ATPnovel Chapter 16: Taming the Dire Wolf, Discovering a Special Area
Chapter 16: Taming the Dire Wolf, Discovering a Special Area
"Awoo!"
The dire wolf let out a miserable howl, its head drooping as it was smashed.
Its eyes turned red, and it suddenly raised its head, as if trying to find the culprit.
However, when it saw Hellroar's nearly two-meter-tall, imposing body and his explosive muscles...
Its expression changed from that of a fierce wolf to that of a docile husky in an instant.
"Dare to disrespect the boss? You're asking for death!"
But Hellroar doesn't care whether it's a wolf or a dog; daring to offend Shen Xing is a grave sin.
He grabbed the dire wolf by the neck and rained down his steel-like fists!
Si Dong Fist... no, Orc Iron Fist rained down.
The left punch deals high damage, and the right punch deals high damage.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
The wolf howled in agony as it was smashed, its fangs flying everywhere mixed with blood.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
It desperately wanted to resist, but the difference in strength was too great, and it was unable to break free.
"Okay, let's stop."
Hellroar stopped his Ora attacks and dropped the dire wolf to the ground only when the leader's voice came from behind.
Shen Xing pushed his wheelchair closer and saw the beast lying on the ground, barely alive, its wolf eyes still holding a hint of arrogance.
Shen Xing wasn't surprised. Wild beasts are inherently ferocious, let alone a second-star wolf like this.
It's obviously impossible to subdue someone with a beating.
"Bloodhowl, this guy is yours to handle. Toughen up his temper."
Bloodhowl, not far away, immediately responded loudly, "No problem, boss!"
"I love playing games with wild animals the most."
He stared at the dire wolf lying on the ground, its yellow pupils gleaming with an eerie light, drool dripping from its mouth.
Sensing Bloodhowl's gaze, the dire wolf lying on the ground suddenly trembled, a bad premonition rising in its heart.
Bloodhowl came running over excitedly, dragged the dire wolf, and went into a small wooden house next door.
As for what happened inside, nobody knows.
All that could be heard was Bloodhowl's excited howl and the dire wolf's mournful howl, echoing continuously throughout the village.
Shen Xing withdrew his gaze and took out an irregularly shaped stone, about the size of a walnut, from his backpack. It was completely black.
"According to the guides on the forum, we lords can also level up by absorbing [Soul Stones]."
"Although the increase in attributes is small, it can still slightly improve physical constitution."
He diverted a sliver of his spiritual energy to contact the stone in his hand.
[Absorb Soul Stone*1 to increase your character level to level 2?]
[This absorption will take 10 minutes and 32 seconds...]
...
"Ten minutes, not bad."
Shen Xing clicked "OK," and wisps of grayish-white energy surged from the Soul Stone and entered his body.
He felt a warm current flowing through his meridians, constantly nourishing his body.
Ten minutes later, a system notification appeared.
[Absorption successful. Your level has been increased to: Level 2]
[Attribute bonuses gained: Strength +1, Spirit +1, Agility +0, Constitution +1]
...
"With just one attribute point, the improvement is indeed very small."
Shen Xing sighed inwardly, feeling his upgraded body, but it seemed that nothing had changed.
Then, he spent another half hour absorbing two soul stones and successfully leveled up to level 3.
Your level has been increased to level 3.
[Attribute bonuses gained: Strength +1, Spirit +2, Agility +0, Constitution +2]
...
"This time, the added attributes are a bit more numerous."
Shen Xing wanted to continue leveling up, but he found that going from level 3 to level 4 not only required absorbing 3 soul stones, but also took two and a half hours.
I had no choice but to abandon the idea for the time being.
He needed to hurry and lead the orc infantry to explore the mist and gather more resources to improve their strength.
If the monster gets stronger tomorrow, maybe... well, it doesn't seem to have much of an impact.
With the overpowered talent of [Sacrifice Evolution], plus a free chance to get it once a day, you only need to keep strengthening Hellroar to deal with most crises.
Of course, a powerful territory cannot rely solely on its head.
Overall combat strength must also keep up.
"Hellscream, you will lead five orcs with me on an expedition," Shen Xing gave a brief order.
With Bloodhowl in the territory and two arrow towers providing fire support, defense shouldn't be a problem.
"Yes, boss!"
A few minutes later, Hellscream led five orcs to gather at the village entrance.
Shen Xing stood at the edge of the mist and took out the ancient-looking lantern from his backpack.
[Consume 2 Soul Stones to upgrade the 'Lantern' to level 2?]
"Yes."
A flash of light, and the ancient lantern in his hand hadn't changed much in appearance, only become a little newer, as if the rust on the surface had peeled off.
【lantern】
[Level: 2]
[Effect: The light can dispel fog within a 10-meter radius and provide illumination.]
[Continuous burning time: 3 hours]
[Upgrade Requirements: Level 3 Campfire, 10 Soul Stones]
...
"Very good, the illumination range of the level 2 lantern has doubled, and the duration has also doubled."
Shen Xing nodded in satisfaction: "Now we can explore with peace of mind."
With everything ready, he once again led the orc legion, slowly advancing into the depths of the mist.
...
...
Half an hour later, Shen Xing returned to the vicinity of the [Black Crystal Tower] from yesterday.
Fortunately, the altar was not destroyed by the monsters in the mist and still shines.
And after a whole day of production, it provided Shen Xing with 5 portions of black crystals.
After a short rest, proceed in a straight line along another route.
After exploring for more than half an hour, we encountered two more waves of monster attacks, both of which were combinations of Lost Ones and Evil Hounds.
Shen Xing also discovered another problem.
"Not only have the monsters attacking the village been upgraded, but even the monsters roaming in the fog seem to have become much stronger."
After searching the forum, I found that many new players encounter the same situation in the early stages of the game.
However, the improvement was smaller than his, and the monster's level was only 2 or 3.
[Received: Soul Stones * 24]
[Received: Fragmented Soul *11]
[Received: 14 Vinar Silver Coins]
Although exploring in the fog can be a bit depressing, the feeling of constantly accumulating resources is still very satisfying.
"Boss, I smell a peculiar fragrance."
After walking for a while, Hellroar sensed something was wrong again, and his nose twitched in the air.
"Oh? What did you find this time?"
Shen Xing was somewhat surprised. Hellroar was not only powerful, but also had a nose that was even more sensitive than a dog's. He truly deserved to be his number one fighter.
After he carried the lantern and walked about twenty meters to the northwest,
The firelight dispelled the thick fog, revealing the black ground.
At this moment, a completely decayed humanoid body lay on the ground, its species unknown.
In the area between its eyebrows, a white plant grows.
On top of it grew a fruit the size of a walnut, with a wrinkled surface.
"Huh? What is this fruit...?"
Shen Xing recognized it; it was the "Brain Fruit," one of the fruits Qin Lang had mentioned yesterday that could treat cerebral palsy and cerebral infarction.
"Snap!"
Hellroar ripped off the root, broke it off, and respectfully handed it to Shen Xing.
【Brain Fruit】
[Quality: Green]
[Effect: After consumption, it increases Spirit by 3-5 points and casting speed by 5%]
[Note: Fruits of the same type can be used a maximum of 3 times.]
...
"Good stuff. It can increase your spirit by at least 3 points. My spirit is only 9 points now, so this is a one-third increase."
Shen Xing's heart skipped a beat, and then he swallowed it directly.
Compared to the texture of the bone fruit, the brain fruit is softer, like a ripe tomato.
One bite and it bursts with juice.
After finishing the fruit, Shen Xing glanced at the lantern. Half of the lamp oil was still left, giving him an hour and a half to explore.
Without delay, he continued to direct the troops forward.
For the next stretch of the road, they encountered two or three more waves of monsters.
They also gained a lot of resources and picked some fruit.
They are: 2 Bone Fruits and 1 Blood Fruit.
Based on the trading prices on the forum, these fruits are worth at least fifty to sixty thousand.
Shen Xing exclaimed in surprise that he was now a man earning five figures a day.
Of course, in the early stages of the game, unless you're a player who's desperately short of money, you're unlikely to sell these resources.
After all, this game is too dangerous; any slight difference in attributes can determine the outcome of a battle.
The outcome of a battle can affect the development of the entire territory, potentially leading to a complete collapse.
There's a proverb that goes: "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of ...
The knight's injury led to the loss of a battle and the fall of an empire.
In general, the key in the early stages is to accumulate advantages.
Store up grain and delay declaring yourself king.
At this moment, Hellroar stopped again, a solemn expression appearing on his rugged face.
Even without his reminder, Shen Xing noticed something was wrong this time.
A village appeared in the swirling fog ahead.
It wasn't the kind of village for novice lords, but a dark little mountain village.
There was no campfire in sight, yet it remained untouched by the mist, like a secluded paradise hidden within the fog.
This is the strangest part.
"Boss, I sense a very uncomfortable aura." Hellroar looked ahead with a serious expression.
Even the strongest fighter in the territory felt uncomfortable, which means this village is no ordinary place.
After pondering for a moment, Shen Xing decided, "Let's go investigate. If something seems amiss, we'll retreat."
After all, this place is too close to their territory. If there is any terrifying existence inside, it would be a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
Therefore, we must gather intelligence in advance and devise a plan to deal with the situation.
As they slowly approached, they finally saw the entire village clearly.
The black earth and black buildings looked as if they had been burned.
Rows of wooden houses lay there, like rows of black coffins.
You have discovered a special area: the Sick Village...