Chapter 5: Glowing Chest Armor (2/2)
Cla.s.s: Undead Swordsman (Beginner)
Level: 3
HP: 140
Attack: 7~12
Defense: 10
I have 10 Defense now, meaning that killing Level 3 Big-eared Rabbits is no longer a difficult task, quite the opposite actually. Moreover, the 2 extra points of Stamina I got from leveling also increased my total HP to 140!
For a moment, my heart was filled with pure happiness. At this stage and with this level of defense, it probably wouldn't be wrong to call me as hard as nails, right?
Wait, I almost forgot. The chest armor wasn't the only thing the Big-eared Rabbit Boss dropped!
I lay on the ground and pulled the stone towards me with my hands. Yup, as I thought, it was a legendary magic stone—Big Magic Stone (Quality 77).
In Heavenblessed, monsters dropped magic stones instead of gold coins. All monsters with magic in them had a chance of dropping magic stones, and they could be traded to a merchant for cash. There were 5 types of magic stones, namely Small Magic Stone, Big Magic Stone, Phantasmal Magic Stone, Purple Crystal, and Divine Crystal. The higher the quality, the bigger the price it fetched.
The Big Magic Stone I got was an item of 77 Quality, so it should be worth a lot of copper!
I jumped out of Snake Venom Brambles and went on my way. My appearance had improved much thanks to the s.h.i.+ny Iron-grade chest armor around my torso. At the very least, my ribs were no longer exposed for all to see. Once I got a pair of greaves, shoes, and a helmet that covered up my face, I should finally look decent enough to meet someone.
I didn't get far before a Level 3 Big-eared Rabbit pounced toward me. This time, I didn't dodge out of the way. Come at me!
2!
I nearly snorted when I saw the number leaping off my head. Ten points of Defense were impressive alright, this Big-eared Rabbit almost couldn't break through my defense despite being at the same level as me.
I killed the foolish rabbit in two hits before running back to the starting village. I then sought out the Corpse Heap Graveyard Guard and turned in my quest items: Five Big-eared Rabbit's Thick Leg Hair!
”Very good, young skeleton. You've gained my newfound respect!”
The undead barbarian cackled while slapping me on the shoulder. ”Come and take your rightful reward. Everything is for the return of the Night Creatures, and of course, riches and b.i.t.c.hes!”
The undead barbarian's reply was a literal eye opener. What an impressive and lovable NPC! Speaking of which, is it just me, or does it sound like I'm now a member of the Night Creatures?
Ding~!
System Notice: You have completed the quest [Kill the Big-eared Rabbits]. You have gained 150 EXP, 1 Reputation and 10 copper!
I gulped. This is what I got for all my hard work? Fine, at least I got 150 experience. I should have enough to level up to 5 once I killed a couple more Big-eared Rabbits.
The Corpse Heap Graveyard Guard continued, ”It also looks like you've killed the Big-eared Rabbits' leader. Well done, the Big-eared Rabbits are no longer a threat. I now have a more important quest for you. Would you like to hear it?”
That was exactly what I was hoping for, so I nodded repeatedly and said, ”Do tell, do tell.”
”Alright!” The guard gripped his battle axe and started. ”Outside our town is the vast and seemingly endless Suns.h.i.+ne Forest. Recently, our skeleton brothers sent word that a bunch of Green Praying Mantises had appeared inside the forest. Their physique is huge, and they are armed with sharp blades. You must head to Suns.h.i.+ne Forest, kill 100 Green Praying Mantises and bring back 10 Green Praying Mantis Armblades! Do that, and I shall reward you generously!”
Ding~!
System Notice: You've accepted the quest [Green Praying Mantis]! (Quest Rank: F)
Description: Head to Suns.h.i.+ne Forest, kill 100 Green Praying Mantises and collect 10 Green Praying Mantis Armblades for the Corpse Heap Graveyard Guard.
Mn, very good, an F Rank quest should net me a lot of experience.
Instead of heading out in a hurry, I chose to walk deeper into the graveyard. It was at this moment a skeleton merchant with a crooked back appeared before me. I walked up to him and produced the Big Magic Stone dropped by Big-eared Rabbit Boss, saying, ”Hey bro, can you tell me how much this is worth?”
The skeleton shot me a complicated look before complaining, ”Do I look like a man to you?”
I was immediately a.s.saulted by a sea of gooseb.u.mps. How the h.e.l.l was I supposed to tell when she was literally all bones? It wasn't like she had a pair I could check out and confirm. ”Ahem, excuse me, beautiful. Can you tell me how much this is worth?”
The bony belle finally accepted the Big Magic Stone and gave it a look. ”It's worth 1540 copper!”
I was stunned. My first quest only rewarded me 10 copper, but this rock fetched me a sum that was far beyond my imagination. I'm so happy!
The next second, 1540 copper—or 15 silver and 40 copper—entered my pockets. I guess I was now moderately well-off!
I checked if the bony belle had anything to sell and discovered that she had potions. Unfortunately, they were ridiculously expensive. One Basic Health Potion that restored 80 HP cost 50 copper? This is robbery!
Still, I acquiesced and bought 20 of them. Without health potions, I couldn't fight higher-level monsters or obtain more magic stones to sell. One must think long-term when planning, right?
……
Now that I was stocked to the brim, it was time for more adventure!
I arrived at the rim of Corpse Heap Graveyard killed a couple of Big-eared Rabbits on the way. Again, I dumped 5 points into Strength and raised my overall attack power to 10~17. For now, it looked like Undead Swordsman had a pretty impressive Strength scaling since 5 points had increased my attack power by a range of 3~5. I had checked the introductions to all the cla.s.ses on the forum before, so I knew that the cla.s.s with the best Strength scaling was Warrior, with 5 points of Strength increasing their attack power by 2~5. Magic Knight's was 2~4, and Wanderer's was 3~4. In a sense, Undead Swordsman was among the better offensive cla.s.ses.
Next, I brought up the ranking list. There were three starting villages in my area, with two under the Light faction and one—namely mine—under the Dark faction. Right now, the highest level players in all three starting villages were Level 7, meaning that I was way behind those people. As I thought, there will never be a lack of crazy levelers in any game. I need to work harder.
Under the moonlight, a sinister little skeleton wielding a shabby sword lightly trodded across a hill while humming, ”The younger monk left to beg for food, but the older monk said to leave the wild flowers alone, so he asked: Why not? Why waste~?”