12:The Abandoned Riverbed**

To maximize their monster-farming efficiency, Orson led the team out of the *Mist Forest*.

**Quitting Smoking for Infinite Dimensions:** "Guys, log out for a bit—the bastard mage is here taking over our spawn points again."

**Supernova Red:** "Damn, this guy's like a leech! I heard he's a game admin helping people level up—why isn't the company doing something about it?"

In every new area, Orson called out to borrow monster spawn points. Nearby players would grumble and curse, but their actions spoke louder—they all got out of his way. After all, if this guy had wiped out Dragon's Kiss Guild, small guilds knew better than to pick a fight.

Orson's methods were definitely bold, but he kept his word: he only farmed at each spawn point for an hour, then moved on to the next.

With Orson ensuring a consistent three-level difference from the monsters, ShatteredCrown's experience intake was maxed out. Soon, Orson reached Level 10.

**[Centaur Warrior: Level 12]** 

**HP:** 1500/1500 

**Attack Power:** 60 

**Skill:** Savage Charge

In an abandoned riverbed, four Level 10 monsters emerged.

Orson glanced around, thinking, "There's a decent quest here… I'll come back for it later."

"These guys seem aggressive, so watch out," ShatteredCrown warned.

They had entered the *Abandoned Riverbed*, an area within the main city's jurisdiction, where monsters were stronger than in previous zones. With no more newbie protections, these monsters would actively attack any player entering their territory, raising the danger level considerably.

**UltimateSweetheart** raised her newly acquired greatsword with a smirk, charging into the monsters' attack range. "Come on, let's see what you've got!"

The centaurs moved swiftly, leaping at her and slashing down.

-110! 

-110! 

…

The centaurs lost only about 300 HP under her relentless slashes, but **UltimateSweetheart** stood her ground despite their counterattacks, taunting them into staying close as she tanked the damage.

Determined, **LittleBaby** readied her bow. "These things have a lot of health… Let me help!"

The two other girls joined in the fight as ShatteredCrown muttered, "If I could only use my hero staff, I'd clear these guys in seconds."

Watching from the sidelines, Orson shook his head, feeling like a rich kid was dragging him out hunting in the wild, but he was patient, letting them experience the thrill of the hunt.

After a tough battle, they took down one centaur warrior, only to have three more charge out from the bushes. The "noblewomen" with limited combat experience were quickly overwhelmed.

"Alright, enough playing around." Orson sighed.

With a flick of his staff, three fireballs blazed through the air, exploding in sparks.

-1100! 

-1100! 

…

**"You have killed Centaur Warrior. EXP +40"**

The fireballs' impact, combined with burn damage, effortlessly wiped out the six centaur warriors.

**UltimateSweetheart** huffed, glaring at Orson. "Ugh, you're no fun. Can't you have a little sense of adventure?"

**BigBaby** nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Isn't the point of playing to go through tough fights and experience the joy of growth?"

Orson was momentarily speechless. Since when was killing monsters quickly a bad thing?

He chuckled to himself, realizing just how naive the wealthy could be. To them, it was only a game; reasoning with them was pointless.

In his past life, after the Peacock King was seduced and killed by a succubus, The King Family fell from grace. The women around him met tragic fates; some were even captured by rival guilds and sacrificed to demon gods.

After a moment's hesitation, Orson turned to ShatteredCrown and said meaningfully, "If these girls mean something to you, then you'd better get strong, fast."

ShatteredCrown frowned, looking at Orson with the blank, clueless look of a college kid. He didn't understand why Orson was being so serious about a game, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

As he watched Orson rapidly fire off his chain-fireballs, his unspoken question gnawed at him: Was this guy really the person he admired so much?

After three hours, they emerged from the *Abandoned Riverbed* with the main city of Pondenor looming ahead.

Orson had reached Level 12, while ShatteredCrown, the lowest-leveled among them, had hit Level 10, completing the power-leveling task on time.

"Whoa… so this is Pondenor, the nearest city to the newbie village? It's massive!" The group gazed at the majestic city on the horizon.

"Hehe, I finally hit Level 11! Thanks, handsome!" **UltimateSweetheart** grinned, thanking him.

"No problem. A job's a job, and I appreciate the business." Orson smiled. Along the way, he'd picked up six decent Level 5 blue items, which he sold to ShatteredCrown's group for a bundle price of 20 gold.

**ShatteredCrown:** "Don't mention it, man. Next time I need help with a tough dungeon, I'm calling you."

Orson nodded. Despite ShatteredCrown's cluelessness, the guy had a steady stream of girls by his side—a connection worth keeping.

Calculating his coins and his bank balance, Orson realized he now had enough to cover his sister Sienna's surgery, with a bit left over. He planned to log off later that night and pay the hospital fee, so Sienna wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.

His **Heavenly Spirit's Right Eye** had reached 14,000 proficiency points, and **Blazing Burn** was maxed out at 10% MP burn damage, allowing him to melt Level 10 monsters in a second.

**[Normal Boss: White-Scaled Giant Python: Level 10]** 

**HP:** 18,000/18,000 

**Attack Power:** 150 

**Skills:** Frenzied Strike, Poison Spread

Seven suspension bridges led to the main city, each guarded by a giant python boss—a major barrier for players trying to leave the newbie area.

**ThatOneNight:** "C'mon, one more try! We've gotta kill this scaly beast!"

**DanceLover:** "Please, no more. This is impossible. My teammates get poisoned faster than I can heal."

…

Hundreds of players were stuck at the bridge. Many were already over Level 10, yet the White-Scaled Python had been blocking their path for hours.

"Heal me! Come on, what's the third healer doing?" someone yelled.

"Shut up, man, I'm healing as fast as I can!"

Orson watched, dumbfounded at the players' tactics.

The python's **Poison Spread** skill was lethal, so one team had assembled a setup of three healers, one tank, and two ranged DPS to try to grind down the boss's 18,000 HP.

However, the python emitted a debuff aura that reduced players' healing received by 50%. The longer the fight dragged on, the more ineffective their heals would become. With a three-healer team, their damage output was nearly nonexistent.

This boss was clearly designed to test players' combat skills and damage output.

As one healer after another fell, Orson couldn't help but comment, "Didn't anyone read the skill descriptions? You won't beat it like this."

"You think you're so smart? If you can do better, prove it!" shouted the last-standing tank, who was paralyzed by poison, only his mouth still working.

**ShatteredCrown** chuckled. "You're gonna make me die laughing! Do you know who you're talking to? My guy could solo this boss without breaking a sweat."

"Solo? Pffft… delusional."

"Solo a White-Scaled Python? Even the best players from Tianshi Guild wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Get real, man. Total noob vibes."

Hearing ShatteredCrown's words, the nearby players all scoffed, openly mocking Orson.

Orson just sighed, turning to ShatteredCrown. "Want me to weaken the boss for you? I'll leave once it's low on health."

"Aren't you heading to the main city?" ShatteredCrown asked, surprised.

"I still have some unfinished quests in the newbie village." Orson glanced at the **Abandoned Riverbed** marked on his map, deep in thought.

There was a special Level 10 dungeon activation point there with a unique activation condition. If he crossed the bridge into the main city without doing it, the hidden rewards would disappear. Many top players in his past life had missed this quest and regretted it deeply.

"You sure you don't want me to help with the boss? Impressive." Orson was a bit surprised.

Finally reaching Level 10, ShatteredCrown had equipped his hero staff and seemed a bit more confident, even refusing Orson's offer to weaken the boss for him.

"Stop teasing me! If I hadn't seen your skills, I'd still think this game was just about spending money to win."

ShatteredCrown grinned, glancing at his four "beautiful wives." "A man's gotta be rich *and* strong, right? Watch me take down this little boss!"

Orson gave a slight smile, exited the party, and headed toward the *Abandoned Riverbed* to continue his next mission.