At noon.
Lin Zhao's monster kill quota had reached over 940, just a little short of the mission's 1000 kill requirement. His experience points were at 35 level 69%, so he decided not to complete the mission quota and challenge the boss just yet. Instead, he planned to reach level 36 first.
Lunch was served, a table laden with a rich spread.
Wang Ju's culinary skills had improved significantly, her dishes were a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. The taste of home-style cooking, in particular, had Lin Zhao, Ding Chi, and Zhang Jun utterly captivated.
"Lin Zhao."
Ding Chi said, "How are you leveling up so fast? You were already level 35 this morning. You should be able to reach level 36 before evening, right?"
"Mm, around three in the afternoon I'll reach level 36."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, "And you guys?"
"I'm almost level 34, and Da Jun is almost level 33. Not bad, the equipment is good, so leveling speed is indeed fast."
"Mm."
"Oh, right." Ding Chi glanced up at him and said, "Around noon, Mo Yin managed to gather some intel. It's said that Sheng Shi Mudan will be opening a Dark Gold grade boss at precisely nine this evening, level 45. They want to compete for the first kill of a Dark Gold boss in Yun Shang County. Should we go and disrupt them?"
"No rush, we'll decide when the time comes."
Lin Zhao continued to eat, a confident smile playing on his lips. If all went smoothly, he wouldn't even have to wait until nine in the evening. He would have already pocketed the first kill reward for a Dark Gold boss in Yun Shang County this afternoon!
...
Afternoon.
Autumn afternoons always felt incredibly lazy, but Lin Zhao and the others didn't have the luxury of an afternoon nap. The Scarlet Moon Knights were in a rebuilding phase, and everyone was actively pushing forward. No one could afford to slack off. Ding Chi and Zhang Jun were online early, continuing their battles. Lin Zhao, on the other hand, roamed around the Ghost Wizards, his Tusker Sword in hand, continuously clearing out minor monsters and accumulating experience points.
With the frenzied leveling, the monster drops were also quite substantial. Lin Zhao, being at a higher level, earned nearly 5 gold coins within two hours. Considering the current exchange rate of 1:35 between gold coins and universal currency in the China region, this translated to 175 universal currency. In the future, countless gold-farming studios would emerge; these were all ways of survival.
Furthermore, the ghouls also dropped quite a few items: eleven Bronze grade items and four Dark Iron grade items. Although these were now considered cheap goods sold on the street, their total value was likely around 300 universal currency. Overall, Lin Zhao's level and equipment were superior, and simply by killing monsters, he could generate a steady stream of income.
At 2:50 PM, a shower of light descended from the heavens. He had leveled up! He was now level 36!
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, his cooldowns refreshed. He began to walk step by step towards the boss on the altar, sword in hand. Within 20 yards of the boss, he had already read all of its attributes without missing a single detail—
【Ghost Wizard】 (Dark Gold Grade Boss)
Level: 42
Magic Attack: 625-900
Defense: 300
Health: 500,000
Skills: [Ghost Fire Meteorite] [Death Charge] [Soul Lamp Lighting]
Description: A Ghost Wizard of considerable cultivation in the Divine Treasury realm. He was once human but ultimately fell into the demonic path, his body and mind permeated by the aura of death. Finally, driven by his hatred for humanity, he came south, evading the sight of the Great Sword Immortal Lin Wanhua atop the Fusang Great Wall and entered the human territory of Yun Prefecture. He eventually settled in Yun Shang County, intending to cultivate an army of the dead to confront the Yun Prefecture cavalry.
...
Level 42, an attack cap of 900, defense of 300, and 500,000 health—these made Lin Zhao feel a bit troubled. But there was no other option; the quest was already accepted, and he was in too deep to turn back. He couldn't possibly return to the Cavalry Captain and say, "I'm incompetent, find someone else." It would be too embarrassing. So, he could only steel himself and press on. Moreover, the rewards were too tempting: not only the drops from a level 42 Dark Gold grade boss but also the first kill reward for a Dark Gold grade boss. These were enough to make Lin Zhao's heart race.
He had to kill it. Fortune favors the bold. He, Lin Baiyi of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, had even slain thirteen-realm great demons before. What was a mere lower-five-realm wizard to him!
A surge of ferocity overtook Lin Zhao. He charged!
"Ching!"
Sword qi collided!
A strand of sword qi enveloped the Ghost Wizard's forehead, followed by a swift strike that dealt a second round of damage and stunned him. In the next moment, Lin Zhao unleashed his output at lightning speed: basic attack + Throwing Cauldron + basic attack. The combo landed, and damage numbers flickered above the boss's head—
"772!"
"1578!"
"705!"
...
A set of skills dealt nearly 3000 points of damage, which wasn't low. However, for the boss's 500,000 health, this damage was but a drop in the ocean. In the next second, the Ghost Wizard's eyes snapped open, and he unleashed a thunderous rage: "Insignificant creature, you dare oppose me!?"
He raised his staff, directly summoning a meteor shower of ghost fire to descend.
"Bang!"
Even with his Sword Qi Safeguard active, Lin Zhao was slammed so hard his body could barely remain steady. A single Ghost Fire Meteorite dealt over 800 health damage. This meant that without his safeguard, he would have taken at least 1400+ damage under normal circumstances. Immediately after, the Ghost Wizard unleashed another Death Charge directly at Lin Zhao.
"Hummm~~~"
Within the shockwave, ghostly figures with ferocious and terrifying visages appeared!
Lin Zhao's expression sharpened. He decided to tank this wave of damage with his Sword Qi Safeguard. To know oneself and one's enemy is to win a hundred battles. How could he not first understand the boss's skills and damage?
With a loud boom, the shockwave pierced through him, instantly dealing over 1100 damage. This meant that if he were to tank the Death Charge head-on, he would suffer over 2200 health damage. Lin Zhao only had a total of 5800 health, how could he withstand such a blow!?
He quickly confirmed his strategy. The damage from Ghost Fire Meteorite was manageable, but the damage from Death Charge was absolutely not to be taken. He had to save his Drawing Sword and Turning Slash for Death Charge, or there would be no hope!
He took a deep breath, downing health potions while battling the boss. After casting spells twice in succession, the Ghost Wizard transformed into a melee mage, wielding his staff in his right hand and drawing a long sword from his waist with his left, engaging Lin Zhao in close combat. The sword's damage was surprisingly high, dealing 200-300 damage each time. Fortunately, Lin Zhao could still withstand damage at this level. For a tank, physical attacks were always easier to endure than magical attacks.
The Tusker Sword struck relentlessly. As soon as the cooldowns for the two main output skills, Heavy Slash and Throwing Cauldron, were ready, he unleashed them, steadily chipping away at the boss's health. A few seconds later, a second Ghost Fire Meteorite descended from the sky. Lin Zhao's Sword Qi Safeguard had not yet cooled down, so he could only endure a wave of 1000+ damage. In the next second, the wind-up animation for Death Charge began!
"Ching!"
Lin Zhao saw clearly. Just as Death Charge was building up power, he sank his body, his sword-drawing motion flashed, passing through the boss's body. At that moment, he dodged the full damage of Death Charge. He then turned and unleashed a sword light that enveloped the boss, dealing some damage. He continued to chug health potions and recovery elixirs, battling the boss.
"Damn you, little creature!"
Not long after, with the Divine Treasury realm Ghost Wizard's health reduced to 77%, he let out a low roar and said, "Since you wish for death, I shall grant it!"
He raised his staff, and it seemed as if a force from deep within the earth was being drawn. Wisps of luminescence rose from the ground. In the next moment, Lin Zhao felt as if his soul was about to depart his body, his form involuntarily rising. All around him, lights flickered. Lin Zhao's soul had been torn from his physical body and was about to be ignited.
It was a large-scale AoE control skill with immense damage!
Lin Zhao's heart turned cold. Instead of retreating, he advanced. He stepped closer to the boss and activated the skill of the Blazing Flame Necklace—Silent Blade!
"Swish!"
A wisp of purple radiance enveloped the Tusker Sword, and it struck the boss directly on the forehead. At that very moment, the Soul Lamp Lighting skill was instantly silenced and interrupted. Lin Zhao, with over 1000 health remaining, turned and fled, activating Sword Qi Collision on a nearby skeleton monster to create distance.
"Little beast, you won't escape!"
The Ghost Wizard roared, snapping out of the silence effect. He rushed down the altar with his staff. Unfortunately, Lin Zhao had already fled far away. His figure sank and then disappeared into a patch of bushes. The boss lost sight of him and wandered aimlessly in place, saying blankly, "I will have my revenge! I will light your soul with a lamp and make you suffer eternal servitude..."
...
In the bushes, Lin Zhao sat on the ground, recovering his health, downing health potion after health potion. He looked up at the boss's health bar in the distance. Silent Blade had a cooldown of 10 minutes, meaning Lin Zhao's attack frequency was also once every 10 minutes. He absolutely could not attack again until Silent Blade was ready, as he would be susceptible to Soul Lamp Lighting. Over the next few minutes, he would observe the boss's health regeneration. If it didn't fully recover, it meant there was a deficit in its healing. This way, he could kite and slowly wear down its massive health pool, eventually achieving the kill.
Patience was more important than anything!
A few minutes later, the Ghost Wizard stood in place, his health bar restored to 85%. This meant that Lin Zhao's wave of offense could chip away 15% of the boss's health, which was quite good. He then checked the cooldown of Silent Blade and estimated the previous timing difference. The boss couldn't possibly unleash Soul Lamp Lighting immediately upon encountering him. This time difference would need to be explored again.
Therefore, he drew his sword and charged once more.
The routine remained the same: use Sword Qi Safeguard to tank the damage from Ghost Fire Meteorite, use Drawing Sword to dodge the damage from Death Charge, and use Silent Blade to counter the boss's ultimate skill.
This time, it took a little longer. When Lin Zhao managed to reduce the boss's health to 57% in one go, the lower-five-realm boss finally unleashed Soul Lamp Lighting again!
"Go!"
With another sword strike, Silent Blade landed on its forehead, instantly nullifying the boss's Soul Lamp Lighting. This greatly relieved Lin Zhao. The cooldown of Silent Blade was shorter than the cooldown of the boss's Soul Lamp Lighting, so there was no issue.
Thus, after a few more rounds of kiting and attrition, and after more than half an hour of intense battle, the boss's health finally dropped below 10%. This time, Lin Zhao was 100% confident he could finish it off in one go.
...
"Swish!"
A sword qi collision enveloped the boss, and Lin Zhao swiftly moved forward, engaging it in battle once more. Just then, a "ding" sounded. An unfamiliar message appeared from the leader of Sheng Shi Mudan, Ghost King: "Baiyi, I'm opening a Dark Gold grade boss tonight. What can you do about it? Won't you just watch as I take the Dark Gold boss first kill?! If you're man enough, you're welcome to come and spectate tonight. Disrupting is also fine, as long as you have the ability!"