A friend request pings soon after. Zhou Yan's lone contact, Qin Yao, awaits. He opens her message:
"Friend! Got any food left? I need a ton, fast—2,000 spirit coins each!"
Shock ripples through him. "Didn't I just send her heaps of wild game yesterday?" he wonders, typing back, "How'd you burn through it so quick?"
Her reply flashes instantly: "They're ravenous—level-ups spiked their appetites."
"Alright, I'll hook you up," he responds. "How much?"
"The more, the better," she shoots back. "Might need you to cover this month's grub. Can't grow anything here."
Qin Yao's exasperation seeps through. Yesterday, she'd snagged Spiritual Spring water, hoping to hasten crops. Instead, the seeds blackened in the soil—a rare dead zone, lethal to mundane plants.
"No way—your luck's cursed," Zhou Yan teases. "Where'd you land?"
"Don't ask—tears'll flow," she quips, hiding a perk: double drop rates, one kill equaling two.
"Guess small game won't cut it anymore," he says.
"Watch yourself out there—fog's no joke," she warns, concern tempering her plea.
"Relax, I've got youth to burn—no death wish here," he assures her.
"Good hunting," she signs off.
Chat ends. Territory secured, Zhou Yan gears up for a hunt. Spring water outpaces monster sales now, but he'll snag both. "Chan'er, let's roll!" he calls, decked in gear—Ice Armor, sword in hand—for a wild spree. Mystery Store's refresh waits for tonight's chest haul.
Yesterday's east gate led them out; today, they take the west, probing for new spoils. Mist greets them, thinning as they press in. A lurking beast strikes—met by steel.
[Killed a level 3 Black Monkey. Gained 4 soul coins.]
A monkey, alas—Qin Yao wouldn't bite. Still, beast-summoning lords abound; a market exists. He lists it for 5,000 spirit coins.
[Territory Prompt: "[National Trading Hall] Sold Black Monkey Corpse. Gained 4,750 spirit coins."]
"Sniped in seconds," he grumbles. His follower count—untracked—swells; thousands of lords pounce on his wares. Sales never stall.
A leopard lunges from a tree, jaws gaping. Zhou Yan's Tianxuan Sword flashes, felling it in one stroke.
[Killed a level 5 Cheetah. Gained 6 soul coins.]
"Level 5!" he exclaims, stunned. At level 2, he'd normally falter, but gear and skills—Seven Star Sword Art—flip the odds. Each level-up nets him 12 attribute points, 10 free to assign, dwarfing peers. Eight or nine foes wouldn't faze him now. "This'll fetch 20,000 spirit coins," he estimates—wilds pay off with might.
More beasts fall: level 3 gophers, level 4 horned deer—a herd of dozens, fearless, charging them. Zhou Yan's sword dances through Seven Star forms, honing his edge with each kill.
[Killed a level 4 Horned Deer. Gained 5 soul coins.]
[Killed a level 4 Horned Deer. Gained 5 soul coins.]
…
Minutes later, dozens lie dead. He sweeps up corpses and chests—black iron ones gleam among them. By noon, fog yields to their blades, monsters toughening as they push deeper. A quick meal from their packs fuels the next leg.
Soon, oddities emerge—a cluster of woody foes. "Weird ones—wood-types, maybe," Zhou Yan cautions. "Check their stats."
[Monster: Vinewood Demon]
[Quality: Elite]
[Level: 5]
[Special: Resource Monster]
[Introduction: Unique resource beasts—slaying them yields usable wood.]
"Elite again!" Zhou Yan marvels. Yesterday's stone resource monsters, today's vinewood—fortune smiles. "Chan'er, you're my lucky star," he says, earnest.
"No way," she laughs, basking in it.
"Strike!"
[Killed a level 5 Elite Vinewood Demon. Gained 10 soul coins.]
[Killed a level 5 Elite Vinewood Demon. Gained 10 soul coins.]
[Killed a level 5 Elite Vinewood Demon. Gained 10 soul coins.]