As Lin Tianhao examined his new skill's details, the global announcement sent shockwaves through Godslayer's Twilight.
"HOLY CRAP! Who is this guy?! Solo'd the Newbie Zone Boss?!""Snow Emperor? Never heard of him. Which guild?""I thought triggering Newbie Bosses was super hard? Heard there are ten, but no one's found one yet!""Is this even humanly possible right now? What kind of gear or exploit…"
Discussions exploded across forums and in-game chats. Veteran players, especially, felt their jaws drop. They understood the sheer impossibility of a solo Boss kill at this stage more than anyone.
Tianhao ignored the burgeoning chaos. He focused on his rewards. After learning Lightning Leap, he inspected the weapon.
Thunderclap Bow (Silver):
Requirement: None (Archer Only)
Effect 1: Attack +300
Effect 2: Critical Strike Chance +15%
Effect 3: Attacks have a 15% chance to inflict Paralysis (Target movement and action speed reduced by 30% for 2 seconds).
Effect 4: Attacks have a 15% chance to deal Splash Damage (20% of initial damage) to enemies within 2 meters of the primary target.
Tianhao stared. A consolation prize. Honestly? The only remotely useful effect was Paralysis, and even that felt underwhelming with its low chance. The raw Attack boost? Meaningless to him; his damage scaled off Health. This fancy Silver bow? Effectively a glorified starter weapon he'd outgrow the moment he left the Newbie Zone. *Couldn't it have given me just +1 Attack Speed?* It felt like the system itself was trolling him.
Shaking off the minor disappointment, Tianhao turned his attention to the real prize: the Treant King's loot. Time for the satisfying ritual – corpse looting.
Ding! You have acquired:
Treant King's Necklace
Skill Book: Renewal
Treant King's Helm
5 Gold
Treant King's Heart
His initial scan was lukewarm. Gold aside, nothing seemed immediately useful for his build. Then he focused on the skill book.
Renewal (Passive Skill): ★☆☆☆☆
Effect: Restore 1 HP per second. Cannot be interrupted by damage.
Cooldown: None
Mana Cost: None
Proficiency: 0/1000 (Note: Proficiency equals Max HP. This skill has NO Star Level Cap.)
Tianhao's breath caught. This… this changes everything. His Hand of Heavenly Punishment granted infinite HP stacking. This skill synergized perfectly. Passive, uninterruptible healing? At scale, this could be more potent than lifesteal. It was pure, constant sustain."Learn Skill!"
Renewal (Passive Skill): ★★★☆☆
Effect: Restore 50 HP per second. Cannot be interrupted by damage.
Proficiency: 25,130 / 100,000 (Note: Proficiency equals Max HP. This skill has NO Star Level Cap.)
Perfect. A profound sense of security washed over him. With this constant trickle of healing, his survivability just skyrocketed.
"Respawn faster. Still want levels?" Tianhao sent the message to FloatingPagoda_ShieldMountain, having already blocked the tidal wave of friend requests and private messages his global announcement triggered.
He then began his true test. He equipped the Thunderclap Bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the glowing core of an Elite Twisted Treant.Thwip!-1524! (CRITICAL HIT!)
A massive crimson number erupted. Simultaneously, a jagged bolt of blue-white lightning crackled from the stricken Treant, arcing violently to five nearby Elites!-152!-152!...
Six Elite Treants, enraged by the damage, lurched towards him.Tianhao didn't flinch. He stood his ground.Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!CRIT! CRIT! CRIT! CRIT!
With his base 16% Critical Chance (boosted by the bow and Lightning Leap triggering attacks), and his focus on weak points amplifying critical damage, Elites that previously required twelve arrows now crumpled in four. The initial Lightning Leap had already shaved 608 HP off each of the five chained targets, making subsequent kills even faster – often just two or three arrows.
This AoE is a double-edged sword, Tianhao mused, kiting the growing mob of lumbering Elites. The chained damage pulled immense aggro instantly. One misstep, one failed dodge against a concentrated barrage, and even his massive health pool could evaporate. He couldn't afford to get surrounded.
But his blistering 2.13 Attack Speed (2.23 shots per second) was his salvation. He flowed backward, arrows flying in a near-continuous stream. Elites died before they could close the gap. The Lightning Leap procs, while dangerous for aggro management, drastically accelerated the clear speed. Killing the first Treant often left the others within kill range of just one or two more shots thanks to the prior chain damage.
Ding! You have reached Level 7! +5 Free Attribute Points.All points went into Attack Speed: 2.23 → 2.33.
"Emperor Snow! I'm here!" ShieldMountain's voice rang out as he arrived, panting slightly. His eyes widened at the carnage unfolding before him. Elites were melting under the relentless storm of arrows and crackling lightning. "You… you got even stronger?!"
Tianhao sent a party invite. This time, the EXP split was reversed: ShieldMountain 90% | Tianhao 10%. Time to fulfill the contract.
Fueled by Tianhao's insane 2.33 Attack Speed and the devastating efficiency of Lightning Leap, the grind became a massacre. Within just three hours, ShieldMountain hit Level 10. True to his word, Tianhao had also gathered the final pieces of the Treant Set through relentless Elite farming.
ShieldMountain equipped the full set, his avatar transforming into a walking bastion of bark-like armor. He stared at his character sheet, utterly speechless."Emperor Snow… this set… it's… obscene." The sheer power of the dual set effects – the constant, uninterruptible healing and the damage reflection – left him awestruck. It was game-breaking for his role at this stage.
"Got two more pieces," Tianhao said casually, pulling out the Treant King's Necklace and Treant King's Helm. Both shimmered with a deeper, obsidian-like sheen. "Obsidian grade. Equipping them won't break your set bonuses, just adds raw stats. Want them?"
ShieldMountain knew Tianhao's quirks by now. "Price?""Fifty thousand each."ShieldMountain winced. "Fifty grand… for transitional gear? That's steep, even for Obsidian." But the stats were undeniable, and the prestige of having near-BiS this early… "Fine. Deal."
Only his deep pockets made such a splurge feasible. He knew this gear, powerful as it was, would be obsolete within a week. Ten thousand dollars transferred instantly to Tianhao's account.
Tianhao's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Pleasure doing business. Expect more finds in the future. We'll talk then." The seed for a lucrative partnership was sown.