Three hours later, they crossed Blossom Plains and the Silent Woods—navigating levels 3 to 9 mobs with ease—and reached a hilly region at the forest's edge.
"This is our spot," Lucas said, stopping as dawn painted the sky pink. Leo peered ahead, swallowing hard at the massive creature before them.
Standing one and a half times Leo's height, it sported a lion's head, a muscular humanoid torso, green skin, and a tiger-striped loincloth. In its hands, it wielded a bone club thicker than Leo's thigh.
"That's an Orc Brute—level 15," Lucas said. A tragic race in Forsaken World's lore, Orcs were leftovers from the Human-Orc Wars, now serving the Orc Horde against humanity.
"How do we take it down?" Leo asked. He felt like the brute could squish him with one finger.
"Watch— I'll kill it without taking a scratch," Lucas smirked.
Orc Brutes were notorious melee powerhouses—200 damage per swing, blistering movement speed, high HP, and thick armor. Most parties needed a tank, healer, and DPS to take one down. But Lucas had a trick up his sleeve.
He recalled a viral clip from his past playthrough: five fire mages using Pyroblast's knockback to lock an Orc Brute in place, alternating casts so it never advanced. With his 0.7-second cast time, Lucas could pull it off solo.
He positioned himself 30 yards away, channeling mana. In 0.7 seconds, a massive fireball erupted from his staff.
"Pyroblast!"
The fireball slammed into the brute's skull with a deafening boom, sending it reeling back a step. "-135" popped up over its head.
Roaring in fury, the brute charged—only to be pummeled by a second Pyroblast mid-stride, forcing it back to its starting position. It charged again and again—each time, Lucas's Pyroblast halted its advance cold.
Dim-witted, the brute never deviated from its tactic. In under a minute, Lucas unleashed over a dozen Pyroblasts, draining the 2,000-HP brute's health before it got within 10 yards of him.
System Notification: +286 XP
"Boss, you're a legend!" Leo gushed. "I got 262 XP—that's way faster than grinding outside!"
Grinding level 1 mobs gave 10 XP per kill, with 15-minute respawns. This single brute matched hours of low-level grinding.
But Lucas frowned. "Still too slow. I should be getting 560 XP—100% over-level bonus for a level 5 taking down a level 15. Splitting with you cuts it too much. Follow me—I know a spot to crank this up fivefold."
The hills formed a small Orcish outpost—inner and outer walls, with countless caves dotting the slopes. These caves were Orc Brute dens, packed with mobs. And hidden in one cave was a game glitch—one Lucas planned to exploit.
A pro Rogue had discovered it years ago, trapped by Orcs and forced to flee into a crevice behind a boulder. The Orcs couldn't reach him, letting him farm safely with a bow. Lucas planned to do the same—with the Venom Spheroid as his secret weapon.
They fought their way to the cave entrance, where three Orc Brutes lunged. "Stay put," Lucas said, firing three rapid Pyroblasts. Each brute was knocked back, and he took them down in seconds. Leo exhaled sharply. "There are so many inside."
Lucas grinned. "This is just the start. The main hall has hundreds. And that's where the real grind begins."