Squelch!
Tang Zheng drove the tip of his sword in and gave it a light twist, snuffing out the wild boar's last breath.
Blood seeped from the Toughness wound, but it did not spurt out. That was why Ler had told him to stab that spot.
"Gained 15 experience points!"
A message flashed across his status panel.
[Ability Table]
Innate Talent: [Player]
Overall Level: Lv. 2
Experience: 95/100
Classes:
Basic Class: Genius Lv. 1 (Warrior, Priestess/Priest)
Mid-tier Class: Sword Saint Lv. 1
Skill Points: 0
Passive Skills: Item Box, Slash Enhancement (1%)
Active Skills:
Warrior—Instant Reflection, Fourfold Slash of Light, Quick Slash
Magic—Minor Healing (First Tier)
Tang Zheng glanced at the status panel only he could see. He was just 5 experience points away from leveling up, much faster than he had expected.
He had only killed a few wild beasts.
Still, that was normal. His level was simply too low. As it continued to rise, leveling up would probably become increasingly difficult.
"Hmph." The satisfied expression on Grandma Lizzie's face vanished.
She had thought Tang Zheng had taken her words to heart, but apparently, he had not cared at all!
Tang Zheng pretended not to hear her.
Once humans in the New World reached level 29, they entered the Hero Realm and were already considered top-tier experts among the human nations.
However!
Even with greater talent and tireless effort, the limit the Human Species could reach was around level 40—the level known as an "Outlier."
This was no longer a matter of talent or effort, but the limit of the species itself!
Even the four "Outliers" among humanity had, more or less, begun to stray from being human. Only then could they attain such achievements.
And a level around 40 was merely the beginning for Tang Zheng!
This also meant!
When he became enemies with the Nazarick Great Underground Tomb in the future, no one among humanity could become his companion.
When Tang Zheng had first arrived in the Royal Capital, he had agonized over whether to take a magic class or a Warrior class, rather than focusing on a single class line. This was partly why.
Without companions, a pure magic class or Warrior class could easily be countered by those from the Great Tomb.
"You're much more skilled than when you started."
"But let me remind you, monsters are different from ordinary wild beasts."
Seeing Tang Zheng's clean, decisive movements, Ler grinned. He lifted the dead wild boar again and quickly began processing it.
"Everything takes time to get used to." Tang Zheng smiled faintly and picked up the porcelain jar he had borrowed from Nfirea, pouring all the water from his waterskin into it.
Then.
He set the porcelain jar over the campfire.
The jar had originally been used to hold medicinal herbs, but it was currently unused. Tang Zheng had asked for it and used it as a kettle.
"You seem to really like drinking hot water." Nfirea watched Tang Zheng's movements. Remembering how Tang Zheng had boiled clear river water in the jar before drinking it for several days in a row, he could not help asking curiously.
"Oh, I wouldn't say I love it that much."
Facing Nfirea's curious question, Tang Zheng sat down cross-legged again and smiled. "It's more of a hometown tradition."
Nfirea seemed to understand and did not press further.
In this world, different places had different beliefs and customs. Asking too much about someone's customs and faith was something best avoided.
At present.
The mainstream faith of every nation was the Six Great Gods.
And humanity in this world truly did have to thank the first batch of Players who had descended here.
Based on the plot shown in the anime and the light novel version, almost everything took place within humanity's territory.
Humanity's territory looked vast, but the continent itself was enormous. Humans were merely huddled in its northwestern corner.
The center of the continent, meanwhile, was occupied by Demi-Human Species and Heteromorphic Species. There, humans were nothing more than slaves—or even food.
Whether Demi-Human Species or Heteromorphic Species, both far surpassed short-lived humans with limited potential in terms of lifespan and level cap.
Logically!
A weak race like humanity should have gone extinct long ago with the passage of time. It should have been impossible for them to occupy the northwestern corner of the continent, much less survive there.
And that was indeed the case. Six hundred years ago, humanity had truly been on the brink of extinction.
But at that moment, the first batch of Players, known as the Six Great Gods, descended!
With overwhelming and unmatched power, the Six Great Gods saved humanity and relocated them to the northwestern corner of the continent.
That was why the mainstream faith in every human nation was the Six Great Gods.
But unfortunately!
Among the Six Great Gods, aside from the one known as the God of Death, the other five were all Human Species. Their lives were short, and they died one after another over the course of a century.
As for the sole surviving God of Death, he was killed five hundred years ago during the conflict that erupted after the descent of the Eight Greed Kings.
Compared to the Six Great Gods.
The Eight Greed Kings were more like Players. Their name alone showed just how much havoc they had wreaked across the continent.
According to records from various races, although most of the Eight Greed Kings were Demi-Human Species, with even some Heteromorphic Species among them, they had been surprisingly fond of humans.
As a result, even now!
For an existence as "vile" as the Eight Greed Kings, human society surprisingly had few legends depicting them as evil.
"Six hundred years ago, the Six Great Gods descended. Five hundred years ago, the Eight Greed Kings descended. Two hundred years ago, large numbers of Demon Gods appeared, the Thirteen Heroes emerged, and there were other Players whose information is unknown and who may also have descended upon the Central Continent."
"And then there is the future descent of the Nazarick Great Underground Tomb."
Several thoughts flashed through Tang Zheng's mind.
Almost every hundred years, Players descended upon this New World.
Based on that information, those True Dragon Lords probably knew that Players were about to descend upon this world again.
"Compared to the previous times, which came suddenly and about which little was known."
"This time, the True Dragon Lords should already be prepared. But compared to the Six Great Gods, the Eight Greed Kings, and the sole Player among the Thirteen Heroes."
"The Nazarick Great Underground Tomb's overall strength far surpasses those three previous groups of Players."
Tang Zheng fell into thought, and an idea surfaced in his mind.
"If I can make the True Dragon Lords fight the Great Tomb in advance, perhaps I can reap the benefits."
Even if the True Dragon Lords lost in the end, it would only benefit Tang Zheng. It could also wear down the Great Tomb's reserves and much of its power.
Before you continue