He had left
"Brother Feng, we're heading to Dark Moon Valley — that's a level 4 monster zone. Can't we pick somewhere safer?" Hei Zi eyed Shi Feng's destination nervously when he saw it was a level-4 area.
Fighting above your level in the Divine Realm was extremely difficult. Generally, going one level up was the limit. To challenge monsters two levels higher, you'd need a six-person team at this stage — and even then, most six-person teams wouldn't bother. Compared to a level-1 party of six grinding themselves to death against level-3 monsters, it was far more efficient to farm level-2 ones.
There were only two of them. Shi Feng was fine — he was at least a level-2 Swordsman. But Hei Zi was a level-0 Warlock. Against level-4 monsters, he'd be nothing more than a free meal. With just the two of them taking on level-4 enemies, it was practically suicide…
Hei Zi's worry was not lost on Shi Feng, who simply smiled and reassured him: "Relax. Look — aren't I level 2 already? My friend is a Closed Beta veteran. If we weren't super close, he'd never have shared this secret with me. Just sit back and enjoy the rocket-ride leveling."
Shi Feng made no mention of his rebirth, pushing everything onto this "good friend." That way, all his actions in the Divine Realm could be easily explained, and Hei Zi would believe every word without needing a long-winded justification.
After all, "Closed Beta tester" was the perfect cover.
"Brother Feng, you really are something. No wonder you didn't stay at the safe little Shadow workshop to earn money. With a Closed Beta expert guiding you, you're bound to make a fortune in the Divine Realm. My future happiness depends on you!" Hei Zi relaxed and chuckled.
When they had first partied up and he noticed Shi Feng was already level 2, it had nearly given him a heart attack.
As far as anyone in Red Leaf Town knew, no player had reached level 2 yet — not even the elites from the major workshops. But Shi Feng had. His leveling speed was flat-out terrifying.
Hei Zi was well aware of Shi Feng's skill level — decent technique, sure, but nowhere near this impressive. He had been somewhat skeptical about the Closed Beta story before, but once he saw that level-2 status, every doubt vanished. Only a Closed Beta tester could pull something like this off. And the bold claim about earning sixteen thousand Credit Points in ten days? He was starting to believe that too.
"Pfft, I'm a straight-up guy." Shi Feng rolled his eyes at Hei Zi and subtly edged away, but the look in Hei Zi's eyes was still far from pure, making him a little uneasy.
"Brother Feng, what are you thinking? My dream girl is the Ice Goddess herself — Bai Qingxue!" Hei Zi hastily clarified.
The Ice Goddess?
Shi Feng had a deep impression of this woman. She had been outstanding in other virtual games before, and for good reason: a flawless face, a figure like a devil's dream, a proud and commanding aura, and top-tier combat skills. She was wildly popular.
Three years after the Divine Realm launched, she became truly extraordinary — leaping to the rank of national top-tier player, one of the ten greatest Berserkers in the country, dubbed the Valkyrie. Endless celebrity endorsements followed, her net worth soared past tens of billions, and she served as vice president of the super guild Snake of the Body, commanding millions of players with a word. Back then, Shi Feng had been a nobody in the Divine Realm, able only to gaze up at Bai Qingxue's receding figure. Sadly, not long after, she vanished from the Divine Realm entirely, which became one of the biggest talking points at the time — hot gossip for ages.
"Brother Feng, look — that's an Elite monster!" Hei Zi pointed at a snow-white fox in a distant rice paddy and shouted.
Shi Feng looked over. Sure enough, a white fox sat amid the golden stalks of rice, a small white rabbit dangling from its mouth.
Cunning Snow Fox — Rare Elite, level 2, HP 450.
"Hei Zi, your eyes and your luck are unreal. Running into even this — we're in luck." Shi Feng crept forward and instructed in a low voice, "Stay back and deal damage from range. Leave the rest to me."
Rare Elites were a special kind of elite monster. Their stats were about the same as a normal elite, but the rewards for killing one were significantly higher. They respawned only after a long time, and whether you even encountered one was pure luck.
"Brother Feng, you've lost your mind! That's a level-2 elite — we can't handle it!"
Hei Zi tried to stop him. A same-level elite required a full party to take down. Without a healer and fighting solo, the monster would toy with them to death.
But it was already too late. Shi Feng had quickly circled behind the Snow Fox and launched a sudden attack.
Slash!
A streak of sword qi flew through the air.
The Snow Fox was remarkably agile, dodging the vital strike to its abdomen and taking only 32 points of damage.
"Fast reflexes, and decent defense." Shi Feng quickly assessed the fox's evasion and the damage dealt.
He held the title One Rider Against a Thousand, which boosted all attributes by 10% and granted an additional 5 points of Strength and 5 points of Endurance. His Strength now stood at 13, Endurance at 10, and Agility at 17. His current attack power was 29, and his HP was 260 — stats that could rival a level-5 Swordsman. He was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with a level-2 Elite.