Li En opened his personal information and selected the [Class] tab.
Before him appeared several options: [Warrior], [Mage], [Ranger], and [Druid].
He knew these were just the starting classes. Once he obtained a Class Change Scroll, he could switch to more advanced professions.
In his previous playthrough, he had been a Mage. If he chose a different class now, he'd lose his existing advantages.
Without hesitation, he selected [Mage].
A flash of light enveloped him, and soon, simple equipment materialized on his body.
[Beginner's Staff (White)]
As expected—basic starter gear.
Li En allocated his skill point to [Fireball], then set off.
The moment they left the warmth of the campfire, the temperature dropped by over ten degrees.
Biting winds howled as Li En wrapped Shir's blue cape around them both, trudging through the snow. Their footprints marked the pristine white landscape behind them.
"Shir."
"Yes, Lord Li En? What is it?"
"Why didn't you turn into an owl when you fell earlier? Can't you fly?"
Shir giggled sheepishly.
"Ehehe… I forgot~"
"You little—just you wait. I'll punish you properly tonight..."
"Uuuu..."
As they ventured behind the lord's hut, Li En spotted some unusual rocks in the distance and hurried over with Shir.
"What's this…?" He brushed the snow off one, revealing a translucent, gelatinous substance.
"Slimes."
He picked up a frozen slime, examining it closely.
[Name: Slime]
[Level: 1]
[Status: Frozen]
[Strength: 2, Agility: 4, Intelligence: 1, Spirit: 1, Constitution: 2]
[Skills: Slam, Digest]
Li En marveled at the frozen slimes, their crystalline bodies glistening in the sunlight.
"Neutral-attribute slimes? They must've exhausted their mana and couldn't withstand the cold, freezing solid."
Slimes were among the most basic monsters in Era of Divine Revelation, found everywhere in the world.
Li En had once raised a powerful Multi-Element Slime Emperor, which had fought alongside him in countless battles.
Now, the round "rocks" scattered across the ground were all frozen slimes, waiting for spring to thaw and revive them.
For now, they made perfect experience fodder.
Chanting a spell, Li En unleashed flames from his staff.
[You defeated a Slime. Party EXP +10.]
[Drops: Slime Core (White) ×1, Slime Jelly ×1.]
[You defeated a Slime. Party EXP +10.]
[You defeated a Slime. Party EXP +10.]
Before long, every slime in the area had been cleared. Both Li En and Shir leveled up to Lv. 2, their mana instantly refilling.
As Li En collected the slime cores, Shir suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"Lord Li En, there's a wolf over there!"
Following her gaze, Li En spotted a lone, injured wolf limping through the snow.
[Name: White Wolf]
[Level: 3]
[Race: Beast / Wolf]
[Status: Weakened]
[Strength: 8, Agility: 9, Intelligence: 5, Spirit: 4, Constitution: 9]
[Skills: Bite, Pounce]
[Racial Trait: Howl (When attacked, calls nearby pack members for aid. Can be interrupted.)]
With his new skill point, Li En learned [Ice Bolt].
"Shir, let's go."
Both raised their staves, aiming at the wolf.
Fwoosh!
An [Ice Bolt] struck the wolf, freezing its legs in place.
The pain triggered its instinct to howl, summoning reinforcements—
"Burn!"
Shir's [Fireball] blasted the wolf mid-howl, silencing it.
The wolf writhed in agony before breaking free from the ice and lunging in a desperate Pounce.
But Li En was faster.
Another [Ice Bolt]—
Thud.
[You defeated a White Wolf. Party EXP +36.]
Approaching the corpse, Li En noticed other wounds—claw marks and gashes not caused by their spells.
This wolf had been injured before they found it.
[White Wolf corpse detected. Dismantle?]
Li En selected [Yes].
A white glow enveloped the body, converting it into materials.
[Wolf Pelt (White) ×1] (Can be crafted into clothing or rugs.)
[Fresh Wolf Meat (White) ×20] (1 Raw Meat = 2 Food.)
[Wolf Bones (White) ×15] (Can be crafted into bone arrows or weapons.)
"Wow, fresh meat! We're having wolf for dinner~" Shir cheered.
Li En returned the cape and hat to Shir, draping the wolf pelt over himself instead. With the wolf's head as a hood, he felt much warmer.
"Food problem solved, for now. But why was this wolf alone and injured?"
His eyes scanned the area, settling on a cliffside cave where two more white wolves patrolled the entrance.
Something was inside.
[Name: Special Resource Node]
[Remaining Resources: Iron ×1560]
[Status: Unclaimed]
[Warning: This node is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS for your current party. Increase your combat strength before investigating.]
"Extremely dangerous? Did we stumble into a wolf den?" Li En muttered.
"Just a few extra wolves. That's it? This is 'extremely dangerous'? The game's underestimating the King of the Shadow Abyss."
He turned to Shir.
"Shir, attack one of those wolves. Trigger its howl, then fly away as an owl."
"Understood, Lord!"
Shir crept toward the cave. The moment the wolves noticed her, they bared their fangs.
"Burn!"
A [Fireball] struck one wolf—
"Awooo—!"
Before the howl finished, Shir transformed into an owl and soared skyward.
Li En held his breath, waiting to see how many wolves would pour out to justify the "extremely dangerous" warning.
A shadow emerged from the cave.
Li En's eyes widened.
The figure stepped into the light, revealing herself—
A humanoid girl wearing a wolf's head as a hood.
Silver fur draped over her shoulders, her skin pale as jade.
Two crimson tribal markings streaked across her cheeks like war paint.
She wore a wolf-fur tunic, her bare feet untouched by the snow.
This was no human.
[Name: Wolf (Elite)]
[Race: Demi-human / Wolf]
[Level: 12 (Tier 2)]
[Strength: 35, Agility: 27, Intelligence: 9, Spirit: 8, Constitution: 25]
[Skills: Howl (Boosts allies' damage by 20% for 10s.), Rend (Inflicts bleeding.), Charge (Three consecutive lunges.)]
The wolf-girl's overpowered stats made Li En blurt out:
"What kind of beginner protection is this?!"