Originally, I had hoped that the early stages of this life would be easier.
But now it seems I'll have to return to the cautious lifestyle of my previous life sooner than expected.
"Never mind that for now; I'll finish the current task and then plan for the long term."
Most Deep Dark One tasks have time limits.
The task was already half-finished, and he didn't want to give up halfway.
So, Bai Ge once again headed deeper into the western suburbs.
Having practiced with the three Famine Eaters before, he quickly became familiar with these monsters' attack patterns.
Dealing with these low-intelligence monsters became increasingly simple.
Soon, one Famine Eater after another wailed and fell beneath Bai Ge's sword.
In less than an hour, Bai Ge had killed the ten Famine Eaters required for the task.
His level had also risen to 3.
However, his health had dropped to about 50%.
Bai Ge felt a bit helpless.
Health below half made him feel very insecure.
"I'd better go back to the Nest Capital to turn in the task first."
Since the task required the ears of ten Famine Eaters, Bai Ge then gathered the Famine Eater corpses and began to process them.
But just as he cut off the last ear, a system prompt suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Prompt: Low-level Alien blood and flesh have met the activation cost for Calamity Affinity. Do you wish to begin refining? Yes/No"
"Calamity Affinity, huh?"
A hint of surprise appeared in Bai Ge's eyes.
This specialty of his was very strange; he didn't know if it was due to a version issue, but there was no specialty description later on.
Bai Ge had originally thought it was some kind of passive specialty, but he didn't expect it to require conditions to activate.
Bai Ge pondered for a moment, then chose "Yes".
"Calamity Affinity activated, refining begins!"
The next second, a black vortex suddenly appeared in front of Bai Ge.
And the ten Famine Eater corpses that were originally in front of him were instantly swallowed by the black vortex.
"Refining? Can it produce some kind of item?"
Bai Ge stared intently at the vortex in front of him.
Curiosity mixed with a hint of anticipation; he also wanted to see what kind of item the first activation of Calamity Affinity could refine.
Before long, the black vortex gradually dissipated.
"Refining successful! Calamity Affinity Lv1, proficiency +11% (89% remaining until upgrade)"
Bai Ge looked curiously at what was in front of him. The Famine Eater corpses had disappeared, leaving only a uniquely shaped sphere on the ground.
"What is this?"
Out of curiosity, Bai Ge directly activated the "Observer" title.
The next second, the sphere's information appeared before Bai Ge's eyes.
---
"disaster beast egg: Child of Calamity"
"Level: LV1"
"Status: To be hatched"
"Hatching Time: Three natural days"
---
Bai Ge was stunned for a moment.
He didn't expect the refined item to be an egg.
"Low-level Alien blood and flesh... an egg."
Then, a thoughtful expression appeared in Bai Ge's eyes.
Using corpses and flesh to create living things, his specialty certainly seemed a bit evil.
At the same time, Bai Ge felt a faint sense of disappointment.
He had expected to refine some powerful item or tool.
But he didn't expect it to be just an egg.
It would take three days to hatch, so it clearly couldn't help him in the short term.
"Forget it, good or bad, it's mine. No need to be overly concerned."
Saying that, Bai Ge put the disaster beast egg into his item backpack.
Then, without further delay, he headed towards the Nest Capital.
---
Nest City No. 01 Public Security Bureau.
"These are the ears of ten Famine Eaters."
Bai Ge handed the blood-stained package in his hand to the tall Security Officer in front of him.
The Security Officer took the package, opened it, glanced inside, and then smiled.
"Very good. Recently, many people reported ghouls appearing in the western suburbs. It seems they were just some low-level wild dogs."
Saying that, the Security Officer pulled out a bag and handed it to Bai Ge.
"This is your reward."
The next second, a system prompt sounded in Bai Ge's mind.
"Main Quest completed, reward 150 experience points, 150 copper coins."
"Prompt: Level increased from Lv3 to Lv5"
At the same time, the tall Security Officer opposite Bai Ge now put on a serious expression:
"Several villagers have recently gone missing from the village in the northern suburbs. Could you please help investigate?"
Immediately, a system prompt appeared in Bai Ge's mind again.
---
"Main Quest: Missing Villagers"
"Difficulty Level: LV7"
"Quest Description: Puji Village has recently been plagued by chilling screams at night, and villagers go missing by dawn."
"Quest Information: Servants of the Deep Dark One have appeared. Please go and investigate."
"Quest Deadline: 48 hours"
"Quest Reward: Return the village chief's token to the Public Security Bureau in the Nest Capital to claim."
"Quest Penalty: None"
---
Bai Ge glanced at the quest board but didn't respond to the Security Officer.
He didn't have the confidence to complete an Lv7 Main Quest right now.
Although Main Quest rewards were the highest, their difficulty was also the highest among quests of the same level.
Now that his in-game health was synchronized with reality, he didn't want to risk his life just to speed up his progress a little!
As a Reborn Person, he understood better than anyone that living was more important than anything else. From now on, he wouldn't take on quests he wasn't confident in unless absolutely necessary!
"I'll level up a few more times before considering this Main Quest."
Bai Ge thought as he walked.
Anyway, there was no penalty for the quest, and he was different from other players; he only had one life!
Now, reborn with a 'cheat,' his future was bright; there was no need to risk his life for a bit of experience!
Moreover, he still had information from his previous life. Although he didn't want to take risks, it didn't mean he had no other quick leveling channels.
Then, as if he had thought of something, a glint flashed in Bai Ge's eyes.
The next second, he headed deeper into the Nest Capital.
Before long, a vast Slaughterhouse appeared before his eyes.
Looking at the worried-looking NPC at the entrance, Bai Ge walked straight up to him.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
The worried-looking middle-aged Fat looked up at his words.
"Meat! I need a lot of meat!"
--
"Side Quest: Butcher's Request"
"Difficulty Level: LV2"
"Quest Description: Butcher Wang can no longer satisfy the increasingly greedy upper class's demand for meat. If he doesn't get enough supply, he will be dismembered and served on the tables of those gluttons."
"Quest Information: Hunt Mane Beasts (no limit)"
"Quest Deadline: None"
"Quest Reward: For each Mane Beast corpse, you can receive 2 experience points and 2 copper coins from the butcher (no limit)."
"Quest Penalty: None"
--
"I think I can help you."
A smile appeared on Bai Ge's face, and he accepted this side quest.
He had seen this quest in a complaint post from a closed beta player on a forum in his previous life.
At the time, someone had created a post complaining that the quest was useless, so Bai Ge, out of curiosity, browsed through it.
After reading it, Bai Ge also felt that the quest was indeed useless for ordinary players.
Because as levels increased, the rewards from Main Quests far outweighed those from this type of quest.
Moreover, the system would reduce experience points for killing monsters below one's own level.
Few people would waste precious stamina to do this monster-grinding quest.
But for Bai Ge at this moment, this quest was tailor-made.
Safe, stable, and with the bonus from "Dispossess," Bai Ge could add another point: "high return."
After leaving the Slaughterhouse, Bai Ge first went to buy some pine tar in the Nest Capital.
Mane Beasts were actually wild boars, and the smell of pine tar had an irresistible allure for creatures like wild boars.
He bought this pine tar to aggro monsters.
Then Bai Ge bought some animal traps and javelins at the weapon shop.
He had originally wanted to buy some burning potions, but Bai Ge found that his 150 copper coins were almost gone.
"Forget it, this is all I can do for now. It will just be a bit less efficient."
A hint of helplessness appeared in Bai Ge's eyes; money always felt like it was spent too quickly, no matter when or where.
Prepared, Bai Ge immediately rushed out of the Nest Capital.