Hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed in John's eyes.
He quickly went to the wooden box in the corner of the house and opened his inventory, facing the wall.
"Congratulations on obtaining the exquisite gear [Hermes Dice]. Would you like to equip it?"
"Open the [Hermes Dice] item panel..."
"Opening the panel... The effect of the [Hermes Dice] item is to randomly roll a die before each attack. If the roll is between one and five, the damage is reduced to one point. If the die roll is six, it inflicts six times the damage, up to a maximum of 2000 points of magic damage."
John was momentarily stunned.
Not out of disappointment, but excitement!
The probability of rolling a six is only one in six, but under the influence of the SSS talent [Kiss of LUCK], the probability is 100%!
For others, this accessory's effect would be very weak, as having an 80% chance of reducing damage to one is practically a debuff.
But for John, this was the perfect gear, tailor-made for him!
"Equip," John said immediately.
If there was any flaw in this gear, it would be that the dice were only exquisite-tier, meaning they would only be useful in the early game.
But that makes sense, as an early-game item that could help in the early stages and still be useful in endgame dungeons would be overpowered and inevitably fought over by various factions.
The game had just launched, so it was best to remain low-key.
After equipping [Hermes Dice], John immediately opened his own panel.
[Name]: John
[Stamina]: 8
[Attack]:9
[Wisdom]:15
[Agility]:11
[Magic Affinity]:12
[LUCK]:111
The numbers made John feel faint. Putting aside LUCK, John's stats were dismal, with none exceeding 20 points and a pitiful Attack of just 9.
Even the weakest slimes had an Attack of 10!
In the previous world, when the game first launched, the weakest player's average stat was at least 20!
It's safe to say that John is not only one of the earliest players to enter [Apocalypse] in this world, but also the weakest.
Yet, John had no complaints.
Other stats could grow over time, but LUCK was almost unchangeable.
Life is a marathon, and in the end, who wins isn't certain!
With that thought, John took a deep breath, calming himself down.
He fastened his iron dagger, a starting weapon, to his belt and walked out the door, heading to the fields.
…
Since this was a beginner-level quest, the difficulty wouldn't be too high.
Even if he couldn't slay the bloodwolf, driving it away would still grant him the quest reward.
However, John remembered that slaying the bloodwolf had a chance to yield the [Detox Clover] pendant, a common item found in its belly.
This pendant was one of the few early-game accessories that could enhance the player's healing speed.
In the early stages of exploration, an accessory with an affix is quite valuable. Even if John couldn't use it himself, he could sell it in the auction house for a good price.
With this thought, John quickened his pace, and in less than ten minutes, he reached the area near the fields.
It was early spring, and the land had finally recovered from the harsh winter. This should have been the planting season, but there wasn't a soul in sight near the fields.
"This should be the place..."
The beginner guide hadn't been completed yet, so many tools hadn't been unlocked.
Even though John had two years of experience, without the proper tools, he could only lie on the ground, observing tracks and determining the direction of the bloodwolf's movements.
"Here's some fresh bloodwolf dung... ugh, still warm and smells awful!"
John frowned, his left hand touching the iron dagger at his waist, and he gradually steadied his breathing.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he spotted a bloodwolf, about two meters long and nearly ninety centimeters tall, from a distance.
The beast was warily scanning its surroundings while gnawing on a rabbit it had found, the sound of bones cracking in its jaws.
The Level 1 bloodwolf's HP hovered around 30 points, which, given John's current [Attack], would require at least 4-5 attacks.
But with the [Hermes Dice], everything was different!
As long as the dagger hit the bloodwolf, the dice would automatically roll.
If it showed a 6, John's [Wisdom] would be multiplied sixfold, yielding up to 90 points of magic damage.
90 points of magic damage would be enough to instantly kill any enemy encountered in the early game!
As for the attack method, it couldn't be simpler.
If getting close wasn't an option, he didn't need to get close.
Before the bloodwolf could spot him, John suddenly threw the iron dagger, striking the bloodwolf precisely in the waist and abdomen.
The shadow of the dice showing 6 appeared before John's eyes, and 90 points of magic damage instantly drained the bloodwolf's HP.
Before it could whimper, the bloodwolf fell limply to the ground, no longer struggling.
A clean hit!
"Easy." John walked forward at a steady pace, pulled out the iron dagger, and cut open the bloodwolf's belly.
He didn't care about the warm, slimy sensation or the pungent stench.
He carefully searched the bloodwolf's stomach.
After practically turning the entire stomach inside out, John finally felt a coin-sized solid object, its surface cool to the touch.
After wiping off the blood and taking a closer look, it was indeed the [Detox Clover] pendant.
[Host obtained Detox Clover pendant, quality: common]
[Ding! Due to talent determination, it has been upgraded to a Rare Detox Clover pendant!]
[Rare Detox Clover Pendant: Wearing it allows the player to continuously regenerate 1% of their maximum HP.]
"1% of maximum HP, with no condition limitations. Even in battle, if avoid damage for two minutes, One can fully recover his HP. This is a real treasure," John thought to himself.
[Ding! Congratulations, player, for obtaining the first rare item in the server. You've earned a random Store redemption opportunity. Do you want to use it?]
[Ding! The player's level is too low. The Store has not yet been unlocked, and the redemption opportunity will remain available until the Store is activated.]
Something this good?
John was very surprised, but for now, the most important thing was to deliver the quest.
With that, the beginner guide quest was complete.
Hanging the pendant around his neck, John glanced at the bloodwolf's corpse and, after some hesitation, hoisted it onto his shoulder, ready to return to the village.
On the way back, John encountered a few unfamiliar faces.
It was clear without a second thought that more players were continuously entering this world.
After all, their bewildered expressions were practically a sign announcing to others that they were fresh newcomers.
In the past, John would have eagerly gone up to greet them, but now, not so much.
Friendships and bonds weren't as real as the heavy prey on his shoulder.
...
"Uh... what's going on?"
Under the locust tree in the village, a delicate figure hugged her knees, cautious and still unable to fully recover from the shock of the seven-day disaster. She looked around this unfamiliar world, utterly bewildered.
In a daze, she heard a strange voice in her head. Almost unconsciously, she nodded, and by chance, she entered this world. Everything around her filled her with fear.
As thoughts swirled in her mind, a commotion seemed to rise nearby. She followed the sound and immediately noticed John pushing through the crowd, carrying the corpse of a monster on his shoulder, drenched in blood.
The sight was so shocking that she momentarily forgot to breathe. It wasn't until John approached closer that she anxiously lowered her head, afraid of being noticed.
"He... he must be a player too, right? He's so strong, taking down such a huge monster on his own. Can I be like him?" She hesitated, holding a dagger in both hands.
...
"Village Chief Haren, are you home?"
After struggling to squeeze out of the crowded Beginner's Square, John knocked on the village chief's door. After waiting a moment, the wooden door creaked open, the sound making one's teeth ache.
"John, my boy! I didn't expect you to really do it. Thank you on behalf of the villagers. Now, we can finally start planting! Here's your reward!"
"This is my duty. I don't really need a reward, Chief."
"Take it, son. You earned it. You're the bravest young man in our village. A small village like this is certainly not the end of your journey. I'm looking forward to the day when your name is known throughout Mount Olympus. That day won't be too far off."
"Thank you, Chief."
John nodded slightly, set down the bloodwolf's corpse, and accepted the pouch handed to him by the village chief, as notifications echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations! You've received a common bloodwolf bracer! Quality has been upgraded to exquisite!"
"Congratulations! You've received common bloodwolf boots! Quality has been upgraded to exquisite!"
"Congratulations! You've received a common bloodwolf vest! Quality has been upgraded to exquisite!"
"Congratulations! You've received 20 experience points! Based on system judgment, you've gained 2000 experience points, and your level has increased to 3!"
Although the three pieces of armor initially had low stats, even upgrading them to the exquisite tier didn't excite John much.
After all, compared to the Beginner's tunic he wore, the bloodwolf set provided only a slight increase in [Attack], [Stamina], and [Agility]. It was better than nothing.
John was far more interested in the experience points.
After all, only by reaching level 10 quickly could he unlock the class change quest and leave Adra Village for Calia City.
There, he could be the first to conquer the elite dungeon and claim the precious first-clear rewards!
...
Late night, at the fields
Blades flashed in the darkness, and bloodwolves fell one after another with a dull thud.
As he killed more bloodwolves, John became increasingly adept at throwing his dagger. Since every attack was a one-shot kill, no one else was alarmed.
[Ding! You've gained 200 Exp!]
[Congratulations, player 001 has reached Lv5. Do you want to unlock the Leaderboard feature?]
John opened the Leaderboard. Even though it was only the first night, someone had already reached level 7.
It seemed that aside from him, there were also some players with fortuitous encounters.
And, of course, there were also players backed by corporations. In the previous life, Rosewood Corporate had spent a fortune hiring an entire guild to help their young master level up. A whole guild surrounded monsters with just a sliver of HP left, allowing the young master to get the last hit. The sight was truly absurd.
"Don't unlock it yet," John said.
Accumulate patiently and remain low-key.
The bloody lessons from his previous life were still vivid. Arrogance only leads to ruin. John would remember this for the rest of his life.
[Ding! You've gained 800 Exp!]
[Congratulations, player 001 has reached level 10 and can start the class change quest. Would you like to start?]
"Not yet."
[Ding! You've gained 1,000 Exp!]
[Congratulations, player 001 has reached level 13 and can start the class change quest. Would you like to start?]
Looking at the leaderboard, where the top player was at level 7, John coldly replied, "Not yet."