C17 Enforcing Justice for Heaven

Lin Tian felt a mix of helplessness and disbelief. Was he truly that inadequate? Or was the young man before him simply too extraordinary, harboring the sudden urge to persuade Bai Li to switch allegiances?

Yet, Lin Tian had to admit that Bai Li wasn't wrong. Given the choice, this individual seemed to be a better option than himself. With his innate combat skills, if he were on equal footing with Lin Tian, there was no doubt that Lin Tian wouldn't stand a chance. Should a formidable adversary invade in the future, this man would certainly offer a stronger resistance than Lin Tian could.

"Pfft, you're only with me because of the bloodline within me. Even if you wanted to, you can't just switch masters," Lin Tian retorted, rolling his eyes. He left it at that, but out of Bai Li's sight, his fists were clenched tightly.

The words Bai Li had spoken irked Lin Tian—no, they infuriated him. Why should he, Lin Tian, be inferior to the man before him? Sure, this person might possess a natural aptitude for combat, but Lin Tian was confident that he would eventually outpace him.

"Master, I recommend prioritizing this fellow's training and upgrading his weapons. His potential is immense, and he could bring significant advancements for both of us," Bai Li advised.

Lin Tian remained silent, giving a subtle nod. Despite feeling uncomfortable, he wasn't one to ignore the bigger picture. He understood what mattered and what didn't.

Jealousy aside, he knew he needed to foster this talent. As Bai Li had pointed out, if he could properly develop this young man's abilities, he would surely ascend to great heights in no time.

And if this young upstart could take down Bamote, that would be a game-changer. Defeating Bamote would allow Lin Tian to absorb his energy and effortlessly advance to Rank 2.

"Alright, let's go down and have a look."

In an instant, Lin Tian and Bai Li materialized before Enforcing Justice for Heaven.

Enforcing Justice for Heaven, who was deeply engaged in battle with a Level 7 monster, suddenly sensed a human presence behind him. About to pivot and strike, he was met instead with a fist that appeared before the Level 7 monster, obliterating it on the spot.

"You… You…"

Enforcing Justice for Heaven gaped at the NPC before him, at a loss for words. He recognized the NPC.

Yet, it had never crossed his mind that an NPC would show up here, let alone assist him in vanquishing the monster.

"Don't be astonished," the NPC began, "I'm the one in charge of distributing rewards and handling other matters in the game. You're an exceptionally gifted player. What's more, you've managed to make it this far without any weapons, so I've decided to reward you."

With a flourish, Lin Tian produced a long sword aglow with flames under Enforcing Justice for Heaven's astonished gaze.

"This is the Fire Spirit Long Sword, crafted from the essence of a Fire Elf. It's extremely rare, of blue quality, and indeed, a treasure."

"With this sword, you should have no trouble dispatching Elite Monsters like the one you just faced. Once you reach the end of this secret realm, you'll encounter the Boss, which is also a Fire Elf. Defeat the Fire Elf, and the sword is yours to keep forever. Should you fail, however, I can only lend it to you for three days. After that, I'll need to reclaim it."

Lin Tian couldn't simply hand over the sword to Enforcing Justice for Heaven. Truth be told, even lending it for three days was a serious breach of the game's rules. If other players found out, it could lead to chaos.

More to the point, the energy of a Fire Elf was quite valuable to Lin Tian at the moment. If he were to give the sword to Enforcing Justice for Heaven outright, he would incur a significant loss—a loss that Enforcing Justice for Heaven would need to compensate for.

By defeating the Fire Elf Boss, Enforcing Justice for Heaven would demonstrate his capability to eliminate other Fire Elves. Then, by taking down any other Elf, he would offset Lin Tian's losses, securing the weapon permanently.

"Blue, blue quality? And a treasure?"

Enforcing Justice for Heaven stuttered, unsure of what to say next. Although Lin Tian was an NPC tasked with awarding prizes and facilitating trades, it wasn't typical to hand out items so freely, especially a blue-quality treasure.

If he wasn't mistaken, he was the only player in the entire game to possess such a treasure.

"What's the matter? You're not accepting it? If you don't want it, I can take it back."

"No, no, no—I accept it! I'm just a bit surprised, that's all. I don't understand why you would give me a gift."

Only a fool would refuse such an offer. With this item, his rank could soar in no time. Leveraging his exceptional skills, he was on track to become the top player in the entire game.

The only downside was that he was a swordsman. Had he been a Spear Warrior with an area-of-effect attack skill, he could wipe out swathes of monsters in one fell swoop.

"You don't need to worry about my reasons. Just know that I see great potential in you. Now, go on with your monster farming; I won't keep you any longer. Best of luck with the dungeon."

With a swift motion, Lin Tian and Bai Li departed, leaving Enforcing Justice for Heaven to ponder a significant oversight: why would an NPC in the game engage in combat with monsters?

This wasn't an NPC from a dungeon, who theoretically should have no combat abilities and not instigate conflicts with game monsters.

"It's odd. This NPC doesn't seem like an NPC at all. Their thinking aligns with ours, resembling a player more, and their strength appears to be immeasurable."

After some thought and coming up empty, Enforcing Justice for Heaven shook his head.

But what did it matter? In any case, this situation was all benefit and no harm to him.

He eagerly examined the newly acquired treasure, the Fire Spirit Long Sword, for its specifications.

"Fire Spirit Long Sword — a Blue Treasure, forged from the body of a Fire Elf and the immense power of the Law. Attack power: 100. The bearer gains an additional 50 points of soul damage, with a chance to shatter an enemy's soul in a single strike."

Enforcing Justice for Heaven's throat went dry at the sight of the sword's formidable stats.

It was straightforward—no frills—boosting his attack power by 100. What's more, it could inflict soul damage on enemies, with a chance to shatter their souls outright.

Currently, as a Level 6 swordsman, his attack power was already higher than that of other classes. But with this sword, his attack power would skyrocket to 300.