After assisting Zhao Kai in building his character regarding his abnormal playstyle, the two finally exited Oakwood Town.
The town had much to offer to beginners, but Xu Feng remained disinterested in them.
Sure, there were occasionally some NPCs offering missions, with a minority of them giving out great rewards in return.
However, those great rewards were not attractive to him, given his goal was set much higher.
It was also because of this that he didn't even glance at the drop loot from the Inferno Tyrant. Those loots did not apply to him aside from maybe increasing some of his wealth if he were to sell them.
"Feng, are you sure we can traverse the Verdant Valley safely?" Zhao Kai asked as they approached the perimeter.
"Shadow Blade, didn't you cross this area here before my arrival? So what's with the sudden cold feet?" Xu Feng raised an eyebrow, perplexed by Zhao Kai's anxiety.
"Well, that's because I didn't care much about my character. If I die, then so be it, but you're different. I doubt you would want to die a pointless death." Zhao Kai confessed, revealing his genuine concern for Xu Feng.
Previously, he was all alone and only cared about enjoying the delicacy of the food that the Divine World had to offer. Thus, he truly couldn't be bothered about being ambushed or killed by some players.
Meanwhile, Xu Feng suddenly chuckled after hearing Zhao Kai was concerned about him.
"What made you think I'm very feeble and easy to be killed?" He subsequently asked, clearly not expecting Zhao Kai to mistake him for a flower vase.
"You still had to ask?" Zhao Kai scoffed. "I saw you healing yourself after taking a direct hit from the ambushers, which means you're a Cleric. A Cleric's health point is abysmally low and weak in defense as well. Anyone could easily PK you!"
"..."
Truly one should not underestimate Zhao Kai despite his childish and seemingly foolish behavior.
Never once did he expect a slight revelation of his ability would be picked up by him, and even enable him to deduce his class.
"Since you know I'm a Cleric with such subtle clues, then let me guess. You have been intentionally frustrating me on purpose as revenge for the punch, right?" Xu Feng's glasses glinted as he stared at Zhao Kai.
Startled, Zhao Kai shuddered for a brief moment as he quickly regained his composure.
Alas, that tiny little bit of movement was unable to hide from Xu Feng. His sharp eyes caught the brief moment of unease.
"Very good, Shadow Blade!" he smiled menacingly. "Come over here and let this brother give you a pat."
"Hahaha, no need. We should focus on our objective, Brother Feng." Frightened, Zhao Kai hurriedly retreated and increased the distance between them.
Realizing the situation was amiss, Zhao Kai turned on the turbo and he started dashing away.
"I'm sorry~" he echoed as he ran further and further away.
"Get back over here, Shadow Blade." Xu Feng roared, losing his composure as he began to chase after Zhao Kai.
The cat-and-mouse chase continued for a while before Xu Feng ultimately had to stop, cursing at his stats for being inferior to Zhao Kai.
'Tsk, just wait till I upgrade more of my Agility. I'll see if you can escape faster next time.' He clicked his tongue and gave up his revenge temporarily.
It was not bad to have fun in a while, but now that they could be said to have entered the danger zone, they needed to stop fooling around.
The Verdant Valley was a deceptive expanse of dense greenery, where thick underbrush and towering trees created a canopy that blocked out much of the sunlight.
The terrain was uneven, with sudden drops and hidden ravines that made traversal treacherous.
A sluggish, murky river snaked through the valley, its dark waters hinting at unseen dangers lurking beneath.
Eerie fog often rolled in unannounced, obscuring vision and amplifying the unsettling silence. They were only occasionally broken by distant, unidentifiable sounds, most likely from the monsters lurking in the area.
"The monsters here are around levels 5-7, so we're dead meat if we encounter a group of monsters, especially when we are near the fog." Xu Feng warned solemnly.
"Rest assured, Feng. Previously I memorized the route I took and these places don't have many monsters." Zhao Kai revealed, sharing his map which had a ton of indications and key points highlighted.
Unlike most maps in a game where they are fixed, players themselves could modify the map at will, highlighting key terrains.
However, such features were only discovered later on by players and the usefulness of adding their own notes on the map.
Who would have thought Zhao Kai himself was already utilizing the feature to his benefit?
"You are really playing a pig to eat a tiger." Xu Feng exclaimed, stating that he was acting like a fool to deceive others into lowering their guards against him.
Others might think he was just a foolish foodie who only had food in his mind, but secretly, he was planning and plotting all of this.
Zhao Kai shrugged his shoulders, and defended his actions. "If I don't play a pig, then I probably won't live long. Those who show off or reveal too much, tend to die early."
Nodding his head in agreement, Xu Feng no longer bothered to continue with the topic as he inspected the map done by him.
The map was quite detailed, and having seen the symbols of the letter that Zhao Kai obtained, he now has a somewhat idea of where the hidden Willowbrook Village was located.
"This area of the map that you marked is most likely the place we need to go to." Xu Feng said, pointing at the highest concentration of eerie fog.
It was marked as dangerous on Zhao Kai's map.
"Ugh, I knew this letter was bad news." Zhao Kai scratched his head, clearly annoyed that the most dangerous area was most likely their destination.
"Stop acting so surprised when you clearly explore everywhere aside from this!" Xu Feng rolled his eyes as he exposed him on the spot.