Task content: Go to Dawnlight Forest, kill 100 green mantises, and collect 10 green mantis blades to hand over to the Corpse Guard.

……

Hmm, not bad, a mid-level F-rank quest, I should be able to gain quite a bit of experience from this.

Not in a hurry to leave, I headed to the depths of the Great Cemetery, where a hunched skeleton merchant appeared. I walked up and took out the Greater Magic Stone dropped by the Big-Eared Rabbit BOSS, handing it over and saying, “Bro, see how much this is worth!”

The skeleton looked at me with a complicated gaze and said resentfully, “Do I look like a man to you?”

I shivered—this thing is all bones, how am I supposed to judge by the chest? “Ahem, miss, please take a look at how much this is worth!”

Only then did the skeleton beauty take the Greater Magic Stone, looked at it, and said, “1,540 copper coins!”

I couldn’t help but be shocked. Goodness, that quest only rewards 10 copper coins, I didn’t expect this single Greater Magic Stone to be worth 1,540 copper coins. That’s so HAPPY!

The next moment, 1,540 copper coins dropped into my bag, which is equivalent to 15 silver coins and 40 copper coins. I guess I’m living a moderately well-off life now!

I checked the skeleton beauty’s goods. There were potions, but the prices were outrageous. A basic red potion, which restores 80 HP per bottle, costs 50 copper coins each. That’s daylight robbery!

Still, after thinking it over, I bought 20 bottles. Only with potions can I challenge higher-level monsters, and that way I can get more magic stones to sell. Got to think long-term!

……

With plenty of potions packed, it was time to head out and continue the adventure!

Arriving at the outskirts of the Great Cemetery, I casually killed a few Big-Eared Rabbits and successfully reached level 5. I added another 5 points to strength, bringing my total attack power to 10-17. It seems that the strength growth of the Necromancer Swordsman class is pretty good. 5 points of strength translates to 3-5 attack power. I’ve read on the forums that among all the classes in Tianzong, the Warrior has the highest strength growth, with 5 points of strength equaling 2-5 attack power. Magic Knights only get 2-4, and Rangers get 3-4. In a sense, Necromancer Swordsman is already a top-tier attack class.

I opened the rankings. There are three newbie villages in this area, two of which belong to the Light Faction. The highest level among the three villages is already level 7, far above me. As expected, there’s never a shortage of leveling maniacs in any game. I need to work harder.

……

Under the moonlight, a bony little skeleton, carrying a broken sword, moved nimbly through the hills, softly humming, “The little monk goes down the mountain to beg for alms, the old monk gives advice, don’t pick the wildflowers at the foot of the mountain, don’t pick, don’t pick them for nothing~~”

Chapter 6: Mad Dragon

Dawnlight Forest, a contested territory. The withering of the World Tree has brought devastation to the continent. Amidst the ruins, humans, barbarians, elves, and shadow demons have rebuilt cities to resist the Nightlings, and these newbie villages are all around the Great Cemetery, their territories interwoven with those of the Nightlings.

Dawnlight Forest, the high-level leveling area outside the newbie village, is not only frequented by Nightlings, but is also a place where many high-level players train and grow.

According to official information, Dawnlight Forest is an area where level 5-12 monsters frequently appear. If a player isn’t at least level 5, it’s best not to mess around in Dawnlight Forest. Even if you are level 5, you should at least form a party, or you’ll almost certainly die.

Before level 10, players have no skills at all—everyone relies on physical attacks. Even cloth armor classes like mages, priests, strategists, and bards have to use physical attacks. So, in the newbie village, melee classes are in high demand, while mages and priests are left out in the cold.

But after reaching level 10 and entering the level 2 main city to learn skills, priests become the most sought-after class, especially pretty female priests—they’re hot commodities.

……

I couldn’t form a party, because I didn’t have suitable teammates. I didn’t belong to the true Nightlings, nor to the Human Alliance. In this situation, I might be the only one, and those Light Faction players probably wouldn’t want to team up with an ugly little skeleton like me.

“Rustle rustle…”

Stepping on the scattered fallen leaves, I arrived at Dawnlight Forest just as the sun was rising. Rays of morning light filtered through the dense woods, casting mottled shadows on the ground. It was very peaceful.

I opened the world map. The quest indicated the area where green mantises were distributed. Not far ahead was the green mantis activity zone.

I braced myself, gripping my broken sword and slipping into the dense forest. I hadn’t gone far when I suddenly felt a sense of danger!

“Hiss…”

A green blade sliced through the air—something was launching an attack!

“Pshh!”

My defense was broken. Even with my +9 defense top-tier armor, I couldn’t block this strike. A huge damage number floated above my head—41!

Damn, that attack power is really high!

Looking up, I saw a green, armored monster hanging from a short tree. It was a terrifying-looking mantis, covered in tough green armor. Its two forearms had transformed into green blades—the very thing that just attacked me!

Green Mantis LV-7

Normal Monster