After putting on his clothes, Bai Qiu walked out of the bathroom, towel in hand as he dried his hair.
When he looked at Zhang Shiyao, a slight headache came over him.
He had originally wanted her to wash up as well, but she was so small and thin that even his shirt would look like a dress on her — there was no way she could wear it, not even with a few alterations.
At this point, they might as well eat first.
Bai Qiu couldn't think of a better solution.
It had been almost three hours since breakfast, and with how little they'd eaten earlier, he was already starving.
While waiting, Zhang Shiyao went into the bathroom to wipe herself down a bit.
As for clothes, that would have to wait until they reached the safe zone.
After eating, it was already close to noon.
Bai Qiu set out again toward the safe zone, planning to stop by the blacksmith to see if his spear could be repaired—or better yet, replaced with a stronger one.
His instincts told him that the spear he was using wouldn't be able to withstand his Noble Phantasm skill.
Even if repaired, it would still be too fragile.
Leaving the dorm, Bai Qiu led Zhang Shiyao toward the safe zone.
Along the way, the number of Dragonfang Soldiers increased.
He decided to stand beside her and let her face them alone.
She was already skilled at shooting stationary targets, so this time he wanted her to try moving ones.
He had expected her to panic when she couldn't kill the Dragonfang Soldiers with a single shot—but her performance pleasantly surprised him.
Whether the targets were still or moving, she handled them exceptionally well.
Though not every arrow struck a weak point, three arrows were enough to bring down a Dragonfang Soldier.
Her firing speed had also improved greatly.
Perhaps realizing she couldn't fully draw the bow, she would decisively release the string whenever she felt her strength reaching its limit.
She didn't sacrifice attack frequency or stamina just to add a little more power — a smart technique in itself.
Judging by the results, she was already capable of taking down two Dragonfang Soldiers on her own.
Originally, it would have taken Zhang Shiyao more than three hours to fight her way through the increasingly dense groups of Dragonfang Soldiers to reach the safe zone, but now many others had begun hunting them as well, easing the pressure on her.
That's right — there was a regional chat channel in the safe zone.
Many young people were pessimistic at first, but after chatting and joking around in the channel, someone came up with a bright idea.
They started forming small teams to hunt Dragonfang Soldiers.
Usually, one ranged fighter would lure the monsters toward the edge of the protective barrier, while several melee fighters would pound on the Dragonfang Soldiers through the barrier from inside.
After getting used to the process, they realized that isolated Dragonfang Soldiers weren't that strong after all.
Soon, they began teaming up to hunt outside the barrier too.
Though they still had to flee in embarrassment when encountering large groups, it was still a major step forward.
.......
Upon arriving at the safe zone, Bai Qiu saw groups of three to five people moving in and out—it was quite crowded.
Most of them were around level three, the kind who could barely handle one Dragonfang Soldier and would have to flee if they encountered two.
He originally planned to take Zhang Shiyao to the blacksmith near the black tower, but instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward a place where a crowd had gathered.
Bai Qiu wasn't particularly interested in joining the commotion, but since they were already there... it wouldn't hurt to take a look.
"Excuse me! Please make way!" Her soft, youthful voice echoed through the crowd.
She was far too small to squeeze through on her own.
Bai Qiu sighed helplessly, unsure when she had become so bold.
He could only take her hand and push forward with her.
Thanks to his C-rank physique, the effect was immediate—they squeezed their way right to the front of the crowd in no time.
Once they reached the front, Bai Qiu finally understood what was going on—and why people who had previously stayed holed up inside the safe zone now dared to go out and hunt Dragonfang Soldiers.
In the center stood a cloaked figure, a mysterious man nearly two meters tall but strikingly thin.
The inside of his cloak was pitch-black, obscuring his face completely.
His hands, however, were shriveled and ancient, like those of a centenarian.
What stood out even more was that each hand had six fingers, and each finger had five joints—long, slender, and clearly inhuman.
Around him, people lined up, handing over the Dragonfangs dropped by slain Dragonfang Soldiers in exchange for bread.
Most people hadn't brought much food with them, and now, after two full days, the appearance of this mysterious merchant had motivated everyone to go out and hunt for Dragonfang Soldiers.
Bai Qiu's interest was piqued.
He examined the mysterious merchant before him.
[Magic Merchant]
Description: A mysterious trader who roams randomly across the world, exchanging goods for items he desires.
His level and stats couldn't be observed—meaning the merchant's level far surpassed Bai Qiu's.
Looking around, Bai Qiu saw that many others were still waiting to trade.
Finishing the exchange could take forever—he might as well leave and do something else first.
"Wait. You're not going to trade with me?"
An old, raspy voice stopped Bai Qiu as he turned to leave.
He turned back, puzzled, to see the Magic Merchant extending a hand toward him.
Curious gazes turned their way—this was the first time anyone had seen the Magic Merchant take the initiative to stop a player.
Seeing that no one else was continuing to trade, Bai Qiu cautiously stepped forward, took out his storage card, and said, "In that case, I'll gladly accept your invitation."
The moment Bai Qiu's hand made contact with the Mage's outstretched palm, a virtual panel instantly appeared before his eyes.
On it were lists of items, prices, and neatly divided categories.
For example, under the Food category, there were items like bread, milk, and instant noodles—all fairly cheap, priced between 1–3 Dragonfangs.
Then there was the Potion category.
In addition to the three healing potions currently sold by Guinelia, this merchant also offered Mana Potions that restored magic power, Stamina Potions that replenished physical strength, and several special types—such as Berserk Potions, Purification Potions, and Enhancement Potions.
Among them, one particular item caught Bai Qiu's attention: the Enhancement Potion, a bright crimson liquid.
While most potions were priced between 10 and 100 Dragonfangs, this one was listed at 2,000 Dragonfangs—making Bai Qiu suddenly feel that the ten thousand Dragonfangs in his storage card weren't as much as he thought.
Enhancement Potion (C-rank)
Effect: Permanently increases all attributes slightly and improves the body's organ functions, such as vision, hearing, reaction speed, and regenerative ability.
Stock: 1/1
Bai Qiu didn't hesitate for a second—he immediately purchased the potion.
His stats were already quite high, so this potion likely wouldn't add much in raw numbers, but the improvement to his bodily functions was invaluable.
His vision and hearing were only slightly better than an ordinary person's; compared to his physique, which was dozens of times stronger, his senses were far too weak.
Besides, this potion was limited to one per customer.
If someone else bought it first, he'd lose out big time!
Though for most people, 2,000 Dragonfangs was a completely unreachable price.