Chapter 9

Chapter 9

With such high damage, just two more arrows would be enough to take down the Giant Serpent.

In pain, the Giant Serpent instantly twisted its body, dragging its massive form into the forest, weaving between the trees as it tried to escape using the terrain to its advantage.

Unfortunately, it had encountered a veteran player.

Predicting such a simple trick was second nature to him.

No matter how it dodged, Qin Han loosed a single, brilliant arrow, striking the serpent squarely in its seven-inch weak spot as it passed between two trees.

-1010—yellow damage numbers floated up once more!

The terrifying damage left the Giant Serpent severely wounded, writhing on the ground in agony.

Qin Han followed up with another arrow.

-1010—another burst of damage!

The next second, the Giant Serpent's enormous body collapsed with a heavy thud.

A small wisp of white light drifted from its corpse and merged into Qin Han's body.

[You have slain the Giant Serpent! Obtained 500 EXP!]

Your experience is sufficient. Would you like to level up?

"Not yet."

Qin Han chose to decline.

[You have chosen not to level up. All accumulated EXP will be reset. Confirm?]

"Confirm!" Qin Han didn’t hesitate.

For a veteran player like him, experience points were the least valuable resource.

He could earn them anytime—he didn’t care.

Besides, leveling up now would be like draining a pond to catch fish. He wouldn’t advance until he had built a solid foundation.

With a thought, he stored the Giant Serpent’s corpse into his Space Backpack.

Though this was just a level 10 common monster, and its meat wasn’t particularly tasty, its hide was excellent material for crafting leather armor. The tailor shop in the Beginner's Village would buy it.

Not that it was worth much!

But as a veteran, he was used to taking even the smallest benefits.

Besides, a single slot in his Space Backpack could stack up to 99 identical items, so it wasn’t a waste of space.

And with a thousand slots in his saddlebag, he wasn’t worried about running out.

"Nightmare, let’s go."

Qin Han patted his horse’s neck, preparing to move to the next location.

But then, Nightmare’s eyes suddenly blazed with red light, its gaze fixed intently on the forest to the left.

"Hm?"

Following the horse’s line of sight, Qin Han grinned.

Not far away, nestled among a cluster of green grass, was a plump, crimson fruit.

Red Snake Fruit: Low-Grade Spirit Fruit

Consuming it temporarily increases HP by 1,000.

Restores 10 HP per second for one minute.

"I almost forgot—this forest is rich in Red Snake Fruits. If I gather enough, the next area will be much easier."

No sooner said than done.

Qin Han dismounted and swiftly ventured into the forest, searching for more spirit fruits.

These fruits were abundant during the initial exploration phase, but once harvested, their respawn time became extremely long.

After some time, Qin Han had collected a fair number of Red Snake Fruits, leaving him thoroughly satisfied.

Checking the sky, the sun was still high. He mounted Nightmare and rode toward his next destination.

This time, riding a divine steed like Nightmare, his speed was so fast it was almost a blur.

One wild zone after another flashed by, and any monsters foolish enough to chase couldn’t even catch his horse’s tail.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time he truly felt the exhilaration of galloping freely across the plains!

Exhausted from half a day of travel, Qin Han had had enough. North of the Beginner's Village, on the edge of the Yellow Lion Plains, a dense primeval forest stood before him—vast and boundless. Riding his Nightmare horse, he charged straight into the jungle, dodging various monsters along the way as he pressed forward relentlessly.

After an unknown amount of time, he arrived at a peculiar place. Here, the trees stood side by side, forming a perfect square, as neatly arranged as rows of pencils. Only a narrow passage, wide enough for three people to walk abreast, existed in the center. Qin Han reined in his Nightmare at the entrance, his grip tightening on the reins.

To the untrained eye, this entrance seemed harmless, but to him, it was a land of unparalleled danger—a sea of blood, howling vengeful spirits, a sight that struck fear into the heart.

The Lost Forest—a level 10 wilderness zone—was one of the most mysterious places in the Beginner's Village.

In his past life, throughout the entire beginner phase, players who entered the Lost Forest met only two outcomes.

99.9999% of them wandered in circles before getting lost and retreating.

The rest? Once they entered, they never came out.

Those who didn’t return were invariably erased from the game—meaning they had all died!!!

No one knew what those players experienced before their deaths.

And no one knew what lurked deep within the Lost Forest.

It wasn’t until the Final Battlefield that the forest’s mystery was unveiled.

Inside dwelled a special boss—the Ancient Witch Queen!

Initially, the Witch Queen wasn’t particularly strong, but she possessed a terrifying ability:

Infinite Slaughter Enhancement!!!

Across the endless worlds, whenever any of her avatars killed a player, the power of all her avatars would simultaneously increase.

Most beginner players were weak, and stumbling into the Lost Forest was like offering themselves up as prey.

Though the Lost Forest’s structure was complex—one of the most difficult mazes in existence—the sheer number of players was overwhelming.

Countless Beginner Villages existed, and the number of players who accidentally wandered in was astronomical.

Feeding on these players’ lives, the Witch Queen became an unimaginably monstrous entity.

By the time of the Final Battlefield, she could stand toe-to-toe with the Supreme Gods, holding her own until her ambition to devour the universe forced them to unite and slay her.

After her death, her autobiography revealed this horrifying secret history.

Most importantly, the Witch Queen possessed a Unique Treasure—an artifact coveted by countless across the heavens:

The Witch Poison Pearl!

If not for the fact that the Witch Poison Pearl was something Qin Han absolutely needed after his rebirth, he would never have come here.

Gazing at the entrance, he steeled himself and urged his horse forward.

Though this was only a level 10 wilderness zone, its entrance was hidden deep within the impenetrable forest.

Few could even find the entrance, let alone navigate the hellish maze beyond.

Moreover, since the game had only been live for half a day, the number of players who had reached this place was minimal—and those who could actually enter successfully were even fewer.

He could only hope the Witch Queen’s current strength hadn’t escalated too horrifically.

Right now, at this very moment, was the only time he could possibly stand against her.

Once missed, even if he were to become the Supreme God in the future, it would be difficult to oppose her!

Gripping the Godslayer Bow tightly in his hand, Qin Han felt slightly reassured.

The Witch Queen may be strong, but I have Nightmare and the Godslayer Bow—it’s not like I don’t stand a chance in a fight.

Time passed minute by minute.

The Lost Forest was extremely intricate.

Even the most skilled puzzle masters couldn’t easily unravel its secrets.

But as someone who had been reborn—and who knew the Witch Queen’s deeds all too well—Qin Han knew the correct way to solve this maze.

Even so, it still took him nearly half an hour to reach the central area of the maze.

There, a vast clearing stretched before him.

At its center stood a small wooden cottage, smoke curling lazily from its chimney.

Before he could even approach, a woman in plain clothes, looking to be in her forties, appeared at the door.

Her face was gentle, an apron tied around her waist, and her hands were dusted with flour.

Anyone who saw this scene would assume she was nothing more than a harmless housewife.

Yet Qin Han’s heart inexplicably tightened.

This is bad.

The Witch Queen’s strength had grown faster than he had anticipated.

He remembered reading in her autobiography that the original Witch Queen had been a frail old woman in her seventies or eighties, trembling as if a gust of wind could knock her over.

As her power increased, her appearance would grow progressively younger.

Given how she looked now, she must have already slaughtered countless players.

The endless stream of players… Far more have successfully entered than I expected!