It was common knowledge that loot drop rates were abysmally low.  One could kill dozens, even hundreds of creatures without seeing a single item.  Soren, having gotten a shield after only two kills, was incredibly lucky.

As he reached for the shield, three whistling sounds cut through the air.  Three Black Iron rank 1 Sand Rats lunged from the grass.

“Looking for death!” Soren snorted, slashing his dagger.

Two rats were instantly cleaved in two.  The third, however, dodged the attack and pounced from the side, its sharp claws flashing towards Soren’s abdomen.

Soren reacted instantly, leaping back.  His shirt ripped, a long gash appearing.  He’d dodged just in time, avoiding injury.  But even so, a cold sweat broke out.  His defense was too weak. A single hit would wound him, and in the treacherous Endless Desert, injury meant death.

“That was close,” he breathed, heart pounding.

The Sand Rat, its attack thwarted, snarled and charged again.

“Die!” Soren thrust his dagger forward.  The blade pierced the rat’s skull in a flash of light.

After retrieving the shield and adding it to his inventory, Soren checked his status.

Name: Soren Hawthorne

Class: Wood Summoner

Rank: Black Iron 1

Attack Power: 60

Defense: 13

Agility: 14

Mental Power: 10

Experience: 25/100

Health: 200

Mana: 80

Intelligence: Unknown

Skill: Summon Lesser Treant (1)

Seeing his defense increase by 3, Soren smiled.  The shield was working.  A +3 defense boost meant it was a mid-tier black iron shield, worth at least 4000 Aella Credits.  His experience had also jumped to 25.  If a rank 1 Sand Rat gave 5 experience, then a rank 2 must give 10.

“Not bad,” Soren murmured, continuing his search with the treant.

An hour later, with the treant’s help, Soren had killed five more Sand Rats, all rank 1, unfortunately, and none dropped any loot.  He wasn’t discouraged.  In just over an hour, he’d killed nine Sand Rats. At this rate, he’d reach Black Iron rank 2 soon.

“Treant, let’s go. Find me more Sand Rats,” Soren commanded.

The treant sped forward, Soren close behind.  With the treant’s early warning system, he didn’t need to worry about danger; he just had to follow.

After traveling about five kilometers, the treant stopped.  Soren received a mental message: two Black Iron rank 1 Sand Rats were hiding in a sand mound ahead.

Delighted, Soren approached the mound, dagger at the ready.  As he drew near, the mound began to shift.  Two large rat heads popped out, hissing at him.

Soren’s eyes gleamed.  These weren’t ferocious beasts, but experience points waiting to be collected.

Just as he was about to attack, a golden streak shot from the distance, arriving almost instantaneously.  Before Soren could react, it struck the sand mound, exploding violently.

“Explosive Arrow!” Soren’s face paled.  It was an Archer’s skill, incredibly powerful.

The sand mound erupted, a three-meter-wide crater forming as dust and debris flew everywhere.  The two Sand Rats were blown to pieces.  Soren, though unharmed, was covered in sand and grit.  The treant, further away, was unaffected.

“Damn it!” Soren spat out the grit, his face darkening.  He’d finally found two Sand Rats, only to have them stolen.

“Hey, are you alright?”

A male and female student approached.  The male was tall and muscular, carrying a large wooden shield.  The female was slender and attractive, holding a bow.  It was she who had spoken.

Soren glared at them. “I’ll live. Don’t bother yourselves.”

The male student frowned. “What’s with the attitude? We just saved you! Is this how you treat your saviors?”

They’d seen the treant and assumed Soren was a Wood Summoner, helpless against two Sand Rats.  They’d intervened out of kindness.

Soren, too irritated to explain, turned to leave.

“Hey!  Aren’t you going to say thank you?” the male student called after him.

Soren stopped and turned back, his voice cold. “You stole my kills. I should be the one complaining.  And you want a thank you?  Seriously?”

The two students were taken aback.  Stole his kills?  If they hadn’t acted, he’d be dead.  How dare he say such a thing?

The male student scoffed. “A Wood Summoner, killing two Sand Rats?  You’re hilarious.”

“Arrogant,” Soren snorted, walking away again.

“Who are you calling arrogant?  You’re the one lacking self-awareness!” the male student yelled.

“Xiong Tao, let it go,” the female student urged.  This argument was going nowhere.

Soren ignored them and continued walking.  They might have stolen his kills, but they’d meant well.  There was no point arguing.

He’d barely taken a few steps when cries for help echoed from the distance. “Chang Shiru! Xiong Tao! Help!”

Soren looked up. Three male students were running towards them, pursued by six Sand Rats.

“Crap! They’re all Black Iron rank 2!” Xiong Tao’s face paled.  They could handle three rank 2 Sand Rats, but six was too much.  They were about to be overwhelmed.