The meter-high furnace burned brightly, the crucible was red-hot, and liquid copper flowed inside.

Ye Jun poured out the liquid copper to cool before placing more metal ores in again.

He did this repeatedly!

It was getting dark, by then, Ye Jun had already collected four more copper ingots!

During this time, Ye Jun didn't stay idle. He had forged two more bronze spears, but he hadn't had the time to list them on the trading channel yet.

Suddenly, someone sent him a message.

Surprisingly, it was Master Bear!

"Ye, do you have a bronze spear? Can you lend me one?"

Master Bear's tone was a bit anxious as he said, "I'm already level three and just went to go hunt that alligator boss. Unfortunately, my weapon can't withstand the alligator boss's attack!"

'Level three so soon?'

Even Ye Jun was quite surprised.

Ye Jun had to kill a level five great white shark to level up directly to level three.

But Ye Jun didn't know that for the past few days, to improve his strength, Master Bear had almost killed all the alligators in the swamp.

Ye Jun raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Bear, don't forget, you still owe me a few hundred catties of fish meat. Plus, you're already level three. Just the bronze coins that dropped from the wildlife you killed should be enough for you to buy a bronze weapon!"

Bear said with some embarrassment, "Mr. Ye, don't worry, I definitely won't forget my promise, but I have purchased bow and arrows and fishing nets with my copper coins. I got this idea from you hunting a great white shark with fishing nets, but unfortunately, that alligator boss is too crazy. A normal bow and arrow can't even pierce through its defenses."

Bear's tone suddenly became very anxious as he said, "Ye, that alligator boss has been trapped by my fishing net. If I don't kill it soon, it will escape back to the swamp, by then it will be impossible to lure it out again!"

"Ye, I can give you all the rewards from this one if you help me," Bear continued.

Ye Jun laughed. "Wouldn't you suffer too much of a loss?"

"But I can improve my strength. As long as I do, I can still find other monsters. Plus, I've killed too many alligators in the past few days. I feel that this alligator boss has set its eyes on me. If I don't kill it, I won't be able to step into this place again."

"Open the video call!" said Ye Jun.

In the next moment, Ye Jun saw, in the middle of the screen, a swamp and a ten-meter long alligator whose claws and tail were wrapped by several fishing nets.

The nets were tied to trees by vines at one end, restraining the crocodile tightly.

However, the crocodile was extremely terrifying. It was constantly rolling over and breaking trees. It wouldn't be long before it broke them all.

If that happened, all his efforts would be for naught.

Bear stared anxiously at the chat channel.

Suddenly, he heard Ye Jun say, "I can lend it to you, and I hope you keep your word!"

"Mr. Ye, I swear on my character!"

Bear was filled with joy when a bronze spear appeared in his hand the next second.

Bear hefted the spear, and as expected from a forger, it was extremely sturdy. He smiled and walked towards the giant alligator.

Miserable growling sounds rang through the swamp.

Gradually, the sound died down.

Shortly after, a world announcement floated by.

"Player Bear (Wilderness Mode) killed the Giant Alligator Boss, +1 Hunter Level, +10 Speed, +10 Endurance, +50 Strength…"

Ye Jun clearly saw the whole process of Bear killing the Giant Alligator Boss.

He also saw the result of Bear going through the carcass.

"Mr. Ye, thank you very much. All the rewards are here!"

"Alligator's Claw (bronze)"

"Alligator Blade (bronze)"

"Skill book: Death Roll (has a certain probability of locking onto the opponent while rolling with them)"

"+30 silver coins."

Good stuff. The silver coins were more than the amount of silver coins Ye Jun had gotten from killing the Electric Ray Boss.

However, Ye Jun was the first to kill a boss at that time. The biggest reward for killing that boss was his Lightning Affinity, not the silver coins.

"Ye, I'll give you all the loot!" Bear did keep his word. He had gotten the biggest reward, a direct level up in his strength. Plus, the alligator weighed at least a ton or two. He could easily trade the meat for quite a few supplies.

Ye Jun said, "Keep the skill book. I want the alligator armor and alligator leather."

This Death Roll skill was a bit awkward. At the moment, Ye Jun didn't think he would have any use for it.

He was now a Lightning and Fire Mage. He wouldn't be tumbling around with wild monsters.

The defensive ability of boss-level alligator leather, combined with his current forging skills, could craft leather armor that was comparable to bronze armor.

To him, this was the most valuable item out of the pile!

Suddenly, Ye Jun thought of something and said, "Bear, go to the boss's lair and look for any peculiar items."

"It's not like alligators are dragons—do they even collect gems?" Bear was puzzled.

"In the East, there is an old saying: where there are treasures, there are powerful monsters guarding them."

"Opportunity and danger go hand in hand!"

Bear went searching through the swamp and, not surprisingly, found a small, withered, blood-colored tree.

The small tree was a foot or so tall, leafless, and the branches took on a dark red color as if they were stained with dried blood.

"Withered Blood Tree: a plant born from absorbing blood, the congealed blood fruit created a generation of giant alligator kings (unfortunately, it has withered; there must be enough blood to bring it back to life)"

"What an amazing Eastern saying!" exclaimed Bear.

"Give me this blood tree!" Ye Jun was happy to see something rare.

Bear was not petty. For him the blood tree was useless. Plus, there was no telling how much blood or time it would take to nurture it back to life. There was no way he would have the capability.

But for Ye Jun, it was fine since he was adrift at sea anyway.

Ye Jun had now gotten a taste and knew the extraordinary nature of these strange items.

Whether it was a Strange Fruit Tree or Strange Fire Corals, or this Strange Blood Tree, they were all things that could only be discovered but not sought.

Now, while everyone was still unaware of it, Ye Jun only had to pay a very small price to get these strange items.

Once everyone progressed further and food and basic supplies were no longer a problem, they would finally be able to understand the importance of these rare items.

Once that time came, it would be impossible for Ye Jun to trade for these exotic items so easily.

This time, Ye Jun just only paid more than a hundred catties of fish meat and a bronze spear that was worth just 3000 to 4000 copper coins altogether. Moreover, he broke even with those 30 silver coins alone. Not only did he get two pieces of bronze equipment, but he also got a Strange Blood Tree and alligator leather—it was a rich harvest.

Ye Jun extinguished the flames of the fireplace, jumped into the sea, and had a refreshing bath. He then laid down on his handmade rocking chair, bought a bottle of Coke and a large watermelon from the in-game store.

After earning so much today, it was time for a little luxury!

He felt the cool breeze of the sea and looked up at the stars in the sky, Coke in his left hand and watermelon in his right.

Too bad he wasn't an Ice Mage, otherwise having it chilled would truly be called enjoying life!