Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have killed [Wolf King] (Bronze Boss). Rewards: Current-Level EXP +263.4%, Fame +10, and Copper Coins +50!]
“Swoosh! Swoosh!”
Two successive showers of golden light fell over him.
Killing a boss six full levels above him this early in the game had awarded Zhou Ming an enormous amount of experience.
But the system chimes were not finished.
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have killed the Bronze Boss [Wolf King]. As the first player in the game to defeat a Bronze Boss, you receive the following bonus rewards: Free Attribute Points +10, Fame +1,000, and the rare skill [Fallen Sword]!]
“Ding!”
[System: Would you like to reveal the legend you have created on the Destiny Continent? (Note: If revealed, it will be visible to all players.)]
…
He had struck it rich!
Zhou Ming could barely contain his delight.
The loot from killing the boss was already good, but the reward for the first-kill achievement was the real prize.
Without delay, he picked up every piece of equipment and every copper coin dropped by the Wolf King. Once nothing remained on the ground, he opened his inventory to inspect the spoils.
The first things he saw were two pieces of equipment: bracers and a helmet. Both were entirely black and looked far more refined than common equipment.
“Two pieces of Bronze equipment!” Zhou Ming’s heart pounded.
It was not that Bronze equipment alone was enough to excite him. The important part was that neither piece had been touched by the aura of a god-tier expert yet!
If ordinary common gear could instantly rise to Silver after Qianying touched it, then Bronze gear would become…
Rather than checking the stats right away, Zhou Ming equipped both items. Qianying saw what he was doing and raised a hand, channeling some intangible energy into them.
“Swoosh!”
In an instant, the bracers and helmet became even more exquisite. Threads of pale golden radiance spread across their pitch-black surfaces.
Holy crap!
Zhou Ming nearly failed to keep his expression under control.
Gold equipment had fallen into a player’s hands on the very first day. That was probably far beyond the limits of what any normal player could comprehend!
Clearly, this was a game whose developers had souls after all!
Thrumming with excitement, Zhou Ming opened the equipment panels.
[Wolf King Bracers] (Gold)
[Defense: 20-22]
[HP: 500]
[Trait: Defense +10%]
[Required Level: 10]
[Description: After absorbing the aura of a god-tier expert, their durability has increased dramatically.]
[Wolf King Helmet] (Gold)
[Defense: 18-20]
[HP: 500]
[Trait: HP +10%]
[Required Level: 10]
[Description: A helmet sturdy enough to keep your head intact beneath a rain of arrows.]
…
The Defense provided by those two items alone was already high enough that even the Wolf King could not break through it. Add in the enormous HP bonus, and they offered an overwhelming sense of security.
Zhou Ming suspected it would not be long before the first kill of a Silver Boss also fell into his hands.
“Two more levels. Pick up the pace,” Qianying reminded him.
“Right!”
Zhou Ming put the equipment away and invested all ten of his hard-earned Free Attribute Points into Attack, further boosting his grinding efficiency. Then, as he hunted more monsters, he inspected the skill the system had awarded him for the first kill.
[Fallen Sword] (Rare A-Rank Skill)
[Description: When the blade falls, the enemy’s life hangs by a thread.]
[Effect: Conjures a sword in midair and drops it on a locked target within a 50 x 50-meter area, dealing damage equal to 300% of the user’s Attack, with a small chance to inflict Suppression. Also reduces the target’s Movement Speed by 30% for 5 seconds.]
[Cooldown: 20 seconds]
[Class Requirement: None]
[Level Requirement: 10]
…
Zhou Ming saw at once that Fallen Sword was immensely powerful.
Its damage was impressive, but even more importantly, it had no class requirement. That meant a melee class could use Fallen Sword for ranged damage, and it came with crowd control on top of that.
Its value was obvious.
“Come to think of it, I still haven’t decided about the server-wide announcement.” Zhou Ming considered for a moment, then chose to reveal his achievement.
What was the point of playing a game if he had to hide everything he accomplished?
“Ding!”
[Server-Wide Announcement: Congratulations to player [Zhouyou Shijie] of the Eastern Region for becoming the first player in *Destiny* to kill a Bronze Boss!]
“Ding!”
[Server-Wide Announcement: Congratulations to player [Zhouyou Shijie] of the Eastern Region…]
“Ding!”
[Server-Wide Announcement: …]
…
The system broadcast the message three times in a row, as if determined to shove the dazzling news in front of every player on the server.
“Holy crap, how long have the servers even been open? Someone already got a first kill?”
“That’s ridiculous! Did the developers hire some paid shill because they couldn’t stand letting normal players win?”
“How the hell did that bastard do it?!”
…
The announcement sent shock waves across the game.
Countless players found it impossible to believe.
Everyone knew the coveted first-kill reward would eventually be claimed, but no one had imagined it would happen so quickly.
“Ding!”
[System: Player [Super T-Rex Warrior] has sent you a friend request. Accept?]
“Ding!”
[System: Player [I Want Fish] has sent you a friend request. Accept?]
…
Countless friend requests flooded in at once.
Zhou Ming blocked them all and settled down to focus on leveling.
Qianying’s help had given him a tremendous early advantage, but no game was ever short on experts. If he underestimated everyone else, sooner or later he would pay for it.
About forty minutes later, Zhou Ming cut down yet another wild wolf. His abused experience bar finally filled in one glorious surge.
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have reached Level 10!]
“Ding!”
[System: You now meet the requirements for class advancement. Visit a Class Hall in any town to advance your class!]
…
“Qianying, I’ve met the requirements for class advancement!” Zhou Ming rubbed his hands together, eager to begin.
According to official information, players in *Destiny* could choose from six classes: swordsman, knight, mage, summoner, priest, and assassin.
His circumstances, however, were entirely different.
A custom-created class!
His class was destined to be unlike anything any other player possessed.
Qianying smiled calmly. “Let us leave this place first.”
“All right!”
Zhou Ming immediately prepared to return to the tutorial village and use its teleportation array to travel to a town.
Knock, knock!
Just then, someone knocked on his door.
Zhou Ming fell silent.
Damn it!
Why now, of all times?
He frowned. “Can you wait here for a moment? Something has come up, and I need to deal with it first.”
“I know that you are an adventurer from another world. Go,” Qianying replied with perfect understanding.
Zhou Ming found her phrasing curious, but did not ask. With a thought, he called up the system panel.
Log out!
…
Inside a cramped room, Zhou Ming removed his gaming helmet and let out a long breath.
Even back in reality, his eyes still shone with excitement and anticipation.
He had never imagined he would pull so far ahead of the other players this early in the game. And it was all thanks to that promotional text.
Knock, knock!
The pounding at the door grew louder.
“Coming!”
Zhou Ming hurried over and opened it. A portly man with a bulging belly stood outside.
Honestly, Zhou Ming was furious at anyone who would interrupt him at such a critical moment. Even so, he could not vent his anger, because the bastard was his landlord.
“Rent for the next three months is due!” Liu Yufeng said impatiently.
“Fine.”
Zhou Ming did not argue. He pulled out his phone and tried to transfer three thousand yuan to the landlord.
“Ding!”
[System Notification: Insufficient funds in this account!]
“Hiss!”
Zhou Ming sucked in a quiet breath and cautiously checked his balance.
2,256 yuan!
He had not been this broke before, but the *Destiny* gaming helmet had cost twenty thousand yuan and wiped out nearly everything he owned.
“Give me a minute!”
With no other choice, Zhou Ming called his mother.
“Mom, I need money for something urgent. Could you send me… send me eight hundred yuan?”
It was humiliating.
He had graduated from college two years ago and still had not made much money. With no time to argue with the landlord, he had no choice but to sponge off his parents.
“Of course!” His mother’s familiar voice came through the phone. She fumbled with the app, which was still rather complicated for her. “I sent it. Check whether you got it.”
A transfer of two thousand yuan arrived moments later.
“Got it.”
“If work in the city isn’t going well, why not find a job in a town closer to home? You might not make a fortune, but you’d be nearby. If anything happened, the whole family could face it together!”
“Don’t worry, everything’s going great. I’ve just hit a little rough patch.” Zhou Ming deliberately kept his voice light, then vowed, “Give me two years. Your son will make sure you live a good life!”
In theory, if he meant to earn money through gaming, he could do it from anywhere. But he had no guarantee that he would actually succeed.
If the game did not work out, he would still have to find a normal job.
Games were the one thing he had spent the most time with since childhood, and the only thing he was truly good at.
*Destiny* was his last act of recklessness.
After a few more words, Zhou Ming ended the call, transferred three thousand yuan to his landlord, and hurried back into his room to resume his journey.
If all he cared about was paying rent, he could list his Gold equipment online right now and make plenty of money.
But how could he possibly be satisfied with that?
“Once I’m strong enough, I can kill a few more bosses and sell off the extra equipment I don’t need. That’s how I’ll earn my first real pot of gold in the game!”
Zhou Ming had a plan. Everything depended on keeping anyone else from catching up.
With that thought, he put the gaming helmet back on.
There was no point wasting time worrying.
First, he would log in and become the first player to complete class advancement!
…