Night had fallen, and the forest was covered with cool night dew. Kiriya stepped on the moist soil, his feet making soft, sticky sounds.
He had been walking quickly for nearly ten minutes. Apart from passing players and wandering goblins, there was no other sign of life in the woods. It was not until he climbed over a low earth slope that he finally spotted traces of a new type of monster.
"Squeak!"
A bat, entirely wrapped in flames, let out a sharp, piercing shriek. Its body was blood-red, and only its eyes glowed with a faint green light.
[Flame Bat] (Common Monster)
Level: 5
Attack: 4-10
Defense: 4
HP: 500
Attack Type: Poison Attack
Kiriya's heart skipped a beat in surprise. This was actually a Level 5 monster, with attack power far beyond that of the Lesser Goblin. Its 500 HP was also incredibly thick, and it came with an unpredictable poison attack!
He immediately checked his own stats and began to calculate quietly —
KiriyaNoir (Unemployed)
Level: 3
HP: 210
Attack: 11-17
Defense: 4
Reputation: 1
Luck: 0
His attack was decent enough, but his defense was far too low. The Flame Bat could definitely break through his defense by a large margin, and with the poison attack on top of that, it would not be easy to deal with at all!
But great rewards came only with great risks. He had to strike first, finish the quest before other players, and seize the upper hand.
With that thought, Kiriya gripped his Crude Iron Sword tightly, charged straight forward, and slashed at the Flame Bat!
Crack!
A dazzling damage number of 85 soared high above its head!
Kiriya's heart leaped with joy. His full Strength build really packed a punch. One slash had taken away nearly one-sixth of the Flame Bat's HP!
The Flame Bat was enraged in an instant and flapped its wings to counterattack. Kiriya swung his sword a second time before it could strike, knocking nearly a hundred more HP off the creature.
Finally, the Flame Bat's fiery wings slammed hard into his arm, sending a sharp pain through him.
Combat Prompt: You have been attacked by a Flame Bat. You lose 51 HP!
Damn! One hit took away a quarter of my health?
Kiriya was stunned. The Flame Bat's attack really was ferocious!
He did not dare hesitate. He planned to fight with speed, slaying the beast before it could launch consecutive attacks. After all, he was fighting two levels above his own, and he had no high-quality defensive gear. This was the only way to grind levels by risking his life.
Slash! Slash! He swung his sword twice in a row, and damage numbers of 91 and 87 popped up above the Flame Bat's head one after another!
Although the Flame Bat's attack speed was slow, its second pounce still came! A faint green light flashed, and a stream of venom shot out of its mouth. Kiriya felt his whole body go numb, and his HP plummeted by 70 points in an instant.
Combat Prompt: You have been poisoned by a Flame Bat's attack. Your HP decreases by 2 points every 3 seconds for 60 seconds!
Kiriya blinked slightly. He had indeed been poisoned, but fortunately, the poison effect was not terrifying. It would only cost him 40 HP over 60 seconds.
He did not think twice about it. Ordinary players could not afford potions at this stage. Even the cheapest Minor Health Potion costs 20 copper coins each, and a single Lesser Goblin only drops 2 to 3 copper coins.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The average player could never afford to grind levels like this. Only he, with his quest reward savings, dared to spend so freely.
Slash! Slash! His iron sword struck the Flame Bat's back again, draining the last of its HP. The Flame Bat wailed and fell to the ground, dropping a few copper coins.
Ding!
Combat Prompt: You have slain a Flame Bat! Gained 120 EXP!
Kiriya could not help but chuckle. Sure enough, high risk came with high reward. A Lesser Goblin only gave 10 EXP, but killing a Flame Bat two levels above him gave a full 120! He bent down and picked up the copper coins — 14 in total, far more generous than the goblins.
His HP had also dropped below half, and the cost was high, but the deal was still worth it. He immediately drank a Health Potion and charged toward a second Flame Bat.
In less than a minute, he had cut down the second Flame Bat with his high-risk fighting style. Along with 120 EXP, he earned 19 copper coins, but there was still no sign of the Bat Blood required for the quest.
It was not until he cut down his fifth Flame Bat that a soft clink sounded. A drop of Bat Blood, condensed into a droplet shape, fell to the ground —
[Bat Blood] (Quest Item)
Kiriya tossed it into his inventory casually and kept grinding monsters.
Killing five Flame Bats had earned him 600 EXP, but he had also used up two Minor Health Potions, costing 40 copper coins. The expense stung badly.
The forest was quiet, save for the constant whoosh of Flame Bats flapping their wings. Just then, a shocked cry came from behind him. "Damn! This guy is taking on a Level 5 monster all by himself!"
Kiriya turned around to see three Level 2 players standing and watching. Moments later, one of them stepped forward to try and pull a Flame Bat, only for the ferocious monster to bite off half his HP in one go. The player paled in terror. "Hurry up and help me!"
The other two rushed forward at once, swinging their wooden sticks at the Flame Bat's head. Only weak damage numbers of 12 and 8 popped up.
Kiriya watched from afar and almost laughed out loud. They did not even have proper weapons, yet they dared to challenge such a terrifying monster three levels above them. It was nothing short of suicide.
Sure enough, in less than two minutes, the three could not withstand the Flame Bat's fierce attacks. They all turned into white light and respawned back in town, leaving only a Flame Bat with low HP behind.
A gift like this was not to be wasted!
Kiriya stepped forward at once and swept his iron sword through the air!
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the Flame Bat wailed and fell to the ground. Two soft dings echoed, and two items dropped to the ground.
He quickly bent down to check. Along with 17 copper coins and a drop of Bat Blood, there was also a dull-colored leather armor! Kiriya's heart jumped in surprise. He picked it up immediately to check its stats —
[Bat Leather Armor] (White Equipment)
Defense: 8
Level Requirement: 4
Kiriya could not help but smile. Heaven was on his side! He had just been worrying about having no armor to protect himself, and this was a godsend. If those three players found out, they would surely kick themselves.
He glanced at his EXP bar. He was only a hair away from Level 4! He drank a Health Potion at once and cut down another Flame Bat nearby. Golden light showered over him, and he leveled up smoothly!
Ding!
System Prompt: Congratulations! Your level has increased. You gain 20 HP and 5 free stat points!
Kiriya was overjoyed. He put on the Bat Leather Armor at once, and his Defense skyrocketed from 4 to 12. He then poured all 5 stat points into Strength, raising his Attack to 16-21!
The Bat Leather Armor was not much to look at, but it was the first piece of armor he had ever looted. It might even be the first one in the entire Starter Village. Wearing it, his heart was filled with delight.
With 12 Defense, Kiriya's confidence soared. He charged at the Flame Bats again and slashed out with a powerful sword strike. A damage number of 248 popped up above the monster's head!
What?!
Kiriya could barely believe his eyes. Had one strike taken down half the HP of a Level 5 monster?
He checked the combat log and saw that he had triggered a Critical Strike. Even without the critical hit, he could still deal 124 damage per strike, an impressive amount.
At that moment, the Flame Bat attacked him furiously. Kiriya felt a slight pain, but when he checked his HP, he found that even with the poison attack, he had only lost 24 HP!
He was overjoyed. After putting on the Bat Leather Armor, his Defense had improved drastically, and he could now fight continuously! He gripped his iron sword and set to clearing out Flame Bats with great enthusiasm.
Time passed minute by minute. Half an hour after Eternal Art Online's launch, Kiriya had collected 19 drops of Bat Blood and reached Level 5 smoothly.
Fighting monsters of the same level, he no longer suffered level suppression. Killing them felt even more satisfying. He could take down a Flame Bat in just three strikes.
He flipped another Flame Bat over with a single sword strike and picked up the Bat Blood on the ground. Counting carefully, he had exactly 20 drops of Bat Blood in his inventory. The quest was complete, and he could return to town to turn it in!
Kiriya turned around at once, ready to head back to the Starter Village. Just then, a bone-chilling gust of wind swept in from the right. He shivered involuntarily and turned his head. His eyes widened in shock!
Not far away, a giant bat hovered in the air, its entire body engulfed in flames. It was fully ten times the size of a normal Flame Bat, like a hovering small aircraft!
[Giant Flame Bat] (Mutated Creature)
Level: 8
Attack: 20-28
Defense: 18
HP: 2000
Attack Type: Mutated Poison Attack
Kiriya's heart sank. This was actually a quasi-Boss level monster! Its maximum Attack reached 28, and its Defense was 18. With his Level 5 Attack of 26, he could barely break through its defense.
The Giant Flame Bat gave him no time to think. It pounced straight at him, its sharp claws tearing a deep gash in his leather armor in an instant!
Agonizing pain shot through him, and a damage number of 88 popped up above his head.
The damage was decent, but Kiriya felt no joy at all. He swung his sword to counterattack at once. With a thud, he dealt 110 damage to the mutated bat.
The damage was passable, but he would need at least 20 strikes to kill this mutated bat. He glanced at the only 5 Minor Health Potions left in his inventory and thought quietly: With these potions, could he hold on long enough to slay the mutated bat?
