Return Of The Strongest Player

Dawn arrived shortly after.

However, Arthur had awoken a few minutes before the rays of the sun decided to peek through his windows. The crimson-eyed man quickly freshened up before kicking the boar-like Randy in the abdomen.

He stirred in his sleep, but there wasn't a significant reaction. Arthur clenched his teeth, wondering how a human could be this animalistic. The man was over 260 pounds, yet his behavior was so childish.

It was almost like Arthur was living with a crocodile.

As the soft breeze caressed his skin, Arthur slipped into a loose robe. He strapped Skofnung to his waist, kicking Randy once more before exiting the inn. Jenny hadn't returned from the first floor, while Harry and Dino were asleep.

As Arthur traversed through the streets of the Outer District, many thoughts lingered in his mind.

One of which was the ranking Jenny would receive. Millions, perhaps billions, perhaps trillions of players had attempted the first floor, and the rankings were spread across those innumerable numbers.

Some of the most well-renowned Divine Rankers in the current age placed incredibly high on the first floor. The first floor rankings were a basis to determine a player's full potential. They couldn't be skimped.

'I have to give up on my ideology,' thought Arthur, clicking his tongue. Hee previously decided to maintain a low profile until he gained sufficient strength, but to properly exploit the benefits of the tower, he couldn't skimp.

Achieving an acceptable ranking on the first floor was necessary towards one's growth. During Arthur's former life, he received rank 81,349,210. It was a pitiful rank, and decreased Arthur's chances of growth.

However, he still managed to gain terrifying strength.

Imagining a perfect scenario sent chills down his spine.

'Jenny shouldn't rank too low, considering her growth over the period of time that I've observed her,' thought Arthur, stroking his chin. The woman–although a bit crazy in the head–was meticulous in training.

'Probably in the low thousands…'

A few minutes passed, and Arthur arrived at Ferhill's shop. A few items were missing, causing the crimson-eyed man to let out a smile. The latter seemed to have sold a few items, which would inevitably cause his reputation to decline.

Eventually, Ferhill would have to run, change his persona and appearance, and begin his journey once again. It was a repetitive process, which prevented Ferhill from having any social interactions.

It was a sad life.

"Ah, you're here," said Ferhill, raising an eyebrow. He approached the crimson-eyed man, a counterfeit product in his hands. He quickly placed the item on the floor before opening his system.

Arthur suddenly received a notification indicating a transfer of tokens. The tokens attached were about 650. The crimson-eyed man nodded in satisfaction. The amount was pathetic, but it was enough to supply the manufacturing process.

The manufacturing process involved hiring a blacksmith.

Since Blaire was out of the question, Arthur wished to visit the next best option. The blacksmith he was referring to was a hidden, rough gem who exploded in popularity a few years in the future.

He was still young at the time, and earned a fortune in mere months.

'Too bad he got killed by one of the mid-rank clans…' Arthur clicked his tongue, remembering the past/future. The young blacksmith had exploded too quickly. The situation offered him no chance to protect himself from jealous parties.

Before he could hire players for protection, he was killed.

'Talent can be a blessing, but also a curse.'

'I won't approach that blacksmith yet, since his skills should still be at an amateur level…' Arthur thought. 'I can do the manufacturing myself for now using the meager skills I have. When he becomes better at the job, I'll hire him.'

Once he concluded his train of thought, Arthur told Ferhill to retrieve the items, which he did.

The items ranged from the Heavenly Lotus Vine to the Dancing Soul Grass. All were precious ingredients required to forge a powerful, counterfeit item. Arthur entered the back of the store, assuming a meditative stance.

"Get out," he told Ferhill, which the man promptly did. He seemed quite enthusiastic.

Arthur grabbed a piece of metal, which had already been heated, quenched, and tempered. He sucked the energy from the ingredients beside him, causing a streak of purple light to hover over the metal.

His skills in refinement were limited, but crafting a basic item was not difficult. Judging by the quality, Arthur expected a 65% markup. This would increase as time passed, since the price of ingredients would decrease as they gradually began buying in bulk.

For now, Arthur planned on selling counterfeit items while concealing his involvement with the business. However, once the young blacksmith had been hired, Arthur would gradually shift to forming an actual business.

Passive income was never harmful.

And, as his influence in the specific industry grew, his influence on the distribution of other organizations would also grow. It was the perfect way to grow one's reputation and influence while maintaining a neutral stance.

As the streak of purple light flickered, the ingredients withered away. The energy concerned within the purple light, producing a faint, humming sound. Arthur dropped his hand, causing the purple light to flood into the metal.

The metal shook violently.

Arthur calmed the wave of energy, stabilizing the metal's condition before increasing the intensity again. As he continued the process, beads of sweat formed on his skin, gradually dripping down, so as to disrupt his concentration.

However, Arthur was not perturbed.

With a calm expression, he continued manipulating the purple light. A few minutes passed, and the purple light faded.

Arthur finally wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaning back in relaxation.

'A mana artifact…' Arthur muttered internally, satisfied with his performance. He gazed at the mana artifact, which was previously a hunk of metal. The artifact was a helmet capable of withstanding the blows of a player on the 15th floor.

It was not too strong, but it was not too weak, either.

However, using the purple light, Arthur altered the aura of artifact to make it seem like the artifact could nullify the attacks of an Elite Ranker, immediately raising the market price by tens of thousands of tokens.

This was the process of refinement.

He provided the mana artifact to Ferhill, who was the supplier. The man was shocked by Arthur's performance, and immediately placed the item on the top shelf. It wouldn't be long before his shop closed down, so why not make the most of it?

Little did he know, the partnership would grow to bounds he couldn't even imagine.

Just like that, a month passed.