Chapter 2 Can't Afford to Offend

In his long life, Yang Yu had conquered countless RPGs, and he had figured out a set of key strategy points, which he carefully wrote down in a small notebook.

The most, most, most important one was...

"When you encounter a monster much stronger than yourself, if you are not fully prepared, you should decisively give up on the strategy and immediately run away, preserving your strength. Remember, never impulsively engage in direct combat, or you'll be utterly destroyed with nowhere to bury your corpse."

Seeing the ostensibly harmless yet fierce Slime slowly squirm, Yang Yu strictly put his theory into practice, deciding that the best plan among thirty-six strategies is to retreat without saying a second word and just run.

His own attributes weren't even a fraction of a Slime's, mumbling to himself that some things are just too much to handle.

Could it be that some overpowered individual reincarnated as a Slime and I just happened to bump into it? To speak frankly, only a more overpowered freak could defeat such an overpowered Slime.

Sorry, I'm just a weak and helpless villager, without any Instant Kill moves or the ability to level up to 999 in one strike. Facing such a Slime... I think you are being unreasonable to me, Fat Tiger.

Even going to your death should have a process and strategy; such an act of giving up should be decisively rejected.

Not everyone is a great hero, capable of shouting "Stella" at anyone, transforming into a meteor in the sky, vanquishing the heavens, earth, and air in a second, and exchanging their sacrifice for an abundance of Experience dog food.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Yang Yu's smile twisted.

Clearly still in the starting phase, where players have yet to familiarize themselves with the basic controls, where players haven't learned any Skills and can only carry out basic attacks, the game presents an insurmountable mountain.

Such a game... will definitely not sell.

Worthy of being considered a divine creation, it achieves simplicity in ways ordinary humans cannot.

It's exhilarating and commanding of respect.

Getting disheartened is simply not an option, quite the opposite, he thought with a bit of excitement about the sense of achievement and satisfaction that would come from using one's own efforts to overcome an opponent that seemed unbeatable.

A good game has no unbeatable opponents.

God loves gaming so much that the games produced can't possibly be trash right from the start.

The Slime must have appeared there for a reason, and there must be some way to conquer it.

The common method would be increasing one's Level. Currently, there's no way to level up, and even if he could level up, he probably wouldn't be able to beat that one Slime, and would only get ground into the dirt, triggering an unspeakably tragic defeat CG.

If leveling up isn't an option, that leaves only one choice: gathering intelligence.

Back in Newbie Village, Yang Yu, undeterred by fatigue, ran around tirelessly, going door to door asking about information on Slimes, while also conducting a thorough search for hidden tools or potential NPC recruits.

In most RPGs, childhood friends often become the protagonist's first teammates, either as healers or magicians, complementing the male lead.

But here, let alone a female childhood friend, Yang Yu hadn't even seen a peer, so naturally, there was no specific plot related to certain childhood friends.

Emmmm...

I seem to be just a villager, having a predestined lifelong childhood friend is a plot triggered by someone with the protagonist's aura, and it has nothing to do with me. Since I've chosen a civilian start, I shouldn't dream of triggering a storyline that only a hero's aura can trigger.

Facing reality, Yang Yu continued to hit the streets, tirelessly collecting information on Slimes.

In the end, aside from a few unreliable legends, there were only two pieces of useful information:

First, Slimes never attack humans first. They will only retaliate if you attack and hit them. Their first attack is very slow, slow enough for even a child to dodge. You can take it as a warning that the Slime is about to strike."

Second, when facing a very strong Slime, you could try throwing a four-leaf Clover. The Slimes will eat the Clover, and you can use that opportunity to escape.

What kind of chemical reaction would a Clover have with a Slime?

Would it be simply used as food, or could it cause a hallucination in the Slime like catnip does? For the strategy, it's imperative to figure that out.

There were Clovers in the forest near the village, not a tough job to collect. The Clover is a rare mutation of the Clover, but a symbol of luck like the Clover...

Luck, that unreliable thing you don't need in strategizing a game.

The best way to get what you want isn't to keep drawing before the goods are shipped, but to take over the entire prize pool. A big Clover field, a few Clovers are bound to be there.

After spending an afternoon scouring the Clover fields nearby Newbie Village, Yang Yu collected a few Clovers and set out along the path without delay, looking for a lone Slime. Before long, he spotted a light blue Slime leisurely rolling around on the grass beside the path.

He opened the attribute panel:

[Slime Level: LV5 HP: 192/192 MP: 61/61

Attributes: Strength 38, Defense 146, Intelligence 36, Special Defense 176, Agility 18, Endurance 20

Resistance: Physical 50%

]

It was virtually unchanged from the Slime in the morning, oozing the aura of a boss, its high attributes like an insurmountable mountain.

This game had a high degree of freedom, which also meant more pleasurable ways to bite the dust. No, it meant there were more strategies available.

Among the many routes, finding the most reliable one was key to clearing the game in one life.

Yang Yu took a deep breath, chewed up a bitter herb to bring himself to his optimal condition, then swung his sword, deliberately missing the Slime and hitting the ground beside it.

Several weeds were was neatly cut, and the Slime didn't move an inch, calm and collected as if it hadn't seen the streak of light sweep past.

I don't move unless the enemy moves; if I move, the enemy must react.

Sword in hand, Yang Yu put his back into it and chopped down on the Slime's jelly-like body.

Slippery and bouncy, the feeling of hitting the Slime was like hitting a round ball with a stick. Yang Yu used all his strength to control it, lest his sword slip from his grasp.

The spot where the sword contacted the Slime slowly floated up with red numbers showing the damage dealt.

HP-1.

"Ts, at least it wasn't a zero."

The damage was completely within expectations. Yang Yu quickly jumped back, watching the Slime's every move.

The Slime stretched out its body like oversized taffy, swaying back and forth as it made its attack declaration, then slowly bounced off the ground like a hopper ball.

Its charge was extremely slow; you could say it was more like playful pouncing than an attack, easily evaded with a simple turn.

He swayed to dodge the attack and, for safety's sake, Yang Yu didn't keep attacking. Instead, he threw out a Clover.

The Slime's gaze was instantly riveted on the Clover. Tempted by the sweet lure, it didn't hesitate to jump at it, enveloping the Clover within its jelly-like body. In no time, the Clover had vanished without a trace.

A message popped up on the panel: [The Slime's status has changed to Friendly]

Just being friendly wasn't enough; he had to defeat the Slime to complete the task.

Yang Yu firmly picked up his gear and attacked the Slime with a slash.