John returned to the forest.
The silence was eerie, as no adventurers dared to venture here.
This time, John didn't bother to hide his presence and actively sought out Tusked Wild Boars.
Rustle...
Suddenly, the bushes ahead shook, and a monster the size of a calf appeared.
It resembled a wild boar, with tusks as sharp as daggers, glinting menacingly in the light.
This was a Level 3 beast, the Tusked Wild Boar, with 120 health points and 10 base physical attack points. It also possessed two skills: Charge and Stomp.
The Tusked Wild Boar had thick skin and tough flesh, but its magic resistance was low.
Snort snort...
The boar pawed at the ground, its cold eyes fixed on John, before suddenly launching an attack.
Skill: Charge!
Boom boom...
The ground trembled slightly as the massive body of the Tusked Wild Boar barreled forward like a tank.
Its sharp tusks aimed directly at John's vital spots.
John couldn't afford to take the hit. The Charge skill was one of the few low-level skills that couldn't be interrupted.
However, its weakness was its lack of flexibility.
John sidestepped, and the Tusked Wild Boar roared past him.
Boom!
With a loud crash, a thick tree behind John was shattered.
If he had been hit, he wouldn't have survived.
Snort!
The boar turned, its hot breath steaming, and glared at John with fury.
Boom!
The boar stomped the ground, using its Stomp skill.
"I was waiting for that," John thought confidently. Seizing the moment, he cast Fireball.
Boom!
-31
The Fireball hit, interrupting the boar's skill.
Next, a Wind Blade whistled through the air, slashing at the boar's head.
-27
Blood flowed, and a deep wound appeared, exposing bone.
The Tusked Wild Boar screeched in pain, enraged, and charged at John recklessly.
John easily dodged, creating distance.
With his skills cooled down, he cast Fireball and Wind Blade again.
After three rounds of attacks, the Tusked Wild Boar let out a final wail and fell to the ground, dead.
[Killed Level 3 Tusked Wild Boar, gained 12 experience points]
[Plunder talent triggered, Constitution +1]
The system notification flashed. John had successfully killed the Tusked Wild Boar and his Plunder talent had triggered, increasing his Constitution by 1 point.
"It actually dropped an item," John said, surprised, as he picked up a copper coin from the ground.
The drop rate for items from ordinary monsters was very low.
John happily picked it up and collected the boar's tusks, which were quest items he could exchange with the alchemist for a low-level health or magic recovery potion, worth 10 copper coins.
He decided to stay and hunt more Tusked Wild Boars to level up to Level 5 before returning to the alchemist to submit the quest.
"Let's continue!" John roamed the forest, searching for solitary Tusked Wild Boars.
...
A piercing scream echoed as yet
another Tusked Wild Boar fell to John's magical assault.
John had hunted over twenty Tusked Wild Boars, leveling up to Level 4 and plundering 2 points of Constitution and 1 point of Strength.
He allocated his 4 free attribute points to Spirit, and his Fireball skill had now reached Level 6.
His power had significantly increased once again.
By now, the sun had set, and the forest grew darker and more ominous.
Nighttime made the forest monsters more active, with even stronger beasts appearing.
John knew better than to stay here any longer.
"Someone's there?" John frowned, spotting two five-member teams in the distance, all at Level 4.
Reaching Level 4 so quickly meant they were among the top players in the novice village.
Leading one of the teams was a knight clad in leather armor, wielding a broadsword and a massive shield. He had a handsome face but carried an air of malevolence.
John's eyes instantly grew cold upon seeing him.
Wind and Cloud Guild, Aron!
ID: Unrivaled.
John hadn't expected to encounter Aron so soon in the novice village.
It made sense, though; in his previous life, Aron had completed the hidden quest to help Dino find the Life-Sustaining Pill, earning the low-grade divine artifact, the Guardian Shield, and rapidly increasing his power.
Aron also noticed John and was especially surprised to see several Tusked Wild Boar corpses nearby.
A top player!
He knew some of the game's secrets; anyone who could solo Tusked Wild Boars at this stage was undoubtedly among the top players.
With a smile, Aron approached John and said, "Hey there, I'm Unrivaled, the leader of the Wind and Cloud Guild. Interested in joining our guild?"
The killing intent in John's eyes flashed briefly as he hatched an even better revenge plan.
Stealing the Life-Sustaining Pill from the alchemist wasn't guaranteed to succeed,
but he could use Aron and his guild to his advantage.
"Unrivaled," a warrior whispered in Aron's ear, "that's the guy who killed Fatty's team."
"He's Godslayer?" Aron frowned. He hadn't expected the skilled player before him to be Godslayer.
Aron knew the Wind and Cloud Guild's rapid rise in the novice village was due to their financial power and loyalty.
If this situation wasn't handled well, it could cause dissatisfaction among the members.
However, recruiting Godslayer into the guild, at the cost of losing Fatty, was an acceptable trade-off.
Aron made up his mind and extended the olive branch to John once more. "Brother, I, Aron, love to make friends with heroes from all walks of life. If you join the Wind and Cloud Guild, I can offer you the position of vice president."
This was Aron's best offer, and he extended his right hand in a friendly gesture.
If Godslayer refused, Aron could always avenge Fatty later.
John calmly looked at Aron without any response.
Aron frowned, feeling an unsettling sense of being seen through by Godslayer.
"What, you don't agree?" Aron withdrew his hand, his gaze turning cold.
His team members immediately prepared for battle.
John finally spoke, "President Unrivaled, you misunderstand. I actually have a favor to ask."
With that, John revealed the quest he had accepted to Aron. Aron's eyes widened, his breath quickening as he exclaimed, "An S-level hidden quest, a low-grade divine artifact!"
Gulp!
Aron swallowed hard, a flash of greed in his eyes.
If killing a player could drop a quest, he would have attacked Godslayer without hesitation.
In the world of Gods, equipment was categorized as Common, Fine, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical (divine artifacts).
Currently, no player even had a piece of Fine equipment.
The appearance of a divine artifact would undoubtedly cause a bloodbath.
Aron quickly composed himself, hiding his inner thoughts. He asked, "Bro, you want me to help you complete this quest?"
John nodded, "President Unrivaled, if you help me complete this quest, I will give you the divine artifact as a reward."
Aron was stunned, struggling to believe his ears. "Are you... joking?"
He couldn't fathom anyone resisting the allure of a divine artifact.
John, however, looked resigned. "You can see the quest has a time limit. If I can't complete it, I won't be able to leave the novice village. I've investigated; the alchemist in the novice village is at level 10. I can't handle him alone, so I need help."
Watching Aron's reaction and seeing his skepticism, John continued, "If President Unrivaled can't help, I'll have to seek assistance elsewhere."
"Wait!" Aron was flustered. "In this novice village, who is stronger than the Wind and Cloud Guild? I accept your request."
Aron's eyes narrowed as he added, "But what if you go back on your word afterward?"
Clearly, Aron didn't fully trust John.
John replied calmly, "If I go back on my word, you can attack me. The Wind and Cloud Guild can handle one person, can't it?"
Aron pondered this plan, finding no apparent traps.
If Godslayer reneged, he could openly attack. No individual, no matter how strong, could withstand the entire Wind and Cloud Guild.
Aron extended his right hand to John again, smiling. "Happy cooperation!"
John glanced at Aron's hand and shook it firmly. "Tomorrow at this time, we'll meet in front of the novice village apothecary."
Before Aron could respond, John logged off and disappeared.