Now, only two paths lie before Kiriya. He could either be slain by the monster and sent back to town, or fight the Giant Flame Bat with everything he had!
If he had enough potions, he could take his time and take down the giant bat steadily. But right now, he only had 5 Minor Health Potions left, each restoring just 100 HP.
Even with his total health added in, he only had 790 HP in all. Whether he could take down this giant bat with just that was still unknown.
With that in mind, Kiriya hesitated no longer. He gritted his teeth, clamped a potion between his teeth, and charged forward. He had no other choice at this point!
Slash! Slash!
Two consecutive sword strikes landed on the Giant Flame Bat's back, draining 210 HP from it in an instant. But the bat's counterattack came right after, and Kiriya had to chug a potion at once.
The fight grew more intense. Kiriya swung his iron sword wildly, slashing at the bat's mouth. A sharp crack rang out, dealing a massive 260 damage!
Kiriya froze for a second, then realized in an instant. In EAO, most monsters had weak points. Landing a precise hit on a weak point dealt double damage! The weak point of this giant bat was clearly its glowing green maw.
He dodged to the side at once, driving his sword straight into the bat's mouth. The blade sank into the soft flesh, dealing another 255 weak-point damage in a blink!
Watching the quasi-Boss's HP plummet, Kiriya's heart surged with joy. He kept aiming for the weak point and attacking furiously, triggering a weak-point critical strike every two or three strikes!
Just then, he reached for his inventory and felt nothing. His heart sank—damn it! The potions were all gone at the worst possible moment!
And at that time, the Giant Flame Bat only had a sliver of HP left. It opened its blood-red maw and lunged straight for him!
Kiriya only had 140 HP left. There was no retreat; he had to fight head-on!
He gritted his teeth and charged forward with his sword, driving the iron sword deep into the bat's mouth!
Agonizing pain shot through his shoulder, and his HP plummeted by 120 in an instant. But at the same time, a clear, sweet system prompt rang out.
Ding!
System Prompt: You have slain the Giant Flame Bat! Gained 490 EXP!
System Prompt: You have leveled up!
Ding!
Several items dropped beside the Giant Flame Bat's corpse, glinting brightly among a few silver coins. One of them was a battle axe, faintly shimmering with light!
Kiriya's heart skipped a beat—he hit the jackpot! Equipment that shimmered with light meant premium gear with stats. Had he really looted the first stat weapon in the Starter Village?
He picked up the battle axe in a flash and checked its stats.
[Glimmering Battle Axe] (Black Iron)
Attack: 12-19
Strength: +4
Level Requirement: 6
Haha! It was a Black Iron-tier stat weapon, with a straight +4 Strength bonus—exactly the stat he needed most right now!
Overjoyed, Kiriya equipped the Glimmering Battle Axe at once. His Attack skyrocketed to 33-40, easily top-tier attack power in the Starter Village!
He picked up the silver coins on the ground happily. As expected of a mutated monster, it was far more generous than regular ones, dropping 4 silver coins outright. Adding the copper coins he'd saved from grinding mobs earlier, he now had 23 silver coins and 68 copper coins to his name!
He was still far from the 2 gold coins the studio required, but it was still early. He would definitely have enough to hand in by the end of the day.
Stolen story; please report.
Once he'd gathered everything, Kiriya headed straight back to the Starter Village.
The Starter Village was packed to the brim by now. Nearly 99.9% of players still held the crude wooden clubs given by the system. So Kiriya, with the Black Iron Glimmering Battle Axe on his back, was easily one of the top players in the village. Countless players shot him envious glances.
Kiriya quickly hid his ID. He knew better than anyone that tall trees attract the wind. He wasn't afraid of PK, but time was precious right now—leveling up, and looting gear was his top priority.
He found Militia Captain Marcus and handed over 20 vials of Bat Blood. Marcus's eyes were filled with astonishment as he exclaimed, "Brave adventurer, you actually did it! I never thought you could defeat those ferocious Flame Bats. This is your reward!"
Ding!
System Prompt: Congratulations! You have completed the quest [Clear the Southern Fallow]! Gained 2400 EXP, 24 silver coins, Reputation +10, and quest reward item [Wilderness Boots]!
Kiriya was overjoyed at another piece of gear!
[Wilderness Boots] (Black Iron · Armor)
Defense: 15
Strength: +2
Agility: +1
Level Requirement: 6
Another Black Iron-tier stat piece, with dual stat bonuses! Even with small bonuses, it was an absolute top-tier item!
The EXP from the quest shot him straight to Level 7. After equipping the Wilderness Boots, his Defense skyrocketed to 26, and his Attack reached 35-45!
Looking at the discarded iron sword in his hand, Kiriya ran to the village entrance and shouted, "Iron Sword, Attack 1-4 for sale! Highest bidder wins, sale ends in three minutes!"
That yell hit like a heavy bomb. The area was surrounded by players in mere seconds, with crowds shouting, "Sell it to me! I want it!"
Facing the crowd of players desperate for weapons, Kiriya said plainly, "Highest bidder takes it!"
The crowd erupted instantly, with bids flying left and right.
"I'll pay 1 silver coin!"
"1 silver coin? Please! I'll pay 2 silver coins!"
Just then, a player pushed through the outer crowd and said firmly, "I've got 20 silver coins. Sell it to me!"
The price of 20 silver coins silenced the entire crowd. Everyone stared in shock at the player with a fortune this early in the game.
Kiriya saw he was travel-worn, and no one else could top the bid. He nodded and traded with him directly, taking the 20 silver coins and noting the player's ID, CrimsonLotus_Lusk.
From his demeanor, he was most likely a professional player. No ordinary player could save up that many silver coins this early on.
Kiriya's heart surged with joy. A discarded iron sword could sell for such a high price. If he sold the Glimmering Battle Axe and Wilderness Boots in his hands, he'd be rich overnight!
Of course, he would never sell those two pieces. Only by keeping them could he level up faster and loot more gear.
Squeezing out of the crowd, Kiriya headed straight for the potion shop and checked the potion list. Minor Health Potions restoring 100 HP cost 20 copper coins each.
Medium Health Potions, restoring 300 HP, cost 2 silver coins each. The price gap was huge, and the effects were worlds apart. Higher-tier potions restored health faster and could save lives in critical moments. He was Level 7 now with 320 HP, so Medium Health Potions were perfect for him.
He had 43 silver coins and 68 copper coins in his inventory. He bought 15 Medium Potions in one go and spent the rest on Minor Potions. He'd use Medium Potions in critical moments and Minor Potions for regular grinding. After the shopping spree, he was penniless again.
High investment meant high returns, Kiriya believed that wholeheartedly. He went back to speak with Militia Captain Marcus again, but the captain frowned and said, "The Village Chief seems troubled…"
Huh? Was that a quest hint?
Kiriya thought for a moment, then turned to the large house in the center of the village and found the white-haired old Village Chief. All the players were out grinding mobs in the wild right now, so the village was fairly quiet. Only he was wandering around looking for quests like a loafer.
When he saw Kiriya, the old Village Chief sighed. "Dark monsters have started attacking villages around Twilight City again. Our village was attacked too, and a horde of liquefied monsters has appeared west of the village. Young man, will you do me this favor?"
Ding!
System Prompt: Accept the quest?
Kiriya clicked confirm at once.
The old Village Chief went on, "A squad of militiamen is trapped at the outpost west of the village. I hope you can go rescue them!"
Ding!
System Prompt: You have accepted the quest [Clear the Outpost]! Novice Quest | Current Difficulty: 80
Quest Objective: Head to the outpost west of the village, slay the Slimes occupying it, and collect 100 Slime Badges!
Kiriya blinked in surprise. Slime Badges? What were those?
It didn't matter—he'd find out once he got there!
This quest had a difficulty rating of 80. At Level 7, the Slimes were definitely high-level. And he needed to collect 100 badges. Regular monsters only had a roughly 20% drop rate, meaning he'd have to kill at least 500 Slimes to finish the quest.
With the Glimmering Battle Axe on his back, Kiriya headed straight west of the village.
The Black Iron battle axe was far too eye-catching. Many players shot him astonished glances along the way, but they only watched from a distance.
But not long after he left the village, a shout came from behind him, "Friend, hold up! Can we talk?"
Kiriya turned around to see three Level 6 players standing behind him. They'd clearly been following him for a long time. Their IDs were very similar.
CorrodedCrown_Gorath
CorrodedCrown_Serlin
CorrodedCrown_Echo
Notably, CorrodedCrown_Serlin was actually a young girl with a pretty face. Even the shabby Starter Clothes couldn't hide her slender, curvy figure.
If he hadn't seen a stunning beauty like Lina before, Kiriya might actually have been drawn to the girl in front of him.
He glanced at the three of them and said calmly, "What do you want?"
CorrodedCrown_Gorath laughed loudly and pointed straight at Kiriya's Glimmering Battle Axe. "Your weapon—you selling it?"
Kiriya shook his head firmly. "Not for sale!"
CorrodedCrown_Gorath's eyes turned cold, and his tone dropped instantly. "What if I insist on buying it?"
Kiriya tensed up, then narrowed his eyes and curled his lips into a cold smile. "Then how exactly do you plan to buy it?"
