Chapter 39

After equipping the level 15 gear with the Snake Lizard's Toe and Blood Flow, Fang Yi was confident he could take on this quest. Now... Fang Yi had a bit of self-awareness and decided to follow the instructions of the Lathander Temple, heading to the Golden Coast on the south shore of Lake of the Dragon in the eastern outskirts of Tashluth City to grind for the temple's reputation.

The Golden Coast was named for its central stretch of golden sand, dotted with clusters of palm trees, creating a picturesque scene against the clear blue-green waters of Lake of the Dragon—were it not for the noisy fishmen.

The Sha Hua fishmen were the native inhabitants of Lake of the Dragon. In the game's setting, these creatures were brutal and easily angered, often attacking passing merchant ships. Though their strength was limited and they couldn't cause much trouble, they were quite a nuisance.

Due to the abundance of annoying monsters, the Golden Coast lost its chance to become a tourist destination in the world of Faerûn. However, it bordered the small city of Tashluth to the west and the 11-15 level map of the Gray Eagle Plains to the southeast, forming a continuous leveling area from west to east. This made the Golden Coast one of the most popular leveling spots near Tashluth.

Thus, the frenzied fishmen on the beach soon discovered that their numerical advantage was dwindling.

Fang Yi paid attention to the positions of the large pebbles under his feet while accelerating towards a fishman warrior retreating to the other side of the beach. Although the soft sand made it difficult to run, Fang Yi quickly caught up with the enemy, who was not good at running. He suddenly leaped from less than three feet behind the tall fishman, his cloak billowing in the wind, outlining the trajectory of the thief in mid-air.

The sharp dagger accurately pierced the gaps in the fishman's scales and became firmly lodged due to the twist of Fang Yi's wrist. Fang Yi raised the Night's Gift high, but his target was not the deep green dorsal fin of the Sha Hua fishman—through previous encounters, Fang Yi knew this was the most well-defended part of the fishman's body.

The sharp scimitar embedded itself in the fishman's right arm as Fang Yi had anticipated. The sudden pain made the fishman, who was about to reach the shallow water, shudder. In the next moment, the massive body, unable to maintain balance, lost its center of gravity and crashed into the shallow water, sending splashes of water flying.

Fang Yi paid no attention to the seawater on his face; the faint salty taste reminded him that he was approaching the fishman's home turf! Fang Yi leaped close to the fishman's large head, easily dodging the fishman's wildly swinging trident. The scimitar was already thrust towards the fishman's large eye—drop some money, Mr. Fishman! Fang Yi prayed devoutly.

Fang Yi chose a relatively secluded corner on the Golden Coast and focused on picking off lone fishmen one by one. The Golden Coast was vast, taking nearly an hour to walk from one end to the other. However, with a large number of players swarming the area, it was inevitable to be seen while leveling up.

A small team consisting of a mage and a bard witnessed Fang Yi chasing and brutally slashing a six-foot-tall Sha Hua fishman warrior. The three people hiding in the distant forest were almost blown away by what they saw.

"Bro, that guy must be using a cheat... definitely a cheat! Should we report him? There's a reward, and we can learn skills," the lean paladin said, eyes wide open, eager to try.

"Report you to hell," the mage, though also excited, was clearly more rational. He flicked the paladin's head hard, "There are no cheats in 'Miracle.' This is clearly a skilled player, watch carefully."

The two continued to observe the thief's brutal beating of the fishman, exchanging glances, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes. Faerûn was vast, and encountering a skilled player was not easy. Both were college students with limited time to play, so getting guidance from a skilled player would be highly beneficial.

The mage intended to approach and strike up a conversation but noticed the thief on the beach drawing his weapon and moving towards a newly spawned monster, gradually disappearing from sight. The quick-witted mage understood that anyone would be wary of strangers approaching while grinding, so he suppressed his thoughts and decided to observe the skilled player's battle for a while longer.

All damn poor guys! After half an hour of killing three fishmen, Fang Yi only got a few dozen silver coins. He cursed his bad luck, wondering if the Black Hand Aura had returned.

Fang Yi sheathed his blade, about to turn and look for the next unlucky fishman, when he noticed a faint light flash to his right. The system had spawned a "small" fishman.

Fang Yi drew his scimitar again and quickly entered stealth mode, approaching the fishman from behind. The "small" fishman was only relatively so; the fishman mage was actually taller than Fang Yi and had a rather unconventional appearance. Seeing the smooth, gleaming coral staff in the fishman's hand, the large pearl embedded at the top, and the two strings of at least ten crystal shells hanging from his waist, Fang Yi was enraged!

The sharp dagger accurately sliced the softest part of the fishman's neck but seemed to hit a metal plate, unable to penetrate the fishman's skin. Fang Yi thought, "What the hell!?" The fishman had a protective spell, how cautious!

However, Fang Yi, familiar with his high agility, quickly changed his tactics. The scimitar, originally aimed at the fishman's back of the neck, swiftly moved to the fishman's legs, then slashed upwards, striking the fishman's vital area.

Since the fishman had a protective spell, Fang Yi's strength was insufficient (the fishman mage was a level 11 rare monster, weaker than a level 11 elite monster but stronger than a regular monster. Rare monsters usually have special drops). The stun time from the sneak attack would not be satisfactory, so Fang Yi decided to start with high damage.

The fishman mage, whose neck was slashed, reacted quickly. His blue-scaled webbed hands glowed, and he took a step forward while making a series of quacking sounds, preparing to cast Frost Ring. However, his reaction was fast, but Fang Yi's scimitar was faster. A flash of cold light appeared in the fishman's blind spot, and the next moment, the mage's rhythmic, melodious incantation suddenly turned into a nervous tune, and the spell light on his webbed hands disappeared.

A powerful jet of blood sprayed onto the golden sand, signaling the fishman mage's pain. But Fang Yi did not let up, his dual blades striking the fishman like a bird's wings, the "ding ding dang" sounds of collisions never ceasing, and a series of -1, "attack ineffective" messages bubbled up from the fishman's head.

In less than two seconds, the fishman's protective spell dissipated, and he generously contributed 37 hit points after taking a direct hit from Fang Yi's blade. The fishman mage, on the verge of tears from being stabbed, endured the pain and seized the moment of stiffness after Fang Yi's blade pierced his flesh, finally escaping the relentless blade and quickly pulling out a scroll from his waist, completing the incantation and gestures at an unprecedented speed.

Electric Claw! Fang Yi immediately recognized the spell from the sparks jumping between the fishman's webbed fingers but did not retreat. The close combat did not allow either to dodge. So Fang Yi, bracing himself, slashed the fishman's right rib with his scimitar, preparing to trade blows with the fishman.

At this moment, the fishman mage unexpectedly smiled sinisterly and closed his eyes. Fang Yi's heart sank, sensing something was wrong, but before he could react, the sparks on the fishman's claws suddenly disappeared, and he threw the scroll from his other hand directly at Fang Yi!

It hurts! Fang Yi, caught off guard, was hit directly, his eyes streaming with tears from the intense light. His vision turned white, and he entered a blinded state.

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