The Fourth Calamity: People in High Martial Arts, Gods in Games

Chapter 123 The Amazing Jacques

The confinement room in the basement of the martial arts school.

"Damn! Is this what high-level martial arts are like? This is completely different from the 2D visuals in the videos. The feel of the ground and the sense of gravity are just too realistic."

"I'm in! I'm finally in! Now no one can stop me from digging out an underground city!"

"Any new recruits? Newbies who can dig and fight, just need food, lodging and martial arts skills."

……

The arrival of fifty newbies caused an uproar in the underground confinement room. They were either amazed by the realism of the high-level martial arts, or asking to team up or be taken care of. They already looked like veterans, completely different from the newbies of the previous two or three sessions.

"Great! Elders, you've come in too." Lu Fanchen looked at the man and woman among the newcomers. The man was around thirty years old and resembled a giant bear. The woman was much younger, with long, reddish-brown hair that was shapely and had a wild air about her, like a fire sprite.

These two are none other than the revered figures of Mythical Paradise: Axe Saint Li Tianxing and Blade Saint Lin Xinyao. Both are veteran masters of Mythical Paradise, and their strength is no less than that of Zhao Hu of Heavenly Might.

"I was lucky to make it into the top 50 before the final digging test deadline," Li Tianxing, who looked like a giant bear, exclaimed. "I don't know what the game developers were thinking. The test actually included digging. Digging is one thing, it's just a test of how well you use your strength and how efficiently you maintain it. But I didn't expect to only rank 45th. I really don't know how so many people in this game are good at digging."

"You're lucky you made it to 45th. I almost didn't even make the list," Lin Xinyao said with a wry smile. "If the outside world knew that we two so-called Saint-level experts were only this good, they'd probably laugh themselves to death."

"There's no need for the two elders to mind this," Lu Fanchen explained with a smile. "I've investigated. Since the game started the digging test, many players who have pre-registered have been working day and night to figure out how to improve their digging efficiency. They've even researched how to use each muscle to exert force to an astonishing degree. It's already very good that you two made it onto the leaderboard in your first test."

"So what do we do next?" Lin Xinyao could only offer words of comfort. "There aren't many of us who came in. I checked, and there are only six of us in total. According to the information we got earlier, should we dig holes to earn points first, and then buy martial arts techniques to quickly improve our skills?"

"No need, that's too slow." Lu Fanchen shook his head. "I already spent money to buy 50,000 points. These points are enough for the six of us to focus on leveling up to the apprentice level and mastering all the basic martial arts skills. Once we reach the apprentice level and are proficient in all the basic martial arts skills, we'll rent a B2-level weapon from the martial arts school and go to the Maze Tunnel team dungeon. With the level of the six of us, even if we're only at the apprentice level, we should be able to outlast a One-Horned Gold-Eating Rat."

"Although the points and contribution efficiency earned from killing the Unicorn Gold-Eating Rat are lower than those from Crimson Moon Mountain, that raid dungeon hasn't been cleared by those old teams yet, which is a good opportunity for us to catch up. As long as we get the first kill, the rewards will definitely be very generous."

"Okay, we'll do as you say." Li Tianxing and Lin Xinyao nodded, agreeing that the plan was feasible.

While the newbie players were making a ruckus, the noise also woke up Jacques, who was sleeping on the second floor.

"What's going on?"

Jacques walked out and saw that there were quite a few new members of the Obsidian Martial Arts School in the training ground on the first floor.

These new members of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy, despite having no instructors, were either learning breathing techniques or practicing martial arts. This kind of relentless learning was far more intense than any other martial arts academy disciples she knew.

The new members of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy greeted her frequently after discovering her, asking if she needed any help. They were as considerate as angels, making her wonder if she had become mentally impaired from sleeping for the past two or three days.

Although the time she spent at the Obsidian Martial Arts School was indeed the most comfortable period of her life.

No need to worry about being ambushed, no need to worry about whether there will be food tomorrow, no need to worry about going hungry, and no need to worry about whether you will die from encountering monsters in the wild tomorrow.

It could be said that apart from the poor quality of the synthetic food at the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy, everything else was great, which even made her a bit lazy and complacent.

"Did I wake you up?" Lin Qi looked at Jacques as he walked out the door and said apologetically, "They're new here and still excited. I guess they won't bother you anymore after today."

"Master Lin, you've returned now. Is it because there are results from Crimson Moon Mountain?" Jacques asked curiously.

Under the lure of the White Feather Gang, the Great Ape Gang has decided to take action against Red Moon Mountain. She knew that Lin Qi had planned to launch a night raid on the Great Ape Gang's headquarters, and the news had even reached the martial arts school, where the vagrants working there were discussing it.

Now that the night raid was successful, the Great Ape Gang is about to retaliate. Logically, Lin Qi should have stayed at Crimson Moon Mountain to defend it. His return now can only mean that the situation at Crimson Moon Mountain has been resolved.

"Yes, the Great Ape Gang will cease to exist." Lin Qi nodded.

Although the Great Ape Gang has been wiped out, apart from some well-informed forces, the ordinary vagrants in the City of Light haven't received the news so quickly. After all, the vagrants who watched the battle at Crimson Moon Mountain were mostly vagrants who lived in the wild, not vagrants residing in the City of Light. The vagrants in the abandoned area can only wait for the news to spread among the various gangs.

"The Great Ape Gang is gone?" Jacques was completely stunned upon hearing this.

She didn't think Lin Qi had any reason to lie to her, but she also didn't think the Obsidian Martial Arts School could stand up to the Great Ape Gang. After all, the Great Ape Gang was a long-established, large, and powerful gang in the City of Light, and its strength was unimaginable. It was simply not something that the Obsidian Martial Arts School could handle with its small group of people.

"This is no secret anymore. I reckon the news will spread throughout the City of Light by tomorrow morning," Lin Qi said with a smile, looking at the stunned Jacques.

"Is it really over?" Jacques looked at Lin Qi, whose tone was certain. Although he couldn't believe it for a long time, Lin Qi's relaxed expression couldn't be faked. After hesitating for a while, he said very earnestly, "Master Lin, I wonder if I can work here?"

"Work? You?" Lin Qi looked at Jacques, who had suddenly spoken, and couldn't help but sized up Jacques, whose hands were now crippled.

Although Jacques did provide him with very important information that was of great help, it wasn't that he was being demanding, but he didn't think that Jacques, whose hands were now useless, could do any work at the Obsidian Martial Arts School.

"My hands are useless, but I have other special skills," Jacques said defiantly, looking at Lin Qi who was sizing him up.

"Special talent? What special talent?" Lin Qi looked at Yakro again. Her appearance was undeniable; she was definitely a great beauty of the Three-Eyed Clan. Even by human standards, she would be considered a top-tier beauty. However, in the cruel world of high-level martial arts, this was hardly a special talent, especially since both her hands were crippled.

"That's not what you think," Jacqueline said, a slight blush creeping onto her fair face as she glanced at Lin Qi, who had given her another look. "I used to be a pharmacist, and I can make many basic potions."

"You're a pharmacist?" Lin Qi looked at Jacques with some surprise. "Aren't you a wanderer who likes to plunder?"

In the world of high-level martial arts, pharmacists are even more sought-after than mechanics. Major companies in the suburbs of the City of Light are willing to pay high prices to hire them. Even mid-level core members of suburban gangs would envy the treatment they receive.

The latest novel is first published here!

It's hard to imagine that Jacques is a pharmacist. He doesn't know how to enjoy a good life and actually goes to learn from others to rob people for thrills.

"Do you think I want to be a vagabond?" Jacques looked at Lin Qi, who didn't believe him, and said helplessly, "I have no other choice but to wander around various cities."

"There's no other way? Pharmacists should have a high status in major cities, right? Even if you can't make it in one city, you can go to another city." Lin Qi asked, puzzled.

The profession of pharmacist, even a certified junior pharmacist, can create potions that are helpful to martial artists. Therefore, they have a high status in major cities and are welcomed by all major forces. They never have to worry about not having a place to work.

"But what if a major power knows that I possess an exclusive potion?" Jacques asked.

"An exclusive drug? You developed it yourself?" Lin Qi was immediately surprised.

Any unique potion that is useful to a martial artist represents a huge amount of wealth. Any major power that knows about it will definitely try to get its hands on it, and may even keep the secret forever.

In such circumstances, it is indeed difficult for apothecaries without strength or a strong background to survive, even if they flee to other cities. Powerful forces that know this secret will definitely try to obtain the exclusive potion-making method and then eliminate other people who possess the method.

"Yes, I figured it out by chance," Jacques nodded.

"Could you tell me?" Lin Qi asked curiously. "Of course, if you don't want to, I won't force you."

"Now that I've become like this, there's nothing I can't say." Jacques said slowly without hesitation, "I've developed a berserker potion that can slightly boost one's physical condition for a short period of time, by about 20%, lasting for about five minutes. After five minutes, one will fall into a state of physical weakness that will last for several hours before it can be relieved."

"A 20% increase? You're not kidding, are you?" Lin Qi really felt that Jacques was joking after hearing this.

A normal bottle of strength potion that can increase the strength of someone below the level of a martial artist by about 10% is a rare find that people in suburban pharmacies would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on.

As for a potion that can increase physical fitness by 20%, that's equivalent to a 20% increase in both strength and speed. I've never even heard of such a potion before. If someone were to obtain it, it would undoubtedly be an extra trump card for survival in the wild.

"So, Master Lin, after hearing about this potion, do you still dare to accept me?" Jacques asked Lin Qi with a teasing tone, looking at his surprised expression.

(End of this chapter)