Brian Carter was unwilling to give up and searched nearby for more than ten minutes. Looking into the distance, he saw an area covered in thorns a few hundred yards ahead—that must be it! He couldn't help but feel ecstatic and dashed toward the thicket.

Several green-skinned goblins spotted the running Brian Carter, let out shrill screeches, and began to surround him, waving their axes.

Brian Carter ignored the green-skinned goblins and continued sprinting toward the thicket.

The goblins drew closer and closer, only three or four yards away from Brian Carter, when they saw him dive headfirst into the thorn bushes.

The thorns, when touching Brian Carter's skin, seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier and couldn't harm him at all. Even in the densest part of the thicket, he moved freely, only slightly slowed down.

This patch of thorns covered an area of about a hundred yards in diameter!

The green-skinned goblins outside grew frantic, jumping up and down. They tried to charge in, but as soon as they entered the thicket, damage numbers appeared above their heads, and their movements became extremely sluggish. Helpless, they retreated from the thorny area.

Black Oil Spell!

A stream of black oil drenched one of the green-skinned goblins, and immediately after, a small fireball traced an arc through the air, landing on the goblin. With a bang, flames erupted, and the goblin let out a miserable, piercing scream.

Damage numbers of over fifty points each floated up from the goblin's head. With only a little over three hundred health, the goblin couldn't withstand such a fierce attack and collapsed to the ground moments later.

A crisp system notification chimed. Brian Carter glanced at his level—he had leveled up again, now level six! Such fast leveling!

After taking down two green-skinned goblins, Brian Carter searched beneath their bodies and found a plain level 9 warrior's armor.

Although it was just a basic item, early equipment was scarce, so it could still sell for a dozen or twenty copper coins.

Heading deeper into the thicket, Brian Carter began searching. There should be a treasure chest hidden here! He searched carefully, not missing a single inch, and found two herbs—Silverleaf Grass, an ingredient for making basic speed potions. He wondered how much they could sell for.

A few minutes later, Brian Carter finally discovered the treasure chest hidden deep within the thicket. The chest was entirely gray, half-buried in the dirt. Unless a player was deliberately searching, it would be nearly impossible to find.

Treasure chests rarely appeared on beginner maps, so Brian Carter was thrilled. He crouched in front of the chest—unlocked! He wondered what would be inside. Reaching in, he felt something with sharp, distinct edges. Brian Carter's heart skipped a beat—it seemed to be a piece of equipment. He pulled it out of the chest.

Spiked Pauldrons (Druid): White Copper grade, required level 9, defense 12-18, +3 to plant magic damage, durability 23/23.

Equipment grades are determined by material: copper, iron, silver, gold, and alloy. Copper is further divided into white copper, bronze, and black magic copper. Before level sixty, the best equipment is black magic copper.

Equipment is extremely scarce on the market; most are basic items, and copper-grade gear is very rare. Even if the stats are poor, a copper-grade item with attributes can fetch a good price. This was the first white copper-grade item Brian Carter had obtained.

This chest had a 30% chance to drop a Werewolf Transformation skill book. Too bad it wasn't the transformation skill book, Brian Carter thought with some regret. Still, getting a white copper-grade item was pretty good, especially one that boosted plant magic damage—perfect for his specialization.

Brian Carter put the spiked pauldrons into his backpack. He could wear them once he reached level nine.

He walked toward the edge of the thicket and looked east. A massive venomous spider appeared in Brian Carter's line of sight. It was even taller than Brian Carter, hideously ugly, with a swollen abdomen covered in dense bristles, looking like a bloated cotton ball—five or six times larger than its front half. It was a female spider.

This creature was one of the few level 10 elite monsters in the area. Normally, it was said to take a team of at least ten level 10 players to bring it down.

Venomous Spider Ezra, Elite, Level 10, HP 620.

Seeing the venomous spider, Brian Carter's heart began to race, anxiety rising. Could he really take down this beast at level six? He wasn't even sure if his Black Oil and Fireball combo could break through its defenses!

After a moment's thought, he recalled the information his father had left him—it shouldn't be wrong. No matter what, since he was here, there was no reason to back down!

First, lure the venomous spider Ezra into the thicket!

Brian Carter chanted a spell, and a small fireball shot toward the distant venomous spider Ezra, exploding on its back with a burst of sparks.

Chapter 7: Grilled Spider

The venomous spider Ezra was wandering around, completely unaware of Brian Carter behind it. After being hit by the fireball, it let out a sharp screech, turned to search, and spotted Brian Carter in the thicket, immediately giving chase.

Brian Carter quickly retreated deeper into the thicket.

The venomous spider Ezra opened its mouth and spat out a web from above, enveloping Brian Carter within it.