Chapter 17 First Battle with Wild Dogs

"You can decide the price?" Xiao Buli was surprised.

The digital Han Baiqiang in the computer shook his head smugly, "Not exactly, I just help to sell on behalf of others, and the price can't be lower than the cost. However, I do have some authority to offer discounts." It seemed he felt a secret thrill about his pivotal role at the village's blacksmith shop. "But giving you a discount is quite risky for me," Han Baiqiang continued, implying that Xiao Buli owed him a favor since he was getting a deal. "If I make more money, I can improve my relationship with my master. When Sun Bin bought his spear from me, I sold it to him at the standard price, but I won't make a profit from you."

Sun Bin bought a spear? Xiao Buli was slightly shocked, it seemed that Sun Bin was not willing to be left behind and was already preparing to venture out of the village early. Otherwise, why would he buy a spear?

He chuckled knowingly, "Then, thanks a lot." It's just a game, yet we still have to use each other, Xiao Buli thought, but he didn't show it outwardly. "I only have a little over a hundred copper coins now, give me a recommendation."

Only a little over a hundred copper coins, huh? Then take this one, Han Baiqiang suggested as he listed an item on the screen.

Iron sword: Priced at 80 copper coins.

Weapon notes: This one-handed sword, made of raw iron, is fairly sharp but lacks flexibility. If not used carefully, it can easily break; you'd better handle it with care.

Attack 2-8.

"Dizzy, such a crappy weapon," Xiao Buli lamented the inflated prices while feeling a pang in his pocketbook—every single copper coin emanated a tale of woes, didn't they? But it seemed that this was the only option available.

Xiao Buli reluctantly nodded and accepted the weapon.

Equipping the weapon and glancing at the three skills in the skill bar, Xiao Buli finally felt the familiar rush of a traditional online game. It gave him a sense of security, as if he was in control of the game once again. He arrived at the village entrance once more, where the two guards dutifully warned him as he was about to leave the village, "Are you planning to venture out? It's very dangerous outside the village, so you'd better be careful."

Xiao Buli thanked them and stepped out, not daring to go too far. He just wandered around near the village, cautiously moving forward bit by bit. The wilderness stretched out in every direction, with the greyish-black mud looking uninviting and even the plants being scarce. It was a desolate world, reminiscent of the style of dark-themed games, with a light rain starting to drizzle from the sky, a rather mournful scene.

In the midst of this fine, drizzling rain, a wild dog suddenly appeared within sight. This must be the weakest monster Li Jian had mentioned. So, bring it on.

As soon as the wild dog spotted Xiao Buli, it entered a state of alert, its body rising and falling as if it were barking, inching closer, its fur bristling. Clearly, this was an angry male dog, its bloodshot eyes fixed on Xiao Buli. This made Xiao Buli feel somewhat uneasy, but he stood his ground, not moving as the distance between man and dog closed. Suddenly, the wild dog quickened its pace and lunged ferociously at him.

Xiao Buli steadied his mind and activated Basic Sword Skills; a BUFF status immediately appeared over his avatar's head.

Just as the wild dog was upon him, Xiao Buli sharply dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. As the wild dog brushed past him, he lifted his sword and struck, but no blood spurted out—it seemed he had missed. This game employed a non-targeted combat system, which was different from those games where you just stand and hit monsters.

While the wild dog was still landing and hadn't turned around yet, Xiao Buli executed Chain Sword Strike!

Xiao Buli immediately unleashed his only active attack skill, hitting the wild dog with three consecutive strikes. Three bright red numbers burst forth: 12, 9, 7.

It inflicted 28 points of damage in an instant. Xiao Buli didn't know how many health points the wild dog had, but he guessed it couldn't be much more than his own. A few more hits like that, and he should be able to finish it off,

The wild dog, in pain, let out a yelp and suddenly its body turned red, seeming to activate some kind of skill, biting down hard on Xiao Buli's leg. Xiao Buli felt as if his own calf was in pain, the realistic graphics and his deep immersion made him empathize greatly with his character's plight. 15! A bright red number burst out, what's this, the wild dog's attack strength isn't weak either.

System prompt: The beast has entered Fury state.

The wild dog has launched its Rip and Bite skill on you, and you've entered a bleeding status.

A blood drop DEBUFF appeared over his character's portrait, losing one health point every second.

If it weren't for his skills bolstering him, he'd truly be no match. Xiao Buli thought this as he furiously slashed at the wild dog. Since he had activated the Basic Swordsmanship skill, his attacks were no longer wild swings, but rather sharp moves with a bit of rhythm. This game seemed to have a move judgement system similar to "Assassin's Creed," where the system would automatically make the player's character use the most effective moves to attack depending on the situation. Moreover, this game appeared to also have a hit stun system, where successfully landing hits would often prevent the wild dog from counterattacking for a short time. After a few rounds of combat, Xiao Buli gradually got the hang of the rhythm, delivering a series of effective combos that left the wild dog unable to retaliate. After several rounds, the wild dog couldn't take it anymore and turned tail to run, disappearing in the blink of an eye with incredible speed.

Xiao Buli, whose leg was still dripping blood, was stunned. Damn, since when can monsters run away?

But thinking about the freedom this game offers, it wasn't too hard to understand.

He glanced at his health points, and in just this short period, he had lost one-third. Luckily, the bleeding DEBUFF had disappeared at some point. It seemed he couldn't continue like this. Having not fared well on a test of his mettle, Xiao Buli decided to head back to the village first.

Just as Xiao Buli turned around, he suddenly noticed at the edge of the screen, not far from him, the wild dog had come back, trailing him from a distance, seemingly unwilling to let its enemy get away so easily, yet fearful of the weapon in Xiao Buli's hands and not daring to approach. Suddenly, an idea struck Xiao Buli, and he chose the option to lie down from the action menu, then calmly watched the wild dog's reaction.

After hesitating for a while, the wild dog slowly moved a bit closer, then after a while, a bit closer still, as if seeing that its enemy was not reacting, it approached yet a bit more, now within attack range. Xiao Buli abruptly unleashed a Chain Sword Strike towards the wild dog's head. The wild dog, startled, turned and fled, but the sword struck its leg, causing the wild dog to stumble and its speed to slow down.

Seeing an opportunity, Xiao Buli immediately sprang up from the ground. Just as he was about to swing his sword, a thought struck him. Killing a wild dog wouldn't yield much experience, and since he'd already tried Basic Sword Skills and Chain Sword Strike, why not give Taming Skills a shot? While thinking this, he used Taming Skills on the wild dog. Though the wild dog was bloodied all over, it was still on guard, aware that escape was hopeless and seemingly determined to fight back with all it had. One Taming Skill went out, and for a moment the dog appeared somewhat perplexed, but it quickly returned to its defensive stance.

System prompt: Hatred value too high, Tame failed.

Damn, Xiao Buli was surprised. In past games, battling pets before taming them was a necessity, huh? What the hell is this hatred value? He threw another Taming Skill at it.

System prompt: Hatred value too high, Tame failed.

Xiao Buli suddenly felt a sense of helplessness, what the heck. But at that moment, the wild dog didn't give him any more time to think, launching an attack. With no other choice, Xiao Buli unleashed another Chain Sword Strike, and the wild dog, after enduring the impact, finally fell to the ground.

System prompt: You've gained 5 practical experience points.

With the wild dog's body in tow, Xiao Buli, dragging a limp leg, made his way slowly back to the village.