Nie Yan held the silver key and walked toward the silver treasure chest, beginning to unlock it.
System: Chest opening in progress, completion at 20%… 50%…
Click! The lock opened.
Nie Yan checked the silver key. Usage: 2/3. One use had been consumed, leaving two remaining. Not bad, he thought, tossing the key into his backpack. He reached inside the silver chest and felt around, eventually finding something at the bottom. Its round shape suggested it was a ring! His heart skipped a beat as he pulled the item out.
It was a grayish-white ring, seemingly made of an unknown material, with a white gemstone at its center. A spider was carved onto the gemstone. Despite its small size, the spider was exquisitely detailed, appearing almost lifelike.
Ring of the Weaver: Unidentified.
“It’s the Ring of the Weaver!” Nie Yan exclaimed in disbelief.
The Ring of the Weaver was a rare drop from spider-type monsters. Though it was merely a bronze-tier item, it was a piece that could be used all the way up to level sixty. Its unique attribute allowed it to shoot out a strand of durable spider silk, sticking to objects and extending up to three yards. It was a precious item ideal for scaling walls, climbing trees, or leaping off cliffs.
“What Ring of the Weaver?” Tang Yao asked in confusion.
Nie Yan smiled slightly and replied, “Judging by the craftsmanship, it should be a silver-tier item.”
Although the item’s attributes hadn’t been identified yet, Nie Yan could already tell its properties just by seeing its name.
“Oh, so it’s a silver-tier item. No wonder it got you so excited,” Tang Yao said, suddenly understanding.
To Nie Yan, the Ring of the Weaver was even more valuable than the Skyfall spell. With this ring, his strategic options broadened significantly, allowing him to execute many perfect plans. He thought, If I could also obtain the Featherfall Gem from the Treant King, that would be perfect.
“There’s a friend who invited me to clear the Treant Grove tomorrow. They still have an opening. Do you want to go?”
“Sure, but would they even accept me?” Tang Yao asked with some concern. They had previously tried to join groups for dungeons, but no one had been willing to take them.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there. Besides, your spell damage is already fifty now. Finding an Arcane Mage with such high spell damage is nearly impossible for them. Be confident. You’re my brother, Nie Yan’s brother,” Nie Yan said, patting Tang Yao’s shoulder with a grin.
“I understand. Any additional techniques for the Arcane Mage? Tell me everything, and I’ll practice more when I get back. I won’t believe I can’t improve,” Tang Yao said, becoming inspired by Nie Yan’s words.
“I’ve already told you all the techniques. The key lies in your proficiency. As long as you’re skilled and react quickly enough, making only minor mistakes, you’ll be fine. During the day, find more people to duel, sharpen your skills. Once you reach level five, I’ll find someone to form a team for a secret dungeon and get you a set of Rogue gear for your Arcane Mage, making you feel like you’re on fire,” Nie Yan said. With him around, it would be hard for Tang Yao not to become an expert.
“Really? Then I really have no choice but to work hard,” Tang Yao said, feeling a surge of motivation. Previously, he had thought no matter how hard he trained, he could never catch up with the top-tier players on the level rankings. However, after hearing Nie Yan’s words, he suddenly felt his future was bright.
Nie Yan sent a voice message to Yaoyao.
“What’s up?” Yaoyao asked. In truth, she had already stopped being angry, but she still pretended to be upset while talking with Nie Yan.
“Do you still have any openings for tomorrow’s Treant Grove run?” Nie Yan asked with a smile.
“There are still two.”
“I have a friend who wants to join. Would your team accept him?”
“What level is your friend? I hope he’s not just here to farm experience. If he is, I’ll have to ask our leader first. What’s his class?” Yaoyao pouted as she asked.
“Arcane Mage.”
“What’s his spell damage?”
“His base is fifty, fifty-two after adjustments.”
“Wow, that’s pretty high,” Yaoyao was taken aback. As a Holy Word Mage herself, she only had thirty-seven spell damage so far, which was already considered high for her level. She hadn’t expected Nie Yan’s friend to surpass her. “I’ll ask Sister Yulan. She should agree.”
An Arcane Mage with such high spell damage must have participated in many dungeon runs already. Someone like that would be hard to recruit even if they begged. Now that one was coming willingly, how could Yulan refuse?
“Ask quickly. I’m waiting for your reply.”
After a while, Yaoyao responded to Nie Yan, “I’ve already asked Sister Yulan, and she agreed. Bring your friend tomorrow as well.”
“Okay, got it,” Nie Yan nodded, ending the voice call.
“Hey, hey,” Yaoyao wanted to ask why Nie Yan’s friend was willing to join their group. In their eyes, such a high-level player was almost impossible to find. Nie Yan had already hung up, leaving only the sound of a busy tone in the voice chat. Yaoyao stomped her foot in frustration, “You hung up so fast, acting all high and mighty just because you’re a top player. You’re making me so mad!”
“How is it? Did they agree to take me?” Tang Yao anxiously rubbed his hands together as he asked.
Tang Yao had always been a casual player, occasionally joining teammates for regular dungeons, never part of a fixed team. Those fixed teams capable of clearing level-three dungeons usually had strong connections and fixed teammates. It was tough for ordinary players to join, as adding someone with low quality would only drag the team down. Thus, they were very strict and cautious when recruiting new members. However, once you joined their team and became one of them, they would call you whenever they needed someone for future dungeon runs.
Seeing Nie Yan end the voice call, Tang Yao wore an expression full of anticipation.
Nie Yan could understand the feeling of someone who had never been able to join an elite team. He knew how fervently Tang Yao must be feeling at this moment. Nie Yan himself had felt similarly when he first joined a team.
“We can go together tomorrow. Don’t worry. With your stats, you can easily join any team. Arcane Mages don’t require much operation.”
“That’s great,” Tang Yao said excitedly. Tomorrow would be his first time entering the Treant Grove, a dream opportunity he had longed for. “What are the requirements for entering a dungeon?”
“There’s not much required of an Arcane Mage in a dungeon. You just need to be careful with threat control. Treants have relatively low fire resistance. Tomorrow, you might even top the damage charts,” Nie Yan smiled. Tang Yao was taking things too seriously. Thinking back to his first dungeon run, Nie Yan hadn’t been much better.
“Did you bring any Magic Scribes?”
“I brought five.”
“Try casting Skyfall later,” Nie Yan said.
“How do I cast it?” Tang Yao asked. There were only one or two Rock Spiders around. Using Skyfall here would be a waste.
“I’ll pull the mobs. You prepare yourself,” Nie Yan said, running deeper into the cave.
“Alright,” Tang Yao took out a scroll of Magic Scribe, equally enthusiastic. He was eager to see how effective his Arcane Mage skills were.
Nie Yan kept running deeper, slashing at a Rock Spider when he encountered one, then quickly fleeing without engaging in battle. The Rock Spiders, upon being attacked, chased after Nie Yan one after another. The number kept increasing, and as they crowded through the cave, their movement speed actually slowed down.
Nie Yan skillfully dodged left and right, like a train, followed by a large group of Rock Spiders, totaling more than twenty.
Tang Yao organized his backpack when he heard some noise coming from deep within the cave. He looked in that direction. More than twenty Rock Spiders surged like a flood, seemingly ready to engulf everything in their path.
“Oh my god, how did you pull so many?” Tang Yao exclaimed in shock, running backward.
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