Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Flaming Direwolf

The sky had not yet darkened, but from the moment I stepped out of the East Gate, everything around me seemed to sink into shadow. The once emerald trees and grass transformed into deep black, and the cold wind carried eerie wailing that sent chills down my spine. The scene resembled the desolate wilderness of a horror film.

Shivering, I gripped my sword and pressed forward. To the east of Silvermoon City, mountains once blocked the way; only a single pass led through to the other side, where the Silvermoon Valley lay, and in its midst, the Silverpine Forest. According to the official introduction of "Eternal Moon," Silverpine Forest was fraught with danger, teeming with fierce beasts and undead.

“Beep~!”

Murong Shanshan connected to my communicator: “Lin Fan, how many quests did you take?”

“Three quests. I wanted more, but there’s no time to finish them. How about you?”

Murong Shanshan laughed, “I got three as well, all yellow-level. I can handle them alone.”

“I wasn’t so lucky—mine are all red, the kind that are so red they’re almost black.”

“Hehe, then good luck! I’m off to do my tasks—be careful!”

After turning off the communicator, a warm feeling lingered in my heart. Murong Shanshan, that girl, actually knew how to show concern.

Silvermoon Valley was crawling with level 40 skeletal undead. At my current level 38, I could slay them in two swings—fighting them was as easy as slicing melons. My defense was absurdly high; even when a few skeletons attacked at once, I was in no real danger. The potions dropped by skeletons were more than enough to keep up the continuous slaughter, and the experience wasn’t bad either. Unfortunately, at level 38, it felt as if I’d hit a bottleneck—after nearly two hours, the experience bar had only crept up a pitiful 2%.

Still, I’d gathered plenty of undead ribs—almost twenty in two hours—and found three pieces of level 30 green gear. Most players were still around level 26; it would take them three more days to reach level 30 and teleport to Silvermoon City. That meant I could keep farming monsters and leveling up for three days, storing all the gear I collected. When the others arrived, I’d make a tidy sum, bringing me a step closer to my goal of buying a house. The only problem was, who should I choose as the lady of the house?

Sixue Han was the first choice—beautiful and gentle. As for Xinyu, to be honest, it wasn’t that I didn’t like her. Xinyu’s allure was unmatched by Sixue Han, and she seemed to have a bit of interest in me. Let’s face it, what man doesn’t enjoy the company of a sexy, enchanting woman? It’s unspoken, but understood.

Among the girls in our studio, besides Sixue Han and Xinyu, the only one I found attractive was Xu Lin. Unfortunately, she was a fierce, strong woman, not the type most men could handle. Xu Lin herself was exceptional—I’d witnessed at least six wealthy young men pursue her, only to be rejected. With a woman like that, I felt I might not be worthy. As for Murong Shanshan, forget it—a delicate little flower, I didn’t dare to even think about it...

After clearing out the monsters in Silvermoon Valley three times, I’d collected nearly eighty undead ribs. Going deeper meant entering the infamous Silverpine Forest, known for its danger. I wondered what creatures awaited me there.

“Whoosh~!”

The leaves shook violently. When I looked up, I saw a gigantic red spider—a Black Widow, level 42, and not just an ordinary monster, but a rare type.

I swung my sword for a quick combo attack!

The spider looked terrifying. Its mouth opened wide, spraying green venom onto me. The system immediately notified me that I was poisoned: the effect would last one minute, reducing 30 health every three seconds—a total of 600 health lost in a minute. With my current 2850 health, it posed no real danger. More importantly, my gear added 215 points to strength, making my health regeneration almost absurdly fast. Against low-attack monsters, I barely needed to heal at all.

This rare spider’s health wasn’t high—about 5000. My normal attacks dealt 800 damage; a combo took away 1500, and heavy strike plus Frost Slash each did over 1000. I killed the spider in less than half a minute. The higher the agility, the higher the attack rate and frequency. Rogues had high attack output mainly because of their agility; many players trained as agile swordmasters and uploaded PvP videos to the forums, making others envious. The tactics of full-agility swordmasters were so graceful that even rogues drooled over them.

The spider dropped loot that surprised me—the very first one gave me a high-level green item:

[Wave Pattern Dagger] (Dagger—Green Equipment)
Attack: 54–108
Vitality: +16
Strength: +14
Agility: +18
Required Level: 31
...

After an initial assessment, in two days, this dagger could sell for over 1000 RMB, and those level 30 green non-weapon items could fetch over 2000. Once players entered the main city, many experts would rush to recruit and compete for the enticing world of “Eternal Moon.” Demand for gear would soar, and it would be the prime time for professional players like me to make a fortune!

After stowing the spider’s loot, I pressed onward. Silverpine Forest wasn’t very large; after a few steps, a pungent, bloody scent wafted over. A fiery red wolf darted out from behind a tree—a creature called Flame Terror Wolf, and clearly not one to be trifled with.

I drew my sword to meet it. The Flame Terror Wolf raised its massive paw and struck. I countered with Frost Slash, but pain seared my shoulder. Damn, what kind of monster was this? It was only level 42, yet a single swipe took over 200 health. Its attack frequency was high, too; while I unleashed Frost Slash, it managed a second strike. Luckily, Frost Slash froze monsters for five seconds, and the wolf’s health wasn’t high. After a barrage of skills, its health was mostly gone, but my skills were on cooldown, so I had to rely on normal attacks. On average, for every attack I landed, the Flame Terror Wolf attacked twice, costing me nearly 500 health per two strikes. I was forced to use health potions.

A minute later, the Flame Terror Wolf whimpered and collapsed, while I had already used two medium red health potions.

Unlike the rare spider, the Flame Terror Wolf didn’t drop any gear, only a bit more experience and a flaming red wolf pelt. The cost was steep—two medium health potions for one wolf. Fortunately, I packed enough supplies: five full sets, 150 bottles, enough for half a day’s use.

After a few more steps, a sudden system prompt appeared: The Flame Terror Wolf gradually hides away!

A fiery red terror wolf faded before my eyes, disappearing into the night. Damn, no wonder this thing could ambush so silently—it had the same stealth skill as me, the rogue...