Outside the Town of Beginnings, West Plains.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed this vast grassland a dismal, bloody red, and the wind blew through the knee-deep grass, making a rustling sound.
If this were a normal MMO, there would be more people than monsters right now, and the whole screen would be filled with shouts of people snatching kills.
But it's way too quiet here now.
Most players are still shivering, huddled in the Safe Zone inside the city.
Ye You's figure moved rapidly through the waves of grass.
His breathing was steady and his footsteps were light, and he tried his best to avoid dry branches that might make a loud noise when he stepped on them.
Even though this body has been digitized, the muscle memory is still there.
"Snort—"
The grass ahead suddenly shook violently, and a heavy snort accompanied by a foul stench rushed toward him.
A boar covered in blue-black bristles with crimson eyes suddenly lunged out.
[Frenzy Boar （Frenzy Boar）]
[LV:1]
Even though it's a LV1 newbie mob, its body is as big as a small motorcycle, and its two tusks gleam coldly; if I get gored, with the defense of this cloth armor, my HP bar would probably drop by a third instantly.
"Bring it on."
Ye You didn't retreat; instead, he stopped in his tracks, his right hand slowly resting on the hilt of the rusty iron sword at his waist.
The boar obviously didn't expect this human not to run; its hind hooves kicked up dirt twice, and after letting out a roar, it charged straight over.
It's very fast.
At least way faster than boars in reality; is this that unreasonable stat-correction power?
At the very moment the wild boar was about to crash into Ye You—
Buzz.
A sharp, electric-like sting suddenly flashed through Ye You's mind.
In his field of vision, in the air that was originally empty, a faint red trajectory line abruptly emerged. It was the predicted path of the wild boar's charge, and it even clearly marked the tiny deviation it would produce next due to inertia.
[Crisis Sense] triggered.
His body reacted faster than his consciousness.
Using his left foot as an axis, Ye You leaned his body slightly to the right with a minimal range of motion, yet he just barely managed to dodge the tusk that brushed past the tip of his nose.
That foul wind even blew up his bangs.
"Too slow."
At the moment they passed each other, Ye You's gaze sharpened.
Drawing his sword.
Under the system's assistance, the rusty iron sword traced a bright blue arc of light, precisely slicing into the softest part of the wild boar's belly.
Puchi!
There was no blood spray, only a dazzling red wound effect bursting forth.
The wild boar let out a scream of pain, its massive momentum sending it headfirst into the bushes, its HP bar emptying in an instant.
"Bang!"
Along with a crisp sound like shattering glass, the massive boar's body burst into polygon shards flying everywhere.
[Exp Gained: 12]
[Cor Gained: 30]
[Item Obtained: Boar Hide x1]
Ye You performed a sword flourish and sheathed the iron sword—though there wasn't a scabbard, he just hung it back on the leather buckle at his waist.
"So this is the so-called death game?"
He glanced at his experience bar, showing a hint of amusement. "As long as I can see the trajectories, what's the difference between this and a rhythm game? It's just a holographic version of 'Beat Saber'."
With [Crisis Sense], these low-level mobs were basically moving XP packs in his eyes.
For the next half hour, it was just Ye You slaughtering on the West Plains.
Dodge, strike, shatter.
Dodge, strike, shatter.
His movements grew increasingly skilled, from initially relying on the system's red trajectories to later being able to predict attacks based solely on the sound of the wind and the monster's wind-up.
The experience bar rose at a rate visible to the naked eye.
LV1 -> LV2.
Just as Ye You had finished putting a free attribute point into [Agility （AGI）] and was about to head a bit deeper to find some higher—level monsters to practice on—
"Aaaaaah! Help! Don't come any closer!!"
A shrill scream shattered the peace of the grasslands.
The sound wasn't far away, just behind a small hill to the front-left.
Judging by how full-throated the shout was, it was clearly a man.
Ye You paused in his tracks.
If it were an ordinary player, they'd definitely be running as far away as possible right now.
After all, in a situation where everyone only has one life, poking your nose into trouble usually means getting yourself dragged in too.
But Ye You's eyes lit up.
This is literally a walking reward.
[Ding!]
[Desperate rescue target detected!]
[Target: Male player （ordinary passerby）.]
[Current situation: Besieged by three "Dire Wolves", HP remaining 30%, mental state: Breakdown.]
[Desperation level: Grade C.]
[System Notification: Although the target's rarity is extremely low, this is the Host's first deal, so it's recommended to use it for practice.]
"Extremely low rarity..."
Ye You's mouth twitched.
This system really is such a visual snob, it doesn't even try to hide it.
But hey, even a fly's leg is meat.
"Let's go, time to collect the first bit of interest."
Ye You pushed off the ground, lunging out like a cheetah, his speed even faster than when he was fighting the wild boar.
Crossed the small hill.
The scene ahead was a bit brutal.
A young male player wearing novice cloth armor and a buzz cut was slumped on the ground, his iron sword long gone, scrambling backward with both hands and feet, snot and tears mixed on his face.
In front of him, three grey wolves, a size larger than wild boars, were surrounding him.
[Dire Wolf （Dire Wolf）]
[LV:3]
This thing is way more troublesome than a wild boar; not only is its agility high, but it also knows how to work together, making it a nightmare for the newbie phase.
At this time, the Dire Wolf in the middle seemed to have lost its patience; with its hind legs slightly bent and a low growl coming from its throat, it suddenly pounced on the buzz-cut guy.
Sharp claws glinted coldly in the setting sun, aiming straight for the throat.
The buzz-cut guy closed his eyes in despair and let out a howl: "Mommy——!"
Dead for sure.
This was the only thought in his mind.
However, the expected intense pain didn't come.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound of clashing metal exploded in his ears.
The buzz-cut guy tremblingly opened his eyes.
Only to see a slender figure blocking the way in front of him.
That man held his sword with one hand, the blade held horizontally, forcefully parrying the Dire Wolf's swinging claws as sparks flew everywhere.
The sunset shone from behind the man, making it impossible to see his face; one could only see the corner of his clothes fluttering in the wind and that iron sword which, though rusty, was as steady as Mount Tai.
"What are you dazing off for?"
Ye You didn't even look back, his voice cold, "If you want to die, just keep sitting there."
The buzz-cut guy was stunned, his mouth hanging wide open.
S-So strong!
Ye You didn't have time to care about what this guy was thinking.
Because the other two Dire Wolves saw their companion being blocked, they immediately snarled and launched a pincer attack from both sides.
This kind of coordination is definitely a certain-death situation for current players.
But in Ye You's eyes——
It's full of openings.
[Crisis Sense] was instantly maxed out.
"Get lost!"
Ye You let out a low shout and flicked his wrist, using the force from parrying the first Dire Wolf to swing his body into a roundhouse kick.
This kick landed solidly on the Dire Wolf's flank.
"Awoo!"
That Dire Wolf was sent flying sideways, knocking over its companion lunging from the left in the process.
At the same time, Ye You used the centrifugal force from his spin, the iron sword in his hand tracing a tricky arc as the system-assisted skill [Horizontal Slash] activated.
The blue light effect was like a crescent moon.
Squelch!
The Dire Wolf attacking from the right was still in mid-air when it was sliced in half at the waist by this sword strike, directly turning into fragments.
One-shot.
This was the terrifying damage of level suppression combined with a weak-point attack.
The remaining two Dire Wolves clearly had some AI intelligence; seeing their companion die instantly, they actually showed looks of fear and began to retreat with their tails between their legs.
"Want to run?"
Ye You sneered.
Since you're here, you might as well leave your EXP behind.
He didn't pause for a second, pushing off the ground and charging straight at them.
Sword light flashed.
In just ten short seconds.
The remaining two Dire Wolves also followed suit, turning into a shower of fragments and dissipating into the air.
Battle finished.
Ye You sheathed his sword and lightly shook his slightly sore wrist.
This body's stats are still too low; although that combo just now looked cool, it straight up emptied half the stamina bar （SP）.
"Looks like I'll have to get a better weapon as soon as possible."
He muttered to himself, then turned around to look at the buzz-cut man who was still sitting on the ground.
The buzz-cut man was already dumbfounded by now.
At a time when everyone is still battling it out with wild boars, someone can actually solo three LV3 Dire Wolves? And even while carrying a deadweight?
"G-God!"
The crew-cut guy scrambled to his feet in a flurry, babbling incoherently with excitement, "T-thank you! I thought I was a goner! That was amazing! Um... my name is Klein! Could you..."
"Stop right there."
Ye You raised a hand to cut off the flood of admiration that was about to gush out of him.
Klein?