Chapter Eleven: Heading to the Trading Hall, Venturing Outside the City to Hunt Monsters!

Cai Xukun shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everyone on the school bus heard him.

It was only then that the students realized Yang Feng had already reached level nine.

Most of them were only around level four. Even among the few like Cai Xukun who had reached level five, they were still a small minority.

But now—Yang Feng had already advanced to level nine?

Instantly, the entire bus was abuzz.

Many classmates crowded around Yang Feng, eager to strike up a conversation and strengthen their relationship with him.

"Yang Feng, how did you level up so fast? Can you teach me?"

"Yang Feng, can we team up and hunt monsters together next time?"

"Yang Feng, with your talent, you're sure to get into a great university!"

And so on.

Yang Feng responded to his classmates' enthusiastic greetings with a gentle smile.

"Everyone, quiet down!" Just then, Qin Han shouted.

Within moments, silence settled over the bus.

Cai Xukun leaned over and whispered, "Yang Feng, can we team up and level up together next time?"

Yang Feng thought for a moment, then nodded. "If there's a chance, sure!"

Hearing this, Cai Xukun's face lit up with delight.

"It's a deal, Yang Feng!"

...

The next morning.

In front of Donghai No. 1 High School.

Everyone was getting ready to board the bus to the rookie village to hunt monsters and level up.

Cai Xukun searched everywhere but couldn't find Yang Feng.

Left with no choice, he went to ask Principal Qin Han.

"Principal Qin, why hasn't Yang Feng come today?"

Qin Han replied, "Yang Feng went to Qingshan Town today."

"What?" The answer stunned Cai Xukun.

Only now did he realize he'd been played by Yang Feng.

No wonder Yang Feng had agreed so readily to team up yesterday.

"Yang Feng, I won't let you get away with this!"

"I trusted you, and you fooled me!"

Cai Xukun roared at the sky in frustration.

...

While Cai Xukun was fuming with resentment, Yang Feng had already taken a bus to the city gates.

Ever since the Mythos game had invaded Earth, hordes of monsters began to overrun human settlements.

To fend off the monster invasion, every city had erected towering walls, separating human territory from the monster-infested wilds.

Before Yang Feng stood an immense city wall. Once he stepped through the gate, he would find himself in the dangerous wilderness.

Monsters in the wild were far more lethal than those in the rookie villages.

Yet, the greater the danger, the greater the reward.

Slaying wild monsters yielded far more experience and allowed adventurers to collect a variety of materials. Sometimes, equipment could even be looted from their remains.

These materials and equipment could either be used personally or traded.

On either side of the city gate, shops of all kinds lined the street—material stores, weapon shops, blacksmiths, and more.

But most important among them was the trading hall.

Established by the Daxia government, trading halls were found in every major city throughout the empire.

Within these halls, one could trade materials and equipment obtained from monsters. Alternatively, adventurers could sell their loot directly to the trading hall.

Today was Yang Feng’s first visit to the trading hall.

Several fully armored guards stood at the entrance. At the very top of the building, a massive crystal stone pulsed with energy, powering the entire hall.

To enter, one had to complete a real-name verification, much like registering online—no verification, no entry.

[Real-name verification commencing!]

[Name: Yang Feng, Citizen of the Daxia Empire, student of Donghai No. 1 High School.]

[Verification successful. You may enter the trading hall.]

[Access level: Standard.]

The trading halls of the Daxia Empire were open to all its citizens. Because this was Yang Feng's first time, his access was only at the standard level.

The trading hall was divided into several tiers: Standard, VIP, Silver, Gold, and Diamond.

Each tier came with its own privileges.

To upgrade, one had to accumulate points—the more points, the higher the level.

As a standard member, Yang Feng could only view equipment and materials below level ten.

Upon entering, he found the hall bustling with activity.

Yang Feng looked up at the display screens overhead.

The prices for every material and piece of equipment were steep.

As a student at Donghai No. 1 High School, Yang Feng lived frugally each day, with only a thousand Daxia coins to his name. That wouldn't even be enough for the lowest tier of bronze equipment.

Equipment, weapons, and materials were all ranked: Bronze, Black Iron, Silver, Gold, and Diamond.

After browsing the weapons and gear, he moved on to check the available quests.

The trading hall not only facilitated trades but also allowed users to post and accept quests. Each quest offered different rewards based on its difficulty.

Since Yang Feng was only level nine, he could only accept quests for those below level ten.

[Collect cobra venom; reward: 100 Daxia coins.]

[Unlimited collection of Blue Silver Grass; reward: 500 Daxia coins.]

[Collect Wind Wolf fangs; reward: 1,000 Daxia coins.]

[...]

For alchemists and blacksmiths, all kinds of materials were essential. They would recycle these items to refine medicines or forge weapons and equipment for sale.

Besides combat and support professions, most people pursued life skills, earning rewards through their trade.

"Hmm... this quest looks promising!"

[Travel to Monster Forest, slay the Wind Wolf King, obtain a monster core, and receive 10,000 Daxia coins!]

Wind Wolves were level ten monsters.

The Wind Wolf King, however, was a level fifteen mini-boss.

With his current strength, Yang Feng stood no chance against the Wind Wolf King.

Generally, beasts above level ten might harbor a monster core within their bodies.

Monster cores had many uses—they could be refined into potions or used in alchemy.

Naturally, dungeons were also ranked by difficulty: one-star, two-star, three-star, and so on. The higher the rank, the more dangerous the monsters.

After wandering the trading hall for a while, Yang Feng exited and approached the city gate.

"Halt!"

"Show your pass!"

As soon as he arrived, the city guards stopped him.

Without a word, Yang Feng produced his pass.

"Yang Feng, level nine, Curse Master?"

The guard glanced at his pass, then looked Yang Feng up and down in confusion.

He couldn't understand why a student at only level nine was being allowed by his school to venture beyond the city walls to hunt monsters.