System: Player Shadow Wolf has attacked you and is now marked as a wanted player. This status will last for one hour. Any player who kills a wanted player will not receive a crime penalty.
Caught between Snow Fox and Shadow Wolf, Shi Feng had only 31 HP left. His situation was critical.
"Despicable!"
Heizi cursed Shadow Wolf from a distance. The man had chosen the perfect moment to ambush them, but there was nothing Heizi could do about it. They were too far apart, and hitting Shadow Wolf would be difficult. He could only target Snow Fox, hoping to kill it before Shadow Wolf could take advantage.
Magic classes dealt high damage, and hitting monsters was easy enough. Hitting players, however, was extremely difficult unless they stood still.
The moment a Shadow Arrow was fired, its projected trajectory appeared. At long range, even players with decent skills could dodge it, and experts could do so with ease.
Snow Fox and Shadow Wolf charged toward him.
A cold smile touched Shi Feng's lips. He knew Shadow Wolf's abilities and habits inside out. After all, they had worked together at Shadow Studio for years. He took two steps back, positioning himself to form an ideal triangle with Snow Fox and Shadow Wolf. Then he gripped his Novice Sword and held it before his chest, standing perfectly still as he waited for them to attack.
"Have you given up already?"
Seeing Shi Feng prepare to block with his sword, Shadow Wolf looked down on him even more. Defending would indeed reduce the damage, but Snow Fox was an Elite. Even if Shi Feng blocked its attack, it would still deal 50 damage. With only 31 HP, he couldn't survive a single hit.
Snow Fox took the lead and lunged for him.
Bite!
"Just what I wanted." Shi Feng darted forward instead of retreating.
His Novice Sword met Snow Fox's jaws. He used his life-saving skill, Parry, to block the frontal attack, then put all his strength into shoving Snow Fox away. With nowhere to brace itself, Snow Fox was easily knocked toward Shadow Wolf.
It all happened in an instant.
Shadow Wolf, charging straight at Shi Feng, didn't have time to react. Snow Fox's jaws clamped onto his shoulder.
-164 appeared above Shadow Wolf's head, and his HP instantly hit zero.
"How could this happen?" Shadow Wolf stared in shock at Shi Feng's mocking smile, his heart filled with resentment. He had never imagined a player could do something like this. If he'd known, he would never have charged in and gotten himself killed.
No matter how unwilling he was, Shadow Wolf's HP was now zero. He could only fall to the ground, dissolving into specks of starlight and dropping a piece of equipment.
From afar, Heizi gaped, even forgetting to attack Snow Fox.
"Heizi, don't just stand there! Attack Snow Fox!" Shi Feng shouted as he charged toward it again.
Heizi snapped back to his senses, chanted a spell, and began attacking Snow Fox furiously.
Without Shadow Wolf in the way, the weakened Snow Fox was no threat. In less than ten seconds, it let out a mournful cry and collapsed.
System: You killed the Rare Elite Cunning Snow Fox and gained 130 EXP.
The EXP meant little to Shi Feng at level 2. What mattered was the loot. Rare Elites were every God's Domain player's favorite, with an astonishing drop rate. And since this was its first kill, the drops were sure to be even better.
"You've got to be kidding me. It even dropped a weapon." Shi Feng pulled out a staff and a pair of gloves.
Blackwood Staff, Bronze rank, requires 5 Strength, equipment level 1, Attack Power +8, Intelligence +3, Spirit +1, Mana +30, Durability 20/20.
This equipment was a major upgrade for magic classes. It not only had high attack power but also added 3 Intelligence. Equipping it would raise a magic class's damage by two tiers.
Fox Skin Gloves, leather armor, common rank, requires 3 Strength, equipment level 1, Defense +4, Durability 20/20.
Shadow Wolf had contributed a pair of level 0 common leather shoes with Defense +3.
"I thought it was just gray trash, but Shadow Wolf actually got lucky and dropped a common piece of equipment." Shi Feng had a newfound respect for Shadow Wolf. Getting common equipment this early was entirely a matter of luck. Fortunately, the gear had fallen into Shi Feng's hands. Swordsmen could wear not only plate armor but also leather armor, and with two pieces equipped, his defense would rise considerably.
"Heizi, this is for you." Shi Feng handed him the Blackwood Staff.
Heizi didn't take it. He looked hesitant. Shi Feng had done almost all the work to kill Snow Fox, while Heizi had barely helped, yet he was being given the best piece of loot—and it was Bronze equipment, something few players could afford at this stage. It was incredibly valuable.
"What's wrong? Aren't we good brothers? You don't have to be polite with me. Besides, you're a Cursemancer. Once you reach level 1, you'll get the most out of the staff, and you'll level up much faster." Shi Feng understood what Heizi was thinking and spoke earnestly.
Heizi considered it and realized Shi Feng was right, so he accepted the staff. "Thanks. I'll make good use of it."
"That's more like it." Shi Feng smiled. "Come on, let's head to Dark Moon Valley."
Red Leaf Town.
"Shadow Wolf, what the hell were you doing? Not only did you die, you dropped your valuable equipment too. Do you know how precious that gear was?" Flame Tiger roared.
Shadow Wolf's face darkened. He had spent seven hours farming those shoes, and now he'd dropped them. His heart was bleeding. He wanted to explain, but didn't know what to say. How could he tell them how Shi Feng had outsmarted him? He couldn't bring himself to admit it. Yet he still wanted to get the equipment back—but he wasn't a match for Shi Feng.
"Brother Tiger, I found a Rare Elite out in the wild. I was about to kill it when that kid spotted me. He even had someone with him, so I couldn't take on all three of them." Shadow Wolf pretended to be furious, twisting the truth and stoking Flame Tiger's greed. "That kid must have killed the Rare Elite by now and gotten some good gear. They were heading toward Dark Moon Valley. If we go after them now, we might still be able to get the equipment back."
"A Rare Elite!" Flame Tiger's eyes lit up. He stopped blaming Shadow Wolf, captivated by the thought of its loot. Excited, he said, "Come on, we're going after them right now. They dare steal my gear? I'll make them regret playing God's Domain!"
Before long, Flame Tiger had gathered all the members of the Shadow Studio in Red Leaf Town. He led a total of eleven members toward Dark Moon Valley, determined to kill Shi Feng and take the equipment.
By then, Shi Feng and Heizi had already arrived at Dark Moon Valley.
In front of the Blacksmith Workshop, beside a flowing stream, Shi Feng and Heizi stood quietly, watching a middle-aged, bare-chested man wield a hammer. He repeatedly struck a crimson ore, each blow ringing out with a clang.
Time passed slowly.
"Brother Feng, do we still have to wait? It's already been half an hour," Heizi asked softly.
"We have to. If we're not patient, he won't give us the quest," Shi Feng replied confidently.
In his previous life, Yichui Maimai had happened to pass by here and discovered a blacksmith. But no matter what he said to the man, the blacksmith ignored him. This infuriated Yichui Maimai, so he stayed there, keeping the blacksmith company. He stood off to the side, staring at him intently. After some time, the blacksmith unexpectedly spoke to him and even gave him a hidden quest. It taught Yichui Maimai the forging talent and made him a master forger.
Just think—once he obtained the forging talent and the Book of Forging, advancing to an advanced forging apprentice would be easy. Then the coins would pour into his pockets.
After waiting another ten minutes or so—
"Are you interested in forging?" the middle-aged blacksmith suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir. I've loved forging since I was a child." Shi Feng immediately answered.
The middle-aged blacksmith nodded in satisfaction. "Since you love forging, I can teach you. But first, can you go to the Red Star Mine to the west and bring me 100 pieces of Starfall Ore?"
"Of course. I'd be glad to help." Shi Feng answered respectfully.
System: You accepted the hidden quest "Path of Forging." Retrieve 100 pieces of Starfall Ore from the Red Star Mine for Jack, the master forger.
The Red Star Mine was a level 4 Kobold lair. Kobolds loved ore and spent every day digging in the mine. This made them naturally strong and agile. But after spending so long in dim caves, their vision was very limited; they could only spot enemies within 35 yards. That was just within the maximum attack range of magic classes.
Kobolds roamed all around the entrance to the mine. Attacking just one would draw a whole group.
Kobold, level 4, HP 420.
"Come on. Let's eat and drink our fill before we get to work." Shi Feng took out Black Iron Beer and an apple pie, then gave Heizi 100 bottles of Magic Water.
Heizi didn't understand why, but Shi Feng must have had a reason for asking him to do it, so he sat down and started eating too.
Ten seconds after eating the apple pie, all his attributes suddenly increased by 1 point for 30 minutes.
After drinking the Black Iron Beer, Heizi's vision grew hazy. But he saw the level 4 Kobolds in the distance suddenly become level 2—their levels had dropped by 2.
"All right, let's get started. The drunken effect of one bottle of Black Iron Beer only lasts 30 minutes." Shi Feng stood up, took out a Smoke Bomb, and quietly approached the mine entrance. More than ten level 4 Kobolds were gathered there.
Smoke Bomb: Greatly reduces visibility within a 10-by-10-yard area. Duration: one hour.
The Smoke Bomb reduced monsters' vision by 10 yards, which wasn't much use against most other monsters. But it worked well against Kobolds. Their vision would drop to 25 yards, so a magic class could attack from just over 30 yards away, where the Kobolds couldn't see them. They would have no choice but to stand there and wait to die.
"Attack," Shi Feng said, pointing at the Kobolds in the smoke.
Heizi was still somewhat skeptical, but he trusted Shi Feng. He chanted a spell, and a Shadow Arrow shot out, striking the Kobold at the front.