SWNOVELXO Chapter 2 - Hundred Times the Initial Supplies, Wild Dog Mountain
Chapter 2: Hundred Times the Initial Supplies, Wild Dog Mountain
“Ding!”
“You have been randomly assigned to Novice Village No. 9527. Adventurer [Lone Ranger], wish you an enjoyable game!”
A pleasant chime rang in his ears. Then, as light began to flash, Jiang Chen appeared in a novice village surrounded by bamboo fences and thatched huts, nestled among green hills and clear waters.
Looking around, the vast central plaza of the novice village was teeming with people, a dense, dark crowd.
“Experts leading a raid on Wild Chicken Mountain. No class requirement. Need two more players!”
“Level 2 elite leading a party to Wild Dog Mountain. Looking for a Priest. Departing immediately.”
“The Greedy Wolf Guild is recruiting! Join now for abundant benefits, veteran players will power level you! Outstanding members may even receive a [Safe Zone Residency Permit] as a guild reward. What are you waiting for? Join us now!”
“Money farming squad recruiting. Looking for long-term online players who can follow commands!”
The plaza was like a massive job fair, with recruitment shouts coming from all directions.
Some even offered the coveted [Safe Zone Residency Permit] as an incentive to attract enough members.
Before the Cataclysm, humanity had built powerful defense systems on the outskirts of certain cities—these were known as [Safe Zones]. Living within required a large amount of money, so currency had not depreciated; in fact, it had become even more precious.
Even a Level 3 [Safe Zone Residency Permit] cost at least 3 million Alliance Coins—a dream item for a poor man like Jiang Chen.
However, Jiang Chen had no intention of joining a guild. With his current talent—[Hundredfold Rewards]—money was no longer something out of reach.
As he contemplated this, Jiang Chen located the village chief and triggered a conversation.
“Brave adventurer [Lone Ranger], recently a large number of demonic wild dogs have appeared near the village. The villagers no longer dare venture into the mountains to hunt, and food supplies are running low. Are you willing to lend a hand to help the village?”
The village chief looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Ding!”
“Player, do you wish to accept the Novice Village quest: [Slay Demonic Wild Dogs]?”
“Quest Description: The village chief asks you to kill 40 Demonic Wild Dogs and collect their fangs. Upon completion, you will receive rewards from the village chief: Gold x1, EXP x400!”
“Accept!”
Jiang Chen accepted the quest without hesitation.
This was a task no player would skip. In Hope World, the official exchange rate was: 1 Gold = 500 Alliance Coins.
Which meant this single quest earned him 500 yuan*—an irresistible reward for impoverished players.
[*Yuan is the basic currency in China]
After accepting the quest, the village chief took out a silver coin: “Lone Ranger, I’m grateful that you’re willing to help the village. However, the demonic wild dogs are quite powerful. I suggest you first train your strength on Wild Chicken Mountain at the village entrance. Here’s 1 silver coin—I hope it can help you a bit.”
The village chief spoke kindly. This was likely the starter item for new players.
As soon as Jiang Chen received the silver coin, the system prompt rang out.
“Ding!”
“Congratulations! You have received a silver coin from the village chief. [Hundredfold Reward] triggered—final reward: 1 Gold Coin!”
Damn, it really is a hundredfold reward!
Jiang Chen was overjoyed. In Hope World, the coin exchange rate was: 1 Gold = 100 Silver = 10,000 Copper. One gold coin still went a long way in a novice village.
Grinning, he stashed the coin in his backpack.
…
After bidding farewell to the village chief—
Jiang Chen went to the blacksmith and opened the trade panel.
In Hope World, archers had to purchase arrows. Every shot consumed one arrow. Of course, there were also recoverable arrows, but they were expensive and retrieving them was time-consuming.
Most archer players early on chose recoverable arrows, since starter resources were limited. But Jiang Chen only focused on consumable arrows.
Rather than wasting time retrieving arrows, he’d rather kill a few more monsters. With his god-tier talent [Hundredfold Rewards], was there any money he couldn’t earn?
[Standard Iron Arrow]
Effect: Deals 100% physical damage to monsters. Non-recoverable.
Unit Price: 1 Copper Coin.
[Refined Iron Arrow]
Effect: +15 physical damage. Non-recoverable.
Unit Price: 5 Copper Coins.
In Hope World, arrows of different quality dealt different damage to monsters. Arrows with added damage were expensive—well beyond the budget of early-stage players.
No explanation needed—he had money and spent it freely.
Jiang Chen bought 10 bundles in one go—1,000 [Refined Iron Arrows] in total. Enough to support long-term battles.
The arrows cost 5,000 Copper Coins altogether—nearly half of his funds gone.
…
Leaving the blacksmith’s shop—
Jiang Chen turned toward the pharmacy and approached the female merchant.
Out in the field, potions were essential. However, since archers didn’t have skills to use early on, mana potions weren’t necessary—just a few red HP potions would do.
With that, his travel supplies were ready. He immediately set off for Wild Dog Mountain.
…
Outside the novice village lay Wild Chicken Mountain—populated with level 1–2 weak wild chickens. It was currently the most popular grinding spot for players, but the experience gain was minimal. Clearly a transitional map.
Jiang Chen didn’t stop and continued down a narrow forest trail, heading deep into the mountains.
The Demonic Wild Dogs were level 5 demonic beasts that lived further out, on Wild Dog Mountain. They were quite powerful—players needed to be at least level 4–5 to deal with them. But Jiang Chen already had two bronze items and one silver item equipped, so he was fearless.
Barefoot on dusty, decaying leaves, Jiang Chen carried his Dragontooth Stonecore Bow as he entered the area where the demonic wild dogs roamed. As expected, no other players were around.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
After a few steps, barking echoed in his ears. Jiang Chen parted the bushes to reveal a pack of pitch-black, ferocious demonic wild dogs.
[Demonic Wild Dog]
Level: Lv5
HP: 620
Attack: 53–67
Defense: 15
Description: Demonic wild dogs living in Wild Dog Mountain. Their fangs are extremely powerful. Without allies, it’s advised to stay away.
No doubt, the Demonic Wild Dogs had monstrous stats.
With 620 HP, even a fully stat-boosted, fully geared player would barely match them. Their attack could reach up to 67—an absolutely terrifying figure, comparable to a max-strength player. A solo player of the same level had no chance.
But Jiang Chen scoffed at the idea of grouping. He drew his longbow fully and aimed at a wild dog’s head.
Whoosh!
–66!
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A [Refined Iron Arrow] struck the target, and a solid damage number floated above the wild dog’s head.
Jiang Chen’s base damage was 66. The arrow added 15, for a total of 81. All five of his free attribute points had been allocated to Agility, since that was the core stat for archers.