Ah, leveling up is a good thing, but once the level is raised, it brings the awkward situation of being unable to grind for talent. Wu Shaochen now even found himself wishing the level-up process wasn't so fast. If those other players still fighting over rabbits in the village saw him, he'd probably get swarmed.
He decided to check out the level 7 monsters to see if they were manageable. If not, he could always return to slaughter the boars. With this thought, he pressed onward, the wild boar forest sprawling out before him. After wandering for some time, he finally emerged from the forest, having left behind many boars in the process. After all, with his 18 points in movement speed, no wild boar with only 11 speed could catch up with him.
Upon exiting the forest, he saw a vast plain ahead, where numerous gray wolves wandered the grasslands.
"My god, so many!" Wu Shaochen's heart sank. This was probably going to be a tough battle, but since he was here, he decided to check the stats of the wolves. He cast *Insight* on the closest wolf, relieved that his skill's range was long enough to use without stepping into their aggro zone.
[Wild Wolf]
Level: 9
Health: 4000
Attack: 115
Defense: 55
Speed: 20
Skill: Bite: The wolf opens its mouth and bites the target, dealing 150% physical attack damage. There is a 50% chance to cause bleeding, dealing 5 damage per second for 10 seconds.
…
Damn, every time I check a new monster, it's like a challenge to my heart, Wu Shaochen thought bitterly. After reading the stats, his only desire was to curse the developers. Though he knew it wasn't their fault—the system mastermind was in control of everything. But rumors said that the mastermind was all-powerful, so he didn't dare curse it. Thus, the developers received his wrath instead. This was a common monster? This was definitely boss-level stuff!
Wait, this is a level 9 monster? The level 7 and 8 ones must be further down the path. I'd better head that way and check. I'm definitely not taking this on.
Wu Shaochen turned around and walked back, feeling a bit cowardly. Returning to the wild boar forest, he continued on until a sudden flash of golden light caught his eye. Curiosity piqued, he moved toward the glimmer. After a brief walk, he parted the nearby shrubbery and was stunned by the sight before him. A massive wild boar, at least twice the size of the ones he'd fought before, stood before him. The boar had a golden aura at its feet—this was a telltale sign of a *Divine Oracle* boss.
"Wow, a boss!" Wu Shaochen exclaimed, excitement in his voice, and immediately cast *Insight*.
[Wild Boar King] (Black Iron Boss)
Level: 6
Health: 50,000
Attack: 250
Defense: 120
Speed: 30
Skill 1: Brutal Charge: The boar charges forward at high speed, dealing 150% physical damage and stunning the target for 1 second. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Skill 2: Rampage: When the Wild Boar King stands upright, it increases its attack power and attack speed by 50% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
Skill 3: Regeneration: When the Wild Boar King's health drops below 10%, it doubles its defense and regenerates 30% of its health over 10 seconds. During this time, the boss cannot move or attack. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
…
…
"I just said the wild wolf's stats were boss-level, and now I'm being smacked in the face. This is what a real boss looks like? A level 6 Black Iron boss with stats like this? The attribute explosion is one thing, but the skills are even worse. Without enough output, there's no way to kill it. And its last skill has a 5-minute cooldown—if you don't take down 30% of its health within that time, it's basically impossible to beat it."
"Alright, enough complaining. I should get used to this. And while this boss seems unbeatable for others, it may not be impossible for me. After all, my poison prevents healing," Wu Shaochen mused. He mentally marked the Wild Boar King's location, knowing that such a target had to be his. He also remembered that his talent could increase the toxin level by killing a boss of equal or higher realm. Adding another toxin layer meant doubling the damage.
But for now, he knew he was no match for it. He needed to level up a few more times, at least to the point where his speed surpassed the boar's, and where he could withstand its attacks. Wu Shaochen noted the boss's position and walked away, heading back out to search for level 7 monsters. His primary focus was still to level up his talent, which would significantly boost his damage.
Arriving at the fork in the road, he chose the path that led into the bamboo forest.
Upon entering the bamboo thicket, the air felt damp and dark, and the light was poor. Wu Shaochen proceeded cautiously, when suddenly, he spotted several green snakes slithering up the bamboo stalks, their tongues flicking at him. Goosebumps rose on his skin. He quickly cast *Insight*.
[Green Snake]
Level: 3
Health: 550
Attack:
Defense: 12
Speed: 7
Skill: Venom: Targets bitten by the green snake have a 50% chance of being poisoned, losing 2 health per second for 30 seconds.
So, these are level 3 monsters. No wonder I haven't encountered them yet. These snakes will probably annoy many players. I'd rather fight crabs than these, their venom is just too nasty. But then Wu Shaochen remembered his talent. *Poison is a good thing; why call it nasty?*
He pressed forward and emerged from the bamboo forest into a dense jungle. The trees here were small but tightly packed, and the light remained dim. After some time, he finally spotted a monster—large spiders crawling across the trees and ground. He fought back the nausea and cast *Insight*.
[Giant Spider]
Level: 7
Health: 2500
Attack: 90
Defense: 40
Speed: 13
Skill: Webbing: The spider shoots a massive web in a 2-meter range, trapping the target and preventing them from attacking or moving for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
"I can't fight this," Wu Shaochen muttered in frustration. He shouldn't have taken this path; it felt like the monsters here were designed specifically to counter him.
Sighing, he gave up on leveling his talent for now and decided to return to the wild boar forest. His poison damage had already reached 16 per second, allowing him to take down a wild boar in just two minutes. With each boar providing 20 points of experience, plus the additional 40% from level 2, he earned 28 experience per kill. He needed just 18 more kills to reach level 3.
While Wu Shaochen hunted alone in the wild boar forest, a group of players in the grasslands by the newbie village were still fighting over rabbits. Despite the vast expanse of land and the thousands of rabbits that spawned, the sheer number of players made it a frustrating endeavor, and the rewards were scarce.
Among the crowd, a group of more than ten players had gathered around several rabbit spawn points. They were methodically wounding the rabbits, leaving the final blow to a young man with an air of superiority. After killing a rabbit, the young man was greeted with a golden flash and leveled up.
"Congratulations, Young Master Huang!" the others cheered.
"You're definitely the first player in the village to level up. I've been watching nearby, and no one else has had that upgrade glow," one player added.
"Mm." Young Master Huang nodded with satisfaction, then distributed all his free attribute points into Strength. With 22 points of attack, he smirked and said, "With 22 attack, killing these rabbits will be a breeze. Should we head to the level 2 area?"
"No, Young Master Huang, some of our people have been there. The mountain goats are tough, not something we can handle yet, unless everyone's level 1 and we have some tanky players to take the hits," one of his followers advised.
"Damn, this game is so difficult. And they don't even let you spend money. It's really frustrating," Young Master Huang complained.
After a moment, he asked, "Has anyone gotten any equipment drops? Have them hand it over so I can get geared up. I want to hit the level 2 area as soon as possible. I'm already sick of these rabbits."
"None of us have gotten any equipment yet. The drop rate is ridiculously low. With all of us, we haven't seen a single piece of gear. Even the auction house has nothing listed," one player responded.
"Damn," Young Master Huang cursed. "Keep an eye on the auction house. If any gear gets listed, buy it immediately."
"Understood."