Chapter Five: The Golden Recipe for Crispy Electric Eel Meat

Saint Gall City is a main city. Players who wish to level up can use the teleportation portals to travel to various villages and towns. However, these villages only allow players to reach level 10; beyond that, leveling must be done outside the main city.

Lu Yang ran back to the safe zone, which was now crowded with many players. New players continuously entered the game, and many were teleporting to different small towns to level up.

Using a teleport guide, Lu Yang arrived at Giant Town. The town’s name doesn’t come from the presence of actual giants but from its location at the border between plains and mountains. At sunset, the nearby tall mountains cast shadows resembling giants, hence the name.

When Lu Yang arrived, the level 1 to 2 wild monster area outside the town was already packed with players. The vast plain was densely crowded with people.

A level 1 horned deer had just spawned. Before it could lower its head to graze, six or seven long blades struck simultaneously, and with a “Yow~~” the deer died instantly on the green grass.

As everyone hurriedly glanced at their experience bars, one player suddenly leapt up excitedly, laughing heartily and proclaiming, “The experience is mine, all mine!”

Lu Yang chuckled softly, recalling the same scene from his past life. The developers of The Second World anticipated a large number of players, so each main city was equipped with 50 beginner villages. However, they didn’t expect the first day’s player count to reach ten million. Even with 50 beginner villages per city, each village had to accommodate 20,000 players.

When designing The Second World, to prevent players from easily reaching levels of 100 or 200, the experience system was meticulously calculated, making each level very difficult to achieve.

But experienced players know that a level 10 player can defeat a level 13 monster, while a level 0 player can barely handle level 1 monsters and struggle against level 2. Level 3 monsters are usually unbeatable unless players outnumber them.

The areas for level 1 and level 2 monsters are small. Most players crowd the level 1 wild monster zone, while a few high-level players venture into the level 2 zone, struggling to kill monsters by forming teams. Players are frustrated, and the developers are at a loss.

Yet, this difficulty only fuels players’ enthusiasm. The charm of the game lies here—in a relatively fair environment, those who invest more time, effort, and skill are naturally stronger.

In his previous life, Lu Yang was just like these players, struggling to compete for monsters in the crowd. But now, having been given a second chance at life, he no longer needed to do that.

He came to Giant Town because of a bug that allowed players to kill monsters beyond their level. But before hunting monsters, Lu Yang had one thing to do.

For a mage player, the greatest sorrow is poverty.

Why is that? Mostly because of potions. A skilled mage who dodges well doesn’t need too many health potions, but no matter how nimble, even the best mage runs out of mana.

To solve this problem, mages in the previous life tried everything. Eventually, a player discovered a secret: outside the beginner villages, there were strange individuals—not useless passersby but high-level NPCs who could teach special skills.

For example, the chef Bredman, who stands beneath a large tree by the moat outside Giant Town’s gate, is always asking for electric eel meat.

Many players accepted this quest but none could complete it because they searched the riverbed in vain. Later, someone found electric eels two kilometers upstream in a different river. After delivering the meat to Bredman, the chef rewarded that player with a golden-level cooking recipe.

Crispy Electric Eel Meat is a level 0 cooking item but of golden quality. When used, it restores 200 health and 350 mana within 30 seconds, and after 8 seconds of continuous use, grants a buff that increases intelligence by 5 and restores 8 mana every 5 seconds for one hour.

For mana-hungry early mages, this buff is extremely valuable, allowing them to slowly regenerate mana during battles and have a chance to defeat monsters with high health.

When word of this strategy spread, a frenzy erupted. Countless new players scrambled to complete the quest. Lu Yang remembered that in his past life, he was among those fighting for this mission.

Stepping out of Giant Town’s gate, two armored swordsmen stood on either side. Less than twenty meters ahead, under a large tree, Lu Yang saw the chef Bredman.

The plump middle-aged man anxiously rubbed his hands by the riverbank, fishing. Lu Yang approached and asked, “Sir, what are you doing?”

As if needing to confide, Bredman excitedly replied, “Oh, my beloved girlfriend is coming to meet me tomorrow and specifically requested my signature dish, Crispy Electric Eel Meat. But this cursed electric eel has vanished from the river! If someone could help me find the electric eel meat, I would teach them how to make the dish.”

Lu Yang smiled gently. “Don’t worry, sir. I’m an adventurer. Let me help you.”

Bredman clasped his hands happily. “Really? You can find the electric eel for me?”

Lu Yang picked up the fishing spear beside Bredman. “Of course. Stay here and don’t move. I will definitely come back.”

System notification: You have accepted Chef Bredman’s quest to find ten pieces of electric eel meat.

The game’s realism was impressive. Fish swim in the water, and Lu Yang’s basic fire spells couldn’t be used underwater. He had to rely on the fishing spear provided by the system.

After bidding farewell to Bredman, Lu Yang ran toward the river about two kilometers across the lake. Half an hour later, he discovered a river.

System notification: You have discovered the Rando River.

There had once been level 1 little fishmen by the riverbank, but they had long been slain by ravenous players.

Lu Yang approached beneath a small bridge at the river’s edge. Nearby players immediately grew tense, suspecting another monster hunter was trying to steal kills.

A warlock frowned and said, “Friend, move somewhere else. There are already too many people fighting here.”

Others voiced their displeasure. “Yeah, this spot is taken by us. Please find another place.”

Lu Yang glanced at them, sneered coldly, and without wasting words, jumped straight into the river beneath the bridge.

A gray bar appeared above his head, indicating the time he could stay underwater—about two minutes. Exceeding this time would result in instant death.

In his previous life, drowning was the most common cause of death. Many players, unaware of the danger, met their first demise this humiliating way.