Chapter 36: Slaughter the Trolls

As Lu Yang took the scroll from Bissel’s hand, he found it difficult to steady his racing heart. He vividly remembered the spectacle from his past life, where hundreds of millions of players were trapped before the entrance of the Venomous Snake Valley dungeon, unable to progress.

Given the difficulty level of dungeons in "Second World," it was absolutely impossible to defeat the monsters inside a level 10 dungeon without level 5 to 8 gear.

Just as the entire server's player base was gripped by anxiety, some players suddenly began selling anti-venom potions at the auction house. Excited players rushed to purchase them, driving the price of a single bottle up to 5 silver coins. Even then, demand continued to outstrip supply.

"Brother, you have truly given me a great gift," Lu Yang said.

Bissel replied nonchalantly, "It is merely a small token. Compared to my life, it is nothing."

Setar added, "We have not only brought you a small gift, but we would also like to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Lu Yang asked.

Setar did not answer immediately, instead bowing slightly toward Bissel.

Bissel retrieved a formal appointment document from a goblin standing behind him and said to Lu Yang with visible anger, "Those damned trolls have dared to attack our Venture Company and even sought to take my life. I want them to pay the price. I hope you will accept my commission to wipe out those cursed trolls."

Lu Yang took the commission document, which read:

Venture Company Commission
Wipe Out the Trolls: The damned trolls have dared to attack the Venture Company's caravan. To teach them a lesson and serve as a warning to other tribes, the Venture Company commissions Mr. Lu Yang to travel to the troll encampment and slay all remaining trolls. Use the bone chains worn around the trolls' necks as proof. For every troll killed, the Venture Company is willing to pay Mr. Lu Yang 20 copper coins as a reward.

Lu Yang did a quick calculation. The troll camp respawned approximately 100 trolls at a time. A single clear would net him 2,000 copper coins—or 20 silver coins. This was a rather lucrative deal, and he could use the funds to purchase materials for crafting anti-venom potions.

"I accept this commission." Lu Yang signed the document and returned it to Bissel.

"That is wonderful, brother. I knew you would accept my request," Bissel said happily.

***

Lu Yang checked the time and realized he had been delayed at the goblin camp for quite a while. For some reason, thoughts of Liu Jie from his past life surfaced, and he felt a sudden sense of urgency.

"Brother, I am heading to the troll encampment now. Wait for my good news," Lu Yang said.

"Very well. The caravan has no outgoing missions for the time being. If you need to find me, I will be in the Chamber of Commerce hall on the east side of the camp," Bissel replied.

Lu Yang nodded, bid farewell to Bissel, and went to the river to cook another 200 servings of Crispy Electric Eel. He then ran to the troll camp, locked onto a target, and began chanting the incantation for Fireball.

The goblins also had a 15-minute respawn timer, but these monsters were quite difficult to handle. Every time Lu Yang attacked, he had to carefully dodge the spears they hurled; a single failed dodge would result in his death.

In truth, this leveling speed and hunting method were far inferior to the spot he had arranged for his subordinate, Xiao Liang. Moreover, having already received the goblin commission, he could have waited until level 10 to complete this task.

By then, Lu Yang would have his gear ready and could assemble a team to split the loot. Since other players wouldn't have the commission document, they wouldn't be able to collect the troll bone chains, effectively allowing Lu Yang to hire them as free labor to gather the items for him.

However, Lu Yang chose not to do that. On one hand, he wanted to hone his own technical skills; on the other, he did not want to miss any opportunity to accumulate an advantage.

Since the exchange between game currency and real-world currency had not yet opened, players had almost no money. Even killing just 100 trolls for 20 silver coins was a significant sum in the game, enough to do many things. Furthermore, Lu Yang’s goal was not just to kill 100 trolls. At this current stage, this was the limit of the high-level monsters he could challenge; without better gear, skills, or special items, he wouldn't be able to tackle even tougher enemies later.

After an hour of continuous fighting, Lu Yang felt a hint of exhaustion. Seeing the night deepening, he found a safe spot to rest. Staying focused enough to dodge troll spears for long periods was not easy, especially at night.

He opened his friends list and tapped the call button for Xiao Liang.

"Brother, how are things on your end?"

At the bugged spot in the Orc Cave hall, Xiao Liang was still using the Snake Venom Bead to mass-farm orcs.

"Boss, this spot is incredible! I’m almost level 7," Xiao Liang said happily.

Lu Yang’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected Xiao Liang to level up so quickly. "Not bad, brother. That’s an impressive speed."

***

It was more than just impressive—the outside world was in chaos. A previously unknown player had suddenly surged into the top 10 of the level rankings, then proceeded to cut through the leaders of major guilds like Black Blood, Twilight, and Xiongba with unstoppable momentum. Within a single day, he had reached level 7, firmly securing the second spot on the leaderboard.

Players on the world channel were all discussing this. Many were envious, and even more were jealous. Some even went to the game company’s official site to report a bug, as leaders like Black Blood and Twilight had only just reached level 6 and a half. No one could figure out how this player named "Black-Armored Warrior" was leveling up.

"He must be using a hack," Zheng Yuan said indignantly from within the Rock Cave, having just returned to level 3 after dropping from level 2.

They had previously attempted a level 3 dungeon, died five times, and dropped back to 50% of level 2.

Zhang Zibo said, "That’s not necessarily true."

"What do you mean?" Xia Yuwei asked while fighting a monster.

"Did you notice? When the Black-Armored Warrior was leveling up rapidly, Lu Yang, who is ranked first, was also leveling up quickly. I suspect this Black-Armored Warrior knows Lu Yang, and the two of them are leveling together," Zhang Zibo theorized.

"Damn it, are those two out of their minds? It’s one thing that we can’t reach Lu Yang, but this Black-Armored Warrior has also blocked his friends list. Don't they know they could make a fortune selling their leveling methods?" Zheng Yuan cursed.

Xia Yuwei said, "There is nothing we can do; experts always have their quirks. Don't let this ruin your mood. Keep working hard to level up; our spot isn't bad either."

Zhang Zibo and the others nodded helplessly. Their only issue was a lack of equipment. If they had gear, they would have already reached level 4 by farming the endless small monsters in this cave full of level 1 and 2 creatures.

Lan Yu watched Xia Yuwei and the others discussing Lu Yang, feeling a strange sensation in her heart. It was an indescribable feeling, tinged with a touch of mystery and a flutter of excitement, as if she were secretly doing something wrong and was terrified of being found out.