Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Xiao Ling continued to collect zombie skulls, and before long, he had collected forty skulls and reached level 7. He planned to grind for a little longer here before returning with a town portal scroll.
The sun over the vast barren land was eternally black like a terrible curse, and the earth was riddled with eerie-looking zombies that wandered aimlessly and restlessly. He searched for zombies everywhere, turning these horrible undeads into his own experiences.
When he walked past a low slope, a pungent stench drifted over from the distance and made him sneeze. His curiosity drove him into that direction and brought him to a gloomy cave, with heaps of rotting corpses near its entrance and streams of stinking blood flowing across the muddy ground.
The Cave of Maggots!
In general, the monsters in a cave would have a higher level than the creatures outside, so it was very dangerous for a player to enter a cave without two or three companions. However, the items produced in a cave would also be of a higher level than those outside, often being Uncommon or Rare equipment. If the player were lucky, he could even find some Epic equipment.
Xiao Ling was uncertain whether he should enter the cave or not. ‘If I can obtain one or two pieces of either Uncommon or Rare equipment wearable by me in the cave, it will be of great help to my leveling…’
As he pondered, he cleaned up all the zombies outside the cave. However, he did not get anything apart from a few gold coins.
“ROAR!” A roar in the distance startled him. It did not sound like a monster. He wondered if it were another player of the Evil Alliance as he hid carefully.
Bear Roar!
It was a giant bear, about two meters tall, with furry brown hair covered all over its body and a very mighty look. Waving its thick paws, the bear was slapping at a zombie and pushing it backward.
Sap!
Suddenly, a rogue revealed himself behind the zombie and stabbed a dagger into the back of its head, stunning it in an instant.
Eviscerate!
As the skill was activated, the dagger slashed down through the zombie’s back, leaving behind a long gash down to the bone. Meanwhile, the giant bear lifted its paw and slapped the undead, knocking it away and throwing it to the ground.
Heal!
A white ray fell on the bear, restoring its health to the maximum level.
“Xiao Yu, how many times have I told you that Heal should be cast in combat? You are wasting mana by casting it after the battle is over.” The giant bear scolded in a deep voice.
“Got it!” said a female priest in a white magical robe as she kept twisting her sleeves with her fingers. She had a very comely face that looked soft and delicate, with a timid expression that made anyone who looked at her feel tender and protective toward her.
At the sight of the way she looked now, the bear shook its head and sighed.
The rogue, who wore a suit of white leather armor, hurried over to ease the situation. “Xue, don’t be too harsh on Xiao Yu. She’s new to playing games.”
“I know you dote on her, but look at her now, timid and fearful and not daring to get in touch with anyone. I think we’ve spoiled her too much,” said the bear as it walked in Xiao Ling’s direction. “We’re about to reach the Cave of Maggots. Let’s go!”
The frightful scene in the surroundings had turned the female priest’s pretty face pale. She chewed her lips and followed.
Soon, the three players walked in Xiao Ling’s direction. As they were from the Angelic Alliance, Xiao Ling did not worry that they would attack him, because it was rare for players of the same faction to fight with one another unless there was bad blood between them. Moreover, the player who attacked first would be seriously punished.
While he continued to kill monsters, he kept a close eye on them. It seemed to him that they were going to enter the Cave of Maggots. He hesitated for a moment, then decided that it was better for him to leave this place and avoid any misunderstanding since they were going into the cave. As a spellcaster, it was very dangerous for him to enter a cave with a narrow space.
He picked up the silver coins dropped by the zombies he killed and was about to leave.
When the rogue glanced at all the zombie bodies on the ground, he was surprised that Xiao Ling alone could kill so many monsters. Using his Detect skill, he found that the other was only at level 7.
“Hold on, my friend!” shouted the rogue.
Xiao Ling looked back as he secretly put on his guard and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“I’m Luan Ying, a level-7 rogue. This is my eldest brother, Yu Xue, a level-8 druid, and my little sister, Fei Yu, a level-7 priest.” The rogue introduced themselves to Xiao Ling. He was a young man, twenty-five or twenty-six years in age, with an average but rather honest appearance.
Xiao Ling could not help but turn to look at the giant bear. ‘So this bear is actually a druid…’ At that moment, the bear began to transform and eventually turned into a man about thirty years in age. The druid, Yu Xue, waved at Xiao Ling and greeted, “Hi.”
“Hi,” he waved back at the man.
The girl whose name was Fei Yu tightly clutched her priest staff with both hands and looked a little nervous as she said in a low voice, “He-he-hello, my name is Fei Yu.” By the time she was done, the fair skin on her face was already red, which made her look especially charming. She then bowed her head and stared at the ground timidly.
Yu Xue smiled apologetically at Xiao Ling. “My little sister is not good at talking with people.”
Xiao Ling nodded to show that he understood.
“Do you also want to enter the Cave of Maggots? Well, it happens that our team is short of a spellcaster responsible for attack. If you don’t mind, we wish to invite you to join our team and explore the cave together. We will share the money and items we find according to PB style.” The rogue, Luan Ying, told Xiao Ling his intention. Although the combination of a rogue, a strength-based druid, a high-dps warlock and a priest was not the best, it was still considered not bad.
“What is PB style?” Xiao Ling asked curiously. (Author’s note: I made up the term.)
Luan Ying felt strange. ‘How could he not know about this?’ He looked at Yu Xue and saw that he was puzzled too.
“Well, I’ve always been grinding alone and have never formed a team with anyone before,” Xiao Ling explained.
“I see…no wonder. PB style means that the money we obtain by killing monsters will be divided equally, and the items will be bid upon by all four of us. Then, the gold coins paid by the winner will be distributed equally among the teammates.”
“Xiao Yu is less skilled, so she will take half of her share,” Yu Xue added.
Xiao Ling considered for a moment. ‘It is very dangerous for me to enter the cave alone. Although I’ve never joined a team before, there’s no harm in giving it a try.’
“Alright, I’ll join your team.”
System: You joined Yu Xue’s team.
“There are many forks in the Cave of Maggots, and maggots often come out of them. Be careful!” Luan Ying warned everyone.