Chapter 8: Generous Rewards

Under the pale moonlight, Meteor's face grew even darker as he gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, his eyes cold and vicious. "Of course, this isn't over. Send someone to keep an eye on the auction house—if any blue-grade equipment appears, bid it up and secure it immediately. And about that old stag in town, keep watch. First, try to buy the item off him. If not, camp his corpse and don’t stop until he’s in tears!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

At the top of the cliff.

“Huff... huff...” As soon as Lu Kuan hauled himself over the edge, he sprawled out on the ground, gasping for breath, utterly unconcerned with his appearance. His arms and legs throbbed with exhaustion, as if he’d just run a ten-kilometer race.

“Warning: Stamina below 10%. Imminent risk of fainting.”

“Warning: Please rest or replenish your stamina immediately.”

The realism in Echoes of the Gods was astonishingly high. Now, with his stamina nearly depleted, Lu Kuan saw stars before his eyes as the urgent red system prompts flashed repeatedly. If he hadn’t taken the stamina-boosting specialty earlier, he’d probably have collapsed halfway up the climb.

After a moment’s rest, Lu Kuan finally felt a bit better. He opened his eyes to survey his surroundings. The clifftop was a small, flat clearing, flanked by walls of tangled vines. In the middle was a dense patch of wild grass, morning glories blooming in profusion.

A few players sat chatting there. Besides the mage who’d just climbed up, others of various classes were already loitering, hoping to get lucky and catch the treasure spawn.

“Man, you’re something else!” The gnome mage who’d made it up first—thus avoiding the chaos below—gave him a thumbs-up, face full of admiration. “You ran circles around those Glory guys. You’re not one of those legendary pro players, are you?”

Another player nudged over, laughing. “Not necessarily. Maybe you’re a professional athlete in real life—a competitive archer, maybe?”

“Whatever the case, you’re definitely a top-tier player…”

The group chattered excitedly. From their vantage point, they’d had a clear view of Lu Kuan’s performance below—it thoroughly overturned their understanding of the Ranger class. Who would’ve thought an archer could be so ferocious?

Lu Kuan just grinned and said nothing. Once his stamina ticked back above the warning threshold, he got up and strode toward the patch of morning glory-strewn grass.

The others looked on, puzzled. They’d already scoured every inch of the clearing—there wasn’t a thing to be found in that grass. Why bother checking again?

But to Lu Kuan, the grass was not empty at all.

Lying among the tangled blades was a bleached, skeletal corpse, weeds sprouting through the gaps in its bones, growing wild and unchecked. Beside it, a silver-white longbow stood half-buried in the soil, emitting a faint, mesmerizing glow.

This was the true form of the treasure.

Lu Kuan had worried, at first, that after being reborn ten years into the past, the virtual world might no longer match his memories. Now, it seemed those worries were unfounded.

Exhaling deeply, he stooped and picked up two items.

“System message: You have obtained ‘Warrior’s Ancestral Hunting Bow.’ You have picked up 17 silver coins.”

“System message: Congratulations! You have discovered the treasure ‘Legacy of the Fallen Warrior.’
You gain: 250 experience points.
You have earned the title ‘Novice Treasure Hunter’ and 5 achievement points.
As the first player in Lava Fortress to discover a treasure, you are granted an additional 10 achievement points.”

A cascade of system prompts filled half his vision, but Lu Kuan barely noticed. His attention was entirely on the hunting bow in his hands, his face radiant with excitement.

The moment he picked it up, the battered old bow flashed with a streak of blue light—so dazzling it nearly blinded the other nearby players.

Its body was pure silver, etched with dark red patterns. At each end, four sharp metal spikes clamped the string in place.

Equipment gained from quests and treasure chests needed no identification. Lu Kuan eagerly hefted the hunting bow, examining it closely.

“Warrior’s Ancestral Hunting Bow (Superior)
Bind on pickup
Level requirement: 10
Maximum range: 65 meters
+1 Strength
+5 Piercing Damage
Durability: 100%
Maximum stamina consumption: 4
Weight: 4

Ranged Weapon Trait: Accuracy -15%”

“Blue-grade equipment? Ha! I’ve struck gold!” Lu Kuan couldn’t suppress a triumphant laugh. For this one item alone, all the hardship and risk had been worth it!

In Echoes of the Gods, items come in five tiers: Trash (gray), Common (white), Fine (green), Superior (blue), Relic (purple), and Masterwork (dark gold). Higher still are Lesser Artifacts and True Artifacts, with color depending on their attributes.

Weapons in the game don’t have a “damage” stat. Sharp weapons have an Edge rating, while blunt weapons and longbows rely on material quality and range, which together determine their power.

A typical green-grade longbow has a range of only fifty meters, but this hunting bow was two full tiers above. With an extra point of Strength, his damage would nearly double! Barring surprises, he could use this bow until level seventeen or eighteen.

Piercing damage means that if an arrow penetrates armor and causes a through wound, it inflicts extra damage—and this bonus can critically strike.

Every time a player discovers their first treasure, they are awarded a title by the system. At five treasures, you become a “Treasure Enthusiast”; at fifteen, a “Treasure Hunter”; and at one hundred, you earn the ultimate title, “Treasure Master,” along with a reward of two hundred achievement points.

Titles are mainly for boasting, but achievement points are valuable. Players can exchange achievement points for skill scrolls at every main city’s Lord’s Hall. With the game’s abundance of skills, level-up points alone are never enough, so any item that provides more skill points is highly coveted.

The other players atop the cliff were stunned into silence, jaws nearly hitting the ground as they watched Lu Kuan rummage casually through the grass and, in the blink of an eye, pull out a blue-grade item.

As they regained their senses, several sprang to their feet and charged over, eyes blazing. But the moment anyone closed in on the grass, Lu Kuan, standing in place, shimmered like a reflection on water—and vanished completely.

The treasure had already been triggered. Until Lu Kuan left, no one else could enter the area—a mechanic designed to ensure the first discoverer’s rights.

Ignoring the frustrated players around him, Lu Kuan drew the bowstring, testing its feel with satisfaction. Then he stooped to pick up the leather pouch at the skeleton’s waist.

According to his memory, this treasure had a moderate chance to drop a superior-grade item, with a small chance it would be a weapon. Besides that, the pouch on the skeleton’s belt would always contain a basic skill scroll, granting an extra skill point—a nice bonus.

But as Lu Kuan looked inside, he was momentarily taken aback.

Inside was a shard of black-red metal, surprisingly heavy in his hand, its surface gleaming with a mesmerizing sheen.