As soon as he stepped out the door, a familiar figure made him stop in his tracks.
Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall, a player dressed in simple clothes stood quietly, his posture as straight as a spear, as if separated from the morning-working villagers by an invisible barrier.
It was the aloof player with the ID [Drifting Cloud].
He seemed to be waiting for someone.
When he saw Zhang Fan emerge unscathed from the Ancestral Hall, a barely noticeable hint of surprise flashed across his perpetually icy face.
Zhang Fan intended to bypass him, considering this guy looked like trouble.
Unexpectedly, Drifting Cloud approached him.
"Didn't expect you to survive."
Drifting Cloud spoke first, his tone still as cold as ice shards.
"Just entered the game and got so caught up in the scenery, didn't starve to death. What a surprise."
Zhang Fan was taken aback, immediately catching the key information in his words, and tentatively asked, "Could it be... players have actually starved to death?"
He had thought it was just an exaggeration, at most starving until forced offline due to weakness.
Drifting Cloud glanced at him, his gaze as if looking at an idiot, and replied coldly, "Of course. From what I've seen, there have already been three. If you can't handle the basics of survival, you deserve to die."
"Dead..." Zhang Fan's heart skipped a beat, sensing there was more to these words.
When those words came from Drifting Cloud's mouth, they were so casually spoken yet carried a chilling sense of reality.
Could this game really cause death?
Wang Yun's madness and tragic death weren't accidents?!
He suddenly had a deeper, more direct understanding of the game's brutality, and he had always suspected that bringing game superpowers into the real world must come with a price.
Just as Zhang Fan wanted to ask more details, like "what happens when you die," a somewhat frivolous voice came from behind.
"Little Cloud, why are you wasting time with a newbie? Let's go!"
A player with the ID [Yeknod Si Redaer] strode over, rudely patting Drifting Cloud on the shoulder.
Drifting Cloud frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with the nickname, but said nothing more.
He was about to turn and leave but seemed to remember something, turning back to Zhang Fan to add, "There's a mysterious assassin player in the village who's been killing people. Be careful, don't get too close to strangers."
The player called [Yeknod Si Redaer] heard this and sneered, scanning Zhang Fan up and down with disdain in his eyes.
"A newbie who just arrived, doesn't even have a hair on him, what's there to rob? Is that assassin full and bored? Let's go, don't waste time." This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
With that, he dragged Drifting Cloud away, heading out of the village without looking back.
Zhang Fan stood there, his emotions a mix of many things.
He found Drifting Cloud's warning hard to believe, but [Yeknod Si Redaer]'s words also made him ponder deeply.
Indeed, he was just a poor guy, his equipment was the system-given ragged clothes, and aside from the leftover buns from last night, he had nothing.
What would that so-called assassin gain from killing him?
Could it be for those five copper coins?
"Paying three hundred bucks to hire a killer? This inflation is ridiculous!"
Unless... the assassin's motive for killing wasn't for money at all.
This thought sent a chill down Zhang Fan's spine.
Random killings in the Novice Village were often more terrifying than targeted plundering.
And this was the Novice Village, wasn't there a newbie protection mechanism?
He etched this warning into his mind, deciding that until he had enough self-defense capability, he must act more cautiously and low-key.
Zhang Fan's current goals were clear: first, make money; second, train skills; third, level up to Level 10 as soon as possible to unlock the [Jianghu Forum] for more information.
As for Wang Yun's elusive revenge quest, he'd deal with it when he had time.
"After all, my own life is the most important."
Having figured this out, Zhang Fan wasted no time and headed towards Wang Daniu's house in the back mountain.
Arriving at the familiar backyard, he skillfully picked up the Rusty Chopping Knife and began his woodcutting routine for the day.
With yesterday's experience and the [Woodcutting] skill, he was now a "skilled worker."
Zhang Fan could easily find the perfect "weak grain" on the rough logs, swinging the knife in the most effortless manner.
"Crack!"
[Ding! You successfully used the Woodcutting Skill, Skill EXP +1!]
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Zhang Fan chopped rhythmically, the crisp sound of wood splitting echoing in the backyard.
Soon, when he split the tenth log, the pleasant notification sounded again.
[Ding! Your Life Skill [Woodcutting] current level: Level 1 (20/100)]
"Today went so smoothly, and this skill is amazing, not a single failure."
In just ten minutes, he completed his workload for the day, handing over ten neatly stacked logs to Wang Daniu.
Wang Daniu checked the logs and happily took out three copper coins from his pocket, handing them to him.
Zhang Fan looked at the fresh copper coins in his backpack, feeling like a little tycoon, his confidence boosted significantly.
"Three hundred bucks in hand! Today is another energetic day!" he thought.
To level up his skills faster and explore more possibilities, Zhang Fan inquired with Wang Daniu.
"Uncle, where do these trees come from? I'd like to practice in the forest myself and help you chop more."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Wang Daniu's previously calm expression turned wary, and he immediately waved his hand:
"The forest to the north of the village! But you mustn't go there alone!"
The old man's voice carried a warning: "There are wild wolves in that forest, very fierce! Just a few days ago, an Outsider like you didn't listen to advice, insisted on going, and ended up being bitten to death!"
"Bitten to death..."
This news was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the fire in Zhang Fan's heart.
He immediately abandoned the idea of leaving the village.
It seemed the death rate in this game was unusually high.
Starved to death, killed by an assassin, and now bitten by wolves.
Since he couldn't leave the village to hunt monsters, he could only continue to look for tasks and opportunities within the village.
"No wonder these players team up to go out!"
He bid farewell to Wang Daniu, wandering around the village while carefully observing every NPC's behavior, hoping to trigger a new opportunity like the woodcutting task.
The morning passed, and after he had roamed the entire village, there wasn't even a task, let alone a friendly conversation.
Feeling a bit discouraged, a gentle female player appeared on the ancient stone bridge at the village entrance, catching his eye.