After washing up, Jiang Han eagerly put on his gaming helmet and entered the game.
"Shua!"
With a flash of white light, he appeared within the Wild Bull Territory, surrounded by freshly spawned wild bulls.
Without hesitation, Jiang Han wielded his Wild Bull Sword and swiftly took down a few bulls, adhering to the principle of gathering every grain, he picked up the copper coins scattered on the ground.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Jiang Han's eyes lit up as he spotted a pair of bracers dropped beside a bull's corpse. He quickly picked them up and used his Scout Skill, bringing up the attribute panel—
【Cowhide Bracers】 (Whiteboard Grade)
Defense: 2-2
Description: Made of cowhide, the style is outdated, only the weak would find it appealing.
He had been farming wild bulls all night with unmatched efficiency, and considering the bracers that had just dropped, he had only acquired two pieces of equipment. The low drop rate in "Eternal" was evident.
Equipping the bracers increased his defense by 2 points, raising it to 16-18. The wild bulls' attacks could no longer break through his defense, only dealing one or two points of damage. For a novice, his attributes were akin to a cow flying a plane—utterly impressive.
Without delay, as players were generally figuring out how to leave the Novice Village, he quickly returned, drawing much attention from other players.
"Damn, a pro!"
"This crappy game has me stuck in the Novice Village, yet some players are already soaring. I can't even scout this guy's level; he must be at least five levels higher than me!"
"I haven't even beaten a slime yet, I'm thinking of quitting..."
...
In "Eternal," the concept of pants doesn't exist. Armor includes the lower body, and aside from potentially special equipment, the basic gear consists of only a weapon, armor, helmet, bracers, shoes, leggings, and rings.
Thus, from an appearance standpoint, Jiang Han was fully equipped except for leggings and a helmet. To the players still in novice gear in the village, he appeared overwhelmingly powerful.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Han shouted, "Selling equipment, two pieces in total, pay first, then trade!"
With the announcement system for broadcasting within a certain range not yet available, attracting attention in the Novice Village relied solely on shouting, which had limited reach.
"Equipment?"
Instantly, a crowd of players swarmed around, surrounding Jiang Han tightly.
Displaying the Soldier's Iron Sword and Soldier's Leather Armor, Jiang Han said, "Highest bidder wins."
"These two whiteboard items with such trashy stats, only I would want them, how about a hundred each?" a player spoke up.
A hundred each? Buddy, why don't you aim for the sky?
Jiang Han gave him a look of pity for his ignorance and repeated, "Highest bidder wins!"
"I'll offer five hundred!"
"One thousand!"
"Two thousand!"
...
Fortunately, not everyone was so clueless. These two pieces of equipment, which would be ignored in other games, sold for an astonishingly high price in "Eternal."
Scarcity increases value!
Whether in games or reality, as long as something has value, this saying holds true.
"Twenty thousand, I want both pieces!"
A middle-aged man with bronze skin and an average build pushed through the crowd, examined the equipment, and then sized up Jiang Han with a smile, "Young man, you're quite skilled. Interested in joining my guild? We can negotiate a good salary."
"…"
With a five-figure offer, there were no more bids from the surrounding crowd.
Offering such a high price for two soon-to-be-obsolete novice items, it was clear the buyer wasn't short on cash, making further bidding unnecessary.
"Sorry, I just want to be a solo player for now," Jiang Han shook his head in refusal.
Although gaming guilds are well-established now, joining one comes with many demands. For instance, if there's a boss fight, you must log in to help, and there's clocking in and signing, or you lose guild points. Yet, when it comes to distributing equipment, the guild's higher-ups decide, which goes against Jiang Han's principles and limits his potential.
"Alright then."
The man didn't insist, not willing to go to great lengths to recruit a new player. After some thought, he said, "Let's add each other as friends. If you have any good equipment, you can sell it to our Dragon Clan first. We'll make sure you're satisfied with the price."
"Sure!" Jiang Han agreed.
Connecting with guilds that aren't short on cash allows him to avoid the time-wasting "stalling" and quickly get a fair price, so he wouldn't refuse.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: Longteng Wanli requests to add you as a friend, do you accept?
"Yes!"
At the same time, the man learned his name and was slightly surprised, "So you're Yi Jiang Han Shui?"
As the recipient of the server's first boss kill announcement, this name naturally trended, discussed by countless people, making it hard for him not to know.
Even though the man's level was high enough to obscure Jiang Han's Scouting Skill, Jiang Han had already anticipated that this was the very celebrity currently riding the high wave of that "First Kill" fame.
"If I have good equipment in the future, I'll contact you. Don't rip me off then," Jiang Han joked, privately sending his bank account number to the man.
"Hahaha, no worries."
Longteng Wanli smoothly completed the transaction.
...
Removing his gaming helmet, Jiang Han placed a pancake in a frying pan to heat, drank a glass of water, and quickly called his mom.
"Hello!"
A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Mom," Jiang Han said, "I received the pickled vegetables you sent."
"As long as you got them. I know you like them, so I sent extra. Is work tiring? I heard from Uncle Chen next door that there are many expenses when you first start working. If you need money, I can send you tens of thousands..."
Jiang Han smiled, "Not tiring, the boss appreciates me. I've recently received tens of thousands in bonuses."
"Already getting tens of thousands just a few months into work?" The voice on the other end sounded pleasantly surprised.
Her son doing well naturally made her happy.
"Yes."
Jiang Han smiled, "Don't worry, Mom. I'm doing well out here. If money's tight at home, I can send twenty thousand back."
"We're not short on money. As long as your work goes well..."
...
After a ten-minute call, Jiang Han hung up, filled up with a pickled vegetable pancake for lunch, and quickly logged back in.
Time is precious in the early stages of the game, and he needed to continue expanding his advantage.
After a round in the Novice Village, confirming no available quests, Jiang Han spent fifty copper coins on a healing potion and decisively left.
According to the shopkeeper, this healing potion could be used twenty times.
【Healing Potion】
Effect: Restores 50 health points per second for 10 seconds after use
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Description: A concentrated pill favored by adult natives of the Novice Village, said to be beneficial for energy and kidney health when taken three times a day, eight pills at a time.
Stepping onto the soft grass and leaving the Novice Village, heading to a more challenging leveling spot, Jiang Han felt pleased seeing the extra twenty thousand in his bank account.
This was his first significant earnings from the game, and it was a five-figure sum!
Though he considered himself a seasoned gamer, as a recent college graduate, earning twenty thousand in one go was undeniably exciting.
A few minutes later, passing through the Wild Bull Territory, he saw a group of players teaming up to farm monsters. After a brief hesitation, he shook his head, "Forget the wild bulls..."
With his current gear and level, going after wild bulls would be a waste of time. Despite the fast efficiency, the experience gained from them was pitifully low at higher levels.
Beyond the Wild Bull Territory, a valley came into view. Outside the valley, lush greenery and birdsong painted a picturesque scene, but the presence of large Gray Wolves added a chilling danger to the beauty.
【Gray Wolf】 (Normal Monster)
Level: 10
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".
Health: 2000
Attack: 25-30
Defense: 18
Skill: 【Bite】
Description: The Gray Wolves are the rulers of this valley, their power making them the dominant force in the Novice Village. Countless adventurers have met their end at their jaws, becoming mere sustenance.