Chapter 004: Murder

Appearing stark naked beside a large tree hung with yellow talismans, Lin Jia fumbled at the keyboard, randomly pressing keys until he quickly figured out their functions. Although the boss had little experience, under the patient guidance of the fourth, he soon managed to equip the system-issued wooden sword, an unsightly cloth tunic, and a single candle for illumination. Aside from these, he was only given a token bottle of healing potion, a small gourd marked “Minor Golden Wound Medicine.”

“Haven’t you arrived yet? We’re at the village entrance, with the Newbie Assistant! Hurry up!” The fourth was already hollering, warning, “Don’t go attack those Meows! You’re too low level, wait till you’re at least level two!” But with a heartrending scream from a young woman, the boss’s maiden death was thus offered to a “Meow.”

On the verge of coughing up blood, the fourth vented his frustration on Lin Jia, snapping, “Why aren’t you here yet? Are you a turtle?” At that moment, the ever-curious boss met her end yet again, this time at the hands of two gate guards wielding great broadswords. The reason? She thought their swords looked better than hers and, after repeated unsuccessful inquiries about where to buy one, felt insulted and angrily tapped one with her stick. (Trouble: —I did something like this back in the day…)

“I’m by Assistant Xiaomin! Where are you guys?” Lin Jia asked, bewildered, carefully moving the mouse over the sea of bustling players to check their names, but his two companions were nowhere to be found.

“That’s impossible! I’m standing right by the signpost!” The fourth craned his neck to look and suddenly cursed, “Damn! You ended up in Ginkgo Village! We’re at Border Village! Why aren’t we at the same starting village?”

The realization dawned on Lin Jia, and he gaped, “No way! There are two newbie villages?”

“This is killing me!” The fourth glanced from Lin Jia’s screen to the boss’s, then sighed in resignation, “You’ll have to manage on your own for now. I’ll guide the boss—she can’t make it over, and you wouldn’t survive the run either. By the time you got here, you’d be dead on your feet!” In this game, Legend, running for extended periods gradually drains health. Low-level players, with their meager health, often collapse just before reaching safety, an easy mark for monsters. When health drops very low, you can only walk sluggishly until it recovers enough to run again.

Feeling down on his luck, Lin Jia hefted his wooden sword and strode out of “Ginkgo Village,” but outside, the vast forest was swarming with white-clad novices. Occasionally, when the system spawned a kitten or two, a mob would instantly surround it. After scrambling to snatch monsters for ages, Lin Jia managed to earn a single experience point. No wonder, after nearly six hours since the server opened, the highest level was only eleven.

Just as Lin Jia was considering venturing further afield, two Hooktail Cats, a Rake Cat, and a Fallow Deer suddenly spawned at his side, encircling him. Instinctively, he swung his stick at the nearest deer. But before he could react, the surging crowd swept over them. His deer became everyone’s main target, for not only did deer grant a sliver of experience, they also dropped meat when killed—a precious commodity for new players, as meat and chicken could be sold to the butcher for gold, the only reliable source of funds apart from the rare weapon drop.

Lin Jia managed a single hit before seven or eight sticks descended together, felling the deer with a collective cry. Fortunately, in Legend, experience points go to whoever strikes first. Still, with so many sticks poking at the carcass, Lin Jia knew there was little chance of getting any meat. He quickly turned to attack the only unclaimed Hooktail Cat behind him, but other players swarmed in at once. Lin Jia couldn’t even tell if he landed a hit, blindly swinging his stick into the mass.

He’d scarcely struck twice before a miserable scream arose from the throng, and a player dropped dead, spilling a dozen pieces of chicken and meat. Players instantly pounced on the loot, but Lin Jia stared in shock at the blood-red text that flashed in his information bar: he’d somehow killed a fellow player while attacking cats. What a tragic misunderstanding! Even more absurd was the game’s polite notification: “You have committed murder!”

The fourth, seeing this, abandoned the boss and burst out laughing. “Second Bro, you’re amazing! You actually killed someone? How did you do it? I hit people and it doesn’t even scratch them!” To demonstrate, he swung his iron sword at the boss, who was laboring nearby. Nothing happened—not a drop of health lost.

“How should I know?” Lin Jia was at a loss. The surrounding players probably thought the victim was bitten to death by a cat, but within seconds, the corpse vanished and the player respawned at the village gate, charging straight at Lin Jia. Above his head, angry words flashed in rapid succession: “You bastard, why’d you kill me? I’ll get you, you xxx!” He swung his wooden sword furiously at Lin Jia’s character, “Mad Lin Jia,” but not a point of damage registered.

Incensed by the insults and the attack, Lin Jia retaliated without thinking, clubbing the player again. With another tragic wail, he went down once more, dropping more meat—and, best of all, his cloth tunic, leaving him stark naked and cursing up a storm.

This was too much fun. Lin Jia didn’t understand why he could kill players while they couldn’t touch him, but seeing the loot rain down, he had an idea. He quickly turned and called to the fourth and the boss, “Hurry over! I’ve found a way to make money!” The fourth glanced at him, clearly puzzled.

Lin Jia pointed at the player rushing out to die again. “If I can kill people, doesn’t that mean I can take whatever’s in their pack? Watch—if I just…” He felled the angry player with his sword once more. This time, only a piece of chicken and a wooden sword dropped—probably all the poor fellow had left. He must have been so furious that he charged out before fully healing, unable to withstand two more blows from Lin Jia.