After accepting the task, Wu Shaochen glanced at his attributes, then allocated the 15 free attribute points from the next three levels entirely into agility. To succeed in battle, he knew his speed must surpass that of the opponent; otherwise, victory would be out of reach. His entire strategy relied on swift movements, and speed was absolutely essential.
With the added 15 points, his agility reached 60, his movement speed climbed to 67, and his attack speed increased by 32%.
Wu Shaochen pondered for a moment. His speed had reached 67, while the Silver Wolf King only had 40; even with a 50% increase, it barely reached 60. However, the second skill's range extended up to 10 meters, making it unavoidable. The 130% defense penetration would immediately deplete 715 points of his health, leaving him gravely injured. It wasn't ideal, but as long as he didn't die, he could always use potions. What he feared most was being struck by a normal attack after landing the finishing blow, followed by the Wolf King's Roar. That would be fatal, with no escape. The combination of the second skill and a basic attack needed to be addressed if he hoped to even consider the fight; he was certain this scenario would occur.
Sighing, he thought, "I'm stuck in the newbie village. There's nowhere to increase my strength. What a pain."
With a melancholic expression, Wu Shaochen glanced at the elderly man beside him, who shared the same look of distress. On a sudden whim, he spoke, "Village Chief, the Silver Wolf King is too strong. What should I do if I can't defeat it?"
To his surprise, the Village Chief actually thought seriously for a moment and replied, "Hmm, with the current strength of adventurers, defeating the Silver Wolf King is indeed a challenge. Here's what you can do: take this letter to the apothecary. Ask the shopkeeper to give you some of his most precious medicinal potions to help increase your survivability. Whether or not you can kill the Silver Wolf King, however, depends on you." The Village Chief then handed Wu Shaochen a letter.
Blinking in surprise, Wu Shaochen took the letter. "So, this is an option?" he thought, quickly heading to the apothecary.
Upon arriving at the apothecary, he handed the letter to the shopkeeper. "Hello, sir. The Village Chief asked me to come here to buy some life-saving potions. Could you show me what you have?"
The apothecary took the letter, glanced at it for a moment, then sighed. "That old fool still remembers my stock."
He walked into the back room and returned shortly with a box. Opening it, he displayed the contents to Wu Shaochen. "Hurry and choose, but I must warn you: these potions are not cheap. If you don't have the coin, even with the Village Chief's letter, it won't do you any good."
Wu Shaochen looked at the potions and saw their effects and prices displayed before him:
[Instant Recovery Potion]: Instantly restores 1000 health points. Cooldown time: 10 seconds. Price: 10 silver coins. [Attack Potion]: Increases physical attack by 30% for 30 minutes. Price: 50 silver coins. [Life Potion]: Increases life by 30% for 30 minutes. Price: 50 silver coins. [Speed Potion]: Increases speed by 30% for 30 minutes. Price: 50 silver coins.
…
Wu Shaochen's eyes widened. These potions were unheard of in the newbie village, where only basic red and blue potions were sold, providing continuous health regeneration.
However, seeing the prices, his lips twitched. Without the money from killing the Wild Boar King, he would have only been able to look at these potions in envy. "These prices are insane!"
Despite the exorbitant cost, there was no choice. If he wanted to defeat the Silver Wolf King, these potions were essential. Without them, he couldn't leave the newbie village. If he waited until other players rose to challenge it together, he would lose his advantage.
After a deep breath, he spent 5 gold coins on 50 bottles of [Instant Recovery Potions], followed by another 5 gold coins on 10 bottles of [Life Potions]. He knew these would be hard to find in the main city, so buying them now was a wise choice. With 10 gold coins gone in an instant, his heart bled. Many wealthy players were exchanging copper coins at the rate of 1 gold per coin, and the market was scarce. Those 10 gold coins were equivalent to 100,000 in real money.
After buying the potions, Wu Shaochen also spent 50 silver coins on 50 large red potions, which healed 100 health per second for 10 seconds. This was necessary, as relying solely on the [Instant Recovery Potions] was impractical.
With the potions in his inventory, Wu Shaochen felt confident. The [Life Potion] wouldn't be of much use in fighting the Silver Wolf King, as even with an extra 30% health, a single basic attack followed by a roar would be fatal. But with the [Instant Recovery Potions], he could immediately restore his health after taking a hit and survive the inevitable skill combo.
As he prepared to head to the Silver Wolf Valley, a veiled woman with an ethereal, fairy-like presence slowly approached him.
Wu Shaochen's lips twitched. "Not her again. Is she stalking me?"
"What a coincidence," Su Muxue said with a faint smile.
"Are you sure it's a coincidence?" Wu Shaochen asked suspiciously.
Su Muxue didn't respond directly. It wasn't by chance that she encountered him again; she had instructed her subordinates to take turns watching for his presence. When they reported his location, she rushed back. Wu Shaochen's earlier rejection had sparked her competitive spirit, and her pride wouldn't allow her to accept failure.
"What do you want?" Wu Shaochen asked, helplessly. He suspected that she had already figured out his identity. Though he wasn't sure what gave him away, the way she called out his name last time had given her a clue. He hadn't reacted quickly enough, and that pause had confirmed her suspicions. It was best not to offend her; otherwise, she might reveal his identity and cause him endless trouble.
"I just wanted to get to know you," Su Muxue replied calmly.
"Why do you keep wanting to add me as a friend? I'm not even handsome!" Wu Shaochen sighed.
"I know who you are. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I just want to add you as a friend in case we have future opportunities for collaboration. You don't need to be so defensive. Besides, adding a beautiful friend like me won't hurt you," Su Muxue said, straightforwardly.
"Indeed, she knows," Wu Shaochen thought, but he didn't show it. Instead, he teased, "You call yourself a beauty, but who would know under that veil? Maybe you've got a great body, but a face that's a bit lacking. I don't just add anyone."
"You!" Su Muxue, flustered, hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and removing her veil. Instantly, a flawless, world-shaking face appeared before Wu Shaochen. Her perfect, delicate features, cold yet noble, coupled with her celestial aura, made him feel small and unworthy to even look at her.
For a moment, Wu Shaochen was stunned. In the game, the character's appearance was a perfect replica of reality, without any beauty filters or makeup. What he saw before him was raw, unadulterated beauty.
Seeing Wu Shaochen's lost expression, Su Muxue couldn't help but smile faintly. Although many people reacted like this upon seeing her face, for some reason, seeing Wu Shaochen so stunned made her feel a strange happiness. She quickly put the veil back on. "So, can I add you as a friend now?"
"Ah, how embarrassing," Wu Shaochen muttered, snapping back to reality.
"Fine," he said, trying to compose himself. "Your looks pass, so I'll add you as a friend." He thought, "Since she's already figured out my identity, there's no need to be coy. Besides, it's not a loss to add such an absurdly beautiful woman."
He then sent her a friend request. Since he had set his profile to reject requests from strangers, he could only add her himself.
*Ding* — "Player Chenfeng has requested to add you as a friend. Do you accept?"
Hearing the system prompt, Su Muxue thought, "As expected, it's him," and immediately accepted. A new friend appeared in her list: Chenfeng lv10.
Su Muxue's eyes narrowed. "Level 10!!!"
She had spent a lot of money on premium gear and had a team of ten or more helping her level up, yet she was only at level 8. The later levels were harder to reach, and the experience required to go from level 8 to 10 was far greater than from 1 to 8.