Chapter Eight: The Struggle for the Treasure

In the end, Zhao Nan still decided to take down this elite walking zombie. Although the risk was high, the rewards promised to be just as great.

Even if this guy was stingy enough not to drop anything, at least the experience points would be substantial, right? Zhao Nan licked his lips, recalling a saying: “He who dares risk his life might even drag the emperor off his throne!”

Thanks to the existence of the safe zone, the elite monster could only glare at him helplessly, unable to actually attack. Zhao Nan was certain this creature had once been human; otherwise, it wouldn’t display such cunning, intelligent behavior.

Steeling himself, Zhao Nan darted several meters away. The instant his foot left the safety of the zone, he cast a Fireball.

No active attack skills could be used inside the safe zone; otherwise, players could simply stand there, unleashing spells until they leveled up at lightning speed.

-7!

The Fireball struck the elite walking zombie square in the chest, leaving a scorched mark. Zhao Nan quickly leapt back into the safe zone. As the zombie lumbered toward him, Zhao Nan sprang out again from several meters away and fired another Fireball.

-7! -6! -7! -8! -9! -6! ...

“How much health does this guy have?” Zhao Nan had already downed his second mana potion, yet the elite zombie’s health bar had only just dropped to half.

“Ding! Fireball proficiency maxed! Fireball upgraded to Level 2! Power increased by 5%!”

-8! -7! -9! -7! -7! ...

At last, with a blood-curdling scream, the elite walking zombie’s body suddenly exploded, showering Zhao Nan in spurts of blood.

“Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan for successfully killing an elite walking zombie! Experience gained: 500 points. Cross-level kill bonus: 20%!”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan for being the first to defeat an elite monster! Bonus experience: 200 points!”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan on reaching Level 4!”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan on reaching Level 5! Support Profession System unlocked! Please visit the nearest Novice City to access this feature!”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan for acquiring 2 gold coins and a blue Medusa Ring!”

“Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan for being the first to defeat an elite monster! Reputation reward: 100! Reputation system unlocked. Would you like to reveal your name to earn the admiration of all players?”

“No!” Zhao Nan declined without hesitation.

Wasn’t that just telling everyone he’d gotten loot from an elite monster—and might be holding on to something valuable?

With trembling hands, Zhao Nan fished out from the mangled flesh a ring glowing with a deep blue light, swallowing hard.

“A blue Medusa Ring (set piece): Attack +6, Constitution +1, Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1, Mana regeneration speed +1.”

“A top-tier item!” Zhao Nan was so excited he almost wanted to howl at the sky.

This Medusa Ring boosted all base attributes by 1, and even more, it was part of a set!

He quickly slipped the ring onto his finger. The effect was immediate—his body was suffused with a cool energy, making him feel utterly refreshed.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Suddenly, two sharp sounds split the air.

-150!

A vivid red number flashed before Zhao Nan’s eyes—the damage he’d just taken!

About twenty meters away, four players were sprinting toward him—two archers and two swordsmen!

In that instant, Zhao Nan’s reflexes kicked in. He dodged one arrow but was still struck by the other!

“Ding! Player Zhao Nan has been maliciously attacked and has entered a non-lethal retaliation state!”

“Hey kid, I saw you got something good! Hand it over and we’ll still be friends!”

Damn it! They were here to rob him! Sure enough, grinding elite monsters in public areas was dangerous. Zhao Nan had underestimated the current crop of players. Who would have thought that, on only the second day, some would already dare venture into a level two monster area?

But now wasn’t the time for regret. The game’s functions weren’t yet fully refined; players couldn’t check each other’s levels, only see one another’s health bars. Life points could only be guessed.

But these four couldn’t be above level three—level two was probably their limit.

As the two swordsmen closed in, Zhao Nan narrowed his eyes and quickly retreated into the safe zone. Inside it, players couldn’t launch active skill attacks.

“Haha, you think hiding in the safe zone saves you? Naive!” sneered one swordsman in his thirties. He and his companions followed Zhao Nan in, grinning contemptuously. “No one can use attack skills here. How do you plan to fight all four of us? Be smart and hand over the goods!”

Zhao Nan clutched his wound—the arrow had vanished, returned to the archer’s quiver. He glared coldly at the four, his face darkening. “I’ll give you one chance. Leave now.”

“Tsk, arrogant, aren’t you? Bet you don’t know that just two days ago, I was a Taekwondo instructor! The others are all my students—every one of them holds a rank!”

The other three entered the safe zone as well, boxing him in with looks of certainty.

“Hand it over!” snapped the instructor, his expression fierce enough to make a timid man tremble.

“And if I refuse?” Zhao Nan’s voice was icy.

“Oh, you refuse? Beat him to a pulp!” the instructor barked.

The other three lunged at Zhao Nan simultaneously, their movements sharp and powerful, clearly the result of long training.

Without hesitation, Zhao Nan crouched low, gripping his staff and swinging it at an archer’s leg.

The staff struck bone with a crack, making the man yelp in pain. Seizing the moment, Zhao Nan leapt forward, out of the safe zone.

The other two shouted and pursued, but as soon as their feet left the safe zone, a Fireball shot toward them.

Bang!

It exploded at the edge of the zone, blasting one swordsman’s calf to shreds. Zhao Nan smirked, crouched low, and sprang forward like a leopard, landing a powerful kick.

The remaining archer took the full blow in the chest, collapsing and gasping for breath.

The skirmish ended in less than ten seconds. The Taekwondo instructor eyed his three fallen students, his expression grim. “Impressive. You’ve had training too?”

Zhao Nan’s tactics had caught him off guard. His opponent wasn’t just agile in exploiting the zone’s restrictions; his reactions were top-notch. The instructor couldn’t help but be wary.

Zhao Nan shrugged, cracking his neck. “Sorry, I’m broke—couldn’t afford fancy lessons like yours.”

“Hmph! Look down on Taekwondo, do you? I’ll show you its true power!”

With that, the instructor launched a kick as swift and sharp as a blade. Zhao Nan’s eyes narrowed. This guy really did have skills.

Thud!

Crossing his arms in front of him, Zhao Nan blocked the kick, though the force made his arms ache. Impressive strength.

After that blow, the instructor shifted tactics quickly.

But Zhao Nan wasn’t about to go toe-to-toe in a contest of strength. Years of gaming had honed his combat instincts far beyond the average person’s. This wasn’t something you could pick up just by practicing at a martial arts gym.

It was the calm learned in the face of countless life-or-death moments—a keen, ruthless eye. Maybe the Taekwondo instructor was formidable, but to Zhao Nan, he was just a stronger, more agile foe.

As his opponent kicked again, Zhao Nan swiftly stepped back and grabbed the man’s ankle, yanking it forward.

The instructor lost his balance but kept his cool, using the motion to drive his knee at Zhao Nan’s chest.

“Foolish.”

Zhao Nan immediately ducked, jabbing his staff ruthlessly at a vulnerable spot.

A scream tore through the air. The Taekwondo instructor collapsed, drenched in cold sweat, both hands covering his groin, his face deathly pale. Two-thirds of his health bar vanished in an instant.

“Despicable!”

The other three, having taken healing potions, surged forward again—two attacking Zhao Nan, the third helping the instructor recover.

Such was the trouble of being a player now: unless it was a one-hit kill, healing potions meant opponents bounced back quickly.

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Nan leapt out of the safe zone once more, staff at the ready. This time, the two students hesitated, refusing to cross the boundary.

“Come out and fight like a man!” one of them shouted.

Zhao Nan ignored the taunt, firing a Fireball at the safe zone’s edge. The explosion left a small crater, sending both men scurrying back a few steps.

He sneered, “All this talk for what? Four of you, and you’re acting like cowards. Are your guts owned by dogs?”

“You… just come in here if you dare!”

Their faces turned green with anger. Suddenly, the instructor stood up, face twisted in hate. “Rush out with me—I’m going to kill this bastard!”

He drew an iron sword from his belt and sprang forward.

“Slash!”

A silver gleam swept from his iron sword, aimed at Zhao Nan. Zhao Nan, familiar with swordsman skills, easily dodged—the blade struck earth a meter ahead of him, scattering dirt.

But Zhao Nan’s Fireball, empowered by two attack-boosting rings, struck home, exploding against the instructor’s head.

Bang!

“Ding! Player Zhao Nan has killed player Zhang Gui. As you were acting in self-defense, no evil points incurred!”

The three students, seeing this, turned white with terror. “Run!”

“None of you are getting away!”

If you don’t pull up the roots, the weeds will grow again. Zhao Nan had learned that lesson the hard way before his rebirth.

But at that moment, a horde of walking zombies lunged at him from behind. Zhao Nan shouted, fired off a Fireball, and retreated swiftly to the safety of the zone, helpless to do more than watch as the three fled.

...

PS: Swear on my littlest finger, from Chapter 5 onward, all updates are written and posted in real time. Today’s goal: reach 30,000 words...

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