Chapter 17 - Lucky Start  

Liam did not have any time to take a look at the drops or the several notifications as he stumbled on the ground, coughing up some blood.

"What is this? Some sort of backlash? I guess my body is still not strong enough to handle spirit attacks. Hmm…"

Liam silently pondered, as he munched on some roasted quail meat to recover his stamina and health, both of which had considerably dropped after he used the Spirit Slash skill.

"Skill locked huh? Looks like I won't be able to use this for a while. Alright. It should be fine. I am anyways close to that place and I should be able to get some new skills soon."

Liam paused and then as an afterthought he scooped up all the wolf pelts, teeth, and stacks of meat that had dropped. There were also some copper and silver coins, and a piece of equipment that had dropped.

He did not even bother to take a look at it and stashed it all in his inventory as if they were trash. He then hurried along the brook, his pace faster than before.

A few miles away from Liam, two figures slowly and steadily jogged forward.

"Boss… What the??? He is stepping into Level 4 dire wolf territory. Should we still follow him? Our stealth won't hold up if a wolf ends up catching our scent!" Guan Ye stuttered as he reluctantly followed Jin Wei.

The two of them had given up on attacking Liam after seeing how he had finished off the other assassin in a single hit.

"Let's just wait for the potion effects or whatever he is using to cool down." Jin Wei muttered, though he was no longer sure if Liam was even using a potion in the first place.

"If we just wait patiently and continue to follow him, there will surely be a chance."

It was now easier for them to follow Liam as he had been only walking alongside the brook without making any other detours. So even though they were lagging behind him, they still hadn't completely lost his trail.

As the duo jogged forward, both Jin Wei and Guan Ye came to a complete halt suddenly. "Boss! I hear howling sounds!"

"I am not deaf I can hear too. Let's run now. This should be our chance. We should attack him while he is still weak from fighting from the wolves."

The two of them quickly began to run forward but once again came to a halt. "Boss!! I think… I think there are many wolves howling."

"Damn it. Let's turn back. There is no way a Level 1 could survive a Level 4 wolf pack." Both Jin Wei and Guan Ye spun around on their heels and started running away helter and skelter.

After making sure that they had put sufficient distance between themselves and the battle scene, Jin Wei quickly contacted their friend who was standing guard near the graveyard.

"Boss, how much longer do I need to stand there?" Gu Mu asked in annoyance. There had been big talks about harassing a noob and leeching a lot of gold off of him, but till now absolutely nothing had happened.

Jin Wei was already in a bad mood and his underlings questioning his authority further irritated him. "Shut up and wait patiently. There should be someone resurrecting now. He should be dressed in costly gear. You know how he looks right."

Player details and names were not openly visible for everyone to see so they could only rely on appearances to identify someone.

"Alright boss. I will keep an eye out." Gu Mu could only swallow his grievances and reply. He was not happy with his current assignment, especially since this was a new game but he didn't have the guts to refuse Jin Wei, so he ended up relenting.

A few minutes passed by, however, Gu Mu still didn't come across anyone that could possibly be Liam. Helplessly, he quickly rang up Jin Wei again. "Boss, I don't think he died."

At the other end, Jin Wei had a constipated look on his face. All the howling sounds had suddenly stopped, so the duo daringly walked forward to see what happened, only to find the sight of blood bath in front of them.

The drops were all mostly picked up but the bloody aftermath of the battle still remained fresh in front of them. "Boss…" Guan Ye weakly muttered. "I don't think we should follow him anymore…"

Jin Wei remained silent for a while, however, he didn't seem quite as scared as Guan Ye. "Idiot. Tell me how can a Level 1 player deal with so many wolves on his own?"

"Ahh…"

"Let me tell you. He purchased a good item. Maybe he purchased some sort of bombs. Did our group make a list of available consumables yet?"

"Umm… Not sure, boss."

"Hmm… Alright. We are already here. Let's just follow him and see what he is up to. If he is this rich to buy good items, maybe he also bought some insider information for the game."

"Ah. that makes sense." Guan Ye nodded. "Boss, you are so smart."

"Alright. Alright. You don't have to kiss my ass. I prefer women. Shut up and come." Jin Wei grinned and walked forward. "He He He. What a lucky start!"

He was now more than ever convinced that they had hooked onto a big money whale rather than a goldfish and he wasn't planning to let him go. He was going to prepare a sweet trap for him, catch him and then peel him apart, selling every part from flesh to blubber.

As Liam hadn't completely cleaned off all the drops from the wolf pack, the two scavenged some meat and fur which were leftover and then continued to follow the tracks along the brook.