Chapter 616
Soon, a month pa.s.sed just like that .
Inside SAO, this is an eventful month for everyone . It’s the survival of the fittest, within a period of fewer than 2 months, there are already more than 2000 players who permanently logged out of the game and the real world’s simulation . The world is becoming more like Silvaria where strong players wielded all the influence .
The truly exceptional players are already showing their claws at this point . Heroes are made and forged through tribulations, this applied to SAO as well . Under desperation and the threat of death, some players didn’t crack and they turned into s.h.i.+ning diamonds that blazed the frontline with their abilities . Together with top guilds, they stood at the top of the player base .
It’s unknown how many people would actually live through this death game .
He didn’t know about the others, Wu Yan focused only on raising his levels in this one month .
His routine was: Locate monsters, kill monsters, get loot, complete quests, rinse, and repeat .
He did this for one whole month .
He also trained his Chef Job with the food materials he got from his hunts . He tested with a lot of different materials and he made mimicry of real-world sauces . He also located meat that tasted like real meat .
If there’s a cooking compet.i.tion in SAO then Wu Yan is going to completely destroy the compet.i.tion . He already had Master Chef skill in the first place, combined with the recipes he integrated into his mind with Impeccable memory, with the right ingredients, he can make any food .
Well, he raised his chef job during his free time . This helped him alleviate some of the boredom of grinding . What’s more terrifying than that? How about the tremendous increase in his power?
He was severely de-powered when he came into this world as there was no model to simulate for a True Ancestor . Even when he used Eternal Arms Mastery, he was only able to exhibit about 10% of his true power . It was really a giant pain the b.u.t.t .
With increased levels and some much-needed doping, his current virtual body grew stronger and stronger while he kept upgrading his equipment with better ones .
Although his current virtual self still can’t even hold a candle to his real body, his stats were higher than other players .
There probably aren’t any players who can eat Wu Yan at this point . But, that’s not what he wanted . He wanted to find the G.o.dd.a.m.n first-floor boss, he would have raided the boss solo if he could find the boss .
There is a silver lining to his endless grind though . One day, he received a level up notification from the System . That’s right, farming mobs inside here granted him EXP points as well so his System told him he leveled up, he didn’t know because he didn’t check his EXP gauge .
The criteria used by the System when judging whether or not go give him EXP points had to do with winning against hostile ent.i.ties . The monsters are virtual but the hostility and aggro are real . Hence, the System gave him EXP points for defeating the monsters inside SAO .
With such a boon, Wu Yan started grinding with zest . Unfortunately for him, the monsters on the 1st floor are so inferior in quality that they aren’t efficient for leveling purposes . These monsters are around tier 1 or tier 2 in power . He literally slaughtered monsters for a whole month in SAO and he only leveled up just now .
Also, that level up wasn’t from a deplete EXP gauge, it included the EXP he gained from his previous fights, the ones he won before entering SAO . He could have been very close to a level up and the monsters here gave him the final modic.u.m of EXP he needed to level up .
He didn’t decrease his grinding time, he continued leveling his virtual character . The Cors, items, equipment, ingredients, etc kept piling up until he unwittingly became the richest player in SAO .
He’s basically a walking oil field at this point .
He already showed signs of being a huge a.s.s whale when Sachi and s.h.i.+on talked with him .
“Nii-san, you have a few extra zeroes more than you should have inside your Cors tab . She felt dizzy just counting the figures .
“It’s astounding that you ama.s.sed a fortune greater than what guilds can do with dozens of members . I don’t know what to say…”
Sachi clicked accept on the trading interface where Wu Yan put up a ton of Cors and equipment . s.h.i.+on who was peeking from the side kept grinning widely .
“This is great! More potion materials for me!”
“It’s not all yours, you know…”
Wu Yan rolled his eyes at s.h.i.+on .
After meeting the Moonlit Black Cats, he got closer and closer to them as time went on .
Wu Yan left his name when he left them . Then his empty friend list became not-so-empty with no additions, Sachi and s.h.i.+on .
After that, his relations.h.i.+p with Moonlit Black Cats got better and better as they worked together .
Wu Yan gave them stewards.h.i.+p of the useless equipment, items, and materials he got from his mob hunts . Then, they would either keep useful stuff for themselves and/or sell them for Cors and take a management fee as their cut of the deal, giving the extra Cors back to Wu Yan .
If Wu Yan chose to sell them to NPCs, he wouldn’t be able to get a good deal since the price is practically highway robbery in NPC stores while players can help him sell them for much more . Net of fees and equipment, Wu Yan got more out of Moonlit Black Cats than going to NPC stores to sell them himself . Moonlit Black Cats also lost out on nothing, it’s basically risk-less profit for them .
In his eyes, he gave them useless junk to sell . But, for the Moonlit Black Cats, the items and equipment couldn’t be any rarer and could be sold for a tidy sum . In the end, Moonlit Black Cats started becoming stronger, experiencing a significant rise in average power and levels .
It was a beneficial deal that brought the two parties close together .
s.h.i.+on also became an adept potion master from Moonlit Black Cat’s support . This way, she can survive without ever visiting a battlefield .
As for why Wu Yan got called Nii-san by Sachi, well, that is on Wu Yan . He was the first one to say something familiar like Sac-chan…
The timid Sachi found a pillar of support in this cruel world of death . She insisted on calling him Nii-san . Wu Yan also wasn’t sure if he should tell her that Sac-chan is a nickname granted to her by the glorious otaku community of his original mortal world .
Just like that, he got himself another bargain steal of an Imouto .
“Hey, isn’t it boring trading like this?”
s.h.i.+on said while straddling her chair, supporting her cheeks with her hands placed upon the back of the seat . She kept flailing her legs in boredom .
“Yan, just join Moonlit Black Cats, wouldn’t that be easier and less tedious?”
Sachi’s eyes also lit up with excitement, she’s silently begging for Wu Yan to join her guild . Wu Yan grinned at them .
“Can you girls keep up with me?”
Sachi and s.h.i.+on were speechless .
“Oh, yeah, Nii-san…”
Sachi suddenly recalled something .
“The guild master said he got news about a strategic briefing on raiding the boss of the First Floor, it will be held at the plaza in the Town!”
Wu Yan jolted into action . He looked ecstatic .
“A strategic meeting? That means someone found the first floor’s boss?!”
Sachi nodded and Wu Yan grinned from ear to ear .
“Finally, it’s about time someone found it…”
“Nii-san, are you going there too?”
Sachi chirped .
“Then, we should…”
“Don’t even think about partic.i.p.ating in the raid . ”
Wu Yan turned her down .
“Your powers increased greatly but I still think you girls should watch and learn from the sidelines…”
“Okay then…”
Wu Yan rubbed Sachi’s head while thinking about other things…
“Tomorrow…”