Miguel tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing in amusement as he stared at the spot where Stormhunter had been hiding earlier. It was almost impressive that someone managed to conceal themselves from his keen senses. Almost.
"He must have awakened some special stealth-type talent," Miguel mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But luck wasn't on his side today."
Shifting his gaze back to the Wild Boar King, who was once again preparing to charge, Miguel let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "Alright, big guy… you've had your fun. Time to put you out of your misery."
With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, his sword flashing twice in quick succession.
"-1085!"
"-2170!" (Critical Hit)
The second strike cleaved deep, landing a devastating critical blow. A pained roar escaped the boss's throat before its massive frame toppled to the ground with a thunderous crash, shaking the nearby trees.
Ding!
You have slain [Wild Boar King (BOSS)]. You've earned 80,000 EXP!
Two brilliant golden beams descended on Miguel, enveloping him in warm light.
Ding!
You have leveled up! Current Level: 6. All stats +1, Free Attribute Points +2.
Ding!
You have leveled up! Current Level: 7. All stats +1, Free Attribute Points +2.
Before this kill, Miguel had been only a few thousand points away from level 6. Now, in one glorious strike of fortune, he had leapt two full levels, skyrocketing to 7. In just a few hours, he had gone from a mere novice to a high-ranking player in the starter village—something unheard of even in his previous life.
Three glowing white orbs drifted above the corpse of the fallen boss, swaying lazily in the air. At the same time, system notifications rang out across the entire starter zone.
[Regional Announcement]: Congratulations to player [Stellar Mist] for achieving a solo kill on the World Boss: Wild Boar King!
[Regional Announcement]: Player [Stellar Mist] has achieved a solo kill on the World Boss: Wild Boar King!
[Regional Announcement]: …
Every player in Starter Village 10086 froze for a second as the announcements echoed one after another.
"Wait, what just happened? Did someone actually just solo a World Boss?"
"Hold on, we've only had this quest for a few minutes! How the hell is it already dead?"
"No way. No freaking way. I've seen guides on the forums—these bosses have several thousand HP. With our pathetic twenty-point attack stats, soloing one should be impossible, let alone killing it in minutes!"
Another message popped into the chat from a furious-sounding player:
"Everyone, listen up. I'm Stormhunter from the Godslayer Guild. I saw the whole thing. I recorded a video of Stellar Mist killing that boss solo. I swear, this guy is hacking! I'm posting it on the forums ASAP."
The chat exploded.
"So it was cheating, huh? Figures. Someone report him! Godmaking Online was supposed to be unhackable, wasn't it?"
"Bah, who cares if it's cheats or not. Hey @StellarMist, sell me that hack, man. Grinding mobs is exhausting, I want an easy win too!"
"Shameless! Absolutely shameless! …But yeah, @StellarMist, if you're selling it, name your price. I can pay in other ways."
Miguel skimmed the incoming flood of messages, his lips twitching when he saw one particularly disturbing proposition from what was clearly a male player. His expression turned green.
"...What the hell is wrong with people these days?" he muttered, hurriedly muting the channel.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the glowing loot floating in front of him. With a wave of his hand, the orbs dissolved into his inventory.
Ding!
You have obtained [Boar King's Shield] x1!
Ding!
You have obtained [Gold Coins] x100!
Ding!
You have obtained [Experience Stone] x1!
He opened the item window, his eyes scanning the details of his new shield.
[Boar King's Shield]
Grade: None
Requirement: None
Base Attributes: +35 Physical Defense
Additional Attribute 1: +100 HP
Additional Attribute 2: [Boar King's Guard] – Activate to double physical defense for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 60s.
Description: An unyielding shield awarded exclusively for slaying the Wild Boar King, offering unmatched protection for early-stage players.
Miguel smirked in satisfaction. "Not bad at all. This thing's way better than the Pure Steel Sword you'd get from a silver chest. Even players in the main city at level 15 or 20 could make good use of this."
He glanced at his friend list and noticed Thunderblade's icon was grayed out—offline. After a moment of thought, Miguel still decided to send him a screenshot of the shield's stats. A little bragging never hurt.
Next, he picked up the dull-looking stone sitting among the loot.
[Experience Stone]
Grade: None
Description: Absorb to gain 50,000 EXP instantly.
At a glance, it looked like any ordinary pebble from the roadside, but Miguel knew better. In this game, Experience Stones were like the mystical spirit stones from cultivation novels, an invaluable resource for leveling up quickly. In the early stages, they were rare treasures. In later stages, they became the go-to method for power leveling.
Without hesitation, he activated it.
Ding!
You have gained 50,000 EXP!
His progress bar shot upward, just 30,000 EXP short of level 8 now.
On his way back, he stopped by the spot where Stormhunter had met his untimely end. A lone white orb floated there, waiting to be claimed.
Ding!
You have obtained [Gold Coins] x19!
Miguel chuckled, slipping the coins into his pouch. "Well, look at that… free money. Not bad for a day's work."
Finally, his gaze fell on the Wild Boar King's massive corpse. He didn't immediately offer it up for Supreme Sacrifice, despite the tempting attribute points. Unlike normal mobs, World Bosses didn't respawn once slain. A future boss in this area would only appear if a normal monster got lucky enough to ascend to boss status. This body was proof of his kill, and without it, the blacksmith who'd given him the quest wouldn't believe a word of his story.
In his past life, plenty of players had made that mistake, sacrificing their quest target before turning it in. Miguel wasn't about to repeat their blunder.
With a flick of his hand, he stored the massive corpse in his spatial ring. Only then did he turn to the other fallen wild boars scattered across the clearing.
Ding!
You've sacrificed a non-graded corpse, gaining 6 Free Attribute Points.
Ding!
You've sacrificed a non-graded corpse, gaining 6 Free Attribute Points.
One by one, the bodies vanished, and the numbers climbed. By the end of it, his total free attribute points had soared to 1,637, ready for allocation. For now, he left them untouched, a secret arsenal of raw power waiting for the right moment.
Miguel glanced toward the path leading out of the forest, a small smirk playing at his lips. Today's hunt had been fruitful beyond anyone's imagination. And this was only the beginning.