Chapter 72 - 72 69 Tearing the Ticket

72: Chapter 69: Tearing the Ticket 72: Chapter 69: Tearing the Ticket Xiao Jie deeply agreed with this, the thing about games is that monsters often follow certain patterns that can be figured out, and as long as you don’t do something stupid, you won’t die. But players, these creatures, can’t be judged by common sense at all, who knows what kind of sneaky tricks they can come up with. When Hardcore World of Warcraft was first tested, there was a quirky player who joined a hardcore guild and struggled alongside them, leveling up, defeating monsters, gaining reputation and nurturing junior members, and earned the guild’s trust. Then, while battling the second-to-last boss in the highest difficulty instance, he suddenly turned hostile, using the boss’s mechanics to kill the entire team. This move directly led to the dissolution of the gaming guild and also caused countless players to quit the game. All just for fun. So it was never too cautious to be wary of potential threats like Ximen Wuhen. But the thought of not being able to go out and level up for several days was a bit depressing. He was really getting into his leveling groove. Luckily, there were still other things to do, tasks to run, skills to learn. Oh right, if he wanted to learn the Beast Taming Skill, he’d have to take on the task of pig herding as well, might as well go feed the pigs tomorrow. The two of them repaired their equipment and sold their junk. After leaving the blacksmith shop, they prepared to head to the tavern to log off. Upon arriving at the tavern, however, he noticed that Ximen Wuhen was sitting at a table near the door, drinking a pot of old wine. Xiao Jie ignored him and headed straight to rent a room to log off. Ximen Wuhen took the initiative to greet him, “Hey, friend, what should I call you?” “Hidden Moon Following Wind.” Xiao Jie answered tersely. The other party had probably asked for his real name, but Xiao Jie only gave his game nickname, clearly rejecting any further interaction. Ximen Wuhen didn’t mind and chuckled, “Are you interested in teaming up for leveling? I can level you up for a fee.” “No need.” “Don’t be so quick to reject, man, I’m a professional. I can level you up quickly and efficiently. You can pick up any loot that drops from monsters, and I only take my commission.” “I said no need!” Xiao Jie’s tone became a bit harsher. “Alright, alright, forget I said anything. Eh, is your name I Want to Be Immortal? What’s your relation to I Want to Seal the Sky?” “My elder brother…” “Hahaha, I didn’t expect that. To meet a friend’s little brother here, I’m old buddies with I Want to Seal the Sky, let me level you up.” “I don’t have money.” “No need for money, no need to talk money with the little brother of an old friend.” Xiao Jie watched this person with a discerning eye, finding his flippant statements hardly believable. “Enough, we’re not interested in you. If you want to find someone, find someone else.” Ximen Wuhen paused but he didn’t get angry. “Jeez, why so tense?! You guys must have heard something from Wang Kai, right? I’m telling you he’s just fooling you. That kid says anything to sell gold by scaring you off from leveling with me, so you’d have to buy his gold at a high price. Well, good intentions taken for ingratitude, forget I said anything.” Xiao Jie didn’t bother with him anymore and entered the guest room with I Want to Be Immortal. “Don’t worry, Feng, I won’t fall for it,” I Want to Be Immortal said. Xiao Jie grunted in acknowledgment. Given the other party’s overly dramatic acting, he didn’t think I Want to Be Immortal would be naive enough to be deceived. But he was equally curious, Generally speaking, newcomers don’t have good equipment to loot, so what was this guy doing in Newbie Village ambushing new players? ———————— The next day, I Don’t Eat Beef logged in early, looked around to make sure no one was there, and sneaked out of the village. He was very wary of that Ximen Wuhen from yesterday. Having been in business for so many years, I Don’t Eat Beef was seasoned in worldly dealings, and he knew Ximen Wuhen was not someone to be associated with easily. Even if Wang Kai hadn’t warned him, he wouldn’t have believed him. Better to level up quietly alone. Equipped and ready, with his potions and tools all set, today was his day for ascension. “Skill Book! Skill Book! Drop a skill book!” At that moment, I Don’t Eat Beef was brandishing his Fine Steel Long Sword, ruthlessly chopping at the soulless zombies before him. With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, clad in iron armor, he was slaying the soulless zombies like a one-man army. In the blink of an eye, he had felled several soulless zombies. Looking at the corpses scattered around, I Don’t Eat Beef thought that wasn’t so tough, whatever Wang Kai said about the monsters being difficult seemed like a joke to such a skilled fighter as himself. The monsters looked intimidating, but they really had no combat power. “It’s just annoying that none of them drop any fur,” he muttered, picking up the copper coins that fell to the ground and continuing his monster-slaying leveling. There were many soulless zombies in this area, and in less than an hour, a flash of golden light—leveled up! Looking at the five additional attribute points, I Don’t Eat Beef hesitated not a bit and added them all to his Constitution. Feeling his body suddenly become refreshed and unobstructed, the middle-aged man’s ailments disappeared without a trace, and I Don’t Eat Beef was delighted beyond words. Hahaha, that feels great! This game really is magical. Even without Skill, just adding attribute points is enough. While he was happily pondering, suddenly a sinister voice arose from behind. “What’s making you so happy, let’s hear it, make me happy too.” I Don’t Eat Beef turned around and his heart skipped a beat, it was Ximen Wuhen. He thought about how to butter him up a bit. Suddenly, the other man swung his sword at him. -23! “What the hell, man!” “Screw you!” said Ximen Wuhen with a cold laugh. At this moment, in the wild with no one else around, Ximen Wuhen dropped all pretense. I Don’t Eat Beef was both shocked and angry, knowing all too well what fate awaited a level 2 newbie against a level 14 “big account.” How could he possibly win. But he had to fight back anyway. He swung his blade, but the other casually dodged, playing with him as if he were a child. A Cross Slash, and his blood volume hit rock bottom in an instant. Damn! I Don’t Eat Beef felt his heart sink. He turned to run, but Ximen Wuhen closed the gap with a sweeping leg kick, knocking him to the ground. Dual Blades poised over I Don’t Eat Beef’s head, he made a chopping gesture. I Don’t Eat Beef yelled out in terror, “Bro, calm down, we can talk, we have had no past grudges recently, why are you hitting me!” “Heh, don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. Just transfer one million to my account, one million for your life, it’s a bargain, isn’t it.” At this, I Don’t Eat Beef felt a momentary relief, but then his anxiety surged again. He was an old hand in worldly matters. If one million could really save his life, he would pay it, but he feared that even after receiving the money the other might still kill to silence him. His mind whirled, and he quickly thought of a plan. “Alright, add me on WeChat, I’ll transfer it to you immediately.” If he could identify the other, the likely would not break their promise. “Hahaha, forget WeChat, I have an overseas account.” With that, he reported an account number. I Don’t Eat Beef thought to himself that this was bad, an overseas account? He was trying to leave no traces of the crime. “Heh, come on, bro, I’m just a simple man, I don’t know how to deal with such high tech, just add me on WeChat, I’m familiar with it, or give me a domestic bank account, I’ll transfer the money right away.” But Ximen Wuhen didn’t waste any words and directly struck with his blade, his blood volume instantly dropping to single digits. “Don’t be ungrateful, give the money now or I’ll send you to your death immediately. And just so you know, you’re not my first target, I can always find another if you resist.” “Stop, stop, stop! I’ll transfer the money.” I Don’t Eat Beef hastily shouted, thinking it was over, facing a ruthless killer likely to silence him. But he seemed to have no other option but to pay. After thinking it over, he said tremulously, “Swear that as long as I transfer the money, you won’t kill me.” “Heh, sure, I swear if you transfer one million to me, I won’t kill you, or may lightning strike me. Is that good enough?” The flippant tone in Ximen Wuhen’s voice made I Don’t Eat Beef even more uneasy, but now he had no other choice. He’d take the gamble, hoping that the other man would spare his life for the sake of the money. The one million was quickly transferred. “Hahaha, you really are rich, bro, I’ve received the money.” “Can I go now?” I Don’t Eat Beef said pitifully. “Go? Why the rush to leave?” Ximen Wuhen raised his hand, and a cloud of grey mist covered I Don’t Eat Beef’s body, turning it grey. System Alert: You’ve been paralyzed. Then Ximen Wuhen violently threw a piece of meat on the ground — Beast Temptation! In no time, several wild dogs emerged from the woods. After wolfing down the baited meat, they were initially drawn to it. They first glanced at Ximen Wuhen but shrank back in fear, then looked toward I Don’t Eat Beef lying on the ground and immediately started barking threateningly. I Don’t Eat Beef knew all too well what the other was aiming to do. “You promised not to kill me!” “I did say I wouldn’t kill you, but I didn’t say I’d save you,” replied Ximen Wuhen. “Killing accrues a red name, and I’m not foolish.” As Ximen Wuhen stepped aside, I Don’t Eat Beef was immediately surrounded by several wild dogs.