After over two hours of mindless hacking, I had scoured the territory of the Corrupted Mountain Wolves, finished the Medicine Uncle's quest long ago, obtained the Golden Cauldron, and gathered 10 Hemostatic Herbs.
Seeing my level had reached 8 and my backpack was crammed full of items, it was time to head back and sort things out. But before that, I needed to finish Village Elder's quest first.
To the right of the Corrupted Mountain Wolf area was a stretch of mountain terrain, where three to five tigers were idling around sunbathing.
Using the Insight skill to check： Corrupted Tiger, level 10, 500 HP, pack-hunting.
Only 500 HP? Level 10 Corrupted Tigers seem mediocre, not all that tough. But this 'pack-hunting' thing... what does that mean?
I cautiously approached a pack of three Corrupted Tigers and attacked one. The other two immediately turned on me. So that's it—they gang up on you!
The Insight skill was really handy; the info it gave was super useful.
-30, -20. Not bad. The Corrupted Tigers' average attack was 25. I could tank it. With my 100+ damage output, the three tigers were wiped out.
It turned out Corrupted Tigers would attack as a group. Even though I was developing toward a knight class, focusing on defense and HP, three to five tigers attacking together was still quite a challenge. If not for my strong stats, skilled gameplay, and decent damage output, soloing them would've been really tough. No wonder the Village Elder warned me to train first and come back for this quest only after improving.
Ding-dong! Congratulations, Stone City”s level has increased. You are now level 9. HP +10, MP +10, and you have 5 attribute points to allocate.
I'm level 9 now, already finished Grandpa Village Chief's quest and collected 20 demonized tiger tails. Just one more level and I can do my class change. At this rate, I'll probably be the first to change classes.
I was planning to level up to 10 before returning to the village, but checking the experience, going from level 9 to 10 is a big step—it needs more experience than from level 1 to 9. Plus, my inventory is full, I can't store anything.
Every new player gets 50 storage slots for items.
Forget it, let's head back first.
On the way home, players' levels started showing differences. There were signs of player activity at the level 8 demonized mountain wolves, crowds of people at the level 5 demonized rats, and the demonized hedgehogs and demonized rabbits were still packed.
So many people！！ The tiny village was bustling with excitement. I quickly shoved through the crowded mob to turn in my quests.
"Uncle Blacksmith, I'm back. I found your golden hammer."
"With the golden hammer, I can forge weapons faster." The blacksmith took the golden hammer.
"Stone City completes the Blacksmith's Golden Hammer Quest. Reputation +10, Reward 1 Gold Coin. The Blacksmith rewards Stone City with the 'Forge' skill. Stone City obtains the auxiliary profession: Blacksmith."
"Uncle Alchemist, I'm back. I found your golden cauldron."
"With the golden cauldron, I can concoct potions faster." The alchemist took the golden cauldron.
"Stone City completes the Alchemist's Golden Cauldron Quest. Reputation +10, Reward 1 Gold Coin. The Alchemist rewards Stone City with the 'Alchemy' skill. Stone City obtains the auxiliary profession: Alchemist."
"Grandpa Village Chief, I'm back. I finished the quest."
"Oh, Stone City, you finished the quest that fast？" You could tell Grandpa Village Chief was a bit skeptical.
"Here, look—this is proof, the demonized tiger tails." I let my strength do the talking.
"It really is a demonized tiger tail. I didn't expect you, Stone City, to be such a gifted talent. Finishing the quest so quickly—not easy, not easy at all."
Grandpa Village Chief said with some surprise, but such flattering words made someone feel extremely comfortable, already smiling so much that his eyes were invisible.
Hehe, you flatter me, Grandpa Village Chief. I'm just doing my best to rid the people of harm. You flatter me, really.
Player Stone City has completed the Village Chief's commission, killed 20 demonic tigers, rewarded with 2 gold coins, reputation increased by 20. Due to Player Stone City completing the task quickly, exceeding the Village Chief's expectations, the skill 'Quick Blade Hand' is rewarded.
Quick Blade Hand", Level 1 0/5000, passive skill, attack speed +1, movement speed +1.
No way, that actually works?
Stone City, being able to complete the task this fast shows your extraordinary ability. It seems you are the brave one I've been waiting for. Our village has a sacred spring, but three years ago, it was taken over by a black bear. Can you help us reclaim the spring and bring back nine jars of Sacred Spring Water？
Sure, no problem, Grandpa Village Chief. Leave it to me, you can rest assured!!!
Stone City accepts the Sacred Spring Water quest. Must kill the black bear and retrieve nine jars of Sacred Spring Water.
Check the quest hint：
Sacred Spring Water, unique hidden quest, intermediate level. Kill the black bear, retrieve nine jars of Sacred Spring Water. The sacred spring is in the woods northwest of the village. If the quest fails, the player's level drops to 1.
Haha, a unique hidden quest, I finally got one! I can already imagine the wonderful rewards.
What, failure? The penalty for failure is harsh.
Let me tell you, the word 'failure' doesn't exist in my dictionary. Besides, the harsher the penalty, the higher the reward, right？
Grandpa Village Chief, this quest looks really dangerous. I wonder how strong this black bear is. Can you give me some hints？ I need to be prepared." I'm not someone who acts impulsively; I need to be well-prepared."
Ever since the black bear took over our sacred spring, our village has sent several brave warriors, but none have returned. We don't know the black bear's abilities either, so Stone City, you need to be fully prepared.
No wonder there are only three old men in this village. Could it be that all the others went to kill the black bear and never came back? I thought to myself： This black bear won't be easy to deal with！
“Grandpa Village Chief, this black bear is so tough. Do you have any good stuff you can give me, or lend me, so I can get stronger and have more confidence?” This guy shamelessly tried to wheedle rewards out of the chief.
“Nope！” the chief said calmly and plainly, not sparing my feelings at all.
Dizzy...........
“Grandpa chief, help me identify these two items.” I took out Dudu Rabbit's Mask and the treasure map for the Rabbit Path.
In the beginner village, you go to the chief to identify equipment; in cities, there are specialized appraisers.
“You got a Ghost-tier item this quickly. Although the beginner village has a decent drop rate, since the monsters are low-level, equipment above Gold is rare. Yet you scored a Ghost-tier item, and this treasure map too. It seems this old man's eyes weren't wrong. Stone City, I believe you can definitely complete this mission.” It looked like I surprised the chief again.
I'm dizzy, your eyes weren't wrong? It was exactly because your eyes were wrong that you rewarded me with the "Quick Knife Expert" skill.
Of course, I could only think this in my head; on the surface, I was all smiles as I handed the two pieces of equipment to Grandpa Chief.
“Not bad, both items are good stuff. Identifying these two will cost 100 gold coins.”
No way, that's highway robbery! How can it be so expensive? I only have 15 gold coins right now, and most of those came from the reward for killing Dudu Rabbit. Gold coins aren't easy to come by.
“Stone City, I'll identify these two items for free. That way, you can get stronger and help us kill that wretched black bear.” Grandpa Chief is really decent enough. I was so worried about the gold coins that I felt like kissing Grandpa Chief.
The chief stroked Dudu Rabbit's Mask for a while, and a red light flashed, revealing a delicate rabbit mask—very fine and beautiful, especially the two big eyes in the mask, which were super cute.
Dudu Rabbit's Mask： Red Ghost Gear, a precious gift from the Golden Rabbit King to Dudu Rabbit. Requirements： None, Agility 50, Movement Speed +3, Attack Speed +2. Skill： Hit the road running — can use Town Portal Scroll while in combat.
What a great item. Ghost Gear usually doesn't have many stats, but each one is incredibly strong. If used well, it's almost as good as a Divine Artifact.
"I didn't expect the treasure map "Rabbit's Path" to actually exist. Just now, when I saw you take out this treasure map together with Dudu Rabbit's Mask, I had my suspicions. I really never thought this thing would exist."
What is it, making Grandpa Village Chief so emotional? Let me take a look real quick. It's simply drawn with some scenery and road signs.
Rabbit's Path： Unique Treasure Map. Shows the path to the Golden Rabbit King's place. Dudu Rabbit used this map to go meet the Golden Rabbit King. This item cannot be dropped.
Doesn't look like much. I looked at Grandpa Village Chief with confusion. Isn't it just a map leading to the BOSS Golden Rabbit King？
"Stone City, you're still young. You don't know how powerful this Golden Rabbit King really is. It is the most fearsome enemy in the newbie village." Seeing my confusion, Grandpa Village Chief began to explain.
"This Golden Rabbit King was originally a minor BOSS in the newbie village. Compared to ordinary demonized rabbits, it was just a bit bigger — nothing special. But then it got lucky and found a magical fruit called the 'Seven-leaf Carrot.' After eating it, its power surged dramatically, and it grew strange golden fur, becoming the Golden Rabbit King — the strongest BOSS in the newbie village, far beyond the power of our new adventurers. The newbie village was nearly wiped out by this Golden Rabbit King. Back then, just mentioning rabbits made everyone turn pale."
No way? Such a powerful monster. Looking at the pained expression on Grandpa Village Chief's face, it doesn't seem fake.
"Fortunately, at that critical moment, this Golden Rabbit King suddenly disappeared, and the beginner village was saved. It is said that the Golden Rabbit King was caught as a pet by the lover of the neighbor's son of the relative of the servant of one of the Eight Dharma Protectors of the Heavenly Demon, and was made to guard a magical place, which is exactly the place described in this treasure map."
No way, what relative, what neighbor, and even a lover, that's so ridiculous, this relationship is really not simple at all.
"I heard that the place described in the treasure map is particularly magical, with many strange things. Without the guidance of the treasure map, you can never reach it. Stone City, now that you have this treasure map, you must make good use of it. But that wretched Golden Rabbit King is especially powerful. Don't go looking for trouble with it until you're at least level 50." Grandpa Village Chief advised me.
"Grandpa Village Chief, don't worry. I will definitely study hard and make progress every day. When my strength improves, I will go kill this Golden Rabbit King and avenge the beginner village." Haha, I have to elevate this reasoning to a certain level and take it seriously enough.
"Good... good... Stone City, it's rare for you to have such a heart. Keep working hard..."
Dizzy, I thought there would be some reward, but Grandpa Village Chief ended the conversation right there.