Shadow Killer was taken aback. It had to be said that Lin Tianhao's idea was somewhat疯狂.However, having witnessed Lin Tianhao's skills firsthand, Shadow Killer knew that what Lin Tianhao proposed was entirely feasible.
"Alright," Shadow Killer agreed.
"Let's find Elvoss first," Lin Tianhao said, sending a party invitation to Shadow Killer.
"I'll level you up first," Lin Tianhao continued. When it came to experience point distribution, he still took ninety percent, as that was the maximum allowed. Subsequently, Lin Tianhao began to slay monsters with astonishing speed, taking down one stone beetle after another with a single arrow. Thanks to the Lightning Leap skill, some stone beetles were killed by the chain reaction before Lin Tianhao even had to shoot them.
Despite the experience penalty for a high-level player teaming up with a lower-level one, Lin Tianhao's monster-slaying speed was so fast that it more than made up for it. In just ten minutes, Shadow Killer had reached level six. Another fifteen minutes later, he hit level seven. And then, in a mere ten minutes, Shadow Killer was at level eight. This was because Lin Tianhao had started killing elite stone beetles, which yielded more experience points.
"Snow Emperor, your damage output is the most outrageous I've ever seen among all players. Have you awakened a talent?" Shadow Killer asked.
"Yes," Lin Tianhao nodded.
Shadow Killer tactfully refrained from inquiring further about the nature of Lin Tianhao's talent. That would be overstepping boundaries. Talents were personal secrets. Even though Lin Tianhao had been reborn, he only knew of many people's talents by hearsay. Or he might have a rough idea of their tier, but the specific effects of those talents were completely unknown to him. For instance, with Shadow Killer, Lin Tianhao knew he had a god-level talent, but what exactly that talent was, they had no idea.
At that very moment, both Lin Tianhao and Shadow Killer heard shouting coming from deep within the cave.
"Elvoss, you ungrateful wretch! Your master has been so kind to you, and yet you dare to steal his ore," one voice berated.
Lin Tianhao and Shadow Killer cautiously approached the source of the noise. Up ahead, Lin Tianhao saw the three NPCs. Elvoss was a rather short young man, while the other two were burly, robust men.
Elvoss: Level 10.
Health: ?????
Attack: ?????
Skills: ?????
(Notes: He was originally a spy planted by the village elder beside Blacksmith Wang, carrying something extremely valuable on him.)
Apart from Elvoss, the attributes of the other two NPCs were similar. Their health, attack, and skills were all question marks. The only difference was that their notes indicated they were Blacksmith Wang's apprentices, and assisting them could bring unexpected benefits.
Ordinary players would definitely choose to help these two NPCs. But Lin Tianhao didn't. Although he already had a plan, he still wanted to wait and see if any new plot developments would emerge. "Twilight of the Gods" could never be treated as a simple game. One had to regard this place as a parallel world and treat NPCs as flesh-and-blood individuals. Only in this way could one obtain more rewards.
Shadow Killer stayed by Lin Tianhao's side, still watching from a distance without making a sound.
"Blacksmith Wang harbors sinister ambitions. As a villager of the Novice Village, I will definitely inform the village elder of his treachery and have the elder kill Blacksmith Wang!" Elvoss declared, his small frame trembling with determination.
"He actually wants to use the Iceflame Ore to unleash a boss that surpasses the limits of the Novice Village. If that happens, our village will be devastated," Elvoss continued.
Upon hearing this, Blacksmith Wang's two apprentices sneered in unison. "Enough. It's not your place to dictate what our master should do."
"The elder is incompetent. Our master is the ideal candidate for village head," they retorted.
The argument between the two sides intensified.
So it was true!
Blacksmith Wang had deceived him! Lin Tianhao's eyes took on a subtle gleam. He wasn't seeking the Iceflame Ore to enhance his weapon's quality, as he had claimed. Instead, he intended to release a boss.
What other hidden bosses were there in the Novice Village? Could it be the Mummy?
Lin Tianhao didn't have much time to ponder, as Elvoss and Blacksmith Wang's two apprentices had already engaged in combat. The three were evenly matched in strength, but due to the numerical disadvantage, Elvoss quickly found himself on the losing side.
"Whoosh!" An arrow pierced the air.
Lin Tianhao had made his move. His arrow streaked through the sky and struck Wang San's head.
-2512.
A massive critical hit damage number appeared. At the same time, an equally large damage number popped up above Lin Tianhao's head.
-1256!!
Counter-damage!!
Lin Tianhao's eyes narrowed. His current level of life-stealing wasn't sufficient to withstand such counter-damage from monsters. This was a level-ten boss, after all. Even if its attributes were subpar, they wouldn't be worse than those of the Twisted Treant King, and likely even better.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Wang San glared coldly at Lin Tianhao.
"Adventurer? You must be here to assist that traitor Elvoss, sent by the village elder, right?"
"Then you shall all die," Wang San declared, raising his massive blade to strike.
"Whoosh!" Lin Tianhao was quick to react, firing an arrow that disrupted Wang San's attack rhythm. However, the fifty percent counter-damage effect of Wang San made Lin Tianhao's scalp tingle. This counter-damage was extremely overpowered in the early stages of the game. Lin Tianhao's current set of equipment also had a counter-damage effect, but it was merely ten percent. The difference between the two was stark.
Shadow Killer was also aware of the counter-damage. It was a headache for him as an assassin.
"How do we fight?" Shadow Killer asked in a deep voice.
"Kite them," Lin Tianhao replied, his expression cold. Although the counter-damage had a noticeable impact on him, it wasn't without room for maneuver. After all, their main goal was to assist Elvoss in the battle.
"Wang San and Wang Si both have counter-damage armor with very high counter-damage attributes, but their health isn't that high," Elvoss's voice rang out. He raised his hand, and two dark, ink-like glows flew into Lin Tianhao's body.
"Ding, you have received a blessing from Elvoss. The damage you take is reduced by 10%."
Lin Tianhao's eyes brightened. This blessing was truly timely. He immediately switched to his Jungle Longbow. The reason was simple: the Jungle Longbow could add five hundred health points and had a two percent life-stealing effect. Against such counter-damage opponents, life-stealing became a crucial attribute.
You have strong counter-damage? As long as my life-stealing is stronger, you can only watch helplessly.
Lin Tianhao's main weapon, although not part of the Treant set, still had a base health regeneration rate of one hundred and eighty points per second. With the life-stealing from the Jungle Longbow and the ten percent damage reduction from Elvoss's blessing, he might be able to kite Wang San and Wang Si.
"Whoosh!" Another high-damage critical hit appeared.
Lin Tianhao's health dropped by just over a thousand points, but his body began to heal continuously.
Shadow Killer stood there, still waiting and not making a hasty move. As an assassin, one must remain calm when facing unfavorable combat conditions and strike at the perfect opportunity.
"Kill this kid first," Wang Si roared, charging towards Lin Tianhao.
Twist Bow Technique!
Lin Tianhao used the powerful impact force of the Twist Bow Technique to forcefully push back Wang Si.