Vol. 1 Chapter 18 – You Know Too Much!

In the wilderness, engaging in PK (player killing) increases sin value, even for novice players. If the initiator kills their opponent, their sin value increases by 1, while the defending player does not gain sin value if they kill in retaliation. The higher the sin value, the harsher the death penalty. Sin value decreases automatically over time, reducing by one point every five hours while out in the wilderness. However, if the sin value exceeds 10, city guards will hunt the player down, and if caught in the city, the player will be jailed. Each hour in jail reduces sin value by one. Sin value can also be cleansed with money, but the cost is exorbitant: 1000 gold coins to erase a single point of sin.

Players below level 10 won’t lose experience or levels upon death, but they can still drop equipment or money. Ye Tian Xie didn’t attack the shield guard in front of him. Instead, with an uncanny movement, he sidestepped between the shield guard and the warrior. With a swift leap, his sword slashed toward the trainee mage who was about to cast a magic missile. The length of The Mark of Destiny, combined with the reach of his arm, extended his attack range to two metres. The trainee mage barely glimpsed a black shadow before feeling a sharp pain in his throat. A red ,【-196】 floated above his head, instantly depleting his 90 HP, and he collapsed to the ground with wide eyes.

A critical hit—another critical hit!

A one-shot kill! In the novice village stage, a one-shot kill during a PK battle was practically unheard of. The remaining three players gasped in shock. While one-shot kills might not be uncommon in the later stages of the game when player power differences become more pronounced, seeing it in the novice village, where everyone starts from the same baseline, was something no one could believe.

While they were still in shock, Ye Tian Xie’s next attack followed up swiftly. His sword swept across both the trainee shield guard and the trainee warrior. They snapped out of their daze and immediately used the only attack skills available to them, directing them toward Ye Tian Xie. The nearly 200 points of damage he had inflicted earlier left them in awe, but their greed had grown stronger in the face of this astonishing power. Such strength at this novice stage was nearly monstrous, and it was clear that everything stemmed from the extraordinary weapon in Ye Tian Xie’s hands.

It was as though Ye Tian Xie had anticipated their attacks in advance. His body leaned backward at just the right angle, and at the same time, he instantly retracted The Mark of Destiny. A two-handed sword and a one-handed sword stabbed forward, but they stopped just a hair’s breadth away from his chest, as if the timing had been calculated with precision. Meanwhile, an arrow whizzed past his ear.

With reaction and perception far beyond the average player, even if Ye Tian Xie didn’t consciously stay alert, his body would instinctively dodge incoming attacks with exceptional agility. His sword swept out again, and two red damage numbers floated above the heads of the shield guard and warrior. The trainee warrior’s HP was instantly depleted, and his body dissolved into a flash of white light, returning him to the novice village. Red Leaf Iron Wall’s face turned pale as he hastily stepped back, but before he could move any further, Ye Tian Xie closed the distance, and the black shadow of his weapon enlarged in the shield guard’s eyes. Moments later, he heard the death notification in his ears.

In mere seconds, another two players had fallen under Ye Tian Xie’s hands. The trainee archer, hiding behind a rock, was the last one standing. For a moment, he stood frozen in place, unable to believe what had just happened. By the time he regained his senses and tried to flee, Ye Tian Xie was already upon him, and the massive weapon swung down toward his head…

“Ahhh!!”

The archer’s exaggerated scream made Ye Tian Xie pause his attack. The trainee archer had collapsed to the ground in terror, his face pale as he pleaded, “Spare me… Please, big brother, spare me. I’ll give you all my equipment, just don’t kill me.”

His over-the-top reaction amused Ye Tian Xie, who chuckled and said playfully, “Afraid to die? You looked pretty happy shooting at me earlier.”

For players under level 10, even if they die, they won’t lose levels, and even if they do, it would only take about half an hour for this player, currently at level 3, to recover. There was no reason for him to be this terrified. However, this unfortunate member of Red Leaf Alliance, in his eagerness to fully immerse himself in the game’s 100% realistic simulation, had foolishly set the pain sensitivity to 100%. If Ye Tian Xie’s attack landed, the pain would feel as real as being struck on the head with an axe in real life. He regretted this decision as soon as he entered the game, but Destiny offers no chance to restart…

Ye Tian Xie watched his terrified expression with interest, slowly lowering The Mark of Destiny. “Alright, I’m a merciful person, after all. Although you lot were untrustworthy and attacked me, I won’t push things to the extreme… Let’s do it this way. I’ll ask you one question. If you give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll let you go.”

The trainee archer’s face relaxed a little, and he nodded quickly. “Thank you, big brother… Ask away, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“Am I handsome?” Ye Tian Xie casually asked, running his finger lightly along The Mark of Destiny.

“Ah… Handsome! You’re the most handsome person I’ve ever seen,” the trainee archer quickly replied. At this point, even if Ye Tian Xie looked like a pig that fell from the sky, he would still give an answer that would satisfy him, no matter how dishonest.

Slash!

A black arc of light cut across the archer’s body, accompanied by a pig-like scream. Another massive critical hit number floated above him. After the scream, his body turned into a flash of white light, following his doomed teammates back to the novice village.

Ye Tian Xie stood up, his eyes gazing toward the desolate north with a hint of melancholy. He sighed softly and said, “You knew too much.”

He then walked over to the Giant Fierce Wolf’s corpse, picking up the three health potions and the scattered coins. As he counted the coins, Ye Tian Xie was taken aback…This three-star boss had dropped fifty copper coins, which converted into Huaxia currency… amounted to a grand total of five cents!

After pocketing the five cents, Ye Tian Xie finally examined the three pieces of equipment dropped by the Giant Fierce Wolf:

Fierce Wolf Boots: Level 5 Steel-grade, Requirements: Melee Class. Boots made from the hide of the Giant Fierce Wolf. Provides decent flexibility. Attributes: Defence +5, Movement Speed +3.

Fierce Wolf Shoulder Guard: Level 5 Steel-grade, Requirements: Melee Class. Shoulder guards made from the hide of the Giant Fierce Wolf. Provides good defensive ability. Attributes: Defence +10, Strength +2.

Fierce Wolf Knee Guard: Level 5 Steel-grade, Requirements: Melee Class. Knee guards made from the hide of the Giant Fierce Wolf. Provides good defensive ability. Attributes: Defence +8, Constitution +2.