Chapter 12 Ingenious Defense
System: [Player Shadowfang has initiated an attack on you. Shadowfang has turned yellow and will remain so for an hour. Any player who kills a yellow player will not face any penalties.]
Caught between Snowfox and Shadowfang's attacks, Eric's health plummeted to just 31 points—a critical situation indeed.
"Despicable!"
From a distance, Tonny cursed at Shadowfang, furious that he had chosen this moment to ambush. Despite his anger, Tonny couldn't change the situation. The distance between them and Shadowfang was too great to land a hit, so he aimed at Snowfox instead, hoping to take it down before Shadowfang could take advantage.
Though spellcasters boast high damage and decent accuracy against monsters, hitting a player is challenging without standing still.
The moment a shadow arrow is released, a predictive trajectory line appears. At long distances, skilled players can easily dodge, making it effortless for a master to avoid.
Watching Snowfox and Shadowfang charge towards him, Eric's lips curled into a slight smirk. He knew Shadowfang's strengths and habits well, having spent years together at ShadowForge Studios. Stepping back twice, he positioned himself in the ideal triangular formation with Snowfox and Shadowfang. Gripping his novice sword close to his chest, he stood still, waiting for their attack.
"Have you given up already?"
Seeing Eric preparing to defend with his sword, Shadowfang looked down on him. While the defense could reduce damage, Snowfox was an elite, and even if the defense held, it would still inflict 50 points of damage. With only 31 health points, Eric wouldn't withstand a single blow.
Snowfox lunged forward, ready to bite.
"Good timing." Eric lunged forward instead of retreating.
His novice sword blocked Snowfox's bite, utilizing a life-saving skill to withstand a frontal attack. Then, with all his might, he lifted Snowfox and redirected it towards Shadowfang, who was caught off guard.
It all happened so quickly.
Shadowfang, charging towards Eric, had no time to react and was bitten directly on the shoulder.
Damage of -164 appeared above Shadowfang's head, reducing his health to zero.
"How could this be?" Shadowfang was shocked, staring at Eric's mocking smile. Full of resentment, he never imagined players could act this way. If he had known, he would never have recklessly charged into his own demise.
Now, no matter how unwilling Shadowfang was, with his health at zero, he could only fall, turning into specks of starlight and dropping an equipment piece.
Watching from afar, Tonny was stunned, even forgetting to attack Snowfox.
"Don't just stand there, Tonny. Attack Snowfox quickly!" Eric shouted, charging towards Snowfox once again.
Once Tonny snapped out of his daze, he began chanting spells, attacking Snowfox furiously.
Without Shadowfang's interference, the injured Snowfox was no match. In less than 10 seconds, Snowfox let out a mournful cry before falling to the ground.
System: [Killing the cunning Snowfox elite grants 130 experience points.]
For Eric, a level 2 player, these experience points were insignificant. What caught his attention was the loot. Elite monsters like Snowfox were favorites among Divine Realms: Legends players due to their impressive drop rates. Moreover, this was their first kill, promising even better loot.
"No way, it even dropped weapons!" Eric retrieved a staff and a pair of gloves.
Ebonywood Staff, Bronze Level, requires five strength points, equipment level 1, +8 attack, +3 intelligence, +1 spirit, +30 magic points, durability 20/20.
This equipment significantly boosted the damage output of spellcasting classes, not only increasing attack power but also adding three intelligences. With this, damage output could easily rise by two levels for spellcasting classes.
Foxhide Gloves, leather armor, Common Level, requires three strength points, equipment level 1, +4 defense, durability 20/20.
Additionally, Shadowfang contributed a pair of level 0 Common Level leather shoes with +3 defense.
"I thought it was just junk, but it seems Shadowfang's luck was good. He managed to gain a Common Level equipment." Eric looked at Shadowfang with newfound respect. Getting a Common Level drop early on was all about luck, and now, it benefited him. As a swordsman, he could wear both plate and leather armor, so with these two pieces, his defense improved significantly.
"Tonny, here's your equipment." Eric handed the Ebonywood Staff to Tonny.
Tonny hesitated, feeling he hadn't contributed much to Snowfox's defeat, yet he was receiving the best equipment, a Bronze Equipment that few players had at this stage, making it incredibly valuable.
"What's wrong? Aren't we good buddies? Why the formality with me? Besides, you're a mage; once you reach level 1, you can fully utilize the staff's potential. This way, you'll level up much faster, too." Eric understood Tonny's hesitation and spoke sincerely.
After a moment's thought, Tonny relented, "Thanks, I'll make good use of it."
"That's more like it." Eric smiled. "Let's go, we're off to Willowbrook Town."
Willowbrook Town.
"Shadowfang, what were you thinking? Not only did you die, but you also lost valuable equipment. Do you even realize how precious that gear was?" Blazeclaw chastised harshly.
Shadowfang's face darkened. It had taken him 7 hours to loot those shoes, and now they were gone. His heart bled at the loss. Though he wanted to explain, he couldn't find the words. Should he mention how Eric had outwitted him? He couldn't bring himself to do so, yet he yearned to reclaim the lost gear. However, he knew he was no match for Eric.
"Blazeclaw, I encountered a rare elite in the Wilderness. Just as I was about to take it down, he noticed me, and he had someone with him. Facing them alone was impossible." Pretending to be indignant, Shadowfang twisted the truth, trying to manipulate the situation. "That kid must have taken down the elite by now, getting good gear. They're headed to the Darkmoon Valley. If we hurry, we might catch up and potentially retrieve the equipment."
"A rare elite!" Blazeclaw's eyes lit up. No longer questioning Shadowfang, he was now deeply interested in the loot from rare elites. Excitedly, he said, "Let's go. We'll chase after them immediately. Anyone who dares to steal my gear will regret ever playing Divine Realms: Legends."
Soon, Blazeclaw gathered all the members of ShadowForge Studios in Willowbrook Town, totaling 11 members, and set off for Darkmoon Valley to take down Eric and claim the gear.
Meanwhile, Eric and Tonny had arrived at Darkmoon Valley.
Standing quietly in front of the blacksmith's shop by the stream, Eric and Tonny observed a middle-aged shirtless man wielding a hammer, continuously striking a crimson ore, creating a melodious sound.
Time passed slowly.
"Eric, do we need to keep waiting? It's been half an hour already," Tonny whispered.
"We must wait. Patience is key; he won't give us the task if we're not patient," Eric affirmed.
In a previous life, Hammer Trader had passed by here and encountered a blacksmith. However, no matter how Hammer Trader tried to communicate with the blacksmith, he was ignored. This angered Hammer Trader, who stood there staring at the blacksmith. After some time, the blacksmith unexpectedly spoke to him and even gave him a hidden task: to learn the talent of forging and become a master blacksmith.
Thinking about gaining the forging talent and having the Book of Forging, advancing to a senior apprentice was now within Eric's grasp. The gold coins would flow into his pockets effortlessly.
After waiting for another ten minutes.
"Are you both interested in forging?" the middle-aged blacksmith suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir. I've always enjoyed forging since I was young," Eric immediately responded.
The blacksmith nodded in approval, saying, "Since you enjoy forging, I can teach you. But could you help me gather 100 pieces of Starfall Ore from the Red Star Mine to the west?"
"Of course, I'd be happy to help," Eric replied respectfully.
System: [Accept the hidden quest 'The Path of Forging,' requiring you to collect 100 pieces of Starfall Ore for the master blacksmith, Jack Scott, from the Red Star Mine.]
The Red Star Mine was the nest of level 4 Kobolds, creatures that loved ore mining. Their daily activities in the mine gave them immense strength and agility, although their vision was limited due to the prolonged time spent in the dark caves, only able to detect enemies within 105 feet, the maximum attack range for spellcasting classes.
Outside the mine, roaming Kobolds were abundant. Attacking one would draw a swarm.
Kobold, level 4, with 420 health points.
"Let's eat and drink first before we start." Eric brought out Black Iron Beer and Apple Pie, handing Tonny 100 bags of Magic Water.
Tonny was puzzled, but he trusted Eric's judgment. Thus, he sat down to eat.
After consuming the Apple Pie, all attributes increased by 1 point for 30 minutes.
Drinking the Black Iron Beer, Tonny felt a bit lightheaded, but the level 4 Kobolds in the distance suddenly seemed like level 2, a decrease of 2 levels.
"Alright, let's begin. The intoxication effect from a bottle of Black Iron Beer only lasts for 30 minutes." Eric stood up, took out a smoke bomb, quietly approached,, and threw it at the entrance of the mine, where more than ten level 4 Kobolds were gathered.
The smoke bomb reduced visibility within a 30 x 30 feet area, lasting for an hour.
This was particularly effective against Kobolds, limiting their vision to 75 feet. With a spellcaster's attack range of 90 feet, the Kobolds couldn't see them, standing still and waiting to be defeated.
"Attack." Eric pointed at the Kobolds within the smoke.
Tonny, somewhat skeptical but believing in Eric, chanted a spell, launching a shadow arrow that hit the frontmost Kobold directly
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