Chapter 23: first monster kill

LUO YAN hid in the bush and stared at the group of monsters not far away from his position.  Well, actually, instead of saying monsters, they looked more like cute pets?  They were small, probably only a foot high.  Their shape was similar to that of an acorn, even the color was similar.  They had a pair of big black round eyes and two green twigs on top of their head.

He sighed.  Why did it feel like attacking this group of monsters would make him look like he's simply bullying the weak?  But what could he do?  These cute big acorns were the only monsters he could see near the village.

The Origin Village was at the center of Crescent Woodlands.  From the map he got from the Elder, the forest was named like that because it was shaped like a crescent moon.  Very apt for their race.  If he wanted to go to the Northern part of the forest where the Blights were, this was the only road available.  And apparently, in this road, the first batch of monsters available to him were these acorns.  So, according to his plan of levelling up first before going to the Northern area, he could only use these acorns first as a source of EXP.

Luo Yan wanted to at least reach level 5 before he continued travelling away from the village.  If he just went to the Northern area without any kind of plan, his game avatar would surely die before he could even reach the place.  So he planned to strengthen himself first.

Since a player could leave the Origin Village at level 10, the monsters in this forest would surely not exceed that level.  Monsters found near the village would probably be only at level 1 or 2.  Then they would only get stronger and stronger as one went deeper inside the forest.  That's why he wanted to start at level 5 before he really did the task given by the Elder.  So his overall journey to the Northern area would be much smoother.  This group of monsters in front of him was still enough for level grinding.

They might look cute.  But Luo Yan knew once he approached a certain distance, they would definitely attack him.  So he shouldn't really feel guilty by killing one or two.  No, he probably would have to kill no more than a hundred in order to reach the level he wanted.

From the place he was hiding, Luo Yan saw a big acorn seemingly planning to walk towards his direction.  He took the long knife from his Items Tab.  Once the acorn was near, he shouldn't miss the opportunity to attack.  Suddenly, excitement filled his being.  He wanted to know if he could conquer this virtual reality.  If he could sit on the top of Arcadia as he once did.

With that in mind, he didn't hesitate to jump to the incoming acorn.  His long knife landed on the body of the acorn.  Then the acorn's eyes immediately turned red.  The two green twigs on top of his head grew and attacked Luo Yan like a whip.  He quickly dodged.  Then he accelerated his pace and slashed the body of the acorn.

He continued to attack and dodge.  His pure white hair swaying beautifully with his every movement.  With every successful attack, his blue eyes speckled in gold shined brighter and brighter.  In the middle of the forest, holding a long knife in his hand, with movements as captivating as a blooming flower, he almost looked like a magnificent painting.   

When the acorn slowly disintegrated, a triumphant smile appeared on Luo Yan's pretty face.  He almost couldn't believe what just happened.  His movements were so smooth.  It was as if this avatar was his real body.  All the actions that passed through his brain were perfectly transmitted.  It was truly exhilarating. 

Then a notification suddenly appeared in front of him and the chibi version of the Gamekeeper followed after.

[Congratulations for defeating your first monster!  With this, your Monster Index is now activated.  You can see it on the Game Tab of your Status Window.  From now on, the information of every monster you defeat will be recorded in your Monster Index.  Also, with the activation of the Monster Index, you can now capture a monster and make them your pet.]

[Pets are very convenient.  They can help you grow, support you in your every fight, and be you friend.  But just a simple reminder; you can only register one pet for the rest of your journey here in Arcadia.  So be very careful in picking the right one that would fit you perfectly.  Good luck dear player!]   

Luo Yan raised his brow.  He didn't read something like this from the manual.  Was this perhaps another additional feature from the new update?  He opened his Game Tab and clicked the Monster Index.  A book suddenly appeared in front of him.  On the very first page was the picture of the acorn and the information about it was listed on its side.

Mandragora Seed

- A plant monster usually found in the forest.  They were often peaceful but would easily turn agressive when you encroached on their territory.

Level: 1

Type: Common

He read through  the information and then closed the book.  It automaticaly disappeared.  Luo Yan guessed that the use of this Monster Index was to help a player picked the right monster to be their pet.  He must admit, he was quite interested in this pet system they introduced in the game.  He wanted a special pet.  Something that could match his identity as a moon elf.

But before thinking of that, he must continue to level up first.  And thus, he continued killing the cute Mandragora Seeds.