His head throbbed with waves of dizziness, and stars danced before his eyes. When he opened them, a few scattered torches cast faint light through the mine, illuminating the surroundings.
Li Shaolin slowly climbed to his feet, then looked up and immediately felt nausea rising in his throat. Kobold corpses covered the ground, their green blood turning the earth into sticky, muddy sludge. Most of the Kobolds had been killed by bites or Sharp Claw attacks, with chunks of flesh and organs strewn everywhere. It was a gruesome sight!
"Blech!" Li Shaolin began vomiting violently.
After a long while, it felt as though he had vomited up even his bile. With nothing left in his stomach, he finally forced himself to stand despite the dizziness. It was disgusting, but his life mattered more. If he delayed any longer and a few Kobolds showed up, the consequences would be dire.
How had Hogger gotten mixed up with the Kobolds? And why had that Death Knight saved him? His mind was a tangled mess, but his hands did not hesitate. He tapped two corpses, and with two sharp pops amid flying flesh and blood, two Skeleton Warriors rose to their feet. Then he tapped the green-stained mud on the ground. As it wriggled, a Clay Golem rose as well. Only after summoning all three guards did Li Shaolin feel slightly more at ease.
He ordered the golem to clear the path, then endured the headache and barely managed to pick up a torch before slowly making his way out of the mine. The slime aura around the golem continuously absorbed the Kobold corpses and blood from the ground. By the time it had gone some distance, green liquid was flowing over its body, making it look like a green demon!
It seemed that all the Kobolds in the mine had been killed. Along the way, he saw quite a few dead adventurers as well. They appeared to have come in to hunt for gold dust and candles, only to suffer this unexpected disaster. The golem did not care whether the corpses belonged to adventurers or Kobolds. As its slime writhed, it absorbed them all. Weapons and armor were left scattered along the ground, but Li Shaolin did not know how to open his inventory, so he could only leave them behind.
A sudden brightness appeared ahead, dazzling his eyes. Beyond several large wooden boards forming a barrier, he had finally emerged from the mine. After living inside for an entire day, the abrupt sight of sunlight made him shut his eyes, unable to open them again for a long time. Thank heavens, he was finally out! Li Shaolin nearly burst into tears. It had only been one day in the mine, yet it felt as though he had lived there for years. He truly felt as if he had been reborn.
Under the bright sunlight, a broad slope stretched gradually downward, lined with Kobold corpses. Blood still flowed like a river! Li Shaolin's nerves were already on the verge of collapse. With a hoarse roar, he began running!
He constantly stepped on Kobold corpses, producing wet squelching sounds beneath his feet. He did not know how long he ran. Elwynn Ancient Trees flashed past on every side, while thorns tore at his clothes. None of that mattered. There was only one word in his heart: run!
At last, his stamina was completely depleted. His legs gave out, and Li Shaolin collapsed. At that moment, a vast, boundless farm faintly appeared ahead of him. Lying on the ground, he looked up at the sky. The sun was already setting. He had run for a full four or five double-hours! Then a furious roar rang out!
A Forest Bear with brownish-yellow fur appeared before him. Its huge mouth was slightly open, and its narrowed eyes fixed on Li Shaolin!
"You bastard, looking to die?!" Li Shaolin flew into a rage. He had been holding in a bellyful of anger, and this Forest Bear happened to give him an outlet. Raising a hand, he commanded his brothers to attack. White light gathered at his fingertips, and two Fangs quietly formed. Amid clattering sounds, the two Skeleton Warriors carrying Bone Axes swayed toward the Forest Bear. Their axes came down, chopping at it! Li Shaolin pointed a finger, and the circling Fangs shot forward!
"Roar!" The Forest Bear swiped with its front paw, striking one Skeleton Warrior's leg bone. Crack! Its leg bone snapped cleanly, and it immediately lost its balance and fell to the ground. At the same time, the other Skeleton Warrior's axe came down hard across the Forest Bear's back, slicing open a wound! The two Bone Fangs arrived just then. With a pop, one buried itself in the bear's spine, while the other struck its left eye, instantly bursting the eyeball!
Enraged by the attack, the Forest Bear charged at Li Shaolin!
Good grief, what level is this damn bear? It's much stronger than the Kobolds. Li Shaolin clicked his tongue in amazement. What he did not know was that Kobolds were small and mainly dangerous in groups; individually, they were not particularly powerful, relying instead on their sheer numbers. This Forest Bear, however, specialized in strength. A single slap from its paw likely carried several hundred pounds of force, and naturally the Skeleton Warriors could not endure many such blows.
Seeing the Forest Bear charge at him, Li Shaolin panicked and was about to call the Clay Golem over to block it when he realized the golem was already gone. It had probably failed to keep up during his mad sprint and been left behind. He twisted sideways, dodging the bear's swiping claw, pulled out his sword, and slashed diagonally!
Before the sword could strike, he cried out in pain. Several claws suddenly extended from the bear's paw and scraped across his leg, leaving bloody flesh in their wake. His left leg had been wounded! Fortunately, the short sword Goldtooth had carried was truly sharp. It cut through the Forest Bear's hide in one stroke, leaving a wound behind.
The Skeleton Warrior followed closely behind and slashed at the Forest Bear's back, opening another huge wound. The bear roared wildly, abandoning Li Shaolin as it turned to pounce on the Skeleton Warrior. At that moment, Li Shaolin's Fangs were ready again. White light flashed, and they fired out. With two impacts, they struck the Forest Bear's head accurately this time. One entered its left ear, while the other hit the bridge of its nose.
After roaring twice, it lowered its head and turned toward Li Shaolin, but it did not pounce. Two streams of blood ran down its face. The bear had been blinded!
Li Shaolin shifted lightly, intending to hide behind an Elwynn Ancient Tree. However, with an angry roar, the bear somehow sensed where he was. It opened its great mouth and lunged at him!
Whoosh, whoosh! Two Fangs shot accurately into the bear's mouth. Li Shaolin shifted a few steps aside and avoided the savage pounce. The Forest Bear crashed to the ground, struggled a few times, and then stopped moving.
"Damn, that thing could fight!" Li Shaolin dropped onto the ground, gasping for breath as pain pulsed from the wound on his foot. Then a familiar white light descended over him. He had leveled up! In an instant, the wounds on his hand from fighting Goldtooth and the leg wound the Forest Bear had just inflicted healed as though nourished by heavenly dew. Flesh wriggled and knit together, and within moments they were completely healed. His exhausted stamina was restored to full as well, and the Skeleton Warrior with the broken leg bone gave a creak as a new foot grew back. Leveling up felt amazing!
He used Detection on the bear's corpse and discovered that it was actually a level 9 animal. No wonder it had been so powerful. Li Shaolin himself had now reached level 7 and gained another skill point. Taking out the Book of the Dead, he opened it. Black energy swirled around him. What skill should he learn? Looking at the wounds that had been on his foot and hand, he could not help thinking: I should learn a defensive spell. If this happens a few more times, I'm done for. Magic seems to improve as my level rises, so if I put a point into Bone Shield, it shouldn't be too useless later on, right?
Just as he was about to select Bone Shield, a commotion came from the direction of the farm. It seemed the people there had been drawn over by the battle! He hurriedly put away the two Skeleton Warriors. After all, he did not know whether people would accept such things. But in his haste, his finger pressed a skill. Black light flashed, and he had accidentally added a point to it. It was Venomous Dagger! Li Shaolin nearly cried. Such a precious point, wasted just like that!
Several figures moved in the distance as a few people dressed like servants entered the area. When they saw Li Shaolin and the Forest Bear corpse on the ground, they let out cries of astonishment. One young man stepped forward. "Honored adventurer, we are servants of Stonefield Farm. Did you kill this Forest Bear? Do you need any help?" Li Shaolin nodded, closed the Book of the Dead, and said, "I'd like to get something to eat at your farm. I can trade this prey for it." He pointed at the bear corpse.
"We are honored by your visit to our farm. It would be our pleasure to serve you!" the young man said. He waved for the others to carry the Forest Bear, then made a welcoming gesture toward Li Shaolin and took the lead.
As shouts rose behind them, the others lifted the bear corpse. Li Shaolin followed behind the young man. Just as he was about to put away the Book of the Dead, he seemed to want to confirm something and opened it again. Sure enough, his skill points had become 0/0, while Venomous Dagger had lit up, indicating it could be used. "Sigh." He let out a sigh, but a casual glance made him jump in shock: Venomous Dagger, current level 1. Applies poisonous fluid to the weapons of you and your summons, causing poisoned damage to attack targets. Duration: 1 hour. Mana cost: 30.
This actually increased his summons' poison damage? It cost quite a lot of mana, considering he only had 109 mana after leveling up, but seeing that it was no longer the useless skill it had been in the game, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He put away the Book of the Dead and followed closely behind the young man as they arrived at Stonefield Farm.
His view suddenly opened up. A vast watermelon field came into sight, followed by wheat fields and vegetable plots farther in. Rows of wooden houses stood along the farm's edge, while people moved about within the fields. Handcarts and scarecrows could be seen everywhere, creating a magnificent scene! As they drew closer, a huge stable appeared ahead, filled with the continuous neighing of horses.
It was Li Shaolin's first time seeing such a large farm. Compared to Goldshire, it possessed less grandeur and luxury, but more peace and tranquility. It was now dinnertime, and smoke curled up from cooking fires, creating a beautiful scene.
He suddenly remembered the necklace he had taken from Goldtooth. It seemed to have belonged to some auntie from this farm. He immediately asked the servant, "Please wait. May I ask whether someone here lost a necklace in Fargodeep Mine? I happened to find one. Could you take me to see its owner?"
"Oh, you mean Auntie Bonis Stonefield. I heard she lost her necklace and even posted a reward for it. Since you found it, we can go see her together. Auntie Bonis Stonefield is also a member of the farm family, and she can help arrange your lodging for tonight," the young man said.
Before you continue