Moonlight, like water, quietly poured over this swamp clearing that had just experienced a massacre.
In the air, dense poisonous mist and a faint smell of blood intertwined, forming a strange and heart-palpitating aura. The three Highly Poisonous Toads, having completed their mission, had long since returned to the murky pond, leaving behind only a mess on the ground, and five cold corpses from which tempting loot glowed.
Lin Mo stood quietly in the center of the corpses, his chest rising and falling slightly from the high-intensity battle he had just fought. His face appeared somewhat pale in the moonlight, but his eyes shone like the most brilliant stars in the night, sparkling with calmness and the light of someone in control of everything.
One against five, annihilating the Mad Dragon Guild's elite team!
If this achievement were posted on the forum, it would be enough to cause a magnitude 12 earthquake across the entire Huaxia Region, and no one would even believe it. People would only think it was a crazy person seeking attention, spouting nonsense.
But Lin Mo did it.
Not only did he do it, but he didn't even consume a single potion. He relied on his precise calculation of human nature, his extreme utilization of the environment, and... his own absolute strength, which was like a BUG, crushing all others!
"Hoo..."
Lin Mo let out a long breath, slowly suppressing the excitement and killing intent brought by the battle. He didn't rush to celebrate, but instead bent down, like the most meticulous craftsman inspecting his work, unhurriedly picking up all the loot on the ground one by one.
The Mad Dragon team, as expected of an elite squad from a top guild, dropped some pretty good items. In addition to dozens of silver coins and a pile of red and blue potions, they also contributed two bronze-grade chainmail pieces, and the Healer "Frenzied Dragon \ Sweetheart" dropped a healing staff with decent attributes.
If these items were put on the auction house, it would be enough for Lin Mo to make a small profit again.
But these were not the main focus.
Lin Mo's gaze finally locked onto the skill book lying quietly in his palm, emitting a faint bronze glow.
This was the ultimate goal of this ambush!
[Skill Book: Poison Blade]
[Quality: Bronze]
[Learning Requirements: Level 5, Assassin/Ranger/Warrior class]
[Skill Effect: Poisons your weapon, causing your next melee attack to deal (10 + Attack Power x20%) additional poison damage, and has a 30% chance to inflict a 'Slow' status on the target, reducing movement speed by 10% for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 8 seconds.]
Success!
The moment he saw the skill attributes, Lin Mo's lips finally curved into a cold, heartfelt smile.
This was exactly the skill he needed most right now!
Venom Spray, while it compensated for his Ranged DPS ability, ultimately had a cooldown and its damage growth was not high. But Poison Blade was an instant cast skill that could perfectly integrate into his normal attack rhythm!
An 8-second cooldown meant he could use it frequently in a battle. The 20% attack power bonus, while still negligible in the early stages, would become quite considerable as his attack power increased in the future.
Most importantly, it dealt "poison damage"! This meant that Poison Blade's damage could also trigger the stacking effect of Endless Poison Source!
This was simply a divine skill tailor-made for him!
"Learn!"
Lin Mo chose to learn without hesitation. The skill book transformed into a black light and merged into his palm. In his skill bar, an icon of a poisoned dagger quietly lit up.
"Ding! You have learned the skill 'Poison Blade'!"
A brand new sense of power surged from his limbs and bones. Lin Mo could clearly feel that his connection with "poison" seemed to have deepened a bit more.
He slowly raised his hand, and with a thought,
"Poison Blade!"
A barely perceptible dark green light instantly covered his fist, as if he had put on a thin layer of poisonous gloves. A cold, deadly aura emanated from his fist.
Lin Mo's gaze turned to a Level 4 Highly Poisonous Toad that had just spawned not far away.
You're it.
The next second, his figure suddenly vanished from its original spot!
The high Agility attribute brought by Level 8 made his speed as fast as a phantom. In almost a single breath, he had crossed more than ten meters and appeared in front of the Highly Poisonous Toad.
His poisoned fist, carrying the whisper of death, silently imprinted itself on the toad's thick skin!
"Puff!"
A dull, soft sound.
"-31!"
An unprecedented, terrifying critical damage number suddenly floated above the Highly Poisonous Toad's head!
Among them, there was -2 physical damage, -10 basic skill damage, and... a full -19 poison stacking damage!
One hit! Just one hit! It took out nearly a tenth of this Level 4 monster's health!
"Croak?"
The Highly Poisonous Toad hadn't even reacted to what had happened, only turning its crimson eyes blankly.
But Lin Mo's attacks were like a storm, continuous and relentless!
Venom Spray!
"-18"
Another punch!
"-3"
One more punch!
"-3"
...With the enhancement of Poison Blade, Lin Mo's output efficiency more than doubled!
The Level 4 monster, which originally required nearly three minutes of maneuvering to defeat, now, under his fists, couldn't even last thirty seconds before reluctantly turning into white light amidst a series of dense damage numbers.
"This... is how a 'Poison Assassin' should be!"
Lin Mo looked at the damage he had dealt and nodded in satisfaction.
With Poison Blade, he truly gained the ability for close-range burst damage, initially possessing the prototype of an assassin... Meanwhile, at Novice Village No. 9527's resurrection point.
As five white lights flashed, Fierce Dragon • Battle Blade and his four teammates appeared on the square with ashen faces.
The surrounding players immediately cast curious glances, and when they saw the blood-red IDs above the five people's heads, they quickly avoided them, fearing trouble.
"Ahhhhhh! I'm so mad! I'm going to kill him! I must kill him back to level zero!" The Mage, Fierce Dragon • Raging Fire, roared in exasperation, his handsome face contorted with anger.
"Vice-captain... we... we were actually wiped out by a lone player..." The Healer, Frenzied Dragon \ Sweetheart, still had a crying tone in her voice. Not only did she lose a level, but she also dropped her most beloved staff, suffering heavy losses.
"All of you, shut the hell up!"
Fierce Dragon • Battle Blade's face was so gloomy it looked like water could drip from it. He stared intently at his system log, which recorded everything he saw before his death—poison immunity, terrifying sustained damage, ghostly and unpredictable movement... Shame!
Unprecedented humiliation!
He, the esteemed vice-captain of the Mad Dragon Guild's elite team, was actually wiped out in a nameless Novice Village by a lone player who appeared out of nowhere, in a manner that was almost like mockery!
If this got out, Fierce Dragon • Battle Blade would become the laughingstock of the entire server!
"Contact the Guild Leader immediately!" Fierce Dragon • Battle Blade's voice was hoarse and cold. "Tell him the target has been found! He's in the Highly Poisonous Swamp! His strength... is unfathomable! Request the guild to immediately issue the highest-level bounty! I want to make it impossible for him to move an inch in 'epoch' from now on!"
"Yes!"
...Lin Mo was completely unaware and unconcerned about the impending storm.
After testing the power of his new skill, he once again threw himself into the mad endeavor of leveling up.
With the enhancement of Poison Blade, his monster-farming efficiency soared again.
Level 9!
Level 10!
When a brilliant golden light enveloped him, less than an hour had passed since he wiped out the Mad Dragon team!
"Congratulations, you have reached Level 10! You have met the conditions to leave the Novice Village. Please report to the Village Chief to begin your journey to the main city!"
"server Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Lin Mo' for becoming the first player on this server to reach Level 10! Reward: 100 Reputation, 1 Gold Coin!"
"server Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Lin Mo'..."
"server Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Lin Mo'..."
Another three consecutive server announcements!
But this time, the name on the announcement was no longer the mysterious "Anonymous," but two Chinese characters unfamiliar to countless people—
Lin Mo!
At this moment, the entire "epoch" world was once again in an uproar!
And the Mad Dragon Guild, which had just posted a bounty for the "Anonymous" player in their guild channel, fell into a dead silence.
"Lin Mo... it's him!" Fierce Dragon • Battle Blade looked at the announcement echoing across the sky, enunciating the name word by word, the hatred in his eyes almost turning tangible!
Deep in the swamp, Lin Mo slowly retracted his fist, looking at the system prompt before him, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He knew that from this moment on, he would no longer need to hide.
He opened the level ranking list.
[Huaxia Region Level Rankings]
[First Place: Lin Mo Level: 10 Class: None]
[Second Place: Yann Di Level: 8 Class: Berserker]
[Third Place: Luo Li Level: 8 Class: Shadow Priest]
[Fourth Place: Mad Dragon Soaring in the Sky Level: 7 Class: Templar Knight]
...He had left everyone far behind!
"The journey in the Novice Village is over."
Lin Mo took one last look at the Highly Poisonous Swamp that had transformed him, then turned and strode towards the village.
His figure, elongated by the morning sun, appeared proud and resolute.
Ahead lay a wider world, stronger enemies, and countless opportunities and challenges.
City of Glory, here I come.
Mad Dragon Guild, are you... ready?