This time, Xiao Chen changed his strategy.
Yes, he wasn't planning to join someone else's team anymore.
"I'm already level five, I can be the leader myself."
Instead of being disliked by others, it's better to take the initiative.
As soon as he reached the dungeon entrance, Xiao Chen called out in the surrounding channel while shouting:
"Level one dungeon looking for experienced players, total attributes below one hundred need not apply, freeloaders will be kicked!"
One freeloader in a team is enough; having another would be a big problem.
"Let's trick them into the dungeon first, anyway, they've paid, they can't just not play, right?"
To ensure a smooth dungeon run, Xiao Chen was very strict with his selection.
[Level six Summoner Lin Fan joined the team.]
[Level seven Guardian Li Jian joined the team.]
[Level eight Swordsman Su Ming joined the team.]
[Level five Healer Li Zhixin joined the team.]
Very nice, all elites!
Xiao Chen was confident that without his participation, these four could clear the level one dungeon on their own.
Especially Su Ming, who was fully equipped, and the sword in his hand looked much stronger than a broken wooden bow, probably a black iron-grade weapon.
A black iron-grade weapon was worth five to six hundred silver coins, with a much higher attack bonus.
Plus, with such a high level, the output might be close to two hundred.
Guardian Li Jian, wearing two pieces of whiteboard gear, had over a thousand health, more than capable of tanking a level one BOSS.
"Everyone's experienced, let's follow the default rules and enter the dungeon."
All coins picked up would be split evenly, equipment drops would depend on luck, and each person would pay two silver coins to enter the dungeon.
The level one dungeon had nine maps, and Xiao Chen chose the Bandit Camp.
The reason was simple, this map had a large number of monsters, allowing for more experience farming.
The level one dungeon map wasn't large, you could see the end at a glance.
***
Upon entering the dungeon, Xiao Chen saw a dense crowd of humanoid monsters.
"Ordinary Bandit: LV5.
Attack: 40
Defense: 12
Health: 200"
Xiao Chen looked at his own 180 health and knew it would be challenging to fight these monsters on his own.
Fortunately, the monsters in the level one dungeon weren't very intelligent, as long as you didn't get too close, they wouldn't attack proactively.
Li Jian was obviously familiar with this dungeon, as he rushed towards a monster as soon as he entered and then asked:"How do we plan to fight?"
Su Ming didn't even think before saying:"I have an area attack skill, gather the monsters together for a quick kill."
"My summoned beast is a Mystic Turtle, it can help tank a lot of damage."
"I only have one healing skill right now, as long as you don't pull too many monsters, I can keep your health up."
Seeing that everyone had everything arranged, Xiao Chen was overjoyed.
These were exactly the kind of teammates he needed!
"Don't worry, charge ahead, I'll provide ranged support."
Xiao Chen also spoke up.
He had to put on a show, after all, with so many monsters pulled together, shooting a few arrows could easily hit the targets.
***
"Damage -53"
Xiao Chen hit the target with an arrow, satisfied with his attack.
After all, the defense of these level one monsters was much higher than that of long-haired rabbits.
With a dozen or so monsters gathered together, Su Ming stepped forward with a sword:
"Whirlwind Slash!"
A sword aura was unleashed, and the health of five or six monsters dropped by more than half.
"Damn, this guy is a pro!"
With just one strike, Su Ming's total attack might be close to a thousand.
"Someone like this, I definitely need to add as a friend."
What else could he do, without other resources, networking would do.
Li Jian was also very strong, maintaining over eighty percent health despite being surrounded by so many monsters.
"Endless Vitality!"
"Iron Wall Guard!"
"Divine Tortoise Guard."
One awakened ability after another, making Xiao Chen extremely envious.
Xiao Chen had no choice but to shout: "Lethal Strike!"
Anyway, it was a probability skill, good for putting on a show.
If anyone questioned it, he could just say it didn't trigger.
Unexpectedly, when he shouted the skill, everyone looked at Xiao Chen.
"Brother Xiao, you awakened Lethal Strike?"
Even Su Ming, the pro, had a hint of envy in his eyes.
"Damn, this talent is extremely rare, I heard a senior once awakened this ability."
"Brother Xiao, what's the trigger probability for your skill?"
Everyone was very curious.
Having boasted, Xiao Chen had to keep up the act:"My skill is called One in a Million, with a one in ten thousand chance to trigger."
"That's not bad, once your attack speed increases, it'll be very effective against high-level BOSSes."
"Brother Xiao, once you level up, you can join many big guilds, they'll be eager to have you."
"If you need, I can introduce you to a guild."
Xiao Chen was speechless, how could these people talk so much while running a dungeon?
"Brother Xiao, when you make it big, don't forget to take care of us."
Explore the extended edition on pawread.com.
"Brothers who grow together, of course."
What else could he say, he had to agree.
[Successfully killed a bandit, experience +8, copper coins +4.]
Killing a level five ordinary monster dropped a total of twenty copper coins.
A level one dungeon had about a hundred monsters, and just the copper coin drops were worth two silver coins.
The level one BOSS also dropped two silver coins, and if an item dropped, the minimum profit from one dungeon run could be seven or eight silver coins.
As long as luck wasn't too bad, you could earn a little.
Of course, they could also gain a lot of experience by farming monsters here.
[Experience +8, copper coins +5]
A string of numbers popped up, making Xiao Chen extremely satisfied.
[Kill count +1]
In a short time, they had killed dozens of small monsters, and Xiao Chen had only actually killed one.
He didn't want to freeload, but he had no choice.
Fortunately, on the damage statistics panel, Su Ming accounted for seventy percent of the output, making Xiao Chen's contribution seem not too far off from the others.
If Lethal Strike didn't trigger, what could he do?
Luckily, his teammates were nice and didn't fuss too much.
The efficiency of the speed farming team was too high, and soon they had pushed all the way to the BOSS.
[Bandit Leader: LV5
Health: 1600
Attack: 120
Defense: 25
Skill: Body Reinforcement.]
Xiao Chen had initially thought about when he could solo this BOSS.
Now it seemed that it would be a long time before that happened.
With the current setup, killing a full-health BOSS wasn't difficult.
Su Ming and Li Jian charged in first and unleashed their attacks, and Xiao Chen only shot a few arrows before the battle was over.
[Ding, killed Bandit Leader, copper coins +400, experience +200]
After one dungeon run, Xiao Chen's experience increased by 800.
"Five more runs, and I should reach level six."
The higher the level, the harder it was to level up.
Xiao Chen didn't know if he had enough silver coins to run five more times.
It depended on luck.
[Two items dropped, a Ordinary Gauntlet and a Power Grass.]
"Ordinary Gauntlet, Attack +6"
Nice attributes, could sell for seven or eight silver coins.
The Power Grass could sell for two silver coins in the marketplace.
"Ordinary Power Grass, consuming increases strength by +1."
A bit helpless, Xiao Chen's luck wasn't great, he didn't get anything.
This dungeon run cost 2 silver coins, gained 800 experience, and 1 silver coin.
Alright, he lost one silver coin.
Each dungeon run was still a great experience.
If possible, he would love to keep teaming up with these people.
"Are you guys going for another run?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Chen was, of course, very willing to follow and run a few more times, after all, good teammates were hard to find.
His silver coins could support two more runs.
If he had enough money, Xiao Chen could run dungeons day and night, tirelessly.
The five-man team, except for Xiao Chen, was quite strong.
***
Running a dungeon was still very efficient, taking less than half an hour to complete.
"Xiao Chen, there are nine level one dungeons in total.
Clearing each one grants an achievement, should we switch dungeons?"
Hearing about achievements, Xiao Chen didn't hesitate to switch maps.
The game had been around for almost three hundred years, with countless humans having fallen before.
Naturally, they had accumulated a wealth of experience, providing invaluable references for newcomers.
There were many guides for level one dungeons, but Xiao Chen had been too busy farming monsters to study them.
It seemed he needed to proactively learn some knowledge.
If it weren't for Su Ming's reminder, Xiao Chen wouldn't have known about this achievement.
Xiao Chen received a kill achievement, understanding that the rewards for an achievement were quite generous.
Currently, there weren't many ways for Xiao Chen to improve his strength, so he had to seize every opportunity.
"Brother Su, where did you learn about this achievement?"
"Open the panel, there's a forum inside.
Most knowledge about the Awakened can be found there."
"Yes, when we first awakened, we spent an entire day reading guides in there, and it was very rewarding."
"There are many Archers who have awakened, and many share their growth experiences, you should check it out."
"If you don't understand something, you can also shout in the class channel.
If someone sees it, they'll try to help."
With the game descent, humanity faced survival pressure.
At this time, humans were quite united.
Every Awakened who grew stronger was an additional help when facing monsters.
After awakening his talent, Xiao Chen had been grinding monsters day and night, with no time to focus on these things.
"It seems I need to spend some time each day learning guides.
If I could learn while farming monsters, that would be even better."
For Xiao Chen, time was very precious.
Of course, he still had to work hard on dungeons.
Xiao Chen selected the next dungeon and was about to teleport.
Suddenly, a line of golden text appeared before his eyes.
At the same time, a voice sounded in his ear:
[Plane Announcement: Blue Star Plane Tigerkin expert Bai Ye has slain a Bronze-level leader at the Abyss Rift.
All Awakened on the Blue Star Plane, total attributes +1.]
The sudden plane broadcast left Xiao Chen momentarily stunned.
The surrounding area, which had been bustling with noise, suddenly fell silent.
Clearly, everyone had heard this broadcast.
What level was a Bronze-level leader? And it was slain by a non-human.
The reward of +1 to all attributes was incredibly generous!
[Plane Announcement: Human Awakened Yang Xiao has slain a level 101 Necromancer Lord!
All Awakened on the Blue Star Plane, total attributes +1]
[Plane Announcement: Dragonrise Guild successfully repelled a Cataclysm Invasion, establishing a primary territory.
All Awakened on the Blue Star Plane, silver coins +10.]
Seeing this reward, Xiao Chen really wanted to kneel to the Dragonrise Guild.
At a time when he was most in need of money, someone had delivered ten silver coins to him.
How many Awakened could this money help through their toughest times?
This was truly a gift in a time of need.
It could be said that these ten silver coins would change Xiao Chen's fate.
The plane broadcast wasn't over yet, Xiao Chen saw six or seven more broadcasts.
[Successfully killed a Bronze-level Broodmother, all Awakened gain +1 to all attributes.]
In just a short time, his total attributes increased by thirty points.
This was equivalent to the attributes gained from leveling up three times!
Outside the dungeon teleportation point, everyone was in an uproar.
"Haha, we don't have to be teleported outside the city for now."
"With these attribute bonuses, we can all tackle level two dungeons."
"Attack increased by 12 points, health increased by 120."
Everyone was extremely excited, in an instant, they saw hope.
For level one Awakened, their attributes had doubled.
Those senior Awakened were paving the way for them with their lives.
Su Ming was initially as happy as everyone else, but he suddenly realized something: "To have killed so many high-level monsters in succession, something big must be happening in this world."
The broadcasts were too frequent, indicating a major battle was happening somewhere.
"Look, the Level Rankings are changing."
"Damn, Sword God Zhao's name is gone."
Xiao Chen quickly opened the panel, it was his first time paying attention to this leaderboard. As soon as he opened the rankings, he saw the name ranked ninth dim and then disappear.
At that moment, a top ten expert on Blue Star had fallen.
If a top ten expert had fallen, let alone other professionals.
Naturally, others at the dungeon teleportation point saw it too.
The cheers slowly died down, and eventually, the entire square became very oppressive.
Suddenly, another line of golden text appeared:
[Plane Broadcast: Human Awakened Qin Haotian has become the first to break through level 100.
All Awakened on Blue Star, total attributes +5]
On the leaderboard, Qin Haotian's level changed from 99 to 100.
This news made Xiao Chen's blood boil.
Indeed, many senior Awakened had fallen, but there were still those who pressed on.
"When will my name appear here, then I could die without regrets."
With deep respect for the seniors, Xiao Chen and his team entered the dungeon again.
Thanks to the seniors' blessings, Xiao Chen's attributes increased by 11 points each.
For those with already high attributes, these bonuses weren't much.
But for Xiao Chen, these attributes were crucial.
"Health increased by 220 points, attack increased by 22."
Attack speed and defense also greatly enhanced.
His health, originally just over a hundred, suddenly soared to four hundred.
"Attack power is almost reaching a hundred."
The key was he now had over ten silver coins, allowing him to continuously run level one dungeons.
Each dungeon run yielded a profit, so the actual cost per run was minimal.
"These silver coins can sustain about twenty dungeon runs."
Each run took less than half an hour, so twenty runs could be completed in less than a day.
"Brothers, how about we run twenty dungeons in a row?"
Xiao Chen felt he had endless energy, he wanted to grow, he wanted to strive.
Lin Fan: "Sure, today we'll clear all the level one dungeons."
Su Ming: "Twenty runs aren't enough, I need to reach level ten today.
After reaching level ten, I want to go kill monsters in the wild."
Hearing this, Xiao Chen was full of admiration.
Even if he reached level ten, he wouldn't have the courage to venture into the wild.
Even for experts at levels fifty or sixty, the wild was full of dangers.
"Once I reach level ten, I can contract a second summoned beast, I aim to reach level ten within half a month."
"After breaking through to level ten, there will be a significant boost, then we can prepare for level two dungeons."
Xiao Chen hadn't had much hope initially, but when he suggested it, all five agreed to run twenty dungeons in a row.
Many were striving hard, not just Xiao Chen.
Not only Xiao Chen's team, but the entire Blue Star Plane began a leveling frenzy.
As long as there was a glimmer of hope, everyone was willing to fight with their lives.
"Upon reaching level ten, the Plane Treasury rewards 10 silver coins."
This news made Xiao Chen's eyes light up, meaning after reaching level ten, he could run dozens more level one dungeons.
With improved attributes, the second dungeon run was noticeably faster.
Xiao Chen's luck wasn't great, he didn't manage to grab any equipment in the first four runs.
On the fifth run, Xiao Chen finally got a pair of shoes.
[Ordinary Shoes, Move Speed +1, Attack +5!]
Finally, he had a piece of equipment.
Without thinking, Xiao Chen put them on.
Instantly, he felt much lighter, his move speed significantly increased.
"These shoes are worth ten silver coins, equivalent to recouping the investment from the first five runs."
Xiao Chen's current wealth: 8 silver 16 copper.
[Ding, Level +1, Total Attributes +1, Free Attribute Points +5.]
[Xiao Chen: LV6 (5000) (4987 experience to level up)]
[Total Attributes: 158 Health: 420 Attack: 109]
Seeing his growing strength, Xiao Chen was very pleased.
Leveling up increased his experience per monster kill by one point.
The further he progressed, the harder it became to level up, taking years to level up in the later stages.
[Kill count +1]
[Kill count +2]
With increased attack power, kill counts occasionally popped up.
He was getting closer to completing his first One in a Million.
***
By the time they cleared the seventh dungeon, Xiao Chen's kill count reached 8500.
[Ding, you obtained an Ordinary Agility Spirit Herb.]
[Each Agility Spirit Herb consumed increases agility by +1, each trialist can consume up to 10.]
Naturally, Xiao Chen wanted to increase his attributes, but he was really short on money.
Without thinking, he put it up in the marketplace.
[Ding, Silver Coins +3.]
3 silver coins, enough for a few more dungeon runs.
[Ding, you cleared the level one Mist Island.
Total dungeon rewards: Experience: 820, Copper Coins: 410, Kill Count: 18]
[Ding, you cleared all level one dungeons, achievement unlocked: Beginner's Journey.
Total Attributes +1, Silver Coins +2]
Finally, all cleared!
He was 2913 experience away from leveling up.
After clearing all, naturally, he continued running.
***
After twenty runs, eight hours had passed.
The dungeon efficiency was high, each run taking less than half an hour.
By this time, it was already eleven at night.
Xiao Chen felt he couldn't keep running, he needed a few hours of rest.
Before leaving the team, Xiao Chen and the others added each other as friends.
Su Ming: "I'm planning to run ten more, anyone who wants to keep running can stay."
Xiao Chen: "Running ten more, I'm impressed!"
Su Ming wasn't just talented and wealthy, he was also incredibly hardworking.
Despite running so many dungeons, Xiao Chen felt it was worth it.
It was the fastest he had grown since awakening.
[Xiao Chen, LV7(8000) Total Attributes: 172 Attack: 129]
"Finally, I have three pieces of whiteboard equipment."
Clothes, shoes, and wrist guards, significantly boosting Xiao Chen's overall strength.
"Unfortunately, I'm running out of money again."
Xiao Chen glanced at his wealth: 3 silver 685 copper.
"It's not a big problem, if needed, I can sell two pieces of whiteboard gear."
In terms of silver coins, running twenty rounds didn't lose money, nor did it make much.
This was normal, expecting to make money from level one dungeons wasn't realistic.
Whiteboard equipment was too common, not fetching high prices.
"Other gear isn't a big deal, I need to get a better weapon."
With his attack power now significantly increased, he could kill a small monster with two arrows, and wouldn't be kicked out of someone else's team.
"I still need to level up quickly, reaching level ten would require about sixty more level one dungeon runs."
If he had the money, one or two days would suffice.
"Let's sleep first, and deal with it tomorrow."
***
Xiao Chen was really broke, so he naturally slept on the square outside the teleportation point.
Just lying down for a few hours would do.
Of course, he was still a bit excited, not very sleepy.
Xiao Chen opened the forum, wanting to learn some useful knowledge.
It was Xiao Chen's first time browsing the forum, and reading about other Archers' growth experiences was very interesting.
Most Archers awakened with E or F-grade talents.
D-grade professional talents were common, C-grade was one in a hundred.
Suddenly, a panel screenshot appeared in Xiao Chen's view:
"Xiao Lingfei, Human, LV1.
Strength: 128 Agility: 89..."
Seeing this panel, Xiao Chen sat up.
"Damn, this is level one? Total attributes over five hundred!"
Xiao Chen was now level seven, with a total attribute of just over a hundred, much of it from attribute rewards from the whole plane.
Xiao Chen glanced at his level ranking: 1787546896.
Out of a total of two billion Awakened, he ranked around eighteen billion.
"Level seven combat power ranking: 68265487."
Out of eighty million, he ranked around seventy million, quite far back.
Moreover, these numbers kept changing.
If he slept, he might fall behind significantly.
Reading various messages on the forum, Xiao Chen unknowingly fell asleep.
He was exhausted.
***
He originally planned to sleep for three hours, but ended up sleeping until the next morning.
"Another few hours wasted, truly shameful."
Looking at the total ranking, the change wasn't particularly significant.
Overnight, many surpassed him, but many ahead of him also fell.
Upon waking, he had to get to work, munching on dry bread while preparing to open the marketplace.
"Sell the gear, continue grinding dungeons."
The three pieces of gear had been worn for less than a day before being sold, Xiao Chen was a bit reluctant.
Just then, he saw a shout: "Newbie seeking level one dungeon carry, will cover dungeon costs, unlimited runs."
What a great offer to cover costs, what an unlimited run, it was perfect for him.
Without thinking, Xiao Chen joined.
If they dared to offer unlimited runs, Xiao Chen could grind them until they were sick of it.
"Ding, you have joined Sun Jian's team."
Upon joining the team, Xiao Chen was a bit dumbfounded.
What did he see?
"Sun Jian, Shield Guardian, Level 1"
"Sun Hao, Artificer, Level 1."
"Xu Qing, Priest, Level 1."
"Wang Min, Alchemist, Level 1."
So, it was a 4-for-1.
Moreover, none of the four were DPS classes, and two had switched to life classes.
Seeing this all-level-one lineup, Xiao Chen was about to click leave.
He wasn't a pro, how could he carry so many level ones?
Even with high talent, a level one's total attributes were only fifty or sixty points, possibly getting killed by the BOSS.
Dying in a dungeon meant real death.
Not everyone was like Xiao Lingfei.
"Sorry, wrong team."
Just as Xiao Chen was about to leave, Sun Jian quickly stopped him:
"Pro, please carry us?
We have some basic gear, we won't drag you down too much."
Sun Jian was very sincere, probably having encountered several people like Xiao Chen who chose to leave.
"Bro, it's not that I don't want to carry you, I'm just a weakling myself.
The other small monsters are manageable, but your tank can't withstand the BOSS's damage."
"Then we won't fight the BOSS, we'll clear the monsters and exit.
After all, the small monsters also provide a lot of experience."
Hearing this, Xiao Chen was stunned.
Starting a dungeon cost 10 silver coins.
Not fighting the BOSS was a huge waste.
"Bro, are you guys really that rich?"
"We pooled together 1 gold coin, hoping to reach level five or above."
1 gold coin, that's a thousand silver coins, enough for 100 runs.
"Truly impressive!
Since you have no objections, let's enter the dungeon.
As long as you want to run, I can accompany you."
Without fighting the BOSS, there was nothing to fear, Xiao Chen was incredibly strong against the small monsters.
With over a hundred attack, he could kill a small monster with two arrows.
"Reaching level five is too easy, even just fighting small monsters, seven or eight runs should do."
Among the four level one Awakened, only Sun Jian and Xu Qing could help.
The other two were life classes, with attacks only in the teens or twenties, similar to Xiao Chen back then.
Xiao Chen was at least a ranged class, even with low attack, he could contribute.
"Perhaps, after a few runs, we can fight the BOSS."
Upon entering the dungeon, Xiao Chen heard a prompt:
[Ding, Xu Qing has cast Battle Inspiration on you, Attack +13]
[Ding, Xu Qing has cast Rejuvenation on you, +5 health per second]
"Damn, amazing."
Being treated like this for the first time, Xiao Chen couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
Was this the treatment only the main force received?
Xu Qing's professional talent might be quite high, at least D-grade.
"This might be another big shot."
Xiao Chen's talent level was too low, there were too many stronger than him.
Sun Jian, the Shield Guardian, was also extraordinary, having six hundred health at level one.
If he reached level five and added all free attributes to constitution, his health would really reach a thousand.
In the future, Sun Jian could become an excellent tank.
"Looking at it this way, it's quite impressive."
Raising from level one to two required only 100 experience, just 13 small monsters.
"Shooting three rounds would do, a matter of minutes."
[Ding, Experience +18, Copper Coins +15.]
Xiao Chen was level seven, three monsters only gave 18 experience.
"Wow, about to level up, pro is amazing."
"Keep it up!"
Xiao Chen was just doing normal output, yet occasionally received some cheers.
Such great teammates, not only helping with money but also providing emotional support.
Growing up, Xiao Chen had never experienced this, honestly, it felt nice.
Four flashes of light, and the four leveled up to level two.
Xiao Chen watched Sun Jian's health, which increased by two hundred points.
"Wait, how is it two hundred points?"
Xiao Chen was a bit shocked, ten constitution increased health by two hundred points.
Leveling up provided ten constitution?
Meaning, Sun Jian gained at least 9 free attribute points per level, four more than Xiao Chen.
"Damn!"
Another big shot, a C-grade professional, maybe even B-grade.
After all, Sun Jian might not have added all attributes to constitution.
Yes, seeing such attribute bonuses, Xiao Chen was really envious.
He had to kill ten thousand small monsters for one attribute point, while this guy gained four or five points per level.
"Can't compare, or else my mindset will crumble."
"Pro, after these small monsters, we can reach level three!"
Xiao Chen nodded, the leveling speed was indeed fast.
No, who was the pro here?
"Stop calling me pro, just call me Xiao Chen."
This was destined to be a short-lived dream, his time as a pro wouldn't last an hour.
Xiao Chen stopped talking, picked up the Spirit Arrow, and continued to increase output.
Soon, all the small monsters in a dungeon were cleared.
"Experience +600, Copper Coins +487, Kill Count +100."
Seeing these rewards, Xiao Chen was instantly happy.
In less than half an hour, he earned so much.
Bear in mind, this was a no-cost business.
Unfortunately, they couldn't kill the BOSS, otherwise, they could've gained 400 copper coins.
The BOSS had high attack and health, and Xiao Chen's output wasn't outstanding, making it very difficult to fight.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan