ShieldMountain jolted in shock. He'd been so mesmerized by Tianhao's performance that he'd completely missed the stealthy approach of an assassin. Reality crashed back. "Emperor Snow! He's here for the Boss steal!"
Tianhao ignored the warning, his gaze locked onto the assassin who had materialized. The figure was surprisingly well-equipped for this early stage, wearing seven distinct pieces of gear. But more chilling than the gear was the cold, predatory glint in the assassin's eyes – a sharp, lethal intent far beyond the casual gaze of an average player. This wasn't someone who just played games; this was someone accustomed to ending things. The precision with which he'd deflected Tianhao's probing arrow earlier spoke volumes. Such a maneuver was rare even in mid-game, let alone on launch day.
"Party invite. Boss loot split fifty-fifty." The assassin's voice was flat, devoid of inflection, a statement, not a request.
Tianhao didn't hesitate. "No."
The assassin offered no argument. He simply took a step back, his form shimmering and dissolving into the dappled forest shadows as he reactivated Stealth.
"Son of a b*tch!" ShieldMountain snarled, frustration boiling over. "He's calling your bluff! Gonna try and snatch the last hit from the shadows!" Remembering his guild affiliation, he bellowed into the seemingly empty space, "Listen up, punk! I'm FloatingPagoda_ShieldMountain! Back off now, or you'll have the whole Floating Pagoda Clan on your—"
"DOWN!" Tianhao's sharp command cut through ShieldMountain's bluster.
Simultaneously, Tianhao's bow snapped up, an arrow already slicing through the air where ShieldMountain's shadow met the undergrowth. But he was a fraction too slow.
The assassin reappeared behind ShieldMountain, a phantom made flesh. He didn't waste time with the low-level Backstab skill. Instead, his dagger flashed in a brutal, economical arc – a vicious throat-slitting motion honed by instinct, not system prompts.
-642! (Critical Hit!)< < Bleeding! >> -90-90...
ShieldMountain's eyes widened in disbelief. His health bar vanished before his next thought could form. His character crumpled to the forest floor, lifeless.
Tianhao's eyes narrowed. Clean. Efficient. Brutal. That damage output was staggering. Even with a critical hit, the raw attack power needed to instantly erase ShieldMountain's tanky health pool exceeded 300. The assassin was only Level 8. Even dumping every free point into Attack wouldn't get him past 80. This meant gear… or potent passive skills boosting his lethality. Assassins had access to such power spikes.
Back at the Newbie Village's Revival Altar, ShieldMountain stared at his character sheet, numb. He'd dropped back to Level 5. One of his precious Level 5 gear pieces was gone. "What… what kind of monster was that?" he whispered, his gaming worldview fracturing. A dedicated tank, one-shotted on launch day?
Back at the Treant King's grove, the air crackled with tension. Tianhao stared coldly at the spot where the assassin had faded. "So," he called out, his voice cutting through the rustling leaves and the Treant King's guttural groans (now slowly regenerating health unnoticed), "you want to show off your fancy footwork?"
The assassin didn't respond verbally. Instead, he reappeared briefly, a spectral hand emerging from the shadows just long enough to curl a finger in a mocking, challenging gesture. Come on. Then he vanished back into Stealth.
"Predictable," Tianhao muttered. His bow rose instantly. This time, he didn't fire a single arrow. He activated Rapid Volley.Thwip-Thwip!Two arrows screamed through the air, converging on the assassin's last known position with lethal precision. The shimmering form of the assassin was violently forced back into visibility as he twisted desperately to avoid the twin projectiles.
"You don't get a second chance to hide," Tianhao declared, his voice icy calm. His bowstring thrummed relentlessly. Arrows flew in a punishing stream, forcing the assassin into a desperate, acrobatic defense. Daggers whirled, deflecting shaft after shaft with astonishing speed and precision. Clang! Clang! Clang! Sparks flew with each parry.
Tianhao remained impassive. He knew the game's mechanics. While deflecting arrows was possible, it wasn't free. Each successful deflection placed immense stress on the weapon's durability. His arrows, empowered by his monstrous True Damage, carried significant kinetic force.
Sure enough, after deflecting over a dozen arrows, the assassin's expression shifted from focused defiance to grim realization. A subtle tremor ran through his dagger arm. The next arrow came too fast, too hard. Rather than risk shattering his weapon, the assassin threw himself backward in a desperate Backflip, narrowly evading the projectile.
"Mistake," Tianhao hissed. He'd anticipated the dodge. Another arrow was already nocked and released the moment the assassin committed to the flip.THUNK!The arrow slammed into the assassin's abdomen mid-flip, the impact staggering him in the air, disrupting his momentum.Thwip!A second arrow followed instantly, finding its mark.-502!
The assassin hit the ground, a look of pure shock frozen on his face before his body dissolved into light, whisked back to the Revival Altar.
Ding! Player [Shadow's_Embrace] has dropped: Savage Boots (Elite)!
Tianhao strode forward, scooping up the boots. He frowned slightly, not just at the loot, but at the realization. His health pool… it was higher than it should have been. A standard Level 8 Assassin should have been obliterated by his first shot. This one had taken two. More evidence of exceptional gear or passives.
Savage Boots (Elite): Level 7
Effect 1: Movement Speed +0.5
Effect 2: Critical Strike Chance +1%
Durability: 100/100
A useful find. The movement speed was always welcome, and even a sliver of Critical Chance had potential. The only slight disappointment was the lack of Attack Speed – the stat he craved most desperately. More Attack Speed meant more shots, which meant faster Health stacking, leading directly to higher True Damage per shot. It was a beautiful, multiplicative cycle.
Slipping the boots on for the minor stat boost, Tianhao turned his full, undivided attention back to the Treant King. Without interference, the Obsidian Boss was reduced to a lumbering, albeit dangerous, training dummy. Skills like Thornshield (which reflected damage) could have posed a problem, but Tianhao's mastery of Precision Interrupts ensured the King never completed a single cast. Another boon of the Newbie Zone: Bosses here rarely possessed Unstoppable or Crowd Control Immunity passives. They were vulnerable to well-timed disruptions.
Finally, after a relentless barrage that seemed to stretch on for minutes, the colossal Treant King let out a final, earth-shaking groan and collapsed, its massive form dissolving into shimmering particles of light and loot.
Ding! You have slain the Twisted Treant King (Obsidian Boss) while significantly under-leveled! EXP +8,250!Ding! You are the first player to achieve a Boss Kill! A global announcement will be made. Hide your identity? [Yes/No]
"No."
This time, anonymity held no appeal. A first Boss kill was merely the opening note in the symphony he intended to conduct. He needed recognition. He needed clout. In the face of the coming Cataclysm, a solitary hero was a futile gesture, a drop in the cosmic bucket. To stand against the tide of the Altair Star System, he needed more than strength; he needed authority. He needed to command armies, orchestrate nations, wield the collective might of Earth. Fame, earned through undeniable prowess, was the first step on that path to power.
<< GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT >><< CONGRATULATIONS TO PLAYER [SNOW EMPEROR] FOR ACHIEVING THE WORLD FIRST BOSS KILL (TWISTED TREANT KING - OBSIDIAN)! >><< HIS NAME SHALL BE RECORDED IN THE ANNALS OF AZEROTH! >>(Announcement repeated twice)
Ding! As the first player to slay a Boss, you receive:
+50 Free Attribute Points!
+1 Class Skill Book!
+1 Class-Specific Main Hand Weapon!
+100 Gold!
A genuine smile touched Tianhao's lips. Soloing the Boss paid off. The rewards were exceptional. Without hesitation, he allocated all 50 Free Attribute Points into Attack Speed. His previous rate of 1.13 attacks per second surged to an incredible 2.13. In these early hours, this speed was nothing short of godlike.
He then focused on the Skill Book. Golden light shimmered around it as he learned its contents.
Lightning Leap (Passive Skill): ★☆☆☆☆
Effect: Your basic attacks have a 50% chance to trigger Lightning Leap. Upon trigger, lightning arcs from the initial target, striking up to 10 additional hostile targets within a 20-meter radius. Each leap deals damage equal to 10% of the initial attack's damage.
Cooldown: None
Mana Cost: None
Proficiency: 0/1000
Tianhao's eyebrows shot up. This… this changes everything. His mind raced with the implications. If the skill leveled up, could the damage leap increase to 20%? 50%? Even 90%? Would the radius expand? The number of targets jump?The thought sent a thrilling shiver down his spine. His damage output was already terrifyingly singular. His only real limitation had been his lack of effective Area of Effect (AoE) capabilities. He was a scalpel, not a broadsword. Lightning Leap, even at 1-Star, transformed him. It bridged that gap. Now, the monstrous True Damage inflicted by his arrows wouldn't just annihilate single targets; it could potentially chain through entire groups. The only thing missing from his arsenal had just been spectacularly filled. The path to rapid leveling and unparalleled dominance just got exponentially wider.