Chapter 14
Chapter 14
After lunch, Zhou Ming returned to his rented room, drank plenty of water, and put on the gaming helmet again.
He had been offline for nine straight hours!
During the race to explore a new game, an absence like that would have knocked almost anyone else permanently out of contention for the level rankings.
“Swoosh!”
White light flashed. When Zhou Ming opened his eyes again, he had returned to the game world and found himself in a barren wilderness.
Looking around, he saw a silver-haired girl in white not far away. She stood quietly beneath the sunlight, gazing at the distant scenery. The image was beautiful enough for a painting.
Sensing Zhou Ming’s arrival, Qianying turned. Ripples stirred in her eyes as she nodded and smiled faintly.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah!”
Zhou Ming nodded and felt an inexplicable wave of relief.
Excellent!
The god-tier expert he had lured over had not secretly run away!
Something occurred to him. “Qianying, can I enter town now?”
“There is no need to worry. As long as I remain beside you, they will not dare act against you openly,” Qianying explained.
Zhou Ming finally relaxed.
If he could no longer enter towns or use teleportation arrays for rapid travel, his leveling efficiency would be slowed several times over.
“Could you take out the God-Demon Orb first?” Qianying asked.
“Sure.”
Zhou Ming produced the orb, now transformed into a fiery crimson.
The next second, Qianying became a streak of white light and entered the God-Demon Orb.
“I suffered serious injuries in the battle and need several days to recover. Do not worry. It will not take me long to heal.”
“If you need my power, touch the equipment with the God-Demon Orb. I will sense it.”
Zhou Ming nodded. “I understand.”
It had indeed taken him a long time to travel from Qingshui Town to Gloom Gorge.
By the time he arrived, Qianying had been in mortal danger. Injuries had been inevitable.
“If you have any questions, ask me whenever you wish,” Qianying said gently, her voice gradually fading.
Zhou Ming put away the God-Demon Orb and prepared to move, only to freeze.
Which direction was the town again?
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered [Qingshui Town]!]
A moment later, his vision blurred and Zhou Ming reappeared beside Qingshui Town’s teleportation array.
He had to admit, the Ancient Succubus he claimed from the village really could do it all!
“I need to level as quickly as possible!”
After a moment’s consideration, Zhou Ming decided not to accept any ordinary quests in Qingshui Town.
With his current status panel, low-reward Difficulty C and D quests would only slow his progress.
He bought a map of nearby monster distributions and a few supplies from the general store. After examining the map and choosing a leveling spot, he hurried straight there.
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered [Twilight Plains]!]
A gentle breeze flowed across a vast field of lush green grass.
Under the bright sunlight, Zhou Ming immediately spotted black panthers prowling across the Twilight Plains. They were powerfully built, armed with sharp claws and fangs, and their eyes glowed with an eerie crimson. They were terrifying to behold.
[Demonized Black Panther] (Normal Monster)
[Level: 25]
[HP: 2,000]
[Attack: 310-325]
[Defense: 130-140]
[Skills: Bite, Claw Strike]
[Description: Once an ordinary animal of the Twilight Plains. After being corrupted by demonic energy, it gradually lost its mind and became a bloodthirsty beast that attacks passing civilians on sight.]
…
As monsters above Level 20, the Demonized Black Panthers had stats far beyond anything current players could handle. Their Attack in particular was enough to kill a player instantly.
Without the enormous base-stat bonuses from his custom-created class, Zhou Ming would never have dared trouble them.
Sword in hand, he approached a panther that had strayed from the pack. Before it noticed him, he raised his left hand and condensed fire energy.
Fallen Sword!
“Sshk!”
In an instant, a massive crimson sword projection appeared above the Demonized Black Panther. It plunged down and pierced the beast’s body.
-465!
A crimson damage number rose.
“As expected of a first-kill reward!” Zhou Ming clicked his tongue in admiration.
Fallen Sword dealt tremendous burst damage at range and even carried crowd control. Whether fighting players or farming monsters, it excelled at everything.
“Roar!”
Enraged by the ambush, the Demonized Black Panther lunged at the culprit.
Zhou Ming charged with his sword and slashed the beast across the head. Its Claw Strike landed at the same time.
-162!
-74!
The difference between their damage was obvious.
He was practically invincible!
Zhou Ming savored the feeling.
Who else could fight monsters fourteen levels above them this early in the game and still win with ease?
He dispatched the Demonized Black Panther in a few quick blows, and his experience bar shot upward like a rocket.
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have killed [Demonized Black Panther] (Normal Monster). Current-Level EXP +103.5%!]
“Swoosh!”
Golden light fell, raising Zhou Ming to Level 12.
One ordinary monster had given him an entire level!
Other players would not even dare dream of leveling this fast.
Thrilled, Zhou Ming immediately found another target and boldly traded damage with it.
Leveling restored his HP to full. Dodging would only waste time and reduce his grinding efficiency.
Once his leveling settled into a steady rhythm, Zhou Ming split his attention. While mindlessly trading blows with monsters, he opened his panels to study everything he had gained the day before.
First came the class panel he had anticipated most.
Flame Demon Lord!
He wanted to see exactly how powerful this exclusive SSS-Rank custom-created class was.
[Flame Demon Lord] (Exclusive SSS-Rank Hidden Class)
[Description: This class was born when Zhouyou Shijie absorbed a vast quantity of negative emotion. Its affinity with the fire element has no upper limit, granting it immeasurable potential. The heights it can ultimately reach depend on Zhouyou Shijie’s aptitude and strength.]
[HP Growth: 5 stars]
[Attack Growth: 8 stars]
[Defense Growth: 5 stars]
[Speed Growth: 5 stars]
…
[Note: Each star of HP Growth grants 10 HP. Each star of Attack and Defense Growth grants 1 point to the corresponding stat. Each star of Speed Growth grants 0.1% Attack Speed and Movement Speed.]
Of his four primary growth attributes, Attack was the clear standout!
And the lack of an upper limit on fire affinity was most likely why his Fire Resistance had reached 100%.
…