After spending a week in the valley, the Flying Flies no longer provided Zhou Zheng with much experience.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, breaking into countless fragments that illuminated the forest floor in a bright golden hue, leaving one's eyes dazzled.
Handing the strong bow to Lan Xi, Zhou Zheng, now at level 15, needed to test the two active skills that had been unlocked. Knowing your strengths and mastering them until you can use them skillfully is crucial. As a Rogue, micro-management is vital, often akin to dancing on a tightrope, requiring you to be familiar with everything about yourself.
The Nepal knife cannot be classified as a dagger; compared to a dagger, it carries a hint of clumsiness.
He drew the dagger from his calf.
The moment Zhou Zheng gripped the dagger, his aura shifted once more.
If Zhou Zheng with a bow in hand resembled a hunter, then the current Zhou Zheng was a ghost lurking in the shadows, his coldness instilling fear. Despite it being the afternoon with high temperatures, Zhou An and Lan Xi felt a chill enveloping them, surrounded by danger.
The familiar feeling was more like blood being thicker than water.
Daggers come in various forms, and the one Zhou Zheng held was merely an ordinary steel dagger. In Siege City, few people would use such a short weapon, often treating it as a small knife for peeling fruit or cutting meat.
His eyes locked onto the dagger, and in the data-driven world, the prompt appeared: an ordinary fine steel dagger.
It didn't even have a damage value.
Thinking of the Divine Artifact Black Radiance lying in his Rogue character's backpack, along with top-tier defensive equipment, Zhou Zheng let out a wry smile. Before reaching level 180, it was merely ornamental.
Zhou Zheng's secret lies first in his leveling ability and second in the backpack under his character. A 150-slot backpack can store an overwhelming amount of items, driving people mad. Zhou Zheng had even tested it, finding he could store real-world items in the backpack.
This feature was somewhat against the heavens, and Zhou Zheng knew best the benefits it could bring him.
...
Walking through the forest.
"Young Master, aren't you worried about tomorrow's competition?"
The one-week deadline was up, and the competition was set to start the next day. Rumor had it that Yan Boxun had made a breakthrough, becoming a Third-Stage Martial Artist, with a qualitative leap in strength. In Siege City, a Third-Stage Martial Artist was already among the few experts.
The enhanced reflexes and agility would be evident in the upcoming spear techniques.
Zhou An couldn't fathom why Zhou Zheng still acted as if nothing was amiss, showing no signs of pre-competition nerves. Was it because he knew victory was impossible? Or was he confident of winning? The saying "the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is" perfectly described Zhou An's current state.
Zhou Zheng squinted his eyes: "If I were worried about the competition, would I still come here? Haha!"
Not far from the valley where the Flying Flies resided was a vast sea of bamboo. The bamboo forest wasn't meteor bamboo, just ordinary bamboo, evergreen throughout the seasons, standing tall and graceful on this land, forming an ocean-like bamboo sea with no end in sight.
Before the Apocalypse, this place was known as the land of bamboo, stretching for dozens of kilometers, covered entirely by bamboo forests.
Standing on the ridge, gazing at the vast green bamboo sea, one felt refreshed and invigorated.
"I'll go in for a bit, you wait here."
The tall and graceful bamboo sea was not a place for sightseeing or tourism. In Siege City, its notorious reputation was well-known. Sword Boar Forest referred to this vast bamboo sea stretching for dozens of kilometers, inhabited by mutant Sword Boars, which, though classified as Second-Tier, had abilities comparable to Third-Tier.
Sword Boars were massive, covered in tough bristles, and had tusks. Most notably, their backs, through mutation, had developed a row of twelve sword-like giant bristles. When enraged, these sword-like bristles could be launched, with speeds comparable to bullets, capable of piercing through even ordinary steel plates.
In Siege City, apart from top-tier Fourth or Fifth-Stage Martial Artists, no one dared provoke a Second-Tier Sword Boar.
In the eyes of many, they would rather face a Third-Tier Shadow Wolf head-on than confront a Second-Tier Sword Boar, whose ferocity and madness were enough to change one's complexion.
Outside Siege City, there were many mutant beasts, ranging from weak to strong, and humans rarely initiated confrontations.
For the people of the New World after the Apocalypse, the only thing about mutant beasts that tempted them was the potential for Star Crystals, followed by the fur. Star Crystals were worth the risk, but the chance of them forming was such that the beast you risked your life to kill might yield nothing. Merely for the hide and meat, who would gamble their life?
Zhou Zheng was different. In his eyes, it wasn't just about Star Crystals, fur, and mutant beast meat; the most important was the experience.
In this world filled with countless mutant beasts, the entire New World felt like a game with only one player, filled with endless monsters to slay and no competition for the kills.
Hearing that Zhou Zheng intended to enter Sword Boar Forest, Zhou An and Lan Xi's faces changed dramatically.
"Young Master, you mustn't..."
Both spoke in unison, thinking it was a joke. This was Sword Boar Forest, and even a leader wouldn't dare enter alone. The complex environment aside, Sword Boars were social animals, with some herds numbering in the hundreds.
If the leader found out they failed in their duty to protect, allowing the Young Master to enter Sword Boar Forest despite the danger, they would face the leader's endless wrath.
In Siege City, Zhou Hongqiang held the power of life and death.
Zhou Zheng toyed with the dagger in his hand, the dagger in his hand like a butterfly flitting among flowers, quite a sight. A faint smile appeared on his face, and what you always saw in him was a subtle confidence.
"There's nothing I can't do; it's decided."
Zhou Zheng's voice was firm, and he said softly, "Over the past half month, you know my strength better than anyone. When have I ever done anything I wasn't confident about?" The source of this chapter is novelping dot com.
Lan Xi and the others were initially terrified of Sword Boar Forest's ferocity but overlooked this point.
Yes, over the past half month, the Young Master first went out of the city to confront Toxic Corpses, then the Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent, and finally the Flying Flies. Each step seemed thrilling but was without danger. Moreover, throughout this process, Zhou Zheng's transformation was something they experienced firsthand; the word "waste" had nothing to do with Zhou Zheng.
Ignoring the somewhat stunned Zhou An and Lan Xi, Zhou Zheng quickly stepped into Sword Boar Forest.
Lan Xi gritted his teeth and followed: "Young Master, wait for me, your bow."
Zhou An wasn't slow either; he drew his alloy blade, determined that no matter what danger the Young Master faced, he would protect him with his life. Moreover, though he was a guard, he was a Second-Stage Martial Artist, with the dignity of a martial artist, and would not be outdone by Zhou Zheng, who was merely an Apprentice Martial Artist.
The fallen leaves in Sword Boar Forest weren't thick, and beneath the bamboo, only a few shrubs grew.
The afternoon breeze blew, and the bamboo swayed, making a "rustling" sound throughout the forest.
Zhou Zheng didn't object to Lan Xi and Zhou An following him, allowing them to accompany him. A Second-Stage Martial Artist was enough to ensure safety in Sword Boar Forest.
In the forest, many places bore traces of Sword Boar activity. At the base of the bamboo, the most common signs were where Sword Boars had dug for food, revealing the remnants of gnawed bamboo shoots. Sword Boars were omnivorous mutant beasts, not picky about whether it was plant or meat, as long as it was edible.
Once in the forest, Lan Xi and Zhou An heightened their vigilance, cautiously on guard.
Only Zhou Zheng continued to toy with the dagger, strolling leisurely through the bamboo forest.
The vast green bamboo forest did affect the visibility of health bars; from a distance, they couldn't be seen. However, Zhou Zheng wouldn't rely on this to find Sword Boars. Given their size and temperament, there was no need to specifically search for or guard against them.
After just a few minutes in the forest, they heard the sound of bamboo being pushed aside in the distance.
"Snort, snort."
The sound of Sword Boars echoed through the bamboo forest, breaking the tranquility.
"Young Master, Sword Boars, it's Sword Boars!"
Lan Xi whispered urgently.
The dagger Zhou Zheng was playing with suddenly stopped, like a butterfly instantly transforming into a dagger.
...