The Butterfly Forest.
Lin Zhao, level 30, stood amidst the trees with Ding Chi and Zhang Jun, both level 28. Thirty yards ahead, a Golden Butterfly King, the size of a cushion, hovered in the air, its massive wings fanning. Lin Zhao stepped forward. At level 30, he could see more of the Boss's details than the level 28 players, at least the skills were readable. He promptly shared them in the team channel for Ding Chi and Zhang Jun to see—
[Golden Butterfly King] (Golden Grade Boss)
Level: 28
Spirit Attack: ???
Defense: ???
HP: ???
Skills: [Flower Toxin Art] [Brute Force Collision] [Flame Impact]
Description: The leader of the Golden Magic Butterflies, a monster absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, on the verge of becoming an elemental spirit. Be cautious of this Golden Butterfly King; it possesses a murderous intent, and many humans have already met their end from its toxins and magic.
...
"Still can't see the specific attribute data..." Ding Chi frowned.
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao wasn't in a hurry to attack. He said, "Flower Toxin Art, theoretically, should be a poison effect that lasts for a period. High-level health potions can recover from it. Brute Force Collision should be a physical impact, perhaps a short-range charge skill. Flame Impact is simple enough; the Golden Magic Butterflies we killed before also had this skill."
Zhang Jun took a deep breath. "Tell us, how do we tackle this? Ding Chi and I will listen to you."
"Mmm!" Ding Chi nodded in agreement.
Lin Zhao felt a sense of heavy responsibility. He truly had to shoulder the burden of the studio. Although Ding Chi and Zhang Jun had proven to be excellent players so far, they lacked experience. Therefore, the specific command still fell to him.
Looking at the Golden Butterfly King ahead, Lin Zhao frowned and said, "I'll be the main attacker. You two act opportunistically to manage the pace and deal damage. Let's try it first. If we can fight it, great. If not, we retreat!"
"Mmm!"
The next moment, Lin Zhao drew his sword and charged. "Engaging!"
He flew straight forward, his long sword slicing through the air, delivering a combo of basic attacks, "Universe Throw," and basic attacks to the Golden Butterfly King. Instantly, the Golden Butterfly King trembled, and damage numbers popped above its head—
"719!"
"1443!"
"803!"
In an instant, nearly 3000 points of attack damage were dealt. The Golden Butterfly King's HP bar dropped by about 10%, indicating its total HP was around 30,000. Not a lot, but certainly not small!
"Screech—"
In pain, the Golden Butterfly King's body trembled. It suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of green mist, making Lin Zhao feel as if he had stepped into a restroom filled with vomit. He felt an urge to retch, his face turning green as he fell under a continuous poison effect, his HP bar plummeting. Immediately after, the Golden Butterfly King pulled back and slammed heavily into Lin Zhao's chest.
"1283!"
The heavy impact, combined with the poison, left Lin Zhao with only half his HP.
"Attack, Sword Qi Collision!"
Lin Zhao urgently shouted.
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun immediately attacked from the flanks. With two "swishes," they struck the Golden Butterfly King's body. However, their levels were too low; both attacks missed spectacularly, failing to stun it. They only dealt a not-so-high amount of damage.
The Golden Butterfly King, bathed in a bloody glow, seemed enraged. Its wings trembled frantically, and flames erupted from its body. The next moment, a Flame Impact was unleashed directly at Lin Zhao.
This was what he was waiting for!
Lin Zhao suddenly lowered his stance. As he activated "Drawing Sword Strike," his body suddenly lunged forward three yards, narrowly dodging the massive Flame Impact. He instantly turned and unleashed an AoE sword light onto the Golden Butterfly King's body.
"It can be used like that!?"
Ding Chi was slightly startled. He had never imagined Drawing Sword Strike could be used this way by a Sword Master.
Zhang Jun, afflicted by the Flower Toxin Art, turned green. As he unleashed a heavy slash, the Golden Butterfly King trembled and charged at him with Brute Force Collision!
"1699!"
In an instant, Zhang Jun's HP was depleted.
"This is bad!"
Ding Chi exclaimed in alarm. "Zhang Jun, retreat quickly!"
At this moment, Lin Zhao charged forward several steps, directly turned back, and at an extreme distance of five yards, landed a Sword Qi Collision. With a "boom," he heavily struck the Golden Butterfly King's body, regaining aggro. Simultaneously, he followed up with a series of heavy slash attacks. Activating Gale, he said, "Ding Chi, be careful too. The Golden Butterfly King has the ability to instantly kill!"
"Mmm!"
After a few attacks, Ding Chi could only retreat. Lin Zhao was left alone to contend with the Boss.
"Screech—"
The Golden Butterfly King's wings trembled, its body covered in a blood-red glow. It had gone berserk, continuously spitting Flower Toxin Art, creating a green sea. Lin Zhao had no choice but to endure it. With a gentle wave of his hand, strands of sword intent surged from within him, condensing into a relatively thin Level 1 Sword Aura that protected his body, significantly increasing his armor, spirit resistance, and providing some damage reduction.
The next second, the Golden Butterfly King's Brute Force Collision struck Lin Zhao again. This time, it didn't hurt as much, only dealing 600+ damage. However, the poison effect was incredibly debilitating. Lin Zhao quickly landed a basic attack, "Universe Throw," and another basic attack, then immediately retreated from the Flower Toxin Art's mist. But the Golden Butterfly King surged forward behind him, like a giant flying grinder.
"Kiting!"
Lin Zhao chugged a health potion while shouting, "Ding Chi, Sword Qi Collision followed by a heavy slash, then activate Gale and run. Just keep the Boss kited, and give me some skill cooldown time."
"Got it!"
Ding Chi, at half HP, unhesitatingly unleashed a sword qi that enveloped the Boss, followed by a charge. This time, it was successful. The Golden Butterfly King hovered in the air, a stun icon appearing above its head. It then took a series of Sword Master skills from Ding Chi. After attacking, Ding Chi ran. When the Golden Butterfly King awoke and sought revenge, the area was empty.
"Swish!"
Lin Zhao's skills connected. He used Sword Qi Collision again to kite and stun the Boss, then followed up with "Universe Throw." The Golden Butterfly King's HP bar had already dropped to 20%.
"Just a little more!"
Zhang Jun, who had recovered to 45% HP, was not far away. "Lin Zhao, retreat. I'll kite!"
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao drew his sword and activated Gale, flying backward. As the Golden Butterfly King once again circled in the air, pursuing Lin Zhao like a grinding wheel, Lin Zhao's gaze flickered. His Sword Qi Collision cooldown had ended. He was relieved.
He had it. The first kill of the Golden Butterfly King was within reach!
Twisting his body, he circled to create distance. He turned and unleashed sword qi onto the Boss, then his body turned into an afterimage, heavily colliding with the Golden Butterfly King. The moment he completed the stun, he unleashed a series of heavy slash combos, reducing the Boss to a sliver of HP. The rest was inevitable. Ding Chi surged forward, his sword flipping the Boss's body, officially slaying it!
The next second, a bell rang out overhead—
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [**]'s team for successfully defeating [Golden Butterfly King] (Golden Grade). After experience distribution, each member received rewards: 2,000,000 experience points, 20 gold coins, and 100 reputation points!
...
"Swish swish~~"
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun both leveled up to 29, while Lin Zhao gained nearly 45% of the experience needed for level 30. The experience from the Golden Butterfly King was immense. Once slain, the rewards were incomparable to grinding monsters.
Furthermore, the Golden Butterfly King had dropped a pile of items.
The three of them sat down on the ground in unison, surrounding the spoils of war to divide them.
Ding Chi collected all the gold coins. Lin Zhao had already entrusted the studio's finances to Ding Chi. After collecting a pile of gold, silver, and copper coins, three pieces of equipment remained on the ground: a pale gold, round helmet, a golden chestplate, and a ring that gleamed with golden light. They looked like three pieces of Golden Grade equipment!
"No way?"
Ding Chi frowned and chuckled. "Is this a bit fake? Three pieces of Golden Grade equipment would be too much!"
"Let's see, won't we know?"
Lin Zhao reached out and picked up the helmet, wiping off the grass leaves and dust. Instantly, the helmet's attributes appeared, not disappointing them. It was indeed Golden Grade—
[Flowing Cloud Battle Helmet] (Golden Grade)
Type: Armor
Defense: 60
Strength: +35
Stamina: +32
Special Effect: Precision, Accuracy +10%
Special Effect: Damage Reduction +3%
Additional: Increases user's attack power by 5%
Required Level: 28
...
As these stats appeared, the three of them fell silent. In "Tian Xia" so far, they had never seen such good equipment.
"Dual special effects..."
Ding Chi mused. "Accuracy and damage reduction are the most needed attributes for brave Sword Masters like us who charge to the front. Plus, Strength and Stamina combined add 67 points, plus an additional 5% attack power increase. This Flowing Cloud Battle Helmet is a bit overpowered."
"Same as usual."
Zhang Jun said, "Prioritize giving it to Lin Zhao. We all saw it during the Boss fight, most of the damage taken and dealt was by Lin Zhao. Concentrating superior equipment on one person in the early game is definitely the optimal choice."
"Mmm."
Ding Chi nodded. "I used to think Da Jun was useless except for being handsome. Now it seems Da Jun also knows how to be sensible..."
"Get lost..."
Zhang Jun kicked Ding Chi over, who rolled around on the ground, laughing heartily.
Lin Zhao sat in place, not in a hurry to put away the Flowing Cloud Battle Helmet. He simply watched his two best brothers fool around, feeling deeply content. This was the life he wanted~~~