20: Chapter 20: Enforcement in Progress, Only 12 Hours Left! Zhang Jian's Path to Success!

The short man, Tiger, walked over slowly and said with great interest,

"Looks like you had a good harvest. Which wave did you guys reach?"

"Fifth or sixth? Did you break even?"

Fearing that Wang Fei might say the wrong thing again, Zhang Jian spoke up first.

"You have a sharp eye, Brother Tiger. We barely passed the sixth wave. We used up all our points to hold off the boss, and since our stamina was completely drained, we hurried out."

A flash of admiration crossed Tiger's eyes.

"Strategic and decisive!"

"You two little guys have a bright future!"

"It seems you've gained some understanding of this dungeon. What do you think of it?"

Zhang Jian nodded, putting on an expression full of anticipation.

"The dungeon is indeed quite difficult, but it has great potential."

"We plan to rest up and come back tomorrow."

Hearing that there was more money to be made, Tiger beamed with joy.

"Good, good, good!"

"Next time you come, just look for me directly."

After adding him as a friend, Zhang Jian and the others left.

Watching their figures recede, a smile curled on Tiger's lips.

Coming back tomorrow meant another 100,000 in his pocket.

Seeing how youthful these two looked, he guessed they probably hadn't taken the Professional Unified Examination yet. Since they couldn't grind trial dungeons after the deadline, they spent extra money to come to his place.

He calculated the time.

There were still two days until the Professional Unified Examination.

In other words, he could earn at least another 200,000!

His eyes lit up.

A few years ago, because a leg injury made it difficult to move, he had switched from a combat Professional to logistics.

The salary for guarding a dungeon wasn't much; he mainly relied on this extra income to buy the necessary medicines to maintain his physical attributes.

A few hundred thousand didn't seem like much, but it was already a significant harvest.

He happily hummed a little tune, already calculating how to spend the 300,000 once it was all in his hands.

...

In the previous secret room, the three of them sat together once again.

With no outsiders around this time, Wang Fei bragged thoroughly about their experiences in the dungeon.

Wang Dong listened, alternating between amazement and tension.

Finally.

He looked at Zhang Jian with a face full of respect.

"Neither I nor Meng Hu ever imagined you guys could hold out until the tenth wave, let alone clear it and even get an S-Rank evaluation!"

"Your combat power is already stronger than some Rank 15 Professionals!"

Zhang Jian, however, remained calm.

"While we had some gains, it's still a drop in the bucket compared to five million."

Wang Dong's face also darkened.

"True."

"Even if you sell all your spoils, it'll be hard to scrape together even one million."

Zhang Jian nodded.

"I want to learn this recipe myself and keep the crafting Materials."

"I'll have to trouble you, Brother Dong, to help us sell the other items."

Wang Dong was somewhat surprised.

"You're going to forge it yourself?"

Noticing Wang Fei's unfriendly gaze nearby, he explained.

"I've studied forging myself, so I understand how difficult it is."

"When you're first starting out and lack experience, it's impossible to forge high-quality items."

"Although this recipe is of Excellent quality and can theoretically produce an Excellent-grade growth weapon,"

"Under normal circumstances, let alone ten attempts, it's hard to produce an Excellent-grade item even in a hundred tries."

"Ten attempts might not even be enough to ensure you forge a Rare-grade item."

After Zhang Jian showed him the [heart of the machine].

Wang Dong's eyes sparkled.

"This is good stuff!"

"But this material is effective even in Rank 30 weapon forging recipes and could probably sell for hundreds of thousands. Are you sure you want to use it for a novice weapon?"

Zhang Jian nodded.

"Then I won't try to persuade you further. As long as you have your own plan."

"If you have any problems with forging, you can consult me at any time."

Wang Dong smiled and then laughed at himself.

"Come to think of it, I started out as a Swordsman too. Although our class doesn't have much of a future, I still have some experience in forging."

Zhang Jian gave him a surprised look.

So he was an unlucky fellow just like himself!

While he had a talent to rely on, it truly wasn't easy for Wang Dong to reach Rank 35 on his own!

When it was time to go home, Zhang Jian hesitated.

He was afraid the debt collectors from the Professionals Association would go to his house again to lie in wait and seize his scabbard.

So he went with Wang Fei to rest at his house.

Wang Fei's father, Wang Dejin, was also very familiar with Zhang Jian. Learning that he was taking his son along to level up, he was very happy.

He insisted on cooking a big meal himself.

Zhang Jian naturally wouldn't refuse.

The man was a Rank 39 Rare class Cooking Great Master.

While undergoing his second class advancement, he had unexpectedly triggered a special quest.

The quality of the class after advancement would be determined by the quality of the ingredients used.

Wang Dejin wanted to prepare the highest quality ingredients possible and had been constantly striving for perfection.

As a result, he had stayed at this Rank for several years without advancing his class.

According to him, the second class advancement was just as important as the first choice of becoming a Professional.

Especially for ordinary people like them who had no background or resources.

If one didn't advance, so be it; but if one did, it had to be a blockbuster success!

Wang Dong also agreed with this sentiment, claiming he wouldn't undergo his second advancement until he found a path to a Rare Swordsman-type class.

Zhang Jian greatly admired their determination.

As they say, people of the same kind flock together.

He had eaten at Wang Fei's house before and deeply admired Wang Dejin's skills.

Wang Fei's mother had passed away early, but his father had always cared for him deeply, and his brother Wang Dong also doted on him.

In such a warm and peaceful environment, Zhang Jian's mood also brightened.

However, after eating, as he lay on the guest bed at Wang Fei's house.

He gripped the cold scabbard and thought of his father, Zhang Donghai.

This was the most precious thing his father had left him; he had to keep it safe!

The next day.

Just as dawn was breaking, he was awakened by a blood-red notification message on his personal terminal.

"[Professionals Association] Mr. Zhang Jian: Your credit loan is overdue. You need to repay 5,000,000 huaxia coins. Please repay as soon as possible. Mandatory execution will begin in 12 hours."

Zhang Jian sat up abruptly.

Only 12 hours left—no time for sleep!

He woke Wang Fei up and quickly ate some breakfast.

Wang Dong was already waiting in the living room.

According to their previous plan, the three of them first went to a blacksmith shop.

There was a large hall here and many private small rooms.

In the hall, many people who had changed to forging-related classes were practicing and working.

However, the forging scene was different from what Zhang Jian had imagined.

They weren't shirtless, swinging hammers before a furnace and controlling the heat.

Instead, they were operating quickly in front of precise-looking forging benches.

In the various rooms, there were staff members as well as others who had rented them for their own forging.

But the doors were all tightly closed, making it impossible to see the situation inside.

Since Zhang Jian planned to forge it himself, he naturally needed a private place.

He spent 1,000 huaxia coins to rent the most basic room, planning to give it a try first.

Before he started, Wang Dong asked if he needed any help.

Zhang Jian thought about it and decided to do it himself.

Although he was a forging novice, the talent activated by the scabbard might come in handy!

Seeing that he seemed to have a source of confidence from somewhere, Wang Dong stood to the side.

Zhang Jian first took out the dropped recipe and chose to activate it.

"You have learned [Endless Devourer Crafting Recipe]. This recipe is of a special type and consumes uses when utilized."

"You have successfully activated the [Forging] function. It has been detected that you do not have a specialized class and do not possess the corresponding talent; there will be no additional bonuses during forging."

Watching this from the side, Wang Dong had a look that said 'as expected.'

But he still spoke patiently.

"Don't be nervous, take it slow."

The forging bench, about one square meter in size, wasn't large, and the operation was relatively simple.

Zhang Jian recalled the requirements of this recipe in his mind.

The basic requirement was 10 ordinary iron ingots.

Up to three other auxiliary Materials could be added.

In the hall.

Common Materials like these iron ingots were placed on the shelves in the corner, marked with their corresponding prices.

1,000 Star Coins per piece.

Zhang Jian's eyes widened as he took a sharp breath.

Ten pieces meant 10,000 Star Coins!

And that was just the basic material!

Only then did he understand why few Professionals learned forging themselves; most commissioned specialized forgers.

This stuff was truly expensive to learn!

He was currently penniless, and his personal terminal account was locked and unusable.

Wang Fei swiped his personal terminal, first buying 10 iron ingots and helping him carry them into the private room.

Following the instructions on the recipe, he took them out and embedded them into the Heavenly Dao rune slots on the forging bench.

Then.

He threw the corresponding iron ingots into the forging furnace.

He then followed the instructions in the recipe, using the various switches on the forging bench to adjust the corresponding shape and striking frequency.

Although there was no need to start a fire, Zhang Jian still felt a bit flustered, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

After being busy for a full 10 minutes.

A pale red longsword lay quietly on the forging bench.