James frantically searched for targets in the level 3 area. He discovered that his hit rate had reached 100%, meaning every strike landed perfectly, coupled with his attribute bonuses for extremely high efficiency.
While hunting for targets, he remained vigilant for any other players. Some liked to take unconventional paths, hoping to stumble upon treasure chests or other surprises.
Before long, James's body emanated a radiant glow - he leveled up!
It had taken him half an hour to reach level 1 from 0, practically killing one level 3 mob every half minute without competition in an area devoid of other players.
One could imagine just how hard leveling was in this game.
James assigned all 5 free attribute points from the level up into Strength, increasing his Attack Power by 5 to 32.
As James fought and pushed deeper, inevitably more players would venture inwards over time, potentially carrying quests obtained from intelligent NPCs.
James ran swiftly into the dense woods, his tall figure kicking up fallen leaves in his wake.
'Dammit, after killing so many mobs for so long, I hadn't obtained a single piece of equipment. 'James felt rather annoyed inwardly.
He knew the drop rates in [ Celestial Realm ] were extremely low and punishing. Even if equipment did drop, selling it to game merchants would fetch a terribly low price, far less profitable than selling to other players.
This was also a major reason why game currency was so valuable.
For now, he shouldn't think about anything else. His priority was to grind to level 10 for the class change quest and leave the newbie village. This 0-10 level range was just a transition period for players to adapt.
The real excitement began after the class change.
James arrived in the level 4 mob area. Unlike the level 3 mobs, the species here were capable of initiating attacks.
Moreover, species like wolves in this area, no matter how far away, would slowly approach as long as you were within the level 4 zone and in their line of sight. Often, while a player was engaged fighting one wolf, others would sneak up from behind unawares.
Normally, such mechanics only appeared in maps after the level 10 class change, not in newbie areas. But this place? The system had warned it wasn't suitable for beginners' development, so some rules not meant for newbie areas were present here.
From his previous life, James was well-adapted to the game's rules. His keen eyes scanned every direction like a cautious hunter.
He felt handling two wolves would be pushing it. If three or more appeared, he could only turn and run. Better to be careful - while death didn't incur experience loss in this transition period, having to run back would waste a lot of time.
Moreover...the more deaths, the longer the automatic respawn timer became.
James remembered in his past life, one player had to wait 2 whole days to automatically respawn after dying. Just how many deaths did it take to reach that point? During that time, no priest had resurrected him, and his corpse just laid on the beach for those 2 days.
It was simply too horrific, too inhumane.
The situation was different if a priestly healer used [ Resurrection ] on you - then you'd revive at your death location with minimal health, no respawn timer needed.
[ Grey Wolf-Level 4 ]
James spotted a wolf up ahead which had also noticed him, the two locking eyes coldly.
A level 4 [ Grey Wolf ], while James was level 1.
The [ Grey Wolf ] bared its fangs, letting out a low growl as it glared ferociously at James. Its appearance would absolutely terrify any regular player.
James gripped his newbie longsword calmly.
The [ Grey Wolf ] tensed, shifting into an attack stance before pushing off mightily, rapidly closing the 20 meter distance.
When it was just 3 meters away, the [ Grey Wolf ] leapt with jaws open, ready to tear apart James.
James sidestepped, evading the lunge as his sword thrust out, dealing [ -21 ] damage. He swiftly moved two steps back, the [ Grey Wolf ]'s landing putting it in perfect range as James struck again.
Relying on his agile frame, James dodged the [ Grey Wolf ]'s counterattack and landed another hit.
Against such a low-level mob, James emerged unscathed, sheathing his sword as the [ Grey Wolf ]'s body fell lifelessly without even dropping any loot.
James turned and continued hunting.
Facing wolves three levels higher, their stats exceeded those of the [ Flower Snake ]s, weakening James's hit rate somewhat. While he wouldn't outright miss, his damage was reduced, making it harder to trigger critical hits.
As James considered returning to the [ Flower Snake ] area, another wolf appeared before him.
When bold hunters meet on a narrow path, the braver prevails. However, as James tangled with the [ Grey Wolf ], another emerged from behind a distant boulder.
James's eyes narrowed warily. Not good - the new [ Grey Wolf ] had clearly spotted him too and was steadily closing the gap.
When it was twenty steps away, the new [ Grey Wolf ] suddenly adopted an offensive stance to charge.
Fortunately, the first [ Grey Wolf ] James was fighting had already lost half its health. As the fresh arrival launched its assault, it was two against one, both wolves three levels higher than James.
James remained unfazed, calm and composed. He had faced such dangerous situations, even far more perilous, countless times in his past life.
Although his techniques were lacking, those were complex high-level, high-threat encounters. In the early game stages, James was confident he could still handle it.
This time, James sustained his first injury since the game began, as he prioritized defeating the [ Grey Wolf ], confident he could then deal with the other one too.
A howl of anguish rang out in the woods as one [ Grey Wolf ] fell. James instantly spun; sword held horizontally before his chest as he fixed his gaze on the remaining wolf.
To his mild surprise, this [ Grey Wolf ] did not rush in urgently, instead retreating to stop ten steps away. It raised its head and let out a howling call towards the woods.
It was calling for reinforcements!
When another [ Grey Wolf ] appeared, this one immediately turned and attacked James.
James scanned quickly, his chiseled features breaking into a faint smile upon seeing only the single additional wolf.
So this [ Grey Wolf ] was generously offering free experience, saving him the trouble of hunting further.
After a brief tussle, this second wolf fell. The newly arrived one repeated the previous summoning behavior.
Thus, yet another [ Grey Wolf ] emerged from the woods, though it appeared slightly later - James deduced this area likely didn't have many more wolves remaining.
With this realization, James continued baiting the [ Grey Wolves ] while slowly relocating deeper into the woods.
During this period, James accumulated experience, growing adept at handling two [ Grey Wolves ] at once mildly easily. Usually after slaying one, he would hold back and observe amusedly as the survivor called for backup once more.
James suddenly felt this area was practically tailor-made for his training grounds. Selecting the right spawn location was truly paramount.
Before he knew it, James leveled up again, reaching level 2 - gaining +1 to all base attributes, including +2 to Strength and Stamina.
He assigned all 5 free attribute points into Strength, bringing his Attack Power up to 41.
As long as James maintained the rhythm and prevented more than two [ Grey Wolves ] appearing simultaneously, he could keep accumulating experience uninterrupted.
With a relaxed, joyful mindset, James's performance improved even further.
Pushing gradually deeper, James eventually reached the level 5 mob area. After defeating a [ Grey Wolf ], he noticed the remaining wolf did not attempt any further calling behavior, instead continuing to engage him in battle.
It seemed this hunting method was coming to an end, leaving James slightly regretful.
As he finished off the last [ Grey Wolf ] and prepared to rest, and suddenly distant cries for help came from the dense woods.
James's senses sharpened - he had encountered a random quest.