Stretching his body, Xu Feng made sure he was prepared to climb on those high cliffs.
Although he wouldn't actually die, the fall damage and feeling of free-falling was definitely not something he wanted to enjoy.
"It's times like this when I miss the flying mounts." Xu Feng sighed deeply, feeling very regrettable that the flying mounts wouldn't be available yet.
Flying mounts are so rare and worse of all, they are incredibly hard to tame.
Without even advancing into Tier 4 or above, it was a pipe dream to think about getting close to them.
Instead of thinking about the near future, Xu Feng rubbed his hands and breathed deeply.
He approached the cliff, scanning the jagged rocks and ledges for a good starting point. The sheer face of the cliff towered above him, its surface dotted with patches of moss and small outcroppings.
'How long has it been since I've done some climbing?' Xu Feng wondered silently.
With one final, calming breath, he grasped the first handhold and began his ascent, muscles tensing as he pulled himself upwards. As he ascended further, Xu Feng was glad that there weren't any winds coming in his direction.
If winds were to come in his direction, then it would have been troublesome for him to continue climbing.
Ignoring all other distractions, he continued to grip the cracks and stepped on small ledges, moving slowly and steadily. He could feel the strain in his muscles, but it was a familiar and almost comforting sensation.
As he ascended higher, the valley floor beneath him seemed like it was shrinking. Of course, it wasn't actually shrinking, but it was a perception change due to his new height angle.
Time slowly passed by, and occasionally, Xu Feng would pause to assess his progress and choose the next segment of his path. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand while tightening his grip with his other hand,
Finally, after careful maneuvering, Xu Feng managed to reach the top of the cliff, feeling overly exhausted.
Without hesitation, he opened his inventory and started to open some liquid drinks to hydrate himself.
A few gulped off the drink, and Xu Feng felt reinvigorated. "Haa, the game's realistic element is really a pain sometimes."
It wasn't a lie when people claimed Virtual Reality games are very immersive. Imagine getting thirsty after a strenuous action in a game.
Taking a little while to cool down, Xu Feng glanced left and right, trying to spot the habitat of the Pyrite Drakes.
He walked forward, squinted his eyes, and finally spotted some nest-like structures ahead. The nests were nestled among jagged rocks, glinting with the pyrite that made them almost blend into the surrounding cliffs.
The air was warmer here, tinged with the faint scent of sulfur and the distant glow of molten streams indicating the proximity of Embercliff Caverns.
"Found 'em," Xu Feng grinned maliciously once he noticed the nests were empty. "It seems like I didn't miscalculate the time."
The time it took him to climb was a bit scary, but at the very least, he made it here before their return.
Although the nests were empty, it didn't mean the Pyrite Drakes were gone. In fact, it merely meant that they had all gone out to hunt for food.
And this was precisely the interval of time that Xu Feng sought for. After all, it allowed him to lay traps in advance and not have to confront them directly without any preparations.
As skilled as he may be, it was a ridiculous dream to think he could fight multiple Pyrite Drakes at once with his current level and attributes.
Rubbing his hands together, Xu Feng walked closer to one of the nests as he began to inspect the materials.
Without hesitation, he swiftly and smoothly stored all the pyrites on the nest itself. Once he was finished with one, he would proceed to move onward.
'Jackpot!' he exclaimed inwardly in joy when the pyrites were way more than he had anticipated.
Indeed, to be the first person to arrive on the cliff naturally had its benefits. All the pyrite here was untouched by others, and its purity is extremely high.
'I'll keep all the high-purity ones for myself, and save some for Fiona. As for the rest of the trash purity ones, I can sell them all at an expensive price. Fat sheep are ready to be butchered again.' Xu Feng began to calculate his business plan yet again.
This time, the return value would be even higher than the Fire Resistance Potions.
After all, potions are consumable, but crafting or forging materials?
That was a whole different story!
To get quality weapons, aside from needing tremendous luck when killing a boss for the drop, the only other method was to gather good materials and request a blacksmith to forge them for you, albeit at a high cost.
Sometime later, the harvesting of the pyrite material was complete, and Xu Feng was more energized than ever.
It was a good thing he didn't bring Zhao Kai here, given that the Pyrite Drake monster was merely a mascot. To summarize, the pyrite materials required from Fiona could be found in the nest, so they could totally avoid the monster, but that was not enough for him.
Since he was going to be tasked to come here to gather materials, then he shall maximize the profit. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself, especially with how much effort he exuded in climbing.
As Xu Feng raised his chin up, and glanced at the sky, his eyes narrowed.
'I should have about 2-3 hours left before these Pyrite Drakes return to the nest.'
Despite having the time frame in mind, Xu Feng decided to limit it to an hour and a half, forcing himself to complete the task ahead of schedule.
Smiling sadistically, Xu Feng retrieved four types of herbs obtained from the Miracle Herb Garden, Drakebane Root, Frostpetal Blossom, Aetherleaf, and Sulfurvine.
"It's time for these herbs to be put into use."