Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened

Chapter 31: Who is Showing Off?

At the Foot of Tiger Mountain…

A large group of players gathered in the area.

Some were going up. Some were coming down. It was all because of last night’s events.

The players believed there must be some kind of treasure at the peak of Tiger Mountain!

However, as they reached the summit, they realized that apart from a mess of destruction, there was absolutely nothing else!

Some players were even killed by the respawned Green-Eyed Tigers!

“Brother, has that NPC replied yet?” Ning Qingyue sat directly on the ground, looking utterly bored.

From last night to this moment, it was already close to noon.

The siblings had been waiting here for the cloaked NPC the entire time.

They didn’t dare leave.

Ning Qianjun kept staring at his friends list.

Hearing his sister’s question, he could only shake his head with a wry smile. “No reply.”

Ning Qingyue pouted, exhaled in frustration, and muttered, “What kind of NPC is this? Gives a quest but no system notification. That’s fine, but now he’s completely missing too!”

Ning Qianjun replied, “Let’s wait a little longer. If we can latch onto this golden thigh, wasting a day or two is nothing!”

Ning Qingyue glanced at her brother and couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, this is the first time I’ve seen you so invested in a game!”

Ning Qianjun pondered for a moment before saying, “Qingyue, I feel like the appearance of this game is foreshadowing something. And last night, even the officials got alarmed!”

Ning Qingyue blinked, deep in thought.

Just then, a playful yet mocking laugh echoed. “Oh? You two are still here playing guard dogs?”

The siblings immediately frowned and looked over.

Then, they saw a familiar figure leading a group of players toward them.

That familiar figure was none other than Zhao Hanyan!

After what happened yesterda, both sides saw each other as eyesores, especially Zhao Hanyan.

Her losses yesterday were massive!

She lost experience from dying, dropped a secret realm treasure map, and was even warned by her brother not to mess with the Ning siblings!

So, it’s all my fault now? I brought this upon myself?

Either way, she was furious!

Of course, despite her anger, she never stopped keeping tabs on the Ning siblings.

She had players monitoring them. Any news  and she wanted to be notified immediately!

“Watch your mouth!” Ning Qingyue huffed coldly.

“Tsk tsk, don’t be so quick to take it personally. I didn’t even say your names. Looks like the stone hit the dog, huh? Too sensitive.” Zhao Hanyan sneered.

“You—!” Ning Qingyue was so furious she couldn’t find the words.

She could only retort, “You’re just running your mouth! Did you forget how you got killed yesterday? Want to die again?”

Zhao Hanyan’s expression stiffened slightly.

She quickly glanced around then realized something and scoffed, “I think your mouth runs even wilder than mine. That NPC has already run off, leaving you two here like guards, yet you’re still grinning about it. So dedicated. I almost want to hire you both to work for me!”

Ning Qingyue said coldly, “We’re happy to wait. What’s it to you?”

Zhao Hanyan, putting on a friendly facade, said, “I’m just giving you a heads-up, considering we might be family in the future. In this game, NPCs are smart. None of them are fools. Some even trick players, like giving impossible quests or refusing to hand out rewards even after the mission is completed…”

Before she could finish, Ning Qingyue’s expression changed slightly.

Zhao Hanyan caught the reaction immediately.

Her grin widened. “Oh? Did I hit the nail on the head?”

Ning Qingyue was about to say something, but this time, Ning Qianjun spoke first. “The NPC I know isn’t like the others. Just yesterday, he even told me to go to Wolf Head Ridge to pick up loot!”

As he spoke, he opened his inventory and shared his screen.

Zhao Hanyan immediately saw that Ning Qianjun’s 20 inventory slots were filled with equipment!

“I have some too!” Ning Qingyue quickly followed suit, sharing her inventory screen as well.

Likewise, her 20 inventory slots were completely stacked with gear!

Zhao Hanyan’s eyelid twitched.

After a moment, she scoffed, forcing an indifferent look. “Pfft, all just blue and white gear, worthless. That NPC is so stingy!”

Ning Qianjun chuckled. “Besides these two inventory bags, we have several others filled with gear too.”

Zhao Hanyan’s eyelid twitched even harder.

Ning Qianjun continued, “At this stage of the game, even a common white piece of gear is worth a fortune. I don’t know how you can call this ‘worthless.’”

Zhao Hanyan suddenly smiled.

Seemingly unintentionally, she pulled an item from her inventory and waved it around.

It was a dagger with a faint pink glow.

A pink-tier spirit weapon?!

The siblings, who had been brimming with confidence were now completely stunned.

In the game, equipment had tiers.

From low to high: White (Common), Blue (Advanced), Purple (Rare), Pink (Spirit), Orange (Epic), and Gold (Legendary)!

White gear was the most common. The drop rate was high.

Blue gear was rarer. But with enough grinding, players could get two or three pieces a day!

Purple gear, however, had an extremely low drop rate!

According to forum statistics, each novice village had no more than ten pieces of purple gear in total!

That’s how rare it was!

And pink-tier spirit weapons? Even rarer!

So rare that this was the first time Ning Qianjun and Ning Qingyue had ever seen one!

After a long moment Ning Qingyue muttered sourly, “Tch, an assassin’s weapon. What use is it to you, a sorcerer?”

She just couldn’t understand it. They all started on the same playing field.

Yet somehow, Zhao Hanyan’s luck was always a step ahead!

Recruiting NPCs, she beat them to it.

Now in terms of equipmen, even though the siblings had plenty of blue and white gear, it still couldn’t compare to one pink-tier spirit weapon!

“Haha, I never said it was for me.” Zhao Hanyan grinned smugly, flaunting the dagger. “Tell me, how many inventory bags of blue and white gear do you think this pink-tier spirit weapon is worth?”

The siblings fell silent.

A pink-tier spirit weapon, at this stage, was priceless!

Even if they offered ten or twenty inventory bags of gear, they wouldn’t get it.

“Well, you two keep waiting. I’m off to level up!” Zhao Hanyan smirked, flashing the pink-tier weapon again as she turned to leave.

But just before she could take a step, Ning Qingyue suddenly noticed something.

She quickly waved and called out, “Big Brother, you’re finally here!”

Ning Qianjun saw it too.

A smile immediately spread across his face.

Zhao Hanyan instinctively turned and saw a hooded figure slowly approaching.

“Protect me!” The moment she recognized the figure, Zhao Hanyan’s face paled slightly and shouted for protection.

The players accompanying her quickly surrounded her defensively.

The newcomer Was Ye Qiu, the very NPC who had killed her yesterday at Tiger Mountain!

Ye Qiu, however, paid her no attention.

He walked straight past her and stopped in front of Ning Qianjun and Ning Qingyue.

Looking at the siblings, he spoke apologetically, “Sorry, I was busy with other things last night and forgot to notify you.”

Ning Qianjun quickly waved his hand.

“Big brother, you’re too polite! It’s nothing, not a problem at all! Anyway, as Undying, even if we go without sleep for days, we’re totally fine!”

In the game, NPCs referred to players as the “Undying.”

Besides, Ning Qianjun had already decided. He was going to cling tightly to Ye Qiu’s golden thigh!

Never mind waiting just one night, even if he had to wait for days, he wouldn’t complain!

Ye Qiu nodded.

“The tasks I’ve given you so far, you’ve done well. But last night, I told you to guard the entrance to Tiger Mountain and prevent others from entering. In the end, you still let people through.”

“This…” Ning Qianjun was speechless.

That was true.

They hadn’t been able to hold the line.

He wanted to explain but didn’t know how.

Should he tell Ye Qiu that those who went up the mountain were officials from the real world?

Would an NPC even understand that?

And even if he did understand, would it change anything?

Fortunately, Ye Qiu continued, “Still, you deserve your reward.”

As he spoke, he took out a staff and handed it to Ning Qianjun.

Ning Qianjun instinctively took it and checked the item.

[Wolf Fang Crescent Staff (Purple Rare Weapon)]

[Level Requirement: Level 5]

[Stats: +100 MP, +10 Spirit, +5 Agility]

[Passive Skill: Restores 5 MP per second when equipped.]

“A purple item with a built-in skill?!” Ning Qianjun was first shocked, then overjoyed.

At this stage Purple equipment was still extremely rare!

Up until now, he had only owned one piece. And its stats were garbage!

The most frustrating part? It was warrior gear!

Neither he nor Ning Qingyue could even use it!

If a player’s class didn’t match the equipment, they could still equip it but they wouldn’t be able to use its full effects!

Despite his excitement, Ning Qianjun gritted his teeth and handed the staff to his sister.

“Qingyue, you take this staff.” Ning Qingyue shook her head.

“No, big brother, you should keep it. Mages consume more MP, and this staff’s passive skill restores MP. It suits you better!”

The siblings continued to bicker over who should take the staff.

Meanwhile Zhao Hanyan, who had been enjoying the drama from the sidelines, was utterly stunned when she saw Ye Qiu pull out a purple rare weapon and it was a staff that both mages and priests could use!

What the hell?!

NPC quest rewards are this extravagant?!

Her brother, Zhao Mingyuan, had once taken a quest at another novice village.

It was a mission from the village chief “Collect 20 Tiger Whips.”

The quest was incredibly difficult!

Her brother had to recruit NPC teammates just to complete it!

And in the end, his reward? Just a few skill points and some experience!

That was it!