After Leaf Zhi and Edegar explained, the three finally understood that they were fiercely chased by the Red-skinned Earthworm due to a complete misunderstanding.
Even a brainless Red-skinned Earthworm had driven them to such a state.
The three felt a little deflated.
They were too weak!
So they decided not to attempt any further exploration of Sweetwater Town’s outskirts until they possessed the strength to individually slay a Red-skinned Earthworm.
After greeting Leaf Zhi and Edegar, they carried the lumber back into the Town.
Although the NPC responsible for task assessment was nearby, the task counting area had to be on the open ground near the Church.
So they just carried everything back first.
Once they gathered enough lumber, they could acquire the same Magic Fireball as Leaf Zhi!
Just thinking about this filled the three with fighting spirit!
Watching their distant backs, Leaf Zhi’s eyes were full of complexity.
“They really didn’t lose morale from being rained on?”
Is this the perseverance of hardcore Players?
How much hardship did they endure to develop such strong endurance?
Leaf Zhi was filled with respect.
He reminded himself to care more about the Players’ psychological states in the future.
Edegar’s eyes were filled with confusion and fear.
“They were beaten so badly by the Red-skinned Earthworm, the crisis had just passed, and they’re already looking forward to the next battle with it?”
“Aren’t they afraid?”
To magicians, Red-skinned Earthworms were entry-level experience packs.
But in the eyes of ordinary people, they were still terrifying and difficult monsters to deal with.
During the Knighthood Exam of the Bright Church, Red-skinned Earthworms had also appeared.
Thirty percent of the children developed psychological trauma from fighting Red-skinned Earthworms and eventually gave up the path of Knighthood and magic.
Emotions were uncontrollable demons, but Players were completely unaffected!
The only emotional turmoil they showed was a brief shame upon hearing that Red-skinned Earthworms were weak.
Why feel ashamed when facing an enemy you couldn’t defeat?
Edegar couldn’t understand.
Just like he couldn’t understand why they weren’t afraid of the Red-skinned Earthworm.
Leaf Zhi came back to his senses and saw Edegar’s face twisted in the agony of “the world has changed.”
His mood suddenly brightened.
“Now you know why I’m confident in making the Watchers’ base a stable place, right?”
Edegar paused for a long time.
“If it’s only to this extent, they’re not considered outstanding. At most, they rate as passable.”
“A passing grade is for the courage not to be dominated by fear, and for the skill of that one ‘broken sleeve’.”
“Frankly, their potential for growth is still limited.”
Edegar had been observing the three all day alongside Leaf Zhi.
When they figured out how to observe nature for training, he had indeed been amazed by the Players’ keen observation.
But such talent still didn’t reach the threshold for becoming a Watcher in the past.
Edegar’s passing grade was given for their courage to turn and face their enemy.
If the Players had only run away, without working together to split the Red-skinned Earthworm in two, they wouldn’t even receive his passing mark.
Leaf Zhi smiled silently.
As for the true potential of the Players, Edegar would naturally experience it himself in the future.
Night had fallen.
The three Players, with the new player gear and bathing supplies provided by Leaf Zhi, took a bath in the river.
Whether it was healthy or not, at least it washed away the chill Lin Xian had carried since the rain.
“Ah! Finally comfortable!”
While waiting for the others to finish, Lin Xian opened his Game Panel.
[Name: Not Showing Off]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 1 (Newbie)]
[EXP: 158/100]
[san value: 88]
[Skills: None]
[Backpack: Empty]
In the afternoon, besides chopping trees, he experimented with other ways to earn experience.
So after accumulating enough EXP to level up to 2, he didn’t work as hard.
In conversion, his EXP should have been 108 points.
The extra 10 EXP was automatically added after defeating the Red-skinned Earthworm.
Besides him, Grandpa Can Fly received 9 EXP, and Garbled received 19 EXP.
“As expected, killing monsters is still the fastest way to level up…”
Lin Xian muttered to himself.
Even though the EXP gained didn’t seem like much, maybe even less than cutting down two trees and doing labor.
But their Faction leader Old Leaf had said before: the Red-skinned Earthworm was just a low-tier monster!
Stronger monsters surely gave even more experience.
Once their levels increased, the main way to earn EXP would definitely be fighting monsters.
Besides that, the san value Lin Xian lost during the day due to mistakes hadn’t changed at all.
It hurt him deeply.
He could only tell himself to act more like a Human in the Game.
He’d already tested it—running around naked while bathing didn’t deduct san value.
So.
It wasn’t the nakedness during the day that made him confuse the Game and reality.
It was that he was an exhibitionist on the main street, and the system deemed that didn’t conform to in-game reality!
“Damn! I’m already playing a Game, so why do I still have to follow real-world rules!”
Lin Xian howled at the sky.
Just like how, during the day, he praised 《Under the God》as being from another world, as if it wasn’t him.
Next came the moment Players had eagerly awaited—the time to gain skills upon leveling up!
Xiao Ming lay lifelessly on the hand of the Goddess Statue.
Leaf Zhi had drawn a circle for its range of movement, so it couldn’t leave the Church at all.
And the Players and Leaf Zhi had disappeared for an entire day!
It was bored to death!
Ever since leaving the Land of the Gods, it had never stayed in one place for so long!
Finally, the Church doors opened.
Three Players entered together.
Xiao Ming felt as if it had seen its saviors.
“Jiu Jiu Ya Bo!”
As usual, after giving its blessing in their language, it shot toward the three like a golden cannonball.
Pop!
Leaf Zhi appeared from who-knows-where and intercepted the round Guangqiu.
He looked at the low-intelligence Guangqiu in his hand with disdain.
“Can’t you have some sense of your own weight?”
Even if most of Xiao Ming’s powers were in Leaf Zhi’s hands, it was still a Godhand.
Was the impact force of a Godhand something an ordinary person could endure?
The three Players huddled together and discussed.
Grandpa Can Fly: “What are the NPCs saying?”
Garbled: “Maybe they’re happy because we leveled up too quickly?”
Lin Xian: “Judging from the movements of the Goddess juvenile, that’s probably it, but can the Goddess juvenile not speak? Why does it keep repeating the same word?”
Grandpa Can Fly: “After all, it’s also a Game mascot. If the mascot was too smart, it wouldn’t be as popular!”
Lin Xian: “Makes sense!”
Garbled accepted the explanation: “So the Game even considers such factors?”
Grandpa Can Fly said proudly: “Of course!”
Xiao Ming struggled in Leaf Zhi’s hand.
“Let me go, let me bond with my believers! I would never hurt my precious believers!”
“Whoa, you’ve gotten braver after just a day?”
Leaf Zhi said in surprise.
But now, they really needed it to go over.
After thinking for a moment, Leaf Zhi let it go.
Xiao Ming immediately circled around the three Players, reciting from memory the words of praise Light God Edegar had once given to Chosen Ones.
As his very first believers, of course, they deserved the best treatment!