Chapter 111 - 109: Taking Stock of the Gains

Chapter 111: Chapter 109: Taking Stock of the Gains

Inside the cave, the boundary between light and shadow was both blurred and distinct.

The campfire on the northern side had gone out, leaving only a pile of smoldering embers—a sign that the two men would never return.

Their backpacks had been tossed carelessly into a corner, their contents—a few loaves of black bread and some assorted junk—strewn across the floor in a mess.

Oh, and that piece of cured meat, the "old actor," had fallen somewhere and was now lost. Its acting career had come to an end.

But on the other side of the cave, another campfire burned brightly.

The flames danced vigorously, the red-hot firewood letting out a series of crisp crackles, diligently warding off the damp and cold from outside.

A few freshly-cut branches formed a simple drying rack, on which hung two soaked outer coats, one large and one small. Beside them sat two pairs of mud-caked boots, their soles caked with wet dirt and blades of grass.

The owners of the clothes, meanwhile, were both striking nearly identical "thinker" poses.

Furen sat cross-legged near the cave entrance, his head bowed, his expression grave, and his eyes dim. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Across the fire, Bai Ya was curled into a ball, hugging her knees. Her small, fair feet were pressed together, her toes curling slightly from the chill of the ground.

Her soaked brown hair clung messily to her forehead and the nape of her neck. She stared blankly at the flames, sniffling occasionally, and had been in this position for a full half-hour.

"..."

Mirana, who was standing guard at the cave entrance, glanced back at them with a helpless expression.

She could more or less understand how they were feeling, but she didn’t think it was a bad thing.

There are many things in life that people find hard to believe until they experience them firsthand.

For example, that an evil Giant Dragon won’t necessarily be slain by a righteous sword; that even the most devout prayers may not be answered by a Divine Spirit; that most gaps in Talent can never be bridged by hard work; and that people who are too kind often don’t meet a good end.

It had to be admitted that "kindness" and "mercy" were indeed noble qualities.

But "foolish kindness" and "exploited mercy" could be fatal.

’Thankfully, it didn’t lead to any irreversible consequences.’

’I hope they’ll understand this lesson after what happened.’

’If they still don’t get it... *sigh*.’

Sighing internally, Mirana looked away and shook her head helplessly.

But in stark contrast to her concern, Furen’s brooding, and Bai Ya’s daze, Lu Wei was in a completely different mood.

The smile hadn’t left his face since he got back.

He was practically beside himself with glee.

’Thank you, rain. Thank you, Furen. Thank you, Bai Ya. Thank you, bandits.’

Holding a piece of black Leather Armor, Lu Wei lovingly stroked it for a moment before turning his gaze to a small pile of weapons and equipment by his right foot.

He had stripped all of it from the corpses.

Two Longswords, three One-handed Swords, one Battle Axe, one Crossbow, four Daggers, nine darts, four suits of Leather Armor, and two pairs of leggings.

Although these were all unenchanted items, they were far from the scrap metal junk carried by goblins and Kobolds.

They were all well-maintained. If he sold them all to a salvager, he could get at least seven or eight Gold Coins.

Besides these, he had also found the five bandits’ backpacks.

The haul from the backpacks was much less impressive, however.

In terms of cash, there were only a little over 3 gold coins in total.

The supplies, food, and tools weren’t worth much either.

There was even some women’s lingerie... Judging by the gaudy styles, they were probably complimentary gifts from the brothels in Pigeon Lane.

It was clear that every time these bandits made a score, they donated most of their stolen money to the service industry in Heitai Town.

’So degenerate!’

’They were supposed to be professional bandits, yet they only had 3 gold coins in savings!’

’This is what happens when you indulge in the company of women!’

After that silent, slightly dissatisfied complaint, Lu Wei placed the black Leather Armor to his left and rubbed his hands together in excitement.

None of the things he had just tallied up were important!

Because the real treasures were in the small pile on his left!

First, there were two glass vials carefully wrapped in flannel and cotton, containing a viscous green liquid.

Lu Wei had seen these things before at Old Yor’s general store. They were called "Strong Acid Bottles."

As the name suggested, they were single-use throwable items.

Lu Wei wasn’t sure about their power, but judging from their steep price of 4 Silver Coins, they had to be potent.

Next to the Strong Acid Bottles was a bottle of Diluted Healing Potion, which he was very familiar with.

And a scroll.

[Magic Scroll: Fire Burning Magic]

[Species: Magic Items (Consumable)]

[Level: High Level]

[Value: 4 gold 6 silver]

[Introduction: A Magic Scroll that has changed hands several times. Must be held in one hand to use. A single activation can cast "Fire Burning Magic" once, lasting up to 5 minutes. Remaining uses: 7]

[Note: When casting a Magic from a Magic Scroll, it does not consume Magic Power, but the Casting Requirements for the Magic must still be met.]

[Fire Burning Magic: A Druid Professional Skill, a Trick (Ring Zero Magic), of the Curse Magic school. A flickering Flame appears in your hand and exists for the spell’s Duration, and it will not harm you or your Equipment. Additionally, you can use the Flame to attack, which will end this Magic.]

[Casting Requirements: Perception ≥ 9, Intelligence ≥ 9]

[Note: Be careful playing with fire~]

’A Magic Scroll, huh? These are rare in Heitai Town.’

Looking at the small, light-red scroll in front of him, Lu Wei marveled silently.

It felt a bit like the "Talismans" from a Cultivation World—a great tool for the underdog to achieve a surprise victory.

The downside was that they were too expensive.

And you couldn’t use them to deal with sudden emergencies.

After all, you couldn’t just walk around holding one in your hand all the time.

Obviously, the bandits wouldn’t have bought something like this, so they must have stolen it.

But because their Intelligence and Perception weren’t high enough, they couldn’t use it. They hadn’t gotten around to selling it yet, so it was just collecting dust in their backpack.

And now, it was all his.

’Not bad at all.’

Nodding with satisfaction, Lu Wei finally turned his gaze to the black Leather Armor he had been stroking for a while.

It was also the most valuable piece of loot from this haul.

[Petrifying Lizard Hide Armor]

[Species: Light Armor (Damaged)]

[Level: High Level]

[Value: 10 gold 1 silver]

[Introduction: Tanned from the hide of a Petrifying Lizard, it possesses extreme elasticity and toughness. It can effectively disperse the force of blunt impacts, but its defense against sharp weapons is limited.]

[1. Wearer’s Physique +1, Perception +1]

[2. Tenacity: Can consume Magic Power (3 points per minute) to temporarily increase the user’s Physical Resistance by 50%.]

A piece of High Level Equipment with two properties.

And like Confession, it even had a precious activatable skill.

Looking at the small hole in the Leather Armor, Lu Wei shot a dissatisfied glance at Bai Ya, wondering if he should hold her accountable for this.

That’s right, that hole was made by Bai Ya’s sword thrust.

The reason she was able to escape from the net was by using [Skillful Hand].

He hadn’t expected the skill to have such a use. He felt that if Bai Ya ever quit adventuring, she could join a circus and perform an "escape artist" act.

In any case, if she hadn’t suddenly jumped out and stabbed Scarface, this Leather Armor would definitely have been worth another two or three gold.

Fortunately, the stab didn’t seem to have damaged the Magic Circuit, so the Leather Armor’s two properties were still intact.

The two extra Attribute points didn’t matter much; the main thing was [Tenacity].

’Fifty percent Physical Resistance... no wonder he could still attack under the effect of a five-times Force Field.’

Shaking his head, Lu Wei finally understood how Scarface had been able to get back on his feet.

And this brought up the world’s rules regarding "Resistance"—

First of all, although "Physical Resistance" has "physical" in its name, it doesn’t actually reduce "physical damage."

Even if a goblin were wearing a god-tier piece of equipment with 100% Physical Resistance, a single sword strike would still finish it off.

The only things that could actually reduce physical damage were the [Power] and [Physique] Attributes, and harder, thicker Armor.

Hmm... while this contradicted the mechanics of many games from his past life, it was actually more realistic.

After all, "a stronger body is more durable" was at least logical. But becoming impervious to blades just by wearing a ring or a necklace was a bit too fantastical.

Therefore, the defensive capability boosted by "Physical Resistance" was actually aimed at Skills.

All Skills—whether they involved Thunder, wind, Flame, or were some kind of Curse Art, Molding Energy, or Illusion Art—actually only had three types of effects and damage they could inflict on a target.

Physical, Magic, and Elemental.

For example, [Force Field] applied a "physical effect" to a target.

Whereas [Light-guided Arrow] was "Magic Damage" plus "Light Elemental Damage."

Because of this, the former would be diminished by the target’s Physical Resistance, while the latter would be diminished by Spell Resistance.

Lu Wei wasn’t yet clear on the exact relationship between the reduction percentage and the Resistance value.

However, judging from Scarface’s situation, after boosting his Physical Resistance by 50%, the effect of the Force Field was reduced by about half, meaning the actual gravitational effect on his body was likely only about two-fold.

While it still had an effect, it was little enough for him to manage one or two burst attacks.

It was only because Lu Wei had high Perception and quick reflexes; otherwise, he might have actually been counter-killed.

’So this skill is really strong, too.’

’It might not be used often, but when you need it, it’s a Divine Skill.’

’Hm? Wait, Furen’s Magic Resistance is already maxed out. If he had this Leather Armor too...’

’No, why should I give it to him?’

Pursing his lips, Lu Wei turned to look at Furen, who was still lost in thought with his head bowed.

Then he glanced at Bai Ya, who was also still in a daze.

’Hmm, it’s been almost an hour. These two should have done enough reflecting by now, right?’

’They both seem to have realized their own foolishness and naivety.’

’Then it’s about time I said a few words.’

"Furen, go get Mirana."

With that thought, Lu Wei finally broke the silence in the cave. Under the slightly nervous gazes of Furen and Bai Ya, he put on a stern face and said seriously:

"Meeting time!"