Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Sherlock was bewildered by the gamer’s scolding. He did not expect the equipment improvement to cause such a violent reaction.

  Not only was the first gamer who discovered the equipment improvement furious, the other gamers who came up to take a look also started scolding.

  “Done! Finished! We are all done for! I’m having a headache!”


  “My liver’s in pain!”


  “Coming up with equipment improvement? Is he driving us commoners to our death?”


  “This d*mned plan!”


  The gamers had a lot of complaints about the new plan, but Sherlock was nonchalant as the plan had not been made by him. It was Bru! The scolding was meant for Bru. He merely made the decision to implement it. Some gamers hated this plan, while others loved it. A gamer said, “The equipment improvement is pretty good. There’s not many choices for equipment. With the equipment improvement, attack and defense will increase. Isn’t that good?”


  “That’s correct. There is no way to charge our account and there’s no marketplace, so it is reasonable to have equipment improvement. The rich gamers will spend money to upgrade their equipment, while we commoners can earn a bit from the equipment improvement!”


  “The required materials aren’t that much, and there’s at most five levels of improvement. The probability of damage only starts after three levels of improvement. Commoners will be able to reach the three levels of improvement easily.”


  There were those who supported it and there were those who disagreed. The two factions debated incessantly, and the Dungeon became a chatting plaza again. As they were discussing excitedly about the topic, Arthur brought his Spider Legs and Silk to the Blacksmith Shop.

  “Improve my weapon by a level!” Arthur handed four Spider Legs, the required Spider Silk and ten bronze coins to Simba.

  Simba threw the bronze coins into a chest that was almost filled with metal coins. Once it was fully filled, it would be brought away by Sherlock. Simba threw the Short Sword, Spider Legs and the Spider Silk into the Magic Furnace. After a short while, he hammered the sword while the gamers watched intensely at the first equipment improvement process.

  Simba hammered for about ten minutes. Then, he cooled the Short Sword before handing it back to Arthur.

  Arthur took the Short Sword. Its name had changed to:

  [Hiltless Diamond Short Sword +1 (Ordinary White Equipment)]

  Damage: 0–11

  Weight: 10

  Durability: 10

  Forger: Blacksmith Simba

  Required Reputation: Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom Reputation Level 1 (Basic Level)

  Dungeon Eternal Kingdom’s most commonly seen weapon. Forged from Diamond Seam.

  As it was a basic improvement, the attack strength was only increased a little bit. There was no change in its appearance.

  Arthur put his sword away. No matter how the other gamers pleaded to take a look, Arthur ignored them and took his sword to Moroes.

  “D*mn! That’s arrogance!”


  “Acting cool!”


  The gamers were criticizing Arthur behind his back as they were unhappy with his aloofness.

  NotWearingPants came to improve his equipment after Arthur left.

  He handed his sword, bronze coins and materials to Simba, who threw them into the Magic Furnace to smelt them. Simba hammered the sword for a while before handing it back to NotWearingPants. NotWearingPants was more cordial than the aloof Arthur. When the gamers gathered around him, he shared the Attribute Panel for the gamers to see.

  Many gamers used their fingers to feel the newly improved sword. Other gamers also took out their swords to compare, hoping to find a difference.

  Most of the gamers were engrossed in the equipment improvement, while the previous gamers who condemned the equipment improvement kept quiet. All of them were busy examining the improved equipment.

  There were many new features added to the Dungeon in the past few days. For example, there was the hiring of the Skills Trainer Moroes, the construction of the private Rest Chambers for Moroes and Simba and the equipment improvement. These features were to be published on the official website.

  Sherlock did not bother with the gamers. He returned to the Dungeon Core Main hall and edited a new announcement with Bru’s guidance and suggestions.

  [“Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom” Update Log Version 0.01]

  “‘Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom’ Version 0.01 is officially released. New contents that are online:

  Added a new Skills Trainer, Moroes: He was a Gnome Warrior from “Winterfell” and a Gladiator when he was young. After marriage, he became a security guard at Winterfell Teleport Portal Reception Hall to support his family. He is now a Skills Trainer at Eternal Kingdom and provides combat training. Each training session lasts two hours and costs a hundred bronze coins. The rest period between the training sessions is thirty minutes.

  Added new Dungeon construction missions: Moroes and Simba have requested for their private Rest Chambers. The generous Lord Sherlock has agreed to their requests! The gamers are responsible for constructing Moroes and Simba’s private Rest Chambers. Please do not enter their private Rest Chambers without permission. Those who enter without permission will be subjected to attacks from the NPCs. Gamers who steal from the NPCs will be blacklisted and will not receive help from NPC.

  Added new equipment, Diamond Seam Shield. (Attribute Picture)

  Added new exchange items: Gamers with Spider Meat, Spider Leg, or Spider Silk can look for Lord Sherlock or Bru to exchange for bronze coins and Reputation Points.

  Added equipment improvement system: The equipment available for improvement includes Hiltless Short Sword, Diamond Seam Shield, and Diamond Seam Armor. There is a maximum of five levels of improvement. The probability of damage starts after level three. The materials required for improvement are stated on the Blacksmith Shop’s signboard.”


  Sherlock checked the contents of his announcement after he completed the draft. After confirmation, he published it.

  Many gamers were paying attention to the posts on the official website and discussion forum. The moment Sherlock published his post, it received many replies.

  [I saw Chang Wei beating Lai Fu: Updated! I am tempted to play! Why didn’t I get Beta Testing status! Can I buy the Beta Testing status officially? I’m determined to be a Beta Gamer!]

  [Sundry Merchant: I’m with the previous writer. I’m determined to be a Beta Gamer too! (¬,¬)(¬_¬)]

  [Sherlie’s fanboy: Of course, of course…… ((٩(//̀Д/́/)۶)) Fat hope! Just upgraded to version 0.01? Is the Open Beta at version 1.0? Will my son be able play it when he’s old? I am currently a third year in junior middle school.]

  [Dad’s disappointed in you: I’m begging you for Open Beta! I don’t mind internet lag and I don’t mind paying a lot for your services. The updates are too slow! Is it due to lack of employees? Or lack of funds? I’m willing to crowdfund 10,000 Renminbi!]

  [Pitiful Soul: I only care about when the Second Beta is starting! I got a hold of my Dad’s, Mum’s, brother’s, and cousins’ ID cards to apply for the status. Please, you have to choose me!

  ]

  [I am too pretty to die: @Pitiful Soul, do you know that the game capsule only allows the ID card’s owner to use it? You can’t even sell the qualification! Are you bluffing your Dad? (╯-_-)╯┴—┴]

  [Blog antagonized you: Wait, is everyone paying attention to the start of equipment improvement in the game?]

  [Twisted vine: It’s normal to have an equipment improvement system. Think about it. If you don’t charge your account, how do you become stronger? (Manual Comedy)]

  [Liver Emperor: If I don’t charge my account, I’ll go bald! _(°:з」∠)_ ]……

  Sherlock was so engrossed in reading the posts that he was unable to walk away. Refresh, click, refresh, click. The entire forum was filled with gamers pleading for Open Beta. Sherlock wanted to read the Beta Gamers’ comments, but they were submerged by the deluge of newer posts. Sherlock could only scan through the first three pages to look for interesting posts.

  Sherlock discovered a first page post that would always be on the top. The number of replies and clicks kept increasing. The title of the post was simple but eye-catching. It was a gamer called Peasant who wrote the post. Sherlock recalled that Peasant was one of the Beta Gamers. The full title of the post was:

  [Beta Gamer Exposé! I discovered a shocking secret of the Dungeon……]