Chapter Nine: Wolf Valley

To my surprise, besides collecting the ten tomatoes required for the quest, I could actually gather more for personal use. Each one restored 0.5 health per second; while that seemed insignificant at first, a closer look revealed that in a minute, I could recover 30 health without any effort, which meant I would barely need to use potions when training on low-level monsters.

I spent ten full minutes in the tomato field before I finally picked all the tomatoes. When I checked my inventory, I discovered that, apart from the ten needed for the quest, I had nearly sixty more. That meant I could go about thirty hours without having to buy any healing items.

As soon as I picked the last tomato, the tomato garden vanished, confirming that this quest was a one-time event; otherwise, the tomato field would never have disappeared.

After organizing my belongings, I was about to leave for Wolf Valley when, not far away, a wolf respawned. Looking closely, I realized it was the very same wolf that had dropped three pieces of green equipment for me earlier. There was no need to hesitate—I rushed straight at it!

(The equipment tiers in "Eternal Moon" are as follows: Divine, Spirit, Orange, Purple, Blue, Green, White (no attributes), and Gray. Generally, green equipment and above all come with additional attributes. The green item I currently possess has extra stats, while white gear has none and is inferior to same-level gear. For example, a level 4 white broadsword has an attack of 3–4, but my Beast Sword has a monstrous 7–12 attack.)

With a crisp sound, my longsword struck the wolf’s skull.

“-58!”

The bright red damage number was simply adorable! At level 3, my highest hit on a wolf was only 6, but now, without even a critical hit, I dealt a staggering 58 damage. Considering the wolf was four levels higher than me, this was impressive—killing monsters above your level grants bonus experience, so if I kept this up, I'd be leveling twice as fast as any other newbie.

The wolf retaliated with a swipe, dealing 6 damage. That surprised me too, but with my current 168 health, I had more than enough to spare. The level 8 wolf had 450 health, and it took less than ten hits to bring it down, while the total damage it managed to inflict on me was barely under 100. After eating a tomato, I didn’t even need to sit down to regenerate!

I rummaged through the wolf’s corpse, finding only 40 copper coins, but the 240 bonus experience for killing a higher-level monster put a huge grin on my face.

Behind the tomato garden lay Wolf Valley. As I made my way there, I kept slaying level 8 mangy wolves along the way. By the time I reached the valley, I had already shot up to level 5. The only downside was that after killing nearly twenty wolves, I didn’t get a single piece of equipment—just six quest items: wolf teeth. Could it be that killing monsters five levels above me also increased the drop rate? I later learned that it was because I did full damage to level 8 monsters, which greatly upped the drop rate. Still, for a single level 8 monster to drop three pieces of green gear, it could only be chalked up to sheer luck.

I allocated all five attribute points from leveling up to attack. After all, I could add agility after reaching level 10 and changing class to equip rogue gear. For now, attack power was essential. My attack had now reached 19–33, making quick work of level 8 monsters—like slicing through butter.

A narrow mountain path appeared between two peaks. According to the quest log, this was the road to Wolf Valley.

Cautiously surveying my surroundings, I followed the path into the valley. The rustling in the bushes on either side gave me goosebumps. The first night in "Eternal Moon" had arrived. As darkness fell across the land, my field of vision shrank. I wasn’t sure if coming to Wolf Valley at night was reckless, but I couldn't wait for the next day. Otherwise, who knew how many players would pour into the valley? As a solo player, if I didn’t get here early, I’d just be chased out by others—a common fate in old-school games like Legend.

In the distance, a wolf larger than the mangy wolves prowled among the trees. Looking closely:

Forest Gray Wolf
Level: 9
Attack: ???
Defense: ???
Type: Beast

A level 9 monster—four levels above me!

I sprinted forward a few steps, entering its line of sight. The wolf instantly sensed an intruder in its territory and charged at me.

I turned to flee—then spun back, dragging my sword behind me.

A sudden sound told me I had dodged the wolf’s bite, while my sword landed solidly on its body, a damage number of 62 floating boldly in the air. Seizing the opening, I struck again—another 62 appeared. This time, the wolf’s claws raked across me, dealing 11 damage. That startled me; level 9 monsters had much higher attack than level 8s—almost double, in fact.

Kiting monsters around like this was a mindless task, but I found myself enjoying it. Unconsciously, I felt as if there was something I was starting to understand, though I couldn’t quite put it into words. The game felt so real—even the monsters could be tricked.

“128!”

A critical hit at last; with a mournful howl, the gray wolf collapsed, leaving behind a fang and 63 copper coins. I carefully pocketed the money—at this stage, in-game currency was in high demand. Perhaps to promote fairness, the game didn’t allow real money to be exchanged for in-game currency during the first month after launch, meaning even rich kids had to grind for cash just like us paupers.

I continued circling the woods. As long as I lured and fought the level 9 monsters one by one, I was safe. My spatial awareness allowed me to control the pull radius perfectly, so if any new monsters spawned nearby, I could simply dash away, leading a pack of savage wolves on a wild chase—adding a bit of excitement to the otherwise monotonous grind.

“Beep beep~”

A message notification popped up. It was from a female player named Green Veggie Cocoa, though I had no idea who she was.

“Lin Fan, I’m Snowy Hanlin’s sister—she says to meet everyone in the main hall. Find a safe spot to log off!”

So it was Snowy Hanlin. I smiled, immediately added her as a friend, and then found a relatively safe place near the hillside’s barrier where monsters rarely spawned. There, I safely logged out.