chapter viii - the shimmering battle-axe

Now, two paths lie before me: either be killed or fight the mutated bat to the death!

If only I had enough potions, I could easily kill the mutated bat without risk. However, the reality is that I only have five potions, each restoring 100 HP. Given my current health of only 780 points, whether I can defeat the mutated bat remains uncertain.

With this thought in mind, I toss all caution aside and grab a potion, knowing I have no other choice.

"Slash! Slash!"

Two consecutive strikes hit the bat's back, dealing more than 200 damage, but the bat retaliates, forcing me to drink another potion.

The battle intensifies. I can't waste any more time; I swing my sword desperately at the bat. Suddenly, my sword sweeps near its mouth, and with a loud crack, I deal "256" damage!

I freeze, realizing in that moment that many monsters in this game have weaknesses. If you can find them and target those spots, you can deal much more damage! The mutated bat's weakness is likely its large, green mouth!

I position myself and strike at the bat's mouth. My sword sinks into soft flesh, and the bat suffers another 248 points of damage from a weak spot!

Watching the boss's health drop rapidly, I can't help but feel elated. Each time I strike, every second or third hit lands as a weak spot attack!

However, when I reach into my bag, I find nothing. A sinking feeling hits me: Damn! I'm out of potions at the worst possible moment!

At this point, the mutated bat has just a sliver of health left. It opens its massive mouth and lunges toward me!

I only have 140 health remaining, and there's no choice but to take the risk!

Gritting my teeth, I thrust my sword directly into the bat's open mouth!

Pain surges through me as I lose 120 more health, but then I hear a sound that fills me with relief:

"Beep—!"

System Notification: You have slain the Mutated Flame Bat and earned 480 experience points!

System Notification: You leveled up!

"Beep—!"

The mutated bat drops an item mixed with some silver coins!

It's an axe glowing faintly!

A jolt of excitement courses through me: Jackpot! The glowing gear must be an item with stats—did I just get my first stat-enhanced gear?

I quickly pick it up, check my inventory, and look at the item:

[Gleaming Battle Axe](Black Iron Equipment)

Attack: 12-18

Strength: +4

Required Level: 6

...

Haha, it's Black Iron! An item with stats! Plus, it boosts my strength by 4, just what I need right now!

Excited, I quickly equip the Gleaming Battle Axe. My attack skyrockets to 33-40, making me one of the most powerful players in this newbie village!

Grinning, I also gather the silver coins dropped by the mutated bat. As expected, mutated monsters are more generous than regular ones, dropping silver coins—four in total!

With the silver coins I've accumulated, I now have 23 silver coins and 68 copper coins!

Though I'm still far from the required two gold coins for the studio, there's plenty of time. I'm confident I'll reach the goal today!

After finishing up, I head back to the newbie village.

At this point, the village is packed with players, most still wielding crude wooden clubs. With my gleaming battle axe, I'm clearly a standout, drawing envious stares from everyone!

I quickly hide my name to avoid unnecessary attention. I'm not afraid of PKing, but I'd rather focus on leveling up for now.

I find the militia captain, Ma Su, and hand over 20 bat blood samples. His face lights up in surprise as he exclaims, "Brave warrior, you've really done it! I can't believe you defeated those nasty bats. Well done, here's your reward!"

"Beep—!"

System Notification: Congratulations, you have completed the [Field Cleanup] quest. You have earned 2400 experience points, 24 silver coins, +10 reputation, and the quest item [Wilderness Boots]!

I'm overjoyed again, another item drop!

[Wilderness Boots](Black Iron Armor)

Defense: 14

Strength: +2

Agility: +1

Required Level: 6

...

Another Black Iron item! Even better, it adds both strength and agility—though the bonuses are modest, they're still helpful!

With the added experience, I've leveled up to 7, and after equipping the Wilderness Boots, my defense rises to 26, while my attack climbs to 35-45!

Looking at my iron sword, I head to the village entrance, shouting, "Iron Sword with attack 1-4 for sale! Buyers with money, come negotiate! Only for the next three minutes!"

To my surprise, this shout causes an uproar, with players swarming around me, all shouting: "Damn! Sell it to me! Sell it to me!"

Trying to stay calm, I reply, "Highest bidder wins!"

Soon, one player offers 1 silver coin. Another scoffs and offers 2 silver coins.

Then a loud voice calls, "Hand over the sword, and I'll make a video with you. I'll marry you!"

Others mock, "Hell! With that look, you'd better go back to Mars!"

Just then, a new player pushes through, saying, "I've got 20 silver coins, I'll buy it!"

At that, the crowd falls silent. The offer of 20 silver coins is more than enough to make everyone pause and stare in disbelief at the player who already has such wealth at this stage of the game.

I see he's been running around, and since no one else can match the price, I accept the trade. The iron sword is sold for 20 silver coins, and I make a note of his name—Jian Huo Long Hun.

He's probably a professional player, or else it would be hard to explain how he accumulated that much wealth so quickly!

Excited, I realize that even a basic sword can be sold for such a high price. Imagine how much my Gleaming Battle Axe or Wilderness Boots would fetch!

However, I won't sell either of those, since they'll help me level up faster and earn more gear.

Leaving the crowd behind, I rush to the potion shop. I check the prices: potions that restore 100 HP cost 20 copper coins each, while those that restore 300 HP are 2 silver coins each. The difference is huge, but the effectiveness speaks for itself. For critical moments, the 300 HP potions are perfect, especially considering my current health of 320 HP at level 7. Lower-level potions only restore a small amount, and in some cases, that can be deadly.

With 43 silver coins and 68 copper coins, I buy 15 potions that restore 300 HP each, and the rest I use to buy 27 potions that restore 100 HP. The 300 HP ones will be used in emergencies, while the 100 HP ones will keep me going in everyday situations.

This leaves me broke again, but I know that every investment will pay off.

Once I head back to the militia captain for more dialogue, he frowns slightly and says, "The village chief seems to have something on his mind..."

Hmm? Is that a hint?

I think for a moment, then head toward the village center, where I find the gray-haired village chief. Most players are out leveling, so the village is eerily quiet, with only me wandering like a relaxed tourist.

Seeing me approach, the chief sighs and says, "Those demons have started attacking the towns around Twilight City. Our village has already been hit. There's a large group of liquefied evil creatures in the western part of the village. Young one, can you help me?"

"Beep—!"

System Notification: Would you like to accept this quest?

I quickly click yes.

The village chief continues, "A group of brave militia are trapped at the western outpost. I need you to help them!"

"Beep—!"

System Notification: You have accepted the [Clear the Outpost] quest! (Beginner quest. Current difficulty: 80)

Quest Content: Go west of the village, find the outpost, kill the slimes there, and collect 100 Slime Medals!

...

I hesitate for a moment. Slime Medals? What are those?

No matter, I'll figure it out once I get there!

The quest difficulty is 80. Given my current level 7, those slimes must be fairly strong. And to collect 100 Slime Medals? That's daunting—if the drop rate is around 20%, I'll need to kill 500 slimes to complete the task!

With the Gleaming Battle Axe in hand, I head west from the village.

It doesn't take long before players start eyeing me curiously, no doubt drawn to the flashy Black Iron weapon. But for now, they don't seem overly interested.

Not far from the village, I hear a voice behind me: "Hey, friend, could we discuss something?"

I turn to see three level 6 players, standing closely behind me. They've probably been following for a while. Their names are "Ao Shi Kuang Ren," "Ao Shi Piao Yu," and "Ao Shi Shi Xue."

Interestingly, Ao Shi Piao Yu is a female player—a stunning, petite girl whose simple beginner clothes can't hide her amazing figure. Her curves seem ready to burst out of her clothes!

Had I not seen Ling Xue before, I might have had trouble tearing myself away from this stunning girl.

Looking at them, I ask, "What's up?"

Ao Shi Kuang Ren laughs, pointing at my Gleaming Battle Axe. "Your weapon, are you selling it?"

I shake my head firmly. "Of course not!"

Ao Shi Kuang Ren's eyes narrow. "What if I really want to buy it?"

I feel a chill and quickly smile, squinting my eyes. "What's your offer?"