"So that's how it is. Thanks for clearing that up, Brother Wang. If you hadn't reminded me, I might really have run into danger."
Xiao Jie wasn't merely being polite. These were all lessons the veterans had paid for with their lives. Experience in games was often built on players using their lives to test and fail.
Clearing a dungeon might require the entire party to wipe dozens or even hundreds of times. But in those games, death merely wasted a little time. It wasn't much of a price to pay.
But in Old Earth, every scrap of experience had been piled up with real lives. Calling them lessons written in blood would not be an exaggeration.
That was why Xiao Jie sounded exceptionally sincere.
"Haha, no problem, no problem. We're all players from the same village. Of course we should help each other out."
As soon as the two finished talking, I Want to Become Immortal, who had been listening nearby, cut in. "Big Brother Following Wind, thank you for what happened yesterday."
"Don't thank me. Thank Brother Wang. He was the one who paid for it."
"No, of course I need to thank Brother Wang. But it's also true that you saved me. No matter why you did it, saving my life is still saving my life. It's like how police officers are paid a salary, but if I ran into danger in real life and received help from the police, I'd still have to thank them, right?"
Xiao Jie thought the kid was surprisingly sensible. He couldn't help revising his opinion of the reckless fool.
"Heh, no need to be so polite. Just try not to be so reckless in the future—that'd be better than anything. This game only gives you one life. You won't get that many chances to start over, and there won't always be someone around to save you."
"I understand, Big Brother Following Wind. I was too confident before. What happened yesterday was a lesson for me too. Oh, right, Big Brother Following Wind, take this. It's a small token of my appreciation."
As he spoke, he opened the trade window. A saber appeared inside—Wild Goose Feather Saber!
Xiao Jie was a little surprised. This thing was worth thirty thousand yuan.
He hadn't expected the kid to be so thoughtful, buying it specifically as a gift for him. Judging by the way he had been chatting with Wang Kai earlier, he had probably been buying the saber.
Of course, thirty thousand yuan was certainly not much compared to a life-saving favor. But there were too many cases in society of people repaying kindness with hostility. News stories about people being extorted after helping elderly people were endless. Those who bravely rescued drowning children ended up in the hospital, only for none of the rescued people to show their faces. Then there were hikers trapped on mountains who, after being rescued, simply said, "Isn't this the search and rescue team's job? Why should we thank you...?"
After seeing too much of that sort of bullshit news, Xiao Jie had become far more pessimistic about human nature.
So faced with I Want to Become Immortal's utterly sincere gratitude, he was somewhat taken aback.
Still, he wasn't the type to put on airs. Since the other guy meant well, there was no need for empty politeness.
"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony, then. I'll take it." He immediately confirmed the trade.
Looking at the Wild Goose Feather Saber in his inventory, Xiao Jie equipped it right away. Holding the treasured blade in his hand, he was thoroughly satisfied.
Although his Leather Armor was gone, having this saber made him feel completely different. If combat was triggered, he would at least have some confidence.
"Big Brother Following Wind, I have one more presumptuous request. Could I take you as my master? I think you're incredibly good at this game. If I could learn a few things from you, I'd definitely be able to go farther."
"Forget about taking me as your master. It's just a game. We can exchange experience with each other. Ask me anything you're unsure about. If I can tell you, I won't hold anything back."
Information had to be exchanged before it could gradually grow. Just as Wang Kai had not kept the information about the Night Ghoul to himself, Xiao Jie would not make too much of his own little bit of game experience.
More importantly, in online games, another friend meant another path. Especially in a Death Game like this, the importance of teammates went without saying. If he wanted to run dungeons and fight bosses in the future, he definitely couldn't rely on himself alone. He had to build a reliable team.
Xiao Jie had grown used to being a guild leader in the past. Naturally, he was also considering building a guild and expanding his influence in this game.
However, there were too few players in this game. The only players he knew right now were the two in front of him, so it was only natural to build goodwill with them.
Hearing Xiao Jie say that, I Want to Become Immortal was straightforward and immediately asked, "Big Brother Following Wind, can I ask how you learned that combat skill?"
Xiao Jie chuckled inwardly. So this was what he had been waiting for. Still, he didn't find it too objectionable. The other guy had asked politely enough.
Xiao Jie remembered that the Militia Captain taught combat skills for money. Of course, one had to possess the prerequisite weapon skill, and the price was absurdly high. He himself couldn't afford it, but this kid clearly wasn't short on cash, so he could give it a try.
"You can't learn my combat skill. If you want to learn combat skills, go to the Militia Captain. He has several Entry Level combat skills that you can learn for money."
He wasn't brushing him off. The [Comprehension] skill and the [Sudden Enlightenment] skill were different.
For a skill like [Blade Weapon Proficiency], players should be able to comprehend it as long as they chopped trees for long enough. But for a skill like One Cut Two Pieces, without the Enlightenment buff, they probably couldn't learn it even if they worked themselves to death.
And Xiao Jie strongly suspected that even with the Enlightenment buff, the skills gained through Sudden Enlightenment might not be the same.
I Want to Become Immortal said, "I went to the Militia Captain, but he said my aptitude wasn't good enough and refused to teach me."
Xiao Jie said, "To learn combat skills, you first need the corresponding weapon skill. That lack of aptitude he mentioned probably refers to that. NPCs in games generally don't explain things so clearly, so you have to learn to understand the real information hidden in what they say.
When they say your aptitude isn't good enough, your talent is too poor, your strength is insufficient, or something like that, they're actually talking about prerequisite skills, character attributes, class levels, and so on."
"Then how do I learn weapon skills?"
"Do jobs. Different jobs correspond to different weapon skills. For example, I comprehended Blade Weapon Proficiency through Firewood Chopping. Following that logic, if you want to learn the blade, go chop firewood. If you want to learn the axe, go lumbering. If you want to learn the hammer, go blacksmithing. I can't say exactly what each job can let you comprehend, since I've only been playing for one day. This is all deduction based on the information I have so far. I can't say it's one hundred percent accurate, but it should be pretty close."
After hearing Xiao Jie's explanation, I Want to Become Immortal immediately became excited. "Thanks, Big Brother Following Wind! Then I'll go find work. If there's anything I don't understand, can I come ask you again?"
"No problem."
Watching I Want to Become Immortal head excitedly toward the Firewood Workshop, Xiao Jie thought that he shouldn't waste time either. He needed to hurry up and start working.
After saying goodbye to Wang Kai, he began his work for the day as well.
His Enlightenment buff only lasted seven days. He had to make good use of it. If he played his cards right, it would be enough to give him a considerable advantage in the early game.
The basic combat skills taught by the Militia Captain were obviously inferior to the One Cut Two Pieces skill he had gained through Sudden Enlightenment.
If he handled things properly, he could definitely gain even stronger skills through Sudden Enlightenment.
But exactly what work he should do and what growth path he should take required careful consideration.
There were too many jobs in this village. Each one probably had corresponding skills that could be comprehended, but he only had six days left, so he had to make choices.
To make sure he could pick the best option, Xiao Jie decided not to rush into working. Instead, he wandered around the village, asking everyone he met whether they had work for him. Whenever he triggered a job, he recorded it in his little notebook.
After wandering around for an entire morning, Xiao Jie had triggered more than a dozen jobs. He compiled them all, preparing to give them some serious thought.
Before you continue