MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

Chapter 491: A Call From the Past

That little seductress really was getting more dangerous by the day.

After a long, gentle stretch of kissing, Marcus finally forced himself to pull back from Jade’s lips. If he had let things continue even a moment longer, he knew his self-control would not have held for the night. He rested his forehead against hers, steadying his breath, silently reminding himself to calm down.

The moment he released her, Jade looked up at him with a shy yet unmistakably playful smile. "Marcus... you’re really bad," she murmured, her voice soft and teasing rather than accusatory.

Before he could respond, she lifted herself slightly, leaned in, and stole a quick kiss from his lips. Then she wrapped her arms around him again, hugging him tightly, her expression bright and quietly triumphant as she settled back against his chest.

"Seriously?" Marcus muttered under his breath.

Looking down at her, he could not help but smile wryly. Jade was warm, beautiful, and far more aware of her own charm than she let on. There was still an earnest sweetness about her, but mixed into it now was a growing confidence that made her impossible to ignore.

"Little devil," he said softly, the words more affectionate than scolding, as he lightly tapped her nose.

"Marcus..." she replied, clearly pleased by the attention.

She snuggled closer, relaxed and content, and before long her breathing evened out as sleep claimed her. Marcus waited until he was certain she was fully asleep before glancing back over his shoulder.

Lily had her arms wrapped around him from behind, her chin resting lightly against his back.

"You really are trouble, babe," she whispered near his ear, her tone playful rather than annoyed. Even as she said it, she held him tighter, pressing herself closer.

Marcus let out a quiet laugh, equal parts helpless and amused. Somehow, she always knew exactly how to get under his skin.

The next morning passed quickly. Everyone had classes to attend, and Marcus followed his usual routine. A morning run, a short workout, then back home to log in and handle his own progress for the day.

A flash of light later, he appeared exactly where he had logged out the night before.

With no urgent quests demanding his attention, he decided it was time to harvest again. The Five-Leaf Goldgrass and Crystal-Tear Berries should have respawned by now, and he did not want to let them sit too long. He knew from experience that once herbs accumulated past a certain point, their spawn rate slowed, so harvesting early kept the cycle moving efficiently.

After activating Wanderlust, he was teleported in a burst of light to Five-Leaf Peak, his familiar gathering spot.

He looked up at the towering mountain and felt a wave of satisfaction. The Goldgrass he had cleared out earlier had fully returned, carpeting the slopes in shimmering green. At a glance, there had to be at least twenty thousand plants, possibly more.

’Please do not let that thing show up.’

He said a quick, half-serious prayer and took to the air to scout the area. After circling the peak, he relaxed slightly. There was no sign of the Mythic Beast Blood-Burst Golden Eagle.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let’s do this."

This time, he had no intention of sneaking around. The moment he entered the territory, the Golden-Petal Snow Eagles guarding the peak spotted him. With sharp cries, nine of them took to the sky and launched Storm attacks at the two Sea Demon Souls leading the formation.

Damage numbers popped up immediately.

-200. -180. -190.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. Last time, those same attacks had been dealing over four hundred damage per hit. Now they barely broke two hundred.

Still, nine Snow Eagles attacking together was no joke. Their area-of-effect attacks struck both Sea Demon Souls at once, chewing through over fifteen hundred HP per round. Individually they were manageable, but stacked together, they could overwhelm careless players quickly.

That was the old Marcus’s problem.

"Attack," he said calmly.

At his command, the rear line unleashed its power. A violent surge of elemental light erupted as Goldie, Lyanna, and Camillo combined their attacks, blasting each Snow Eagle for over eight thousand damage in a single volley.

At the same time, Pebble charged forward atop his mount.

"Hundred Phantom Light Strike!"

A six-meter radius of radiant blade shadows exploded outward, catching all nine Snow Eagles at once. A Critical Hit triggered, and golden damage numbers filled the air as another eight thousand HP vanished in an instant.

The fight ended before the Snow Eagles could even mount a second attack. Their fifteen thousand HP pools collapsed completely under the combined assault.

Ding, ding, ding.

Several pieces of equipment clattered onto the ground.

Marcus let out a satisfied laugh. Three days made all the difference. Compared to his last visit, when he had struggled just to stay alive, the gap in strength was almost absurd. He also noticed that the Snow Eagles’ drop rate was surprisingly decent.

’Good. Keep it coming.’

He had Pebble lead the charge as the pets rapidly wiped out the remaining Snow Eagles, while Marcus himself focused on gathering. With Advanced Herb Gathering, entire patches of Five-Leaf Goldgrass vanished into his inventory in seconds.

It was a shame the five Royal Sorcerers lacked flying magic. If they could take to the air, those five combined with his three main pets could have wiped out the Snow Eagles instantly, sparing Pebble the extra work. Even so, Marcus was more than satisfied with the current pace. In fact, he was harvesting more slowly than his pets were clearing enemies.

He almost found himself wishing the Snow Eagles would respawn faster.

After three solid hours, Five-Leaf Peak was completely cleared. Nearly thirty thousand Five-Leaf Goldgrass plants were stored neatly inside the Small Jade Alchemy Vial. True to its description, the vial condensed everything into a single slot with unlimited capacity, making it absurdly convenient.

Marcus smiled to himself. ’Smooth. Very smooth.’

And lucky. He had swept the entire peak without encountering the Blood-Burst Golden Eagle. Maybe the creature had grown too powerful and abandoned its old territory.

Still thinking about that, Marcus activated Wanderlust again and reappeared high above Blue Ant Valley, ready to start harvesting Crystal-Tear Berries.

That was when his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

’Mark.’

His former supervisor from Mellory Financial’s advertising department.