Spider

Early in the morning, waves of noise rose outside. Li Shaolin hurriedly put away the Skeleton Warrior, jumped down from the wooden bed, and opened the door. To his surprise, party after party of adventurers had already packed up and were heading downstairs. He had returned late yesterday and had not paid much attention, but now that he looked, there really were quite a lot of them. Warriors carrying two-handed greatswords, Paladins in golden armor wielding massive hammers, priests in white robes with wooden hammers, mages in blue robes with wooden staves, and even a warlock with an imp—what a lively sight. They looked like they were heading out on an adventure. "What a scene! How could I miss something this good?" Li Shaolin felt a rush of excitement. Where on Earth could one find a real adventuring life like this?

When he went downstairs into the hall, he saw the adventurers sitting in small groups of two or three. Some were sipping beer, others gnawing on bread, all chatting merrily. The three adventurers from yesterday were among them. Seeing that there were no empty seats nearby and that he was unfamiliar with the place, Li Shaolin shamelessly walked over and sat beside them. The female mage seemed a little displeased, but after the Paladin glared at her, she immediately lowered her head and continued eating. Li Shaolin casually ordered some bread and began eating as well.

At that moment, a voice rang out. "Great adventurers, I am William Pister from Stormwind City's apothecary. I am currently collecting the large candles carried by Kobolds to refine wax. I will pay fifty copper coins for every candle. Adventurers, don't miss this opportunity!" Looking up, Li Shaolin saw a bald, middle-aged man in brown leather standing before the inn's bounty board and shouting loudly. A line of small text appeared before Li Shaolin's eyes: William Pister.

A human warrior bellowed, "William, you put out bounties for Kobold candles every day. Aren't you afraid you'll anger the Kobolds someday and have them smash up your shop? Hahahaha!" William laughed. "Can't be helped. Damn it, Kobolds don't like bathing, and the candles formed by their natural sweat glands burn for a long time and last well. Besides, they occupy the mines, and this bounty makes it easier for the townsfolk to mine there." The warrior shouted again, "Since you love Kobolds so much, go find yourself a Kobold girl to be your wife. You'd enjoy that to death!"

The Paladin beside him said quietly, "At fifty copper coins per candle, the three of us should be able to get twenty or thirty in one trip. That's more than ten silver coins. We can also look for Aunt Bonis Stonefield's damned necklace while we're at it—killing two birds with one stone!" The Rogue was busy with the bread in his mouth and replied indistinctly, "You're the captain. Your call." The female mage nodded as well. The Paladin looked at Li Shaolin and said, "Brother, you're an adventurer too, right? I'm Jack, a level-five Paladin. Would you be interested in temporarily joining our party to complete this candle-collecting quest?" Damn, is my protagonist aura shining? Could he tell at a glance that I'm different from everyone else? Li Shaolin indulged in a bout of self-satisfaction. He hurriedly nodded. "That sounds great. I was just worried about not being able to find a party. Thanks, Jack! My name is Li Shaolin." Of course, it was not because his protagonist aura was so amazing. Most adventurers in the inn already had regular teammates, and it was rare for anyone to join a party on the spot. A party of five was generally ideal, while Jack's group of three was a little weak. Seeing that Li Shaolin had gold on him and did not look like an ordinary civilian, Jack had decided on the spur of the moment to invite him.

The Rogue spoke while eating. "Level-six Rogue, Mogaban. And this is level-four mage Moni. Welcome aboard!" With that, he extended his large, greasy hand toward Li Shaolin. The mage, however, looked at Li Shaolin with obvious suspicion in her eyes.

The Paladin coughed twice and got up to register for the quest. A few other parties also went over to accept it in ones and twos. Meanwhile, the Rogue tapped on the table and called for an attendant to settle the bill. Milika, dressed in a sky-blue robe, came over carrying a tray. When she saw Li Shaolin, she smiled. He quickly took out several silver coins and said, "This meal's on me. Consider it a way to get acquainted with everyone, all right?" Rogue Mogaban did not stand on ceremony and simply nodded.

Jack returned and said, "The nearby Kobolds are mainly in Fargodeep Mine and Jade Mine to the east. For that necklace quest, let's go to Fargodeep Mine. Any objections?" Although he was asking everyone, he was really asking Li Shaolin, since he was the only newcomer. Li Shaolin thought, I don't even know how many times I killed Goldtooth before. We're old acquaintances. He immediately nodded. "Then we'll rest a little longer before setting out. Also, Li Shaolin, you don't have any equipment? Buy some outside at the Blacksmith later." "Hehe, sorry. I ran into Defias bandits and had my equipment confiscated." Li Shaolin had no choice but to tell a small lie.

Once they left the inn, they found carriages neighing outside and dust flying everywhere. The town was already bustling. Jack pointed at a large building in front of the inn and said, "That's the Blacksmith. There's a merchant inside selling cloth armor. Go buy yourself some equipment. We'll wait at the entrance." This small town did not sell any high-end goods, so he was not worried that Li Shaolin would spend several hours shopping. "All right, I'll go first."

Entering the Blacksmith, Li Shaolin saw blazing furnace fires, a huge anvil, and a red-hot forge. Waves of heat washed over him. A bare-chested middle-aged man greeted him. "Young adventurer, what would you like to buy? Our shop has all kinds of armor and weapons." Li Shaolin said, "I'm a mage and would like to buy some cloth armor. Who should I speak to?" The man called out, "Kuran, customer!" Someone answered from an adjoining room and called Li Shaolin inside.

After spending half the day choosing a set of knitted casual clothes, he spent seven silver coins. He then spent another five silver coins at the Blacksmith on an Infantry Sword before finally coming back out. Jack and the other two were sunbathing at the entrance. The moment Jack saw Li Shaolin, he asked in confusion, "Brother Shaolin, are you a warrior or a mage? Why are you carrying a sword and wearing cloth armor?" Li Shaolin was immediately embarrassed and gave an awkward chuckle.

The group slowly left the town. Holding a map, Jack said, "Once we reach the signpost ahead, we just need to follow the southern path through the forest. We should reach the mine in about four hours. Keep it up, everyone. Let's try not to spend the night in the forest." Everyone answered in agreement.

When they reached the wooden fence by the signpost and were about to enter the forest, a shifty-looking man approached and asked quietly, "Are you adventurers heading to the mines? I have some business for you. Want to hear it?" "Hm?" Jack stopped. The man looked around, and after confirming that there were no guards nearby, he whispered, "I'm the merchant Remy. The Kobolds in those mines often carry gold dust. Well, that gold dust is very useful to me. How about this? For every small bag of gold dust you find, I'll give you one silver coin. What do you say?" After considering it, Jack agreed. Remy took out a quest contract, handed it to Jack, then slunk away mysteriously. He looked like he was going to find other adventurers.

As soon as they entered the forest, the sky was obscured by the massive Elwynn Ancient Trees. Only thin rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches. After walking a few steps, they came upon a huge clearing overgrown with weeds. Brownish-yellow wild boars were foraging within it, and they did not panic at the sight of passersby. Jack said to the group, "I heard that the people from the Darkmoon Faire travel around the world, buying, selling, and performing. They make a full circuit every year and come here to set up camp. Judging by how abandoned this place is, it has probably been about a year. They should be arriving soon."

They went deeper into the forest without incident and did not encounter any animal attacks. The ancient trees along the way were simply too huge, making the entire forest dark and oppressive. After walking for another hour or so, the view ahead suddenly opened up. A slope gradually descended before them, leading to a patch of fertile land below where there were no more ancient trees. Mage Moni cheered and hurried down the slope. Then Jack shouted, "Careful!" A huge spider charged rapidly toward Moni!

Jack darted forward and blocked Moni's path. He raised his warhammer high with both hands and brought it down on the spider's head! The spider opened its mouth and spat out a web that glued Jack in place, while it continued charging at Moni! The Rogue flashed forward and hurled his dagger. It struck directly into the spider's eye. Though it wounded the creature, it did not stop its rapid advance. The spider let out a shrill cry and was already upon them! With a small leap, it sprang into the air!

Seeing that Moni was casting and could not move, Li Shaolin quickly drew his Infantry Sword and slashed diagonally. It happened to block the spider's fangs. With a creak, the two fangs clamped shut. Luckily, the short sword was sturdy and did not break. At that moment, Moni's Fireball flew out. A wave of heat brushed past him, and with a bang, the spider was knocked over. Its back sizzled as the Fireball struck it, bursting into flames. Jack had just broken free of the web, and with a swing of his warhammer, he killed the spider.

Li Shaolin felt a sharp pain in his hand. Looking down, he saw that it had turned green. He had been poisoned!

Rogue Mogaban went over to gather the loot. Jack came to inspect Li Shaolin and said apologetically, "Sorry, my level isn't high enough. I haven't learned Purify yet, so I can't help you. But this poison isn't very strong. It'll be gone in half an hour." Damn it, of course it isn't strong when you're not the one who got poisoned, Li Shaolin grumbled inwardly. Moni, however, bent forward slightly. "Are you all right? Thank you." At the sight of the beauty thanking him, his hand no longer hurt, and his spirits immediately rose. He gave a foolish grin. "Hehe, I'm fine!"

Mogaban put away the two venomous fangs and placed them in the bag at his waist. He clapped his hands and walked over.