The Demon Tribe and the Monsters, judging from their names, sound very similar.
But the difference between the two is like that between humans and beasts — they are completely different species.
Even though some members of the Demon Tribe and monsters share physical traits, especially the various beast-eared girls…
But consider this: humans and chimpanzees have a 98.7% DNA similarity!
The Demon Tribe also faces the problem of rampant monsters that need to be dealt with.
Whether as the Hero or the Demon Lord, Xia Li felt it was her unshirkable duty to exterminate monsters!
The receptionist, seeing her interest, took out a transparent rhombus-shaped crystal. “This is a Core Crystal taken from the body of a monster. The Association uses this to calculate the reward. Be very careful not to damage it.”
She paused, then gestured toward the team assembly hall, giving her some advice.
“You just became an adventurer. I suggest you join a seasoned adventurer team first. Acting in a group is safer and more reliable.”
Xia Li followed the direction she pointed to.
Compared to the “stinkers” she saw earlier, the teams the receptionist indicated were proper squads, with mages discussing and preparing for commissioned tasks.
Several loud voices shouted nearby.
“Recruiting a healing mage! Team target: poison spiders in the northern abandoned mine. Must be skilled in detoxification magic. Rewards split evenly, plus 20 copper coin subsidy!”
“Need a handyman for wolf packs outside Stentainburg. Responsible for carrying luggage and collecting core crystals. Preferably someone who can use a little blessing magic. 40 copper coins a day, meals and lodging included!”
“Slime extermination team seeks a bait. Two healing mages will provide full protection, guaranteeing no danger. At least a hundred slimes exterminated daily. Rewards split 70/30!”
But why does this feel like a job fair?
Xia Li considered her own strength.
She had just received her baptism today, her mana hadn’t started to develop yet, so she could probably only use simple magic.
If she joined someone else’s team, she’d likely be stuck doing menial tasks. Earning 40 copper coins a day would already be good.
Better to work alone!
Taking down eight slimes alone would net 40 copper coins!
Xia Li touched the last 5 copper coins in her pocket.
That little money couldn’t even buy the cheapest magic wand, so she decided to first go to the blacksmith to buy a normal longsword for self-defense.
Longswords, shields, and armor weren’t very useful equipment here, so they were relatively affordable.
It was precisely because the “starting capital” was so cheap that so many people flooded into this line of work.
Xia Li planned to earn her first bucket of gold from the slimes.
Although slimes were the lowest-grade monsters, they couldn’t be underestimated.
She hadn’t forgotten the game experience where she lost to slimes, watching helplessly as the heroine was wrapped up by a swarm of slimes and all her clothes dissolved clean off — a humiliating defeat scene.
She had been too complacent then!
There was another part of the reason…
Ahem, it was to admire the game’s exquisite little animation.
Slimes usually appeared in small groups of fewer than five.
They were almost non-aggressive toward humans.
But the slime residue they left while moving caused serious damage to farmland crops and could dissolve wool and linen clothing.
Fortunately, this residue was harmless to humans.
The way to deal with slimes was simple.
Just channel mana into a weapon and slash once, or cast a simple Fireball spell, and they’d be reduced to nothing.
Xia Li analyzed this in her mind as she arrived at the East Gate of Stentainburg.
She showed the still-warm adventurer’s badge to the guard and passed through casually.
She glanced at the map the blacksmith had given her with the longsword.
Three kilometers ahead, at the riverbank, was the slime gathering ground.
It would take half an hour to get there.
Xia Li looked at the road crowded with groups of three to five adventurers.
She heard their cheerful shouts while hunting slimes, the noisy environment causing her brow to furrow.
Better take a side path.
She avoided the crowd and came to a muddy trail.
The fresh air away from the crowd let out a long breath.
She wasn’t socially anxious; she simply disliked crowded places.
“Help!”
A piercing scream shattered the surrounding calm.
Xia Li turned toward the source of the sound.
A girl in priest robes stumbled while fleeing, her white, wide, long gown riddled with holes and mud.
Not far behind her were several translucent, round slimes hopping forward with “plop plop” sounds, occasionally spitting slime at the girl.
Wow, just stepped out of town and ran into a damsel in distress.
Such a cliché storyline…
Xia Li stood watching from a distance.
She was rather curious.
With the slimes’ slow movement speed, even if an ordinary person couldn’t defeat them, they should at least be able to escape.
She couldn’t imagine why the girl was screaming so miserably.
“Uwaa!”
The next second, the girl stepped on the hem of her priest robe and lost her balance, falling into a mud pit.
The slimes behind her continued hopping closer with “plop plop” sounds.
The girl, not caring about the dirt, hastily propped herself up, but after only two steps, she stepped on slime residue again and fell.
“…”
Now Xia Li understood why the girl was in such a sorry state.
The slimes had closed in front of her and were preparing to spit their clothing-dissolving slime.
She put away her spectator’s curiosity, raised her hand, aiming at the slimes.
“Perfect chance to test my magic.”
Xia Li began chanting the incantation for the beginner’s destructive spell, Fireball.
A ball of flame appeared in her palm, ready to blast the slimes into bits.
But the scene never played out.
The mana she gathered suddenly broke off without warning.
The spell fizzled silently in her palm.
What was going on?
Had she memorized the incantation wrong?
Before she could think more, she picked up a stone from the grass and threw it hard at the slimes.
She intended to distract them first.
Unexpectedly, the stone shot out like a bullet, piercing a slime.
The round body trembled a few times and then dissolved into a puddle of slime.
Xia Li raised an eyebrow.
Since when had her strength grown this much?
The other slimes jumped three meters high in shock.
They emitted a low “Ha—” sound toward Xia Li, then sped up their jumps… wisely turning and fleeing.
Hmph, trying to run!
Xia Li wasn’t going to let these copper coins slip away.
She picked up several more stones and threw them, precisely piercing the remaining slimes.
The cold slimes all turned into warm Core Crystals.
“20 copper coins, in the bag~”
Xia Li picked up her first bucket of gold dropped on the ground and glanced back at the girl still sitting in the mud pit.
She reached out her hand. “Are you okay?”
“Uwaa! Finally saved!”
The girl hugged Xia Li, tears mixed with mud streaming down. “Thank you, benefactor! I thought I was going to be eaten by monsters…”
Actually, slimes don’t eat people… Tch, so dirty… Xia Li’s mouth twitched.
She pressed the girl’s shoulder and gently pushed her away. “Stentainburg isn’t far from here. I’ll take you back.”
“No!” The girl immediately shouted.
“Why?”
“Ugh… I’m an adventurer. How can I go back now without finishing my quest?” The girl placed a hand over her chest.
Her gaze was as determined as if she were about to join the Knights Order.
“But you couldn’t even beat slimes,” Xia Li said with helplessness.
“That… that’s because I was too careless!”
“You should at least go back and change your clothes first.” Xia Li gestured toward the girl’s priest robe.
The once pure and sacred robe was already riddled with holes from the slime’s acid, exposing the girl’s fair skin and even half her chest to the air.
“Ugh!” The girl hugged her chest, a blush spreading across her face.
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