Chapter Twenty-Three: The Myth of the Left Hand

Ye Chen was slightly taken aback. He looked up, only to see that the bidder before him was a priest of the Holy Light, dressed in white robes, with the nickname “Left Hand Legend.” This fellow wore an expression of utter composure, as if he had no regard whatsoever for the tense rivalry between Fierce Tiger Roar and Dragon Soar Star Slash.

At the mention of the bid, the faces of Fierce Tiger Roar and Dragon Soar Star Slash both changed. Their eyes flashed with anger as they sought out the bidder, clearly annoyed. As prominent figures in their respective guilds, there were few in Wild Mountain City who dared to ignore them so blatantly.

Yet, upon realizing the bidder was Left Hand Legend, both men paused in surprise, then, almost simultaneously, adopted friendly smiles. Their words, filled with a hint of respect and even flattery, betrayed their true feelings.

“So it’s you, Legend. I wondered who was bold enough to bid.”

“Legend, it’s been days since we last saw you, but you’re as impressive as ever. What brings you here today for a stroll?”

Left Hand Legend slipped an arm around the waist of the alluring sorceress beside him and gave a soft hum, speaking with nonchalance, “I’m in a good mood, so I decided to wander a bit. I’ve taken a liking to this Beauty Elixir. You two won’t compete with me for it, will you? Well, even if you do, no matter your offer, I’ll just add ten more gold coins.”

Such arrogance! Ye Chen glared at him, then looked hopefully at Dragon Soar Star Slash and Fierce Tiger Roar, wishing they would help raise the price. But to his disappointment, the two men who had been at each other’s throats moments before suddenly backed down, forcing embarrassed smiles and remaining silent.

“If neither of you wants it, then I won’t stand on ceremony. Kid, let’s trade,” Left Hand Legend said with a smug smile, his face radiating satisfaction.

Ye Chen opened the trade window, and Left Hand Legend, without so much as blinking, tossed four hundred gold coins into it. His carefree attitude toward money made the sorceress beside him blush with excitement.

The transaction completed, Left Hand Legend didn’t spare a glance for Dragon Soar Star Slash or Fierce Tiger Roar. He wrapped his arm around the sorceress and strode away with effortless grace.

“Damn bastard,”

“Arrogant poser,”

Watching Left Hand Legend’s receding figure, Dragon Soar Star Slash and Fierce Tiger Roar couldn’t help but curse under their breath. The two exchanged a glance, both filled with helplessness.

Fierce Tiger Roar, seeing the Beauty Elixir had been sold and that Ye Chen had Dragon Soar Star Slash on his side, realized there was no point in staying. He shot Ye Chen an unwilling glare and growled, “Sooner or later, you’ll learn just how formidable I am.” With that, he led his group away in haste.

“Do you have some feud with Fierce Tiger Roar?” Dragon Soar Star Slash eyed Ye Chen, puzzled. Judging by Fierce Tiger Roar’s demeanor earlier, he’d clearly suffered at Ye Chen’s hands. Yet Dragon Soar Star Slash couldn’t fathom how Ye Chen, a mere level ten-odd healer, could get the better of the level-twenty-something Fierce Tiger Roar.

Ye Chen smiled faintly at the question. “It’s nothing serious. I killed him once this morning and snatched his boss.”

Dragon Soar Star Slash’s eyes widened in disbelief. He sized Ye Chen up as if seeing him anew. “Remarkable! I’ve never liked Fierce Tiger Roar, but that guy always travels with a horde of lackeys, making him hard to target. You managed to kill him despite his minions? Impressive, you’re a real expert!”

“I took out his minions first, then finished him off,” Ye Chen said, lifting his eyelids with indifference, never mentioning the advanced attack aura he’d used.

Dragon Soar Star Slash’s eyes widened further, as if he’d seen a ghost. Shock colored his face; he opened his mouth, but could find nothing to say.

Ye Chen felt a surge of satisfaction at Dragon Soar Star Slash’s reaction. As a newbie, it was indeed gratifying to be regarded as a master.

“By the way, who is this Left Hand Legend? You and Fierce Tiger Roar seemed wary of him. Is there any force in Wild Mountain City stronger than your Dragon Soar?” Ye Chen was curious about the man who had casually spent four hundred gold coins to buy his Beauty Elixir.

“You’re joking. There’s no force in Wild Mountain City stronger than Dragon Soar. Even Fierce Tiger’s group is said to be a notch below us,” Dragon Soar Star Slash replied, pride returning to his face. Yet almost immediately, that pride turned to frustration. He grumbled, “You don’t understand. That bastard Left Hand Legend is an alchemist—a level five alchemist, no less. He’s formidable. Not just Dragon Soar, but every guild in Wild Mountain City has to give him face. We all need him for his skills.”

Ye Chen was momentarily surprised. “Is being an alchemist really that impressive? I see alchemists everywhere near the Alchemist Guild. Surely your guilds have their own exclusive alchemists, right? Why do you need him?”

Dragon Soar Star Slash’s face turned bitter as he began to complain, “Alchemists in general aren’t anything special, but a level five alchemist is. Our guild does have exclusive alchemists, but those idiots waste huge amounts of materials and still none can reach level five—they’re all stuck at level four, just run-of-the-mill hacks.”

“What’s the difference between level four and five?” Ye Chen asked, genuinely curious. He knew little about secondary professions.

Dragon Soar Star Slash wasn’t surprised by Ye Chen’s question; most combat players knew little about secondary professions. He explained, “The jump from level four to five for alchemists is huge. After level four, there’s a success rate for crafting potions. They say there’s technique involved, but I don’t know the details. All I know is our guild’s alchemists fail constantly, wasting tons of materials, and none have managed to reach level five. But that’s not the worst part. The key is that level five alchemists can craft special potions. You see, before level four, alchemists can only make standard mana and health potions. But at level five, they gain the ability to craft instant recovery potions for health and mana. There’s a cooldown, but these are invaluable for fighting bosses and PK. No guild can do without them.”

He sighed and continued, “The problem is, there are only three level five alchemists in Wild Mountain City—two belong to guilds, and their potions never reach the market. Only Left Hand Legend is unaffiliated, so those of us without a level five alchemist have to buy from him. But his production is limited, and demand far exceeds supply, so we have to treat him like royalty.”

“He seems pretty wealthy,” Ye Chen mused, recalling that the recipe list included several potions with instant recovery effects. Clearly, there was profit to be made—some even available at level one!

“Wealthy? Of course. Every time he makes a batch, we guilds bid against each other. He’s made a fortune. We’re all hoping for more experts capable of crafting instant recovery potions in Wild Mountain City. Then, even if we have to pay, at least we won’t have to put up with Left Hand Legend’s arrogance.”

Ye Chen nodded, betraying no emotion on his face, but inwardly, excitement surged. To hell with the exclusivity of level five alchemists! As a pill master, he could craft instant recovery potions at level one. This hidden profession certainly held immense promise.