The next day, as dawn began to break.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and through the narrow gap in the curtains, Wang Xun slowly opened his eyes, feeling the warm and bright light. An unprecedented sense of freshness washed over him.

Since starting work on the construction site, such a wonderful feeling had been rare for Wang Xun. He felt as if he had been cleansed by a clear spring, and his spirits were high.

After washing up, Wang Xun walked down the stairs with light steps, heading straight for the breakfast shop called "Su's Snacks."

As soon as he entered, the familiar aroma wafted over, making his mouth water.

"Little brother, the usual bowl of red-braised beef noodles?" the owner greeted him warmly.

Wang Xun nodded with a slight smile: "Mm."

Although this small eatery isn't large, with only a couple of busy servers, its delicious food is well-known in the area.

Especially the uncle in charge of the cooking, who is said to be a former master chef from a renowned old restaurant in Rong City.

With his superb cooking skills and unique recipes, he makes every bowl of noodles a feast for the eyes, nose, and taste buds, leaving a lasting impression.

Despite the limited space inside, it's packed every morning.

The regulars arrive early, just to savor this authentic delicacy.

If it happens to be during the morning rush hour before work, you might even need to bring a few stools and sit on the street to enjoy this delicious meal.

After filling his stomach, Wang Xun prepared to go home and check if there were any new updates in "Age of Exploration" after the night.

Back home, on a whim, Wang Xun didn't rush to start the game. Instead, he picked up the clothes rack and started to wield it.

If someone knowledgeable were to see him, they would realize that Wang Xun was practicing a sophisticated one-handed swordsmanship.

This was the Wave-Breaking Swordsmanship that Wang Xun obtained after choosing the [Fallen Noble] background for his game character.

Although his proficiency was only at the beginner level, he could still get a glimpse of the approximate combat power in the game world.

This swordsmanship mainly focuses on offense, emphasizing a counter-attack and a continuous barrage of attacks.

Although there aren't many defensive moves, it aligns with the saying 'the best defense is a good offense'.

After practicing clumsily for a while, Wang Xun's movements gradually became smoother from the initial stiffness, mainly because his body's flexibility and coordination were not good enough.

Wiping the light sweat from his body, Wang Xun pulled out his phone and found a shop on Taobao with a Longquan sword trademark, ordering a custom single-handed sword.

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The price wasn't expensive, only about three hundred yuan.

Although it was unlikely to be a high-end, hand-forged product, it was more than enough for practice.

After all, with the blessing of advanced industry, the quality of many crafts has surpassed the 'famous swords' defined in ancient times.

He couldn't wait to realize his past dream in reality - a swordsman wandering the world.

It's so awesome!

However, his main focus at the moment still had to be on this game called 'Age of Exploration'.

Wang Xun opened the game.

The game's cover was still that crude mosaic icon. Even though the character art inside was very detailed, why was the cover so ugly? Wang Xun couldn't understand.

【You have entered the game】

【The familiar crude room, the sound comes again from outside the window, what will you choose this time?】

This time, Wang Xun didn't rush to choose, but instead checked various information.

To his surprise, his soul points had recovered a bit, reaching 2/3.

Although he didn't know the exact time for one point to recover, he estimated it to be at least 6 hours.

Then Wang Xun opened his backpack and carefully checked it, wanting to see if there were any useful items.

【Rusty Pirate Longsword*1 (Common)】

【Worn Dagger (Dilapidated)】

Decisively switching to the pirate longsword, although it sounds like a piece of trash equipment from the name, it's still much better than the initial dagger.

Looking further down, Wang Xun's pupils suddenly dilated. The potion that was unknown yesterday now showed its name.

【Enhancement Potion (Weak)】

【A precious potion that can permanently improve physical fitness in all aspects.】

After reading the information, Wang Xun naturally chose to use it directly.

【You drank the Enhancement Potion (Weak)】

【Your heart rate accelerates, a surge of heat flows from within your body, and a surging sense of power permeates your limbs.】

“Is that it? Let's see the enhanced attributes.” Wang Xun muttered while clicking on the attribute panel.

【Name: Jack Drake】

Level: 1

Constitution: 9

Strength: 8

Agility: 9

Intelligence: 9

Skills: Wave-Breaking Swordsmanship (Mastery); Horsemanship (Novice); Archery (Novice); Navigation (Novice); Pharmacy (Novice); Noble Etiquette (Mastery) 】

Looking at his comprehensively improved attributes, Wang Xun's face revealed a smile.

“Hehe, it really is an all-around increase. I should be able to easily beat that pirate if I encounter him again.”

【You seem ready to face your enemies.】

After yesterday's encounter, Wang Xun had actually glimpsed a hint of the true nature of this game.

Although this game presents itself as a text-based game, its core is actually an open-world game.

Subsequently, Wang Xun began to test his conjecture.

He opened his backpack and dragged the gold coins inside.

【Wow, you seem to have discovered more ways to play this game... What do you want to do?】

【1. Throw the gold coin at your feet, you will lose one gold coin.】

【2. Throw the gold coin out the window, this might attract some greedy individuals.】

“Just as I thought!”

Wang Xun was delighted, it seemed his guess was correct.

【You threw a gold coin out the window, you lost one gold coin.】

【Ding~】

【The clanging of metal echoed through the street】

【A pirate looked over at the sound. In the dim light, the alluring gleam of gold coins was particularly dazzling.】

【The pirate outside the door was greedily eyeing the gold coins he had just obtained, his attention completely focused on them.】

【Will you take action?】

Having reached this point, Wang Xun naturally pressed the 'yes' option without hesitation.

【You quickly opened the door, and before the other could react, you slashed his throat with your sword.】

【You have defeated 'Pirate Duke'. Your experience points have slightly increased.】

【Congratulations, you have leveled up. Current level: 2.】

【Due to your strategy, the opponent was unable to make much noise. The other pirates seem unaware of what has happened here.】

Looking at the text, Wang Xun nodded in satisfaction. It seemed this time he had made the right choice.

【Clang~ Clang~ Clang~】

【The piercing sound of an alarm bell suddenly broke the quiet night of the small town. It seems the pirates' actions have been discovered.】

【The road on the left leads to the harbor, where there might be a way to leave this city.】

【At the end of the road on the right is a landmark clock tower. You remember that area seems to be in the direction of the city lord's mansion.】