Chapter 23: Surgery Failed! - My Basic Attacks Permanently Increase HP

Shadow Slayer's understanding of the game wasn't particularly high.

He also didn't fully grasp what Lin Tianhao was trying to accomplish.

But he chose to trust Lin Tianhao regardless.

After Lin Tianhao used his Floating Arrow technique's combo damage to cripple Alervos, Shadow Slayer made his move.

Five consecutive critical strikes, each one causing bleed, finished Alervos off.

"Server-wide announcement: Congratulations to the player with a hidden nickname for achieving the server's first kill on Alervos. This is hereby announced — may all players continue to strive forward."

* * *

Novice Village. The village chief's courtyard.

The old village chief's expression shifted dramatically the moment he heard the notification chime.

When he'd heard the alerts for Wang San and Wang Si being slain earlier, he'd felt a flicker of excitement in his heart.

But that small excitement lasted less than ten minutes before the server-wide announcement of his subordinate Alervos being killed reached his ears.

* * *

"Loot the body," Lin Tianhao said, walking over to Alervos's corpse. On his very first grab, he pulled out the Ice Flame Demon Ore.

"I'm taking this."

Shadow Slayer frowned — after all, it was his quest item.

"You can't bring this back anyway, and I'm not taking it to turn in a quest," Lin Tianhao explained. He still needed Shadow Slayer's cooperation for what came next.

"Everything else on Alervos can go to you."

Shadow Slayer's eyes lit up at that.

He immediately came over to loot the body.

By the time the looting was done, his expression had improved considerably.

Meanwhile, Lin Tianhao was looting Wang San and Wang Si.

Ding. "You have obtained: Insight in Repairing Bronze-Grade and Below Weapons +1."

Ding. "You have obtained: 12 pieces of equipment."

Ding. "You have obtained: Gold Coins +5."

Ding. "You have obtained: Special Item — Corpse Aura Collection Vial."

Lin Tianhao stowed everything away before turning to look at Shadow Slayer.

"Now that all three NPCs are dead, go back and tell the old village chief that you ran into Wang San and Wang Si on the road, and that your guild helped you kill them."

Hearing this, Shadow Slayer was taken aback.

"Will the old village chief actually believe that?"

"He doesn't have a choice but to believe it — he has no evidence that you're lying."

"And what about you?"

Lin Tianhao smiled. "Me? My answer, of course, is that I only witnessed Wang San and Wang Si being killed by your group. I never saw Alervos."

Shadow Slayer felt like he was being put on the hot seat.

"If Wang the Blacksmith and the old village chief compare notes, won't I be exposed?"

"And what do I say if the old village chief asks who killed Alervos?"

"Just say you don't know — that Alervos was already dead before your group even entered the mine."

Shadow Slayer fell silent. After a short while, he asked, "Can you tell me why you're doing all this?"

"For a bigger quest."

Lin Tianhao's gaze was resolute. He had even considered abandoning the old village chief's quest to hunt ten bosses if it meant he could focus on completing the quest from the scroll.

After working out the cover story with Shadow Slayer, Lin Tianhao finally allowed himself a smile.

Once Shadow Slayer left, Lin Tianhao took out the Corpse Aura Collection Vial.

Corpse Aura Collection Vial: Special Item.

Effect: After slaying humanoid monsters, adventurers, or NPCs, you may collect Corpse Aura. When the Corpse Aura Collection Vial is full, you may receive a remarkable quest.

Progress: 46/100.

Lin Tianhao raised an eyebrow and collected the Corpse Aura from Wang San, Wang Si, and the others. The progress ticked up from 46 to 49.

He still needed fifty-one more units of Corpse Aura to fill the vial.

But Lin Tianhao wasn't the least bit worried.

If he couldn't gather enough Corpse Aura from other sources later on, he'd just have to set his sights on some of those lovely fellow players.

Checking the time, Lin Tianhao headed back to the Novice Village first.

He walked into the blacksmith's shop.

"Wang the Blacksmith, I'm terribly sorry — I hadn't even found Alervos yet when I heard the announcement that he'd been killed."

Lin Tianhao feigned bewilderment, as though the whole affair had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Wang the Blacksmith gave Lin Tianhao a long, meaningful look. "Snow Emperor, in our Novice Village, who else besides you would have the ability to kill Alervos and my two apprentices?"

This time, Wang the Blacksmith didn't address Lin Tianhao as "adventurer" — he called him directly by his in-game nickname.

Lin Tianhao understood: Wang the Blacksmith suspected him.

"Wang the Blacksmith, I had no reason to do that. This Novice Village is full of hidden talents — just earlier, I was ambushed by an assassin who killed my companion in an instant."

Hearing this, Wang the Blacksmith furrowed his brow. He stared at Lin Tianhao, as if trying to detect whether he was lying.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find anything.

"What a shame about my two apprentices."

"And what an even greater shame about that piece of Ice Flame Demon Ore. If you can bring me the Ice Flame Ore, I can give you a Platinum-grade necklace."

Ding. "Wang the Blacksmith has issued you a quest."

Quest Requirement: Find one piece of Ice Flame Ore.

Quest Penalty: None.

Quest Reward: Platinum-Grade Necklace x1.

Lin Tianhao raised an eyebrow. Wang the Blacksmith was getting desperate.

For that piece of Ice Flame Demon Ore, he was willing to offer such generous terms.

At this stage of the game, Gold-grade weapons were already absurdly powerful — Platinum-grade could potentially upset the entire balance of the current meta.

"Alright, I'll do my best."

Lin Tianhao accepted the quest. As for whether he'd actually hand over the ore — that was definitely not happening anytime soon.

"Snow Emperor, I'll be waiting for your good news."

* * *

With all of that taken care of, Lin Tianhao logged off to eat.

This afternoon was the time for his little sister's surgery.

Even though every moment in the early game was precious, Lin Tianhao still headed to the hospital after finishing his meal.

He watched as his sister was wheeled into the operating room, and his fists tightened at his sides.

"Sis, you have to be okay."

Although Lin Tianhao had already paid the surgical fees, the hospital doctors had warned him beforehand: brain surgery carried enormous risks, and there was a real chance the operation could fail.

And even if the surgery succeeded, there was still a significant probability she could end up in a vegetative state.

As long as she survived, Lin Tianhao could accept even that.

Because even someone in a vegetative state could enter Ragnarok.

Once he raised his strength in Ragnarok, and the Great Calamity arrived five years later, the game and reality would merge.

The power gained in the game would manifest in the real world — and that way, even if his sister was in a vegetative state, she could recover.

He waited anxiously outside the operating room.

About two hours passed.

The door to the operating room finally opened.

A doctor in a white coat walked out, his face etched with worry.

Lin Tianhao's heart lurched. He rushed forward immediately. "Doctor, how is my sister?"

The doctor let out a heavy sigh — which only made Lin Tianhao's heart leap into his throat.

"The surgery failed. The cerebral hemorrhage has spread to the cerebellum. There is nothing more we can do."

Lin Tianhao's legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.

"How could this happen?!"

"No — no, there has to be another way!"