Little Boss

In the ancient Elf Forest, Qi Lin took a piece of bread from her system backpack and spread freshly made jam over it.

The jam had just been made by Dun Qu Qi Yi, while the bread had been included as a free gift.

Walking along a forest path, Qi Lin looked at the bread in her hand, fragrant with wheat and fruit, and her fingers immediately itched with anticipation.

She could not wait to take a bite.

"Mm."

A wonderful, delicate flavor lingered in Qi Lin's mouth. World Tree truly deserved its reputation as a game with one hundred percent simulation. Not only could it simulate all five senses, it could even simulate flavors Qi Lin had never tasted before.

It was practically real.

[System Notification: You consumed enhanced ordinary bread. Stamina recovered by 20. Experience +5.]

Looking at the system notification that had just appeared, Qi Lin was even more satisfied. She took a few more bites and finished the ordinary bread in her hand.

She checked her experience bar. She only needed half more to reach Level 4.

Nodding in satisfaction, she clapped her hands.

Qi Lin suddenly stopped and looked toward a nearby patch of grass. Feigning confusion, she asked, "What are you three guys hiding in the bushes trying to do?"

As soon as she spoke, three heads popped out of the grass.

The first was a Swordsman Apprentice, dressed in wooden armor. The ID above his head read: Ironclad Heroism.

The second was a Martial Artist Apprentice, wearing a coarse short shirt and holding a wooden spear. The ID above his head read: Lord Xin.

The third was a Mage Apprentice, dressed in a linen robe and holding a wooden staff. The ID above his head read: Demacia.

"So it's you, the Bush Trio." Qi Lin glanced at the three of them with disdain. She had thoroughly looked down on the spectacle two of them had made of stripping naked in public right after the server opened.

Seeing that Qi Lin was so difficult to approach, the imposing manner they had shown when jumping out of the bushes instantly vanished.

Lord Xin and Demacia both took a step back, immediately leaving Ironclad Heroism standing alone in the middle.

Lord Xin poked Ironclad Heroism in the butt with his wooden spear and muttered softly, "Xiao Lun, you talk to her."

"Me?" Ironclad Heroism pointed at himself, then could only force himself to meet Qi Lin's gaze.

Good lord. He knew full well that the face before him was only a game model, but as a loser, when had he ever spoken to such a beautiful girl? Ironclad Heroism was already stumbling over his words.

"Um... hehe... um... hehe..." Ironclad Heroism stared at Qi Lin's game avatar with a lecherous grin, chuckling foolishly as if he did not even know what he was thinking.

Qi Lin frowned in displeasure. She did not intend to argue with him and simply planned to go around them.

Slap. Lord Xin and Demacia both covered their faces, making it clear that they did not know this hopeless idiot.

"We found a small wild boss and were hoping you could lend us a hand," Lord Xin said helplessly.

"Yes, yes. We can't beat it, so we came looking for reinforcements." Coming back to his senses, Ironclad Heroism nodded hurriedly.

"Fine. Let's fight it. Send me the coordinates."

"5362, 165, 7591."

Qi Lin opened the map and discovered that the location was at the edge of the safe zone. No wonder they had encountered a small wild boss there.

She had heard Dun Qu Qi Yi mention that herds of Level 2 and Level 3 wild boars roamed around the edge of the safe zone.

When Qi Lin arrived at the coordinates the three had sent, a party invitation immediately flashed on her system panel.

[System Notification: Player Big D requests that you join the party. Yes/No]

Qi Lin clicked yes without hesitation, and a party panel appeared in the system interface.

Party Leader: Big D, Class: Swordsman Apprentice, LV: 2

Party Member: Demacia, Class: Mage Apprentice, LV: 2

Party Member: Lord Xin, Class: Martial Artist Apprentice, LV: 2

Party Member: Ironclad Heroism, Class: Swordsman Apprentice, LV: 3

Party Member: Tianhe Sheriff, Class: Dual-Gun Apprentice, LV: 3

"Damn. Other than me and that loser Ironclad Heroism, everyone else is only Level 2." Qi Lin felt like they had set her up when she saw the party panel.

The boss before Qi Lin was a wild boar. Having grown accustomed to seeing wild boars by now, she immediately cast Appraisal Technique on it.

As a basic skill, Appraisal Technique was something nearly every player knew.

[Name: Wild Boar King]

[LV: 5, Elite Monster]

[Description: The king of a wild boar herd. Its massive body is protected by mud and thick hide, though this also affects its speed. It seems to possess something unusual.]

Qi Lin noticed upon arriving that the player called Big D had already begun battling the Wild Boar King.

The Wild Boar King stood more than two meters tall. Big D raised the greatsword in his hand and, seizing an opportunity as the Wild Boar King charged, dodged to the side.

The wooden greatsword Big D held began to emit a faint glow as he swung it at the Wild Boar King's flank.

This was not a skill, but a charged attack technique in World Tree. Nearly every class could use it.

It was a game mechanic discovered by some high-level player and posted on the World Tree forums.

When the greatsword struck the Wild Boar King's side, it did not knock the beast over. It merely sent a few chunks of protective mud flying.

But Big D could clearly feel the distinct sensation where his greatsword had struck.

It felt distinctly different from slashing into muddy ground.

He could clearly tell that he had struck skin covered by a layer of mud, not mere system data.

He could not help exclaiming, "Holy crap, this is so damn realistic."

A red "-3" floated above the Wild Boar King's head.

The Wild Boar King cast a glance sideways and swung its head, the two tusks beside its mouth thrusting toward Big D.

Although Big D had set his pain sensitivity to zero, he still decisively raised his greatsword to block the tusks.

With a single thrust from the Wild Boar King, Big D was smoothly launched into the air. At the instant he was sent flying—

A "-37" appeared above Big D's head. Then he rolled across the ground several times, with "-2" and "-3" numbers occasionally popping up over his head.

That one hit cost Big D one-fifth of his HP.

The moment it knocked Big D away, the Wild Boar King briefly stiffened.

Qi Lin, who had been aiming for a long time, immediately fired. Two crossbow bolts shot straight for the Wild Boar King's eyes.

The dual-gun skill Weak-Point Aiming activated.

As the king of the wild boars, the Wild Boar King tilted its head at the critical moment and knocked one crossbow bolt away with its tusk, narrowly evading it.

The other crossbow bolt, however, struck with perfect accuracy and embedded itself in the Wild Boar King's eye socket.

The Wild Boar King let out a miserable cry, "Oink, oink." (Cicada Song honestly had no idea how to write a wild boar's cry.)

As the Wild Boar King screamed, a "-54" appeared above its head.

The injured Wild Boar King swept its gaze around and locked its aggro onto Qi Lin, the culprit who had shot out one of its eyes.

It charged straight at Qi Lin.

Then a loud roar came from behind the Wild Boar King.

"My spear remains, and now it strikes like a dragon!"

Lord Xin rushed toward the Wild Boar King's rear, swinging his beginner's spear.

With one thrust, he drove the spear into the Wild Boar King's unmentionable spot.

"Oink, oink, oink, oink!" The Wild Boar King immediately stopped. Its momentum was so great that it still plowed several deep furrows into the ground.

A huge critical-hit number, "-235," appeared above the Wild Boar King's head.

Seeing this, Qi Lin, Big D, Ironclad Heroism, and Demacia all bared their teeth.