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Chapter 12: First Drop

At first glance on the map, any player would think the Bandit Camp covered a big chunk of the Red Zone but it turned out it was just its name. Liu Ye didn't spot any signs of the main camp before he found the first bandit patrolling the forest.

[Masked Bandit - Lvl. 7]

[HP: 200/200]

[MP: 100/100]

This Masked Bandit had the same base stats as those he encountered earlier, but the system had added a bit of difficulty to this quest.

[Ding! You spotted an enemy in the Red Zone. Be careful, when Masked Bandits see you, they will call for help from the nearby Patrols.]

Liu Ye felt like he was still in the tutorial as he read the notification but it was understandable. All the players were beginners, exploring the game at this point in time. Prompts and hints would appear to guide the players because if they were to die all the time, the game wouldn't be enjoyable.

Thanks to the information, Liu Ye had figured out how Black Rose stole the Fire Stone from the bandits despite the large difference between their levels. She couldn't defeat the bandits, so she must have sneaked her way in while avoiding patrols.

Liu Ye, on the other hand, didn't plan on dodging anyone.

Swoosh!

Twenty Ice Projectiles were launched from the shadows as Liu Ye dashed towards the bandit, his near-empty Mana refilling rapidly after drinking a medium Mana potion. Liu Ye didn't take any chances of losing this battle.

He expected to at least strike the bandit before he got alerted of his presence, but a sudden wall of dirt rose from the ground. All the Ice Projectiles pierced into the wall like darts at the board, unable to penetrate it.

Earthbender!

"Enemy! I need assistance!" the Masked Bandit cried out as he targeted Liu Ye from behind the wall and immediately sent a head-sized rock his way.

Liu Ye sidestepped the attack easily, only to be hit by a part of the earth wall that was launched almost simultaneously.

Bam!

-50

A big chunk of his HP evaporated as the boulder smashed into his side, blasting him away. His three water whips did literally nothing to stop it, too small to impact the weight of the rock.

Damn!

Liu Ye rubbed his arm that was throbbing in pain. He felt as if he just ran into the wall with full force, but thankfully the pain only lasted for a moment.

Earthbenders were not to be underestimated!

The bandit somehow predicted his movement and cut his escape with another attack.

Each mistake was a valuable lesson so Liu Ye couldn't be more excited. It was better to learn how different benders fought early in the game; it would be an advantage when the time comes he had to fight other players.

"You came to the wrong area!" the Masked Bandit yelled and didn't wait for Liu Ye to recover, launching another offense. He ran forward and stomped on the ground, lifting a cube of earth before launching it at Liu Ye with a punch.

Liu Ye barely finished gulping down a Health potion when he was forced to bend backward to dodge the attack.

Huh?

A sudden idea struck him as the rock flew right above his nose. Liu Ye didn't hesitate to implement it.

He tapped the entrance of his waterskin and a single Ice Projectile formed on his palm. Liu Ye threw it as he rose back up, causing the bandit to defend with another wall. Liu Ye's eyes brightened at the sight.

Did he figure out the bandit's attack pattern?

Sure enough, the bandit peeked from behind the wall and catapulted another rock with the precision of a surgeon.

How could Liu Ye fall for the same trick twice?

He sidestepped the attack once again before sliding on his knees, treating the battlefield like a smooth dance floor. The wind flicked his hair coolly as the big chunk of wall passed above his face but Liu Ye was still sliding, closing the distance between them.

The surprised face of the bandit was met with three water whips constantly smacking him.

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The 20% Elemental Power thanks to the Zone Buff provided him with additional damage, making it 40% in total, on top of his base damage. The Masked Bandit's health was simply melting down with rapid speed.

The bandit spawned another wall between them to protect himself but Liu Ye swiftly walked right past it, continuing to lash with no mercy. With just three abilities at his disposal, the Masked Bandit had no counterplay the moment Liu Ye closed their distance.

[Ding! You killed the Masked Bandit. You received 200 Experience and 5 silver.]

The experience Liu Ye received was the same as the one he got from the Alpha Wolf while 2 silver increased to a whopping 5 silver. Killing the bandits seemed like the riskiest, but at the same time, the fastest method to earn money.

In addition, a small linen bag appeared when the bandit's body disintegrated. Liu Ye didn't hesitate and picked it up before running away to hide in the nearby bushes.

Just as he thought, nearly twenty seconds later, two other bandits appeared on the site. They explored the nearby area while inspecting the remaining earth walls but after finding nothing from the changed terrain, they went back to their own positions.

The quest clearly stated he had to kill all bandits in the Waterfall Forest so Liu Ye will have to find those two as well. What surprised him though was the additional drop he received.

[Mazamut's Ring] [Locked]

[Description: A beautifully crafted Elemental Ring with an Earth Essence Crystal. The engraving on the inside of the ring says it was created by Mazamut, the famous Royal Smith in the Earth Land's Capital. It's surprising such an exquisite ring was found in the hands of the bandit. Maybe it was stolen by him? Be careful while wearing the ring. You might be accused of being a thief.]

[Effects: The wearer deals +50% Damage with all Earth Abilities.]

[Requirements: Lvl. 25, Earthbending, 5 Wisdom, 10 Intelligence]

"Whoa..."

When Liu Ye glanced over the ring's effects, even his mouth opened in shock. It wasn't like the Zone Buff which only increased the Ability scaling. This ring amplified the total damage output, including the base Ability damage. He had two slots for the rings so Liu Ye could technically double his damage if he had two of those rings. It was basically every gamer's wet dream.

Naturally, there was a catch. Knowing how sneaky the system was in this game, he would immediately lose affinity with the Earth Land Royal Family as well as the smith. Liu Ye wouldn't be surprised if he was also hunted down as a criminal.

Either way, he didn't need to worry about it till he hit Level 25. Liu Ye put the matter aside as he focused on his current task.

He wouldn't stop the grind till all the bandits were gone.

"Enemy! I need assistance!"

The next Masked Bandit turned out to be a Firebender. This time, Liu Ye was already familiar with the abilities and ran straight at him without fear in his eyes. One enemy bombarding him with flaming bullets wasn't enough to even hurt him as he easily blocked or dodged the bandit's abilities.

[Ding! You killed the Masked Bandit. You received 200 Experience and 5 silver.]

Once Liu Ye got into close combat, there was simply nothing the bandit could do. He was just too quick for him. The advantage given to him by 9 points in Dexterity couldn't be easily described in words.

After waiting for half a minute, another bandit came to the rescue. Since the enemy was alone, Liu Ye killed him with ease as well, adding another Firebender to his collection. Each kill equaled one small Mana potion but he still had 61 in his inventory, more than enough to clear the whole bandit camp.

Just as he wondered why he couldn't find any structures or buildings, he finally spotted a wooden fence in the distance. It was basically a wall made out of neatly sharpened tree trunks that were as tall as a house, but that wasn't what gathered Liu Ye's attention.

The wall had watchtowers every twenty meters, with one bandit inside overlooking the area.

How was he supposed to climb inside in broad daylight?

Liu Ye scouted the area and soon spotted the camp's entrance, but even though the gates were open, four bandits could be seen standing guard outside.

"..." Liu Ye gazed at the spiked walls in silence.

It wasn't a small bandit camp. It was a damn fortress.