Heizi's Good Luck

The Kobold in the smoke was struck, a damage value of 21 appearing above its head.

Suddenly attacked for no reason, the Kobold grew furious. It scanned its surroundings, its blood-red eyes glowing like searchlights, a movement that caused the other Kobolds to look over in alarm.

In the woods, Heizi's heart hammered against his ribs, his nerves frayed.

The Kobolds appeared to be level 2, but their stats were 100% those of level 4 monsters. Drinking Black Iron Beer merely bolstered a character's courage and caused intoxication, lowering the perceived level of all enemies by 2, but it did nothing to actually reduce the Kobolds' stats.

If these Kobolds charged, they would be dead for sure.

However, Heizi's worries were entirely unnecessary.

The struck Kobold peered around, failed to find an enemy, let out a few whimpers, and returned to its original state. The other Kobolds ignored their erratic companion and continued to wander.

"Feel free to attack. As long as you keep a distance of 30 yards, they won't attack us," Shi Feng said, patting Heizi on the shoulder with confidence.

He had planned all of this out long ago; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much money on supplies.

Encouraged by Shi Feng, Heizi grew bold, chanting spells continuously and firing Shadow Arrows.

With only 420 HP, the Kobolds could not withstand Heizi's barrage. After two dozen Shadow Arrows, they would collapse, and the nearby Kobolds took no notice of the fallen.

Seeing the first Kobold drop, Heizi grew excited.

This was killing monsters four levels above his own. Although the experience was split between the two of them, it was still incredibly generous, granting him a 5% boost in one go.

This meant that killing 20 Kobolds would result in a level up. Furthermore, it was safe, damage-free, and the monsters were endless; the leveling speed was simply terrifying. It would be highly efficient to level up to 6 this way. Heizi finally understood why Shi Feng was so confident—the few hours spent traveling here were well worth it.

Before long, the twenty-some Kobolds in front of the mine entrance had been cleared.

Heizi reached level 1, equipped his Blackwood Staff, and dumped all his free attribute points into Intelligence. His damage output surged, allowing him to shave off 45 HP from a Kobold in a single hit.

The twenty-some Kobolds dropped 12 copper coins, a piece of level 3 common cloth armor, and 5 pieces of Starfall Ore. Their luck was quite good.

As far as Shi Feng knew, the drop rate for Starfall Ore from Kobolds was low, with only one in ten dropping it. It would take killing nearly 1,000 Kobolds to collect 100 pieces. To get 5 pieces of Starfall Ore and common equipment from just twenty-some Kobolds meant Heizi's luck was exceptional.

After collecting all the loot, Shi Feng began pulling monsters. Utilizing his 16 points of Agility, he was slightly faster than the Kobolds. He pulled over thirty of them, maintaining a distance of just over 20 but less than 25 yards. Once he lured them all into the smoke, he suddenly accelerated, breaking the 25-yard threshold. The Kobolds lost their target and stood there in a daze.

Heizi, positioned 30 yards away, seized the opportunity to attack.

The 30-plus Kobolds were cleared in less than 10 minutes, yielding another 21 copper and 6 pieces of Starfall Ore, while Shi Feng and Heizi's experience bars jumped significantly.

Shi Feng pulled the monsters and Heizi provided the output. Although the process was mechanical and boring, Heizi didn't find it tedious at all; instead, he grew more enthusiastic with every kill, wishing he could grind for an entire day without rest.

An hour later, Heizi reached level 2 and his Shadow Arrow reached level 3. His damage increased from 40-something to 60-something, which felt incredible. The rocket-like leveling speed gave him plenty of motivation to push for level 3.

The significant increase in damage made killing Kobolds much faster, though the upgrade to Shadow Arrow also increased its mana cost. Fortunately, thanks to the Magic Water Shi Feng had bought, he could replenish his mana before Shi Feng pulled the next wave, allowing for continuous output.

Shi Feng observed Heizi's situation while pulling an appropriate number of Kobolds. Aside from that, he spent his time picking up loot, with his count of copper coins and Starfall Ore steadily rising.

After another hour or so, thanks to Heizi's efforts, they had harvested 73 pieces of Starfall Ore, six pieces of common equipment, and 264 copper. They only needed to grind for another hour or so to collect all the Starfall Ore.

At this moment, the system chimed.

System: Player Lonely As Snow has mailed you 10 copper.

Shortly after, he received a communication request from none other than Lonely As Snow.

"Who are you?" Shi Feng had just finished pulling a wave of monsters and, having a moment of downtime, accepted the call.

"Greetings, expert! I'm Lonely As Snow. We met at the Town Hall. You pointed me toward a spot to grind in the wild—that place is amazing! No one was competing for monsters, and I could handle them just fine. I'm level 2 now and have gathered quite a few materials and copper. I've mailed you the 10 copper; I hope you received it." Lonely As Snow was very excited. He had been worried that the expert wouldn't want to deal with him anymore, as experts were usually arrogant and wouldn't even glance at small-timers. That treasure spot had earned him over 60 copper and helped him reach level 2, putting him ahead of many other players. Spending 20 copper had been a steal.

"Oh, it's you. I've received the 10 copper." Reminded, Shi Feng recalled the incident. He had only given the advice offhandedly to kill the mayor faster; he hadn't cared about the 10 copper at all.

"Expert, the level 2 dungeon, Dead Silence Forest, has opened. I'd like to invite you to run it with us. My friends are all veterans and are already level 2; we definitely won't hold you back. Of course, all Swordsman gear in the dungeon will be yours. Do you have time?" Lonely As Snow was a bit nervous. Experts usually disdained carrying others, especially newbies, which was why he specifically mentioned that his group consisted of level 2 veterans, fearing Shi Feng would refuse outright.

Dead Silence Forest?

Shi Feng had a deep impression of this dungeon. Once a certain number of players in Red Leaf Town reached level 2, the town's first level 2 dungeon, Dead Silence Forest, would open.

The opening of Dead Silence Forest taught all players just how difficult the dungeons in God's Domain were; it wasn't until many players reached level 4 or 5 that the dungeon was finally cleared.

The primary purpose of Dead Silence Forest was to increase a player's skill count. Most of the monsters inside dropped basic skill books for various classes. The most valuable item, however, was a forging blueprint that only dropped from the final boss, the Werewolf Ferrot, though the drop rate was extremely low.

Shi Feng was very interested in that forging blueprint. If he could obtain it, it would significantly accelerate his upcoming plans.

"Fine, but I have conditions. I'll be bringing a Cursemancer with me. All Swordsman and Cursemancer gear and skill books go to me, as well as all materials and blueprints dropped by the boss. If you're willing, I'll go." Shi Feng nonchalantly claimed the vast majority of the benefits, seeing nothing wrong with it.

"This..." Lonely As Snow broke into a cold sweat. An expert's price was indeed high, but considering the strength of a beta tester, he gritted his teeth and agreed. "Alright, I agree. I'll tell them. When will you be free to come, expert?"

"In about two hours. See you at the dungeon entrance." Shi Feng estimated Heizi's clearing speed; they would definitely have the 100 pieces of Starfall Ore in another hour or so.

"That's great. I'll go prepare. See you at the dungeon entrance, expert." Lonely As Snow hung up, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

At that moment, three other people were standing beside Lonely As Snow, all of them level 2.

"What did that expert you mentioned say?" a handsome male Ranger asked.

Lonely As Snow explained everything according to what was said.

"What kind of expert? He's just here to ninja gear and take advantage of us. Why invite him? We can just find two more level 2 damage dealers and run the dungeon just the same," a Shield Warrior said, his face flushed with anger.

The male Priest beside him curled his lip and said unhappily, "So that means all the magic-class gear goes to his friend, then."

Lonely As Snow tried to mediate, "That person really is an expert, and a beta tester at that. He must know a lot about the dungeon. Maybe he can lead us to a clear. Don't you want to clear Dead Silence Forest?"

"So what if he's a beta tester? He just experienced God's Domain for a month and has a rough idea of things. Even if he knows a lot about Dead Silence Forest, the data has changed since the official launch. How much of that information is still useful?" the Shield Warrior said dismissively, believing those beta testers were just lucky and that their actual skill might not even be as good as theirs.

"Let's wait for them to arrive first. If it doesn't work out, there will be plenty of other level 2 players by then, and it won't be too late to find someone else," the lead Ranger said.

Hearing the Ranger say this, the others nodded in agreement.

At this moment, a flash of light flickered within Dark Moon Valley.

Shi Feng had finally reached level 3. It was a pity the level rankings hadn't opened yet; otherwise, he would undoubtedly be the number one player on the Red Leaf Town level leaderboard.

"Finally level 3." Shi Feng couldn't wait to add his 4 attribute points into Agility, instantly bringing his Agility to 20 points.

System: Player Agility has reached 20 points. Unlocked hidden basic Agility skill: Agile Swiftness. Possess agility surpassing that of a normal person, and physical freedom is fully unlocked.

Suddenly, Shi Feng felt a surge of power erupt throughout his body. His physique felt indescribably nimble, and his five senses were significantly heightened, allowing him to better unleash the potential of this body.

Aside from Shi Feng reaching level 3, Heizi had previously killed a batch of Kobolds and actually had a pair of level 1 Bronze Equipment boots drop.

Shi Feng couldn't help but admire Heizi's luck. Ordinary monsters from level 1 to 3 would not drop Bronze Equipment, and the drop rate for Bronze Equipment from level 4 monsters was less than one in ten thousand. For Heizi to have actually had it drop, his luck was simply heaven-defying.

"Brother Feng, what are the stats? Let me see too!" Heizi said excitedly.

"The stats on these boots are quite good." Shi Feng displayed the attributes.

Recruit Boots, Plate Armor, Bronze Grade, Equipment Requirement: 6 Strength, Equipment Level: 1, Defense +8, Strength +1, Stamina +1, Movement Speed +1, Durability 20/20.

"That's great! With this equipment, Brother Feng, your speed will be even faster," Heizi said happily. He had felt bad before because he was the only one with Bronze Equipment, but now that Shi Feng had some too, he felt much better. "Brother Feng, how much Starfall Ore is still missing?"

"Not much left. Just 4 pieces, one more wave and it'll be OK." Shi Feng checked his bag. Without realizing it, he already had 96 pieces of Starfall Ore. If anyone else had come to farm this, it would have likely taken five or six hours. Fortunately, with Heizi there, they had killed several hundred, so they were almost finished.

Just as Shi Feng was preparing to lure more monsters, his keen senses caught three blurry figures approaching behind Heizi.

"Heizi, dodge!"

Shi Feng let out a roar and drew his Novice Sword, rushing over with lightning speed.

Heizi was still oblivious, too busy being happy to notice anything approaching.

"Realizing it now is too late. He is the first one."

The three figures suddenly materialized; they were three Assassin players. One of them was the Shadow Wolf who had been killed earlier. For a magic-class profession to be ambushed by three Assassins simultaneously, it could be said that death was certain, with no suspense, even if Heizi was one level higher than them.