Joy Turns to Sorrow (Seeking Recommendations and Collections)

Time passed bit by bit.

Shi Feng and Heizi were not idle, either; they were killing Level 4 Roaming Goblins not far from the Red Star Mine.

Roaming Goblins were common Level 4 monsters with 400 HP.

Compared to Kobolds, Roaming Goblins were more agile and adept at dodging, though their attack and defense were nothing to write home about.

Furthermore, the Dark Moon Valley had yet to be developed, so there were plenty of mobs here. With no one else competing for kills, they didn't need to go out of their way to hunt.

Shi Feng was already a Level 3 Swordsman, and Heizi was a Level 2 Cursemancer. With Shi Feng engaging the monsters at the front, the Roaming Goblins' daggers couldn't even touch him while he had Agile Swiftness active. Meanwhile, Heizi drank Black Iron Beer and unleashed fierce damage from the back, making it easy to take down the Roaming Goblins. Their efficiency was even faster than grinding Kobolds.

In front of the Red Star Mine, batches of Kobolds lay at the entrance, with various ores and copper coins scattered across the ground.

"Brother Tiger, this place is amazing! We've all reached Level 2 in less than half an hour, and so much money has dropped."

"Hahaha, keep it up, everyone! You three, go lure some more monsters. As long as we keep grinding like this, we'll reach Level 3 in less than three or four hours."

Flame Tiger excitedly directed the three Assassins who had just arrived, ordering them to lure even more Kobolds. Since the magic-class players were now Level 2, their speed at killing Kobolds had increased significantly; luring thirty-plus Kobolds at once was no longer a challenge.

"Brother Tiger, something dropped here!" a Berserker shouted, holding a book in his hand.

"Bring it over and let me see." Seeing that an item had dropped, Flame Tiger licked his dry lips and smiled.

Flame Tiger took the book and immediately burst into laughter.

"Awesome, absolutely awesome! Not only did I take over the spot that brat worked so hard to find, but now that I've got this rare skill book for a Swordsman in my hands, I'd really love to see the look of regret on his face."

"Brother Tiger, I saw that brat when I came here. They're still killing Roaming Goblins in the area. I bet they're still attached to this place and feeling bitter. Why don't we go over and kill them? It'll save us from any unexpected trouble." Shadow Wolf's eyes glinted with a cold, murderous light. He harbored deep resentment toward Shi Feng for killing him twice.

Flame Tiger waved his hand and gave a disdainful laugh. "Just let them watch. Let them see how we level up and rake in money quickly to become the overlords of Red Leaf Town, while they can only stand on the sidelines, filled with bitterness and regret. Hahaha, just thinking about it feels great."

Although Shadow Wolf felt a bit disgruntled, the thought of Shi Feng's bitter expression while he was stuck outside laboriously killing Roaming Goblins made him feel a sense of satisfaction.

"Just you wait. Once I hit Level 6, that'll be the day you die." Shadow Wolf hadn't given up on killing Shi Feng; instead, he began to look forward to the thrill of hitting Level 6 and finally taking him down.

Meanwhile, in the woods 60 yards south of the Red Star Mine, Shi Feng used the trees as cover to keep an eye on Flame Tiger and his group.

"Brother Feng, can the two of us really do this?" Heizi asked, sounding worried.

These eleven people weren't ordinary players; they were experts who had passed the Shadow Studio's assessment, and they even had two healers. With just the two of them, it was impossible to kill these people.

"Don't worry. The time is almost up; let's just watch the show," Shi Feng said calmly, checking the time. "In a moment, you stand in the back. Kill whoever has low health; don't let a single one escape."

"The time is almost up?" Heizi was confused.

Shi Feng pointed to the smoke at the entrance of the Red Star Mine and smiled. "Flame Tiger thinks killing monsters above your level is too simple. The smoke bombs we set before leaving have a time limit. There are only two minutes left until the hour is up. They think that just because they snatched my territory, they can keep enjoying themselves? Now, I'm going to teach them a lesson."

Heizi suddenly realized what was happening, and his admiration for Shi Feng grew even deeper.

"You're the best, Brother Feng! Those bastards from Shadow are done for." Heizi grinned.

The only reason they could kill Kobolds without taking damage while being under-leveled was because of those smoke bombs. Without them, it would have been impossible. If the smoke bombs ran out, the consequences were terrifying to even think about.

Two minutes later, the smoke in front of the Red Star Mine began to slowly dissipate.

"Brother Tiger, why is the smoke clearing?" An Elementalist noticed the vanishing smoke and asked Flame Tiger.

"The smoke is clearing? No way." Flame Tiger, who had been lying down to rest, jumped up and looked over. The smoke at the entrance had indeed cleared. "If it's gone, then it's gone. The smoke might be periodic. Don't worry about it, just keep fighting."

The moment Flame Tiger finished speaking, the Kobolds, which had been acting dull and unresponsive, all turned their gazes toward the members of Shadow Studio.

Over forty Kobolds had blood-red eyes and let out angry roars. Having finally discovered the people who had been attacking them, they swarmed forward in a frenzy.

The members of Shadow Studio didn't react in time and were instantly mobbed by the Kobolds. Level 2 players couldn't withstand three hits from a Kobold, let alone a whole group of them.

In the blink of an eye, seven people were dead, and the members in the back fell into chaos, fleeing for their lives.

However, the Kobolds were fast. Before long, they caught up to the fleeing magic-class players, and with a hammer to the head for each mage, they all lay dead on the ground.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on? Why did these Kobolds suddenly go crazy?" Seeing that the situation was dire, Flame Tiger turned and ran, cursing as he fled.

They had finally managed to get most of their members to Level 2, but now that they had died, they were all back to Level 1. Three of the Assassins were even back to Level 0. It was a massive loss. With this setback, their dream of becoming the overlords of Red Leaf Town had shattered. Now, the levels of the Shadow members were actually lower than those of ordinary players, falling far behind other guilds.

Flame Tiger's heart was bleeding.

"We meet again, 'Mr. Tycoon'." Shi Feng stood in the path of Flame Tiger's escape and smiled calmly.

Seeing Shi Feng's cold smirk, even a fool like Flame Tiger understood that the Kobold riot was definitely Shi Feng's doing.

"You're a dead man! To think you'd scheme against me—if I don't kill you back to Level 0, I'll spell my name backward!" Flame Tiger roared in fury, hoisting his shield as he charged at Shi Feng.

Compared to the other members of Shadow Studio, Flame Tiger's technique was clearly a cut above.

He used his large shield to block Shi Feng's line of sight while simultaneously thrusting his short sword toward Shi Feng's vitals—a simple, vicious, and hard-to-defend maneuver.

However, Flame Tiger's confident strike missed its mark.

"Where is he?" Flame Tiger stared ahead, but there wasn't even a shadow to be seen.

"Right here." Shi Feng stood behind Flame Tiger and swung his sword down.

Slash!

A damage value of -36 appeared over Flame Tiger's head, and his 220 HP instantly dropped to 184.

Struck, Flame Tiger hurriedly turned around to use Shield Bash.

But Shi Feng had long since anticipated Flame Tiger's move. He stepped back, pivoted to dodge behind the shield, and then circled back to Flame Tiger's rear to land another strike.

Without any skill bonuses, he only dealt 23 points of damage against the Shield Warrior's high defense.

"You coward, if you've got the guts, stop dodging! I'll finish you off in a minute." Flame Tiger, unable to land a hit on the agile Shi Feng while his own HP steadily dropped to a mere 83 points, grew desperate. With no way to counter Shi Feng's attacks, he resorted to taunts, hoping to goad Shi Feng into a reckless move that would give him an opening.

"Sure, I'll stand still. Come at me." Shi Feng agreed immediately, without a second thought.

Flame Tiger snickered to himself, surprised at how foolish Shi Feng was; he had fallen for the provocation instantly.

"Watch how I toy with you until you die." Flame Tiger raised his shield and charged at Shi Feng. If Shi Feng didn't dodge, he would be forced into a direct clash of strength—a contest he was certain he wouldn't lose.

However, Flame Tiger was to be disappointed.

Just as he reached a distance of two yards from Shi Feng, Shi Feng unleashed Wind Thunder Flash.

Three bolts of lightning pierced through the shield and tore through Flame Tiger's body. Damage values of -28, -35, and -41 erupted above his head, instantly dropping his HP to zero.

"You... despicable!" Flame Tiger glared at Shi Feng, spitting blood in his fury. Had he not charged forward himself, this skill would never have landed all three hits.

"Are you alright, rich boy? I said I'd stand still, but I never said I wouldn't fight back. How could you be so naive as to charge in yourself?" Shi Feng spread his hands, feigning innocence. "By the way, I really have to thank you, rich boy. You've mined so much ore for me; you've saved me a lot of trouble."

Flame Tiger pointed at Shi Feng, wanting to say more, but his body had already dissolved into starlight. Unable to utter another word, he left behind only a pile of ore and a book.