Chapter 205 - 149: Title: Hunting Pioneer

At that moment, Brother Yu and Old Yan, still inside the instance, had no idea what a commotion their middle-aged duo had caused among the other players.

They were inspecting the items dropped by the Firewood Thief they had just killed.

[Unclean Wax]

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: Crush and apply to the skin’s surface to make weak creatures keep their distance for a period of time.]

[Explanation: Unclean Wax, carrying the dangerous aura from the body of a Firewood Thief.]

True to its name, the Unclean Wax was a sickly, dark yellow, like pus, flecked with indeterminate black spots. It looked utterly filthy.

[Pottery Head Cover]

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: Wear it on your head to maintain the appearance of a Pottery Man for a period of time.]

[Explanation: Is it a mask, or is it skin?]

This item was identical to the pot on the Pottery Man’s head and was also a consumable with a Special Effect.

There was no need to say much about the Exquisite Quality Firewood Stealer’s Robe. It was a piece of equipment for a Prayer build, which Brother Yu could only sell.

Perhaps the main event from killing the Firewood Thief was this Prayer.

[Banner·Sound of Pot Knocking]

[Type: Skill Book]

[Effect: Knock on your own head to create a sound that forcibly draws an enemy’s attention and briefly dazes them. The louder the sound, the stronger the Effect.]

[Explanation: This empty echo from the skull is always startling.]

Compared to other Prayers, the Prayer dropped by the Pottery Man seemed much more bizarre.

"The louder the sound, the stronger the effect?" Old Yan was a bit surprised, then thoughtfully knocked on his own head.

’The sound I hear is quite loud...’

Seeing this, Brother Yu glanced at him as if he were looking at an idiot and shook his head.

"None of this loot is any good. Not even any Wax Oil..."

"Forget it, let’s go."

A big fish had gotten away just like that. Brother Yu was in no mood to be happy.

’Right, didn’t the prompt mention some kind of unexpected reward from the Candlekeeper? I should go check it out...’

...

"Holy shit, it’s Brother Yu!"

"Brother Yu, forever a god!"

"Solo-killing a Firewood Thief! You’re too strong, Brother Yu! You’re the pride of us fishermen!"

"Brother Yu, what happened? How did you kill the Firewood Thief? Tell us, quick!"

"..."

The moment Brother Yu and Old Yan exited the instance, they were surrounded by other players.

This left the two of them a bit dumbfounded.

’What’s going on? How do the other players know we killed a Firewood Thief?’

「After fending them off for a while.」

Brother Yu and Old Yan finally learned that the Spirit Candle had actually posted an announcement on the world channel. No wonder all these players knew.

And in the world chat, the discussion about him had not died down.

Fortunately, Brother Yu quickly used the Spirit Candle to travel to the Reef Cave, summoned the Candlekeeper, and briefly explained the situation.

"Well done."

Luo Ge, who already knew the situation, nodded slightly and extended a hand toward him.

Then, to Brother Yu’s surprise, he found his body automatically moving to a half-kneel before the Candlekeeper, his head slightly bowed.

"A warrior who fights against the darkness deserves glory."

As the low voice faded, a notification appeared in Brother Yu’s vision.

[You have obtained the title: Hunting Pioneer (Silver)]

[Title - Hunting Pioneer (Silver): The first person to kill a Firewood Thief, a pioneer who dares to draw their sword against danger and fear.]

As Luo Ge’s hand swept past, a line of eye-catching silver text appeared below Brother Yu’s ID.

At the same time, Old Yan, who was standing to the side, saw another announcement on the world channel.

[Announcement: "Never Air Force Fisherman" has received the Silver Level title "Hunting Pioneer" from the Candlekeeper!]

A title!

Something new!

The first title in the entire game!

After seeing this announcement, the other players were undoubtedly thrown into shock once again.

"Holy crap, so this is the special reward from the Candlekeeper? What does this Silver title even do?"

"Talk about bragging rights, Brother Yu!"

"My god... this is a server first, right? And a fisherman got it. Ouch."

"I can’t take it anymore! Is this game dead? Where are all the pros? Somebody save us!"

"...Stop whining. After the version update, the top-tier players aren’t necessarily afraid of the Firewood Thief. Brother Yu was just the first to run into one; he just got lucky."

"I can agree with your first two sentences, but if you’re saying Brother Yu got lucky... I’m going to assume you’re being sarcastic."

"A title... I want one too!"

"It might not even have an effect. What’s the point?"

"Heh, so you’re saying you wouldn’t take it?"

"If it was offered to me, I’d definitely take it."

"..."

The players outside were in a heated discussion.

But Brother Yu, the person in question, didn’t feel much of anything. He even thought the thing was a bit too conspicuous.

The good news was that it could be hidden.

The bad news was, Brother Yu discovered it didn’t seem to be useful for anything...

This made Brother Yu frown.

’That’s it? Nothing else?’

’If this is all I get, a few pieces of bait would’ve been more practical!’

However, the Candlekeeper before him seemed to have already anticipated this.

"Besides the glory you deserve, is there anything else you desire?"

[Prompt: You may propose the type of reward you desire from the Candlekeeper.]

Luo Ge was never stingy with these top-performing, contributing players.

’What could these little players want? Nothing more than cool, powerful Skills and equipment. It’s not like I can’t give it to them; no need to be stingy here.’

’When it comes to harvesting the player base, I can’t be soft. But when it comes to top individual players, I can’t be stingy with rewards either...’

Here comes the main event!

Sure enough, after seeing the prompt, Brother Yu’s eyes brightened slightly.

Old Yan, at the side, got excited immediately. "A Weapon! A Weapon! Ask for a Weapon, Old Yu!"

"That thing that adds Skill Slots would be good too!"

"Ask for as much as you can get!"

Old Yan’s greedy nature was on full display.

Although players on the forums often badmouthed the Candlekeeper behind his back, there was nothing to complain about when it came to his rewards.

An opportunity to choose your own reward was undoubtedly very precious.

An Ordinary player would definitely be thinking about Weapons, equipment, or an exclusive Skill.

However.

Brother Yu was clearly not an Ordinary player.

He couldn’t even be called a normal player.

So, after seeing the prompt, Brother Yu thought for a moment and stated his request without hesitation.

"Can you enhance my fishing rod again? Especially the line."

Brother Yu’s expression was firm.

He still couldn’t stop thinking about that big black fish that got away.

’If the line had been strong enough, I would have caught it!!!’

"?"

"Huh? Oh, come on!"

Hearing his words, Old Yan froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh in utter exasperation.

’What is this Old Yu thinking? Has he lost his mind?’

"..."

Hearing Brother Yu’s answer, Luo Ge was also slightly taken aback.

’...Alright, I guess this really does fit Brother Yu’s personality.’

’That big black fish that got away will probably only get bigger and bigger in his memory as time goes on...’

"Fine. Give me your fishing rod."

Although Brother Yu’s request was strange, Luo Ge was still happy to oblige.

’Although I wasn’t planning on skimping, the cost of creating a top-tier piece of equipment is obviously much higher than modifying a fishing rod.’

A moment later, a brand-new fishing rod was back in Brother Yu’s hands.

[Candlefire Fishing Rod - Tier Two]

[Type: Tool]

[Effect: Sturdier and more durable. The fishing line has received a special Enhancement, granting it excellent Resilience. Even a leviathan would have difficulty breaking it. Also, its attractiveness to fish is slightly increased.]

[Explanation: A Tier Two fishing rod specially enhanced by the Candlekeeper.]

After taking the fishing rod, Brother Yu did only one thing.

He grabbed the line and began to yank it with all his might.

He even took out his Law Greatsword and hacked at it with a Skill.

But the fishing line remained completely unscathed.

’With this kind of strength, it could even be used to make some top-tier Weapons...’

After confirming that the fishing rod had indeed become incredibly tough, Brother Yu put it away with satisfaction.

But soon, he sighed again with a hint of melancholy.

’The big black fish in his memory seemed to have gotten bigger again.’

"Keep up the good work, brave Explorer."

Luo Ge smiled, his figure gradually fading away.

"Oh, Old Yu, you’re so foolish!"

Old Yan, who had witnessed the entire exchange from the side, was so heartbroken he could barely breathe.

Such a precious opportunity, and Brother Yu just wasted it like that!

...

Although the incident of killing the Firewood Thief was over, its impact had not disappeared.

Whether it was the server-first title or the screen-filling announcement, it all made the other players feel like they had lost face, especially those who considered themselves top-tier.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless bums. They started the game early and had so many advantages, yet they still let a fisherman take the lead..." Wudi was extremely displeased and felt it was time for him to step up.

He then charged menacingly toward a Beach Fishman, only to be tackled to the ground and mauled.

And while other players weren’t as fiercely competitive, they were still greatly inspired, grinding mobs and leveling up with even more effort.

Brother Yu’s choice at the Candlekeeper’s also spread, coming from the sighing mouth of Old Yan.

Many people were dumbfounded.

Huh?

Such a precious opportunity, and you traded it for a crappy fishing rod?

What a colossal waste!

Some agitated players even started to verbally attack Brother Yu, but he didn’t care.

This also spurred on many other players.

This is so humiliating!

The first kill of a hostile NPC and the server’s first title were both taken.

And the precious reward opportunity was traded by a fisherman for a stupid fishing rod!

I’m furious!

If they didn’t get their act together, and players from other games saw this, wouldn’t they laugh themselves to death?

Besides, this Hunting Pioneer was only a Silver Level title.

So, without a doubt, there must be other, even High Level titles!

They absolutely could not let the casual players laugh at them, the combat players, anymore!

And so, a group of players, fired up, began to grind like mad.

Many players even angrily made a special trip to Sea Zone One, waiting for a Firewood Thief to find them.

Death penalty? Respawn timer?

A man lives for his pride, and face is the most important thing, especially when playing a game!

It’s just a Firewood Thief, just a stupid Pot Head, right?

So what if we die? We absolutely cannot let a fisherman player get away with shitting all over us!

Seeing that he had once again successfully motivated these players, Luo Ge revealed a gratified smile.

’Yes, yes, just like that.’

’When we play games, we’re fighting for face, right?’

’Keep it up!’

’This is exactly the effect I wanted!’

As the players ground themselves into dust, his amount of Wax Oil naturally shot up. His objective was successfully achieved.

However... it seemed the stimulus from this incident was a bit much for the other players.

Thus, with many players flooding into the Sea Zone One instance, the Firewood Thief’s tracks appeared again after only a single day.

And this time, the invaded players did not disappoint. Holding in their frustration and cooperating with their teammates, they finally managed to kill it again!

And the ones who killed the Firewood Thief this time were the Madman Stream players.

Relying on the extremely cheesy Blood Robe Priest Talent and Skills, as well as the enhanced character Talents and Abilities from the version update, he successfully ground the Pottery Man down to death.

Somewhat comically, the Pottery Man that launched this attack died from the injuries caused by its own Heart-digging attack while it was being tied down and unable to self-heal...

Previously, when studying the Pottery Man, some players had suspected that the Skills it used likely came with a cost.

As it turned out, that was indeed the case.

’But that’s not important. The question is, did we kill it or not?’

Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao said, "Hehe... I don’t know if players from other builds can do it, but us Madman Stream players... we definitely can!"

Although there was no title, no announcement, and certainly no reward from the Candlekeeper, the Madman Stream players were still immensely proud.

They were the first to win back some face.

This statement made players of other builds very salty.

Damn it, what are you trying to say?

It’s one thing to praise yourselves, but why do you have to secretly put down other playstyles?

Trying to start a fight, are you? Treating the killing of a Firewood Thief as a competition?

Fine, fine, a competition it is. You think we’re scared?