In the far distance, a few mole rats were happily running across the green fields. These harmless little creatures were only level 1, making them the best targets for beginners to level up. Even newbies just starting the game could handle them. By all rights, with my 3-second delay aptitude, I should have chosen mole rats.

However, I raised my eyebrows: “Damn it, let’s go for the big-eared rabbit. I refuse to believe I can’t handle you!”

Dragging my broken sword, I quietly crept up to a big-eared rabbit. Upon close observation, I found that this monster was exceptionally agile, with a very impressive attack speed—about once every 1.4 seconds. I might be able to withstand the attack power of a level 1 big-eared rabbit, but a level 3 one could probably send me straight to the afterlife.

But the rabbit in front of me was a level 1 creature. Perfect, I’ll use it to sharpen my treasured sword! Uh, never mind, this broken sword...

Following my usual habit, I dashed toward the big-eared rabbit. When I was about 10 yards away, I had already raised my longsword and swung down hard!

Anticipation!

That’s right, a skill every gaming expert must have. I knew my aptitude meant there was a 3-second delay between my brain’s command and my attack, so I maintained good anticipation. Even in a “brain-dead” state, I could still squeeze into the top 100 of the Ling Tong expert rankings!

“Whoosh!”

Something shocking happened—the broken sword slashed through the air with a huge MISS. I actually missed?

It wasn’t that my accuracy was poor, but rather, I had already swung my sword when I was still a full 7 meters away from the big-eared rabbit. How could I possibly hit it?

However, my action caught the rabbit’s attention. It let out a sharp “squeak” and pounced at me, its powerful hind legs kicking out suddenly, smacking me in the face like a pile of cow dung!

“12!”

The damage number popped up. As expected, with my 100 HP, I could still put up a fight.

“Rustle!”

I leapt back a step and countered with a sword strike!

“Slash!”

“9!”

With my 1-2 attack power, that was about as much damage as I could deal, but the big-eared rabbit only had 30 HP. Three hits should be enough to take it down.

“Swish swish swish!”

The sword’s edge drew three zigzags in the air. The broken sword struck the big-eared rabbit three times in quick succession, as fast as lightning, while I kept moving back, my footwork so deft that the rabbit couldn’t do a thing. From start to finish, it only managed to attack once.

“Squeak...”

Wailing, the big-eared rabbit’s leg was chopped off. As it fell, it cried out its last words: “Damn you, Night Spirit! Ah! My leg... my thick, hairy leg that could run 100 meters in 3.7 seconds!”

The monster didn’t drop any equipment or items, but I threw my head back and laughed: “Heaven, did you see that? I... Ethan am back!”

Around me, a few grass-eating big-eared rabbits all looked at me, as if I were an idiot.

But I was overjoyed, lost in my own excitement. That string of attacks just now made me feel like my old self again. Why? Because my 3-second delay had been greatly reduced. According to my tests, now my delay was at most 1 second, which I could definitely handle. If it’s only a 1-second delay, even if I can’t be a top-tier expert, I’m absolutely confident I can make it into the ranks of first-class players!

But joy turned to sorrow. My laughter attracted the attention of three big-eared rabbits, one of which was level 3. With just one pounce and bite, I lost 41 HP!

“27!”

“41!”

“14!”

“39!”

I was almost instantly killed. My first death in Tianzong made a grand debut.

Pain shot through my whole body as I revived in the graveyard, only to find myself stark naked. My +1 defense shirt had dropped, and my heart ached as if a piece of flesh had been torn away. I rushed out of the newbie village, luckily found my shirt hadn’t despawned, quickly picked it up and put it on, then roamed the forest’s edge, looking for a lone big-eared rabbit to attack.

Because my level was too low, I hadn’t learned any skills yet and could only hack away.

Fortunately, years of gaming experience had allowed me to develop a set of monster-fighting footwork. While this footwork couldn’t make me dodge all monster attacks, it could at least minimize the damage I took.

“Rustle...”

I leapt back several steps, swung my broken sword twice, and another big-eared rabbit went down in style.

“Plop!”

With a crisp sound, something dropped—it was a thick leg hair, just the quest item I needed.

I quickly stashed it in my bag and continued searching for the next target, secretly hoping for a high-level weapon I could use to drop. This broken sword was a struggle even against level 1 monsters, and I didn’t dare challenge level 3 big-eared rabbits at all. At this rate, my leveling efficiency just couldn’t keep up.

After a while, I finished the task of killing 20 big-eared rabbits, but I was still one thick leg hair short.

Night fell, dew soaked through my cloth clothes, making my bones feel damp and uncomfortable. I wandered through the woods with my sword, unknowingly venturing deep into the forest.

“Swish!”

After killing the 24th big-eared rabbit, I finally leveled up to 1, gaining 5 free stat points. I put them all into strength, bringing my attack power to a respectable 4-7. Now I could finally take on a level 3 big-eared rabbit!

Excited, I approached a level 3 big-eared rabbit and launched a silent sneak attack from behind!