Chapter 131: Carrying the Meat Shield to the End

"Captain Night, Captain Night, come and unveil the loot!"

A group of team members circled the six pieces of equipment, but since the team settings only allowed the captain to loot, they could only stand by and drool with impatience.

Ye Chen walked a few steps to the space between the Mountain-Shaking Lord's feet, bent down, and picked up the items one by one into his inventory. Without further ado, he displayed the stats of the loot in the team channel, from worst to best.

The first item was a level 35 poleaxe. Although it was Bronze-grade equipment, its stats were undeniably impressive—far superior to similar items dropped by wild monsters. As the only Berserker in the team, the item was naturally tossed to the bearded warrior. Seeing that he could upgrade his gear just after hitting level 35, he was so overjoyed he didn't know what to say, only shouting, "Captain Night is mighty! Captain Night is imposing!"

The second item was a Bronze longsword, also a decent piece. The Silver-armored swordsman who had been resurrected stared at it with envy, but Ye Chen ignored him entirely, tossing it instead to the swordsman who had fought until the very end. The silver-armored warrior tried to protest, but after a few words, he was berated into silence by Long Face and Monk Dingyuan.

The third item was a real treasure: a level 33 Silver-grade longbow. After seeing its stats, Long Face gazed at Ye Chen with such puppy-dog eyes that it made Ye Chen feel a bit nauseated. He quickly threw the bow to him. Once the guy got his hands on it, his attitude shifted instantly, and he began bragging to the nearby members with great pride...

Ye Chen shook his head and pulled out the fourth item: a level 32 Silver-grade staff. Its stats were quite good, and all seven magic-wielding members of the team turned green with envy. With too many monks and too little gruel, no one wanted to give it up. Since everyone’s contribution was equal, they couldn't agree, so they resorted to rolling dice. In the end, Xianyun got lucky and accepted the staff from Ye Chen with a beaming smile.

For the fifth item, as soon as Ye Chen pulled it out, everyone stared in awe. A golden glow—it was Gold-grade equipment.

[Mountain-Shaking Armor] (Gold-grade)
Defense: 305
Constitution: +60
Required Level: 35
Bonus: Physical defense increased by 10%, threat generation increased by 7%

"It's a single-stat Gold item!" Long Face exclaimed in the team channel. The rest of the members gasped. Single-stat Gold gear was even rarer than top-tier dual-stat Gold gear. It wasn't necessarily better or worse, but for players pursuing extreme builds, this kind of single-stat gear was far more valuable than dual-stat items.

The bearded Berserker and the two swordsmen looked on with burning desire—after all, who wouldn't want Gold-grade gear? But they knew they had no claim to it. They turned their gazes toward Huzi and Monk Dingyuan; this was a battle between the first and second tanks.

Ye Chen watched the two with interest, wondering if the two pillars of their so-called "Iron Triangle" would do something unexpected in the face of such temptation.

However, the two involved didn't seem to have the mindset of rivals. Both looked conflicted. Monk Dingyuan looked at Huzi and said, "Huzi, I think you should wear this Mountain-Shaking Armor. You just need to get me a Silver one."

"No, no, Brother Monk, you know I'm broke. I don't have the money to get you Silver equipment," Huzi replied, waving his hands repeatedly.

Ye Chen smiled and said, "Why would you be broke? The battlefield outside the city hasn't been cleaned up yet. Not to mention the remaining Bronze gear, the hundreds of fine-quality items and the gold and silver coins combined far exceed the value of a single piece of Silver equipment."

Monk Dingyuan’s eyes lit up. "That's great! Huzi, let's settle it like this: you take my share of the loot, and you take the armor!"

Huzi’s expression changed drastically, and he finally blurted out the truth: "Get lost! With that money, I’d rather buy a full-strength build Silver set and enjoy myself. I don't want that stuff that only adds Constitution. Besides, Brother Monk, you're already a meat shield, so you might as well go all the way. Once you wear it, I won't have to follow a defensive path anymore. You know my dream has always been to be a battle-cavalryman, not a defensive knight."

"Go all the way as a meat shield"—everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. Several members clutched their stomachs, and Long Face shouted, "Yeah, yeah, Monk, just go all the way as a meat shield! I think you should get rid of those Bronze pieces you're wearing. Now that we have money, let's buy gear that only adds Constitution later. You must commit to being a meat shield!"

The monk’s face turned black, and he cursed, "I can't even farm mobs anymore! If I wear only Constitution gear, I'm finished!"

"It doesn't matter, Brother Monk, we can carry you through leveling. Since your defense is high, you can round up the mobs for us, and your threat-pulling skills have improved too—you don't have to worry about aggro shifting," Xianyun clapped and laughed, and the others chimed in.

Ye Chen walked over to Monk Dingyuan, patted his shoulder, and stuffed the Mountain-Shaking Armor into his hands. "Monk, I also support you in going all the way as a meat shield. Don't let us down."

Under the scrutinizing eyes of the group, Monk Dingyuan put on the armor. It was composed of golden scales the size of palms, with ferocious barbs standing upright on the shoulders. It looked truly imposing, which provided the monk with a small consolation.

"Brother Monk, you can wear that to stand in the city and flirt with girls."

"Yeah, yeah, though our Brother Monk is bald. I wonder if the girls like that."

"What do you know? This is called a 'unique taste'; many girls love it."

...

"Brother Ye Chen, what about that Spirit-grade item? Take it out and show us!" Monk Dingyuan, unable to endure the team's teasing, quickly changed the subject.

The word "Spirit-grade" seemed to have magic. The members, who were just discussing the monk's love life, immediately stopped and fixed their eyes on Ye Chen. A Spirit-grade item—not a single person in all five city districts possessed one yet.

"Captain, Captain, let us see what the Spirit-grade item looks like!"

Amidst the clamor, Ye Chen slowly pulled out the item covered in an orange glow.

[Lancaster’s Sword] (Spirit), Category: Skill Book, Class Requirement: Magic-user
Effect Description: Burns mana to condense into a sword. A blade of mana, known as a Magic Sword.

Seeing the stats of the Spirit-grade item, everyone was momentarily stunned, followed by faces full of disappointment and regret.

Monk Dingyuan looked at the orange skill book with a complex expression and sighed deeply. "A Magic Sword... and it's actually a Magic Sword. What a pity. It’s been twenty years since *God’s Descent* opened, and these Magic Swords have existed since the First District. Every Magic Sword is a powerful skill at the Spirit-grade or above, but no Mage has ever been able to make it shine. After all, those who excel in melee combat won't play Mages, and Mages have innate disadvantages in melee—neither their agility nor strength can compare to melee classes. It’s fine in the early stages when the gap is small, but in the late game, the massive attribute disparity is simply impossible to overcome."

"That’s not necessarily true. I think there must be a great secret hidden within this Magic Sword," Huzi said with a solemn expression. "In the human history I’ve read, there have been several Mages who could challenge gods while wielding a Magic Sword. Of course, those who reached that level could no longer be called Mages; history books refer to them as Sword Demons. Interestingly, all Sword Demons share the same lineage. Perhaps this Magic Sword is the key to unlocking a hidden class."

"Hahaha, Huzi, you’re overthinking it," Monk Dingyuan laughed. "For twenty years, countless Mages have obtained Magic Swords; some have even obtained Immortal-grade ones. But what’s the use? At best, they use them to bully low-level players. Where’s the secret?" As far as he knew, the Mage who obtained the Immortal-grade sword was a famous expert. If there truly were a secret, such an expert would have discovered it.

"That’s not necessarily true. You have to realize that although the maps, environments, and classes in the four districts of *God’s Descent* are completely different, the human history they use is the same. I’ve studied the hidden classes of all four districts and found that every hidden class has traces in human history. Since the Sword Demon lineage left such a significant mark, there’s no reason this class shouldn't exist." When it came to his field of expertise, Huzi was extremely confident.

"If you put it that way, then maybe it’s possible! Hahaha, our Brother Ye Chen is an expert in this area. Who knows? Maybe our Fourth District will produce a Sword Demon!" Monk Dingyuan laughed loudly.

Listening to the information revealed in their conversation, Ye Chen felt a slight stir in his heart. It was a pity that 2058 wasn't here, otherwise, he could have asked her. But there was no rush; he would have plenty of time to ask when she was free.

*Sword Demon*—it sounded quite exciting. In those fragmented memories, he seemed to have walked the world wielding a sword himself. Come to think of it, when he first created his character, he had a soft spot for the swordsman class, but the studio had assigned him to play a Shadow Priest.

"Let’s clean up the battlefield. Once we’re finished, we’ll head to the Demon King’s Labyrinth. Once we leave the labyrinth, our journey through the phantom realm will be over." Ye Chen pointed to the battlefield outside the city, where countless gold and silver coins and fine-quality gear were waiting to be picked up.

"Captain Night, you aren't coming tomorrow?" Xianyun asked. The other members looked at Ye Chen as well. Although the monsters in the phantom realm wouldn't respawn, there were still many Demon Vines left in that Wisteria Flower Sea. Not only did those monsters have a high drop rate, but they also frequently dropped treasure chest keys, which could be sold for a good price.

Ye Chen shook his head and said, "I won't be coming tomorrow. I'll leave the demon powder to you all. You can level up in the Wisteria Flower Sea; there’s no danger."

He was going to Dragon City soon and needed to make preparations. Besides, those Demon Vines held no interest for him.

The team members were disappointed to hear he wouldn't be coming, but it lasted only for a moment before they cast that small disappointment aside, for the ocean of equipment and gold coins outside the city was already beckoning to them.