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Chapter 19: Adding Friends
After accepting the mission, Wu Shaochen glanced at his stats and then allocated the 15 free attribute points from the next three levels entirely to agility. To defeat an opponent, you first need to have speed that exceeds theirs; otherwise, it’s pointless. Fighting monsters relies on dodging, so speed is essential.
After allocating 15 points to agility, his agility reached 60, and his movement speed was now 67.
Wu Shaochen thought for a moment. With a speed of 67, and the Silver Wolf King’s speed only being 40, even after a 50% boost, it would reach just 60. But the fifth skill has a range of 10 meters, making it impossible to dodge. The skill directly ignores 130% of defense and would take away 715 of my health in an instant. I’d be left with very little health, and that’s fine—just as long as I don’t die. The real danger is if I get hit by a normal attack after delivering the finishing blow. If the Silver Wolf King follows up with its Howl of the Wild, I’ll be done for, unable to escape. The fifth skill combined with a normal attack would make things complicated. If this issue isn’t solved, I can forget about defeating it.
Sigh, there’s nowhere to improve my strength, and I can’t leave the newbie village either. This is frustrating.
Wu Shaochen frowned, then glanced at the elderly man standing nearby, looking just as troubled as he was. On impulse, he asked, “Village Chief, what should I do if the Silver Wolf King is too strong for me to defeat?”
To his surprise, the Village Chief seriously pondered for a moment and said, “Hmm, with the current strength of adventurers, it would indeed be too difficult for you to defeat the Silver Wolf King. How about this—take this letter to the Apothecary and ask the shop owner to bring out some of his best medicinal items for you. Pick what you need. These will help improve your chances of survival. As for whether you can kill the Silver Wolf King, that still depends on you.” The Village Chief handed Wu Shaochen a letter.
Taking the letter from the Village Chief, Wu Shaochen blinked. This approach was unexpected, but it seemed promising. He hurried off to the Apothecary.
At the Apothecary, he handed the letter to the owner and said, “Good day, sir. The Village Chief sent me to buy some life-saving potions. Could you help me out?”
The Apothecary owner took the letter, glanced at it, and sighed. “That old man still remembers me and my stock.”
With a shrug, he went into the back room. After a while, he came out with a box, opened it, and displayed it in front of Wu Shaochen. “Hurry up and pick. But I must warn you—these are not cheap. If you don’t have the money, even with the Village Chief’s letter, it won’t help.”
Wu Shaochen quickly scanned the potions displayed, their effects and prices showing clearly before his eyes:
Looking at the potions before him, Wu Shaochen was astonished. These potions were not available in the newbie village’s regular shop. Normally, the only potions available there were red potions (small, medium, and large) and blue potions (small, medium, and large), all of which simply provided ongoing health regeneration.
However, upon seeing the prices, Wu Shaochen’s mouth twitched. If he hadn’t defeated the Wild Boar King, these potions would have been out of his reach. “These are ridiculously expensive!”
But no matter how expensive, Wu Shaochen knew these potions were essential for defeating the Silver Wolf King. Without them, he wouldn’t be able to leave the newbie village. If he waited for other players to catch up and form a group, he’d lose his advantage.
After a deep breath, Wu Shaochen gritted his teeth and spent 5 gold coins to buy 50 bottles of Instant Recovery Potions, then spent another 5 gold coins to buy 10 bottles of Life Potions. He realized that even in the main city, he might not find these potions, so he decided to stock up while he had the chance. Watching his 10 gold coins disappear, Wu Shaochen’s heart ached. To put it into perspective, many wealthy players were buying copper coins for 1 silver each, and even then, there was a shortage. That 10 gold coins was equivalent to 100,000 RMB!
After buying the potions, Wu Shaochen felt more confident. The Life Potions wouldn’t be useful for fighting the Silver Wolf King since they wouldn’t save him from a normal attack or the Howl of the Wild, but the Instant Recovery Potions were a lifesaver. They could instantly restore full health, so if he took a hit and the Silver Wolf King was about to use its special skill, he could drink one and be good to go.
Just as he was about to head toward the Silver Wolf Valley, he saw the masked woman approaching him again.
Wu Shaochen’s mouth twitched. “Why do I keep running into her?”
“Fancy meeting you again,” Su Muxue said with a slight smile.
“You’re deliberately following me, aren’t you?” Wu Shaochen asked suspiciously.
Su Muxue didn’t respond to his question. She wasn’t here by chance. It was likely that someone below her had spotted him and alerted her.
“You must be Chén Fēng, right?” Su Muxue suddenly asked.
“How did you figure out I’m Chén Fēng?” Wu Shaochen asked, genuinely curious. He didn’t understand how he had revealed his identity. He knew she’d been suspicious for a while, but he couldn’t figure out where the clue lay.
Su Muxue didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “When I first saw you, you had just come out of the Wild Boar Forest. At that time, everyone’s level was still around 1 or 2, but you were already at least level 4. I could tell that your speed was at least 25, something that most people wouldn’t notice, but I have a keen sense for these things. The last time I saw you, I tried to add you as a friend, but the system wouldn’t allow it, just like with Chén Fēng. All these coincidences made me suspicious.”
“Oh, I see,” Wu Shaochen muttered, a little speechless. He had forgotten about the speed issue. At that time, he’d been in a hurry to gain an advantage, so he had naturally increased his speed, but most people wouldn’t notice. He didn’t expect her to be so perceptive.
“So, you really are Chén Fēng?” Su Muxue’s eyes widened. She had suspected it, but now that she was sure, she felt a mix of excitement and surprise.
“You can say that,” Wu Shaochen replied helplessly.
“Well… can we be friends?” Su Muxue asked cautiously.
Wu Shaochen looked at her and smiled. “Sure, but only if you let me see your face. If you’re pretty enough, I’ll add you.”
“Fine!” Su Muxue nodded. She had been wearing the mask to avoid trouble, but now she took it off.
As soon as she removed the mask, a beautiful face appeared before Wu Shaochen’s eyes. He was immediately impressed. The game’s system mirrored real-life appearances, and there were no beauty filters or makeup—this was her natural face. Wu Shaochen would rate her at least a 9 out of 10.
After she removed the mask, Su Muxue asked again, “Is that enough?”
Wu Shaochen nodded. “Alright, I’ll add you. You’re being honest, so I’ll stop hesitating.” He sent a friend request, as he had set it to only allow him to add others.
“Ding! Player Chén Fēng has sent you a friend request. Do you accept?” The system notification came through. Su Muxue smiled to herself. “So it’s really him.” She quickly accepted, and his name appeared in her friends list: Chén Fēng LV10.