Chapter 4

Under the starry sky, by the receding tide pools, Da Fei wielded his large spear, drenched in sweat, slaughtering the helpless sea anemones!

In fact, plant monsters are not weak; it's just that their immobility is a fatal flaw. However, the advantages of plant monsters are also bizarre and heaven-defying. The most brutal plant monster currently announced by the official website is the man-eating tree. In the border area between the Elven Kingdom of Faloran and the Human Griffin Empire, the entire forest is filled with them. When outsiders wander in, they don't even have time to figure out what's happening before the ground vines wrap around them, the tree trunks open their large mouths, and regardless of their level, small-sized creatures are instantly killed! Larger creatures might struggle for a few seconds, but even if a thousand troops enter that forest, they will still be instantly killed! Additionally, the man-eating trees have symbiotic forest spirits and tree snakes, making the man-eating tree forest an unsolvable death trap. Ultimately, the coordination of troops is most important.

Of course, the types of plant monsters are very few, and their living environments are very bizarre. Currently, the plant monsters announced by the official website include the man-eating tree, the highly toxic dandelion, the hallucinogenic poppy, and the explosive sweet potato. These plant monsters all possess heaven-defying abilities to destroy entire armies!

How fortunate is it for Da Fei to encounter a new type of plant monster in the sea? No, this is not luck! This is strength! The NPC didn't send this weak spearman here for no reason! This is the reward for his discovery! After all, I am still a seasoned expert! Hahaha!

Finally, when the 100th sea anemone exploded, a golden light descended from the sky!

— System Notice: Congratulations! You have reached level 2! You have gained 1 strategic attribute point, 1 skill point, +2 HP, and +1 Leadership.

— Newbie Notice: Players can allocate strategic attribute points to Attack, Defense, Magic, and Knowledge. During the newbie period before class selection, only one strategic attribute point is gained per level, so players must allocate them carefully. If unsure about future development, attribute points can be saved and not allocated. Strategic attribute points can also be obtained through arena training, school advancement, etc.

— Newbie Notice: You have gained 1 skill point. You can purchase skill books from schools, barracks, and town skill mentors to learn new main skills, upgrade current main skills, or learn branch skills from already owned skill books. Skill points can also be obtained as rewards for completing tasks.

— Newbie Notice: Your Leadership has increased by 1 point. You can now lead 1 soldier. The more powerful the soldier, the higher the Leadership required. The Leadership value on the soldier's attributes is the Leadership requirement to lead that soldier. Leadership is mainly obtained through task rewards and by acquiring titles and positions in the kingdom.

Da Fei wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed deeply.

The improvement after leveling up without class selection is not significant, especially since the damage value is still weak at 1-3. If I had learned the Attack Skill, I believe most players would choose it as their first skill, as it is a must-have for combat heroes. The problem is, I only have a skill book for Navigation! There's no skill mentor here either! If I had known I would end up here, I wouldn't have chosen Navigation as my starting skill. And what's the point of learning Navigation now? There's no ship! Leadership has increased by 1 point, but where can I recruit soldiers?

Damn! This is really unfair! The system and players are ganging up on me!

I bet those players who started normally, either chose spearman or archer specialties or the Attack Skill, are happily receiving tasks and rewards from the barracks instructors, and have already started leading a few soldiers on dungeon runs. As the goddess said, not supporting player lotteries and sending players with bad talents to bad places does indeed affect development. Fortunately, I am an expert and can still find a glimmer of hope. If I were a newbie, I would be stranded on this island and die of boredom!

Die of boredom? Wait! I was sent to this deserted island; I can't possibly swim back, right? There must be a ship! Could it be that the ship stranded on the shore is actually usable? Is the player's task to sail that ship back?

Da Fei's heart skipped a beat! That ship is a large one! If I can really sail it away, I'll save the huge cost of buying a ship and the time to build reputation! But let's not talk about the ship yet; that guy definitely won't give it up! And will he have a change of heart and take me back? I doubt it!

Da Fei's brows furrowed! Ultimately, I have to confront Blood Sea Storm! Even if I can't beat him, I at least need to pose a threat, or I won't even have the right to negotiate!

No more talk, time to level up! Da Fei allocated the strategic attribute point to Attack, which increases the hero and army's damage by 5%. In short, increasing Attack is always a good choice! I don't believe I can't kill these helpless monsters faster than he can kill skeletons!

Da Fei continued to move from one sea anemone pool to another. Unconsciously, the sky was getting light, and the sound of waves came from the horizon, a silver-white line indicating the tide was rising!

Da Fei suddenly realized he was very far from the island, so far he couldn't even see the ship! Oh no! This can't be! I'll drown in the sea! Dying before leveling up was no big deal, but now if I die, I'll lose experience and be heartbroken!

What to do? Da Fei looked around and saw a small reef not far away. Running back to the island was definitely not an option, so the reef should not be flooded by the tide!

Da Fei immediately swam towards the reef, racing against the waves!

The waves rolled in, and Da Fei clearly felt the water level rising rapidly, but he was only halfway there and was already running out of stamina! Damn! He quickly took out a coconut fruit, smashed it, and drank it, gaining +100 stamina! Yes!

Closer! The waves roared like thunder! The waves were like walls! Almost there! One last push! Da Fei gritted his teeth and made a final sprint! Even though in the game, data is everything, and gritting his teeth doesn't help!

— Boom!!! The waves crashed against the shore, and even though Da Fei was facing away from the waves, he could feel the震撼 through the rock!

"Finally..." Da Fei sighed in relief, slowly climbed onto the reef, and suddenly his body trembled!

There was someone on the reef! A skeleton!

Da Fei immediately raised his spear and went on full alert!

After a long standoff, the pile of bones did not transform into a skeleton. It seems it's not a monster! If it's not a monster, what does it mean? It means there's hope!

Da Fei was excited and began to search the pile of tattered bones.

— System Notice: You have searched the remains and found an old travel bag! You have found a tattered sailor's armor!

— Tattered Sailor's Armor: Increases the wearer's personal defense by 3 points, durability 22/100. (Note: Personal defense only affects the hero, not the army)

Hahaha! Finally, something to wear! Da Fei laughed out loud! It's not about how good the item is, but the fact that he found something in this desperate situation is incredibly exciting! Now Da Fei can understand how Robinson Crusoe felt when he found a knife on the deserted island!

But the best is yet to come! Da Fei immediately put on the tattered armor and eagerly opened the travel bag. A golden light shone, and for a moment, Da Fei's breath stopped!

It was a golden-covered book! Exactly like the book he had!

— System Notice: You have obtained the Reconnaissance Skill Book. Using 1 skill point, you will learn Basic Reconnaissance!

— System Notice: You have obtained a C-grade strategic treasure, the Telescope!

— System Notice: You have obtained an old sailor's log (quest item).

Haha! Hahaha! Just when I was worried about where to learn skills, the skill book appeared!

I get it! I understand! This newbie village, though deserted, has skill books! The system wouldn't really send new players to a place where they can't learn skills! This means the special aspect of this deserted newbie village is that players must explore and discover things on their own! And undoubtedly, the wrecked ship is the main source!

Thinking of the wrecked ship, Da Fei felt a sense of urgency and quickly checked the remaining items.

— Telescope: Increases the hero's vision by 50%, C-grade strategic treasure.

Strategic treasure! Haha! Hahaha! I found a strategic treasure on my first day! Strategic treasures are not like ordinary weapons and equipment; they are key items that can determine the outcome of a war! Increasing vision by 50% means seeing half as far as others! I can see them, but they can't see me! This is a must-have for running ships and preventing pirates!

Overjoyed, Da Fei raised the telescope and looked towards the deserted island. The wrecked ship, which was previously out of sight, was now clearly visible, and Blood Sea Storm was still fighting on the deck! Damn!

Then he opened the page in the sailor's log marked by a bookmark.

— To the fortunate adventurer who finds me:

I am Juan Sebastian, a naval sergeant of the Empire, and the navigator of the St. Anthony exploration ship. I must record the truth and inform the public. The scholar and astrologer Sir Makar is the culprit of the tragedy! On the night of April 21, 156, we encountered a storm and were stranded on a deserted island. When everyone was exhausted, Makar used black magic to murder everyone on the ship, attempting to claim our astonishing discovery for himself!

Since we discovered the underground sea and the mithril island in the New World, I have been keenly aware of Sir Makar's suspicious behavior. I expressed my doubts to the captain, but no one would doubt the highly respected Grand Mage Sir Makar in the Empire, and I was reprimanded by Captain Renoir. However, I remained vigilant, which allowed me to escape his murder that night. But I am trapped on this reef and will not survive for long! My sailor's log records the entire process of our great expedition, especially our astonishing secret discovery, the underground sea and the mithril island! Please, adventurer, present my log to our emperor to stop Makar's ambitions!

— System Notice: You have obtained the map of the New World's mithril island!

— System Notice: You have triggered the epic quest "The Conspirator on the Great Route"!

— Newbie Notice: Epic quests are tasks that can change the world's landscape and are extremely difficult. The Great Route is a grand maritime expedition organized by the kingdoms of Hero Continent in the year 145 of the Creation Era to find the gateway to the New World. Countless sailors have sacrificed their lives. Makar is now the chief court grand mage of the Empire, a duke, and the governor-general of the New World colonies.

— Quest Notice: You can directly present the log to the emperor of the Empire. You may receive generous rewards and rise to prominence, or the emperor may ignore you due to certain concerns, or you may be harmed by the powerful Duke Makar. Alternatively, you can keep the map for yourself or sell it at a high price on the black market. Any decision you make will change the world.

Da Fei was stunned, his jaw dropping to the ground! Damn! Finding a corpse can lead to an epic quest!

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