Chapter 013: A Perfect Place to Train

The three of them had no choice but to return to the secret passage and clear the corridor in the direction of twelve o’clock. After two more trips to buy supplies, they finally figured out where each of the passage’s corridors led. There were four hidden exits in total: one opened behind the clothing store, another led to a shabby little tent at the corner of the city, and the third led to a secluded spot outside the castle. All three exits were in places hidden from prying eyes. If they hadn’t found them from inside the secret passage, Lin Jia and his companions would never have guessed such entrances existed.

Once more stocking up on potions, they set off down the last unexplored corridor, quickly crawling through a downward-leading hole. By now, the three had learned to distinguish between the stairways: an opening in the ground meant a descent, while a small staircase with a few steps signaled a path back to the surface.

Descending the steps, they found themselves in a corridor much like the secret passage, named “Fragrant Stone Catacombs.” But here, the density of monsters was overwhelming—packed together like stalks of wheat in a field. The variety of zombies increased too: some crawled, some stood, others wore yellow robes and had shaven monk-like heads. The most terrifying were zombies in gray mage robes. These had low defense and little health, and were the easiest to kill. Yet they were also the most dangerous, for they could unleash magical attacks much like a mage’s “Laser Beam” spell at level 25. Even Fourth, with his vast health pool, lost nearly half a bar from a single hit. Strangely, Lin Jia and the eldest brother lost proportionally less, perhaps thanks to the often-neglected “magic resistance” stat.

Though hazardous, the monster density here was so high that the trio could stand in place and attack zombies non-stop, leveling even faster than in the secret passage. After death, the zombies would respawn multiple times, with their health and experience halved each time. This place was truly a paradise for grinding. The eldest brother furtively glanced around, then withdrew with a snicker, “This is great! Everywhere else, people are scrambling for monsters, but here, the monsters are piled up. Looks like our levels are already pretty high. If we keep this up till morning, we’ll definitely hit level 20!”

Fourth was equally excited, whispering, “Keep it down! Don’t let anyone overhear us!” To avoid drawing attention, they even muted the game’s sound effects, lest the deafening monster roars attract others.

Before they could clear the zombies near the catacomb stairs, their potions were nearly depleted. The loot drop rate here was so absurdly high that their bags were soon stuffed with skill books, jewelry, weapons, and armor, forcing them to leave some treasures behind with aching hearts. They tried squeezing the loot into each other’s packs. In this game, there was a weight limit—once reached, characters couldn’t pick up more items. However, by trading, you could force items into someone’s overburdened pack, though the character would then move painfully slow.

Lin Jia emptied his own loot into the packs of the eldest and Fourth. The three of them shuffled along like astronauts. After a while, the eldest cried out, “Good grief! I’m about to be crushed! My health’s dropping like crazy!” Characters not only slowed when overloaded, but also lost health as they moved, forcing them to pause frequently for the eldest to heal himself and Fourth, while Lin Jia cleared freshly respawned zombies from their path.

It took them over ten minutes of grueling effort to reach the castle shop, prompting complaints that the effort wasn’t worth it. Yet the thought of leaving behind valuable loot was unbearable. After some discussion, they revised their tactics: load Lin Jia and Fourth’s packs each with forty-six bundles of super magic potions, and have the eldest do the same, then head for the catacombs. While traveling through the secret passage, they avoided unnecessary fights, only taking on unavoidable zombies, and soon reached their familiar spot by the catacomb stairs.

As for their loot, they couldn’t bring themselves to sell it to the system shop—all too many players were still too poor to afford even basic gear. Their plan was to hoard the items and sell them at dawn, when the player population would peak, thereby offsetting the high cost of luxury potions. At level 17, a young mage could just barely use the super magic potion that restored 150 MP, but most mages still relied on small or mid-level potions—cheaper, lighter, and replenishing more MP in total. Still, the super potions took up fewer inventory slots, so the trio chose the extravagant route.

This time, Lin Jia stopped on the very first step of the catacomb staircase, refusing to go further. Fourth, loaded with super potions, stood in front as a shield, while the eldest, not yet overburdened and still nimble, took on the role of luring monsters, using her healing skills to recover and fighting alongside Fourth. The only ranged spell available to a level 17 Taoist was Poison, and crafting poison required expensive materials gathered by the player. So the eldest had to brave the monster horde herself, dashing back with a glowing white healing circle above her head to block the stairs with Fourth, protecting the fragile Lin Jia.

Lin Jia, perched atop the steps, rained down bolts of lightning on the stumbling zombies rounding the corner, blasting them into blackened heaps. The respawning zombies, weakened in all attributes, were handled by the eldest and Fourth, who could withstand their attacks, healing circles spinning above their heads like mismatched angels.

The drop rate in the Fragrant Stone Catacombs was a double-edged sword—enchanting and overwhelming. Now and then, a zombie would burst open at their feet, showering a 12-by-12 square with a veritable cascade of loot: coins, red and blue potions, jewelry, weapons, armor—everything imaginable!

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(A note from the author: Today, a friend left a message on the forum, stirring up memories once more. My thanks to Yang Youdao, Yu & Men, and Dark Wolf.

I’ve written several million words on Qidian, though none of it is particularly impressive, but at least I’ve written with sincerity. Whether or not the Legend is a cliché, as Dark Wolf noted, stories about Legend are not highly regarded. Yet I couldn’t resist entering this Qidian ‘Legend’ competition, as I’ve played the game for four years, from graduation to my first job, experiencing countless moments—moving, angry, betrayed, or triumphant. Who can say what’s real or fake online? Yet I personally witnessed two friends meet and marry through Legend, and another end up in jail after heartbreak. This story is based on true events—my own experiences. Every character comes from friends I met on the tenth server, Radiance. If there’s any infringement, please forgive me.

As for the protagonist, “Madman Lingjia”—that’s me, the author—don’t expect any invincible skills or world-shaking exploits. What I’ve written are the little things I experienced in Legend. This book is an authentic tale from before version 1.76, not a virtual game story. As the synopsis says, this is a small story about a small character.

P.S. Finally, may I beg for your votes? Hand them over, or I’ll set Wangcai on you!)