One SSS Affix per Level: My Novice Club Can Slay Gods!

"If the two of you are serious about purchasing the property, I can apply for a discount."

"We can close the deal at seven million dollars."

John’s expression did not change in the slightest.

The experience of living two lives allowed him to forcibly preserve the last shred of his dignity.

Otherwise, his legs might have given out on the spot.

Just moments ago, he had thought that possessing 1.2 million dollars made him a wealthy man.

As it turned out, he could not even afford a fraction of this house.

John remained silent for a moment.

"What’s the minimum down payment?"

Zoey turned her head and looked at the way he was desperately pretending to remain calm.

She could not help clicking her tongue.

Then she pulled a black-and-gold card from beneath her cloak and casually tossed it onto the table.

"Charge one million to his card."

"Take the rest from mine."

The moment the manager saw the card, his pupils visibly contracted.

His formerly warm and professional attitude instantly became several degrees more attentive.

"Please rest assured."

"I’ll make the arrangements immediately."

John also took out his heavily worn ordinary credit card and tossed it onto the table as casually as he could.

The manager looked at the black-and-gold card.

Then at John’s battered card.

His movements briefly faltered.

In the end, he still collected both cards with two hands and quickly left the room.

John stared at his retreating figure and sneered.

"Just another spineless bastard who bends the moment he sees money."

Smack!

Zoey slapped the back of his head.

"As though you’re any better."

John rubbed his head.

"Can you finally tell me now?"

"You went out of your way to find me and helped me this much."

"What exactly do you want?"

The smile on Zoey’s face gradually faded.

She remained silent for several seconds, her expression becoming uncharacteristically serious.

"For now, I can only tell you one thing."

"Apocalypse isn’t as simple as it appears."

"You need to take this game seriously."

John frowned slightly.

"What else?"

"And..."

Zoey looked directly into his eyes.

"If I run into trouble inside the game, I hope you won’t hesitate to help me."

She did not demand that they form a permanent party.

She did not ask for equipment or Gold Coins.

She did not even demand that he reveal his Talent.

John was somewhat surprised.

This girl might have seemed impulsive and unpredictable, but she handled serious matters far more maturely than he had expected.

"Fine."

He agreed without hesitation.

A smile returned to Zoey’s face.

John continued,

"I received a map from the Acting Lord of Blackstone."

"It records the locations of every dungeon nearby, along with information on several hidden quests."

"I’ll be leaving for the main city soon, so I don’t have time to clear all the remaining dungeons."

"You can have the map."

"I also have an archer equipment set that I can’t use right now."

"I’ll give you both once we log in."

Zoey’s eyes immediately lit up.

She raised her hand and forcefully slapped John on the back.

"Now that’s how you return a favor."

At that moment, the manager returned to the room.

The smile on his face was even brighter than before he had left.

"Honored guests, the payment has been received."

"All procedures have been completed."

"Sir, you may move in today."

"All furniture currently inside the property is included at no additional cost. Your personal butler will begin work tomorrow."

"Of course, should you prefer to conduct the interview personally, we can provide a list of suitable candidates."

John had to admit—

Things moved remarkably quickly when you were rich.

No wonder Zoey had told him to bring nothing but his gaming helmet when they left.

"That won’t be necessary."

"Please handle the butler arrangements for me."

"Understood."

Zoey nodded in satisfaction.

"Good efficiency."

She raised a hand and pointed through the window.

"Buy the villa next door too."

"I’ll take it."

John slowly turned his head.

"?"

The manager’s smile became even brighter.

"I’ll process the purchase immediately."

...

Before leaving, Zoey stood in front of the neighboring villa and winked at John.

"See you in the game tonight."

Bang.

The villa door closed.

The entire world finally became quiet.

John stood in the spacious, brightly lit living room and breathed in the clean, warm air.

No mask was required.

There was no roar from an air filtration system.

The metallic stench of dust no longer filled his nose.

He walked over to the window.

The artificial lake shimmered beneath the sunlight.

Yesterday, he had still been living in a run-down apartment with metal plates welded over its windows.

He had even canceled his medical insurance to afford the down payment on a gaming helmet.

Now, he was living in a seven-million-dollar lakeside villa.

Life had changed remarkably fast.

John used his remaining money to order a batch of daily necessities, then replaced his communication devices and protective equipment.

The developer provided hotel-style services.

Whether residents needed food, clothing, or basic supplies, they only had to call the internal service line.

Someone would deliver everything to the door shortly afterward.

Once he finished dealing with those matters, John reopened the forums and news platforms.

Entering Apocalypse was important.

But he could not afford to ignore developments in the real world.

The United Council’s latest policies.

Updates on the anomalous extraterrestrial membrane.

Food prices and public security within the city.

And Gray Ledger’s movements.

He needed to remain connected to reality.

He could not allow himself to become completely immersed in the game.

By the time he finished reviewing everything, dinner had arrived.

Actual fresh vegetables.

Fruit grown inside a greenhouse.

And a freshly grilled steak.

John sat at the dining table and remained silent for several seconds.

According to the original owner’s memories, this was probably the best meal he had ever eaten.

After dinner, the artificial sunlight outside gradually dimmed.

The community entered nighttime mode.

John walked into the bedroom and placed his Apocalypse helmet beside the bed.

The soft mattress slowly sank beneath his weight.

He put on the helmet and closed his eyes.

[Verifying player identity...]

[Login address verification complete.]

[Welcome back, Endbringer.]

His vision lit up once again.

The next instant—

John returned to Blackstone.

The moment he regained his footing, a string of friend messages appeared.

They were all from the same person.

[FireRose: Where’s the map?]

[FireRose: Where’s the equipment?]

[FireRose: Where are you?]

[FireRose: You took my house and disappeared?]

[FireRose: Scammer!]

John stared at the constantly flashing message window and fell silent.

The woman next door certainly knew how to collect a debt quickly.

He opened the mail system and attached the dungeon scroll Irina had given him.

Then he retrieved an equipment set from the Void Armory that he had obtained as a world-first clear reward.

[Bloodfeather Hunter Set]

[Quality: A-Rank]

[Class Restriction: Archer]

[Set Pieces: Bloodfeather Longbow, Bloodfeather Light Armor, Bloodfeather Boots, Bloodfeather Bracers, Bloodfeather Quiver.]

[Set Effect: Agility +80, Ranged Physical Damage +20%, Attack Range +15%.]

The set’s attributes were exceptional.

During their conversation in the car, John had learned that Zoey possessed an S-Rank Archer Talent.

It was a perfect match for this equipment.

He did not currently possess any affixes or skills suited to an archer, so the set was temporarily useless to him.

He would also be able to obtain better equipment after reaching the main city.

Rather than allowing it to gather dust inside his inventory, he might as well give it to Zoey, who possessed an S-Rank Archer Talent.

[Mail sent successfully!]

The next second—

[FireRose: ?]

[FireRose: An entire A-Rank set?]

[FireRose: You didn’t rob the Acting Lord’s house, did you?]

John closed the chat window without replying.

He crossed the streets of Blackstone and arrived at the church in the center of town.

Deep inside the church, an ancient teleportation array stood silently.

John took out the silver-white badge.

Buzz!

The badge transformed into a stream of light and merged with the center of the teleportation array.

[Blackstone Teleportation Access activated.]

[Current Available Destination: Tier-1 Main City—Sunset City.]

[The Teleportation Badge will disappear after use.]

[Teleport now?]

"Confirm."

A silver-white pillar of light shot into the sky.

John’s figure instantly vanished.

...