I woke up and saw that it was 2 am. This was a good chance to go online and level up. The players online would be drowsy and there would be less people stealing monsters. I grabbed the helmet, connected to the internet and quickly went online.

Swoosh!

Inside of my grave was completely dark, devoid of light.

I clawed through the dirt and spat out the mud in my mouth. It appeared that I would have to buy a tent in the future. It’s not like I could sleep in the grave forever. We were not from the Ancient Tomb Sect, I would not encounter the Little Dragon Maiden[1]. Sleeping in a grave was for nothing.

I looked at the Heavenly Ranking. First was Wind Fantasy. He was already Level 28 and it seemed like he hadn’t gone offline in quite a while. Everyone under him, all the way to 259th place, was either 24 or 25. First-rate players were too close in levels.

No wonder. The players of the Delta Region were always full of heroes. From Lin Fan and Murong Shanshan of the Eternal Moon era, to Frivolous Scholar, Seven-star Lamp of the Spirit of Grief era, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region seemed to be the nursery of the gaming kings. Right now, the players of this region were all concentrated in the starting villages around Floating Ice City. It was easy to imagine that the rivalry between strongest guilds was probably most fierce in Floating Cloud City among all tier 2 cities.

I followed the path back to Frost Mound. My Satiety meter was at 54, a bit lacking. Maybe I should find something to eat first?

I considered it, but cut the divagations short. I’ll just go find Xinran. The little loli definitely has Oat Bread. It’s very hearty, like hardtack.

Along the way, I took care of some short-sighted skeletons and did not forget to use Death Plunder to absorb their undead sparks. Obviously, these skeletons only yielded useless ragged cloth.

Twenty minutes later, when I came to a patch of lush forest, I heard bell sounds by my ear. Yes, the little loli Xinran had appeared and was harvesting mushrooms here!

I walked quickly, charging out of the thicket, and saw Xinran sitting among the grass with two wild rabbits running around happily. As expected of the harmless loli. The two rabbits did not fear her at all. However, my Night Creature presence was so heavy that when I appeared, the two rabbits fled in a flash.

Xinran turned around and stood up in joy, saying, "Brother, you finally came!"

I walked forward and said with a smile, "Yes, did Xinran bring me bread?"

"Yes, I did, I did!"

Xinran took out a piece of light yellow bread from her pocket that still carried the young girl's temperature. I consumed it and my stamina immediately skyrocketed. Oh yes, this is enough for me to fight for twelve hours.

After eating the bread, I looked down. Xinran was still looking at me, her clear perfect eyes like black opals.

"Is there something wrong, Xinran?"

"Yes!"

She nodded and pointed toward the south. "Brother, I saw a scary old grandpa there. He seems to be injured!"

"Oh?"

My eyes lit up. The NPC was giving me directions? It had to be a quest. Haha, there was work to do!

"Will Xinran accompany me there to look?" I asked.

"No, I have to return home, Mother is waiting..."

"Oh, then hurry home Xinran!"

"Yes."

The young loli walked away, gently trodding across the grass, leaving me with a sight of her perfect back.

Holding the green blade, I opened the main map and walked south. A short time later, a smelly wind suddenly came. Accompanied by the sound of roars, an enormous black shadow leapt at me!

This was a black bear, its eyes blood-red, its mouth wide open as it swiped with its terrifying claws.

Forest Wild Bear (Common)

Level: 28

A Level 28 creature ready to be killed!

Clutching my Forest Green Blade I injected it with undead energy. At Rank 1, Undead Energy skill offered a boost of 5% to damage against living targets. Because I had been killing skeletons around Frost Mound all this time, this skill was practically benched. I could finally put it to good use against this bear!

Crack!

The sword edge flashed past the wild bear's eyes. Blood flew, and the first slash caused critical damage—271!

"Ha, my attack power is pretty good!"

As I smiled proudly, the wild bear leapt, raising its paws and slapping my shoulder. I immediately felt a burning pain. A shocking damage number flew up—154!

Damn, my total HP was only 410. I would be killed in three attacks like this!

I quickly dodged. Through this one exchange, I could see that the wild bear's attack speed was slow, but its attack power was high. Its turn rate was also bad. The so-called turn rate was a kind of Agility substat. In simpler words, it was how fast one could turn!

I slid on my feet, and immediately came to the side of the wild bear. I struck a vicious blow. By the time the bear turned around, I was already behind its back. Another blow. Sword risen high, Slayer Slash smashed downward!

564!

Great, a critical strike!

Ding~!

System Notice: Congratulations, your skill Slayer Slash has reached Rank 2. Your damage to opponents has increased to 115%, and the hit rate is lowered by 15%!

I couldn't help but laugh. "Haha, my skill ranked up!"

As the Forest Wild Bear fell down, there was another ding—

System Notice: Congratulations, your talent skill Undead Energy has reached Rank 2. You now deal additional 10% damage to all living targets!

Ha, another one!

I looked at the proficiencies of the two skills: Slayer Slash (0/2000), Undead Energy (0/2000). It appeared that I could no longer raise its proficiency. A Level 20 player could only grind skills to Rank 2. In order to reach skills’ Rank 10, I would need to be at least Level 100!

The higher the skill’s rank, the stronger its effects. This increase provided substantial advantage. It was especially so for offensive skills such as Slayer Slash. At Rank 10, it would increase my damage by 55%. It would be extremely powerful!

As the wild bear fell down, I sank down, spreading my fingers to use Death Plunder. In the next moment—

Ding~!

System Notice: You have plundered Bear Skin (Quality 7)!

Bear Skin (Quality 7): Rank 2 material. Requires Rank 2 Tailoring.

A thick furry skin appeared in my hand. This was something tailor players would need. It was a high-level material, so I stored it away. I’ll go to Floating Ice City and sell it when I have the time.

Usually, monsters would drop materials, but the drop rate was not high, about 2% or so. My Death Plunder skill was extremely powerful. If the monster didn’t drop me something, I could just plunder it. It was a huge advantage in the early stage of the game!

I continued to walk forward. More wild bears appeared in the forest ahead. This was an unpopulated part of the forest. Floating Ice City players would need to travel at least an hour to get here, and ordinary players were not willing to spend so much time running to a grinding spot. It was just not worth it.

I looked at the map and understood—Wild Forest. This was the gathering place of wild bears.

After a few steps, a low groan suddenly sounded by my ear. Found it!

I took a few quick steps and found an old person leaning against a tree, his chest injured and his clothing stained with blood. He had clearly been attacked by a wild beast. Lying next to him were a bow, a bamboo basket and a spear. From his attire and equipment, he was clearly a hunter.

"These damned bears, cursed..."

The old man groaned. I went forward and said seriously, "Senior, is there something I can help you with?"

My appearance gave the old man a fright. He said in a panic, "You... are you a Night Creature?"

My heart jumped. Night Creatures and humans belonged to different factions. After learning that I was a Night Creature, would he still give me a quest?

Therefore, I steeled my heart and started to talk relentlessly as I complained, "Oh, don’t even get me started. I originally lived around Floating Ice City, my family had a house and their own fields, but the nobility was so unreasonable and drove me from my home. I wandered to the graveyard and was bitten by a Night Creature. In reality, I am still an innocent youth..."

My exaggerated sorrowful story turned the old man teary-eyed. He patted my shoulder and said sincerely, "Good child, no matter if you are a Night Creature or a human, as long as you have a conscience, you are a good person. Do not worry, the Silver Moon Alliance will save you!"

I nodded and said, "Old man, what happened to you?"

"Oh, don’t even get me started!" The old man sighed and lamented, "I am the only hunter of the village. Originally, I wanted to come here and hunt some mountain pheasants to make some dried meat for the village to pass the winter. I had not expected so many wild bears to be gathered here. You’ve also seen them. I’ve been fighting them for three days, I’m afraid I’m going to die."

I shook my head and smiled. "Old man, you don’t need to worry. I will help you out of this forest!"

"Really?" The old man's eyes lit up and he said, "Good, young one. If you help me out of here, I will give you a reward beyond your imagination!"

"Ah, you are too polite, we are... did you say reward?"

The old man stopped and said, "I am the best hunter within a hundred miles here, and also the best chef. Any food in my hands will become the most delicious thing in the world. If you help me out of here, I will pass two skills on to you—foraging and cooking!"

……

In a flash, my heart burst with joy!

Before Heavenblessed was formally open, I had studied all the secondary professions. Foraging allowed one to gather all kinds of ingredients, and cooking could turn them into food. Both of these professions were perfectly synergized. However, the game only allowed players to study one secondary profession. This quest really was the greatest of dogshit luck!

Alright, I don’t have Thirteen's luck with women, but I at least have this dogshit luck.

I smiled and said, "Old man, how can I help you?"

The old man nodded. "My stamina is too low, and I need an exquisite meal to recover. Go kill those bears and gather 20 Wild Bear Hearts for me!"

Ding~!

System Notice: You've received the quest [Wild Bear Heart]! (Quest Rank: E)

Description: Help the Hunter Yellowfire recover from his injuries. Kill 200 Wild Bears and gather 20 Wild Bear Hearts to give Yellowfire. You will be handsomely rewarded!

……

Standing up, I turned to walk into the forest and started killing monsters.

While the Forest Wild Bear had formidable attack power, I had huge advantage in both speed and maneuverability. Players’ turn rate came 50% from Agility stat and 50% from their own skill and mechanics. My Agility wasn’t high, but my combat experience was top-tier.

After killing seven bears in a row, I finally got one of the Wild Bear Hearts needed for the quest. It was crimson-red and seemed to be beating still. On top of that, I found five Rank 2 Bear Skins. They seemed to have a high drop rate. I was getting one with almost each Death Plunder.

I wandered through the forest alone. These days, I’ve grown accustomed to leveling up alone, so I felt quite good.

In the blink of an eye, more than three hours had passed. I had killed over 300 Forest Wild Bears and gathered 250 Bear Skins. However, I still lacked one Wild Bear Heart.

Pfft!

The blood red hue of Undead Energy enveloped the green gleam of Slayer Slash as my sharp sword cut into Forest Wild Bear’s neck!

327!

An attack enhanced with two skills was really strong to have killed this bear in a single attack. With a plop, bright red Wild Bear Heart fell to the ground, along with yet another Bear Skin. Done!

I inspected my individual situation. I was just a thread away from Level 25. I had used up nearly all my potions, and my equipment was terribly worn. My Forest Green Blade was about to break. However, I had made fat gains. The Forest Wild Bears had dropped 3 Big Magic Stones and 9 Small Magic Stones. They almost filled my 40-slot bag. This drop rate really was high.

1. Xiaolongnü