While Li Miao farmed mobs on the side, he kept an eye on Yuǎnfāng's movements.
At the same time, he also tried mimicking that stylish sidestep dodge Yuǎnfāng used in his very first battle.
Whether it was practical didn't matter—
the point was that it looked cool as hell.
Li Miao swore he would learn it just for the sake of looking awesome.
But the moment he tried it himself, he realized…
It was ridiculously hard.
The difficulty wasn't in the movement itself—
it was the timing.
Even though murlocs only had instinctive behaviors, they still adjusted their attacks based on the target's position. They weren't rigid AI following preset patterns.
That meant the sidestep dodge demanded precise timing.
Too early, and the monster would adjust.
Too late… well, that needed no explanation.
Li Miao got smacked around by Tidemire Murlocs several times before he managed to grasp even a sliver of technique.
This kid Yuǎnfāng… if he's not some once-in-a-decade genius, then his real-life profession must be something intense…
Li Miao thought.
While he was lost in thought, a familiar low growl suddenly came from Yuǎnfāng's direction.
That sound instantly made his heart jolt—
memories of yesterday's trauma flashing before his eyes.
He turned to look—
Sure enough.
Tidemire Murloc Chieftain!
Li Miao opened his mouth to warn him, but Yuǎnfāng raised a hand, signaling him to stay quiet.
Yuǎnfāng was positioned at the chieftain's flank.
But after taking two steps, the chieftain didn't attack—
it simply resumed wandering.
Yuǎnfāng thought for a moment, then waved his hand right under its nose.
Still no reaction.
Its eyesight really was terrible.
He pushed the test further.
Not until his fingers practically touched the chieftain's eyelid did the creature jolt in alarm and swipe at him.
Li Miao had already begun charging over to help, but stopped dead in his tracks.
Yuǎnfāng, as if he had predicted the attack, slipped around the chieftain in a single sidestep, positioning himself behind it.
"Grah?"
The chieftain suddenly looked confused—
its target had vanished.
Yuǎnfāng subtly moved with the sway of its head, sticking closely to its blind spot.
Li Miao nearly choked.
This… this was possible??
Yuǎnfāng lifted his dagger thoughtfully, clearly intending to stab it from behind—
A foreboding dread washed over Li Miao.
But at the same time, a strange premonition rose:
Maybe… just maybe… Yuǎnfāng might… pull it off?
BAM!
The crisp, meaty thud shattered all his fantasies.
In one moment Yuǎnfāng was standing upright—
the next, he flew across the sand like a rag doll, carving a long trench before coming to a stop.
Whizz—
A bone spear followed up mercilessly, and the chieftain lunged.
But Yuǎnfāng's body had already dissipated—
only a smear of wax-ash remained.
"Grah…"
Only after confirming its enemy had died did the chieftain calm down, pull out its bone spear, and lumber back to its territory.
[DEAD]
"..."
Li Miao's eyelid twitched.
Honestly, for a split second, he seriously thought Yuǎnfāng might perform some god-tier combo and kill the chieftain.
But the truth was obvious:
he was thinking WAY too much.
Under the chieftain's mighty slap…
all players are equal.
He couldn't help finding it funny.
Yuǎnfāng always acted so calm and analytical—
yet he also had moments like that.
Getting slapped into next week by the chieftain was…
honestly kind of hilarious.
A faint bluish soul-form drifted to his side.
Yuǎnfāng stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Hm… the monsters' attack logic is very close to real life. Their probing attacks versus enraged attacks differ drastically in power and speed…"
"Oh, right—Li Miao, can I be attacked in this soul form?"
Li Miao stared at him, speechless.
"Your soul literally just got slapped out of your body. Don't tell me you're still planning to mess with things?"
"Just hurry up and pick up your gear. If you stay in soul form too long, stuff despawns."
He expected that would make Yuǎnfāng drop the idea.
But, unexpectedly, Yuǎnfāng asked seriously:
"How long exactly before despawn? Also—can you try picking up my wax ash?"
"..."
Li Miao nearly lost it.
Of course.
Yuǎnfāng wanted to test soul-state mechanics.
Helpless as he was, Li Miao still obliged.
He approached the ash pile and tried interacting with it—
nothing happened.
Yuǎnfāng nodded in thought.
"So this prevents players from griefing each other."
"Next, let's see how long the wax ash takes to despawn."
Li Miao slapped his forehead.
"I suggest you revive and retrieve your gear first. You can test the soul mechanics later. Losing your starter weapon means you'll be fighting with rocks…"
Anyone with experience could see clearly—
they were definitely going to die A LOT in this game.
"…Makes sense."
Yuǎnfāng drifted back into the cave.
Li Miao followed with a helpless smile.
By the Spirit Candle—
After re-forming his body, Yuǎnfāng retrieved his wax oil and dagger.
"Let me explain my findings."
He didn't seem very interested in the chieftain anymore.
He shifted back to discussing his tests.
Li Miao immediately perked up.
Yuǎnfāng got straight to the point:
"While fighting earlier, I applied my five spare stat points one by one, testing their effects through combat and movement."
"First is Strength—straightforward. It increases weapon damage output."
"Next is Constitution—affects health and stamina. There's no numerical display, but we can feel the difference."
"Then Agility—likely affects reaction speed and movement speed…"
He paused, rubbing his chin, brows furrowing slightly.
"But… increasing Strength boosts total muscle power. If explosive force rises, then movement speed should also increase. Yet I didn't feel any such change…"
Li Miao was shocked at the analysis, but couldn't help laughing.
"It's just a game. Why overthink? Don't tell me you're treating it as real life."
Yuǎnfāng blinked, then chuckled softly.
"Right… just a game."
For a moment there, with everything feeling so real, he had actually treated the place like real life—
which was why he got stuck thinking about the mechanics.
If not for Li Miao's reminder, he'd still be trying to solve the problem.
Seeing Yuǎnfāng snap out of it, Li Miao quickly asked:
"And what about Spirit and Faith? Did you figure those out?"