With the support of his Animal Husbandry skill, Jake quickly took care of the chicks, ducks, and fish fry. After handling the seeds and young animals, Jake realized that there was still a lot of empty space in the back of the mountain. It seemed that he needed to earn more money to buy more seeds and young animals.
"Speaking of which, I haven't explored this whole area yet. I don't have time today, but I'll come back tomorrow and take a good look. After all, this will be my future logistical base," Jake murmured to himself, looking around.
The area behind the mountain was quite large, several times the size of the entire village. It not only had open land for planting but also hills. Near the hills, there was a forest. According to the old village chief, the forest was even larger than the small forest near the village, and few people from the village had ventured through it. Nobody knew what was inside. This sparked Jake's desire for exploration, and he planned to thoroughly investigate it.
Soon, the time for Jake to stay here came to an end, and in an instant, he returned to his rental room. Jake didn't miss his morning workout routine. After freshening up, he headed to the Princeton University campus field. There were noticeably more people on the field today. However, among the crowd, Jake unsurprisingly spotted Wendy's figure. Even in the midst of the crowd, she stood out as the most dazzling one with her outstanding appearance and elegant demeanor, like a crane among a flock of chickens.
While warming up, Wendy slowly passed by Jake. He hesitated for a moment and greeted her, "Good morning."
Originally, Jake didn't expect a response from her since many people would try to strike up a conversation with Wendy, but she never responded to anyone and seemed lacking in communication. Unexpectedly, after Jake spoke, Wendy replied with a "Good morning" but didn't stop and continued running away.
Jake was certain that Wendy's "Good morning" was directed at him and not someone else. However, Wendy remained as aloof as ever. Although she responded, she showed no intention of stopping. Jake smiled in place and didn't mind. He then started running as well.
When Jake was about to finish his workout, a basketball suddenly flew from the basketball court. It was about to hit a girl who was sitting and resting next to the playground. Jake happened to pass by and quickly ran a few steps, reaching out to catch the basketball.
The field and basketball court were adjacent, separated by a two-meter-high wire fence. "Hey, toss the ball over here," shouted a tall boy in basketball attire from the other side of the wire fence.
"You almost hit someone with your ball. Shouldn't you apologize first?" Jake frowned. The boy glanced at the girl sitting nearby and nonchalantly replied, "But it didn't hit her, so why should I apologize? Besides, even if it did hit her, it would be an accident. She shouldn't sit there without knowing that this area is close to the basketball court, and basketballs can fly over here anytime." The girl stood up, glanced at the basketball in Jake's hand, then at the tall boy, and sadly left.
"See, the person involved didn't say anything. Mind your own business and toss the ball over," the tall boy seemed a bit impatient.
"Do you want it? Here you go!" Jake tossed the ball up and down in his hand a few times before casually throwing it over. The tall boy didn't pay much attention and reached out to catch it. However, he underestimated the force with which Jake threw the ball. He wasn't prepared and felt a soreness in his arm, as if he had sprained his wrist.
"You did it on purpose!" The tall boy massaged his wrist while angrily staring at Jake.
"Didn't you ask me to throw it over?" Jake said calmly. Indeed, Jake had thrown it on purpose. After all, he was now at Level 2 with two points in Strength, plus the additional two points from the Flowing Cloud Boots. Currently, he had a total of four points in Strength.
However, in reality, the average person's strength is usually represented by a single point. It's just like when Jake first entered that world, where someone with slightly greater strength might reach the level of two points, and very few can reach three points of strength. In other words, in terms of pure strength, Jake has already surpassed most people in reality. When Jake exerted his full strength, the tall boy was unprepared and naturally suffered .
"If you have the guts, let's have a one-on-one match!" the tall boy said angrily. After suffering a hidden loss, he wanted to regain his reputation, and basketball was his strong suit. Naturally, he wanted to use basketball to save face. His idea was good; he believed Jake wouldn't dare to accept, giving him an opportunity to mock Jake and regain his own pride.
"If you dare not..." the tall boy said triumphantly.
"I accept," Jake interrupted the tall boy's words and directly agreed. This left the tall boy at a loss for words, his face turning red with frustration.
Could Jake also be skilled at basketball? The tall boy was somewhat puzzled. However, he thought about it and realized that he was the main player in their college, and he knew players from other colleges and even the school team. He didn't recall anyone named Jake.
"This kid probably just casually plays basketball sometimes, thinking that because he has more strength, he can win against me. How foolish," the tall boy thought to himself.
At this moment, Jake had already entered the basketball court through a nearby door. "You go first, or should I?" Jake asked the tall boy, his face showing no trace of panic.
At this point, the tall boy's several companions stopped and stood on the sidelines, watching the two of them.Apparently it's about giving the basketball court to the two of them. Even some people passing by who saw someone having a one-on-one match gathered around to watch.
"I'll attack, and you defend! Three shots each!" the tall boy said.
"No problem," Jake replied. The tall boy stood in front of Jake, dribbling the ball, his gaze fixed on Jake, seemingly considering which side to break through. Jake didn't assume a defensive posture; he just stood there casually, appearing relaxed, more like a spectator than someone ready to defend.
"He really is a rookie!" Seeing Jake's posture, the tall boy became even more disdainful. Subsequently, the tall boy dribbled the ball forward. When he approached Jake, he still didn't see any reaction from him. The tall boy sneered inwardly and prepared to pass by Jake's left side.
Passed! The tall boy effortlessly passed by Jake, but before he could even crack a smile on his face, he realized something was off. He had passed through, but the ball hadn't!