Compared to the Flame Chicken, the Ice Fang Dog was clearly much more vigilant. With its keen sense of smell, it quickly spotted Li Mingyou but pretended nothing had happened, foolishly chewing on the grass in front of him.
However, if one truly thought it was foolish and attempted to ambush it, that would be a grave mistake.
The Ice Fang Dog would immediately turn around and unleash an "Ice Fang Rush," giving you a direct taste of what "chilling to the bone" really means.
Li Mingyou had seen these tactics before and wasn't fooled. He casually picked up a stone and accurately hit its head.
The Ice Fang Dog instantly became furious, dropping its act. It barked fiercely twice and charged towards Li Mingyou.
Li Mingyou remained unfazed, calmly watching from his spot. Just as the Ice Fang Dog closed in, he suddenly drew his sword and thrust it towards the dog.
The sword pierced right between the eyes, sinking in about ten centimeters deep. Following up, he kicked the Ice Fang Dog away and stepped back two paces to create some distance, leaving no chance for retaliation.
-54!
-2
-2
...
This strike hit a vital spot, causing 54 damage directly! Moreover, the heavily wounded Ice Fang Dog bled profusely, with continuous "-2" bleeding damage appearing above its head.
The Ice Fang Dog failed in its attack and instead suffered a significant setback, barking fiercely twice, coating itself in frost, and charging again.
This time, it used a skill and was noticeably faster than before, but it was still useless. Li Mingyou had seen through everything. The moment the Ice Fang Dog made its move, he dodged sideways due to the slight distance he had intentionally maintained earlier.
Counterattack!
He followed up with a stab to the Ice Fang Dog's lower back, nearly piercing it through.
-49!
Another precise strike to a vital area. Seizing the moment while the opponent was still in a rigid state from exerting force, Li Mingyou quickly added two more stabs before retreating just in time to dodge the Ice Fang Dog's counterattack.
With just two additional strikes, the Ice Fang Dog's health bar dropped by more than half, causing it to panic and retreat a few steps, showing signs of wanting to flee.
Li Mingyou stepped forward, pursuing the attack, and slashed at the dog's head. His speed was much faster than the Ice Fang Dog's, and using a longsword, the dog couldn't even touch him, only taking hits continuously until its health bar quickly depleted, collapsing in a pool of blood, motionless.
For some newcomers, this might have been the moment they carelessly approached to collect their spoils.
But Li Mingyou smirked and did not approach. These fierce beasts were cunning; although its health bar appeared empty, there was still a little left. If he approached recklessly now, he risked being counterattacked by the dying Ice Fang Dog, taking a significant chunk of his health. Worse, if he was in poor condition and struck a vital spot, he could end up being killed in a last-ditch exchange.
Although Li Mingyou was not afraid of its dying counterattack, there was no need to take unnecessary risks—just wait a bit longer.
After about three or four seconds, the system finally announced:
[Killed a level 2 ferocious beast, Ice Fang Dog, gaining 4 experience points!]
After storing the Ice Fang Dog's corpse into his inventory, Li Mingyou continued forward without deliberately searching for targets, heading deeper into the area where level 3 monsters resided.
With his current attributes, even level 3 monsters were no match for him.
On his way to the level 3 monster area, he encountered another Ice Fang Dog along the path and casually dealt with it, bringing his experience to 10 points and leveling up to level 2.
As a flash of white light enveloped him, Li Mingyou's level rose to 2.
[Your level has increased to 2!]
[Your strength has increased by 10 points!]
[Your agility has increased by 10 points!]
[Your constitution has increased by 10 points!]
[Your spirit has increased by 10 points!]
[You have gained 5 free attribute points!]
Reaching level 2 brought a total increase of 10 points across all attributes, plus 5 free attribute points.
Li Mingyou opened his stats panel. Now, compared to other beginners, his panel looked quite luxurious.
[Name]: Li Mingyou
[Level]: 2 (0/50)
[Status]: Health: 450/450 Magic: 450/450
[Strength]: 45
[Agility]: 45
[Constitution]: 45
[Spirit]: 45
[Free Attribute Points]: 5
[Skills]: None
[Equipment]: Exquisite Longsword, Adventurer's Leather Armor, Adventurer's Leather Pants, Adventurer's Leather Boots
[Combat Power]: 5
[Overall Evaluation]: A mere warrior with combat power of 5, yet capable of easily defeating a goose.
Well, now I've finally become a warrior with combat power of 5.
Li Mingyou chuckled wryly, thinking over it, then decided to allocate all 5 free attribute points to strength.
In the early stages of fighting monsters, having higher attack power makes things more comfortable.
Let's continue, aim to reach level 3 today... or even level 4!
Although gaining experience for levels will become increasingly difficult later on, the confident Li Mingyou believed that reaching level 4 within a day wouldn't be too challenging given his attributes and vast experience.
After walking a short distance further, Li Mingyou officially entered the level 3 monster area.
Upon confirming his entry into the level 3 monster area, Li Mingyou didn't rush to find monsters to kill. Instead, he wandered around for a while until he found a small stream. Following the stream, he encountered and effortlessly defeated two Water Arrow Turtles along the way.
At the source of the stream, there was a small waterfall.
Li Mingyou walked to the side of the waterfall and discovered a cave hidden beneath the ten-meter-high cascade.
"As expected, it's still here!"
His eyes lit up as he unsheathed his sword and entered the cave.
The cave was dimly lit, so Li Mingyou carefully felt along the rock walls as he advanced. After about fifty steps, he stopped.
Suddenly, a gust of wind assaulted him. Prepared for this, Li Mingyou swung his sword with full force, hitting something and sending it flying into the rock wall with tremendous impact.
-46
A faint red number emerged in the darkness. Using the scant light available, Li Mingyou discerned the creature's appearance.
It was a snake, nearly two meters long, and it was level 4!
[Blackwater Snake]
Level: 4
Status: Health: 349/390 Magic: 450/450
Attributes: Strength: 38 Agility: 44 Constitution: 39 Spirit: 45
Rarity: None
Combat Power: 6
Evaluation: An extremely dangerous venomous snake. Highly discouraged for novices to provoke!
A level 4 venomous snake is indeed not something a novice should mess with. Not only is it high-level and high-attributed, but it also possesses poison. Its skill is Poison Spray, which can eject corrosive venom, making it very dangerous!
It is precisely because of its special poison ability that its combat power reaches 6, higher than Li Mingyou's!
However, despite the Blackwater Snake's potent poison, if it fails to hit its target, it becomes meaningless...
Li Mingyou confidently smiled, thinking that dealing with this Blackwater Snake was simply a matter of handling it with ease.