“Why study pharmaceutics?” Yao Yao asked, puzzled.

“If a mage doesn’t study pharmaceutics, they’re guaranteed to be broke once they reach a higher level. After all, magic potions are just too expensive. Human mages have a talent that allows them to create magic potions beyond their level, so it’d be a waste not to learn pharmaceutics,” Nie Yan said.

“Alright, I’ve marked the coordinates. Thanks for the advice, Nie Yan.”

Noticing a water spider moving ahead, Nie Yan swam over. He stopped about five yards away, realizing the water spider was somewhat different from the ordinary kind. It was a little larger in size.

Water Spider Leader: Level 3, 120/120.

“It’s a leader-class monster,” Nie Yan said, turning to Yao Yao.

“Can we beat it?” Yao Yao asked. She knew Nie Yan understood more than she did, and she was getting used to asking for his advice whenever a problem arose.

“Probably, but it’ll be a bit difficult.” Nie Yan scanned their surroundings. The water surface was wide open, with no terrain to exploit. This was the water spider’s paradise.

“If it’s too dangerous, let’s forget it,” Yao Yao said. It wouldn’t be worth it to die and lose a level. It would take at least two or three days to get it back.

“Do you have any Underwater Breathing Potions?” Nie Yan asked. Water spiders were surface-dwelling creatures; they couldn’t dive underwater, which would be their fatal weakness.

“I’m out. I didn’t prepare enough, and I used them all up before,” Yao Yao said, her face reddening slightly. She hadn’t expected to use so many Underwater Breathing Potions along the way. If she’d had some, she wouldn’t have been in any danger. She could’ve just dove underwater when she encountered trouble.

“I have one left. Here, take it. Water spiders can’t breathe underwater. You attack it first, and if it forces you into close combat, immediately dive. I’ll shoot it with my crossbow from a distance to draw it away. After it’s moved far enough away, resurface and continue dealing damage. Once its health is low enough, we’ll attack together,” Nie Yan said after a moment of thought.

Using this method, they could slowly wear the water spider down.

“I didn’t realize your brain was so useful,” Yao Yao said, glancing at Nie Yan. It seemed any problem became simple in his hands.

“I had an IQ of 260 when I was a kid. This is nothing,” Nie Yan said with a smile, swimming to the other side.

Seeing Nie Yan’s smug look, Yao Yao couldn’t help but smile. The guy really let things go to his head.

When he was about twenty yards away from the Water Spider Leader, Nie Yan gave Yao Yao a signal.

Yao Yao waved her staff, casting Holy Smite. It struck the Water Spider Leader, dealing 15 damage.

As expected, a leader-class monster had much higher defense.

The Water Spider Leader shrieked and pounced towards Yao Yao. She still had time for one more attack before the Water Spider Leader reached her. She started preparing Holy Strike, a beam of light crashing down from the sky and slamming into the Water Spider Leader, dealing 16 damage.

After Nie Yan finished preparing his crossbow, he fired bolts one after another. *Thump, thump, thump.* They all hit the Water Spider Leader, damage numbers of -6 floating above its head as he frantically reloaded.

After casting Holy Strike, Yao Yao saw the Water Spider Leader lunging toward her, and she dove into the water.

Once Yao Yao was underwater, the Water Spider Leader couldn’t do anything to her.

The Water Spider paced anxiously on the surface near Yao Yao.

*Thump, thump, thump.* Another three bolts struck the Water Spider Leader, and its attention was drawn to Nie Yan. It charged towards him.

Nie Yan frantically reloaded his crossbow, but before he could finish, the Water Spider Leader had already reached him. He quickly swapped his crossbow for a dagger.

“Assassinate!”

Nie Yan’s Assassinate struck the Water Spider Leader’s abdomen, dealing 12 damage.

The Water Spider Leader lashed out, hitting Nie Yan for more than sixty damage.

Such high attack!

If he was hit again, he’d be dead for sure!

Nie Yan had originally wanted to get in another round of attacks, but faced with such danger, he didn’t dare risk it and plunged into the water.

The Water Spider Leader missed its attack and thrust a spiked leg into the water like an arrow, piercing Nie Yan’s shoulder.

-32, a damage number floated above Nie Yan’s head.

Having successfully landed one blow, the Water Spider Leader thrust another leg at Nie Yan.

Nie Yan rolled in the water, the Water Spider Leader’s spiked leg brushing past his cheek, causing a string of bubbles to rise.

“That was close!” Nie Yan dove deeper to escape the Water Spider Leader’s attack range. With only twenty health left, he wouldn’t dare fight the Water Spider Leader head-on again.

“Holy Word!”

While the Water Spider Leader was distracted by Nie Yan, Yao Yao cast a powerful magic spell, dealing 27 damage.

“Are you alright?” Yao Yao asked with concern. She’d seen two high damage numbers float above Nie Yan’s head.

“I’m fine. The Water Spider Leader’s attacks are too strong; don’t let it hit you,” Nie Yan said, still shaken. He had underestimated the Water Spider Leader’s attack ability, and he had almost died.

“I know,” Yao Yao responded, waving her staff.

Under Yao Yao’s continuous attacks, the Water Spider Leader’s aggro was once again drawn to Yao Yao, and it pounced.

“Holy Smite! Holy Strike!”

After a round of attacks, Yao Yao dove into the water again.

The Water Spider Leader paced back and forth on the surface, agitated. The three bolts Nie Yan fired struck the Water Spider Leader’s rear.

Repeating the process, the Water Spider Leader’s health gradually dwindled. With Yao Yao’s final Holy Word, the Water Spider Leader’s health hit rock bottom. It curled up and floated on the surface.

The whole process was easier than they had imagined.

Seeing the Water Spider Leader die, Nie Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Killing the Water Spider increased his experience by about 5%, bringing him to 52%.

“What did it drop?” Nie Yan asked.

“Take a look,” Yao Yao said, placing the two items she had just picked up in the trade window.

Fine Silk Armguards (Bronze): Level Requirement 0.

Stats: Defense 2–3, Magic +3.

Weight: 1.3 lbs.

Usage Restriction: Mage, any faction.

Rare Fine Silk: Quantity 5 rolls, raw material.

“Do you have Appraisal skill?” Nie Yan asked. Logically, the equipment that dropped should be unidentified. He hadn’t expected Yao Yao to have learned Appraisal at such a low level.

“Yeah, I learned the lowest-level Appraisal skill,” Yao Yao nodded.

“The armguards are yours; the Rare Fine Silk is mine. I have a use for it,” Nie Yan said. He wondered what the difference was between Rare Fine Silk and ordinary Fine Silk, and if Physician Blaylock would accept Rare Fine Silk.

“Okay, then I won’t be polite,” Yao Yao said. She needed the armguards. The armguards added 3 Magic, which was the best stat for a mage. They were worth at least fifty or sixty copper coins on the market. In that case, Nie Yan was at a loss. She felt slightly apologetic, but then she remembered Nie Yan had taken the Assassinate skill book earlier, so she accepted it.

Yao Yao placed the Rare Fine Silk in the trade window, and they both clicked confirm.

When they were trading items, they were very close. Nie Yan’s gaze fell on Yao Yao’s face. Yao Yao’s skin had always been very good, as white as jade porcelain, without a single flaw.

“What are you looking at?” Yao Yao asked, flustered. Being stared at by Nie Yan caused a faint blush to rise on her cheeks.

Seeing Yao Yao blush, Nie Yan laughed and swam towards a water spider not far away.

After farming monsters for an afternoon, Nie Yan had collected twenty-three Fine Silk, and Yao Yao’s waterskin was full.

“My team is going to clear the Treant Forest in Tragar Town in a few days, and there are a few spots open. Do you want to participate?” Yao Yao asked, feigning casualness, but secretly hoping Nie Yan would agree.

The Treant Forest was a Level 3 small-scale dungeon, one of the basic dungeons. Basic dungeons were usually quite difficult. The final Treant King was very troublesome; it was a sub-elite monster. If a Warrior’s defense wasn’t at least sixty and their health wasn’t at least two hundred and twenty, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“How many people are in your party?”

“Including you, eighteen: two Shield Warriors, two Berserkers, two Paladins, two Thieves, three Priests, and seven Mages.”

“What are the main Shield Warrior’s defense and health?” Nie Yan asked. If Yao Yao’s team was an elite team, it wouldn’t hurt to go. The Treant Forest dropped a lot of good items for Thieves.

“Fifty-three defense and two hundred and thirty health.”

“The health is okay, but the defense is too low. I advise you not to go,” Nie Yan said, shaking his head. The Shield Warrior was still a little short.

“Why?” Yao Yao looked at Nie Yan with wide eyes, confused.

“The Treant King has a 2% chance of landing a critical hit, so the main Shield Warrior’s defense and health must be high, and the Priest’s healing must keep up. Otherwise, if a critical hit lands, the main Shield Warrior will be killed instantly, and you’ll all die. Although you don’t drop equipment or levels in dungeons, losing 20% experience is still annoying enough.”

“How do you know that?”

Nie Yan smiled faintly, not answering.

“Although I think what you’re saying might be right, they’ve been preparing for many days. I can’t just not go.”

“Take my advice, and tell your main Shield Warrior to raise his defense to sixty before going,” Nie Yan said. If Yao Yao didn’t listen and went anyway, she would definitely lose 20% experience. Fortunately, 20% experience wasn’t much; she could get it back in less than a day.

“Raise the defense to sixty? Then they’ll need to get at least one piece of Bronze defense equipment. It’s too difficult,” Yao Yao said, shaking her head. A piece of Bronze defense equipment was five or six times more expensive than ordinary Bronze equipment, costing at least three or four silver coins. Their team didn’t have that much wealth.

“Decline if you can. If your friends insist on going, there’s nothing you can do. Anyway, you’ll only lose 20% experience.”

“Nie Yan, are you serious?” Yao Yao frowned slightly, asking worriedly.

Nie Yan nodded and swam towards a water spider nearby.

Yao Yao instinctively believed that what Nie Yan said was credible, but she was puzzled. How did Nie Yan know all this? Had he been to the Treant Forest before? Even if he had, it was impossible for him to obtain such accurate data so quickly.

“I’m done with my quest and should go back. I had a lot of fun leveling up with you today, Nie Yan. Add me as a friend, and I’ll contact you again in the future,” Yao Yao said, a hint of reluctance in her voice. Nie Yan was the first male friend she had ever enjoyed spending time with. Of course, it was limited to just being friends.

“Okay,” Nie Yan replied, adding Yao Yao as a friend.

“Then I’ll go first, bye-bye,” Yao Yao said, waving as she swam towards the opposite shore.

Yao Yao’s figure grew smaller and smaller.

As Yao Yao left, Nie Yan felt a little melancholy, but he quickly adjusted his mood and continued farming water spiders.

One water spider after another fell under Nie Yan’s dagger.

Looking at the time, there were still three hours left before the game shut down for the day. Nie Yan’s voice communication rang.

“Hey, it’s me,” Stone sent a message.

“What’s up?” Nie Yan messaged back.

“A friend of mine wants to meet you.”

“I’m very busy recently. I don’t have much time.”

“My friend said he’s willing to spend two silver coins to buy the guide to the Fallen Wizard Camp.”

“Did your team wipe at the wooden barricade in the Fallen Wizard Camp?” Nie Yan asked. That was a difficult obstacle. If they didn’t know the trick, it would be hard to get through.

“How do you know?” Stone asked, surprised. Nie Yan’s guess was right on the mark. He was even more certain that Nie Yan had cleared the Fallen Wizard Camp before.

“Of course I know. If you want the guide to the Fallen Wizard Camp, you can, but transfer the money to my personal warehouse first.”

A personal warehouse was like an account. Players could freely deposit and withdraw money, but other players could only deposit and not withdraw.

“Um, I have to ask about that first,” Stone said. He was clearly not the one in charge. After a while, he sent Nie Yan a message, “My friend said we can pay one silver coin as a deposit first. If your guide is effective, we’ll pay the other silver coin.”

Nie Yan thought for a moment and said, “Okay.” The other party was willing to do this transaction because Nie Yan had accurately guessed their situation several times. If they paid first, they would be taking a big risk. If Nie Yan was a scammer, their money would be wasted. So, paying half as a deposit was the best option.

System: Player Flying Stone has deposited one silver coin into your personal warehouse.

“The money has been transferred,” Stone said. He was also a little nervous. If Nie Yan cut off the voice communication, their one silver coin would be wasted.

“The first obstacle is the wooden barricade. There are seven Fallen Wizards there. Don’t let the Warriors tank; seven Fallen Wizards firing at the same time, Warriors under Level 5 can’t withstand it. Have a Thief stand outside the fence under the locust tree and use a bow to shoot the Fallen Wizard on the left. Remember, the shooting position can’t be wrong. That’s how you’ll lure out three Fallen Wizards. Kill those three, and the remaining four will be much easier. The second important spot is next to the altar. There’s a Fallen Priest there. When dealing with him, you’ll accidentally aggro the Fallen Wizard Leader if you’re not careful. The Fallen Priest moves every five minutes. When he walks outside the altar next to the stone pillar, have a Shield Warrior pull him, drawing him about five or six yards away, then let the melee classes surround him. Kill the Fallen Priest, and then you can kill the Fallen Wizard Leader. If you have any other problems, you can message me,” Nie Yan said. Since he was taking their money, he should help them solve their problems. Besides, it was just a small dungeon that would soon be cleared by other players. It wasn’t bad to trade some information for money, especially a whole two silver coins.

“That’s it?” Stone asked, stunned.

“That’s it.”

Just that little bit of information was worth two silver coins? Nie Yan was making money way too easily.

But the method to clear it was the result of countless people’s experiences. An ordinary team would have to wipe several times to figure it out. Thinking about it that way, the guide wasn’t that expensive after all.