robber

"With so much attribute increase from equipment, but only a tiny increase in attributes per level, and leveling up is so difficult, what's the point of leveling up? You can just wear powerful equipment and dominate everywhere, even with a low level," Jaxon thought to himself after reviewing his attributes. He couldn't help but wonder about the significance of leveling up.

Jaxon had been here for a while. Although he rarely focused on killing monsters, he had slain quite a few. However, he had only managed to level up twice, which showed just how difficult leveling up was. Moreover, after leveling up, each attribute only increased by a single point, which was far less than the attribute boost from a single piece of equipment. Even a Silver Tier item added more attributes than leveling up by ten or twenty levels, not to mention Gold Tier and higher-level equipment.

This made leveling up seem rather pointless. Jaxon was already reluctant to kill monsters for leveling up, as it was too monotonous and boring. Now, with this realization, he felt even less motivated to fight monsters.

What Jaxon didn't know was that the vast majority of Gold Tier and higher equipment had level requirements. Unlike the equipment he had obtained so far, which had no level restrictions, allowing him to wear them even at his current level of three.

Of course, this wasn't an absolute rule. Equipment crafted by Grandmaster-level individuals generally had no level requirements because of their exceptional abilities. However, if the equipment was dropped by wild monsters, especially those of Gold Tier and above, they would definitely have level requirements and couldn't be worn by just any level.

How many Grandmaster-level individuals were there on the entire continent? They could be counted on one hand!

Jaxon was fortunate to have encountered several of them in the "beginner village" and had the opportunity to learn from them and use the equipment they crafted.

Moreover, killing monsters could yield many items that couldn't be crafted, and the corpses of animals could be disassembled and sold for money.

In summary, although Jaxon already had decent equipment, leveling up by killing monsters was still necessary. He just didn't fully understand these things yet because he was still a novice who had just left the "beginner village" and didn't know much about the world outside.

The road to the county town was indeed not peaceful. Not long after leaving the village, Jaxon ran into trouble.

"Kid, hand over all your money, or be careful of this axe in my hand!" A burly man, wielding a large axe, blocked Jaxon's path with a menacing expression.

He had run into a robber!

"I don't have any money," Jaxon shook his head.

Jaxon indeed had no money. The little he had earned from killing monsters had all been spent on seeds and saplings, and he still owed the village elder quite a bit. His pockets were emptier than his face—where would he have any money?

"No money?" The man clearly didn't believe Jaxon: "Since you won't hand it over, I'll just take it myself! And I'll take your life while I'm at it!"

With that, the man charged at Jaxon, a sinister grin on his face as he swung his axe down towards Jaxon's head, creating a chilling gust of wind.

Jaxon had always held the Blackstone Longsword in his hand, and he had equipped all the gear he had obtained when he left Hermit Village. Thus, he was not afraid of a Level 10 bandit, even though he himself was only Level 3.

Bandit A: Level 10, roams the wilderness, preys on passers-by, brutal and bloodthirsty, has killed three people, extremely vicious.

Attack 30, Defense 10, Skills: None, Equipment: A worn-out axe.

This time, after appraising the bandit, Jaxon obtained much more detailed attributes, including attack and defense. Clearly, with the boost from his equipment, Jaxon was now much stronger than this bandit.

"A nameless passer-by like you dares to block my way. It's just right that I kill you today and do justice for the world," Jaxon said, showing no sign of panic as the bandit charged.

Jaxon had no sympathy for such a vicious and bloodthirsty bandit who had taken lives and would show no mercy.

"Die!" The bandit, unaware of the danger he was in, thought he could split Jaxon in half with his axe.

As the axe came down, Jaxon easily dodged the attack with his high agility of 15 points. He then thrust his longsword diagonally, striking the bandit's waist.

"Pffft!"

The bandit wasn't wearing any decent armor, and Jaxon's Blackstone Longsword easily pierced through, dealing significant damage.

"I'll kill you!" The bandit, enraged by being injured, seemed to lose all reason. Ignoring the bleeding wound, he broke free from Jaxon's sword and swung his axe at Jaxon again.

In a healthy state, he would have had difficulty hurting Jaxon, let alone now that he was injured. Jaxon found it even easier to dodge.

"Pffft!"

Jaxon's longsword struck the bandit for the second time. This time, he aimed for the heart. The bandit, focused on killing Jaxon, left himself wide open, and Jaxon effortlessly thrust his sword into the bandit's heart.

This time, Jaxon pulled his sword back, but the bandit was unable to launch another attack. After Jaxon withdrew his sword, the bandit's strong body wobbled in place for a moment, then with a "thud," he collapsed to the ground.

Dead!

After all, it was his first time killing someone. Although he knew this was just a special "monster," Jaxon still felt uneasy. The body didn't vanish like other monster corpses but remained on the ground, with the two wounds bleeding continuously. The blood stained the ground beside him and the bandit's unyielding, lifeless gaze all had a significant impact on Jaxon's nerves.

"Ugh!"

Jaxon couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited.

During the fight, Jaxon had been able to treat the opponent as a "monster," but after killing him, he couldn't bear it.

After vomiting for a while, Jaxon finally recovered, but his face was pale, and he looked somewhat exhausted.

The first "monster" he encountered outside the beginner village didn't pose much of a threat to Jaxon, but it did put his nerves to the test.

"Maybe I'll run into this kind of situation again in the future, especially since I'm going to serve in the military. I have to overcome this discomfort! Just treat them like 'monsters,'" Jaxon reminded himself.