Chapter Two: The Novice Village

With the helmet on, the introductory cutscene was instantly skipped, leaving only the backdrop of "Second World" and a large countdown in the center of the screen. Time ticked by, and I sat there, eyes fixed. I knew that now, all over the globe, at least tens of millions of people were probably staring at the same countdown as I was. In online game novels, there are always rewards for the first few players to enter the game—legendary items and such. Who knew if I might get lucky, or if anything like that even existed here?

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

...

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

The screen flickered and switched straight to the game interface. The system prompt appeared: "Please create your character!"

"Please enter your in-game nickname!" the system prompted again.

I said, "Broken Spear in the Sand."

"Sorry, that name is already taken!"

"Heartless Tears."

"Sorry, that name is already taken!"

"It's Really Not My Fault."

"Sorry, that name is already taken!"

"Naming is Difficult."

"Sorry, that name is already taken!"

Naming really was troublesome, so I blurted out, "Mighty Dragon."

"Nickname accepted. Now scanning facial contours. You may beautify or uglify your features by up to 30%. Would you like to make adjustments?"

"Finally done," I breathed a sigh of relief.

I looked at the young man opposite me—he looked exactly like me. At this rate, anyone who knew me would recognize me immediately. Deciding it was better to be discreet, I tweaked my appearance slightly. "Uglify by five percent." Low-profile is the way to go.

"Congratulations, your account has been created. Would you like to enter the game now?"

I immediately clicked to enter. The screen shifted, and I found myself standing in a dilapidated village.

"Ding~!" The system notified me:

"You are the 123,456th player to enter the game!"

That’s an easy number to remember. Another prompt quickly followed: "Ding~! Greetings, esteemed player. According to the rules, anyone entering before midnight today has a chance to draw a prize. Would you like to proceed?"

"Start," I replied—only a fool would refuse.

A spinning wheel appeared and began to turn. After a minute, it stopped on the symbol for "skill." The system prompt chimed: "Ding~! Congratulations, esteemed player, you have acquired the innate skill: Diligent Cultivation."

"What the heck?"

I opened the skill menu and checked the details. Innate Skill—Diligent Cultivation: For every ten levels you gain, you receive additional attribute points.

Interesting. Well, better to have something than nothing. Time to really start playing.

A few seconds later, I opened the map. "Welcome to the game. You are in Novice Village No. 110." That number was amusing. I glanced at the village name—Idiot Village. Seriously? What a ridiculous name! Are they treating me like a fool? As I grumbled, waves of players poured out from the village center. Clearly, this was when a mass influx was happening.

I checked my character stats:

ID: Mighty Dragon
Class: Novice
Level: 1
HP: 100
MP: 50
Attack: 2
Defense: 1
Reputation: 0
Luck: 0

A complete rookie’s stats. No use worrying about that—better get to leveling. First, I needed to find an NPC for a quest.

Just then, an old man approached and said, "Greetings, adventurer. I am the chief of this village. Our village may have an unfortunate name, but don’t let that bother you."

As if I could ignore it. I said, "Is there anything I can help with?"

The chief laughed, "Adventurer, you’re in a hurry! Let me introduce the surroundings first, then you can help me."

"Alright," I replied.

He continued, "Outside our village is a shadowy forest, the best training ground for novice adventurers. You can also help the villagers with their problems."

I asked, "Chief, is there anything I should watch out for? How do I get to the main city? How do I become stronger?"

He replied, "When you reach level 10 and complete your final training, I can use the village’s teleportation array to send you to the sanctuary, where you’ll choose your class and embark on your adventure. But honestly, the chance for someone from Idiot Village to become a real powerhouse is slim. I just hope your luck will be better. For now, explore and get familiar with your surroundings. Also, money is vital in this world—you need it for everything. At the start, focus on making money, young man."

I was surprised. "Make money? How? I need it for food, for potions—without money, I can’t do anything."

The chief laughed heartily, "Exactly, without money, you can’t get anywhere… Good equipment costs money, learning powerful skills costs money, even a comfortable place to sleep costs money. If you’re broke, you’ll have a hard time surviving. As for ways to earn, there are plenty. You can extract monster cores to sell, gather materials from monsters, sell dropped equipment—which is quite profitable—or take on tasks for commissions. If you're lucky, you might stumble upon treasure and gain even more wealth and items. In short, you’ll get used to it."

"In other words, at the start, your job is to make money and grow stronger, because the world out there is terrifying. You’ll face challenges from other adventurers and terrifying monsters. By the time you want to cry, it’ll be too late. Most importantly, if when other regions produce strong adventurers, you’re still weak, you’ll only be waiting for death and expulsion from this world. This is a race against time—whoever becomes strongest fastest may stand at the top and be revered by all."

I asked, "Alright, but what do you mean by ‘becoming stronger’?"

The chief answered, "Before level 30, there’s little difference between adventurers, but after that, the gaps become apparent. Work hard, young man." He stroked his beard and smiled. "You’re almost there. Remember my words—explore the village first, get familiar with the place, it’ll help you. Then, make money, advance your class, and form your own team. That way, you can gather powerful allies and lay the foundation for future sieges, and take on big quests with rich rewards. Accepting quests is the most reliable way to develop early on. Of course, some people throw themselves into monster hordes to grind, but that’s a foolish method. You need wits, talent, and understanding. With great insight, you could awaken a divine ability in a single day; without it, you might remain ordinary forever. Haha! Young man, I hope to witness a miracle from you. Idiot Village has produced too few powerful adventurers; it’s been silent too long, far too long…"

He let out a deep sigh.

I said, "I will! Even if the name is terrible, I’ll create a miracle for you."

He laughed, "Hahaha, ambitious lad! I have high hopes for you. Here’s your first quest—I hope you complete it splendidly."

"I will!" I promised.

He said, "Well, field mice have been appearing in the fields outside the village, ruining our hard-earned crops. Please help us get rid of them. It should be simple enough for you."

"Consider it done."

"Ding~! Would you like to accept the quest: Eliminate the Field Mice?"

"Accept."

The chief nodded, and I turned to leave, but he called out, "Hold on, young man! You’re in a hurry, but what can you do empty-handed?"

I looked down—I really didn’t have any weapons. I just smiled. The chief continued, "Go to the weapon shop and find Uncle Li. He’ll give you what you need."

Without delay, I hurried to the weapon shop.

Inside, a burly, bare-chested man greeted me, "You’re a new adventurer, aren’t you? Haha, I hope you’ll create some miracles. Tell me what you need. I’ll provide each of you newcomers with two pieces of suitable equipment. So, what weapon and armor do you want?"

"I’ll take a sword and a shield," I said.

"Alright." He handed me a one-handed sword and a small round shield. I checked their stats:

Ordinary Iron Sword
Grade: Common
Attack +5
Sharpness: F
Required Level: 0

Small Round Shield
Grade: Common
Defense +3
Required Level: 0

Armed with my new gear, I set out of the village to start exterminating mice.