Chapter 21: Zimei
“Achen, did you see? Someone has already reached level 10!” Brother Shiu said in the living room. “Achen?”
Oh right, this kid seems to have gone back to his room to sleep.
Really, comparing people makes one furious. It’s the first day of the game and this guy is actually relaxed enough to sleep? Even more infuriating is that with his understanding of the game, he’s somehow at a higher level than me.
However, after intense leveling, I’ve now reached level 9. If I put in a little more effort and complete one or two more quests, I might just be able to change jobs today! If I’m quick, I might even be able to get one of the top three reward.
But reality is cruel.
World Announcement: Congratulations to player “Endless Sea” for reaching level 10. As the third player to reach level 10, you have received a special item “Evolution Stone”*1!
… This group of idiots, Brother Shiu lost his dreams and let his hands drop helplessly.
…
“By the way, Village Chief, how do I leave here?” I almost forgot about that.
“Just keep walking east until you reach the end of the barrier. There, you’ll find a teleportation magic circle that has just been unsealed. Using it will allow you to teleport to the mainland,” the Village Chief said.
“I see, got it… wait, you said it was just unsealed?”
“That’s right. Once one of you adventurers reaches level 10, that teleportation circle will open.”
Oh no… Starry’s expression suddenly changed.
Treika must have already escaped through the teleportation circle!
“Adventurer, what’s wrong? You’re not… infected, are you!?” the Village Chief exclaimed.
Starry clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and held it in.
…
Now that Starry has reached level 10, she can directly go to the new map, but Achen is still at 9 level with 78% experience. Leveling alone would take until midnight, but with Starry around, the speed will increase exponentially.
Especially since Starry now has two active skills, Ice Moon Slash and Thousand Flash Step.
Ice Moon Slash is excellent both as a control skill and a damage skill, and currently, its multiplier is only at level 1. It’s hard to imagine how powerful it will be at higher levels.
Thousand Flash Step provides a 50% speed boost for 5 seconds, making chasing or fleeing very effective, and with every successful dodge, there’s further enhancement. This setting of getting stronger with each dodge is quite thrilling.
Now that Starry is at level 10 with godly equipment, she gives off a boss-like aura in the Beginner Village.
“Honey, look at that person’s sword, it’s so pretty! I also want one~”
“That thing? It’s probably just a decoration with no attributes. How can I give such a shabby item to my dear wife?”
“Well, okay, you’re still so considerate, honey~”
“Of course!”
Starry rolled her eyes; it was better to leave here quickly. It felt like she was a gorilla in a zoo.
Passing through the Slime territory, those level 4 monsters were no longer worth her attention, although many players were still struggling here.
Level 7 Wind Wolves, level 9 Poison Spiders…
Not interested in fighting… next.
“Help——!”
While traveling, faintly, she heard a scream.
Is it an illusion?
No matter, leveling is more important; still, let’s…
“Help——!”
The voice grew louder, sounding like a girl… let’s go take a look.
Pushing through the grass, her vision opened up.
In the distance, she could see four players being chased by a gigantic Poison Spider.
This situation likely was a failed boss challenge.
Let’s check the boss’s attributes, Achen moved a little closer to investigate.
Poison Spider (Leader level Boss)
Rarity: Blue
Level: 9
Health: 350
Attack: 20-23
Defense: 12
Skills: Venom, Silk Constriction
Description: An elite among Poison Spiders, possessing higher health than ordinary Poison Spiders, with enhanced venom effects.
The unlucky player at the back was covered in green debuffs.
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Even continuously consuming potions couldn’t keep up with the health loss; he transformed into a white light and flew back to the village.
“Agu!” one of the players in front screamed, then stopped. “I’ll fight you, ahhh!”
“Hiss.”
He was fixed in place by the spider silk.
Venom.
In an instant, that player was covered in venom debuffs.
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A series of poison damage ticks appeared; unable to drink potions while bound, he didn’t last 10 seconds before he was down.
The Poison Spider quickly shifted targets; the remaining two female players hadn’t run far, and another one fell.
At this moment, the remaining female player, in a panic, ran toward Achen and Starry.
“Watch out! I didn’t do it on purpose!” She was nearly in tears.
At this point, Achen noticed her ID: “Zanny’s cousin”.
Is it for real… could it be a coincidence with the same ID?
No matter, let’s save her first and confirm later!
Achen rushed over quickly, deciding not to use Starry because he was afraid she might take it out too quickly and he’d miss out on experience. He was still short of some experience; defeating this boss alone might just be enough!
Silk Constriction!
From Starry’s perspective, the attack direction of the silk was clear as day. Achen sidestepped, though it was slightly delayed, he barely dodged the silk.
Miss popped up.
‘Zanny’s cousin’ stared in amazement, shocked that someone could avoid the boss’s control with skill…
Quickly closing in on the boss, the shining iron sword pierced the Poison Spider’s body, drawing green blood.
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Achen’s attack power was now 31-33, easily breaking the boss’s defense and taking away one-seventh of its health.
The boss, feeling pain, naturally wasn’t going to let this go, raising its head and unleashing a disgusting attack.
Venom.
Before one had a chance to see lifesteal at work, venom was every player’s most hated attack mode.
The incredibly disgusting goo goes without saying, also inflicting a 5-second poison damage debuff, and this can stack!
Without any supplies, being touched by venom almost spelled 125 points of health loss, meaning getting hit three times meant certain death.
The venom attack came quickly, leaving little room for dodging. Achen jumped back a step but still got splattered by some.
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In that case, let’s go for a quick finish!
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Achen started circling the Poison Spider.
Venom!
The boss was gearing up for an attack, which gave Achen some reaction time; with Starry observing, he didn’t even need to look up at the boss to predict its attack direction.
Miss!
That’s right, despite the short windup time for the attack, as long as he kept circling the boss, he could perfectly avoid it.
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In fact, in the game Dream of the Mists, the kind of actions and reactions one can make are somewhat linked to reality. Any normal person would have been dizzy to play like this; only Achen, with his dual perspective, looked unfazed.
As long as the venom couldn’t hit Achen, it meant defeating this boss was only a matter of time.
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Sure enough, after the sixth sword strike, the boss let out a wail and fell.
“Wow, that’s amazing! You actually soloed a level 9 blue boss!” ‘Zanny’s cousin’ exclaimed with her mouth agape.
Meanwhile, Starry quietly sheathed her Qiu Yue Sword. In reality, Achen was still a bit nervous; if he couldn’t handle it, he’d have to let Starry come in and finish it off. Thankfully, he didn’t embarrass himself…
After collecting the loot, Achen walked back and surveyed the girl.
She felt uncomfortable under his gaze and couldn’t help but say, “Great deity, although your skills are impressive, I already have someone I like!”
Achen twitched the corner of his mouth and said, “Zimei?”
“Eh? How did you know that nickname!? You’re not stalking me, are you?” Zimei crossed her arms protectively.
