the caster for 3% of damage dealt by spells)
- **Special Effect**: Occasionally triggers the "Primal Roar" ability, which reduces the Magic Resistance of all enemies within 10 meters by 10% for 10 seconds.
'It's a silver-ranked item... How did I get so lucky? Is it because I secured the first kill on a Savage-tier monster?' Manho thought to himself, growing more confident in his deduction. The more he looked at the skill books and items, the greedier he became. He suddenly looked behind him and saw the girls approaching. 'Screw it. They're all rich—I'll just demand a bigger share of the loot,' he decided.
The rest of the loot consisted of body parts of the monster, like its fur and fangs. When the girls reached Manho and saw the loot, their hands started trembling with excitement, especially Crimson Flame, who jumped on the staff and started playing with it.
One of the healers, a young woman with a slender frame, bright blue eyes that sparkled with excitement, and long, flowing blonde hair, approached Manho. Her skin was fair, and her expressive face animated as she bombarded him with questions. "Mr. Thief, you're so strong! How did you get this powerful?" she asked. "Why is your name so funny, 'Prince of Nothing'? Are you really a prince in real life? No, you're too ugly to be a prince."
Manho, annoyed by her comments, thought, 'I'm not ugly—I'm average. Not all of us look like angels; some of us are just normal, and that's okay.'
Trying to regain control of the situation, he abruptly said, "Let's divide the loot and split up." Crimson Flame, still playing with the staff, responded, "Okay, I'll take the staff and the mage skill book. You can have the thief skill book and the rest of the items."
Manho shook his head. "No, I'll take the thief skill book, and you can have the rest, but you'll have to pay me in credits. The weapon and the skill book are worth way more, so it's only fair."
Crimson Flame looked at him curiously, thinking, 'Why does he need credits? Isn't he rich?' After a brief pause, she said, "Fine, I'll transfer 100,000 credits to you. Is that acceptable?"
Manho, shocked by the amount, nodded. 'I was only expecting 30,000 at most... Rich people are different,' he thought.
Crimson Flame asked for his bank information, and Manho provided it. He quickly received the money. In New Haven, players could directly link their bank accounts to the game, making transactions seamless. "Time to leave..." Manho muttered as he prepared to depart.
Before he could go, Crimson Flame sent him a friend request. "Next time you find good items, make sure you contact me. I'll pay more than the market price," she said with a smile. Manho grinned, accepted the friend request, and then left the area.
As he walked away from the group, he began to laugh. 'I'm rich!' he thought, thrilled with the credits he had just earned. In his previous life, it would have taken him an entire day of grinding to make that much money, and that was during the advanced stages of the game when everything was difficult, and he was being hunted by his former guild.
But as he thought about his past guild, his laughter faded. In a low voice, he muttered, "We'll meet again in the main city..."
In New Haven, every city had numerous towns surrounding it. Once a city reached a specific number of towns, it was classified as a main city. Manho continued walking, avoiding strong monsters and keeping an eye on his surroundings.
Suddenly, he spotted a silver chest under a massive tree. A smile spread across his face as he approached it. In New Haven, treasure chests were ranked similarly to equipment, from bronze to legendary. In his previous life, the highest-tier chest he had ever found was epic, which showed how rare and valuable these chests were. Silver chests had a 100% chance to contain a silver-ranked item, a 30% chance for gold, and a 5% chance for epic gear. As for mythical and legendary items, the odds were one in a billion.
When Manho stood before the chest, a system prompt appeared:
**[System Prompt]** You have discovered a **Silver Chest**!
Would you like to open it?
Manho grinned and said, "Yes."