The three of them stared at the message Chu Tian had sent, silent for a full minute.
It was Liu Zi who slammed his hand on Heng Dao’s shoulder and exclaimed, "Am I seeing things right?"
Heng Dao nodded, "We probably aren't.
"Holy crap, this isn't a pro player, this is a deity!" Liu Zi shouted, his voice filled with excitement.
"He's bluffing, right?" Jian Zhi Cang Tian finally recovered his senses and said.
Heng Dao calmly replied, "Try bluffing him and see."
"Ding… You have an unread mail!"
Just as the three of them were at a loss for what to do, Jian Zhi Cang Tian received an email.
The subject of the email: Let's call it the 'Alliance of God Defiance'.
Attached were five gold coins.
Sender: I am not a Druid.
…
After sending the instant message, Chu Tian continued his grind. The Swamp Giant Crocodile roared incessantly, its head smashing against the mountain wall.
It was already half dead. The time was 3:45 AM.
Chu Tian was almost going mad, repeating the same action over and over, his eyes bloodshot.
Finally, at 7:30 AM, the giant crocodile let out a mournful cry, flipped onto its back, and fell to the ground.
"Ding… Defeated Swamp Giant Crocodile. Cross-level monster kill grants 3000% experience bonus. Gained 124,000 experience (Base EXP +2000, Cross-level Kill Bonus +60,000 EXP, God-Tier Talent Growth +62,000 EXP)."
Five consecutive beams of golden light flashed upon Chu Tian, instantly propelling him to level 10, with his experience bar at 78%.
"Ding… System Announcement: Congratulations on the global first kill of the level 20 wild Boss 'Swamp Giant Crocodile'. A global announcement will be issued shortly. Do you wish to hide your character name?"
"Hide!"
Next, Chu Tian endured another barrage of system notifications. The four first kill reward emails he had been anticipating had also arrived.
Gazing at the staff that materialized above the giant crocodile’s corpse, along with two skill books and several reinforcement stones, Chu Tian temporarily held back from collecting the mail. He used his 'Wing Flap' skill to float down. There were no smaller crocodiles near the giant crocodile, so there was no need to fear stepping on them.
Upon landing, he collected all the loot. Then, he used 'Wing Flap' to float out onto the water. 'Wing Flap' could actually be used as a hovering skill. His feet touched the swamp water, and with a gentle push, he could move as if walking on solid ground, without sinking into the mud.
Otherwise, after killing the giant crocodile, he would have to use the free city return stone with its 24-hour cooldown. If not, the swarming small crocodiles, even if they couldn't break his defense, would drain his health, and he wouldn't be able to escape the swamp.
Exiting the swamp, he found a safe spot and went into stealth. He opened his backpack to check his spoils:
A Silver staff, two skill books: Precise Block and Ninefold Volley, fourteen reinforcement stones, and one gold and fifty-two silver coins. It was truly a bountiful harvest.
Although none of the skill books were usable by him, Jian Zhi Cang Tian could use Precise Block after switching to a Shield Warrior. Ninefold Volley, however, was for Luo Luo. This was an advanced skill book with a very low drop rate. In his previous life, many players who reached level 100 and became Sharpshooters never acquired Ninefold Volley. This skill book, once the 'Heavenly Dao' system integrated with real-world currency, would conservatively fetch around 1.5 million Chinese Yuan. Of course, its current value was even higher.
However, for a woman he had set his heart on, this small amount of money was nothing.
Of course, this was the current Chu Tian. In his previous life, when he was constantly struggling to make ends meet, he couldn't even fathom what 1.5 million was like. Although he had once reached the pinnacle, he only knew how to play back then, not how to earn money. By the time he wanted to earn money, he had already fallen from grace.
He casually sent Precise Block to Jian Zhi Cang Tian via mail. As for Ninefold Volley, he would have to wait until they left the新手村 (newbie village) to trade it face-to-face with Luo Luo.
The instant messaging feature was only effective within the新手村. Once they were out of the beginner stage, this convenient perk would be gone. Moreover, it was currently impossible to send mail across different新手村s, much like how current games don't allow cross-server mail.
"Thank you, divine senior!" Jian Zhi Cang Tian sent him a message after Chu Tian sent the mail.
Chu Tian smiled wryly and didn't reply.
He figured his earlier message had completely awed the other party, who now regarded him as a divinely prescient being.
Opening the mail, Chu Tian eagerly anticipated the first kill rewards.
As expected, they did not disappoint. It was the usual gold coin reward: three silver coins for the新手村 first kill, three gold coins for the regional first kill, thirty gold coins for the national first kill, and three hundred gold coins for the global first kill.
It was triple the reward from the previous level five Boss.
This time, apart from the gold coins, there was nothing else.
It seemed that first kill rewards, in addition to gold coins, also involved random item drops.
Looking at the staggering amount of 333 gold coins, Chu Tian almost drooled. He wondered if 'Integrity First 007' could even afford it.
He figured that person probably hadn't even sold off the 100 gold coins yet, as there were relatively few ways to spend gold in the beginner stage.
Regardless, he had enough money for now, so he decided to keep it. Although it would depreciate, who knew if he would have an urgent need for money? Besides, he still had a guild to support, and that was a major drain on resources.
Taking out the Wishing Casket, he reinforced the Silver staff directly to +14.
[Giant Crocodile's Primal Staff +14]
Rarity: Silver Grade
Equipment Level: No Requirement
Attack Power: 182-247 (Includes Base Attack: 76-103) (Includes +14 Reinforced Attack: 106-144)
Attribute: Upon attacking, adds True Damage equal to the player's level.
Reinforcement Attribute (10): Mastery +2
Faction Restriction: Survivor
Class Restriction: Mage, Warlock, Priest, Druid.
Chu Tian wondered if equipping this staff would allow him to break through the giant crocodile's defense. Even if it didn't, with the True Damage attribute, his monster-kiting speed would increase twentyfold.
Currently at level 10, each attack would deal an additional 20 True Damage. Chu Tian was confident that he would break out of the新手村 within three days.
In his previous life, the fastest player to escape the新手村 took eleven days. This time, he was going to break that record.
Checking the time, with only about ten minutes left before server shutdown, Chu Tian returned to the cliff edge and jumped down again. With the experience from last time, he successfully landed on the small platform again.
He decided to log off here.
After exiting the game, Chu Tian stepped out of the game pod and walked to Luo Luo's room door. She likely hadn't logged out yet.
He didn't disturb her. After washing up, he went downstairs and out of the villa, then, with a leisurely air, began a slow jog.
After two laps within the villa complex, he realized he wasn't even out of breath.
When did his stamina become so good? He knew that after starting university, for the past year and more, he had been a pure shut-in, never exercising.
Gradually accelerating, accelerating, and accelerating further, he felt as if he was running at lightning speed. It wasn't until the twelfth lap that his stamina began to falter, and he slowly stopped, gasping for fresh air.
The physical change surprised him. In the past, let alone running so many laps, even one lap would leave him exhausted, like a dead dog.
What was going on? He thought about it for a while but couldn't figure out the cause. Still, the feeling of being able to walk and run felt wonderful.
He thought about his previous life, how after his leg was amputated above the knee, he was a cripple after leaving the game. He never wanted to go back to those dark, hopeless days.