"Hmm, a white item dropped!"
Johnnie had just killed two more goblins, and his Lucky Master ability had activated. After killing ten monsters, he was guaranteed to drop a white item.
And this time, it was a longsword.
[Rusty Iron Sword: Level 1 White Equipment, Usable by Warrior Class; Physical Damage +2, Strength +1]
This equipment added 3 points of damage.
It was definitely a powerful item for the Beginner Village.
He quickly discarded his broken wooden sword and equipped the rusty iron sword.
With his current damage, he could now kill a goblin in about five hits.
"Let's keep going!" His confidence soared as he eyed the two goblins wandering nearby, charging toward them.
Already, players had begun to form teams in the forest.
The sounds of battle soon caught the attention of a team of players.
It was the same group of players who had invited Johnnie earlier—now with an additional warrior.
"A pro! He's fighting two goblins alone!"
"It's that newbie warrior," the archer player recognized Johnnie and exclaimed.
"Such high damage! Looks like he has a white weapon."
The group watched in amazement as Johnnie fought, clearly shocked.
It was the first time they'd seen someone take on two goblins by themselves.
The two goblins were quickly slain, dropping a wooden shield and a copper coin.
"Loot drop!" The lead knight stared at the wooden shield. Even though it was gray equipment, it was still far stronger than the newbie shield he was currently using.
A flash of greed appeared in his eyes, but he ultimately held back.
With five of them, they probably wouldn't be able to take down this warrior.
Johnnie noticed the group but paid them no mind. He collected the goblin ears and the dropped items before turning to leave.
"Wait!" The knight quickly called out to him.
"Is there something you need?" Johnnie furrowed his brows, cautious. There was no protection outside the Beginner Village, and it wasn't uncommon for players to fight over monsters in the wild.
The knight put on a friendly smile and said, "Hey, brother, could you sell me that wooden shield you just got? I'll transfer the payment to you directly."
Johnnie glanced at him and replied, "I don't accept transfers, in-game currency only. One gold coin."
Right now, 1 gold coin was worth 1,000 yuan, which was the standard price for gray equipment.
"No problem, I'll recharge right now." The knight player stood still for a moment, then quickly topped up 1,000 yuan and exchanged it for 1 gold coin. He sent the trade request to Johnnie.
Players were able to trade with each other, and the system protected the transactions.
There were also remote trading and gifting functions, though these involved a small transaction fee.
"Physical Defense +1, this is an artifact!" The players exclaimed, looking at the wooden shield in their hands.
Johnnie couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of their wide-eyed, inexperienced reactions.
In his previous life, he had been just as excited when he finally got a piece of gray equipment.
"I've got a few more pieces of gray equipment. Still one gold coin each. Interested?" He casually took out several pieces of gray equipment from his inventory.
A wooden bow, a piece of leather armor, and a staff for the priest class—these were all gray-quality items.
"Yes, yes!" The knight swallowed, his eyes lighting up. These gray items had stat boosts, and he quickly recharged 3 gold coins, initiating the trade.
After getting the three pieces of equipment, he generously handed them out to his teammates.
With the trade complete, Johnnie didn't linger and turned to leave.
"Wait, little brother, can you add me as a friend?" The knight quickly called out.
He received a friend request notification.
[Player Cox has sent you a friend request]
Cox?
Johnnie was a bit surprised when he heard the system prompt and looked the knight player over.
This guy was a notable figure in his previous life, nicknamed "Blood Bull." In their last life, their team had held off an army of over a hundred orcs, making a significant contribution.
Unfortunately, they had all eventually fallen.
Johnnie didn't expect this guy to be in the same Beginner Village as him.
He accepted the friend request.
"Little brother, can I ask how you obtained these items?" Cox asked curiously.
"No," Johnnie replied flatly, this was his secret, and he wasn't about to share it.
Cox didn't mind. He had only asked out of curiosity. "Little brother, if you ever come across any knight gear in the future, would you consider selling it to me first?"
"Hmm?" Johnnie gave him a once-over, deep in thought.
This guy didn't seem to have any bad intentions, and he was trustworthy.
The Beginner's inventory only had 50 slots, and equipment couldn't be stacked. With the drop rate like this, his inventory would fill up quickly.
He had initially planned to let Crysic handle it, but since they weren't in the same Beginner Village, the high fees for remote trading made it impractical.
Now, he could just let this guy deal with it.
He spoke, "We can work together. I have a few more pieces of gray equipment. I'll sell them to you at 10% off, and you can handle them. Future equipment will also be priced at a 10% discount based on the market rate."
"Really?" Cox's eyes lit up, excited.
Johnnie didn't elaborate. He pulled out four more pieces of gray equipment: two assassin items, a wooden staff, and a rare accessory, a gray ring.
"The three pieces of equipment cost 90 silver coins, and the ring is 130 silver coins. For the previous four pieces, I'll give them to you at 10% off, so you only need to give me 3 gold coins and 60 silver coins," he quoted the price. The accessory was rare, so it cost more.
"No, that's too much. We bought them for 4 gold coins. This way, I'm still making a profit." Cox insisted, quickly recharging and converting his money into gold coins, finishing the trade without hesitation.
Johnnie watched the gold coins appear in his balance. For him, this was a nice little gain.
"Blood Bull, let me remind you: don't convert game currency into real-world currency just yet. If you have extra cash, you might want to convert it into game currency first." He offered a kind reminder before turning and walking away.
Players who entered the game were all looking to make money, exchanging their in-game currency for real-world money as soon as possible.
But as the game grew in popularity, the exchange rate quickly surged and eventually stabilized at a rate of one copper coin for one yuan, causing a tenfold increase in value.
"Blood Bull, that nickname actually suits me," Cox scratched his head, feeling like the title was a perfect fit for him.
He didn't yet have the "Blood Bull" title.
"Brother, should we really listen to that warrior?" The archer asked hesitantly after hearing Johnnie's warning.
They weren't wealthy, and purchasing a login crystal had nearly drained their savings. They had entered the game with the goal of making money.
But what good would in-game currency be if they didn't exchange it?
Cox thought for a moment before replying, "This young brother is definitely not an ordinary person. Let's do as he says. And let's exchange any spare money we have into game currency."
He was a decisive person. In his previous life, he had seized an opportunity, changed his class to a hidden profession, and became a powerful Guardian Knight.
After a bit of hesitation, the others nodded in agreement.
After all, there was a withdrawal system. If they noticed the exchange rate dropping, they could withdraw their money right away.
"It'd be great if we could get that warrior to join our team," the priestess said with some regret.
The others nodded in agreement.
That warrior player seemed a little out of place; he was a recent addition to the group and considered somewhat of an outsider.
...
Johnnie ventured deeper into the forest. He had decided to hunt down the more powerful Goblin Elites for both the experience and the chance to level up.
Goblin Elites were level 1, tier 2 monsters, much stronger than regular goblins. Now, with no players around to interfere, he could focus on hunting them.
Soon, he spotted a lone Goblin Elite wandering in the woods, holding a spear. It was taller and more imposing than the regular goblins.
Whoosh!
Taking advantage of the goblin's distraction, he lunged forward, drawing his longsword and slashing down.
Thud!
Blood splattered, and a pained, enraged howl echoed. A damage number floated above the goblin's head.
-15
The Goblin Elite had around 160 health, and it dealt 20 damage. Johnnie was more than capable of handling it.
The goblin roared and swung its spear at Johnnie.
His movements were swift and agile, dodging easily. The clumsy goblin couldn't even touch the corner of his clothing.
Meanwhile, his iron sword continued to strike the goblin relentlessly.
Aaargh...
A pitiful scream escaped the goblin as its body was covered in blood. It couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed, its health fully depleted. Its eyes wide with despair, it fell into a pool of blood.
[Overlevel kill of Goblin Elite, Experience +2]
A notification flashed, and his experience increased—twice as much as killing a regular goblin.
At this rate, if he killed about forty more Goblin Elites, he would reach level 2 of tier 1.
On the ground, a copper coin dropped. He picked it up and cut off the Goblin Elite's ear.
This was also part of his quest item.
"Let's keep going." He continued wandering through the forest, hunting down more Goblin Elites.