"Shuili, how dare you!"
Chen Tian looked at the figure standing before him. It was a man dressed in a sapphire blue gown, his face solemn, his eyes calm and indifferent, his entire body enveloped by a massive blue aura.
Chen Tian swallowed hard and clicked on the opponent's information.
Water Element Monarch Shuili
Race: Water Element Elf Race
Identity: One of the Water Element Monarchs
Level: Fifty-five
Health: 16610/16610
Constitution: 51000
Element: 26000
Strength: 9000
Speed: 7700
Skill Mastery: 32153
Armor: 400
Traits: Elementalization, Water Element Mastery, Water Element Fusion.
Ability: Special Ice God's Ice.
Skills: Water Curtain, Water Dragon, Water Dragon Ball, Drowning Seven Armies, Water Curtain Descends, Method of the Water God.
Chen Tian was stunned. Another monarch-level boss.
What kind of day was it? He had encountered two monarch-level bosses today.
In the game "Epoch of Time," bosses were categorized as: Small Boss, Medium Boss, Large Boss, Elite Boss, Lord Boss, Monarch Boss, Emperor Boss, and God Boss.
The higher the tier of a boss, the higher its intelligence, essentially the same as a player.
"Shuili, are you sure you want to stop me? If you do, I'll kill you too!"
Huo Yuntian roared in anger. The human before him had killed his child. If he didn't kill the opponent for revenge, how could he, a monarch, maintain his dignity? This would be a lifelong disgrace.
Shuili looked at the fiery youth before him and said, "So what if I stop you? I just enjoy seeing your Fire Clan unable to do anything to our Water Clan."
"Let me tell you, I, Shuili, will protect this human. I'm not afraid of you either. Our five clans have been fighting for so long, I'm not afraid of you causing trouble."
"Shuili, fine, fine, fine. Since that's the case, I'll kill you too. I must avenge my son's death."
"Since ancient times, water and fire have been irreconcilable. Do you think I'm afraid of you? I've decided to protect this human. Don't even think about it. I just want to see you frustrated and angry, hahaha!"
Chen Tian, behind Shuili, felt helpless. Why did this NPC named Shuili seem so foolish?
But he liked it. He had to admit that the game "Epoch of Time" truly made NPCs feel alive.
With his hands on his hips, laughing triumphantly, Shuili seemed like a player, albeit a very annoying one.
Chen Tian was speechless. Shuili was only saving him to annoy the other party. Were NPC settings no longer fixed but lived according to their own thoughts?
Chen Tian felt that "Epoch of Time" was becoming more and more fun. NPCs living according to their own thoughts were like players; they could feel joy, anger, and sadness.
Huo Yuntian was enraged. Flames erupted from his body. The crimson flames felt different from the icy blue flames.
This fire seemed to melt everything. Shuili stopped laughing, then waved his hand, and a water sphere instantly enveloped Chen Tian.
Chen Tian was unaffected by the flames. He looked at Shuili with gratitude and said, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Our clans have fought countless times, and this isn't the first. I mainly just don't like him and wanted to annoy him."
Shuili said honestly. Chen Tian was even more speechless.
He was going to fight just because he didn't like the other person? My goodness! When did NPC settings become so humane?
Then, countless streams of water began to surge around Shuili's body.
The crimson flames and the azure water currents illuminated the Fiery Forest.
The two eyed each other and then moved.
Huo Yuntian was faster than Shuili, so he had the initiative.
Huo Yuntian's figure flashed before Shuili and he unleashed a punch. The terrifying crimson flame-covered fist shot towards Shuili's face.
Shuili was not to be outdone. His left fist turned into a palm, surrounded by water currents. The two collided.
A sizzling sound echoed, and steam rose continuously as flames and water currents reacted with each other.
Fire represented the power to burn everything, while water represented the power to purify. Fire was as violent as the fierce sun, while water was soft like cotton.
The clash of opposites, one hard and one soft, resulted in neither being able to overcome the other.
At the same time, their figures exploded amidst the intense collision, and both retreated a step.
Shuili was the first to regain his balance. He found his footing, and the calm water currents around his palms and fists instantly became ferocious, gathering in Shuili's hands. Simultaneously, icy blue energy appeared around Shuili's body.
Huo Yuntian, seeing Shuili's attack, made the best judgment. He stomped on the ground, and instantly countless lava columns erupted from the ground.
The lava formed columns that blocked Shuili's advance. Meanwhile, the flames on Huo Yuntian's fists slowly turned azure blue, and he clenched his fists.
Lava was a form of fire element, so Huo Yuntian could control it.
Countless lava columns shot out from the ground. Shuili looked at the lava pillars and his eyes flickered.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and it instantly became dark.
Raindrops began to fall, and as they increased, the rain seemed more violent than a downpour.
The clouds contained moisture, and with Water Element Mastery, Shuili could control water elements.
Thus, the clouds were also under Shuili's control.
The torrential rain fell, and the lava erupted. The two opposing attributes collided, and a thick mist filled the forest.
The white mist was composed of water vapor, and Chen Tian's vision was obscured, preventing him from seeing anything.
However, he could vaguely see red and blue lights clashing, followed by an explosion of light and both figures retreating.
When their attacks canceled each other out, the water vapor dissipated, and Chen Tian could see the battlefield again.
A huge crater had formed where they had collided, and both had retreated a few steps.
"Shuili, I didn't expect your strength to have increased so much in just a few days!"
"You're not bad yourself! You're like a different person compared to a few days ago. I wonder if your Element Mastery is still as lousy as before."
"You'll know if you try."
Huo Yuntian sneered and then, enveloped in crimson flames and azure water currents, they both appeared clad in flame and water armor respectively.
Simultaneously, Huo Yuntian clenched his left hand, and a greatsword made of flames appeared in his hand. Shuili, on the other hand, wielded a long spear formed from condensed water currents, shimmering in azure blue.
Chen Tian then looked at their respective stats. To his surprise, Weapon Mastery had appeared, with Shuili at 7100 and Huo Yuntian at 7700.
Their stats were very close. Chen Tian's fondness for the game grew.
If a monarch-level boss NPC had such settings, what would the future bosses be like?
He was looking forward to it even more. Chen Tian watched their fight.
Huo Yuntian's greatsword, forged from flames, would instantly incinerate anything it touched. The flames were as domineering as ever.
Shuili's azure blue spear, made of water currents, felt warm and comforting. Shuili's fighting style seemed to be primarily defensive.
Water could be both hard and soft, sometimes calm, sometimes violent.
Different people using water elements yielded different results.
Just as it was now, Huo Yuntian's attacks constantly assaulted Shuili, but in front of Shuili, they were all neutralized.
Shuili did not seem inclined to attack with his weapon, only using it for defense.
Seeing that he couldn't defeat Shuili quickly, Huo Yuntian grew impatient.
His flames surged, and the greatsword was once again enveloped in fire.
"Flame Slash!"
"Water Dragon Spear!"
They both unleashed their signature moves. Chen Tian found it strange that these were skills, yet they didn't appear in the skill list.
Then, a panel appeared, displaying information about various races. Chen Tian clicked on the Elven race.
Elven Race: A race born from heaven and earth. They have branches with different racial attributes and characteristics, each with its drawbacks. As favored children of heaven and earth, their lifespan is only a mere thousand years.
Elemental Elves: Elemental Elves are spirits born from the elements of heaven and earth. They are divided into eight elemental races: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Light, and Darkness.
Furthermore, Elemental Elves can create effects identical to skills through their Element Mastery ability. This effect is called: Talent.
Through Element Mastery, they can perform elemental attacks, achieving the effect of skills.
Element Mastery: Allows Elemental Elves to perfectly master the power of elements and can transform into any form.
Chen Tian saw the section on Elemental Elves and instantly understood. They hadn't truly been fighting from the beginning.
Everything they had performed was a manifestation of their Element Mastery, both the armor and the weapons being formed by controlling elements through this ability.
Immense flames erupted from the greatsword like a raging inferno, becoming increasingly violent.
As the greatsword descended, the ferocious crimson flames rushed towards Shuili.
Shuili held his spear with one hand, and water currents continuously gathered from the spearhead to the tip. Suddenly, the gentle water flow turned violent.
It surged like a tsunami, continuously condensing at the spearhead. Shuili looked at the flaming greatsword, extended his spear, and the spearhead instantly transformed into the shape of a water dragon.
It soared into the sky.
Explosions echoed, and steam enveloped the entire forest. A rainbow appeared in the sky.
When the steam dissipated, the two figures stood facing each other.
"You've improved, but you're still no match for me!"
"You're not bad either. You can actually fight me to a draw. It seems I need to level up quickly this time."
Huo Yuntian and Shuili looked at each other. This time, they were going to get serious.
The previous battles were just warm-ups. From now on, it was the real fight.
Chen Tian was still on the ground watching their fight. He wanted to leave, but considering he was trapped in the water sphere and the outside was engulfed in flames, stepping out would mean being burned. It was best to stay put.
However, Chen Tian overheard their conversation and learned something.
It seemed that these NPC bosses could level up. Their levels were not fixed, meaning they could continuously increase their levels like players.
"But this wasn't noted in the initial manual!"
Chen Tian was puzzled. He then reread the rulebook for "Epoch of Time." Soon, Chen Tian found out.
It turned out the rulebook his sister had mailed him was a simplified version, so some other information was not included. New players usually had to go through a tutorial or read the rules.
Who knew Chen Tian was so special that he jumped straight into the game and had been playing with the simplified rulebook until now.
Now that Chen Tian had read the complete rulebook, he finally understood all the rules of "Epoch of Time."
In "Epoch of Time," monarch-level bosses could increase their levels by hunting bosses or NPCs from opposing factions.
Killing an enemy of the same level would grant a three-level increase. Killing a hundred enemies of a lower level would grant one level. Defeating an enemy of a higher level would grant a fifteen-level increase.
These bosses did not have experience points, but only monarch-level bosses possessed the ability to level up.
Monarch-level bosses usually commanded the forces of a race, and their races were powerful, often with backgrounds that deterred others from easily interfering.
Therefore, when monarch-level bosses wanted to level up, they had to consider whether they could withstand the power of other races' monarch-level bosses to resist.
Water and Fire Elemental Elves were naturally opposed, and their races had been fighting each other incessantly due to this irreconcilable conflict.
These two races had produced a total of ten monarch-level bosses, five from each side. However, for monarch-level bosses to level up, they needed to hunt enemies from opposing factions.
Thus, the two clans frequently engaged in conflict.
Chen Tian instantly understood. So, "Epoch of Time" had such a setting.
For example, Chen Tian hypothesized: if monarch-level bosses leveled up by hunting enemies from opposing factions, then higher-level bosses might be able to level up by hunting players.
This hypothesis sent a shiver down Chen Tian's spine.
However, Chen Tian quickly calmed his panic. Such bosses wouldn't appear at this level. What was there to worry about? If they appeared, it would be in the highest tiers.
Huo Yuntian and Shuili locked eyes. Huo Yuntian instantly thrust out his hands, and massive fireballs shot from his palms.
The melting temperature seemed as if the heavens and earth would melt. This attack possessed the power to melt all things.
Shuili brought his palms together, and countless water currents instantly gathered in his hands. He pulled his hands apart, and a giant azure water sphere appeared before him. He pushed forward, and the water sphere shot out.
The collision of fireballs and water spheres, both sides holding their ground. Their elemental energy continuously depleted.
They were both injecting their elements, fire and water clashing to their limits, a battle of power.
Seeing this, Chen Tian shouted, "This is bad! The power of water and fire is too strong, causing the surrounding air to change. If these two energies continue to collide, they will cause a destructive explosion!"
Chen Tian looked around and saw a weak spot in the flames. Without hesitation, he moved towards it.
The water shield and the flames collided. The water shield grew thinner, but Chen Tian managed to escape.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted, accompanied by a red and blue mushroom cloud. Terrifying shockwaves swept across the entire Fiery Forest. A massive wave of energy grazed past Chen Tian, instantly reducing his health to zero.
"Crack!" An armor shattered. Chen Tian felt a pang of pain.
He hadn't even used the armor a few times before it completely broke.
The skills of the Dark Night Asura were good, but he couldn't cancel out the passive effect.
Chen Tian truly felt the pain. Armor was valuable!
Looking at the giant red and blue mushroom cloud in the sky, Chen Tian was reminded of large explosions in real life.
As the mushroom cloud slowly dissipated, two figures stood in the sky.
Chen Tian looked at their stats. Good heavens, their health had barely changed, and their armor had only dropped by 180 points.
This meant that the explosion's power and aftershocks had had little effect on them.
Chen Tian felt instantly envious. How could their armor have dropped so little when his had shattered, especially since he was at the edge of the explosion's aftershock?
In fact, this was Chen Tian's own fault. With Chen Tian's current health, he couldn't withstand the aftershock's damage. Remaining at zero health and triggering the passive skill was the only way to protect his life.
Now, Chen Tian's health bar was red, meaning he was on the verge of death.
A red health bar turning white signified death.
Generally, players in a red health state would be debuffed with immobility, but Chen Tian, as a Cold Temper, did not have that effect. However, his attribute points did not grow, and they were lower than those of ordinary players. The attribute points gained from leveling up were the lowest at ten points.
With Chen Tian's current health of 3100, if not for the protection of the Dark Night Asura skill, he would have been obliterated by the aftershock before it even reached him.
Huo Yuntian and Shuili stared at each other with fierce eyes. The previous clash had consumed nearly a thousand points of elemental energy for both of them, and it was still a draw?
"Fiery Sky Burning!"
"Water Curtain!"
They repeated the same movements. Elements were intrinsically connected, born from the heavens and earth, so their movements were identical.
Both extended their arms upwards.
Behind Shuili, a giant water curtain appeared in the sky, while behind Huo Yuntian was an ocean of raging flames.
"Go!"
"Go!"
They both pushed forward with their hands simultaneously. The water curtain and the ocean of flames collided.
Terrifying power instantly engulfed the entire sky. The ground of the Fiery Forest was instantly scorched by flames, while another section was instantly frozen over.
Chen Tian was caught in a state of ice and fire, struggling to endure. Although his health had not decreased, Chen Tian felt it was agonizing.
The alternating cold and heat made him uncomfortable, but he couldn't move and had no choice.
As they stalemated, water and fire merged and repelled each other, neither able to overcome the other.
Suddenly, the flames and water curtain behind them changed color. The azure flames were no longer scorching but cold.
The water curtain instantly transformed into an ice curtain, and the entire Fiery Forest was frozen over. The fiery red trees turned into blocks of ice.
Simultaneously, azure and icy blue oceans clashed in the sky. It was a beautiful spectacle, but Chen Tian was now frozen solid and could do nothing.
"Ding! Congratulations to player for gaining Cold Resistance attribute. Acquired Constitution: Ice Profound Body."
"Ding! Congratulations to host for gaining Heat Resistance attribute. Acquired Constitution: Fiery Cloud Yang Body."
"Ding! Both constitutions are currently merging...!"
"Ding! Congratulations to player for obtaining Elemental Constitution: Ice Fire Divine Body."
"Ding! Congratulations to player for changing race: Elemental Elf Race (Water Fire)."
"Ding! Congratulations to player for triggering hidden quest, quest level SSS."
Chen Tian listened to the electronic voice in his mind and felt numb. Oh my god! Just by watching a fight, he had received an SSS-level quest and a golden-quality reward.
He was numb. He hadn't done anything.
Was this the legendary "European Emperor" buff?
As a cold and hot aura appeared within Chen Tian's body, he instantly broke free from the ice. His health also recovered to full.
Chen Tian then waved his hand, and a panel appeared, displaying the quest information.
Ice Fire Incompatibility: To accept this quest, the player must help the Fire Elemental (Water Elemental) race destroy the other. Quest reward: One Golden Quality Treasure Chest, three thousand attribute points. (Note: The host must personally kill the Emperor-level boss of the opposing faction during the quest to succeed.)
Chen Tian looked at the quest and felt a headache. This quest would be difficult.
Both sides had five monarch-level bosses, and even Emperor-level bosses behind them. But his current attributes and level were not sufficient.
"However, it's good that there's no time limit or deadline. This means the quest will always be available, so no rush. I'll focus on leveling up and increasing my strength first."
"Let's check out my newly acquired constitution!"
Ice Fire Divine Body: Possesses the ability to master ice (water) and fire elements. Grants immunity to damage from all three elemental skills and increases player's Element Mastery, currently providing a 200% bonus to Fire Element Mastery.
Chen Tian's attributes now also included Cold Resistance and Heat Resistance, both at a full 3100.
His race had changed to Elemental Elf Race. Including his Dragon Race status, Chen Tian now had three racial identities.
He could also use the abilities and attributes of these three races.
For example, the "Element" stat appeared on his Human race panel, with Human as the primary race and other races as secondary.
At this moment, the greatest boss in the history of "Epoch of Time" was born: Chen Tian.
From the moment Chen Tian stepped into the thirtieth world, countless players would try their best to defeat him.
Chen Tian was the game's most powerful boss, its most powerful bug.
Of course, that was a story for another time.
Chen Tian looked at the two figures in the sky. Now, he could also participate in the battle. The reason was simple: the Ice Fire Divine Body granted immunity to skill damage. If the opponent's skills wouldn't harm him, what was there to fear?