Chapter Eight: Taking on a Monster Beyond One's Level

Xia Yuwei nodded and said, "This person is truly extraordinary. Despite the aura of a drawn sword, he possesses a remarkably composed demeanor. He will surely be an expert in the future. By the way, did he tell you how to obtain the electric eel meat?"

Lan Yu nodded.

"That's excellent. Let's return to the city immediately. Once we’ve shaken off the crowd, we will gather under the large tree south of the新手村 (Novice Village) to carry out the quest together and see if the method he provided is genuine." Fearing that other players might overhear, Xia Yuwei sent a private message to everyone.

The group nodded in agreement, with the sole exception of Zheng Yuan, who said indignantly, "I don't believe for a second that he would tell us the real method. There's no point in going."

The group, already preparing to leave, paused at Zheng Yuan's words. The players who had signed contracts looked awkwardly between Zheng Yuan and Xia Yuwei, unsure of whose lead to follow.

Xia Yuwei frowned, looking at Zheng Yuan with displeasure, and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

Seeing Xia Yuwei’s anger, Zheng Yuan dared not stir up more trouble. He hurriedly put on a forced smile and said, "I'm going, I'm going, aren't I?"

...

Lu Yang returned to the town and vanished into the throng. He exited through the north gate of Giant Town, following the crowd toward the area populated by level 5 monsters. With the electric eel meat, Lu Yang finally possessed the capability to slay level 5 wild monsters.

Of course, Lu Yang would not be foolish enough to engage level 5 monsters head-on. In the setting of "Second World," a monster's attributes increase significantly with every level gained. Normally, a level 0 player would face certain death against a level 3 monster, let alone a level 0 novice like Lu Yang trying to kill a level 5 creature.

However, Lu Yang had his own unique method. He ran along the main road of the Novice Village for over an hour until he reached the Silent Plains, the border area between level 2 and level 3 monsters. So far, only a small number of players had come here in groups to grind.

At a tent on the plains, Lu Yang found the shepherd, Flack, who was currently mired in remorse.

"Why, why didn't I tie it up properly? Oh, heavens, how will I live without it..."

Lu Yang approached Flack and asked, "Sir, you look troubled. Has something happened?"

"My lovely mare has been snatched away by a wild horse on the prairie. Who can help me retrieve her? She is my only mount," Flack said regretfully.

Lu Yang replied with sympathy, "While I would love to help you, I lack the tools."

Flack hurriedly handed a long lasso from his waist to Lu Yang, saying, "Honorable adventurer, I beg you, you must help me. This is the rope I use to catch horses."

"Rest assured, leave it to me."

System Prompt: You have accepted the shepherd's commission to find his lost mare.

You have obtained the shepherd's lasso.

Looking at the lasso in his hand, an expression of excitement appeared on Lu Yang's face. The item provided for this quest was actually a bug. In his past life, Lu Yang had read an article about the miraculous functions of various items in "Second World," and this lasso was among them.

At the border of the level 2 and level 3 monster zones stood a steep mountain that, under normal circumstances, players could not climb on their own.

In his previous life, a player had tracked the mare to the bottom of the cliff. While failing to catch the mare, the player accidentally hooked the lasso onto a protrusion on the cliff face.

Not expecting such an outcome, the bored player attempted to climb the rope and actually reached the summit. Upon reaching the top, they discovered that the other side of the mountain was a level 5 monster zone. Even more surprisingly, standing on the summit and attacking the level 5 wild bulls below did not count as an invalid attack.

Overjoyed, the player immediately began grinding using this bug. Although this player had entered the game three days later than others, they relied on this bug to quickly catch up to the top-tier players and break into the top ten of the level rankings.

Lu Yang jogged with the rope, carefully passing through the level 2 monster zone to the base of the cliff. He threw the rope upward, hooked a protruding rock, and climbed up. Upon reaching the summit, Lu Yang found the U-shaped terrain mentioned in the guide. Looking at the level 5 wild bulls roaming beneath the cliff, he could not help but feel thrilled.

The Temperamental Wild Bull was the highest physical-output monster at this level and the most capable of one-shotting players. Generally, unless a group included classes like Warriors or Knights, no one would bother fighting them.

Wild bulls could charge and preferred to travel in groups of three to five. When they encountered an enemy, they would charge simultaneously; Mages would be killed instantly, and Warriors with poor reflexes could not withstand the assault. Yet, Lu Yang could now solo-grind here by exploiting this bug.

Of course, the speed would be slower compared to attacking level 1 monsters, but killing monsters above one's level granted an experience bonus. Lu Yang’s leveling speed killing level 5 monsters would definitely be faster—much faster—than competing with countless players for level 1 monsters outside.

Targeting a robust wild bull, Lu Yang decisively began channeling Fireball.

[Fireball]
Type: Fire Spell
Cost: 12 Mana
Cast Time: 3 seconds
Range: 30 yards
Description: Launches a scorching fireball at the target, dealing 14-22 fire damage.

In the game, one point of intelligence equals one point of spell damage. Since Lu Yang had 10 points of base intelligence, 10 points from the Heart of the Demon God, and a 5-point intelligence bonus from the Crispy Electric Eel Meat, his total spell damage was 25. Thus, his Fireball dealt 39-47 actual damage.

Three seconds later, a fireball formed in Lu Yang's hand and struck the nearest bull, depleting 42 of its health points.

The wild bull, which had been grazing, suddenly shrieked in pain from the Fireball attack. It whipped its head around, glaring at Lu Yang with blood-red eyes.

The surrounding bulls were awakened by the shriek, and one by one, their eyes turned blood-red as they fixed their gaze on Lu Yang. Then, six or seven bulls charged at him simultaneously.

If this were on flat ground, a player with weak nerves would likely be trampled before they could even attempt to defend or dodge. However, Lu Yang was not worried.

With a loud thud, all six or seven bulls slammed into the wall below the cliff and were knocked back. The bulls had low intelligence; seeing they could not charge at Lu Yang, they could only pace back and forth below the cliff in frustration, helpless.

A level 5 wild bull had 580 health points. Lu Yang cast 15 Fireballs in succession to kill it in the valley.

System: You have killed a Wild Bull and gained 75 experience points (including 25 points for killing a monster above your level).

The experience required to go from level 0 to 1 was 5,000 points. Lu Yang calculated that at 75 points per bull and an average of 45 seconds to kill one, including recovery time, he could reach level 1 in about two hours. This was several times faster than the four-plus hours required for a normal player.

Especially while the majority of players were struggling to compete for monsters in the level 1 or 2 areas, Lu Yang could grind in the level 5 zone without a scratch. Just thinking about it felt exhilarating.

While Lu Yang was leveling up rapidly, Lan Yu led Xia Yuwei and the other members of the Cold Ice Studio to the bridge over the large river that Lu Yang had mentioned.

Lan Yu said, "It's right here."

Xia Yuwei gestured and said, "Two of you, go down and see if there are any electric eels."

The group nodded, and two players hired by the studio immediately dove into the river to search.

On the riverbank, Zheng Yuan could no longer contain his spoiled-rich-kid temper. He said jealously, "I don't think there's any chance of finding them at the bottom of this river. That guy must have been lying to us. Just you wait, next time I run into him, I'll be sure to teach him a lesson."

Neither Xia Yuwei, Lan Yu, nor the others paid any heed to Zheng Yuan. Just as he continued his incessant chatter, one of the studio members poked their head out of the water, holding an electric eel, and shouted excitedly, "Found it! There really are electric eels at the bottom of the river!"

Zheng Yuan stood frozen in place, looking utterly embarrassed.