The Kobold in the smoke was hit, and a 21-point damage number appeared above its head.
After being attacked for no apparent reason, the Kobold grew furious. It looked around, its eyes bloodshot and shining like searchlights. Its behavior made the other Kobolds look over warily.
In the woods, Heizi's heart was racing. He was incredibly nervous.
The Kobolds looked like level 2, but their stats were definitely those of level 4 monsters. Drinking Black Iron Beer only made a character bolder. The drunken effect lowered the level of every enemy the character saw by 2, but it didn't lower the Kobolds' stats.
If those Kobolds charged over, they'd be done for.
But Heizi's worry was entirely unnecessary.
The Kobold that had been hit looked around but couldn't find any enemies. It only let out a few grunts before returning to normal. The other Kobolds ignored their crazy companion and continued wandering.
"Go ahead and attack. As long as we stay 30 yards away, they won't attack us." Shi Feng patted Heizi on the shoulder and spoke confidently.
He had planned everything out long ago. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much money buying those items.
Encouraged by Shi Feng, Heizi grew bolder. He continuously chanted incantations and fired Shadow Arrows.
With only 420 HP, the Kobolds couldn't withstand Heizi's barrage. More than twenty Shadow Arrows flew at them, and the Kobolds died one after another. The ones nearby didn't react at all.
Seeing the first Kobold fall, Heizi grew excited.
They were killing monsters four levels above them. Although they were in a two-person party and had to share the experience, the amount they earned was still incredible. His progress bar jumped by 5% in one go.
That meant they could level up after killing just 20 Kobolds. It was safe, there was no damage, and the monsters kept coming. Their leveling speed was downright terrifying. They could keep this up until level 6 with great efficiency. Heizi finally understood why Shi Feng had been so confident. The few hours they had spent traveling were well worth it for a hunting spot like this.
Before long, the more than twenty Kobolds in front of the mine had been cleared out.
Heizi had also reached level 1. He equipped the Blackwood Staff and put all his free attribute points into Intelligence, sharply increasing his damage. Now he could take 45 HP off a Kobold with one hit.
The more than twenty Kobolds had dropped 12 copper, a piece of level 3 Common Cloth Armor, and five pieces of Starfall Ore. Their luck was pretty good.
As far as Shi Feng knew, Kobolds had a low chance of dropping Starfall Ore. Only one in ten would drop any, meaning they'd need to kill about 1,000 Kobolds to get 100 pieces. Now they'd gotten five pieces of Starfall Ore from just over twenty Kobolds, along with a piece of Common Equipment. Heizi's luck was ridiculously good.
After collecting all the drops, Shi Feng continued luring monsters. With his 16 Agility, he was a little faster than the Kobolds. He lured over thirty at once, keeping just over 20 yards away but under 25. Only after leading all of them into the Smoke Bomb's cloud did he suddenly speed up and move beyond 25 yards, causing the Kobolds to lose their target and stand there dumbly.
Heizi, standing 30 yards away, took the opportunity to attack.
They cleared the thirty-odd Kobolds in under ten minutes. The monsters dropped another 21 copper and six pieces of Starfall Ore, and Shi Feng and Heizi's experience bars jumped forward.
Shi Feng kept luring monsters while Heizi dealt damage. The routine was mechanical and boring, but Heizi didn't mind at all. In fact, the more he killed, the more fired up he became. He wished he could keep going all day without a break.
An hour later, Heizi had reached level 2, and Shadow Arrow had reached level 3. Its damage had increased from a little over 40 to more than 60. He was so thrilled he could hardly speak. His rocket-like leveling speed gave him plenty of motivation to push for level 3.
With his damage greatly increased, he killed Kobolds much faster. However, the stronger Shadow Arrow also consumed more mana. Fortunately, he had the Magic Water Shi Feng had bought. He could fully replenish his mana before Shi Feng brought over the next wave, allowing him to keep up a nonstop barrage.
Shi Feng kept an eye on Heizi while luring over a suitable number of Kobolds. Other than that, he picked up the drops. Their copper and Starfall Ore steadily piled up.
A little over an hour later, thanks to Heizi's hard work, they had collected 73 pieces of Starfall Ore, six pieces of Common Equipment, and 264 copper. They only needed to grind for another hour or so to gather all the Starfall Ore.
At that moment, a system notification sounded.
System: Player Lonely As Snow mailed you 10 copper.
A communication request came through right after. It was from Lonely As Snow.
"Who is it?" Shi Feng had just finished luring a wave of monsters and had nothing to do, so he accepted the call.
"Hello, expert big brother! I'm Lonely As Snow. We met at the Town Hall. You even pointed me toward a place to hunt monsters out in the wild. That spot is great. Nobody steals my kills, and I can handle the monsters just fine. I'm already level 2, and I've gotten quite a few materials and copper. I've mailed you 10 copper. I don't know if you've received it yet." Lonely As Snow was very excited. He'd worried that this expert wouldn't want to talk to him again. Experts were usually proud and didn't even bother looking at small fry like him. That prime hunting spot he'd bought had earned him over 60 copper, and he'd reached level 2, putting him ahead of many other players. Spending 20 copper on it had been a fantastic deal.
"Oh, it's you. I've received the 10 copper." The reminder jogged Shi Feng's memory. He had indeed given Lonely As Snow some advice, but at the time, he'd only done so offhandedly because he wanted to kill the mayor as soon as possible. He hadn't cared about the 10 copper afterward.
"Expert big brother, the level 2 dungeon Dead Silence Forest has opened. I'd like to invite you to run it with us. A few friends of mine are veterans, and they're already level 2. We definitely won't hold you back. Of course, all the Swordsman equipment in the dungeon will be yours. Do you have time?" Lonely As Snow was a little nervous. Most experts disdained taking other players along, especially rookie beginners, so he'd made a point of explaining that the group members were all experienced players who'd reached level 2. He was afraid Shi Feng would turn him down outright.
Dead Silence Forest?
Shi Feng remembered this dungeon very well. Once enough players in Red Leaf Town reached level 2, the town's first level 2 dungeon, Dead Silence Forest, would open.
Its opening also showed players just how difficult God's Domain dungeons were. It took until many players had reached level 4 or 5 before Dead Silence Forest was finally cleared.
The dungeon's main purpose was to increase the number of skills available to players. Most monsters inside dropped basic skill books for the various classes. The most valuable loot, though, was the Forging Design, which only the final boss, Werewolf Ferrot, dropped. Its drop rate was very low.
Shi Feng was quite interested in the Forging Design. If he learned it, he could make considerable progress on his upcoming plans.
"Sure, but I have a condition. I'll bring a Cursemancer along. All the Swordsman and Cursemancer equipment and skill books go to me, as do all the materials and designs dropped by the boss. If you're willing, I'll come." Shi Feng casually claimed most of the benefits, seeing nothing wrong with it.
"Th-this..." Lonely As Snow was sweating all over. This expert sure charged a high price for showing up. Still, considering the strength of a beta tester, he gritted his teeth and agreed. "All right, I accept. I'll tell them. When can you come, expert?"
"Let's meet at the dungeon entrance in a little over two hours." Shi Feng estimated Heizi's kill rate. They would definitely get 100 pieces of Starfall Ore in a little over an hour.
"Okay, I'll get ready. See you at the dungeon entrance, expert big brother." Lonely As Snow hung up, feeling relieved.
Three other people stood beside Lonely As Snow. Each of them was level 2.
"What did that expert say?" asked a handsome male Ranger.
Lonely As Snow explained what had happened, repeating the other man's words.
"What kind of expert is that? He's just trying to hog the loot and take advantage of us. Why party with him? We can find two more level 2 damage dealers and run the dungeon just fine." A Shield Warrior was furious and swore at him.
The male Priest beside him also curled his lip, displeased. "So he wants all the caster equipment to go to his friend, too?"
Lonely As Snow tried to persuade them. "He really is an expert, and he's a beta tester. He definitely knows a lot about dungeons. He might even be able to lead us through it. Don't you want to clear Dead Silence Forest?"
"So what if he's a beta tester? He just got to try God's Domain for a month and picked up a rough idea of how it works. Even if he knows a lot about Dead Silence Forest, the data was changed after the official launch. How much of what he knows will still be useful?" The Shield Warrior scoffed. He thought beta testers had just gotten lucky, and that their actual skill might not even be as good as theirs.
"Let's wait until they get here. If it doesn't work out, there'll be plenty of level 2 players by then, and we can find someone else." The Ranger in the lead spoke up.
Hearing the Ranger say this, the others nodded in agreement.
At that moment, a flash of light shone in Dark Moon Valley.
Shi Feng finally reached level 3. Unfortunately, the level rankings hadn't opened yet. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly have been Red Leaf Town's highest-level player.
"Finally level 3." Shi Feng couldn't wait to put all four attribute points into Agility. His Agility immediately reached 20.
System: Player Agility has reached 20. Hidden basic Agility skill Agile Swiftness unlocked. Your movements now surpass those of an ordinary person, and your body's full range of motion is unlocked.
Shi Feng suddenly felt strength welling up throughout his body. His movements felt incredibly nimble, and his five senses had greatly improved, allowing him to make better use of his body's potential.
Besides Shi Feng reaching level 3, Heizi had killed a group of Kobolds earlier and unexpectedly gotten a piece of level 1 Bronze Equipment: boots.
Shi Feng couldn't help admiring Heizi's luck. Ordinary level 1 to 3 monsters didn't drop Bronze Equipment, and level 4 monsters had a drop rate of less than one in ten thousand. Yet Heizi had gotten a piece. His luck was simply absurd.
"Feng, what are its stats? Let me have a look!" Heizi said excitedly.
"These boots have pretty good stats." Shi Feng displayed their attributes.
Recruit Boots, Plate Armor, Bronze, Equipment Requirement: 6 Strength, Equipment Level: 1, Defense +8, Strength +1, Stamina +1, Movement Speed +1, Durability 20/20.
"Great! With these, you'll be even faster, Feng." Heizi was delighted. Before, he'd been the only one with Bronze Equipment, which had made him feel awkward. Now Shi Feng had some, too, and he felt much better. "Feng, how much Starfall Ore do we still need?"
"Not much. Just four more pieces. One more wave and we're done." Shi Feng checked his bag. Without noticing, they'd already gathered 96 pieces of Starfall Ore. If someone else had been farming here, it would have taken five or six hours. Fortunately, Heizi was with him. After killing several hundred monsters, they were almost finished.
As Shi Feng was about to lure the monsters, his sharp senses caught sight of three blurry figures approaching behind Heizi.
"Heizi, watch out!"
Shi Feng shouted and drew his Novice Sword, charging forward at blinding speed.
Heizi hadn't noticed a thing. He was too busy celebrating to realize something was approaching.
"You only noticed now? Too late. He's the first one."
The three figures suddenly appeared. They were three Assassin players, one of whom was the Shadow Wolf who had been killed earlier. A caster being ambushed by three Assassins was as good as dead. There was no suspense, even if Heizi was one level higher than them.