Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened

Chapter 15:Coward’s Cloak Incredible Ability

“So that’s how it is…” Thousand Faces Gentleman muttered to himself, “No wonder Zhao Mingyuan and the others are leveling up so fast!”

But soon, he asked, “Then how do we improve our favorability with NPCs? So far, we’ve only encountered the village chief, and the other NPCs are all inside the village. We can’t even get in right now, so how are we supposed to interact with them?”

Hearing this, Ye Qiu chuckled. “That information will cost extra.”

Thousand Faces Gentleman was momentarily stunned. He suddenly realized that he had just said he only needed the method. Everything else, he could figure out himself.

It seemed he had overestimated himself.

Sometimes, money wasn’t everything.

“Then—”

Thousand Faces Gentleman was about to say something when Adorable Sunny, who had gone to exchange game currency, returned.

“Brother, it’s done.”

So they were siblings. No wonder they looked alike.

Ye Qiu glanced at the two of them.

In this game, appearances were exactly the same as in reality.

Of course, only natural looks counted.

Even cosmetic surgery or injections would be nullified, returning people to their original appearance.

When the game fully descended into reality, this rule would apply to everyone.

Those who were disfigured were restored.

Those who were disabled were healed.

Those who were terminally ill were cured.

This game was far from being just a game.

The moment it truly arrived, everyone would realize it.

But by then… it would be too late.

Thousand Faces Gentleman completed his transaction with Adorable Sunny and then sent a trade request to Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu received a system notification:

Ding!

[Player “Thousand Faces Gentleman” has initiated a trade request with you. Accept?]

Ye Qiu responded, “Anonymous trade.”

The trade interface opened.

With a soft ding, Ye Qiu’s gold count increased by 5,000 coins.

“Thanks.” He waved at the siblings, preparing to leave.

However, Thousand Faces Gentleman sent a friend request.

Ye Qiu didn’t refuse and added him anonymously.

In this game, adding a friend only meant adding their nickname.

Everything else depended on personal notes.

If the other person remained anonymous, even the nickname had to be manually noted.

Thousand Faces Gentleman labeled him as “Mysterious Partner.”

When he closed the interface, he realized Ye Qiu had already disappeared.

“Brother, what did he tell you?” Adorable Sunny, noticing her brother’s puzzled expression, asked curiously.

Thousand Faces Gentleman repeated Ye Qiu’s words.

After listening, Adorable Sunny nodded in realization. “Right, I also heard rumors that leveling up fast is related to NPCs, but I didn’t know the exact method. So, it’s about increasing favorability with NPCs to form parties with them. That’s an interesting strategy. Seems like he’s not a scammer after all.”

Thousand Faces Gentleman smiled wryly. “He’s not a scammer, but how do we improve NPC favorability? How do we even reach other NPCs? These are still problems.”

Adorable Sunny froze.

She had just realized that they could only interact with one NPC right now: the village chief, Elder Xu.

As for the other NPCs, they were locked inside the village.

And on top of that, even accessing the chief required waiting in line!

No matter how rich or powerful they were in reality, in this game, they had to follow the rules.

If they tried to cut in line, they’d suffer the same consequences as anyone else.

In this world, real-life status meant nothing.

“Now I see why he only asked for 5,000 gold coins! What a scammer!” Adorable Sunny gritted her teeth in frustration.

However, there was nothing she could do.

Thousand Faces Gentleman sighed, “Let’s try getting inside the village first or see if we can find NPCs wandering outside. If we can’t, then we’ll contact that mysterious player. I already added him as a friend.”

—

At that moment, Ye Qiu was heading straight for the village.

The village chief, Elder Xu, was no longer at the entrance. But the players were still lined up, many of them sitting on the ground.

They had no choice. Some had been waiting for hours.

If they left now, all their effort would be wasted.

If they came back tomorrow, they’d have to start from scratch.

Luckily, time in the game moved at a 1:10 ratio compared to reality.

Even waiting in-game for an entire day only amounted to two hours in the real world.

It wouldn’t interfere too much with real-life activities.

As Ye Qiu, still wearing his hooded cloak, casually walked past the line and into the village, “See! I told you! That guy in the cloak is an NPC!”

“Only NPCs can bypass the line and enter freely!”

“Dammit! We should’ve stopped him! He probably has a hidden quest!”

“Forget it, just keep waiting. Who knows when that damn village chief will come back out?”

The players sighed and continued waiting.

Thankfully, the game had an in-built forum.

They could pass the time by browsing player discussions.

Inside the village, Ye Qiu found Elder Xu washing his feet.

Without hesitation, he initiated a trade for the 5,000 gold.

In return, he received five High-Level Appraisal Scrolls.

As Ye Qiu was about to leave, the village chief gave him a parting message, “This cloak is special. Use it wisely.”

“Oh?” Ye Qiu immediately sensed a hidden quest opportunity.

He was about to probe further, but before he could say another word, Elder Xu dumped his foot-washing water and rushed back inside, slamming the door shut.

It was as if he was afraid Ye Qiu would barge in after him.

Ye Qiu rolled his eyes, then he took off his cloak.

He unfurled one of the High-Level Appraisal Scrolls.

As the two items merged, a glowing light engulfed the cloak.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the appraisal scroll vanished and the cloak in Ye Qiu’s hands radiated a dazzling orange glow.

He checked the item stats immediately.

[Coward’s Cloak (Orange Epic)]: No equipment requirement. Agility +100. Skill: “Tactical Retreat”—Immediately disengage from battle and teleport a short distance away.]

“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!” Ye Qiu’s eyes widened in shock.

His breath almost stopped. He remembered this item!

On the forums, players once ranked the strongest equipment.

Among all the orange-tier items, this cloak had dominated the rankings.

At the time, no one knew its name, only its stats. It was rumored that the player who owned it deliberately hid its details.

Back then, many doubted its existence. The ability seemed too overpowered, possibly fabricated. Because this gear was simply too broken.

With this cloak and its bonuses, unless facing an opponent multiple levels higher, he was practically invincible.

No matter how dangerous the situation, as long as he wasn’t completely suppressed, he could always escape with Tactical Retreat.

Now, holding the real thing in his hands, Ye Qiu still felt like he was dreaming.

“Just the +100 agility is already ridiculous. But combined with this absurd skill, this is even more valuable than some legendary-tier equipment!” Ye Qiu took a deep breath.

He put the cloak back on.

Instantly, a wave of lightness surged through his body.