Chapter 14 Sea Monster: One Strike, One Kill
Lu Mingang knew that Shen Dixing had just changed a lot of gemstones, and he, who was always paying attention to Shen Dixing, quickly noticed the extra jewelry on her hands.
They were all in the same boat, so Shen Dixin naturally wouldn't hide anything from him.
"It'll be hard to get gems after today, right? If you buy an accessory entirely with materials, a silver ingot costs 10 points, and a gold ingot costs 12 points..."
Lu Mingang started calculating and was stunned by the final number, observing the two simple ornaments with amazement.
"These two items alone are worth more than all our wealth."
After thinking for a moment, Shen Dixin took off the ring again and handed it to Lu Mingang.
The ring lying on her fair palm shone brightly. Lu Mingang said awkwardly, "I'm so sorry, Dixin, you can wear it yourself. Give it to me when you can't fit into it."
"Who said this was for you? I just wanted you to wear it so you could take less medicine. I'll return it to you in a couple of days."
"Oh." Upon hearing that the jewelry wasn't for him, Lu Mingang regained his composure, but couldn't hide his disappointment.
Shen Dixin brushed him off, saying, "Next time, I'll buy it for you next time."
"Hehe, I also earned jewelry for Dixin. I sold quite a lot of vegetables!" Lu Mingang pointed to the various supplies piled up next door, which he hadn't had time to organize yet, as if showing off his achievements.
Lu Mingang took on the contract processing of ingredients, and even with the deducted payment, he still put them on the shelves and sold them.
After getting used to the job, he even asked Shen Dixin to make another frying pan, making two or three pans at a time.
Although I can't produce dishes that are beyond my current level, my earnings are basically doubled. I've accumulated a lot of experience without even realizing it, and now I'm only two or three hundred less experience than Chen Dixin.
Chen Dixin's experience gained this afternoon was very slow. After changing jobs, the experience gained from picking up supplies decreased, and he relied mainly on new blueprints.
"Five hundred experience points short of leveling up," Shen Dixin muttered to himself, not in a hurry. The majority of the monster hunter's daily experience was still to come.
There are seven basic professions for surviving at sea: fisherman, farmer, cook, sailor, scavenger, monster hunter, and astronomer.
In the early game, the top tier of experience gainers are scavengers, monster hunters, and fishermen. Next are the later-game professions of farmers and cooks, which require more experience accumulation. Astronomers and sailors have a very stable experience gain rate regardless of the stage of the game.
As a monster hunter, gaining hundreds or even thousands of experience points a day is normal. As long as you calm your mind and get through the Twilight Monster Tide, a mere 500 experience points is nothing.
...
The sky darkened visibly, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed everything a crimson hue.
The water around the raft rippled violently. Shen Dixin called out, "Lu Mingang, get ready, it's about to begin."
She had told Lu Mingang about the strange tides that would appear at dusk, and he quickly realized what she meant, gripping the pool cue tightly in one hand and holding a knife in the other.
Shen Dixin, also holding a tiger-tooth dagger, stood at the edge, ready for battle.
"Whoosh—"
The water broke open, and a sea monster's hand clung to the raft, signaling the start of the war.
This sea monster's parents must be related to toads; its slimy, sticky, dark green skin is nauseating.
Chen Dixin remained calm and, before the frog monster could approach, plunged the dagger straight into its eyeball, killing it one by one.
[The player cleared a level 1 sea monster and gained 10 experience points.]
[The player cleared a level 2 sea monster, gaining 18 experience points. The monster dropped 1 piece of green slime.]
When a sea monster dies, its body turns into specks of light, leaving only its droppings, which is quite convenient.
Otherwise, with the corpses and juices splattering everywhere as he kills sea monsters every night, Shen Dixin can't even imagine what his raft would look like.
A level 1 sea monster drops 10 experience points, and each subsequent level increases the experience by 5 points, with an additional 10 points every five levels.
Shen Dixin gained the above experience because her title [Pioneer] provides an experience bonus. At the same time, killing sea monsters below the player's level will result in a decrease in experience, and vice versa.
Lu Mingang was a little nervous. His heart was pounding as he looked at the hideous sea monster. He gritted his teeth and tried to imagine killing chickens and fish, and managed to kill one as well.
With his initial attributes, as long as he overcomes his psychological barriers, he can defeat his opponent by force even if he doesn't know any combat techniques.
Shen Dixin quickly ordered, "Don't kill them, knock them down and wait for me to kill them."
Hearing this, Lu Mingang breathed a sigh of relief, switched the billiard cue to his right hand, and felt much safer holding the cue than the knife!
Moreover… Lu Mingang’s hand, gripping his weapon, trembled slightly. Usually talkative, he was completely focused on the sea monsters around him and couldn’t utter a single word.
Born in a time of peace, this was the first time he had ever taken a weapon and killed a life.
Trying to calm himself down, Lu Mingang knew this was something he couldn't escape, so he forced himself to stare intently at the sea monster.
Shen Dixin turned around, puzzled. What had the sea monster done to him? Hesitantly, he asked, "Are you injured?"
"No."
"Stay away, it'll be a real problem if you get hurt."
Shen Dixin gave him careful instructions and arranged for someone to stand in the safest position.
Lu Mingang nodded hurriedly. In the game of survival at sea, there would be no physical reaction unless the life value dropped below 5%. He almost forgot that his health bar was in dire straits.
When he switched to a stick, his strength became apparent; one blow left the sea monster dizzy and seeing stars.
This was even with Lu Mingang using only seven-tenths of his strength, because he was afraid of stealing Shen Dixin's experience.
Shen Dixin originally planned to let Lu Mingang lead the battle, but after she obtained the power accessory, she no longer needed to consider any of that.
A level one sea monster has an average attribute of about five points, which is comparable to the current Shen Dixin, plus the power bonus from the Tiger Fang Dagger.
The fact that his strength was several points higher meant that when he struck a vital point, Chen Dixin had the ability to take the sea monster away with one blow.
She had long ago learned how to defeat enemies efficiently. In her most desperate moment in her past life, she signed a contract with the Colosseum: if she survived, she would live; if she didn't, she would die.
Players have no concept of fatigue; as long as they have enough stamina and health, they can play without sleep.
Shen Dixin did not die there. Not only did she not die, but the three months of relentless fighting allowed her to leave with not only countless combat experiences but also a ship full of wealth.
Although Shen Dixing had deliberately forgotten his days in the arena, his fighting instincts still remained in his body, and these mindless sea monsters were no match for him.
Her fighting style was simple yet efficient, with every move aimed at taking the opponent's life.
Lu Mingang cheered them on from the next room, while also keeping an eye on the emerging sea monsters and playing whack-a-mole. The two worked together very well, and so far no sea monster had been able to break through the blockade.
He pulled the dagger from the sea monster's eye socket, and the strange slime that splattered out disappeared without touching Shen Dixin in the slightest.
Shen Dixin kicked it down and turned to stab the next one.
The sea monster had added two attribute points to its constitution. When Shen Dixing struck it with his dagger, it did not lose its ability to move. Only one turbid eye remained, staring fiercely at Shen Dixing, with pus flowing from its eye socket like the tears of a monster.
The sea monster fiercely broke free of its restraints, revealing its sharp teeth as it took a bite.
"Watch out!" Lu Mingang exclaimed, taking three steps in two, his billiard cue plunging straight into the sea monster's body.
Even with its body pierced through, the sea monster did not falter in the slightest, as if it felt no pain.
Shen Dixin's face was cold. The sea monster's sudden attack did not harm her in the slightest. She dodged the attack and then destroyed its other eye. She twisted the blade to make sure it was dead.
On the other end, the billiard cue had already slipped from his hand, its long end awkwardly stuck in the sea monster's corpse, about to fall into the sea along with the monster as it turned into specks of light.
Shen Dixin used her foot to push it inward, and glanced at what Lu Mingang was doing.
He couldn't hold it in any longer, so he grabbed the shelf and started vomiting. After he finished vomiting, he looked down and saw that he had vomited it all onto the sea monster that had just emerged.
The stench of vomit combined with the terrifying appearance of the sea monster made Lu Mingang vomit again after just one glance. After vomiting up what he had eaten, he started vomiting bile.
Alas……
Shen Dixin looked at the sea monster covered in vomit with great disgust. She no longer needed the dagger, but kicked the billiard cue from the ground, caught it, and thrust it forward. The wooden cue in her hand displayed the power of a sword.
Shen Dixin sped up the clearing speed. Fortunately, the level one sea monsters were not very agile and climbed up slowly. Even if there were ten of them around, it was enough for Shen Dixin to kill them one by one.
To her surprise, not long after, Lu Mingang, who had been vomiting and looked pale, joined the battle again. Although he was a little unsteady, his strength was not diminished at all.
Half an hour later, it was completely dark.
[Congratulations on surviving the first wave of sea monster attacks! You have received 1 Class Item Box and 1 Free Attribute Point. Do you wish to challenge the next wave?]
Fighting sea monsters not only grants experience, but also drops a class item box every three waves and rewards one free attribute point every five waves.
The first wave is an exception; it includes both types of rewards but is not included in the calculation.
Shen Dixin was slightly out of breath, her body was covered in sweat, and her wrists were a little sore. This was the first time her body had fought at such a high intensity, and even though her physique had been improved, she was still a little unaccustomed to it.
She added her attribute points to Strength, and also opened a treasure chest. Luckily, it contained the painkillers she needed.
"Take a break, there will be another wave in ten minutes."
Chen Dixin started a fire using the flint he had obtained from Lu Mingang. Its durability had only decreased slightly, and it could last a long time with just one use a day.
"Dixin, what do you do for a living? How come you're so good at fighting?" A martial arts master? A reclusive family?
After recovering for a while, Lu Mingang regained his energy and came over to chat, his eyes filled with admiration for Shen Dixing.
She never expected that Lu Mingang, who looked like a gangster, had never even killed a chicken.
The two of them simultaneously asked the questions they had been holding back for several times, and then burst out laughing at each other.
"This is a civilized society now, who still fights and kills? I practice sports, but I don't practice boxing."
Lu Mingang looked resentful. He seemed to be able to talk on and on without needing anyone to respond. Shen Dixin was happy not to explain to him.
"These days, it's rare to buy live chickens and fish to kill, right? My parents have never killed a chicken before, and if they came, they'd be even more timid than me. Speaking of which, have we dragged everyone into this? We can't let a bunch of old men and little kids go kill sea monsters, can we?"
"The players are all normal people between the ages of 18 and 45."
“Chen Dixin, you’re so skilled, why don’t you teach me sometime? I can’t just keep banging sticks next door.”
Shen Dixin tilted her head. Lu Mingang had nothing to do with her plan at all; his role was just to help buy some time in the past few days.
Besides, that was part of the original plan. Now that she's received these two unexpected pieces of jewelry, she honestly doesn't need Lu Mingang at all. Considering how useful his talent is, Shen Dixin won't neglect him.
As for the mascot, it's good enough if it can protect itself. If it were to participate in the war, Shen Dixin would probably be close to death.
But if I say it directly, will he cry?
Survival at sea is very disconnected from the real world. Chen Dixin hasn't thought about this kind of question for a long time. It feels like he's back in college, where his only worries were social life, studies, and what to eat each day.
It feels like a lifetime ago...
A note from the author:
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