"Wind Night," he said calmly.
"Name accepted."
"Please choose your novice village."
Early players could choose freely, but once servers were flooded with people, the system would start assigning players randomly.
Shang Zhen thought for a moment. Then said, "Village No. 10001."
A high number meant fewer players, fewer early conflicts, and more free resources. Perfect for getting a head start.
"Novice Village confirmed."
A flash of white light swallowed his vision.
When the world reformed, Shang Zhen stood in a massive square—wide enough to fit hundreds of thousands of people. But because this was Village No. 10001, far down the list, only a few dozen players had spawned here. The place felt almost empty, the air quiet except for scattered voices and footsteps.
Above every player's head floated a tiny 0, marking their level.
Shang Zhen opened his status panel.
*
Wind Night (Hunter)
Level: 0
HP: 20
MP: 10
Attack: 6
Strength: 2
Physical Defense: 2
Magic Defense: 1
Stamina: 3
Agility: 2
Charm: 1
Comprehension: 2
Luck: 1
Free Attribute Points: 0
Pet Slots: 2
Wealth: 20 copper
Equipment:
* Rusted Whiteboard Sword (+3 ATK, 1% crit)
* Cloth Shirt (Physical Def +2)
* Sandals (Speed +1)
*
Shang Zhen smiled faintly. The numbers were low, but that wasn't the point.
What mattered was the hidden BUG.
If he remembered correctly, tomorrow—April 2nd—the system would push its first emergency update and change Luck into a hidden attribute. From that moment on, leveling up wouldn't increase luck anymore. And items that boosted luck would become insanely rare.
Luck was everything.
High luck meant better drops, better loot quality, better pet eggs, better chances at hidden quests. A lucky player could walk around and accidentally step on an artifact.
A player with low luck… Even killing a boss might only give trash.
Shang Zhen looked at his current 1 point of luck and chuckled.
He wasn't going to let fate decide anything this time.
He would decide his own luck.
And his own future.
*
Shang Zhen's plan was simple:
Level up as fast as possible.
Put every free attribute point into Luck before the system patches the bug tomorrow.
Build a foundation that no one else in the game would ever have.
And to do that, the best strategy was to stack quests while grinding monsters. Two birds with one stone meant faster leveling, faster rewards, and faster growth.
With that in mind, Shang Zhen headed straight for the medicinal shop.
The little building leaned against the edge of the novice village square, herbs hanging outside on thin ropes, filling the air with a faint earthy smell. Inside, an old man with a thick black beard was lying on a rocking chair, eyes half closed, looking both peaceful and grumpy at the same time.
Shang Zhen stepped forward. "Excuse me, sir. Anything I can help with?"
The old man opened one eye, took a lazy look at him, and said slowly, "Young hunter… I need fifty mutated rat skins for a medicine I'm making. Bring them to me."
A faint chime rang.
System: Medicine Shop Task — Collect 50 Mutated Rat Skins.
No time limit. No penalty on failure.
Reward: Five Intermediate Poison Vials.
Shang Zhen smiled. "I'm happy to help."
Mutated rats were level-1 monsters. Weak, plentiful, and perfect for beginners. He knew exactly what to do.
Before leaving, he spent ten copper coins on five bottles of Primary Poison and five packs of Primary Spice Bait.
System:
Primary Poison — When applied, adds +2 damage per second for 5 seconds.
Primary Spice Bait — Emits a scent that attracts low-level monsters.
He then walked across the square to the blacksmith shop.
Just like the medicinal shop, another grandfather sat on a rocking chair—white beard this time—wearing the exact same expression of disinterest, as if nothing in the world could surprise him.
Shang Zhen smiled again. "Any work for me?"
The old man nodded without looking up. "Young hunter, I need fifty mutant rat teeth. Forging materials. Bring them if you can."
System: Blacksmith Task — Collect 50 Mutant Rat Teeth.
Reward: One Black-Iron Dagger.
"Consider it done."
Shang Zhen bought five Primary Mousetraps, each costing two copper coins. Expensive for a level-0 beginner, but worth every cent.
System:
Primary Mousetrap — Captures up to 20 mutated rats at once.
With quests accepted and supplies ready, he left the novice village and entered the wilderness outside—the Barren Plains.
The moment he stepped out, he saw Mutated rats—small, ugly, fast little creatures—scuttling around the dry grass. These were perfect for farming. No one else had touched this zone yet, so the fields were full.
Shang Zhen crouched behind a stone and inspected one of them.
Mutated Rat
Level: 1
Attack: 1
HP: 16
Physical Defense: 3
Agility: 4
They might be weak, but too many attacking together could still be annoying. A direct fight would be inefficient.
Better to be smart.
He started looking for rat nests. Mutated rats usually gathered in groups of twenty or more around them. If he could lure them into traps, this would be quick work.
After a few minutes, he found the first nest hidden in tall grass. He grinned. "Perfect."
He mixed his poison and bait together in equal amounts, splitting it into five portions. Then he buried mousetraps near five different nests, sprinkling the bait carefully around each trap. Every trap got its assigned number—1 through 5.
When everything was set, Shang Zhen hid behind a fallen tree near trap 1 and waited.
The bait worked almost instantly.
One minute in...
System: Mousetrap 2 has captured a Mutated Rat.
Then:
*Mousetrap 1 has captured two Mutated Rats.
Mousetrap 3 has captured one Mutated Rat.
Mousetrap 5 has captured three Mutated Rats.
The notifications rolled in nonstop.
Five minutes later, each trap had five or six rats inside.
Twenty minutes later—
Mousetrap 4 is full — 20 Mutated Rats captured.
Shang Zhen went straight to trap 4. The net was stuffed tight—small bodies squirming, squeaking, some glowing faintly black from the poison effect. His eyes lit up when he spotted five elite mutated rats mixed in.
"Lucky day."
Most rats already had low HP thanks to the poison. Easy kills.
Shang Zhen pulled out his rusty dagger and started.
One strike—
One squeak—
One kill.
He moved quickly, cleanly, without wasting a second. When the tenth rat fell, the system chimed again.
System:
Congratulations! You have reached Level 1.
All attributes +1.
You have gained 2 free attribute points.
Without hesitation, Shang Zhen dumped both points into Luck.
His stat flickered:
Luck: 4
A satisfied grin spread across his face. "Good. That's more like it."
The change was immediate.
His next stab landed a critical hit—his very first. The rat died instantly, dropping a copper coin, a skin, and a tooth.
"Nice."
From there, Shang Zhen cleaned up the entire trap—killing all the rats, collecting all drops, and saving the elite ones for last.
His path was set. His momentum was building. And luck was finally beginning to turn his way.