Chapter 27
By the time Zhao Heiniu spoke, Su Wangchuan was already starving.
Fighting in the bitter wind demanded intense focus. It was exhausting, and hunger came fast and fierce.
He pulled a flatbread from inside his clothing, took several savage bites, and swallowed it down in a few gulps, easing the gnawing emptiness in his stomach.
Once his Hunger had subsided considerably, it was as if he came back to life. Warmth returned to his chest and belly, helping him resist the chill of the night.
Yet what surprised him was this:
When he checked his Hunger, he unexpectedly discovered that the experience value of 《Archery》 had changed drastically.
Ever since he had learned it, the progress bar had been stuck at 0/100. At this very moment, it had risen to 37/100.
Thirty-seven?
Su Wangchuan looked completely dumbfounded.
Just as he was marveling at it, he saw a wild wolf not far away finally succumb to the cold wind and hypothermia, losing the last of its struggling… The experience bar advanced again.
38/100.
Su Wangchuan instantly understood how to raise the level of 《Archery》.
Kill enemies.
Only by taking an enemy’s life through 《Archery》 could he gain experience.
He felt the blood in his body abruptly heat up.
At last, he had found the method to improve 《Archery》.
Kill!
With practiced ease, Su Wangchuan pinched an arrow from his quiver. Under the astonished gazes of the three militiamen, he lifted his bow swiftly and aimed at a pair of wolf eyes in the darkness.
WHOOSH!
The wolf had its head lowered, biting at a dying companion and dragging it into the dark. It was unclear whether it wanted to steal a mouthful of meat, or whether it truly meant to carry its companion away out of some strange kindness…
The sound of an arrow sinking into flesh rang out, followed by a brief, sharp howl.
Then both wolves fell silent.
Su Wangchuan did not hesitate. He continued to draw, nock, aim, and fire.
He shot all twenty arrows in his quiver…
Leaving only three wolves behind.
Seeing that the situation had turned bad, the remaining wolves fled without a trace.
Su Wangchuan checked his status panel and found that the experience of 《Archery》 finally settled at 47/100.
That night, he had killed a total of forty-seven wild wolves.
Everyone held their ground until dawn the next day.
When the sky showed a pale fish-belly white, a player logged into the game, opened a wooden house, and stepped outside.
Then he smelled an overwhelming stench of blood, along with the rank, beastly odor unique to wild animals.
He looked around and realized the village seemed to have gone through a bloody battle.
There were several injured.
The elderly, the weak, and the women and children all looked haggard, having gone the entire night without sleep.
Captain Zhao Heiniu was instructing the guards to open the village gate, and then carrying wolf corpses in from outside, one after another…
Most of the wolves had been killed by arrows, with only a small number dying under spears.
“Damn.”
“What is going on?”
“Did someone poke a wolf den?”
More and more players emerged from their wooden houses, startled by the upheaval in the village, and then shouted at to go help as well.
As the wolf corpses were stacked into several neat rows inside the village, a careful player even counted them…
“One hundred and thirty-five wolves.”
“What exactly happened last night?”
The villagers would not proactively explain anything to them.
The only three participants had been running nonstop for twenty-four hours, so hungry their chests nearly stuck to their backs. They logged off early and left the game.
After Lin Dahai and the others finally learned the details of the night raid from the village chief, they were all shaken:
“That was close.”
“More than two hundred wolves attacked the village at night.”
“If the village had been breached, when we logged in, would we have immediately become wolf food?”
“Holy hell!”
“Good thing the village guards were strong enough.”
Everyone naturally assumed the credit belonged to the militiamen and hunters in the village.
No one noticed that when the village chief dealt with the wolf corpses, he quietly sent some of the wolf carcasses into the blacksmith shop’s cellar.
…
When Su Wangchuan logged off, he had the company robot deliver two breakfasts. After eating his fill, he slept until three in the afternoon before recovering somewhat—only to be woken by a phone call from Instructor Yu.
“Hello?”
“Instructor Yu.”
Su Wangchuan yawned as he answered.
Instructor Yu sounded extremely excited:
“I heard from Hong Kaibao and Bai Yuhui that last night, Blackstone Village was attacked by a wolf pack?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Su Wangchuan yawned again, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
He was still very sleepy.
Instructor Yu’s tone grew heavier:
“You brat, when did you learn 《Archery》? And why did you decide to learn a combat skill?”
“I did not do anything special. I was still mining during the day, earning money for the company. It was just that the nights were too boring, so I practiced a bit when I had time.”
“Tell me the complete information on how you trained 《Archery》. The company can buy it.”
That single sentence finally woke Su Wangchuan up.
The company was not focused on the wolf pack, but on the skill 《Archery》.
Su Wangchuan hesitated for a moment.
“How much is the bonus?”
“Fifty thousand.”
Instructor Yu had indeed mentioned it to Su Wan, and she approved a fifty-thousand quota.
“Deal.”
Su Wangchuan smiled and agreed without hesitation.
His salary at the end of the month had dropped badly, and this would make up for it.
The next second, a text message arrived on his phone: his salary had been deposited.
Su Wangchuan froze.
Then he reacted.
Today was payday.
Today also happened to be the day he had worked for Warring States Game Studio for a full two months.
Salary plus bonus totaled 180,000 RMB.
His account balance broke 200,000 RMB.
Seeing the string of zeros at the end, Su Wangchuan clenched both fists, overwhelmed by a fierce surge of happiness.
With this money, life ahead could finally be far more comfortable. He would not have to live so frugally anymore.
“I already transferred the money to you.”
Instructor Yu reminded him.
Su Wangchuan took a deep breath and explained how his master, Blacksmith Sun, had been short on funds, and before winter, recommended him to the militia captain Zhao Heiniu.
Then he emphasized repeatedly:
“If you want to learn 《Archery》 through Zhao Heiniu, you must pass the four trials he arranges. Every trial must be completed meticulously. Only after you finish forty thousand shots can you obtain entry-level 《Archery》.”
There was a brief silence on the other end, as if he were analyzing the difficulty and whether it made sense.
Then his voice came again. “Alright. I have recorded it and reported it to the company. Do you have anything else to add regarding this information?”
“I do.”
Su Wangchuan was the type who softened once he had taken someone’s money, so he continued, “After I got 《Archery》, I tried many ways to increase the experience, but nothing worked—until last night.
After I shot and killed wolves, the experience finally moved! I suspect you have to kill living creatures to level up combat skills, and that is far too unfriendly.”
Unexpectedly, Instructor Yu remained very calm.
“That is normal.”
“In 《Spirit realm 》, combat skills can indeed only improve through real combat. Wolves are merely low-level ordinary beasts. Only by completing the kill can you gain experience. If you are facing an evenly matched opponent, or a stronger enemy, every attack may increase experience.”
Su Wangchuan finally understood.
The company truly did have far more intelligence and knowledge about skills.