Chapter 17: The Stray Little Demon

Xiao Jie and Wang Kai guessed correctly—I indeed hadn’t dared to venture far from the village in my quest for immortality.

Although I had resolved to slay monsters to level up and strengthen myself, and despite my confidence in my gaming skills, I was not foolish enough to gamble with my life.

In truth, I was well aware of the dangers inherent in this game. My brother’s will had emphasized the perils of this virtual world.

Even the small monsters lurking at the village’s entrance were extremely dangerous, let alone those roaming far beyond. Many creatures moved faster than humans, and once surrounded, escape was impossible.

Thus, at first, I intended only to hunt minor beasts in the nearby woods.

Besides the will, my brother left me a game strategy journal. Though incomplete—perhaps due to impatience—it detailed the novice village thoroughly, while the later adventures were summarized briefly.

That was enough. The journal meticulously described several types of small monsters in Ginkgo Valley, outlining which were dangerous and which were manageable. This knowledge gave me the confidence to leave the village and hunt to level up.

At this moment, I was leafing through the worn strategy journal in my hands.

“Lost Soul Bandits: humanoid monsters, each possessing a random combat skill. They drop various white-quality weapons and armor; with luck, you might get a beginner skill book. They are quite formidable—don’t engage alone early on. I once fought one solo and nearly died.

Carnivorous Plants: stationary, safe to kill from a distance, but masters of camouflage, usually hidden deep in dense forest. They have a devouring skill that can instantly kill newbies. Avoid them early. I know an unlucky soul who was eaten by one—and died tragically in reality.

Wild Dogs: relatively weak early on, but don’t underestimate them. They are notorious newbie killers—highly aggressive and agile, favoring pack tactics. One alone is easy to handle, but two or more can threaten players; three or more usually spell disaster for beginners.

Demonic Scarecrows: low attack power, easily dispatched by level one players. But upon death, they unleash ‘Flaming Embrace,’ grabbing a player and igniting both in flames, causing massive damage and often instant death. Avoid provoking them. I once was grabbed at full health and barely survived with a sliver of life left.

Rat Demon Descendants: commonly found near caves and ancient tombs, they ambush from the shadows with high damage and poison skills. Never engage before level 10. Avoid caves and tombs early.

Wandering Bandits: enhanced mountain bandits typically mounted on horses, highly mobile and dangerous. Once spotted, escape is difficult. Avoid at all costs early on; hide if encountered.

Most monsters early on can kill players; newcomers should avoid them.

However, some monsters pose no threat.

Wild Rabbits: common forest creatures with no attack power, offering only one experience point—safe, but slow.

Goats: common forest animals with a charging skill, low damage, three experience points—safe.

Wild Deer: common forest animals with a charging skill, low threat, five experience points. Beware of demonic wild deer with red eyes, which are dangerous.

These three are the safest for experience farming, though all are swift.

Soulless Walkers: the weakest monsters, usually appearing in groups, slow-moving and relatively harmless—ideal for early experience grinding.

Be cautious, as groups often include elite monsters like Shadow Zombies, Poisonous Corpse Dogs, or Corpse-driving Sorcerers. Avoid large groups, but lone Soulless Walkers can be dealt with freely.

Find a fixed spawn point; they respawn roughly every half hour. Early on, camping here is safe but slow.”

I closed the strategy journal. Before me lay a clearing beneath a cliff, scattered with a dozen or so Soulless Walker corpses. This was the spawn point I had discovered. Every half hour, two Soulless Walkers reappeared. As the air shimmered, two more emerged.

They resembled humans but withered faces and gaunt frames, their skin shriveled and bluish-black. Clad in tattered clothes, they emitted meaningless groans and wandered blindly through the forest.

Though frightening to behold, they were weak in combat. I swung my sword once, felling one. A second strike finished it off.

Another Soulless Walker lunged toward me with outstretched arms, emitting mournful cries, but its slow pace gave me ample time to pivot and strike it down twice.

Fortune smiled as a few copper coins dropped.

A flash of light signaled my level up to two.

A sigh escaped my lips—finally, I had leveled up.

I had spent the entire day guarding this clearing, cutting down two Soulless Walkers every half hour. Though safe, the grind was painfully slow and monotonous.

Following the guide’s advice, I allocated all five attribute points gained from leveling into constitution.

Yet, I felt reluctant to linger here any longer.

Killing Soulless Walkers was tedious, and their drops were worthless—tattered cloth, wooden sticks, rusty iron swords, coarse cloth belts; junk gear at best. Occasionally a few copper coins, but minimal experience. At this rate, mastering resurrection spells and becoming a master would take ages.

Perhaps I should venture further—seek different monsters to test my mettle?

It didn’t seem too perilous after all.

But my brother’s warnings echoed in my mind, leaving me hesitant.

Suddenly, a small blue-skinned creature darted from the woods, snatching up several copper coins from the ground before fleeing.

Though it appeared only briefly, I clearly saw its peculiar form.

Blue skin, less than a meter tall, oversized head atop a skinny body, resembling a big-headed doll with a repulsive visage.

It carried a wooden club on its back and a cloth sack marked with the character “Goods.”

A Scavenging Imp!

My heart leapt with excitement.

My brother had emphasized these creatures in the journal.

“Scavenging Imp: extremely rare, no attack capabilities and cannot harm players. Exceptionally fast and hard to kill.

They suddenly appear to steal items dropped by players, then quickly escape.

Never let one go. Killing it can yield a bounty of treasures—coins, jade, materials, equipment, potions, skill books—anything. With luck, it may drop an ancient relic. If encountered, eliminate it promptly. Defeating one means fortune.”

According to my brother, it was a moving treasure trove.

I could no longer restrain myself and hurried after it.