9 What could go wrong?

Kaden jogged into the forest at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow.

In the beginning, the trees were sparse, and there were only harmless chickens and rabbits loitering around here and there freely.

Soon these would be farmed like there was no tomorrow by the starting players, but for now, they were happily roaming about.

Kaden ignored the bunch of cute animals and went further ahead for more formidable foes. The verdant surroundings encroached upon him with every step.

One literally couldn't take a step without snapping a twig or two, which made it hard to maneuver inconspicuously through the forest.

This was also the reason why the area was nick-named as a 'newbie death zone'.

Anyone who came in here without increasing their levels inevitably ended up announcing their arrival in one way or the other and, as a result, became prey to the dangers lurking behind the greens.

However, Kaden right now was not exactly hiding. Rather he was looking for these very same 'dangers' to test out his new form.

Luckily, he did not have to wait for long. As he took his next step, a rustling in the bushes ahead caught his attention. Two wolves emerged, their eyes gleaming with hunger.

Ding!

[Dire Wolf, Level 9]

[Dire Wolf, Level 8]

The real inhabitants of the forest had arrived!

To confront two high-level beasts, that too with a difference of eight and nine levels, would have meant certain death for a Level 0 player, but Kaden was presently beaming with joy.

"I missed you guys!" He lunged toward the two savage beasts as if he were going to hug them, his gaze glistening with love and affection. And…

Pa! The first punch landed. Kaden's left fist connected with the face of the dire wolf, making the creature yelp in pain.

-335

A ridiculous damage number popped out. Blood trickled from the wolf's nostrils, and the beast fell to the ground lifelessly.

Kaden's grin widened. As he watched the first beast fall, the dagger in his other hand effortlessly connected with the second wolf, sinking deep into its flesh.

-560

Another big damage number popped out. The second one was no different than the first as it gasped out loud and fell down. The two wolves were finished off in less than a minute.

[Ding! Dire Wolf defeated]

[Ding! You have gained experience points]

[Ding! Dire Wolf defeated]

[Ding! You have gained experience points]

[Ding! Level up!]

[Ding! Level up!]

[Ding! Level up!]

[Ding! You are now Level 3]

[Ding! All your attributes are increased by 3 points (one per level)]

Kaden saw the familiar golden aura of the 'Level up' envelop him, and his entire body tingled in excitement. He gained three levels in a couple of minutes, that too in barely an hour after the game had started.

If he had watched some gamer stream this same thing, he still would have had difficulty in believing his eyes. This kind of progress was simply too astounding!

As he stood there basking in the afterglow of his victory, Kaden remembered something else he had heard about this forest. A couple of players had mentioned finding a treasure chest in the thick of this forest.

It was a detour from the original path he needed to take in order to reach the city, and also, its location was close to a watering hole frequented by many beasts.

The two players who had tried getting the treasure chest died a bunch of times thanks to these beasts, and when they finally joined a party to tackle the situation, the treasure chest was long gone.

In 'Apocalypse Online', treasure chests were a one time use only item, so no one ever managed to find the treasure chest again or verify this information.

Some players even called these two liars, and the whole thing had become a huge commotion. This was why Kaden remembered this particular titbit.

Of course, the whole thing could still be a ruse, and he might be walking into unnecessary danger, but as far as this newbie forest was concerned he was practically overpowered.

What could go wrong in checking this out?

He had a solid start so he had to take some risks and test his luck. In fact, the more beasts he ran into, the better. It would only help him level faster!

This was not being arrogant or over-confident in himself. He knew his limits but he also had confidence in his Fine Grade gear.

As long as he did not end up being terribly unlucky and stumble upon something ridiculous, he should be fine even if he ran into a field boss.

Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.

So Kaden decided to do it. He resumed his jog and opened up the system map, which revealed the entire region, but only those areas that he had personally traversed were identified.

The remaining uncharted territories were shaded gray and would remain so until he ventured into them.

Nevertheless, there was a silver lining.

The narrow border between his explored and unexplored zones was faintly delineated, and topographical features like hills and water bodies were highlighted to some extent.

Thanks to this, Kaden swiftly tracked down the small watering hole, the precise whereabouts of which had long escaped his memory.

On his way, he encountered a few more of the dire wolves, but these poor animals all ended up with the same fate as the first ones.

Kaden essentially rampaged through the newbie forest, leaving behind a string of corpses in his wake. When he finally arrived at the watering hole, he was already at level 7!