Chapter 17 - 17 15 The Best Knife in the Village

17: Chapter 15 The Best Knife in the Village 17: Chapter 15 The Best Knife in the Village After several trial runs that resulted in three ruined cardboard boxes, two foam boxes, and a mineral water bucket, Xiao Jie finally stopped trying. Phew, using the big move really is exhausting! He rubbed his sore and swollen arms, talking to himself. Executing combat skills wasn’t as simple as it seemed; each swing of the blade demanded a concentration of one’s entire spirit, and it significantly drained his energy. Especially for someone like him, who lacked regular exercise. It looked like he would need to find time to train in the future. He casually placed the kitchen knife back and thought to himself that he needed to buy another blade; he couldn’t always experiment with skills using this thing. As he would undoubtedly learn more skills in the future, he would need to prepare corresponding weapons. It might be best to start with knives. Considering his limited budget, Xiao Jie wasn’t planning to buy very fancy swords. After all, they were just for practicing game skills; as long as they worked, it was fine. Xiao Jie logged onto Goldseeker’s Web and after some searching, placed an order for a decorative Brocade Spring Saber. For just 268, it even came with a maintenance kit. Looking at the gorgeous treasure sword in the product image, he felt a little excited. After placing the order and seeing that it was not yet dark, Xiao Jie decided to head back into the game for a bit more exploration. He had no intention of continuing to chop wood today; the mechanical repetition had worn him out after six or seven hours. It was a significant strain on both his spirit and energy. If not for his experience as a professional player, an ordinary person would not have been able to endure it. But even he was feeling nauseated from felling trees; who spends a whole day in a game doing nothing but furiously chopping at trees? Xiao Jie planned to deliver the firewood in his bag and then look around the village to see if there were other jobs he could take on. Oh, right, he also needed to buy a knife to carry with him. Although there wasn’t any danger in the village, he still felt somewhat insecure without a weapon. Back in the game, Xiao Jie first went to deliver the dry firewood to Wang Daniu, Wang Daniu (Woodcutter): “You chopped a good amount of firewood today, little brother. I’ve got enough here for a while now, so if you want to continue working, you’ll have to come back in a few days.” Xiao Jie replied, “No worries, I can find other things to do. Take care, Wang.” After saying this, he returned the Firewood Axe, collected his payment, and took his leave. This time, he had earned another 80 Wen, almost nothing for the morning’s effort, but in the afternoon, he had made a total of 270 Wen. Deducting food and repair costs, the profit was around 200 Wen. One cent was equivalent to 10 yuan, so 200 Wen was like earning 2000 yuan. Earning 2000 yuan in a day meant that at this rate, making fifty to sixty thousand a month was a breeze, a genuine high-paying profession. However, his Enlightenment effect only lasted seven days; after that, it likely wouldn’t be so easy to continue increasing the proficiency of his Life Skills. Checking his in-game wallet, he found a substantial sum of 296 Wen, feeling richer than ever before. His first move was to buy ten steamed buns as they were essential consumables. Just by being active in the game your satiety gradually decreased, and even if you didn’t do much, it dwindled more slowly, but it still reduced. So it seemed he’d need to always carry food in his bag from now on. Next, he went to the blacksmith shop to purchase a knife for himself. To his surprise, Wang Kai wasn’t there; instead, the bearded blacksmith had reappeared. Zhou Tong (blacksmith): “Ah, young man, you’re back! What’s up, you got some money this time?” “I did make a bit, yes. I want to buy a knife; can I take a look?” “Of course, you can. Feel free to choose, all the weapons in the shop are right here.” The product list appeared before Xiao Jie once more. Though there were many items, he only focused on knife weapons, which greatly narrowed down his options. Firewood Axe: 12 Chop. Price: 100 Wen. Item Introduction: A knife used for chopping wood, although not a qualified weapon, it’s still better than being unarmed. Willow Leaf Blade: 14 Chop. Price: 180 Wen. Item Introduction: A single-handed blade shaped like a willow leaf, not particularly sharp or powerful in chopping, a very common standard tool. It’s the common choice for those not skilled in martial arts, just for self-defense. Ghost Head Big Sword: 19 Chop. Price: 300 Wen. Item Introduction: A heavy broadsword decorated with an Evil Ghost pattern on the handle, suited for two-handed wielding, incredibly powerful but slightly lacking in speed due to its weight. There were only three options. The Firewood Axe was definitely out of the question as it was just a tool, and besides, it was too short, okay for chopping branches, but not for people. “May I try them out?” After receiving an affirmative answer, Xiao Jie first picked up the Willow Leaf Blade. This blade only had 14 Chop, not much better than the Firewood Axe, but its longer reach and the fact he could afford it now were the main advantages. After equipping the Willow Leaf Blade, Xiao Jie tested a combat skill in the air. One Cut, Two Pieces! With a swish, the blade cut through the air, feeling light and utterly lacking in power. The big-bearded blacksmith was, however, startled. “Young brother, that’s some fine skill you have there, that cut was really smooth, clearly the work of an expert,” he praised. “Heh, it’s nothing really, just playing around,” Wang Kai said modestly. “Master, may I try the Ghost Head Big Sword?” “Please, go ahead!” Xiao Jie equipped the Ghost Head Big Sword and immediately frowned. The damage of the Ghost Head Big Sword was decent, but it was a bit too heavy, weighing a full 12. His Strength was only 8, and with one hand, he could at most wield a weapon weighing 8. If he held it with both hands, he could get a 50% bonus to Strength, which would allow him to use the sword. However, then he wouldn’t be able to execute his Combat Skills. That was somewhat vexing. Xiao Jie swung at the air with a couple of chops. The speed was clearly slower than the Willow Leaf Blade, but the damage of the Willow Leaf Blade was too low. He felt neither of the blades was ideal. Xiao Jie was somewhat dissatisfied. “Master Zhou, don’t you have any better knives?” he asked. “The items you’re selling are not up to par.” “Hahaha, you have quite high standards, young brother. Well, if it were someone else, I wouldn’t bother, but I can see you are skilled with knives, so let me show you something special,” Master Zhou said. As he spoke, a new item suddenly appeared in the display list. [Yanling Saber (Limited Time Item)] Huh, they even sell limited-time items? He quickly checked out the attributes of the saber. [Yanling Saber (One-handed Blade/Fine) Attack Power: 21 Chop, 17 Stab. Weapon Effect: Yanling Feather. With its narrow blade, it can ignore the resistance of the air, increasing Attack Speed by +1, and the attack speed will not be affected by wind Spells. Item Introduction: Shaped like a goose feather, this long blade has a narrow form, forged with fine steel to be exceptionally sharp. While ensuring the blade is lightweight, it possesses tremendous lethal power, and the sharp tip can also be used for stabbing, making it a Fine weapon that requires a high degree of Forging skill.] What a great item! Xiao Jie’s eyes lit up at the saber’s attributes, standing out like a crane amongst chickens amidst a pile of common weapons. Checking the price—3000 Wen. Damn! Isn’t that a bit of a rip-off? It’s just a green-quality weapon, and they’re selling it for so much? No, wait, Xiao Jie immediately realized it wasn’t that the saber was too expensive, it was that he was too poor. Looking at the measly two hundred-plus copper coins in his bag, they suddenly didn’t seem so appealing anymore. “What’s the matter, young brother? What do you think of the saber?” asked the self-satisfied big-bearded blacksmith. “It’s a nice blade, but sadly I can’t afford it,” Xiao Jie responded. “Hahaha, well, there’s nothing to be done about that. You’re the one without money—not my fault my blades aren’t good enough, right? But don’t worry, I won’t sell this blade easily. Only a true expert deserves this weapon. If you can earn enough money later, come back to buy it. Otherwise, why not just take the Willow Leaf Blade for now?” In the end, Xiao Jie still did not buy the Willow Leaf Blade. He decided to save up for a better one. He’d pass on junk like the common Willow Leaf Blade. Leaving the blacksmith shop, Xiao Jie continued to wander around the village. He couldn’t continue to be a Woodcutter for now; he needed to find a new job quickly. He hadn’t gone far when he suddenly let out a curious “huh.” Near the village gate, Wang Kai was standing on top of the village wall, looking into the distance. Xiao Jie wondered, What’s this kid doing up on the wall? Curious, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to go and take a look. “Wang, what are you looking at up there?” Wang Kai jumped at the sudden shout, and only relaxed when he saw it was Xiao Jie. He sighed and said, “It’s getting dark and that kid still hasn’t come back. I have a bad feeling about this.”