As they left the village chief’s house, Bai Xia’s eyes nearly curved into crescent moons. Thankfully, she kept her usual calm facade—any higher lift of her lips would’ve looked utterly ridiculous.
Still, her joy was totally justified. This was pure *getting something for nothing*: a satisfying reward with zero effort. Could anything feel better?
True, unlike real life, the game wouldn’t let them just grab loot and vanish. But since it was a quest anyway, an advance reward *plus* a hidden quest? Double the joy, no question!
And the undisputed MVP of it all was Tianzheng. Without him, snagging such a sweet quest would’ve been impossible.
Bai Xia silently vowed: she *had* to cling tight to this powerhouse’s leg—scolding, smacks, whatever. She wouldn’t let go.
Morals? Optional. Powerhouse’s leg? Non-negotiable!
She hadn’t realized, though, that not every leg was safe to cling to… someday, this choice might cost her a hefty “price.”
But that was future Bai Xia’s problem. Right now? She was *thriving* on leg-clinging joy.
After all, how many ideal powerhouses existed—strong, generous, gentle-tempered, *and* creating opportunities for her? None she’d ever heard of.
So of course she wouldn’t let this slip. Friends? No. *Sworn* best friends!
Tianzheng had zero clue about the scheming in his companion’s head. He just shivered—a cold trickle down his spine, as if locked onto by some lurking “malice.”
He didn’t dwell on it. After grabbing the map and intel from the chief, he didn’t rush Bai Xia toward the rear mountain. Hidden quests meant danger. Prep came first.
They hit the potion shop: healing and recovery potions. Stocked torch oil as backup. Pooled coins for basic white-grade armor they could equip immediately.
Bai Xia winced at the spending—but knew upfront investment paved the way to bigger rewards.
Gear and supplies stocked, they headed for the rear mountain.
The newbie village’s rear mountain was a leveling hotspot, spawning level 5–10 monsters. But dense terrain and sparse spawns kept player traffic light compared to the main forest.
Following the chief’s hand-drawn map, Bai Xia and Tianzheng soon saw no other players—the marked spot was that remote.
The cave entrance was tiny, barely wide enough for one person, choked by thick foliage. *How did the chief even find this?*
Inside, though? Vastly larger. And true to his word—blue crystal ore glittered *everywhere*.
Bai Xia’s mouth watered at the glowing minerals. She dragged Tianzheng to mine nearly a hundred pieces right at the entrance before reluctantly stopping.
Thankfully, *The Otherworld*’s inventory wasn’t literal. Thirty starting slots, but identical materials stacked infinitely—otherwise, that ore haul would’ve been impossible.
They didn’t venture deeper yet. Just peeked the periphery and retreated.
Caves meant tight spaces. Goblins were only level-5 mobs on paper, but numbers + terrain = serious risk.
Tianzheng decided: wait until Bai Xia hit level 5, equipped the Shadowfang Dagger, and learned new skills. Safety first for their two-person team.
Bai Xia agreed without hesitation. On grinding matters, she was perfectly obedient—east when he said east, west never. Her actions screamed *textbook newbie leg-clinging*.
And honestly? His caution made sense. Special quest = handle with care.
Hours passed leveling near the cave. Tianzheng even held back on finishing blows, letting her land the kill for extra XP.
Despite only level 5–6 wild tigers and deer around, Bai Xia hit level 5 before noon.
Stat boosts unlocked. Shadowfang Dagger equipped. And two new skills:
Dark Harvest. Shadow Step.
Dark Harvest: a blink skill. Close in, vanish into shadow, reappear behind the enemy—next basic attack enhanced for heavy damage.
Shadow Step: true to its name, a lifesaver. Melt into ground shadows, gain speed boost and physical damage immunity. Only three seconds at her level… but paired with Dark Harvest? A god-tier combo for evasion and ambush.
With the Shadowfang Dagger in hand, Bai Xia finally shed the “helpless leg-clinger” label. She was now… a *competent* newbie.
They logged off for quick lunches, relogged, adjusted gear, and re-entered the chief’s marked cave.
Per his hint, a goblin likely snagged his lost jewelry. Kill it—the quest item would drop.
A bit of a trap, really. If it didn’t drop? Clear every monster downstairs.
But Bai Xia and Tianzheng didn’t mind—they planned to clear it all anyway. Finding the item early wouldn’t stop them.
Still…
“Goblins… truly infamous monsters,” Bai Xia murmured.
Fantasy staples across novels, anime, games. Low IQ, weak individually—but always in swarms. *The Otherworld* was no different: level-5 mobs, but face a dozen at once plus goblin archer ambushes. Nestled in dark, twisting caves? Sometimes deadlier than bosses.
But Bai Xia wasn’t worried about *that*. She wondered…
*Would they meet the legendary Goblin Slayer?*
…Yeah, no. Impossible.
Besides, this game’s goblins weren’t that vicious—or “fortunate.” Just ordinary little green-skinned humanoids.
Please. Don’t slander them.
