Chapter Eleven: The Flaming Muzzle

Click!

“Hiss… Whew~”

“So, what exactly is that big thing you mentioned? Can you stop speaking in riddles now?”

Fang Tang slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, his deep eyes fixed intently on the wall before him.

[Well… alright, you’re bound to encounter it sooner or later, so I might as well tell you now. But let me warn you—it’s not something you can handle at your current level.

Do you know Nasus? It’s just like Nasus, but its whole body is decayed, more like a death god than a death god itself. Let’s call it—Doghead.

It’s a product of the rules, incredibly powerful, with exceptional vision in darkness. It won’t be fooled by your childish baiting tricks. Though it moves slowly, there’s almost nowhere to run in these caverns, because Doghead is four meters tall.]

This time, the eye gave him more information.

The grave tone made Fang Tang’s heart grow heavy.

“Does Doghead have any weaknesses?”

[It fears fire—not ordinary torches, but fire created by Fire Spirit Stones.]

“Fire Spirit Stones?” Fang Tang took out a piece of red stone, turning it in his palm. “The fire from Fire Spirit Stones doesn’t deal any damage on its own, so only weapons made with Fire Spirit Stones can harm Doghead?”

[You finally figured something out.]

Fang Tang let out a long sigh of relief.

Four directions, four cave creatures, blocking his path completely.

“Which of these four caves holds the richest supplies?”

[Doghead’s cave. Where Doghead exists, there’s usually good stuff.]

“So you mean I missed out on something good last time?”

Fang Tang was stunned, then realized the implication, feeling a pang of regret.

He’d encountered one before, and the eye had told him to take a detour.

He hadn’t questioned it then, following the eye’s advice.

Looking back now, it was like missing out on a fortune!

[Ha, having wealth depends on whether you live long enough to spend it.]

The eye was right.

Doghead was too strong, he’d stand no chance.

“A fortune, a fortune…” Fang Tang muttered, flicking away his cigarette butt, and asked, “What about the other three caves?”

If Doghead is off-limits, surely I can bully the others?

He’d faced crocodiles and man-eating plants before; he had experience and wouldn’t be courting death.

[That crocodile—you’ll encounter it if you go over there. I don’t recommend this option.]

Fang Tang: “…”

He suddenly realized something.

This eye was rather cautious!

Always advising against this or that, always telling him to take detours.

Cautious Courage—Eye?

Thinking it over, Fang Tang felt at ease.

Maybe it’s because he’s truly weak now.

Otherwise, the eye wouldn’t offer so much advice; if he were strong, it would probably urge him to charge ahead.

Why overthink it? Just do it!

He glanced at the newspaper—the tent would take another fifteen minutes to finish.

He found himself with nothing to do.

Maybe he should go to the trading zone and sweep up some Elemental Stones?

After collecting a few iron ingots, he crafted a ****, loaded it with twenty bullets, and put it up for sale in the trading zone.

The price remained three Elemental Stones.

“Wow, Fang Master has listed another ****? Was the last one sold? Three Elemental Stones, I’m so envious.”

“Master is master, I want a **** too, but I don’t have any Elemental Stones.”

“Selling ***, cost: three iron ingots, fee: one iron ingot. PM if interested.”

…

…

Messages danced across the newspaper.

Fang Tang watched absent-mindedly, not in the mood to chat.

Just then, Xie Ling sent a message.

Xie Ling: “Fang Master, are you there?”

Fang Tang: “What is it?”

Xie Ling: “Eek… Fang Master, can I buy a ****? But I don’t have any Elemental Stones, only a blueprint. Can I trade it?”

Another blueprint?

Fang Tang’s expression turned odd.

Xie Ling wasn’t just lucky—she was the Princess of Blueprints, the Daughter of the Caverns!

Fang Tang: “How many caves have you searched?”

Xie Ling: “Why do you ask, Fang Master?”

Fang Tang: “Just curious.”

Xie Ling: “Oh, I’ve searched ten so far. I just ran into a zombie-like dog—thank goodness I escaped quickly, or it would’ve bitten me. That’s why I want to buy a handgun for protection.”

A zombie-like… dead earth dog?

He hadn’t expected this girl to escape.

Fang Tang thought for a moment and said, “Alright, I’ll take down the ****.”

He changed the price to “blueprint,” set Xie Ling as the designated buyer, and added two sets of bullets, then sent her the link.

The transaction completed quickly, and Fang Tang obtained the blueprint.

On the blueprint was a device resembling a ***.

[Is this lucky girl your soul twin? With this, you might have a chance against Doghead.]

“Huh?”

Fang Tang’s heart stirred, and he quickly filed away the blueprint.

Flame Muzzle: Iron Ingot x1, Copper Ingot x2, Fire Spirit Stone x1.

Description: Can be attached to any firearm. Bullets passing through the muzzle deliver unique explosive damage, imbued with the power of the Fire Spirit Stone.

“Wha… what?”

Fang Tang was speechless, staring blankly at the blueprint, his emotions tangled.

Time and time again, within a single day, Xie Ling had helped him so much, unknowingly.

And this time, she completely solved his lack of magical damage.

[Great… no, little princess, I love little princesses—especially if they’re lucky. Demons, seek out Ling’er; with her, we’ll take off in no time!]

“Heh…”

Fang Tang smirked, choosing to ignore the eye.

Not that he didn’t want to find her—even if he did, how could he in the caverns?

Thinking it over, he sent Xie Ling a message.

“This blueprint is really helpful to me. I don’t know how to thank you—if you need anything, just ask.”

Xie Ling: “Mhm, I know, Master.”

Fang Tang smiled faintly, bought an iron ingot, and began crafting the Flame Muzzle.

Three minutes later, a barrel as long as the **** appeared on the blueprint.

The Flame Muzzle felt heavy in his hand; after connecting it to the ****, Fang Tang decided to test its power.

He stuffed rag pieces in his ears, raised the gun, and aimed at the wall.

Bang!

A burst of flame shot from the muzzle, hit the wall, and blasted a crater the size of a bucket.

Earth flew everywhere, flames still burning atop the debris.

“So this is the power of the Fire Spirit Stone?”

Fang Tang’s mouth hung open, clearly shocked by the ****’s might.

[This is the crudest use of Elemental Stones. You’ll see far more advanced things in the future—their power… tsk tsk.]

Having witnessed the power of the Fire Spirit Stone, Fang Tang brimmed with confidence, picking up his pickaxe and heading toward the cave where Doghead resided.

Once, I feared you like a tiger; now, I’ll make you kneel and call me daddy.