The ground seemed to shake as the Grayhide Boar charged.
It was much larger than the rabbits and wolves near the village gate. Its shoulders nearly reached Lu Tiechen's waist, and coarse gray-black bristles covered its body. Two tusks jutted from its mouth, apparently still stained with another animal's blood.
[Lv. 4 Grayhide Boar]
For most players, this already qualified as a dangerous monster.
The servers had only just opened. Most people were still packed into the Level 1 rabbit and Level 2 wolf areas.
Even the bolder groups heading farther out generally went no farther than the Level 3 stray dogs, hoping to find a lone target.
A Level 4 monster's stats were noticeably higher than a beginner's. With a starter weapon, even getting through its Defense would be difficult.
And Lu Tiechen was only Level 1.
The Grayhide Boar charged fast, head lowered and tusks aimed straight at him.
With his current Health and Defense, a head-on collision would take most of his health bar, if it didn't kill him outright.
A few passing players in the distance happened to witness the scene.
"Is that guy insane?"
"Taking on a Grayhide Boar at Level 1?"
"Let's see how he dies."
Before their words had faded, the boar was upon him.
Lu Tiechen turned sideways.
It was hardly one of those flashy Indian-style spins.
But his timing was precise.
The tusks passed close enough to brush his clothing.
At the instant the boar's momentum carried it past, its balance shifting, Lu Tiechen brought his iron sword down at an angle.
Thunk!
The edge cut into the side of its neck.
A damage number appeared.
-26!
The watching players fell silent.
"How much?"
"Twenty-six?"
"I only do seven or eight damage to wolves!"
The Grayhide Boar wheeled around with a low, pained roar.
Lu Tiechen looked at his sword.
It felt good in his hand.
Very good.
It was only ordinary White Gear made from a Low-Grade Iron Blank, but it was far stronger than the Beginner's Wooden Sword the system provided.
Against low-level wild monsters like this, it was enough.
The Grayhide Boar lunged again.
This time, Lu Tiechen didn't rush to attack. He took half a step back and watched its movements.
The boar's attacks were simple.
A charge.
A swing of its head.
A short-range ram.
It had plenty of power, but the windup was far too obvious.
As long as he avoided a head-on charge, he could attack the weaker areas along its neck, belly, and hind legs.
Lu Tiechen had never received combat training in the real world.
But as a forging prodigy, he had eyes that caught the smallest details.
He could see that the Grayhide Boar's forelegs stiffened briefly after every charge.
That was the moment to strike.
After its third charge missed, Lu Tiechen slashed again.
-24!
A visible chunk disappeared from the boar's health bar.
It angrily churned up the ground and turned for another charge.
Lu Tiechen had already circled to its flank. His sword pierced the joint of its foreleg.
-18!
The Grayhide Boar faltered.
He seized the opening and landed two more cuts in the same spot.
-21!
-25!
With a final squeal, the Grayhide Boar's bulky body crashed to the ground.
[You have slain a Grayhide Boar.]
[Higher-level enemy defeated. Experience reward increased.]
[You have gained 36 Experience Points.]
Lu Tiechen checked his experience bar.
Reaching Level 2 required 100 Experience Points.
The Level 1 rabbits at the village gate gave only 5, and the Level 2 wolves only 12. With so many players fighting over so few monsters, claiming one probably wouldn't net much experience anyway.
The Grayhide Boars were different.
They gave 28 base experience, increased to 36 for a higher-level kill.
Three kills would get him to Level 2.
The rougher the waters, the more valuable the catch!
Lu Tiechen looked down at the boar's corpse.
Only 3 Copper Coins and a piece of coarse Boar Hide had dropped.
Not a single piece of equipment.
He wasn't surprised.
Equipment drops were rare in Age of the Ancient Gods.
The watching players finally recovered.
"Hey, what's your Attack?"
"Where'd you get that sword? A quest reward?"
Lu Tiechen collected the coins and hide without answering, then headed farther into the area.
"Hey, we're talking to you!"
One of the players sounded annoyed.
Lu Tiechen still ignored them and quietly went looking for another lone Grayhide Boar.
For the next half hour, he roamed the boar area.
He wasn't trying to rush.
He drew only one boar at a time.
First he watched its charge, then waited for the right moment to attack.
With his low level and poor stats, he couldn't afford a mistake. One collision might send him back to the village to respawn, and then he'd have a long run back.
Fortunately, his sword dealt enough damage.
The second Grayhide Boar gave him 36 Experience Points and dropped 2 Copper Coins.
The third gave him another 36 Experience Points and an intact Boar Hide.
As the third boar fell, a faint white glow rose around Lu Tiechen.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 2.]
[Health +20]
[Attack +1]
[Defense +1]
[You have gained 2 Unallocated Attribute Points.]
Lu Tiechen opened his panel.
[Character: Lu Tiechen]
[Level: 2]
[Health: 120/120]
[Attack: 9–13]
[Defense: 2]
[Unallocated Attribute Points: 2]
He didn't spend the points right away.
Age of the Ancient Gods had only just launched, and many of its mechanics were still unclear.
Attribute points could improve his combat ability, but he needed to find out whether they also affected forging.
At Level 2, killing Grayhide Boars became a little easier.
The smaller level gap reduced his experience per kill from 36 to 32, but that was still far better than the monsters outside the village gate.
Over there, he would have to compete with four or five people for a single wolf. Almost no one came here.
Occasionally, a few players spotted the boars' level from a distance and cautiously approached, only to lose half their Health to a charge and retreat, cursing.
Lu Tiechen was happy to have the peace and quiet.
After killing a few more Grayhide Boars, he finally encountered a four-person party.
Their equipment was a little better than the average player's. At least they weren't carrying Beginner's Wooden Swords.
All four names above their heads shared the same prefix.
[Azure Edge Bladesman]
[Azure Edge Little Deer]
[Azure Edge Iron Wall]
[Azure Edge Fireball]
Judging by the names, they belonged to the same guild.
Age of the Ancient Gods had only just launched, and the official guild system wasn't available yet. But many large gaming guilds had organized their members beforehand, using matching names to coordinate resources and compete for first kills.
Lu Tiechen's own in-game name was straightforward: Lu Tiechen.
The four-person party was surrounding a Grayhide Boar.
The Warrior held the front while Bladesman attacked from behind. The Mage threw fireballs from a distance, and the player named Little Deer used a short staff to restore the Shield Warrior's Health.
Their coordination was decent.
Their damage wasn't.
It actually took all four of them longer to kill a Grayhide Boar than Lu Tiechen alone.
Bladesman had clearly noticed, too.
Once their boar fell, he looked at Lu Tiechen's sword, his eyes brightening slightly.
"Hey, soloing boars?"
Lu Tiechen nodded in acknowledgment.
Bladesman smiled. "Nice. Your damage is pretty high. We're from the Azure Edge Guild. We've got over twenty people in this beginner village. Want to party up?"
The Warrior named Iron Wall added, "Soloing higher-level monsters is dangerous. If you die, you'll have to run back to your body. With your damage, we could head straight for the Level 5 area."
But Lu Tiechen had no plans to join a guild.
Not yet, at least.
A guild meant resources, but it also meant less freedom.
"No, thanks."
He turned to leave.
Bladesman's smile stiffened. Frowning, he said, "Don't be so quick to turn us down. Azure Edge might not be a top guild, but we're an established team. Early on, having a guild makes a huge difference."
"I'm used to playing alone," Lu Tiechen said without stopping.
The four behind him were silent for a few seconds.
Then the Mage named Fireball muttered a curse.
"What a poser."
"He can solo a boar and thinks he's invincible? Let's see how long he lasts when he gets surrounded."
Iron Wall said nothing at first, watching Lu Tiechen's retreating back.
"Forget him. Let's level up."
The party headed the other way.
Lu Tiechen had heard the remark, of course.
He didn't care.
He had heard far too much of the same in the real world.
It's the twenty-fifth century, and you're still hammering iron?
What's with the traditional-crafts act?
You really think a few swings of a hammer can beat a machine?
None of those voices had ever made him put down his hammer.
A few taunts in a game certainly wouldn't affect him.
Lu Tiechen went back to grinding.
Now that he was Level 2, he tried drawing a Level 5 Fanged Hound.
The hound was a little harder to handle than the boars.
It was fast and attacked frequently.
During their first exchange, it bit his arm and immediately took 31 Health.
But its Defense was lower than a boar's.
Once Lu Tiechen found his rhythm, he waited for the instant the Fanged Hound landed after a leap and drove his sword into its throat.
-31!
A hit that dealt Weak-Point Damage.
At last, the Fanged Hound fell.
[You have slain a Fanged Hound.]
[Higher-level enemy defeated. Experience reward increased.]
[You have gained 45 Experience Points.]
Forty-five Experience Points.
More than a Grayhide Boar.
But more dangerous, too.
After some thought, Lu Tiechen began roaming the boundary between the boar and hound areas.
If he could pull a lone Fanged Hound, he killed it. If not, he kept hunting boars.
An hour later, his experience bar was 70% of the way through Level 2.
His inventory held over twenty Copper Coins, several Boar Hides, three Fanged Hound Teeth, and one item that particularly interested him.
[Low-Grade Iron Ore]
[Common Material]
[Description: Iron ore containing numerous impurities. Can be used for Basic Forging.]
As he examined the ore, his expression finally changed.
Not because it was especially good material. What mattered was that monsters dropped ore, too.
It was only Low-Grade Iron Ore, but that meant he wouldn't have to become a miner and dig it up himself.
By fighting monsters and leveling up, he could gain access to better ore.
Just as he was about to explore farther, startled cries came from nearby.
"Fall back! Hurry!"
"Warrior, hold it!"
"I'm out of mana!"
Lu Tiechen stopped and turned.
The voices came from behind a patch of low bushes.
There was a small slope beyond them.
He approached quietly, moved behind a tree, and peered through the shrubs.
It was the Azure Edge party from earlier.
Only now, their composure was gone.
Iron Wall held up his small round shield, stumbling backward under repeated impacts. He had less than a third of his Health left.
Bladesman tried to circle behind the enemy, but one massive tusk forced him into a clumsy roll.
Little Deer frantically waved her short staff, casting healing light on Iron Wall again and again.
Fireball's face was pale. "Not enough mana! I'm seriously out!"
Before them stood a monster a full size larger than an ordinary Grayhide Boar.
Its bristles had a dark red sheen. A rocky ridge of hard armor rose along its back, and its two tusks were long and curved. Heavy bursts of white breath streamed from its nostrils.
The name above its head glimmered silver.
[Lv. 5 Grayhide Boar King]
[Field Boss]
Lu Tiechen narrowed his eyes.
A minor field boss.
The Azure Edge party was in trouble.
He didn't rush out.
Nor did he call out a warning.
Sword in hand, Lu Tiechen remained in the shade of the tree, quietly studying the Grayhide Boar King's movements.
Its charges were clearly heavier and faster.
Before lowering its head, it always scraped the ground twice with its right forehoof.
The armor on its back had high Defense. Bladesman's attacks there dealt only single-digit damage.
Its belly and the inside of its forelegs might be weak points.
Lu Tiechen's gaze grew more focused.
He wasn't watching for entertainment.
He was studying his prey—and his materials.