Chapter 12: Village-Wide Announcement

Chapter 12: Village-Wide Announcement

Lin Hanchuan spent some time organizing the warehouse.

Previously, the potion supply in each storage chest hadn’t been fully stocked. After categorizing and consolidating everything, he managed to fill exactly eight storage chests.

While sorting, he discovered three special potions:

1. One Identification Potion (Demon-Directed)—this must have been the same bottle the Dark Claw Demon had possessed.

2. Two Junior Permanent Strength Potions. These were far more valuable than identification potions. Each permanently increased strength by +2 points and could stack up to five times!

“Newbie Village actually has this kind of stuff?” Lin Hanchuan sat on a storage chest, holding the two strength potions. Such items were rarely seen even in major cities—usually obtainable only from cross-dimensional traders or high-level monster drops.

“This must’ve come from a hidden quest the pharmacy owner had. These potions were likely meant as rewards for completing his tasks.”

He could only guess. Such items were commonly used as rewards for E-rank and below hidden quests.

“Too bad he and his daughter were killed by demons.”

In Wangyue City, demons could only mimic deceased villagers, impersonating them based on their pre-death relationships. No new characters could be added.

This meant the pharmacy had indeed been run by a father and daughter. The father, perhaps sensing something amiss with the villagers, had prepared these rare potions as hidden quest rewards for future players arriving in District 9’s Newbie Village 56.

But he never lived to see that day.

Now, his rewards remained untouched. Anyone who defeated the demons impersonating the pair could claim them.

“The creators of Descent Online really thought this through,” Lin Hanchuan muttered before downing both strength potions.

“Ding! You’ve consumed a Level 1 Permanent Strength Potion. Strength value +2.”

“Ding! You’ve consumed a Low-Rank Permanent Strength Potion. Strength value +2.”

With both potions active, his strength surged to 15. His overall health and defense improved accordingly.

After checking his updated stats, he turned to the eight storage chests—the entirety of the village’s potion supply. The quantity was staggering. Even with his backpack and space ring, he couldn’t carry more than 1% of what was stored here.

Not that he needed to. One player couldn’t use it all.

“I need to offload this quickly.”

He left the warehouse, stepping into the trap-laden corridor. Opening his interface, he accessed the playback feature.

Descent Online’s player interface had a 48-hour video cache, recording everything from the player’s perspective. It reset automatically unless manually saved, designed to help players create guides or analyze gameplay.

He found the cache of him following the girl shop assistant through the corridor, extracted the segment, and used it to navigate the traps safely back to the apothecary.

The shop door remained closed.

As he opened it, the bustling street met his eyes.

“Selling daggers! Level 2 Black Iron +3—perfect for assassins and rogues grinding XP!”

“Potions for sale! Tearfully slashing prices on basic healing potions!”

“Need a warrior teammate for an E-rank quest! Negotiable rewards!”

Players like these—though mostly low-level and inexperienced—were prime buyers for the shop’s stock. Many represented powerful guilds or corporations, though.

When Descent Online launched, its near-100% virtual realism captivated the world, drawing in countless investors. Now, whether casual or professional, players flocked to this digital haven. Years ago, major tech firms had already begun partnering with the game’s developers, envisioning it as a post-mortem sanctuary for human consciousness.

Beyond immortality, the game’s massive traffic made it a prime advertising platform. In its eight mature districts, top-tier guilds often had corporate sponsors—or were directly funded by them.

Even casual players kept potions on hand. Lin Hanchuan had no doubt he could sell his stockpile at a premium.

“I’ll find two merchants and sell everything. Markups up to 50% should be fine.”

As he scanned for buyers, a familiar group approached—the same players who’d met him at the Blackbeard Elder’s house earlier.

“There’s Night Legend again!” one whispered.

Night Legend noticed Lin Hanchuan standing at the pharmacy door. The player who’d hit level 3 within half an hour of server launch left a strong impression.

“Is he here buying potions too?”

Night Legend instinctively asked, “What level is he now?”

“Level 5!” replied someone with detection skills.

“Level 5?!”

“Wasn’t he level 3 before?”

“How did he level up so fast?!”

“We don’t know,” his teammate shrugged.

They’d struggled through three quests to barely reach level 3. On their way to buy potions and grind outside the village, they’d speculated that “Huangchuan Baixiao” was probably level 3 or 4 at most.

But he was already level 5!

Standing by the shop, eyes distant, lips curled in a faint smile.

Truly a veteran. While everyone else in District 9 scrambled to level up, he’d already leapt to level 5.

“Let’s go add him as a friend. Maybe he’ll take us along. He must have some secret method,” Night Legend decided.

They all nodded. Tagging along with veterans was standard practice early on.

Before they took two steps forward, a system announcement blared—not a private notification, but a village-wide alert.

“Ding! All players in Newbie Village 56, take note: Player Huangchuan Baixiao has successfully looted the pharmacy at 18 Blackstone Avenue. All potions within are now his personal loot!”

Night Legend and his team froze mid-step.

Their gazes shifted to Lin Hanchuan—no longer with admiration, but awe.

“He looted the newbie village pharmacy?!”

“And succeeded without a red name?!”

“This guy’s incredible!”

Night Legend was genuinely impressed. Having played from District 3 to 9 for three years, he’d never heard of anyone robbing a newbie village pharmacy and walking away with its entire supply. This must be some veteran’s alt account. No ordinary player had the daring and efficiency to pull this off.

“Could it be District 9 plays differently? Maybe killing Npcs doesn’t incur a red name here—and even grants extra XP beyond normal quests and monsters?”

Night Legend mused. This would explain how Huangchuan Baixiao leveled so fast while staying in the village.

“If he killed the Npcs in that house we met him at before, that’s how he hit level 3. If his level 5 gain came from killing the pharmacy’s Npcs, checking inside should confirm it.”

He’d visited the pharmacy at launch, hoping for quest rewards. No luck then—but if the shopkeeper and clerk were gone now…

His pulse quickened at the thought. He felt on the verge of uncovering District 9’s hidden mechanics.

Fists clenched, he shifted his gaze from Lin Hanchuan to the pharmacy’s shadowed interior. From his angle, he couldn’t see the shopkeeper or clerk. The store was eerily silent.

Taking a deep breath, he strode toward the shop. His team followed closely.

But they weren’t the only ones.

Once the announcement ended, the street fell into stunned silence. Every player stared at Lin Hanchuan standing in the pharmacy doorway.

A true wolf among sheep.

Then the system voice rang out again:

“Given that this pharmacy is the sole supplier in Newbie Village 56, to prevent player monopolization and ensure fair development for all villagers…”

“The system has adjusted drop rates: Completing E-rank quests now guarantees bonus potions! Killing level 3+ wild monsters also guarantees potion drops!”

Lin Hanchuan: “What the hell?!”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end