Chapter 2: Level Up

Alexander didn't flee along the main road like the others. Instead, he immediately ducked into an alley, aiming to find a way into the nearby forest through these narrow paths. 

Footsteps soon followed behind him.

"Hehe, I saw someone run this way just now."

"You idiot, why are we chasing an escaping guy instead of looting valuables?"

"I just enjoy the thrill of the chase."

"You're really a twisted psycho..."

The two bandits came through the alley, just about to emerge from the narrow path, when one of them was abruptly interrupted by a swinging axe.

Alexander, having exited the alley, hadn't immediately continued to flee. Instead, he hid behind a house at the alley's entrance. His body was weak, and he knew he couldn't outrun the bandits. It was better to deal with the ones chasing him first. In this situation, the best strategy was an ambush.

The two bandits were noisily chatting while running, making it easy for Alexander to gauge their position. The ambushed bandit didn't have time to react before an axe split his face open. This wasn't a game where a headshot would leave someone bouncing back. His head was split open, a bloody mess.

"Kill the bandit, +10 experience points."

The system's voice echoed in Alexander's ears, making his eyes light up. So killing enemies granted experience points too.

"A task has been triggered—Kill the bandits pursuing you."

"Task progress: 1/2."

"Task reward: +20 experience points, +20 system coins."

The system's voice rang out again, filling Alexander with joy. So tasks could be triggered too. He stared at the remaining bandit, seeing him as a pile of gold coins.

The bandit, feeling uneasy under Alexander's gaze, saw the bloodthirsty look in his eyes and assumed he was facing a formidable opponent. Fear crept into the bandit's heart, and he hesitated.

But Alexander wouldn't let him leave. He raised his axe and swung at the bandit. The bandit quickly raised his short sword to block the attack.

In reality, Alexander was still a weak fighter, and his attack was easily parried by the bandit. However, Alexander never intended to win through sheer strength.

He immediately let go of the iron axe and flung a handful of cow dung at the bandit's face. The cow dung splattered directly onto the bandit's face, its stench causing the bandit to instinctively try to wipe it off.

Taking advantage of the moment, Alexander kicked the bandit between his legs with all his might. The bandit was overwhelmed by excruciating pain, collapsing to the ground in agony. Without hesitation, Alexander retrieved the iron axe and struck the bandit on the head, swiftly ending his life.

"Killed bandit, +10 experience points."

"Task: Kill the bandits pursuing you completed, +20 experience points, +20 system coins."

"Beginner Task: Escape slavery completed, +50 experience points, +50 system coins."

Alexander's status panel now read:

**Level**: 1 

**Strength**: 8 

**Agility**: 7 

**Intelligence**: 6 

**Charisma**: 5 

**Available Attribute Points**: 0 

**Experience**: 90/100 

**System Coins**: 70

He was just a sliver away from leveling up. Alexander looked at the dull iron axe in his hand and then at the short sword lying on the ground. He quickly discarded the axe and picked up the two short swords.

"New item detected—Bandit Short Sword."

**Bandit Short Sword**: Slash +1

Alexander swung the swords a few times, then hurriedly left the area and slipped into the nearby forest.

He had no idea how long he ran, but as dusk approached, he finally stopped. When he felt parched, he drank from a refreshing mountain spring. The water was incredibly pure and invigorating, far better than any bottled water he had ever tasted.

"Help!"

A woman's scream suddenly echoed from a distance.

"Seriously? A clichéd damsel-in-distress scenario?" Alexander muttered to himself. He was reluctant to intervene, knowing such situations often entailed significant danger and could easily result in his own demise.

But then the system's voice chimed in again.

"Task triggered: Rescue the daughter of the lord of Harley."

"Task reward: +50 experience points, +50 system coins."

Alexander hesitated for a moment, then sighed. It seemed he had no choice but to help.

He gripped his two short swords and dashed toward the source of the scream. The origin of the sound wasn't far; after running a few steps, he saw the situation ahead. Three hungry wolves were circling a tree, occasionally howling at the girl perched on its branches. The girl, dressed in a white dress, looked somewhat plain and a bit chubby. Her attire, however, marked her as a lady of wealth, not a farm girl.

Seeing the three wolves, Alexander's resolve wavered. His frail body likely stood no chance against three ravenous wolves. There was no chance of pulling off some fancy move; he knew that any such attempt would likely end in disaster.

As Alexander contemplated his next move, the three wolves turned their heads in unison and looked directly at him. He realized too late that wolves had an acute sense of smell, and his unwashed body was practically announcing his presence.

With no other choice, Alexander jumped out from behind the tree. He didn't run, knowing he couldn't outrun the wolves, and he didn't climb the tree because he didn't know how. Instead, he shouted, "Leave the girl alone! Come at me!"

Unfortunately, his yell did nothing to deter the wolves and only made them more aggressive. Despite his fear, Alexander tried to appear fierce, glaring at the wolves with wide, intense eyes. He had seen videos online that said showing fear could provoke an attack, so he did his best to appear formidable.

However, those videos never mentioned that this tactic only ensured a more dignified death when faced with starving predators. The three wolves lunged at him.

"Here goes nothing!" Alexander screamed, readying his short swords for a desperate fight.

Suddenly, a flurry of arrows whizzed past him. One struck a wolf in the belly, another hit a wolf's leg, and a third missed entirely. Alexander turned to see a group of armored guards rushing toward him.

"Protect the lady! Quickly!" they shouted. The guards, wielding large shields and spears, scared off the remaining uninjured wolf.

Seizing the moment, Alexander lunged forward and stabbed the belly-shot wolf in the throat with his sword. Then he hurled his second short sword at the leg-shot wolf, hitting it squarely.

"Killed wolf, +10 experience points."

"Killed wolf, +10 experience points."

"Player level up detected. Level now LV2. 1 attribute point available."

"Task: Rescue the daughter of the lord of Harley completed. +50 experience points, +50 system coins."

Alexander's relief was palpable as the system notifications chimed in his ears.