Chapter 11：Encounter In The Wild

'Although warlocks are slightly weaker in physique, I should have no problem in killing two skeleton soldiers who are one level lower than me and only left with 3% of health.' After considering for a moment, Xiao Ling brandished his staff and charged toward one of the skeleton soldiers.

The skeleton soldiers counterattacked with their broken swords, causing his health to drop rapidly. 'It is really unwise for a spellcaster to fight a melee. I better avoid doing it again.'

After killing the two skeleton soldiers with only 3% of health, Xiao Ling's health was down to 10%. However, his body burst into a bright light at that moment; he had gained another level, and his state was fully restored.

Six skeleton soldiers dropped twelve silver coins for him. In addition to that, there was a glowing item on the ground. He picked it up and found that it was a pair of unidentified gauntlets, which was a basic item and could not be sold for a good price. Nevertheless, he casually tossed it into his backpack.

By the time dusk crept in, Xiao Ling had reached level 5. Such speed was quite fast, considering the fact that average players could only reach level 3 on the first day while experts could reach level 4.

As the world grew dark, moving around in the wilderness became extremely dangerous. At night, players' visions were limited, but monsters could sense players' life force. Hence, it was very difficult for players to guard again their sneak attacks.

Xiao Ling did not want to risk his own safety for the sake of leveling up, so he found an inn and spent his night there.

The next day, Xiao Ling had already woken up when the morning sun had not yet risen and the sky was just beginning to brighten. After restocking his bread and spring water, he started for the Zombieland, which was not far away from the Skeleton Forest. The area had refreshed with some zombies, whose level was around 5. They were slower than skeleton soldiers, but their health and experience were higher.

Zombieland was further away from the small town of Vejin, and it required a long walk to arrive there. The area was very close to the border of Brakada, across which was the hell kingdom of Krurod. So, some players of the Evil Alliance often visited the place as well.

There was a lot of bad blood between the two major alliances. Whenever players from the Angelic Alliance and the Evil Alliance met, there would inevitably be some fights. Therefore, Zombieland was extremely unsafe, but Xiao Ling really could not think of a better place to grind. There were just too few low-level grinding areas in Brakada. Of course, he could choose to go to the human kingdom of Erathia, but warlocks were not welcome there, and NPCs of Erathia were reluctant to give missions to warlocks.

Alternatively, he could choose to go to Bairds, the kingdom of swamp people. But, the monsters there were so mixed that often one or two monsters of level 20 or 30 would appear among monsters of level 5 or 6. If he came across them, he would definitely die. So, Bairds was not an option for him as of now.

Xiao Ling had identified the three pieces of equipment he picked up yesterday. They were not of his class, and their attributes were poor. Hence, he sold them in the shop and got himself 50 silver coins. He had also purchased some Identification scrolls from the Appraiser so that he could use them out there. An identification scroll for Uncommon items cost 50 silver coins, for Rare items cost 2 gold coins, and for Epic items cost 10 gold coins. He purchased a few of each type.

On his way, he came across an old alchemy warlock. The elder required 50 zombie skulls, and the reward was ten gold coins and a piece of Uncommon warlock equipment. The duration of the mission was three days, so Xiao Ling accepted the mission without hesitation. The attributes of the Uncommon equipment were pretty decent, and he should be able to use it when he reached level 15.

As he walked, he glanced at the Sea of Death west of Brakada. Waves were roaring across the great sea. It was said that there was a sea race dwelling in the water here, and their fighters were all beautiful mermaids. However, it was just a legend, as no one had ever seen them.

After passing the shoreline of the Sea of Death and walking around the foot of Kilo Mountains, Xiao Ling saw a burned land in the distance, with zombies wandering aimlessly across the blackened earth.

Soon, he began to clean up the monsters on the edge of Zombieland. With so many skills, killing even these zombies was very easy for him.

Zombies had high health, high attack damage, and were strong against physical attacks. However, they were slow and provided a good amount of experience. Apart from their high health points, which caused Xiao Ling to spend longer time to kill them, they were simply created specifically for warlocks.

Shadow Bolt!

As another zombie fell to the ground, Xiao Ling reached level 6. In just a very short time, he had already collected two zombie skulls. He sat cross-legged down on the ground and drank some spring water to recover his mana.

The surroundings were calm, and a gentle breeze blew away all the rancid smell of the Zombieland, making Xiao Ling feel refreshed.

'It seems that there is an unusual atmosphere lingering in the air...I have a feeling of being watched.' His heart skipped a beat, but he found nothing upon glancing around. The zombie closest to him was some fifty yards away.

He had a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen. Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xiao Ling's mind.

A rogue's Stealth!

Xiao Ling suddenly remembered that Stealth was one of the rogues' skills. Rogues were known as the king of the wild and the bane of all spellcasters. If any spellcaster was approached by a rogue in stealth mode, the only ending was death. Several of rogue's skills with stun effect were very powerful against spellcasters. If the rogue's skills were good enough, he could stun a spellcaster to death.

Force Blast!

Boom! A blast of force exploded from Xiao Ling's body. As a result, a rogue in a white leather armor revealed himself because of the attack somewhere about one meter behind him.

'That was a close call!'

The player was a rogue of the hell race. The hell race had higher magic resistance than other races and a strong attack damage, which made them very suitable for the rogue class. Xiao Ling did not expect to meet someone from the Evil Alliance so soon.

The player's name was Hunter, and he was a level-7 rogue. Perhaps it was because he had just joined the game, his level was very low. And yet, his equipment was very good, all being of Rare quality. It seemed like he was supported by some powerful people.

Corruption!

Searing Pain!

Xiao Ling jumped backward as he cast two spells in a row. The rogue drank a bottle of potion to dispel the Corruption before charging at Xiao Ling.

Repellent Ring!

The ring knocked the rogue far away.

The player could not help but curse under his breath. 'How can this warlock have the skills of three different specializations? It seems I've found myself a tough opponent.'

With a dagger in hand, the rogue looked for an opportunity to strike. The weapon in his hand gleamed with a green glow, clearly showing that it was poisonous.

The encounter of players from both alliances in the wild usually ended with either side being killed, so Xiao Ling did not hesitate to cast another Shadow Bolt.