Apprentice's Longsword (Common · White Rank)
Strength +2
Agility +1
These were the stats of the weapon in Jason's hands.
On this continent, weapon grades—from lowest to highest—were: White Rank Common, Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Epic Relic, Mythic Sacred Artifact.
White Rank Common was the most inferior grade, barely granting any attribute boosts.
This longsword was a standard-issue weapon, distributed by the academy's instructors during field training, just enough to handle the weakest of wilderness beasts.
Still, it was better than facing a monster barehanded.
As Jason slowly drew the blade, the Bloodfang Ash Fox seemed to sense his intent.
Even if it didn't strike first, it knew a hostile human would try to kill it sooner or later.
"Wrr—"
The sound was soft and almost coy, like a small animal's whimper, but its blood-red eyes and drooling fangs were nothing but a promise of violence.
A blur of grey sprang into motion—
Its body, barely half a meter tall, shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string, closing the distance to less than five paces in just a few breaths.
It leapt, claws flashing cold light, aiming straight for Jason's face.
Jason narrowed his eyes and raised his blade to block—
Clang!
Shhk!
The first claw slammed into the sword, sending sparks flying and leaving a shallow scratch along the blade; the second slipped past his guard, tearing deep into his forearm. Blood splattered in the air.
Pain flared white-hot, but as one of the academy's top students, Jason's combat instincts were carved into his very bones.
With a backhand slash, his longsword slipped cleanly past the fox's guard and bit deep into its flank—
Shhk!
The Ash Fox hadn't expected its prey to not only react so quickly but to trade injury for injury. The cut split hide and flesh, revealing a glimpse of twitching viscera within.
Compared to the Bloodfang Ash Fox, this kind of injury-for-injury exchange favored Jason far more.
If not for this tactic, with the beast's Agility exceeding his by five whole points, landing even a single hit would have been no easy feat.
The moment his blade struck home, Jason pressed the attack, cutting down once more!
Wounded and slowing, the Ash Fox could no longer evade as before. Another blow landed on a vital spot, and its breathing turned ragged and erratic.
Yet even on the verge of death, it lunged in a desperate final strike, claws raking open the muscle in Jason's calf.
With a roar, Jason brought his sword down one last time, cleaving into the creature's skull. The monster's body went limp instantly, collapsing to the ground without a sound.
A flicker of the system's interface passed before his eyes:
[Kill: Bloodfang Ash Fox (Lv.10)] — EXP +120
Harvestable Material: Bloodfang Ash Fox Pelt
The hide of a level 10 beast could fetch around eighty Dragon Coins in the materials market of Silverport City.
Still, few would risk venturing this deep into the wilds for a mere eighty coins—unless they were veteran material hunters who made their living slaying monsters.
Jason dropped to the ground, breathing hard, his forearm and calf burning with pain.
From his pack, he pulled out a loaf of bread—baked by Daisy's own hands—tore off a piece, and shoved it into his mouth.
Refined Bread (Tier 1 Food)
Effect: Gradually restores light to moderate injuries.
It was a simple form of life recovery, crafted after Daisy learned the Baking skill.
As the bread went down, the bleeding from his wounds slowly ceased, and the sharp pain dulled.
After a brief rest, he deftly skinned the Ash Fox, storing the pelt in his pack, then continued on toward the direction marked on the God-tier Treasure Map.
Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
When the golden rays of sunset washed over the jagged rocks of the Boulder Plains, Jason finally arrived at the coordinates etched on the treasure map—(341681, 674331).
At this moment, his body bore no fewer than a dozen wounds, and the apprentice longsword in his grip—after several brutal battles—was chipped beyond recognition, teetering on the edge of ruin.
Along the way, he had encountered three separate waves of monsters on par with the Bloodfang Ash Fox, each one taking the initiative to attack. Only through sheer physical prowess and a calm, tactical mind had he managed to cut them down, step by step, until he finally reached this place.
Let's hope this God-tier Treasure Map won't disappoint me…
A wry smile tugged at his lips as he prayed silently in his heart.
In his current state—without even having unlocked his class advancement skills—making it here alive was already nothing short of a miracle.
If the treasure here couldn't grant him the power to change his fate, then the rest of his journey through the wilderness would most likely end in death.
"System, activate the God-tier Treasure Map."
In his mind, a cold, mechanical chime echoed:
Ding—Coordinates match. God-tier Treasure Map activation successful!