The Strength Pill could temporarily increase a player's Strength by 10 points. That was a very powerful attribute in the early stages of the game, and Ye Luo quite liked this pill formula. Most importantly, he had Goji Berry in his backpack. As for wolf bones, Aunt Li's quest had told him that killing Young Demon Wolves would yield them.
When Yan Hua Yi Leng said she wanted to buy some Strength Pills, Ye Luo readily agreed. Then he looked at her. "Miss Yan Hua, I think I can help you with a few things too. I should be able to save you quite a few Gold Coins."
Yan Hua Yi Leng's beautiful eyes shifted slightly as she blurted out, "You've done quite a few newbie quests, so your reputation in Novice Village must be high. What discount do you usually get when buying things now?"
"Twenty percent off." Ye Luo did not hide it. Then he looked toward the North Gate of Novice Village. "Also, I accepted a quest from Tailor Zhang to kill Young Demon Wolves and collect wolf pelts. Once I complete it, my reputation should increase again. I might get an even better discount then."
"Twenty percent off is quite a bargain. Gold Coins are important in the early game, after all. Taking up a post and learning skills both require them." Yan Hua Yi Leng muttered to herself before looking at Ye Luo. "I happen to have accepted a quest to kill demon wolves too. Let's go together."
Ye Luo nodded and headed with Yan Hua Yi Leng toward Demon Wolf Valley outside Novice Village's North Gate.
"By the way, you said you wanted to contact me. What was it about?" Yan Hua Yi Leng asked. Before Ye Luo could answer, she continued, "If it's about the Heavenly Tribulation Trial Mission, I can't help you much. Every Trial Mission is different. Of course, if you know how the quest is triggered, I can help analyze it."
With a bitter smile, Ye Luo realized there were not many secrets he could keep from Yan Hua Yi Leng. Still, he did not hide anything and shook his head. "I don't know how to trigger the Heavenly Tribulation Trial Mission either. There isn't even the slightest hint."
"Then it can only depend on luck." Yan Hua Yi Leng did not seem to know how to comfort people, and her words were rather blunt.
Having gained some understanding of Yan Hua Yi Leng's temperament, Ye Luo did not mind. He nodded. "That's right, it all depends on luck. Oh, Yue Er and Sister Feng hope we can help each other. What do you think..."
"You're quite strong and have great potential. You also have an endless supply of pills, so leveling with you benefits both of us." Yan Hua Yi Leng analyzed in her usual icy tone. "Since Sister Feng said that, it seems she considers you a friend. That makes you half a friend of mine too."
"Half a friend?" Ye Luo was slightly stunned, his voice rising. "A friend is a friend. How can there be half a friend? Then again, with your cold personality, you probably don't have many friends."
Yan Hua Yi Leng stopped walking at those words. She turned to look at Ye Luo, her voice still devoid of emotion. "Why do I need friends?"
Caught off guard by her question, Ye Luo was momentarily stunned. After a long while, he murmured, "Friends are someone you care about, a bond. But it is precisely because of those concerns and bonds that a person can feel happy, joyful, worried, or troubled. Otherwise, wouldn't one be terribly lonely?"
Yan Hua Yi Leng's smooth brow furrowed slightly. After a long pause, she said, "Let's go. Oh, let's add each other as friends. It'll make contacting each other easier later."
Ye Luo gave a bitter smile. He knew Yan Hua Yi Leng had not understood the meaning of friendship, but he did not mind. He temporarily removed his setting that blocked friend requests, and the two added each other as friends before forming a party.
Since they were in the same party, Ye Luo could see Yan Hua Yi Leng's level. He casually asked, "You're already level 10. Why haven't you taken up a post yet?"
"Killing demon wolves is my advancement quest. I haven't had the time to do it yet," Yan Hua Yi Leng said before looking at Ye Luo. "Tell me your attack and defense. It'll make it easier for me to arrange things."
Although party members could see each other's health, mana, and levels, they could not see attack and defense. Yet attack and defense were vital for whoever commanded a battle, which was why Yan Hua Yi Leng asked.
Knowing that he was practically a complete gaming novice, and having heard from Zhi Yue that Yan Hua Yi Leng was a female strategist, Ye Luo did not object to handing command over to her. He directly told her his attack and defense.
"Attack 77–81. Very high, much higher than mine. Defense 43–48, only slightly lower than mine. It seems you have more equipment than I guessed." Yan Hua Yi Leng did not dwell on the matter and continued, "My defense is higher, so I'll focus on defense while you focus on offense. Remember to manage your aggro."
Seeing Ye Luo's slightly confused expression, Yan Hua Yi Leng immediately understood. She gave him a simple explanation, then said, "Judging from your movements, you've undergone strict training. You should understand coordinated combat too. It's the same in games, except there are some rules of its own. I'll send you some information about the game settings. Learn it as soon as possible. Handling two things at once shouldn't be difficult for an expert like you. We'll fight monsters while getting used to working together."
As she spoke, Yan Hua Yi Leng sent Ye Luo a file. He read it quickly while hurrying along, and before long, he had grasped the game's rules.
Thinking of something, Ye Luo traded Yan Hua Yi Leng 40 Minor Blood Recovery Pills and 2 mutated Minor Blood Recovery Pills. "Since you'll be focusing on defense, you'll definitely need some pills. Keep them for protection. It'll make us more efficient."
Yan Hua Yi Leng accepted them without ceremony, then asked, "Do you have anything else good?"
"I also have Steamed Buns. You should have some too, right?" Ye Luo said. When he saw her shake her head, he traded some to her as well. "The inn in Novice Village sells these. They can increase Health Recovery Speed."
"I thought you were going to take out some other pills, but these Steamed Buns are good too." After checking their effects, Yan Hua Yi Leng was pleasantly surprised.
"Right now, I've only refined one kind of pill. I do know a very powerful pill formula, but it requires killing level 20 Bamboo Vipers for snake venom. I'm afraid no one in the entire Novice Village can kill a level 20 monster yet." Ye Luo explained, then changed the subject. "As for Strength Pills, I can only refine them after killing demon wolves and obtaining wolf bones."
"So even the pills alchemists can make in the early stages are so limited," Yan Hua Yi Leng said flatly before changing the subject. "Of course, compared to people like us who don't even have a single skill, you're already quite lucky. Based on my guess, you currently have at least two Life Profession skills."
Along the way, Yan Hua Yi Leng had also seen Ye Luo gathering herbs. Although she disliked waiting for people, she knew those herbs could be refined into pills to sustain them in battle, so she said nothing.
Watching Ye Luo gather another herb by the roadside, Yan Hua Yi Leng asked, "What profession do you plan to take up after reaching level 10?"
"A swordsman, I guess," Ye Luo answered casually before asking in return, "What about you? What profession are you planning to take up? Come to think of it, I really envy you. Once you reach level 10, you can take up a Hidden Profession."
He received no answer, only a look as though she were looking at an idiot.
"You didn't know me before, did you?" Yan Hua Yi Leng said something rather inexplicable. When Ye Luo nodded, she continued, "I've played an archer in every game I've ever played. For me, that's an unchanging rule."
Even Yan Hua Yi Leng did not understand why she was explaining this to a stranger.
"Sorry, I only learned about you through Yue Er an hour or two ago," Ye Luo said blandly, spreading his hands. "As you can see, I've only just started playing games."
"No wonder." Yan Hua Yi Leng said it flatly. Then they chatted casually about a few other things before arriving at Demon Wolf Valley, where the demon wolves' attributes were detected:
Young Demon Wolf (Normal Monster)
Level: 10
Physical Attack: 35–40
Defense: 60
Health: 2000
Description: A common monster in Novice Village. Naturally vicious, it attacks proactively and prefers living in packs.
After looking at the demon wolves' attributes, Ye Luo frowned slightly. Although these demon wolves were only one level higher than Demonic Giant Rats, their attributes had increased drastically. With his current stats, he could break their defense, but they could break his as well. With only 190 health, he would be killed after taking just a few hits.
"The monsters' attributes are high. It would be somewhat difficult for me to tank them alone. Take over when my health gets low," Yan Hua Yi Leng said. After seeing Ye Luo nod, she continued, "Young Demon Wolves attack proactively and fight together. With our current strength, we can only handle one at a time. Don't pull any other demon wolves."
As if demonstrating for Ye Luo, Yan Hua Yi Leng calculated the distance and approached one Young Demon Wolf. Once it began moving, she quickly retreated, saying as she did, "You saw it too. Young Demon Wolves have an aggro range of eight meters. As long as you don't cross that distance, you basically won't pull them."
Ye Luo nodded. The information Yan Hua Yi Leng had sent him included details about pulling aggro and every monster's maximum aggro range. With Ye Luo's learning ability, he quickly understood.
After the Young Demon Wolf chased her out, Yan Hua Yi Leng went forward to meet it. Her iron sword struck the demon wolf, dealing '89' damage. When it prepared to bite her, she swiftly retreated. Her movements were practiced and fluid, easily dodging its attack. Then she swung her iron sword again, dealing another '88' damage.
"Your attack is a little higher than mine, so pay special attention to your attack rhythm. The damage you deal over a short period cannot exceed mine, or this demon wolf's aggro will be pulled to you." Yan Hua Yi Leng explained while attacking. "According to my research, that short period is roughly six to eight seconds. I've already attacked twice, so you can start attacking without being targeted."
While Yan Hua Yi Leng explained, Ye Luo swung his Novice Iron Sword and struck the demon wolf for '98' damage. Seeing the demon wolf begin to turn its attention toward him, he immediately understood that his attack had drawn some of its attention. He promptly stopped attacking and stepped back.
Yan Hua Yi Leng was quite satisfied with Ye Luo's comprehension. She attacked again, drawing the demon wolf's aggro back to herself. Enraged, the demon wolf abandoned Ye Luo and continued attacking Yan Hua Yi Leng.
Before you continue