Zhang Fan wanted to take the opportunity to probe into the leveling mechanism of this world.
"High level? Not really..." This time it was Empty Gate who spoke, scratching his head sheepishly.
"I'm tough-skinned and thick-fleshed, always at the front lines, and I'm only at level 3. Xiake and Jiangnan are both at level 2."
"That low?" Zhang Fan feigned surprise.
"What did you expect!" Xu Xiake said with a bitter smile, "Brother, you have no idea. The most frustrating thing about this game is that the wild monsters outside, once killed, are gone! They don't respawn at all!"
Zhang Fan was genuinely shocked this time, "No... no respawn?"
"Yeah, no respawn."
Xu Xiake's expression turned serious.
"So, every monster is a unique resource.
We just got lucky today, stumbling upon a lone wild boar deep in the forest.
Just that one, and it took the three of us over an hour, using traps and kiting, to finally take it down.
And what did we get? After splitting it, each of us only gained a few points of experience."
Zhang Fan drew a sharp breath; leveling up was incredibly tough!
Monsters don't respawn!
This meant that the resources in this game world were absolutely limited.
To level up and gather materials, one must constantly explore broader and more dangerous unknown areas.
This wasn't just a regular online game; it was clearly a real world!
"But..." Xu Xiake looked at the wild boar on the ground, his worried expression tinged with a hint of relief.
"This carcass is quite valuable.
The village butcher, Zhang Sandao, said he'd pay 200 copper coins for a 50-kilogram wild boar like this!"
"Nonsense! If we had the Butchering and Cooking life professions, this pig could sell for 500 wen," Empty Gate sighed helplessly.
"Two... five hundred copper coins?"
Zhang Fan was surprised, feeling like he was losing his ability to do math.
One wen for a hundred bucks, five hundred copper coins, that would be... 20,000 yuan!
No, it's 50,000.
A pig, 50,000 yuan!
His heart pounded wildly, and his gaze at the wild boar turned fervent.
Zhang Fan instinctively recalled his real-world experience of perfectly dissecting ribs with a kitchen knife, aided by the [Woodcutting] skill's precise control over "weak textures."
A bold idea surged in his mind.
"How about... I give it a try? See if I can learn Butchering? If I do, I'll just say my family used to be in the pig-slaughtering business?"
But this thought was quickly extinguished.
No, it's too reckless.
It's obvious Xu Xiake and the others don't have any special abilities; he absolutely couldn't reveal his talent.
Moreover, they knew he was a newcomer to the game, so he couldn't let them know he had already learned a life skill.
He forcibly tore his gaze from the wild boar and asked another question he was concerned about.
"Then... Brother Xu, does this wild boar drop equipment?"
"Drop equipment?" Xu Xiake laughed as if he had heard a joke, then sighed.
"Brother, you're overthinking it.
This game, monsters don't drop equipment.
Look at this pig, the system notification said it might drop some [Rough Pig Skin] or [Sturdy Pig Bones] materials at most.
To make equipment, you have to take these materials to the village's tanner or blacksmith and spend a lot of money to have them craft it for you."
"We're barely able to afford food with what we have now, let alone spare money for equipment."
Zhang Fan was already numb, silently noting these key pieces of information in his mind.
Skills are hard to learn, but he has talent, which is his biggest advantage.
Leveling is difficult, and monsters don't respawn, meaning the grind route won't work; tasks and exploration are necessary.
The way to make money, for now, seems to be doing tasks and selling various materials, especially high-value animal carcasses.
The source of equipment isn't monster drops but rather crafted by life profession players.
This game requires life skills as the core, integrating production, earning money, and self-enhancement.
"Alright, enough chatting, I'm exhausted. Let's log off and get some sleep."
Xu Xiake stood up, dusting off his pants.
Empty Gate and Dreaming of Jiangnan also expressed their intention to log off.
"Brother Mortal Dust, let's chat again tomorrow if you're free."
"Alright, take care, everyone."
Zhang Fan bid them farewell, watching as their figures dissolved into specks of white light, disappearing, leaving him with a myriad of emotions.
He considered himself lucky, having talent and not needing to work hard.
With a heart full of gains and plans for the future, Zhang Fan contentedly whispered to himself.
"Log off."
As his consciousness returned, Zhang Fan abruptly sat up from the sofa.
The familiar apartment surroundings came into view, the sky outside completely dark, city neon lights casting mottled shadows through the curtains onto the walls.
He glanced at his phone; it was almost midnight.
Half a day had passed in the game, and the same in the real world.
Zhang Fan got up and walked to the bookshelf, looking at the rows of professional books on game art, 3D modeling, human anatomy, particle effects, and MAX mastery, feeling a mix of emotions.
These were once his livelihood, proof of his late-night studies for a monthly salary of 9,000 yuan.
But now, they seemed to have lost their meaning.
"What a pity for these good books, sigh."
Zhang Fan made up his mind.
He took down the books from the shelf one by one, along with the gigabytes of teaching materials and project files on his computer, planning to sort them all out and dispose of them at once.
"Goodbye, my lost youth. Goodbye, the life of a worker. From today on, I'm a professional gamer!"
He hummed a tune, feeling as if he had broken free from invisible shackles, experiencing unprecedented ease and freedom.
Just as he picked up the thickest and dullest book, "In-depth Study of Game Character Design and Human Anatomy," the Attribute Panel of the [Reading] skill from the game suddenly flashed through his mind, unbidden.
A crazy idea welled up from the bottom of his heart, beyond his control.
"The skills in the game... if Woodcutting can be brought out, then Reading... can it too?"
Once this idea appeared, it couldn't be suppressed.
His heart began to race uncontrollably.
Zhang Fan forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and opened the heavy theoretical book, randomly finding a chapter on "The Direction of Human Muscle Fiber Tissue and Dynamic Mechanics Analysis."
He had studied this chapter in college and reviewed it many times during work, but each time it felt overwhelming, the complex jargon and dry theories practically a lullaby.
However, this time, as his gaze focused on those words, the feeling was different!