Chapter 23

When I was about fifty meters away from the decaying corpse, I no longer crept forward but boldly picked up the wooden stick and rushed over at an astonishing speed.

With my now enhanced druid body, I ran as fast as the wind. The fifty-meter distance, from acceleration to arrival, took only about four seconds.

Experiments proved that adding a certain amount of momentum to an attack did not significantly increase the damage, but it made it easier to deal the maximum damage value of the weapon. My wooden stick's damage range was 1-6, and the difference between the minimum and maximum was six times.

Therefore, from over fifty meters away, I started sprinting, aiming for that maximum damage strike. After several repeated tests, I found this distance to be the most suitable for me. In the four seconds it took me to cover fifty meters, I could gather all my strength and reach my maximum speed, without wasting any effort, to deliver a momentum-driven strike.

With a "smack," the head of the decaying corpse in front was struck hard by my stick. The fierce attack, combined with the immense momentum, caused it to fall face-first to the ground. With its slow movements, it would take a long time to get up.

Ha ha, indeed, this strike, even if it didn't deal the maximum damage of 6, at least dealt 4-5.

Seeing the decaying corpse fall, I ignored it and started attacking another one while moving around. Positioning was also a skill; not only did I have to dodge its attacks, but I also had to position the third decaying corpse so that the one I was attacking was always in front of it, preventing it from attacking me.

Soon, under the "powerful" attacks of the plain wooden stick, another decaying corpse fell. I took a quick glance at the one I had struck to the ground; it had already gotten up. The powerful strike to the back of its head had taken away a third of its health.

Sigh, why did you get up? Aren't you forcing me to finish you off first? Why go through this trouble?

I glanced at the brainless decaying corpse with a reluctant look, put aside the third one, and rushed forward to deliver a series of fierce blows. In no time, I knocked down the decaying corpse that had just gotten up, and this time it wouldn't get up again.

At this point, only the last decaying corpse, which had been menacing me for a long time, remained. I bared my teeth at it, showing a row of white, sharp teeth—long ago, I had found you annoying. Those blood-covered hands always tried to grab me. Watch how I deal with you. I turned around and, from head to toe and back again, delivered about ten strikes, almost making it unrecognizable, before finally knocking it down with a final blow.

Sweat, am I being influenced by Doug the butcher? Why am I starting to act so brutally?

Ha, never mind, it doesn't matter. In this world, it's not that you're cruel, but that you're not ruthless enough. There's no such thing as the most ruthless, only more ruthless. Ruthlessness is the mainstream, ruthlessness is the way to go...

Looking at the disgusting corpse, I didn't want to touch it. I would wait for it to disappear and then see if there were any good drops. This 165% drop rate is a good thing.

I plopped down on the grass, waiting for the corpses to disappear while reflecting on the battle experience. To be honest, there wasn't much to reflect on. During the days Larr trained me, most of my opponents were decaying corpses, and I was very familiar with their tactics. Even with my eyes closed, I could estimate their attack frequency and angles. So there wasn't much experience to digest, just a good habit to form.

In less than three minutes, the three disgusting corpses turned into particles and disappeared. I patted my buttocks and felt around where the decaying corpses had disappeared.

The grass was only about a foot tall, so if there were any drops, they should be easy to spot.

I searched the spot where the first decaying corpse fell and saw a yellow, round metal piece.

Ha ha, a gold coin, my first gold coin. This is the price of 20 bottles of beer, enough for a good meal at the Dream Inn. Of course, "enough" refers to me; if it were Doug the glutton, he would need at least three gold coins to be satisfied.

I searched the spots where the other two decaying corpses fell but found nothing. Sigh, it seems that this 165% drop rate is still too low.

However, when I checked my attribute panel, I immediately smiled. Each decaying corpse gave 10 experience points, and with the bug amulet's bonus, three decaying corpses gave me 120 experience points. I already had over 300 experience points, so with these 120, I had already reached one-tenth of the next level. Ha ha, at this rate, I might level up today.

Motivated by the prospect of leveling up, I continued forward without stopping, of course, while remaining vigilant. Otherwise, it wouldn't be "without stopping," but "stopping and falling."

In reality, I was being overly optimistic. Not only was the wasteland vast, but even if I deliberately looked for them, I might not encounter a group of monsters in half an hour, and I had to exclude those I dared not provoke. As a result, by the time the sun had set, I had only gained a little over 1,500 experience points.

Looking at the gradually darkening sky, I was startled. I didn't have the Amazon's night vision, so I quickly set up my tent. Otherwise, it would be even worse when it got completely dark.

Following Akara's instructions, I found a slightly lower depression nearby and clumsily set up the tent. Fortunately, Larr had taught me; setting up a tent is not as simple as it seems.

By the time it was completely dark, I looked at the sturdy, standing tent and nodded in satisfaction. Although it wasn't as good as Larr's, it was not much worse than the two barbarian brothers'.

The next step was to set up traps. Since I was alone and no one was keeping watch, traps were essential. I placed some small traps about ten meters around the tent. Some would make noise when a monster approached, and others would slow down the monster's movements. Although simple, they were enough to deal with the low-intelligence monsters in the wasteland.

Then came the fire. I used the dry wood I had collected along the way. The wood I bought in the Rogue Encampment was a reserve for rainy days, a type of wood called "Liumu" that could burn in the rain and last for five to six hours. No wonder it was so expensive.

Finally, I could rest. I sat by the fire and took out a large piece of dried meat. Uh... why did I buy this kind of food? Was I influenced by Doug's love for dried meat?

Today, I killed about a dozen groups of monsters, including a few camps of Fallen without Fallen Mages. I got 11 gold coins and a bottle of minor red potion. Compared to the daily harvest when I was with Larr, I knew the small amulet played a significant role. Unfortunately, the amulet I made in the game increased the chance of obtaining magical equipment, but in this world, it was changed to increase the drop rate. On the surface, it seemed to have a wider range, but in reality, it was a loss. The chance of obtaining equipment was now mostly converted to the easiest to drop, gold coins.

I took a sip of water and bit into the dried meat. It had been about five hours since I left the West Gate. Following Akara's instructions on direction, I had been heading northwest. She told me that there was an evil cave in that direction, a suitable place for new players to form teams and "train." If a group of people went there, they would likely have a good harvest. However, she warned me that deep in the evil cave, there was a powerful boss-level monster, Corpsefire. Seeing it, I should immediately run away. It was a level 10+ character that could only be challenged in a team, a boss-level monster even more powerful than elite monsters.

What is a boss-level monster? Generally, mutated monsters with special attributes are called elite-level monsters. Above that are boss-level monsters, which usually have their own unique names, such as Corpsefire, Bisshop in the Cold Plains, and Blood Raven in the Burial Grounds. Above that, there are probably demon lords and demon gods.

I do plan to face Corpsefire. With the bug amulet, I just need to level up a few times and learn all the first-stage skills. Then I will have five crows, a vine, and my werewolf transformation, as well as the elemental Firestorm. In terms of attributes, an 8th-level crow's attack is equivalent to an 8th-level character with a plain weapon. Akara said that a team of at least three 10th-level characters was needed to defeat it, but I don't mind sacrificing a few crows to finish it off. Plus, the vine with its powerful toxin attack and the 8th-level, even more terrifying Firestorm. I have the ability to win, and even if I fail, I can leave the crows to hold them off while I escape, ensuring my safety. In short, with these skills, my strength will increase by more than tenfold.

Since leaving the West Gate, I have walked about ten kilometers. According to Akara's route, I should find the entrance to the evil cave tomorrow.

The night in the wasteland was very cold. I looked up at the sky, where the strange red moon hung, looking particularly lonely. Even surrounded by countless stars, it couldn't dispel its loneliness. The red moon is the red moon, not the stars, and thus it is destined to be endlessly empty and lonely. Am I the same? As the only穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "穿越者" or "穿越者"), can I really become a star and blend into the dark continent?

The night deepened, and the cold intensified. The wind howled, and I shivered, extinguishing the fire—on such a windy night, if I accidentally caused a fire, I would have nowhere to run.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, I got up early, packed up my tent and traps, and continued on my journey.

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(End of Chapter 23)