Near the coastal waters of East China, steel fortresses stood tall, forming an impenetrable wall along the coastline. Within one of these colossal fortresses, Murong Feiyue, clad in a high-ranking officer's uniform, sat in the command center. She had just concluded a conversation with Lin Zhao. On the large screen in front of her, the sea began to churn and boil, with a constant "gurgling" sound emanating from the deep ocean.
"General."
A commander turned around, his voice grave. "The sea beast tide is coming again!"
"Hmm." Great Wind Novel Network.
Murong Feiyue nodded. "Activate all machine guns, have the high-current net on standby, and the laser towers and plasma cannons ready to deploy at any moment. Order the aircraft in the rear to prepare for immediate takeoff to designated sea areas to drop deep-sea bombs."
"Yes, General!"
The cabin door behind her opened, and Ning Yu, also in uniform, walked in with a smile. "Finished talking with Lin Zhao?"
"Mm."
Murong Feiyue smiled faintly. "Little Zhao is in good spirits. It seems he's recovered well."
"Yes, the guild management account for the Murong Knights has been entrusted to him. You don't need to worry about it anymore. Someone has inherited the mantle, and this wish of yours... can be considered fulfilled?"
"I suppose so."
Murong Feiyue felt a pang of weariness. This was already the third sea beast tide attack this month. The creatures lurking at the bottom of the ocean seemed increasingly discontent with their current boundaries and were preparing to launch an assault on land. Murong Feiyue could no longer afford to be distracted by anything else.
The matter of the guild management account secret key was indeed a long-held aspiration.
For over a hundred years, old acquaintances had gradually passed away. After the great war, Earth's population plummeted, and many departed. The management account secret keys of the once-famous super guilds like Bei Chen, Tang Men, Ying Xiong Dian, Yin Hu, Zhu Long, Xue Yin Shan, and Zhan Tian Meng were long lost. With their original owners gone, these guilds could never reappear. At this moment, only the Murong Knights remained. If Lin Zhao could truly lead the Murong Knights to fame, wouldn't that be a form of legacy?
Upon this thought, a gentle smile touched Murong Feiyue's lips.
"My Little Zhao will definitely succeed. After all, he possesses the bearing of a King~~~"
...
Afternoon.
The person possessing the bearing of a King, after finishing a takeout meal of shredded pork with garlic sauce over rice, quickly logged into the game with his two best friends. The afternoon was for another day of grueling leveling. No slacking allowed!
As they logged in, a system notification chimed—
"Ding!"
System Prompt: Dear Brave Warriors, the real-time currency exchange system for "Tian Xia" is now online. Please utilize it!
...
Following this, the gold coin system interface appeared, displaying the current exchange rate between gold coins and real-world currency—
1:124!
This meant that at present, the in-game prices were such that one gold coin could be exchanged for 124 Yuan in Earth's universal currency. In real-world terms, an egg cost 2-3 universal Yuan, and a kilogram of rice cost 5 universal Yuan. Thus, while 124 Yuan might not seem like a fortune, it was enough to cover the expenses of a family of four for three to five days if they were frugal.
"The currency system is out!"
Ding Chi said in the party chat, "Ah Zhao, should we cash out some immediately?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "As players' levels increase and it becomes easier to earn money in the game, gold coins will inevitably depreciate rapidly. The next two days will likely see the highest prices for gold. How about this: each of us keeps 5g for emergencies in-game. Let's pool all our gold coins and exchange them all for universal currency to serve as living expenses for everyone?"
"Sounds good!"
The three readily agreed. They gathered in the east city square of Yun Shang County. Ding Chi and Zhang Jun submitted their gold coins, and along with Lin Zhao's own, they amassed a total of 360 coins. As Lin Zhao opened the currency exchange system, he saw the universal currency exchange rate decreasing at a visible pace, now at 123.8 Yuan.
They immediately exchanged everything. With a "whoosh" sound of counting money, Lin Zhao's personal account showed a staggering 44,568 Yuan in universal currency. Most of this came from the Jin Zi Qian left by his senior brother, with a smaller portion from Lin Zhao's first kill reward. The gold coins earned by the group were practically negligible. If earning money in the game were truly this easy, "Tian Xia" would not be the Second World, but a paradise.
Lin Zhao did some quick calculations and then transferred 10,000 universal Yuan to Ding Chi and Zhang Jun each. "One thousand for each of you as living expenses. Spend it wisely. The remaining 14,568 Yuan will be used as operating funds for our studio. All expenses for eating out and purchasing daily necessities will be covered by the studio funds."
"Okay!"
Ding Chi smiled. "With this, I feel even more motivated to level up and farm for equipment."
"Indeed."
Zhang Jun's expression was serious and determined. "Our levels are among the top in Yun Shang County. We should leverage this to further widen the gap with mid-tier players and strive to earn a fortune in the early stages of the game."
"Mm, that's the idea."
Lin Zhao raised his hand and sheathed his long sword. "Let's go. You two continue in Fire Snake Forest. I'll venture into a deeper map to see if there's anything worthwhile."
"Sure, sure."
Ding Chi nodded. "If you get PK'd, call us. If we get PK'd, call you."
"Mm!"
...
The three left the city side by side. Upon reaching Fire Snake Forest, they split into two paths. Ding Chi and Zhang Jun continued to farm in Fire Snake Forest, while the level 23 Lin Zhao was no longer satisfied with the monster resources in Fire Snake Forest. He passed through it and continued onward to a dense thicket forest filled with fragrant, dancing butterflies. The fiery red bushes were dotted with small white flowers, a beautiful sight.
Beech Forest.
As soon as he entered the woods, he could hear the buzzing of flying bees. A few steps further, above a clump of bushes, a fist-sized hornet was swirling. Lin Zhao's level was high enough to easily see the attributes of such a hornet—
[Giant Hornet] (Silver-grade Monster)
Level: 30
Attack: 180-400
Defense: 60
HP: 1000
Skills: [Consecutive Strikes] [Throwing the Universe] [Poisonous Attack]
Description: Thugs of the county town's edge forests, these hornets are incredibly venomous and frequently attack livestock. Old Uncle Wang's dog sometimes gets stung so badly it doesn't recognize its own mother.
...
A level 30 Silver-grade monster.
Extremely high attack, but with low defense and HP, making it a high-attack, fragile type. Moreover, being a Silver-grade monster, there was a chance to drop Silver-grade equipment. Most importantly, its high level meant that Lin Zhao, currently level 23, could definitely level up here without needing to change locations until level 25-27.
"Go!"
He suddenly raised his Fangs Sword. With a "swish," a sword energy descended from a long range onto the giant hornet, dealing over 200 damage instantly. Lin Zhao's figure turned into an afterimage as he crashed into it, dealing another 200+ damage in the second phase. The damage from a single sword energy collision was already terrifying. While the giant hornet was stunned, Lin Zhao followed up with a basic attack + heavy slash + basic attack, unleashing three consecutive strikes within a second and dealing over 800 damage, instantly killing the level 30 monster!
"Buzzz~~~"
The giant hornet fell, dropping a few copper coins. Early-stage monsters generally only dropped copper coins, which was why gold coin prices remained high. It seemed only Boss-level monsters dropped gold coins.
With a "swish," Lin Zhao's experience bar increased by a full 2%. The leveling speed was fast. At this rate, killing fifty giant hornets would result in a level up. Furthermore, Lin Zhao had already mastered his skills quite proficiently, especially the sword energy collision, a charge skill that was very effective. It dealt two stages of damage and had a far higher damage output than the charge skills of Warriors or Paladins, while also adding a stun effect. Coupled with the heavy slash, it could essentially one-shot monsters.
Of course, this was relative to Lin Zhao's damage output. After all, his attribute points were primarily invested in Strength, and he wielded the Fangs Sword and wore Elite Boots. The stat bonuses from these two Gold-grade items were beyond what other players could dream of. If someone else were to fight this giant hornet, it would likely be a bloody battle, and they might even be killed.
Just then, another giant hornet spawned beside him and flew over with a buzz. With a "hiss," its stinger broke through the air, and a blood-red skill glow erupted, dealing a large damage number on Lin Zhao's shoulder—
"464!"
That hurt!
Lin Zhao nearly stumbled. This damage came from the giant hornet's "Throwing the Universe" skill, which dealt extremely high damage. In the next second, Lin Zhao activated Gale and retaliated with three sword strikes, bringing the giant hornet to critical health. However, the giant hornet's body glowed with a skill effect. Another skill descended, with streams of golden light surrounding its stinger, delivering two consecutive attacks on Lin Zhao!
Consecutive Strikes, the attack was decent, but not as painful as "Throwing the Universe."
After a basic attack, the second giant hornet fell.
Lin Zhao picked up the gold coins and officially began leveling. He locked onto a giant hornet 20 yards away and directly used sword energy collision + basic attack + heavy slash + basic attack. A total of five hits. By the time he finished, the giant hornet had already fallen. Pure, effortless slaughter. Thus, he maintained this rhythm, smoothly grinding monsters and leveling up in the Beech Forest.
At precisely 2 PM, a shower of golden light descended. He had leveled up to 24. The leveling progress seemed to be faster than expected.
At this moment, Lin Zhao glanced at the level rankings. As expected, his level was firmly at the top in Yun Shang County, though his ID was hidden, so others couldn't see it—
1. ** (Hidden) Level: 24 Class: Novice Swordsman
2. Fan Wang Zhi Xue Level: 23 Class: Novice Starry Sky Mage
3. Bi Yi Jian Zhong Level: 23 Class: Novice Starry Sky Mage
4. Rong Xing Level: 23 Class: Novice Swordsman
5. Fei Long Zai Tian Level: 23 Class: Novice Swordsman
6. Chi Ren Xin De Yao Guai Level: 23 Class: Novice Sharpshooter
7. You Ling Wang Level: 23 Class: Novice Swordsman
8. Yu Jin Level: 22 Class: Novice Swordsman
9. Lin Feng Level: 22 Class: Novice Swordsman
10. Qing Ning Level: 22 Class: Novice Starry Sky Mage
...
Looking at the level rankings, Lin Zhao frowned. The momentum wasn't great. Although he held the first position, the players behind him were closely pursuing. Especially the two players ranked second and third, they were clearly together—two high-level mages. If they were to become enemies in the future, it would be quite troublesome. After all, in the early stages, Starry Sky Mage spells were incredibly painful against heavily armored characters. If a Swordsman's sword energy collision combo couldn't kill a mage, he would likely die himself.
No matter. He would continue leveling. He would crush them with his level in the future!