Chapter 2: Robbed by a Wild Monster!
Chapter 2: Robbed by a Wild Monster!
March 31, 2017
"The skill 'Foraging' is successful. Lu HaiKong gains 1 Refugee Experience."
Lu HaiKong counted a total of twelve such system messages and, NSA, Arrests 21 Members of a Chinese Cyberespionage Group
Opening his Attribute Panel, Lu HaiKong discovered that his Refugee Experience bar had already reached sixty percent. This meant that he only needed to gather eight more Wild Vegetables to level up.
At this moment, Lu HaiKong finally understood the meaning of the skill description for 'Foraging'. Apparently, it provided Refugee Experience.
Realizing this, Lu HaiKong immediately sprang into action. He crouched down and continued searching for wild vegetables, knowing that leveling up was the most important aspect of gaming. As a handsome man, he couldn't bear the thought of roaming the virtual world as a mere refugee.
Soon, Lu HaiKong found another patch of wild vegetables, again of the 'Bowl-Width' variety. With gleaming eyes, he pounced on them, quickly digging up all the vegetables. After collecting the eighth vegetable, Lu HaiKong felt a mental jolt, as if he had just received a soothing massage. He knew he had leveled up.
However, when Lu HaiKong excitedly opened his Attribute Panel, he found that none of his attributes had increased. He pondered, perhaps the Refugee profession was just too weak, but after gaining a few more levels, his attributes should improve. With this thought, Lu HaiKong continued his vegetable-gathering endeavor.
Despite Lu HaiKong's apparent foolishness and love for food, he possessed a surprising amount of Domestic Wisdom. In his mind, foraging not only provided experience but also allowed him to stock up on food and potentially barter with travelers passing through the mountain path.
If all else failed, he could offer some vegetables to someone who might help him escape the wilderness. This, my friends, is what they call Social Acumen. You still have much to learn.
Interestingly, while foraging, Lu HaiKong encountered the same rabbit that had previously scorned him and escaped unscathed.
After satisfying his hunger, Lu HaiKong faced the rabbit, whose cheeks were puffed up, and its cute, big eyes curiously watched him dig for vegetables. Unlike before, it didn't seem intent on eating him, and Lu HaiKong, with a kind gesture, offered the rabbit the vegetable in his hand.
Of course, with the rabbit's natural wariness, it wasn't going to lower its guard just because Lu HaiKong revealed a row of green teeth from eating raw vegetables. It merely watched him curiously, without approaching to eat from his hand.
Lu HaiKong didn't mind. He casually placed the vegetable on the ground and resumed his foraging.
Seeing that Lu HaiKong didn't intend to pay it any attention, the rabbit's cute ears twitched. It cautiously took a step towards Lu HaiKong, then retreated a few steps, testing the waters. After much hesitation, the rabbit finally ventured to the vegetable Lu HaiKong had placed on the ground. It sniffed the vegetable with its tiny nose, then began to eat cautiously.
The rabbit was clearly a foodie, and upon tasting the vegetable, it found it much more delicious than the grass it usually ate. Gradually, it lowered its guard against Lu HaiKong, and when it saw Lu HaiKong approaching with a kind smile, the rabbit hesitated but chose not to flee.
Now, you might not know this, but the author, Nu Xiao, is a very loving person. And as the protagonist of his story, Lu HaiKong is also filled with love and kindness. The fact that Lu HaiKong wanted to eat the rabbit in the first chapter was purely because he was starving. See, isn't Lu HaiKong full of love right now... Damn it... Hey, what are you doing!
Before the author could finish his explanation, Lu HaiKong's kind smile turned into a triumphant laugh. A stone appeared in his hand, and with a 'smack,' he directly killed the foolish rabbit. The rabbit's last thought was probably, 'Mommy, I'll never eat candy from strangers again.'
"Hmph, a mere roasted rabbit dares to show me contempt! You fool, did you really think I was being kind by offering you vegetables? That was a trap, do you understand?"
Feeling intellectually superior to the rabbit, Lu HaiKong laughed triumphantly. To ensure the rabbit was truly dead, he struck it a few more times, all the while keeping an eye on his Attribute Panel. As expected, a system message appeared, and Lu HaiKong leveled up once again.
The rabbit granted Lu HaiKong five Experience Points, more than what he got from foraging. However, considering the rabbit's questionable intelligence and agility far surpassing his own, Lu HaiKong decided it was better to continue foraging for vegetables to level up.
(End of Chapter 2)
Leveling up to Level 2, Lu HaiKong still noticed no changes in his attributes, which was undoubtedly disheartening. Pondering his situation, he decided to first find a populated area to settle down. Despite not having a watch, Lu HaiKong was a rational person who could roughly estimate the time as late afternoon, around 2-3 pm, based on the sun's position.
Who knows what dangers lurk in the wilderness—perhaps gray wolves or even female bandits who rob and rape.
Lu HaiKong gathered the wild vegetables scattered on the ground and tore a cloth strip from his tattered clothes to wrap the rabbit, securing it within the vegetables. As a foodie with selfish tendencies, he was cautious about others stealing his food, so he hid his precious items.
Soon, Lu HaiKong finished his preparations and headed up the mountain on the right side of the mountain path, carrying his wild vegetables and rabbit. Don't misunderstand; he wasn't brain-damaged, planning to venture deeper into the wilderness. Instead, he had noticed a building not far up the mountain, likely a temple, where he could ask for directions and perhaps spend the night.
Carrying his wild vegetables, Lu HaiKong climbed up the mountain, appearing carefree and cheerful. However, he seemed to have forgotten that he had crossed into another world, different from his original one. The building on the mountain might not be a temple; it could be a bandit camp.
Lu HaiKong, unaware of his mistake, continued merrily up the mountain path. Upon reaching a steep slope, a robust man emerged, towering over Lu HaiKong. The man wore coarse clothing several levels higher in quality than Lu HaiKong's tattered outfit, and in his hand, he held a rusty knife with a notched blade.
Lu HaiKong, being a man of integrity and cultivation, did not look down on the man for his rusty knife. After all, the knife was currently pointed at his nose.
"Halt, refugee! Pay the toll!" the bandit demanded.
Despite his intimidating appearance, the bandit's eyes lacked any hint of intelligence. His loud voice and fierce expression seemed forced and rigid.
Lu HaiKong was stunned, not paying attention to these details. He foolishly handed over the wild vegetables, which contained the rabbit, to the bandit. Surprisingly, the bandit took the vegetables and rabbit and immediately turned around, disappearing back into the mountain path.
It wasn't until the bandit was out of sight that Lu HaiKong fully regained his senses, realizing the cruelty of this new world. This was no longer the peaceful society he knew. Someone had dared to rob him of his hard-earned rabbit and wild vegetables in broad daylight! Lu HaiKong couldn't tolerate this injustice.
However, Lu HaiKong had no choice but to endure it because his system had just given him a message:
"You were robbed by a Level 1 bandit and lost 10 wild vegetables and 1 rabbit."
The key point here was that Lu HaiKong could view the bandit's attributes. After comparing their stats, Lu HaiKong silently turned back.
Bandit (LV: 1)
Attributes:
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 1
Constitution: 2
Equipment: Rusty Iron Blade
Skills: Basic Blade Technique
Except for Intelligence, all the bandit's attributes were double that of Lu HaiKong's, and he had a knife in his hand. The unarmed Lu HaiKong wisely chose a strategic retreat.
Lu HaiKong, however, showed resilience. Instead of leaving immediately, he stopped after walking a short distance. He carefully analyzed the situation, eventually concluding that the bandit might be a wild monster.
The bandit's behavior was highly unusual; he only spoke one sentence and didn't even inspect his loot. He didn't search Lu HaiKong either; he just turned and left. The system's message and the bandit's attributes, especially the lack of a name and the alias "Bandit," confirmed Lu HaiKong's suspicion.
Damn it! He had been robbed by a Level 1 minor monster.
Lu HaiKong couldn't tolerate this. He decided to defeat the monster, retrieve his rabbit, and reclaim some lost dignity. Yes, and also as a bonus!
Chapter end
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