Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

Ren swung his sword.

The slash cut across the wolf's body just as it lunged forward, its fangs not yet reaching the layer of leather armor he wore. Its HP bar instantly dropped to zero.

A strangled howl of pain was cut off halfway. The creature's body convulsed once, then exploded into hundreds of glowing orange-red pixels, fading into the air like ashes.

[You have defeated Roaring Wolf – Lv.7]

[You gained 42 EXP]

[You gained 30 cor]

[You have leveled up.]

Ren let out a long breath and sheathed his sword. He watched the notification panel appear quietly in front of him, then automatically fade after a few seconds.

That was the second wolf within ten minutes. The Roaring Wolves here were at a lower level than he'd expected, and naturally, neither their EXP nor item drop rates were anything special… due to the level gap between them.

But that was exactly why Ago had recommended this area to him: a relatively wide stretch of land, near a small lake, hidden beneath the dense northern canopy of the misty forest.

Open terrain, clear visibility, high monster spawn rate, but with an average level no higher than 8, an ideal farming spot for solo players who didn't want to deal with crowds or compete with parties.

Ren looked around. Not a soul in sight.

Only the light breeze whispering through the leaves, and the soft crunch beneath his feet as he stepped on the leftover pixel fragments.

Alone. No pressure. And no one paying attention to him.

Which made it even easier to focus.

Ren opened the system menu, a gentle light radiating from the familiar interface.

[Name: Ren]Level: 11 (22 / 3648 EXP)

HP: 665 / 800

STR (Strength): 25 (+4)VIT (Vitality): 30AGI (Agility): 33 (+10)

[Free Stat Points: 3]

He stared intently at the last line.

Upon leveling up, each primary stat received one fixed point, and three free points were given for the player to assign as they wished.

Ren sighed quietly. A part of him wanted to decide quickly, like always. But today… he hesitated.

"VIT can be skipped," he muttered, his finger hovering in the air. With 30 points, his HP and defense were already enough to wear light armor, and even some mid-tier gear. Any more wouldn't make much difference at this point.

He tilted his head, glancing at the remaining two stats: STR and AGI.

Increasing STR would boost the power of each slash, especially useful against bosses or high-defense single targets.

But AGI was different. It affected movement speed, attack speed, evasion, and even skill cooldowns in certain situations.

When alone, survival came first.

Ren narrowed his eyes slightly. Speed, or damage?

That question always returned, every time he touched the stat allocation menu.

He sighed again, then decisively assigned the points: two to STR, one to AGI.

STR: 25 → 27 (+4)AGI: 33 → 34 (+10)

A strange sensation spread through his body. Ren couldn't quite describe it, only that his joints seemed to realign slightly, and his muscles felt more stable, more balanced.

His body felt visibly lighter, and even the motion of clenching his fist was noticeably firmer than before.

It wasn't his first time assigning points, but every time it still made him pause for a moment.

As if his body… no longer belonged entirely to himself.

Then he looked at the EXP bar and frowned.

The required experience for the next level had jumped sharply, nearly one and a half times more than it had been at level ten. That number wasn't just data, it was a clear reminder that from now on, everything would slow down and wear at him.

Ren was silent for a while, then gave a faint shake of his head.

Not out of disappointment, but to accept it.

He would be stuck at this level longer. Leveling up from now on wouldn't be a matter of hours or a few battles anymore. It would take days. Weeks.

Just then, two Roaring Wolves suddenly spawned near the lake. Ren spotted them and didn't hesitate.

He charged in, before they could even react.

The curved blade of Windslash slid from its sheath like a breeze, slicing clean across the throat of the first wolf in a single, critical strike.

Its HP bar dropped to a third in an instant, along with a Bleed effect lasting three seconds. Blood spurted in bursts, pixelated red particles floating and fading into the air, draining 25 to 30 HP per second from its rapidly depleting life bar.

The second wolf instantly noticed Ren and lunged, baring its fangs with a low growl. But Ren had already slipped sideways, as light as drifting wind, avoiding the attack.

He raised his sword to shoulder height.

Activated sword skill [Stap].

A flash of blue light flickered along the blade's spine, then vanished into the air like lightning.

Ren thrust forward, the tip of his sword piercing the wolf's belly, the force of impact strong enough to send it flying backward. It hit the ground with a thud, growling in pain.

The Roaring Wolves were known for their speed and high damage, but landing a hit on Ren… wasn't easy.

They lunged again, trying to bite back a few more times, but it was futile.

In the end, Ren finished both of them off with a single decisive slash. No hesitation. No waste.

All that remained was the steady rhythm of his breath and a small reward screen appearing in the top right corner.

[You have defeated Roaring Wolf Lv.6]

[You have defeated Roaring Wolf Lv.7]

[You gained 64 EXP]

[You gained 67 Cor]

[You obtained Wolf Fur (Common) x2]

[Quest: Eliminate Roaring Wolf (4/15)]

Ren twisted his wrist slightly, hearing the faint pop of joints cracking, then slid Windslash back into the scabbard at his waist.

A familiar motion, like always. Nothing memorable.

He glanced at the EXP line, which had ticked up slightly. This time, the experience gained was even lower.

Ren exhaled softly, unsure if it was from fatigue or simply a growing numbness to the dry repetition.

Ren continued holding his ground at the hunting field.

One by one, the Roaring Wolves fell, quickly, cleanly, without hesitation. One after another.

The morning air gradually lost the sounds of howls, replaced by the crisp clash of slashes and the steady chime of system notifications.

Before long, the quest was complete.

[Quest: Eliminate Roaring Wolf (15/15)]

[Quest Completed.]

His EXP also increased by a decent amount.

Level: 11 (432 / 3648 EXP)

Ren glanced at the stats, his expression calm. He wasn't surprised, but he wasn't satisfied, either.

There was still one quest left: collecting sap by defeating Treant Saplings, a type of creature that appeared deeper in the northern part of the forest.

Ren didn't move just yet. He stood still for a moment, watching the familiar silhouettes of the wolf pack slowly respawning in the distance.

They were coming back, as if they had never been slain.

Ren frowned slightly. He was starting to wonder...

Should he continue farming until he leveled up? Or switch to the new quest?

Ren stood silently, eyes fixed on the wolves that had once again returned. He began running a simple calculation.

In this area, two to three Roaring Wolves would spawn every thirty minutes. If he spent the rest of the noon and afternoon here, Ren could farm another eight to twelve rounds.

Each wolf now only granted around 30–35 EXP and an average of 32 Cor, decreasing steadily due to the level gap.

Not much. But consistent.

Ren could also collect a bit of money from the dropped materials, wolf fur, fangs, or claws, all still somewhat valuable to blacksmiths or item-crafting players. Not much, but it would add up.

He started estimating: if he stuck it out here the rest of the day, Ren could gain roughly 860 EXP, plus 350 EXP from the completed Roaring Wolf quest.

As for money: around 864 Cor from monsters, plus about 1,200 Cor from the previous quest chain.

All in all… not bad.

At this pace, with steady effort for a little over two more days, Ren could gather enough experience to level up. And also build up a decent stash, enough to afford a new weapon, or at least ease some of his current financial strain.

But…

Ren glanced at the description of the remaining quest, to collect sap from Treant Saplings.

Only five samples were needed. Not too difficult. Ren figured it wouldn't take much time.

If he completed it quickly, he could return to this area and continue farming uninterrupted.

Besides, the map Ago had given him included shorter paths leading directly to where the Treant Saplings usually appeared…

A quick detour. Efficient. Safe.

He drew a shallow breath, then began walking northward, where the trees grew denser, and the light turned patchier through the tall canopy, scattering the thin mist that clung to the forest floor.

Each step fell quietly on the layer of decaying leaves, so soft even he barely noticed the sound.

It only took him about twenty minutes to wind his way through narrow, overgrown paths, moving deeper into the northern part of the forest.

The air gradually changed, more humid, colder. Towering tree trunks covered in moss and vines, the light filtering through the leaves reduced to pale streaks.

Ren knew he was close. The area where the Treant Saplings usually appeared.

But then...

A sound rang out, freezing Ren mid-step.

Not the roar of a monster or anything approaching. Not the rustle of leaves.

But the sharp clash of metal on metal, rapid, piercing, like swords clashing in the middle of an intense battle. Not far away.

Ren narrowed his eyes. His ears strained to isolate that noise from the faint ambient sounds of the forest.

The sound of combat. Urgent. The metallic clanging rang out almost rhythmically.

Ren had the sense that this wasn't a fight between players and some weapon-wielding monster. No… this was...

Human… versus human…