Free Web NovelChapter 18: The forest apes
[100 poison hibiscus have been randomly distributed across the terrain of the wild forest. You have approximately 1 hour to collect as many as you can. Here are some things you need to note before the event begins.]
Levon smirked openly. This was exactly what he remembered — the same event, the exact same one from his past life.
But he kept his focus on what the screen was displaying.
[Firstly, all poison hibiscus will be distributed in very dangerous regions, so you will need to be strategic. Grouping together is also permitted.]
[Ten poison hibiscus will unlock a skill called Poison Resistivity, and it will take another ten to upgrade this skill to a higher grade.]
Almost immediately, murmurs broke out among nearly everyone present.
"This is completely outrageous — only a handful of people could actually benefit from this event," someone burst out, the anger clear in his voice.
"With the Shadow Monarch in the mix, that brings the odds down to almost nothing," someone else added, equally furious.
But Levon really couldn’t blame them. That was exactly how he used to think.
But that mentality was rotten, and Levon knew it.
Yes, some people entered the game with seemingly useless talents or weak bloodline awakenings — but that was never the deciding factor of their fate unless they decided to make it so.
There were plenty of skills up for grabs through events, and the way the system was built, even the weakest player couldn’t stay in the shadows forever if they were willing to work hard enough.
[You may also choose whether or not you want to participate in the competition. The entry fee is 50 copper coins.]
"In that case I’ll just sit this one out and grind in the forest. Who really cares about that skill when you’re still stuck at level 3?" someone commented with a light smile as he headed straight into the forest.
But before anyone else could move, the system chimed again.
[The goal of the event isn’t limited to obtaining ten. Even if you only find two, you can sell them to other players, as the online trade house will go live immediately after the event ends.]
With that last piece of information, some people began reconsidering. The entry fee was only 50 copper coins, and if someone found even six hibiscus, they could easily buy four more to unlock the skill — or sell all six for a price well above what they had spent to enter.
"I think that’s fair enough. We should at least fight for the hibiscus. I honestly don’t care much about the skill itself, but if I can walk away with double my registration fee, I’ll be more than grateful," one man said calmly as he stepped forward to register.
Levon watched him with quiet respect. He knew deep down that skills truly mattered at this stage — they were the closest thing to a bloodline a player could access right now, since skills were actually tied to bloodlines in nature.
Normally a player would need a compatible bloodline to wield a skill, but system-granted skills were the exception. System skills could be used with or without a bloodline.
[Would you like to register for the competition? Entry fee: 30 copper coins.]
’Wait — why only 30 copper coins?’ Levon thought calmly.
It was probably because of his title, though he wasn’t entirely sure. Either way, he made the purchase immediately.
[Congratulations, Shadow Monarch — you have successfully registered for the event.]
Shortly after, others began registering in quick succession, and before long a large number of players had already paid the 50 coin deposit.
[Your event has officially begun. You have one hour to gather as many poison hibiscus as possible.]
The moment the general message appeared across everyone’s system space, a leaderboard materialized in front of them, divided into name and event points.
[Shadow Monarch — 0
Silver — 0
Draven — 0 freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Maximus — 0
Enrail — 0]
"Of course the Shadow Monarch has to be at the top of the list, even before we’ve even started," someone said, as more and more players rushed into the forest in search of the poison hibiscus.
Levon leaped into the forest as well, running straight ahead. The system hadn’t provided any maps, which made it clear they would have to locate the hibiscus entirely on their own.
In his past life, some had been found in dangerous terrain, some came as drops from monster bodies, and others were hidden among clusters of actual purple hibiscus — so Levon wasn’t completely in the dark. He had a solid idea of where to look.
Levon began moving deeper into the forest, heading toward the area where the forest apes resided.
In his past life, he had managed to find around two poison hibiscus in that terrain and had traded them for 20 system stones.
Just as he was scanning the area, he immediately sensed movement behind him and leaped aside without hesitation.
Almost instantly, a gigantic hand came crashing down on the exact spot he had just been standing.
Boooom.
The ground cracked open from the sheer force of the ape’s strike.
[Forest Ape
Combat Power: 100
Note: A level 4 monster with immense physical strength, capable of significant destruction.]
’Good thing I didn’t lose focus.’
Levon already knew exactly how this would play out. All he needed to do was be fast.
Not just fast — blazing fast. Creatures with this level of raw strength typically carried an agility debuff, making them far slower than intended. But when they did land a hit, the damage was far more devastating than most players expected.
The ape roared furiously, pounding its chest as the sound echoed deep into the forest.
But Levon was not fazed at all. The moment the ape was distracted with its display, he immediately charged straight at it.
Due to the creature’s sluggish pace, it had no way of avoiding Levon’s strike, and without much warning his blade came crashing down hard onto its neck.
But to Levon’s surprise, this time the blade didn’t just leave a surface scratch like it normally would — it had actually cut deep into the creature’s neck.
The ape immediately swatted Levon off, adrenaline and pain surging through its body as it tried to flee — but by then, it was already far too late.
