Time was limited, and Xia Ya couldn't go any further.
Of course, the situation didn't really allow for it either.
Sacred matters always needed to be placed in the right context, and now wasn't the time.
A person's threshold always keeps rising. Xia Ya had reincarnated 177 times, and what he lacked least was patience and time.
As the time approached, Xia Ya smiled gently and picked up little Tifa.
"I'll entrust her to Auntie Susan. You get ready, and we'll meet at the west entrance of the village."
With that, he walked out the door.
Sennia wanted to remind him to be careful, but she noticed that Xia Ya's way of holding the baby was much more professional than hers, leaving her puzzled.
—What exactly had he been doing all these years?
...
3 PM, west entrance of the Starter Village.
Besides the five who had applied for the mission, four more had arrived, probably having leveled up during lunch and acquired weapons, now waiting as well.
"Does anyone know that big shot from this morning? I posted about it on the forum, and no one believes it's real."
"Yeah, with so many Starter Villages, it seems only ours had something like this happen. Others haven't even seen monsters above level 4, let alone team missions."
"Also, did you hear? In the South Sea area's Starter Village, a group of fools tried to assault the Village Chief's daughter, but they got struck by lightning from the sky before even touching her, turning to ashes. It shocked my mom! Then they were forcibly logged out, had their iris verification locked, and were banned from logging in for a whole year. I heard people from the juvenile psychological correction center even tracked them down through their IP..."
"Is it that terrifying?"
"Of course, the internet isn't a lawless place. It's one thing for single-player adult games, but doing that in an online game is insane! What if they try to assault female players in the future? Sometimes you can't understand what these idiots grew up on. If this game gets banned, it won't be good."
"Relax, this is an all-ages game." Brandy nudged Air Conditioning with his elbow, hinting madly.
"Stop arguing, Xia Ya is here."
"
Where? Oh, I see him, the big shot!
"
"Good afternoon, big shot!"
"Good afternoon, big shot... Who the
[beep]
is that behind him?!"
Following Xia Ya was Sennia, clad in light armor.
If it were a realistic Western fantasy, she'd probably be wrapped tightly in full armor, but this game was clearly Japanese fantasy. The women's armor accentuated their voluptuous and full figures. As she walked gracefully, she instantly became the center of attention.
When Sennia pulled out a broad sword the size of a door, the looks in their eyes turned to shock and disbelief.
"She has 25 strength points."
Xia Ya smiled innocently, "I advise you to be kind. The Jojo trio can testify."
Among the gentlemen's gazes, the Jojo trio appeared particularly upright, their eyes straight ahead, hearts as calm as still water.
Their gazes met in the air, and in a blink, they completed their exchange.
"Big shot, is this NPC here to help us grind monsters?" someone came over to ask.
"You could say that."
Xia Ya smiled and gave Sennia a meaningful look.
"She's our healer and full-time nanny, except she has almost no healing power."
The female swordsman gave him a subtle glare.
"Oh... As expected of the big shot, easily achieving what we can't even dream of. First Sanya, now Miss Sennia..."
Instant Chill clicked his tongue in amazement.
A few more people submitted their requests to join the team, and then they set off.
...
Half an hour later, the eleven of them reached the outskirts of the Corrupted Forest.
Here were level 7 Corrupted Boars and level 5 Corrupted Ravens.
In
Illusory Realm
, level 4 was a watershed. Monsters below this level, like rabbits, sheep, and chickens, were beginner-level slimes. Above level 4, they began to understand basic instincts to seek advantage and avoid harm, and acted in groups, though they had less intelligence.
For instance, Corrupted Boars would lose their minds when they smelled a large number of humans, rushing in like mad. Newcomers were often caught off guard by their fierce momentum, but in reality, they weren't much different from regular boars. 5 strength and agility points plus a weapon were enough to handle them.
Xia Ya's personal limit was counter-killing 4 out of 6 Corrupted Boars when he was a Swordsman Lv1, before collapsing from exhaustion.
—Of course, this was with someone accompanying him.
That person wasn't Sennia. A strong woman would scare off boars; it was a Dark Elf, capable of hiding her presence, soft and boneless.
Ahem, back to the point.
Ordinary Corrupted Boars would be scared off by Sennia, but not those on the outskirts of the Corrupted Forest. They were controlled by some will, patrolling the outskirts in small teams, coordinating with each other, their movements more precise than an army's.
"This is the place."
Xia Ya stopped under a tree that split into two branches and pointed at a woman holding a short dagger.
"You, come over here."
"
Me?
"
The dagger-wielding player ran over excitedly.
She was a short-haired girl, flat-chested, with agile movements, surprisingly the strongest-looking among the players.
"Big shot, what's up?"
"How about being cannon fodder?"
"
Huh?
" She was stunned.
"Being cannon fodder is part of a player's duty. Everyone dies eventually, and being gored by a boar is a hero's death." Xia Ya shrugged, "Besides, you're the only one who's changed to a Rogue, with a 15% speed boost."
"
Huh?
How do you know I changed to a Rogue?" She looked back at the others; there were clearly three people holding short daggers.
"Their weapons are bought, yours was given, along with a grappling hook. Take out the grappling hook, and you might not have to die later."
The female Rogue looked down at her dagger's handle, which was indeed different from the others. Hers was a gift from her mentor, worn smooth with use, unlike the others.
"You can tell just by looking!"
"Seen enough, and you'll know."
Xia Ya spoke with a hint of world-weariness.
This player was quite capable. It wasn't until his fourth playthrough that he discovered this Starter Village hid a Dark Brotherhood branch, right in a well. He didn't know how she got down there.
"Big shot, add me as a friend!" She raised her head, "I'll be cannon fodder, but you'll compensate me, right?"
Xia Ya raised an eyebrow, "Alright."
They added each other as friends. The female Rogue's name was Apulu Pie.
Apulu Pie was satisfied to have Xia Ya as a friend.
"Alright, big shot,
where do I die? How do I die?
"
Proofreader & Editor: Lyra
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!
Vol.1 - Chapter 9 – As a player, one must have the awareness of being cannon fodder
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