Into the Frenzied Forest

Lin Shenyue followed in Ye Jue’s footsteps, traversing the goat encampment until they arrived before a dense forest. The trees within were incredibly thick, and even a slight venture deeper rendered visibility poor. The forest floor lay in perpetual twilight, illuminated only by a few stray sunbeams piercing through the canopy.

“Be careful not to get lost,” Ye Jue cautioned.

A faint blush crept across Lin Shenyue’s face as she recalled her notorious sense of direction, replying with a touch of embarrassment, “Understood. Let’s get going.”

Ye Jue gazed at the overgrown forest before them. While it harbored numerous medicinal herbs, few players dared to venture inside for collection.

This reluctance stemmed from the environmental challenges and the unique attack patterns of its inhabitants. The forest’s inherent gloom made it difficult to locate quest objectives or anticipate monster attacks.

Unlike the passive creatures predominantly found in the beginner village, this forest teemed with aggressive, actively hunting beasts. However, to prevent the difficulty from becoming insurmountable, the monster density within the forest was significantly lower than in other terrains.

Ye Jue took a deep breath. “Be vigilant. These are Level 3 monsters, and getting hit by them could be dangerous. Stick to my path, or you might draw their aggro.”

Lin Shenyue acknowledged him, her gaze fixed intently on Ye Jue. She had once entertained the notion that this man might be her father’s illegitimate son, given his profound understanding of the game, far surpassing anyone else she knew.

Yet, she soon dismissed such an improbable idea. ‘Who exactly are you?’ Lin Shenyue mused, a slight frown creasing her brow. She understood that this displayed knowledge was merely a fraction of what Ye Jue possessed, a deliberate reveal. While he might not fully trust her yet, he certainly seemed to regard her as a friend.

“Stop spacing out. Let’s go.” Ye Jue took a few steps, then, noticing Lin Shenyue hadn’t followed, he prompted her.

Lin Shenyue hurried to catch up with Ye Jue. ‘Never mind,’ she decided. ‘If he doesn’t want to talk about it, I’ll just pretend not to know.’ She offered a faint smile and began observing her surroundings.

Animal growls occasionally echoed through the dim environment. Lin Shenyue watched Ye Jue navigate cautiously, twisting and turning through the undergrowth, yet never once straying into a monster’s attack range. Her doubts deepened.

Suddenly, she saw Ye Jue halt. “Prepare for battle,” he urged, his voice sharp. “There’s a monster.”

Lin Shenyue’s heart tightened as she gripped her staff.

From within the forest, a distinct ‘hissing’ sound, mingled with the rustle of flattened grass, rushed towards them.

Before Lin Shenyue could react, Ye Jue suddenly adopted a defensive stance. A sharp ‘ding’ rang out, and a “-15” damage indicator appeared above his head. The creature that had struck him revealed itself: a green snake.

Lin Shenyue immediately cast a healing spell on Ye Jue, then quickly checked the monster’s attributes.

[Frenzied Green Snake: Level 3; HP 200/200; Physical Attack 21-25. (Affected by unknown factors, this creature has become extremely aggressive and will actively attack nearby individuals.)]

‘Such high damage!’ Lin Shenyue felt a jolt of surprise. Level 1 monsters dealt less than 10 damage, yet this Level 3 creature boasted a formidable 25. If Peerless Karma Fire hadn’t blocked the attack, he would have lost nearly 20 HP—a quarter of his total health.

Ye Jue deftly sidestepped another of the green snake’s lunges, then retaliated with a swift strike, dealing “-5” damage.

‘Its defense isn’t high, but it’s incredibly fast,’ Lin Shenyue mused. She watched Ye Jue skillfully circle the green snake, attacking while simultaneously evading its strikes. Any attacks he couldn’t dodge were parried, significantly slowing his HP depletion.

‘He’s inexplicably powerful,’ she thought. ‘Is it natural talent, or something else entirely?’ Considering her own transmigration to this world, she reasoned that other unscientific occurrences weren’t out of the realm of possibility.

Every twenty seconds, Lin Shenyue cast a healing spell. The rest of the time, she dedicated herself to observing and learning from Ye Jue’s movements. Though he was a melee fighter and she a ranged caster, the principles of dodging attacks held universal application.

After a full five minutes, just as Lin Shenyue’s mana was nearing depletion, Ye Jue finally wore the green snake down and delivered the killing blow.

“Whew… it’s finally dead,” Ye Jue exhaled, a long sigh escaping him. ‘Killing monsters above your level without any skills in the early game is truly a challenge,’ he thought. ‘But the experience points are well worth it—a solid 40!’

Ye Jue glanced at Lin Shenyue, who was watching him with undisguised curiosity. He instinctively rubbed his nose, feeling a pang of awkwardness. He had revealed a bit too much this time, but thankfully, Yue’er wasn’t one to pry.

Noticing Ye Jue’s discomfort, Lin Shenyue chose not to press further. Instead, she changed the subject. “Let’s keep going.”

Ye Jue nodded, then lowered his head to inspect the dropped items, a slight surprise crossing his face. “Equipment dropped,” he announced. He collected the three copper coins and then shared the new gear with Lin Shenyue.

[Serpent Hide Tunic (Leather Armor): Required Level: 3. Physical Defense +2-3, Health +30.]

“What does ‘Leather Armor’ mean?” Lin Shenyue inquired.

Ye Jue patiently explained, “Equipment is categorized into Cloth, Leather, and Plate armor. Cloth armor offers lower defense but provides bonuses to magical skills. Leather armor has moderate defense and allows for greater agility. Plate armor boasts high defense but impedes movement speed.”

“The game dictates that Summoners, Priests, and Mages wear Cloth; Archers and Assassins wear Leather; and Warriors wear Plate. This system indirectly reduces the drop rate of usable equipment for specific classes.”

Lin Shenyue tilted her head, considering his words. “So, neither of us can use this equipment?”

Ye Jue’s heart skipped a beat at Lin Shenyue’s inadvertently cute expression. He quickly dismissed his impractical thoughts and replied, “That’s right. But let’s hold onto it for now; equipment drop rates in Divine Realm are notoriously low.”

Lin Shenyue nodded. Just as she was about to move, an angry curse pierced the air: “What the f— are these damn monsters in this forest actively aggressive?” Ye Jue froze slightly, the voice sounding vaguely familiar.

Lin Shenyue observed Ye Jue’s hesitation. “Let’s go take a look,” she said resignedly. “Though my mana is running low.”

Ye Jue offered a grateful nod. Without Lin Shenyue, he truly wasn’t confident he could survive another monster encounter.

As they drew closer, they spotted a tall man frantically dodging a small snake’s attacks. Though his health bar wasn’t visible, it was evident he had little HP remaining. Even Ye Jue wouldn’t last long against such an onslaught.

While Lin Shenyue was still debating whether to intervene, Ye Jue declared, “Let’s save him. I’m going in.”

Lin Shenyue shook her head in exasperation, watching Ye Jue charge forward. She immediately cast a healing spell on the struggling man.

Divine Wind was consumed by despair. He couldn’t believe his first death in the game would occur here. He must have been out of his mind to come to this place for torment after diligently farming ten sheep.

Crucially, he hadn’t anticipated the forest’s monsters were actively aggressive. He’d been attacked shortly after entering, losing over a third of his health instantly. Suddenly, a “+10” appeared above his head, momentarily startling him.

Before he could fully process it, the small snake struck again, instantly dropping him to a perilous 5 HP. He was on the verge of death.

“What are you staring at? Move!” Ye Jue shouted, then swiftly attacked the small snake. However, since Divine Wind had already landed several blows, reducing the snake’s HP by over 20, Ye Jue’s attack wasn’t enough to seize aggro.

Divine Wind snapped back to reality, hastily activating his Archer’s first skill: [Rolling Shot (Archer rolls a short distance in a specified direction, increasing the damage of their next attack by 20%).] Watching Divine Wind narrowly evade the snake’s next strike, Lin Shenyue couldn’t help but feel a surge of apprehension for him.

Rather than counter-attacking, Divine Wind swiftly retreated behind Ye Jue. His decision was astute. With the small snake’s aggro still on him and his health critically low, his immediate priority was to shed the highest threat.

Finally, after Divine Wind endured another attack, Ye Jue managed to snatch the aggro. Thanks to Lin Shenyue’s timely healing, Divine Wind had been spared from death.

However, Ye Jue’s situation grew precarious. With Lin Shenyue out of mana, she could offer little further assistance. Lin Shenyue sent a party invitation to Divine Wind, who, upon joining, immediately noticed her depleted mana bar.

There was no time for him to overthink. “Control aggro!” he shouted to Ye Jue.

Ye Jue instantly grasped Divine Wind’s intent and ceased his attacks on the small snake.

Divine Wind immediately shot an arrow at the small snake, dealing “-4” damage and successfully drawing its aggro once more. The snake abandoned its assault on Ye Jue and lunged towards Divine Wind instead.

After Divine Wind dodged another strike from the small snake, the aggro shifted back to Ye Jue. This cycle repeated for two grueling minutes until the snake was finally worn down and slain by the pair.

“Thanks a lot, guys!” Divine Wind exclaimed boisterously. “I’m Divine Wind. If it weren’t for you two, I probably would’ve died here. While dying as a newbie isn’t a huge deal, getting back from the village is still a massive waste of time.”

Ye Jue offered Divine Wind a slight smile. “No problem, just lending a hand. I’m Peerless Karma Fire, and this is Yue’er.” Divine Wind, in Ye Jue’s past life, had been one of the most renowned archers. His specialized Marksman class consistently delivered exceptionally high damage, ranking him second among all archers.

Indeed, if not for the top-ranked archer being a member of Heaven guild, whose gear and skills vastly outstripped a solo player like Divine Wind, the top spot would undoubtedly have been his. Ye Jue’s primary interaction with Divine Wind had occurred during a Heaven guild clear-out, when both coincidentally found themselves in the same area.

Divine Wind, completely unconcerned by Heaven’s guild-wide sweep, directly engaged their forces. Due to his own guild’s circumstances, Ye Jue had covertly intervened, saving Divine Wind once, which forged their friendship. Divine Wind, in turn, had frequently aided Ye Jue when he was being hunted by Heaven.

Divine Wind glanced at Lin Shenyue, then whispered conspiratorially, “Bro, is this your girlfriend?”

“We just met,” Ye Jue replied awkwardly.

Divine Wind clapped Ye Jue on the shoulder. “You better make a move on a hot girl like her quickly, or you’ll regret it when someone else snatches her up.”

Ye Jue stared speechlessly at the overly familiar Divine Wind, then quickly changed the subject. “She and I are heading deeper into the forest. What about you?”

Divine Wind shook his head. “No way am I going back into this cursed place. You two go on.” He then gave Ye Jue a knowing, suggestive look.

Lin Shenyue frowned, looking between the two men. She had a strong feeling they weren’t discussing anything wholesome. “What are you two whispering about?” she demanded.

Ye Jue jumped slightly. “Nothing! We’re just adding each other as friends.”

Lin Shenyue pursed her lips, saying nothing further.

After accepting Ye Jue’s friend request, Divine Wind offered an ambiguous smile and then departed from the party.

Lin Shenyue watched Divine Wind leave, feeling that his gaze just before he departed had been peculiar. Ye Jue finished collecting the copper coins and approached. No equipment had dropped this time. He looked at the exceptionally beautiful girl before him, his expression momentarily dazed, then said, “Let’s go.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, and together, she and Ye Jue ventured deeper into the forest.