Chapter 5: The Importance of Basic Axe Skills in Chopping Wood
Chapter 5: The Importance of Basic Axe Skills in Chopping Wood
March 31, 2017
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Lu Haikong and Wang Fat chatted for most of the day, right up until nightfall, when Lu Haikong had no choice but to reluctantly sell his rabbit and wild vegetables to Wang Fat for 20 copper coins, as Wang Fat stubbornly refused to budge on providing a free meal. With a heavy heart, Lu Haikong left the now-closed Bandit Canteen.
The most shocking revelation for Lu Haikong today wasn't his sudden time-traveling experience or the realization that he was likely in the Late Eastern Han period, a time widely known as the Three Kingdoms era, according to Wang Fat.
What truly astounded him was that the Bandit Canteen, run by bandits, charged money for meals, and they strictly adhered to specific operating hours: 6 to 8 in the morning, 11 to 1 in the afternoon, and 6 to 8 in the evening. Outside these hours, not a single grain of rice was sold.
Lu Haikong despised this, but he had no choice. With Wang Fat refusing to budge, he could only cherish the dumplings he earned from his task and return to the Bandit Barracks to sleep.
When Lu Haikong arrived in the afternoon, the Bandit Barracks wasn't very crowded, with only a few bandits scattered around. However, when he went to find a place to sleep in the evening, he discovered that the barracks were almost entirely occupied. Lu Haikong finally managed to find a spot in a corner of the barracks.
As a modern person, falling asleep instantly was something he couldn't do, even after crossing over to this world without his phone. So, lying in bed, Lu Haikong decided to chat with his 'colleagues' nearby, but after trying several, he found them all to be rather dim-witted, only capable of uttering a few 'lines.' The only one who seemed slightly better could only offer Lu Haikong a bewildered expression.
After several attempts, Lu Haikong became frustrated and decided to go to sleep in his bed, especially since he was indeed a bit tired.
The next day, Lu Haikong woke up early, thinking about breakfast. To his surprise, the Bandit Barracks was almost empty, with only himself left. He didn't pay much attention to this and headed straight to the canteen.
With 27 copper coins in his pocket, Lu Haikong was ready for a hearty meal. However, after entering the canteen excitedly, he could only eat a steamed bun and a bowl of soy milk with tears in his eyes, then reluctantly left the Bandit Canteen, glancing back repeatedly.
Leaving the canteen, Lu Haikong rushed to the Assembly Hall with tears in his eyes. The food in the canteen was incredibly expensive; a single bun cost him ten copper coins, and a bowl of soy milk required seven. After this breakfast, Lu Haikong was left penniless, and most importantly, he was still hungry.
Now, with no money in his pocket, Lu Haikong needed to find some cash before noon, or he would go hungry at lunchtime. This was unacceptable!
The Bandit Camp wasn't very large, and Lu Haikong quickly reached the task board outside the Assembly Hall. He carefully selected a task suitable for him.
After some consideration, Lu Haikong chose a task to chop wood for the canteen, not for any other reason but to be near the canteen, hoping for a chance to sneak some food.
Task: Wood Splitting
Task Description: The canteen requires firewood, and they need a dexterous bandit to split the wood.
Task Reward: 10 copper coins and 10 experience points for every unit of wood split.
After accepting the task, Lu Haikong wasted no time and headed straight to the canteen. However, as soon as he arrived and showed his task, Wang Fat immediately sent a dim-witted helper to lead Lu Haikong away from the canteen to the wood storage area several dozen meters away.
Damn, it turns out that chopping wood isn't done in the canteen. Lu Haikong almost lost his temper, as his plan to sneak some food hadn't even begun, and now it seemed futile.
Although he was furious, there was nothing he could do. At this point, he could only chop wood obediently. After all, it's just chopping wood, and it's as simple as swinging the axe to split the wood.
However, Lu Haikong soon discovered that chopping wood wasn't as simple as he had imagined. While he could indeed split the wood with each swing of the axe, he noticed that his task progress bar barely moved. It was then that he remembered that the helper who brought him here seemed to want to teach him how to chop wood, but he had impatiently pushed him away.
With no other choice, Lu HaiKong could only run to the mess hall with a spring in his step to find that attendant, asking him to teach him. But the attendant only asked foolishly, 'Is the firewood split?' It was clear he wasn't going to be of any help, leaving Lu HaiKong frustrated, scratching his head and tugging at his cheeks.
This guy was hopeless, so Lu HaiKong placed his last hope on Wang Fat. However, Wang Fat was squatting in the kitchen and wouldn't come out. Left with no other option, Lu HaiKong could only return to the wood-splitting area to figure it out himself.
Upon careful examination, Lu HaiKong discovered that the firewood he had split all had evaluations from the system. After taking a look, he realized that all the firewood he had split previously was of 'Substandard' quality.
Once he understood that even the firewood he split was of a certain level, Lu HaiKong became more careful and meticulous. With his careful efforts, after ten minutes, he finally split his first piece of 'Standard' quality firewood. This great achievement brought tears of joy to Lu HaiKong, as he finally had hope for a decent lunch!
The beginning is always the hardest, but with a good start, everything will get easier. As more and more 'Standard' quality firewood was produced, Lu HaiKong could almost smell the delicious lunch waving at him. The more he worked, the more motivated he became.
As he was splitting the wood, Lu HaiKong suddenly remembered he had learned a skill called 'Basic Axe Technique'. Since he was already using an axe, why not practice it while he was at it?
And so, the guy who couldn't even split firewood properly started attempting something more advanced—using the 'Basic Axe Technique' to chop firewood.
Surprisingly, Lu HaiKong had a knack for it. Initially, he struggled a bit, and the quality of the firewood decreased, but as he kept at it, he got the hang of it. The quality of the firewood stabilized at the 'Standard' level, and occasionally, he even produced 'Premium' quality firewood.
After about three hours, Lu HaiKong finally chopped enough firewood to form a small mountain. Checking the time, it was almost lunch. He threw down the axe and rushed to the mess hall to find that foolish attendant and turn in the task.
In the end, after all the deductions, only 50 copper coins remained in Lu HaiKong's pocket. Sighing, he figured it was better than nothing. With the money, Lu HaiKong, who had barely eaten in the morning, rushed into the mess hall and turned his coins into a delicious meal.
Unfortunately, 50 copper coins weren't enough to fill him up, only satisfying half his hunger. After finishing his meal, Lu HaiKong, in anticipation of a full meal next time, continued to take on wood-splitting tasks, starting a new round of enthusiastic chopping.
With the morning's practice, Lu HaiKong became more skilled in the afternoon, finding the axe increasingly comfortable in his hands, and the task of chopping wood seemed simpler and more effortless.
Regardless of how Lu HaiKong chopped, the firewood was always of 'Standard' quality or better, with many pieces reaching 'Premium' quality. Initially, Lu HaiKong didn't notice this, but when he realized it, he found that his 'Basic Axe Technique' had leveled up twice.
Basic Axe Technique Lv: 2 (57/80)
Skill Type: Long Weapon, Basic Axe Skill
Effect: Enhances the effect of axes and axe-related martial skills by 2%.
(End of Chapter)
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