Chapter 10: Ah, Suddenly Level 10

Name: Wang Liang (Jack-of-all-Trades Wang Ji Long)
Gender: Male
Profession: None
Level: 10 (135%)
Identity: None
Attributes (Unarmed): Strength: 6, Agility: 4, Constitution: 5, Spirit: 6, Status: Good, Skill Points: 9
Talent: Dream Realm Celestial
Skills: Mastery of Classic Arts Level 3, Mastery of Stranger's Blade Level 1, Horsemanship Level 1, Archery Level 1, Introductory Innate Heaven and Earth Technique Level 1

Level 10 already?

Wang Liang was stunned. Wasn’t it said that even the fastest would need ten years to rise from level 1 to level 60? How did he reach level 10 in the blink of an eye?

Fortunately, he was facing the desert, so no one noticed the change in his expression. Instead, it gave him time to quietly check what had just happened.

Very soon, Wang Liang found a string of data.

[Team killed Desert Bandit Soldier (Level 25), you received 300 experience (+750 team experience)...]
[Congratulations, your level has increased...]
[Team killed Desert Bandit Soldier (Level 25), you received 280 experience (+750 team experience)...]
[Congratulations, your level has increased...]
[...]
[Your level has reached the limit, please complete the Foundation Establishment quest.]

A Foundation Establishment quest?

Wang Liang scrolled further, but found no clues related to the Foundation Establishment quest. In his quest log, there were only the two team missions he had accepted at the beginning.

Just as he was about to ask what the Foundation Establishment quest was, the ghostly young lady behind him suddenly cried out.

"Heavens, the team experience is so high, 750! No wonder they all like bringing newcomers—it's a gold mine. Handsome, don't establish your foundation yet! Once you do, we won't get such high team experience anymore."

Seeing Wang Liang turn with a puzzled look, Niu Xuanguang hurriedly explained, "The lowest among us is already level 39. Against level 25 enemies, the experience we’d normally get is just one point, and one team experience point.

"You haven't established your foundation yet, so your level is calculated as below 10, while those Desert Bandit Soldiers are considered above level 20. The difference spans two major levels, so the team experience is tripled, fixed at 750 points.

"If that experience went to us, we'd have to risk our necks to kill a monster between level 40 and 43 at the very least. Do you understand?

"With you here, we can easily kill these grunts and still get the experience from killing high-level monsters.

"So, we ask that you put off your foundation establishment until after you leave this world. It might make things more dangerous for you here, but with our protection you’ll be fine.

"Besides, the experience you gain is just stored up, not wasted, and as long as you agree, we’ll give you three priority picks from the spoils. What do you think?"

Listening to Niu Xuanguang’s words, Wang Liang now understood why they had so generously welcomed him into the team. Clearly, there was profit involved.

Just as well, since Wang Liang himself had no idea how to establish a foundation. Keeping a straight face, he nodded. "Understood. I'll postpone my foundation establishment."

"Excellent! Let’s move out!"

Niu Xuanguang waved happily; after all, newcomers willing to be used for team experience were a rare find. Even among those with the highest levels, up to 45, only Wang Liang had agreed.

Wang Liang, however, was unaware of their thoughts. He was simply curious—if there were so many benefits to helping with experience boosting, why didn’t anyone make a business of it?

After all, experience doesn’t overflow or go to waste. If you could follow some experts to a level 100 world and soak up experience, you’d become level 50 or 60 in no time. Wasn’t that tempting?

Just as Wang Liang was pondering this, Niu Xuanguang seemed to sense something and called out, "Enemies incoming! Be careful, Jack-of-all-Trades. If you feel threatened, fall back—the enemies’ strength isn’t something you can handle right now."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another group of Desert Bandit Soldiers burst from the yellow sands nearby. These soldiers were visibly stronger, their scimitars gleaming even more brightly than before.

As they emerged, both Niu Xuanguang and Zhao Gongming sprang into action. Unlike Niu Xuanguang’s sword light, Zhao Gongming unleashed fireballs and chains of lightning.

His power far exceeded that of the Desert Bandit Soldiers, and with the aid of magical treasures, he dispatched most of them in a few swift moves.

But this wave was clearly larger than the last; even with both striking at once, one bandit managed to leap to the very prow of the sand barge.

Brandishing his scimitar in midair, he struck down at Wang Liang, who stood at the bow.

Wang Liang reacted instinctively, swinging the Blade of Life and Death at the attacker.

With a single slash, he cut the Desert Bandit Soldier clean in half, but the force of the opponent’s scimitar still sent Wang Liang tumbling back several steps.

"His strength is tremendous."

Rising to his feet on the sand barge, Wang Liang glanced at his palms—both were split at the base of the thumb, blood streaming down and staining his hands red.

"That’s certain," the ghostly young lady said. With a few gestures, a green glow descended upon Wang Liang, healing his wounds in moments. "They’re all at least level 25, all at the Golden Core stage. By requirement, each has at least one attribute over 20 and two over 10.

"Anyone who can burrow beneath the sands must have constitution as their strongest trait, with the rest invested in strength and agility. You haven’t established your foundation yet; even if your strength is high, it’s not above 10. Competing in strength with them is a losing game."

So Foundation Establishment is followed by Golden Core? What kind of classification was this?

Hearing these unfamiliar terms, Wang Liang silently committed them to memory, guessing that the Foundation Establishment quest might only unlock once one of his attributes reached 10.

He wasn’t sure if his guess was right, but one thing was clear: he now understood why no one took level 1 players to challenge high-level monsters. The gap in levels could grant massive experience, but also brought enormous danger.

That Desert Bandit Soldier had been just a grunt—if it had been a true powerhouse, a mere gesture could have meant utter destruction, and Wang Liang wouldn’t even have had the chance to run.

Only someone strong enough to shield Wang Liang from such attacks would ever bother bringing a newcomer along, and such people hardly cared about a bit of team experience. So while everyone knew of this method, few actually put it into practice.