The Peerless Ring

With excitement and eagerness in his heart, Jaxon arrived at Old Li's home.

"Grandpa Li, I'm here. Is there anything I can help you with?" Jaxon said warmly after knocking on the door. While the old village chief could call him "Old Li," Jaxon didn't dare to do so.

"It's you, isn't it? I know you. Aunt Wu said you're a kind-hearted young man," the pharmacist, Old Li, greeted Jaxon with a smile. "I happen to have a task that requires some help."

It seemed that good deeds were indeed rewarded. Yesterday, Jaxon had worked hard to help Aunt Wu catch chickens. Although he had only received a bowl of chicken as a reward, his reputation had spread through the village, increasing the villagers' favor towards him. This was far more valuable than any other reward.

"Tell me what it is, and I'll do it," Jaxon said, thumping his chest confidently.

After all, this was just a beginner's village, and the tasks wouldn't be too difficult. Jaxon wasn't worried about failing to complete them.

"Well, I've been working on a new hemostatic medicine recently, and I'm still missing a few ingredients. I'm getting old, and my legs aren't as agile as they used to be. So, I need someone to go and collect these herbs for me. They can be found in the forest up ahead," Old Li explained.

"Leave it to me. I'll go and collect the herbs for you," Jaxon immediately volunteered.

"That's very kind of you. You really are the kind-hearted young man Aunt Wu said you were," Old Li said with a look of relief and satisfaction.

"It's no big deal," Jaxon replied. However, a hint of concern crossed his face as he added, "But, I don't know much about herbal medicine. I'm afraid I might not be able to recognize the herbs you're looking for."

"That's true. Those herbs, although not particularly rare, might not be easily spotted by someone who doesn't know what they're looking for," Old Li acknowledged. "Here's what I'll do. I'll teach you the skill of herb identification. That way, you'll be able to recognize the herbs you need."

Another skill!

Jaxon's face lit up with joy. Although it was just the skill of herb identification, which might not seem very useful at first glance, he knew that having more skills was always a good thing. You never knew when they might come in handy.

After learning the skill of herb identification from Old Li, Jaxon set off on his mission. His backpack now contained a medicinal hoe, a tool provided by Old Li to help him dig up the herbs.

The forest, his destination, wasn't far from the village. It was home to many wild animals. However, with the invasion of demonic energy, many of these animals had become magical beasts, fiercer and more dangerous than before. Before Jaxon left, Old Li had repeatedly warned him to be cautious. If he encountered any magical beasts, he should try to avoid them. If that wasn't possible, he should return to the village.

Jaxon hoped in his heart that he wouldn't run into any magical beasts. The encounter with the demon fox the other day had left a deep impression on him. Although it was just a low-level monster, it posed a significant threat to Jaxon, who was still a level-two novice. He had spent the previous day exploring the area and admiring the scenery instead of leveling up. Now, faced with a somewhat dangerous task, Jaxon regretted not taking the time to level up the day before.

"I can't be that unlucky, right? I probably won't run into any," Jaxon thought to himself.

However, sometimes the very thing you fear is the thing that comes to pass. Shortly after entering the forest, Jaxon saw two fox-like creatures blocking his path. The moment Jaxon spotted them, they also noticed him.

Jaxon quickly cast the Appraisal skill, and some of the fox's attributes appeared before his eyes.

Demon Fox: Level 2

An aggressive, high-agility monster with weak defenses and no special skills.

Unlike what Jaxon had expected, the Appraisal skill didn't reveal specific attributes for the demon fox. He wasn't sure if this was the norm or if it was because his own level was lower than the monster's.

But Jaxon didn't have time to ponder this, because the two demon foxes were already charging at him. He saw firsthand just how high their agility was.

The demon foxes moved incredibly fast, their speed unaffected by the underbrush and bushes in the forest. In the blink of an eye, they were right in front of Jaxon.

Jaxon didn't dare to be careless and quickly took out the medicinal hoe, using it as a weapon.

Li Guangde's Medicinal Hoe: Bronze Tier. This hoe, used by Li Guangde when he was a young apprentice, increases the success rate of digging up herbs. It has an attack power of 3 and adds 1 to agility.

Initially, Jaxon had thought that the rusty hoe, dug out from some corner by Old Li, was just an ordinary tool. But to his surprise, not only could it be used for digging herbs, but it could also serve as a weapon. It was even a bronze-tier item that increased his attack and agility. This was far better than the worn-out stick he had been using before.

There was no time to marvel at his new weapon. As soon as Jaxon took out the hoe, the two demon foxes were upon him. One leaped into the air to attack his upper body, while the other went for his legs. Their coordination was surprisingly good.

Jaxon seized the opportunity and swung the hoe at the airborne demon fox. Although the fox was highly agile, it couldn't change direction mid-air and took a solid hit from Jaxon's hoe. There was a loud "clang," and the demon fox was sent flying even faster than before. Jaxon could see a trace of blood on the hoe, indicating that he had likely cracked the fox's skull.

"Ah!"

Jaxon didn't have time to celebrate his victory. While he had managed to send one demon fox flying, the other had already pounced on his leg. Its sharp claws easily tore through Jaxon's pants and left three deep scratches on his right leg.

"Get off, you beast!" The real pain made Jaxon forget that he was in a game world. Enraged by the attack, he kicked the demon fox away. When it tried to pounce again, Jaxon swung the hoe and hit it square on the head. The fox was knocked to the ground, where it struggled for a moment before lying still.

As for the other demon fox that had been sent flying, it hadn't made a sound for a while. Jaxon assumed it had been instantly killed.

Although Jaxon was only level two with low attributes, the hoe had added three points to his attack. The demon fox, being just a level-two monster, could easily be killed with a headshot.

This encounter gave Jaxon a deeper understanding of this world. Although it was a game world, it was incredibly realistic. Getting hit in vital spots like the head or heart could cause extremely high damage and even instant death.

"Huh, the corpses of these demon foxes aren't being refreshed?" Jaxon, who had been about to leave, was surprised to see the dead demon foxes still on the ground.