Chapter 9: The Pride Family

The arrogant "Madman" suddenly drew out a long sword, seemingly a plain iron sword that appeared to be white equipment with no shine, while "Arrogant Bloodthirsty" raised a small dagger, which also seemed to be white equipment.

Seeing my slight change in expression, Madman laughed heartily and said, "You saw it too, there are three of us, and you're alone. If you're willing to sell that weapon, I can offer a high price. If you insist on not selling, don't blame me for making a deal without any investment!"

It was clear that Madman was envious of my Glimmer War Axe, and it seemed this wasn't going to end peacefully.

I smiled slightly and replied, "Since that's the case, then let's start, my time is precious!"

Madman immediately tightened his grip on his sword and said with hatred, "You're asking for it!"

At this moment, "Arrogant Drizzle," standing by, reached out to grab Madman's hand and said, "Brother! Why are you doing this again? Didn't we agree to be good people in the game this time? Why are you going to make enemies now?"

Madman chuckled and said, "This kid doesn't know his place, I'm just going to teach him a lesson!"

Drizzle immediately pouted and stood aside, saying, "You deal with it yourself, I won't get involved!"

"Heh, it's enough for me and Bloodthirsty!"

Madman glanced at me and said, "Such a newbie, I don't even care about him!"

I smirked, my expression turning cold as I charged forward, the Glimmer War Axe sweeping down from the air!

"Poo~!"

A splash of spring mud flew through the air, but it didn't even come close to hitting Madman!

Immediately, Madman's face showed obvious disdain as he laughed and said, "As expected, a newbie. Bloodthirsty, let's deal with him together!"

The iron sword struck down fiercely, and Bloodthirsty somehow appeared on my right side, his dagger striking toward me without warning!

"Poo poo~!"

A slight pain, and two numbers floated above my head: "24," "32!"

Both Madman and Bloodthirsty were instantly stunned, exclaiming, "What... such high defense!"

Their combined attack had only taken less than a quarter of my health, leaving them in utter astonishment. Meanwhile, their names turned gray, marking them as hostile attackers—this was the moment I had been waiting for!

"Whoosh~!"

The Glimmer War Axe swung through the air and struck precisely at Bloodthirsty's chest. A sharp crack echoed as the axe sent Bloodthirsty flying, and before he even touched the ground, he had already turned into white light and returned to town!

Madman instantly flew into a rage, raising his sword and charging at me, yelling, "Bastard, you killed my brother!"

Without saying a word, I swung the Glimmer War Axe from the right side, slamming it into Madman's armpit. The damage numbers "178" popped up above his head, but he didn't die. His sword struck my shoulder, but only dealt a pitiful 27 points of damage!

I couldn't help but chuckle coldly as I dodged past him, whispering, "If you're not capable, don't try to act tough!"

"Crack!"

With a sharp sound, the Glimmer War Axe cleaved down on Madman's shoulder, sending him flying with a "234" damage number that was enough to take him out for the second time!

With two gray-named players down, I didn't gain any "evil points," while Madman dropped several small potions upon his death, which I immediately picked up and put into my inventory—looks like he was here to supply me!

At this point, Arrogant Drizzle stood frozen in shock, standing there for a while before finally saying, "S... sorry…"

She probably feared I'd send her back to town next!

I couldn't help but smile and said, "Go level up, focus on killing monsters and avoid unnecessary PKs, that's how you level up quickly!"

Drizzle nodded gently, muttered a "can't afford to fight," and then turned to leave.

After this little ordeal, I finally set off on my journey to clear the monsters by the watchtower to the west of the village!

Along the way, small Goblins ran around everywhere, often wielding small axes, yelling as they charged toward me. But these level 1 monsters didn't bother me at all. With a swing of my Glimmer War Axe, the Goblins were sent flying through the air, netting me 10 experience points and 3 copper coins!

According to the setting in Ling Tong, there are two main cities in the Chinese region. Each main city has five secondary cities under its jurisdiction, and around each secondary city, there are small towns and villages. The village I'm in is a beginner's village.

At this time, a large number of players were logging in. During peak hours after work, many players hadn't even eaten dinner yet and went straight into the game. This quickly caused the beginner village to become overcrowded, and the village entrance was no longer a place to level up. Players began to head towards the surrounding forest, where higher-level monsters awaited them, which could bring both experience and wealth—or death!

The area I was heading to was to the west of the village, where many players were hunting 3-level Goblins. Some had even formed teams to tackle higher-level Flame Bats and Wild Wolves. However, after I crossed a small hill, I encountered many Slimes scattered around, and for the first time, I didn't see any other players!

Slimes are green, mud-like creatures that specialize in poisonous attacks. These attacks are tricky because they are ranged, and the Slimes use a hit-and-run tactic to lead players around, making them quite annoying to deal with!

Just then, a Slime rushed towards me. As it got within a few steps, it suddenly stopped, crouched, and shot out a green liquid that hit me. I immediately felt a sharp pain, and my health dropped by 70 points!

I froze for a moment, quickly checking the Slime's stats:

[Green Slime](Normal Monster)

Level: 10

Attack: 25-35

Defense: 10

Health: 800

Attack Type: Poisonous Liquid

...

Damn! It's a level 10 monster! No wonder the task difficulty is 80! At my level 7, this is going to be tough!

Fortunately, I had the Bat Leather Armor and Wild Boots, greatly boosting my defense. Otherwise, I might've lost more than half my health with a single hit!

Without hesitation, I charged forward and swung my axe. However, I was surprised when the Slime jumped back a step, dodging my attack!

I inwardly cursed and quickly closed the distance. This time, I didn't rush in. When the Slime started to move again, I waited for the right moment and swung the Glimmer War Axe. The powerful axe cut deep into the Slime, and poison gushed from its wound. Its health dropped by 254 points!

It seemed that while the Slime's attack was strong, its defense was poor, making it a high-damage, low-defense type of monster—ideal for leveling, as long as I had enough healing potions!

Feeling smug, I thought to myself, I may not have brought much else, but I sure brought plenty of potions!

After a few encounters with the Slime, I had completely figured out its movement pattern. As soon as the Slime twitched, I knew where it was going, and my attacks were almost guaranteed to hit. With only 800 health, the Slime was finished after I landed my fourth blow. It let out a final cry and dropped some copper coins!

I checked the record, and the Slime, being three levels above me, gave me a whopping 260 experience points!

It felt amazing. While others were still stuck killing Goblins for 10 points of experience, I was already taking down these 10-level Slimes!

In the distance, there was a simple watchtower with two panicked village militiamen standing at it. Beneath the watchtower, there were countless Slimes swarming the area. They had taken over the place, and my task was to clear them out for some experience and copper coins!

Earlier, one Slime dropped 48 copper coins—certainly one of the wealthier monsters!

Time was precious, so I proceeded cautiously, luring a Slime and quickly retreating to finish it off with successive blows. A single Slime's attacks were manageable, but if I aggroed too many at once, even with 300 points of healing potions, I might not survive, since each Slime hit for 35 damage. With the Black Iron Boots, I could tank it, but others would probably be killed in a single blow!

Time flew by, and after nearly five hours, I checked the in-game time—it was already 1 a.m. I had lost count of how many Slimes I'd killed, but my inventory was filled with Slime Medals. The downside was that despite all the monsters I'd slain, I only got an 8-level white Leg Guard with 9 defense, which I immediately equipped, boosting my defense by 9!

At that point, I had reached level 10. Normally, level 10 would be the point to accept a job, but I still needed one more Slime Medal to complete the task, so I decided to finish the task before returning to the beginner village.

The area was getting crowded with higher-level players. Many had joined the hunt for Slimes, with some already at level 8 or 9. However, as I surveyed the scene, I realized I was the only one at level 10. Moreover, these players hadn't even accepted the task, since none of them had dropped a Slime Medal. Perhaps it was a unique quest, who knew?

After slaying a few more Slimes, I finally got the last Slime Medal I needed, and the task was complete!

Just then, ahead of me, a golden light flashed. A deafening roar echoed through the air, and before I knew it, a dozen players were instantly killed!

I looked up and saw a massive golden Slime rampaging through the crowd. Each spray of golden poison left behind a trail of white light, and those wearing only low-defense clothes were helpless to resist.

Atop the golden Slime's head were the words: Golden Slime King!

I couldn't help but gasp—finally, a Super Boss had appeared!