"I need to find the BOSS quickly."
Lin Chen took out his longbow again and strode toward an area further away from the base.
Ten minutes later.
The surroundings were vast and desolate, with only wild grass and wandering monsters for company; Lin Chen couldn't see anyone else.
In this game where death reduces lifespan, unless one truly possesses skill, no one dares to joke around with their own life.
Lin Chen completely let loose. Whenever he encountered a monster, he drew his bow and shot. They usually died in one arrow; if not, he followed up with another!
[You killed a Level 1 Red Fang Hound, EXP +10, Survival Points +1.]
[You killed a Level 2 Azure Wolf, EXP +60, Survival Points +5.]
...[Congratulations on leveling up...]
Pushing forward continuously, scattered monster corpses were left behind along the path Lin Chen took.
After monsters die in the game, their corpses do not immediately disappear; they remain for a period. If special methods are used, the retention time of the corpses can be extended.
Furthermore, the corpses of certain individual monsters can exist permanently.
This setting is likely prepared for gathering-type sub-professions, but sub-professions have not yet been opened in the game.
While Lin Chen was exploring alone, outside the eastern edge of the base, people finally began reaching Level 1, and some individuals had even reached Level 2.
Thus, players started attempting to leave the fringe areas.
Among them, a ten-person squad's exploration route happened to coincide with Lin Chen's path, and they witnessed an unbelievable sight.
"My heavens!"
"How are there so many monster corpses?"
The meat shield walking in the front cried out in surprise.
The others witnessed it too, and collectively gasped!
They saw monster corpses scattered haphazardly across the grassland ahead.
At a glance, the variety was complete: Red Fang Hounds, Phantom Mountain Cats, and even Level 2 Azure Wolves and other monsters.
In the distance, more were vaguely visible.
It seemed as though some powerful entity had passed through here, killing everything in its path and leaving a trail of monster corpses behind.
"Which team is responsible for this? Can anyone achieve this level at the current stage?"
"Under the leadership of Boss Fist Fighting, we've only just managed to all reach Level 1 and leave the fringe area. Which team could be so far ahead of us?"
Everyone couldn't help but look toward their team leader, the Poet of the Fist Fighting Department.
The Poet of the Fist Fighting Department had just reached Level 2. He was a Pugilist, and his equipped weapon had been replaced from a Novice Gauntlet to a metal-studded fingerless glove.
"There is always someone better. It seems someone has obtained a high-level Talent. I guess the team that accomplished this feat must have an expert with at least an S-Rank Talent!"
The Poet of the Fist Fighting Department said with a somewhat solemn expression.
"That's insane. If we were killing these monsters, we wouldn't be able to finish in under an hour, and look, there seem to be even more monster corpses ahead..."
"Ahem!"
The Poet of the Fist Fighting Department lightly coughed twice and put on a serious face: "Don't underestimate yourselves. Hurry up and level up. We might become experts in the future too!"
"Yeah, Boss is right!"
In the team, a Shield Guard named Invincible Fat Tiger Conquers the Heavens immediately offered flattery.
The team rallied their spirits and, led by the Poet of the Fist Fighting Department, slowly changed direction to explore.
But the others did not notice the deep apprehension in the Poet of the Fist Fighting Department's eyes.
Unlike the rookies in his team, according to his guess, the ones who killed those monsters might not have been a team, but likely a solo expert!
Because combat traces in this game are not refreshed.
He had carefully examined the traces at the scene just now. The monster footprints were numerous and chaotic, but the human footprints were few and clear.
The traces left by team combat would be much more chaotic than this situation, indicating that the opposing party had very few people, perhaps even just one!
This was the reason the Poet of the Fist Fighting Department urgently changed their exploration direction. He didn't want to run into a freak like that.
He truly couldn't imagine what kind of existence someone who became so strong so quickly at the start of the game was. What level of Talent did that person awaken?
Was it the legendary SSS-Rank?
...[You have discovered the "Mossy Stone Forest." Please be careful!]
Lin Chen explored along the way and found a strange stone forest.
Strange stone trees of varying heights were scattered throughout it.
At this point, his level had reached 5.
This was because he was rushing to find the BOSS and wasn't focused on killing monsters.
There was no helping it; the reward for the first BOSS kill in the game was too tempting.
As the holder of an Unknown Rank Talent, Lin Chen would despise himself if he couldn't grab the First Kill of the BOSS.
Unfortunately, his luck seemed to have been used up when he awakened his Talent; he hadn't seen a single BOSS the entire way.
He did kill two Elite Monsters, but unfortunately, they didn't drop equipment suitable for him.
In the Myriad Heavens Game, when using a weapon without the corresponding Weapon Mastery, it feels awkward.
Armor is not restricted by profession, but that doesn't mean it can be worn casually.
Wearing a set of Heavy Armor will definitely affect flexibility. Attack Speed, Movement Speed, and Casting Speed will be subtly weakened to a certain extent, failing to meet the stats listed on the panel.
Conversely, wearing lightweight armor like Leather Armor or Cloth Armor will not have this effect, but the defense certainly won't compare to Heavy Armor equipment.
Lin Chen had 100,000 HP, so naturally, he looked down on armor that wasn't suitable for him. Thus, he was still dressed in Novice Attire and equipped with a Novice Longbow.
"I hope there's a BOSS inside."
Filled with anticipation, he stepped into the stone forest.
The tall stone trees blocked some sunlight, causing the visibility here to be slightly lower than outside.
Lin Chen walked for a while, and a slight tremor came from the ground, growing more noticeable.
He saw two humanoid creatures, about his size, covered entirely in rock, with only their eyes and mouths exposed, roaring as they charged at him.
They looked heavy-bodied, but their movements were surprisingly fast, and they ran with considerable momentum.
Rock Monster, Level 5!
Unknowingly, Lin Chen had entered a monster zone above Level 5.
He immediately drew his bow, and arrows flew out.
Double Shot!
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
-1007
-1007
Although the Rock Monsters were clearly the thick-skinned type, Lin Chen's arrows carried True Damage, still allowing them to inflict effective harm.
One of the two monsters immediately dropped to low health.
Mana glow condensed in their hands, and as gray energy surged, they each hurled a stone block toward Lin Chen.
Skill: Stone Throw!
Due to Wrath of Life, Lin Chen currently added all his level-up points to HP instead of Agility, so his Movement Speed was insufficient, and he failed to dodge.
*Bang!*
A dull sound rang out. Lin Chen was solidly hit by both stones, losing a total of four hundred HP.
He fired another basic attack. The arrow plunged into the monster's body, killing one instantly.
The other one had charged close. Lin Chen put away his weapon, launched both fists, traded blows with it, and beat it to death on the spot.
The whole encounter took less than a minute!
Picking up the monster drops, Lin Chen quickly explored through the stone forest.
He tried to avoid normal monsters to save time, gradually moving deeper into the stone forest.
Over twenty minutes passed.
"Strange. Logically, a leveling spot with a special name like this should have a BOSS..."
Just as Lin Chen felt confused, suddenly, a gigantic Stone Tree right next to him, which had been motionless, began to shake violently!
A monster disguised as a Stone Tree?
As soon as this thought arose, Lin Chen heard the whistling of wind by his ear, and a petrified fist slammed violently onto his head.
*Boom!*
-1486
Before Lin Chen could clearly see what was happening, his HP plummeted by over a thousand, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
He saw that the Stone Tree had transformed into a towering Rock Monster with a mouth, eyes, and powerful limbs.
Lin Chen quickly stood up and met the monster's gaze, feeling pleased rather than surprised: "Ha, target found!"
That's right, this was a BOSS, and not the Black Iron Rank that Lin Chen had anticipated, but a Bronze Rank BOSS!