Chapter 125: The Item in the Furnace "The furnace conceals a hidden treasure. Players can uncover valuable items there, provided luck is on their side," Victor explained.
Rever’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm, and he eagerly chimed in, "We should totally line up before we leave and complete the quest. Who knows what treasures we might find?!"
His excitement was palpable, and he eagerly rubbed his hands together, his eagerness spurring him to be the first to hop into line at the furnace.
Xin exchanged glances with the others, their collective curiosity compelling them to join Rever in line.
In the real world, the clock displayed only nine in the evening, leaving them ample time to conclude the quest.
However, the responsibilities of daily life, including classes and work the next day, loomed in the back of their minds.
"What could it be?" Yuzuro pondered aloud, her excitement evident. "Games like this always get me hyped." He expression then fell. "Although, I’m not expecting much with my luck being so abysmal."
Rever chuckled and patted Yuzuro on the back. "Don’t fret. My luck is just as terrible. I can never seem to snag rare items in drops, even if my life depended on it. You’ve heard my title as the Cursed Hands in our guild, right?"
Yuzuro nodded with a giggle. "Indeed, I have."
On the other hand, Victor turned to Xin and posed a question. "What are you hoping to get?"
Xin’s response was a nonchalant shrug. "Anything, as long as it’s not HP or MP potions."
Victor chuckled in response. "Rest assured, the furnace offers items ranging from common to very rare. Nobody ever received potions here. That’s why players often come here to drow something in the furnace."
"Did someone happen to snag like a rare item here?" Xin inquired.
Victor answered, "A few."
As the group chatted, Xin couldn’t help but notice Midnight Duchess, who seemed somewhat detached with tight lips.
Xin understood that she was an outsider in their group. He knew Rever and the others beyond the virtual world. Her reserved demeanor was understandable, given the circumstances.
Even so, Xin didn’t offer to create small talks with her. There was a lingering fear in the back of his head that she might steal his items if he let his guard down.
When their turn came, Rever took a deep breath, his hand trembling as he extended it into the furnace.
Repeatedly, he muttered a fervent wish, "Please, don’t let it be a lousy item. Please, don’t let it be a lousy item."
Slowly, he withdrew his hand from the furnace, his eyes opening with cautious optimism. A triumphant smile crept across his face as he revealed a claw-like weapon in his grasp.
However, that smile quickly faded as Rever read the item’s description. "Hound Caress. Uncommon. Well, it’s something," he muttered, his disappointment evident.
"Only a measly +10 to STR," he lamented to himself, retreating to the side and still grumbling, "What am I going to do with this? My luck truly is dreadful, the epitome of the infamous Cursed Hands."
Yuzuro stepped forward for her turn, drawing a Bronze Staff from the furnace. While it wasn’t a rare find, her expression bore satisfaction. "It may be common, but this staff could still fetch a decent price."
Victor’s retrieval was swift and uneventful; he secured a silver sword and casually stashed it away in his inventory.
Midnight Duchess obtained a mysterious dagger, her reaction veiled behind her cloak.
Finally, it was Xin’s turn. He gazed at the furnace, contemplative and perhaps a tad apprehensive, as he prepared to draw an item of his own.
The furnace stood at the heart of the fiery chamber, its colossal form a formidable centerpiece of the room’s fiery ambiance. Its blackened metal exterior bore the marks of countless scorching fires, a testament to its ceaseless activity.
Fiery tongues of flame danced within the furnace’s cavernous maw, casting a mesmerizing, ever-shifting play of light and shadow on the chamber’s walls. The intense heat emanating from the furnace was palpable, warming the air and creating an atmosphere steeped in both awe and trepidation.
Despite the furnace’s imposing presence and the daunting heat it emitted, the open door invited curious visitors to approach, a siren’s call to those seeking the treasures it concealed within its depths.
As Xin cautiously extended his hand into the furnace, he braced himself for the searing heat he expected to encounter.
However, to his surprise, there was no immediate burning sensation. Instead, what greeted him was a strangely tempered warmth akin to the gentle embrace of a heated blanket on a chilly evening.
The furnace’s fiery interior, though visually intense and intimidating, yielded a sensation that was oddly soothing.
The heat enveloped his hand in a gentle, comforting caress, defying his initial expectations of searing pain.
It was as if the flames recognized his presence, parting to allow his hand entry without causing discomfort or harm.
As Xin’s hand ventured further into the furnace’s depths, he felt an unusual, tingling sensation, like static electricity coursing through his fingers. It was as if the fiery chamber was responding to his touch.
Then, as if by some mystical force, an item began to materialize within his hand. It started as a faint, shimmering outline, gradually taking on more substance and form.
A sense of wonder and intrigue enveloped Xin as he watched the ethereal creation take shape before his eyes.
Just as the item fully materialized into his hand, a soft, haunting whisper reached his ears, sending a shiver down his spine.
"You have obtained one of the items," the voice whispered, its tone filled with a mysterious urgency.
"Help me . . ." it pleaded, the words laden with a mystifying, almost desperate, plea for assistance.
Xin cautiously withdrew his hand from the furnace, his mind still echoing with the haunting whisper he had heard.
"What was that?" He muttered to himself and looked around to see if there was someone beside him. The whisper seemed like it was just inches form his ears.
When there was no one, he dismissed it and move along.
He must be hallucinating.
Shaking off the eerie sensation, he focused his attention on the item he now held in his hand.