Chapter 29: The Nine-Harmony Longbow — The More You Think About It, the More Terrifying It Gets!

Lin Tianhao smiled. "No thanks."

With that, he walked straight into the dungeon.

Dungeon Difficulty: Hell difficulty.

Having already cleared this dungeon several times before, Lin Tianhao was now completely in his element.

His main purpose for running it again was to boost his HP and farm Skill Books.

After all, upgrading the Dead Wood Blooms Again skill required sacrificing Skill Books.

Although the rewards for subsequent clears were far inferior to the first kill, it was still a dungeon with four bosses.

In the blink of an eye, five hours passed.

Lin Tianhao's HP had climbed from just over 70,000 to just over 100,000.

Five hours, and he had gained 30,000 HP.

That kind of growth was genuinely terrifying.

Beyond the HP increase, Lin Tianhao's Dead Wood Blooms Again had also risen from 2-Star to 3-Star.

However, upgrading it from 3-Star to 4-Star would require sacrificing a thousand Skill Books — even at Lin Tianhao's grinding pace, that was going to be a serious challenge.

On top of that, once his HP broke through 100,000, his Rejuvenation skill also leveled up to 4-Star.

It had previously restored 50 HP per second, but now it jumped straight to 500 HP per second.

At that recovery rate, ordinary players probably couldn't even chip away at Lin Tianhao's health if he just stood still.

Returning to the novice village, Wang the Blacksmith had not yet finished forging the Gold Grade longbow.

Lin Tianhao chose to log off and eat.

"Looks like once my sister recovers a bit more, I'll need to buy a nutrition pod," he thought to himself. Logging off to eat didn't take that long, but it was still an interruption.

"Brother Hao, following the strategy you gave me, I got a Silver Grade broadsword with some seriously powerful stats."

Lin Tianhao smiled. Zhou Xiaopang reaching Silver Grade weapons through his three passive skills was entirely within Lin Tianhao's expectations.

"You can head to the Main City now."

Lin Tianhao said with a grin, "The Main City best suited for a Warrior's development should be Black Wind City."

"But Fatty, remember — once you get to the Main City, don't rush into a class change. Even if it's a hidden class, it's best to ask me first."

"Got it."

After giving Zhou Xiaopang a quick rundown, Lin Tianhao started eating quickly.

After the meal, he climbed back into the Game Pod.

Upon returning to the novice village, Lin Tianhao headed straight for the blacksmith's shop.

When Wang the Blacksmith saw Lin Tianhao arrive, a meaningful smile spread across his face.

"The old drunkard told me about your situation."

That opening line from Wang the Blacksmith gave Lin Tianhao a jolt.

"Since you already know, I won't hide it from you. I want to kill the Old Village Chief — will you help me?"

"I will."

Lin Tianhao smiled.

Wang the Blacksmith nodded. "In that case, you can head to the cliff on the southern side. The old drunkard will take you to the Old Village Chief's secret base. Go with him and eliminate the guards there."

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

"Quest Objective: Eliminate the guards at the Old Village Chief's secret base."

"Quest Penalty: Unknown."

"Quest Reward: Unknown."

Lin Tianhao's brow furrowed. The quest penalty was listed as unknown.

That was a bit of a headache.

Would Wang the Blacksmith retaliate against him if the quest failed?

That was entirely possible.

"Accept quest."

After only a brief hesitation, Lin Tianhao accepted it.

This storyline quest had already come this far — he had no reason to back out now.

Wang the Blacksmith smiled with satisfaction and retrieved a golden longbow from inside the shop.

"Your Gold Grade longbow — I've finished crafting it."

Nine-Harmony Longbow: Gold Grade.

Equip Requirement: None.

Effect 1: Attack +500.

Effect 2: Attack Speed +1.

Effect 3: Crit Rate +20%.

Effect 4: Lifesteal +5%.

Effect 5: HP +2,000.

Effect 6: Restores 100 HP per second.

Durability: 100.

Lin Tianhao's eyes lit up.

Worthy of a custom-crafted longbow.

These stats were an exceptionally strong fit for his build.

The Attack and HP bonuses were a bit underwhelming on their own.

But the other four stats were nothing short of perfect.

"Thanks."

Lin Tianhao took the Nine-Harmony Longbow.

"The old drunkard is waiting for you at the cliff to the south. Go quickly."

Lin Tianhao nodded. With this Gold Grade longbow in hand, his combat power had risen to yet another level.

South of the novice village — the cliff!

The cliff here dropped into bottomless darkness.

In his previous life, some players had believed there might be a Fortuitous Encounter waiting at the bottom.

They had tried jumping off to claim it.

The result was instant death upon impact.

After a few attempts, they eventually gave up on that thankless endeavor.

When Lin Tianhao arrived at the cliff, he spotted a familiar figure.

It wasn't the old drunkard.

It was… the Old Village Chief.

The moment he saw the Old Village Chief, Lin Tianhao felt his heart drop.

"Snow Emperor?"

The Old Village Chief was slightly surprised to see Lin Tianhao appear here.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Lin Tianhao to show up at this location.

Lin Tianhao forced himself to stay calm. "Old Village Chief."

"I heard you crossed paths with the old drunkard, and he got away."

Lin Tianhao nodded. "Embarrassing to admit, but the blue-patterned serpent the old drunkard unleashed disrupted my attack rhythm."

The Old Village Chief nodded. "That was my oversight. I originally thought that if you managed to poison him successfully, he wouldn't be able to release the serpent."

"I see."

Lin Tianhao nodded, then proactively asked, "What brings you here, Old Village Chief? Is there anything I can help with?"

The Old Village Chief had actually wanted to ask Lin Tianhao the same question, but being asked first caught him slightly off guard.

"Sealed beneath our novice village is an extraordinarily powerful creature. I am the one responsible for guarding it."

"Recently I've sensed a certain faction stirring, plotting to break the seal on that creature, so I came here specifically to check on things."

Lin Tianhao feigned surprise. "Something like that is actually happening?"

"Alas, it's a long and painful story."

"Back when the creature was sealed, countless sages gave their lives to make it happen — and now there are actually people trying to release it."

Lin Tianhao nodded. "I see. Those who want to release that creature are truly wolves in human clothing — they deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces."

The Old Village Chief nodded and said, "Indeed."

"Snow Emperor, I have great faith in you. If my deductions are correct, those villains should all be searching for the Icefyre Demon Ore."

The Old Village Chief's expression was grave. "If they manage to find the Icefyre Demon Ore, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"If you're willing to help me, please head to the mine and stop the old drunkard from finding the Icefyre Demon Ore."

Lin Tianhao raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I'll do my best."

With that, he turned and walked in the direction of the mine.

The old drunkard wasn't here.

Why?

Because the Old Village Chief was present, so he had gone into hiding.

Or was it…

That this had been a calculated scheme from the very beginning.

Wang the Blacksmith hadn't fully trusted him.

Sending him here was a ploy to draw the tiger away from the mountain — creating an opportunity for the old drunkard to go search for the Icefyre Demon Ore.

The more he thought about it, the more chilling it became.