As Bai Xia departed the village chief’s house, her eyes were practically crescent moons.
Fortunately, she managed to maintain her usual calm demeanor, for any further upward tilt of her lips would have verged on the truly comical.
Her joy was, of course, entirely natural; after all, it was a ‘white wolf with empty hands’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to getting something for nothing) kind of deal.
What could be more exhilarating than receiving a substantial reward without lifting a finger?
While games, unlike reality, didn’t allow one to simply grab items and abscond, they were already engaged in a quest.
Thus, an advance on their reward coupled with a hidden quest amounted to nothing less than double the delight!
The greatest contributor throughout this entire process was undoubtedly Tian Zheng, for without him, such a lucrative quest would have been utterly unattainable.
This realization prompted Bai Xia to silently vow that she would cling tightly to this ‘great god’ (TL Note: A term of respect or admiration for a highly skilled player) – even if it meant enduring scolding or blows, she would never, ever let go.
‘Integrity could be forsaken, but clinging to that thigh was non-negotiable!’
She remained blissfully unaware, however, that not every ‘thigh’ could be indiscriminately clung to, for such an act often exacted a significant ‘price’ in the future.
Of course, it was far too soon to dwell on such matters; for the moment, Bai Xia was perfectly content in her diligent ‘thigh-hugging.’
After all, an ideal ‘great god’—someone so formidable, generous, and amiable, capable of conjuring up endless opportunities and benefits—was surely a rare gem in this world, nigh impossible to find in numbers.
Having encountered such a person, it would be utterly foolish to let the opportunity slip away.
She absolutely had to cultivate their relationship, evolving it into a true friendship—no, into a profound, unbreakable bond of sworn companionship!
Tian Zheng, utterly oblivious to the subtle machinations brewing in his companion’s mind, merely felt a sudden chill, as if an inexplicable ‘malevolence’ had fixed its gaze upon him.
Unperturbed, he dismissed the feeling.
Having collected the essential map and information from the village chief, he had no intention of immediately leading Bai Xia to the back mountain.
Hidden quests typically presented a significant challenge, necessitating thorough preparation before their departure.
Consequently, they first visited the potion merchant, purchasing a stock of healing and recovery elixirs, and even procured some torch oil as a precaution.
Following this, they pooled their funds to acquire a few pieces of basic, equipable ‘white-grade’ armor from the gear shop.
The shopping spree left Bai Xia feeling a pang of regret over their expenditures, yet she understood that substantial upfront investment was often an indispensable prerequisite for reaping greater rewards.
Only after ensuring their equipment and provisions were fully replenished did the pair set off towards the back mountain.
****
The newbie village’s back mountain also served as a popular leveling ground, teeming with monsters ranging from levels five to ten.
However, owing to the intricate topography of the mountainous forest and the relatively sparse monster population, it saw considerably fewer players than the forest area on the opposite side.
Bai Xia and Tian Zheng navigated by the village chief’s hand-drawn route map.
As the designated coordinates were quite secluded, they soon found themselves entirely alone, with no other players in sight.
Arriving at the cave’s location, they found the surroundings to be truly desolate.
The exposed entrance itself was rather small, barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through, and it was heavily shrouded by dense, overgrown foliage.
It truly was a testament to the village chief’s keen eye that he had managed to pinpoint this spot.
Inside, however, the cave’s expanse was far grander than its unassuming exterior suggested.
True to the village chief’s word, blue crystals shimmered throughout, scattered generously across every surface!
The luminous mineral deposits, casting a soft glow throughout the entire cavern, nearly made Bai Xia drool with avarice.
Ultimately, she had to drag Tian Zheng to the cave entrance, where she stubbornly mined nearly a hundred pieces before reluctantly ceasing her efforts.
Fortunately, the game’s inventory in ‘Another World’ wasn’t a literal backpack; despite its initial thirty slots, identical materials could be stacked infinitely.
Without this feature, accommodating such a vast quantity of ore would have been utterly impossible.
After a period of mining blue crystals, neither of them showed any inclination to venture deeper.
They simply surveyed the outer reaches before withdrawing.
After all, the confined environment of a cave severely limited their range of movement.
While common goblins were merely designated as level 5 minor foes in official records, an overwhelming surge in their numbers, coupled with the restrictive terrain, would swiftly render their situation exceedingly perilous.
To err on the side of caution, Tian Zheng resolved to postpone their deeper exploration until Bai Xia reached level 5 and could equip the Shadow Blade.
By then, she would have access to additional skills, thereby affording their small two-person team greater security.
Bai Xia, naturally, offered no objections.
When it came to grinding and leveling, she proved remarkably compliant, following Tian Zheng’s every word—if he commanded east, she would never venture west.
Her actions eloquently illustrated the art of a novice clinging steadfastly to the ‘thigh’ of a formidable player.
Furthermore, Tian Zheng’s reasoning was sound; given the nature of a special quest, a cautious approach was undeniably prudent.
Consequently, they spent the ensuing hours leveling in the cave’s vicinity.
Tian Zheng, ever considerate, would even pause just before delivering a killing blow, allowing Bai Xia to land the final strike and claim the invaluable bonus experience as the designated slayer!
Thus, despite encountering only level 5 and 6 wild tigers and deer around the cave, Bai Xia’s progression remained remarkably swift; she successfully reached level 5 well before midday.
Concurrently with her attribute boosts and the ability to wield the Shadow Blade, she also acquired two brand-new skills.
Dark Harvest and Shadow Stealth!
Dark Harvest, a flash-step ability, allowed her to instantly phase into a shadow and materialize behind an enemy once within a certain range, empowering her basic attacks to inflict substantial damage.
Shadow Stealth, true to its name, functioned as a crucial survival skill.
Upon activation, she would transform into a shadow, submerging into the ground.
During this phase, her movement speed surged, and she gained immunity to physical damage.
Although her low level restricted its duration to a mere three seconds, when synergized with Dark Harvest, it was undeniably a divine skill for both evasion and opportunistic strikes!
With the Shadow Dagger now equipped, Bai Xia finally shed her designation as a mere ‘thigh-hugging’ novice, evolving into a newbie who could, at last, hold her own in combat.
The two then logged off to eat an early lunch, and after swiftly reconnecting and making minor adjustments outside, they once again ventured into the cave the village chief had marked.
****
Following the village chief’s clue, the accessory he had lost in the cave was likely pilfered by a passing goblin.
Their task was simply to slay the creature, and the quest item—the accessory—was guaranteed to drop.
This premise was undeniably a bit of a trick, for if the quest item failed to drop promptly, it implied they would likely be forced to systematically eliminate every single monster within the cavern.
Yet, this presented no significant challenge for Bai Xia and Tian Zheng, as they had already anticipated such a scenario.
Even if they acquired the quest item early, it wouldn’t deter them from their original plan.
‘However…’
“Goblins, indeed, are quite the renowned monsters.”
Goblins, these ubiquitous fantasy creatures, are perennial fixtures in novels, anime, and games alike.
Though inherently lacking in both intellect and formidable combat prowess, they typically compensate by appearing in overwhelming numbers.
The same held true in ‘Another World’; common goblins were merely level 5 minor adversaries, possessing meager individual combat strength.
However, players often found themselves confronting group assaults from a dozen or more goblins at once, further complicated by ambushes from goblin archers.
Moreover, their preference for inhabiting intricate, gloomy underground caves meant that falling into an encirclement often proved far more perilous than confronting even some formidable bosses.
Yet, this wasn’t what truly preoccupied Bai Xia.
She was merely pondering… whether they might soon encounter the legendary Goblin Slayer, known for dispatching only goblins.
‘Right, that was utterly impossible, no matter how she looked at it.’
Furthermore, the goblins of this game world weren’t quite so savage or… ‘blessed’ (TL Note: A humorous euphemism, alluding to certain notorious portrayals of goblins in fantasy media).
They were simply a common race of green-skinned, diminutive creatures, and she urged against slandering their reputation.