Chapter 13 Tonny's Good Fortune
In the mist, the kobold took a hit and suffered 21 points of damage.
Startled, the kobold glared around, its eyes flashing like searchlights in the mist, alerting its kin.
Tonny's heart raced as he stood in the forest, consumed by nervousness.
The kobold appeared to be level 2, but its attributes were more akin to a level 4 foe. Drinking the Black Iron Beer had bolstered Tonny's courage, reducing enemy levels by two, but it didn't affect the kobold's inherent strength.
If those kobolds charged, it would mean certain death.
Yet, Tonny's concerns were unfounded.
The wounded kobold scanned the area, finding no foes. It whimpered softly, then resumed its patrol as the other kobolds paid it no mind, continuing their rounds.
"Attack confidently; as long as we stay 90 feet away, they won't engage us," Eric reassured Tonny.
Eric had planned meticulously; otherwise, he wouldn't have invested so heavily in his equipment.
Encouraged by Eric, Tonny boldly cast spells, launching shadow arrows.
With only 420 health points, the kobold couldn't withstand Tonny's barrage of over twenty shadow arrows, succumbing easily while the surrounding kobolds remained indifferent.
Seeing the first kobold fall, Tonny felt a rush of excitement.
Together, they took down level 4 monsters, reaping ample experience points—a 5% increase per kill for their duo.
Taking out 20 kobolds would propel them to the next level efficiently and safely. Tonny now understood why Eric had been so confident; hunting here was not just lucrative but also effective.
In no time, over twenty kobolds near the mine were vanquished.
Tonny leveled up to 2, equipped with a Blackwood Staff, and allocated all attribute points to Intelligence, significantly boosting his damage output.
The fallen kobolds dropped 12 copper coins, a common level 3 cloth armor, and 5 pieces of starmetal ore—a stroke of luck for Tonny.
As Eric had mentioned, starmetal ore was a rare find among kobold drops, appearing only once in every ten kills. Yet, over twenty kobolds yielded five pieces, alongside common-level equipment—Tonny's luck was extraordinary.
After gathering the loot, Eric deftly lured monsters, using his agility to draw over thirty kobolds into a smoke bomb, then swiftly retreating beyond 75 feet, leaving the kobolds disoriented.
Seizing the opportunity, Tonny attacked from 90 feet away.
Over thirty kobolds were swiftly eliminated in less than ten minutes, dropping 21 copper coins and six starmetal ores, significantly boosting Eric and Tonny's experience points.
With Eric leading the monsters and Tonny efficiently dealing damage, Tonny found himself relishing the relentless combat, eager to press on without pause.
An hour later, Tonny reached level 2 and upgraded Shadow Arrow to level 3, increasing his damage output and fueling his drive toward level 3.
The substantial increase in damage enhanced their efficiency in eliminating kobolds. However, the upgraded Shadow Arrow consumed more mana, fortunately supplemented by magic water purchased by Eric.
Observing Tonny's progress and managing the right number of kobolds, Eric ensured a steady flow of copper coins and starmetal ores.
After another hour of effort, Tonny had amassed 73 starmetal ores, six pieces of common-level equipment, and 264 copper coins. With a bit more grinding, their collection of starmetal ore would be complete.
At that moment, a notification chimed.
System: [ Player Ezio has sent you ten copper coins. ]
Shortly after, a communication request arrived from Ezio.
"Who are you?" Eric accepted the call after dispatching a wave of monsters.
"Hello, master, I'm Ezio. We met at the Town Hall, and you guided me to the Wilderness to hunt monsters. That place is fantastic—no one's competing for monsters, and I can handle it. I've reached level 2, collected materials, and copper coins. I've sent you ten copper coins; I hope you received them." Ezio was excited, relieved that the expert hadn't ignored him, and grateful for the profitable advice.
"I remember you now. I've received the ten copper coins." Eric recalled the incident and was nonchalant about the additional coins, given his initial guidance had been self-serving.
"Kai Blackthorn, the level 2 instance 'Silent Forest' has opened. Would you join us for the instance? My friends are experienced players at level 2, and we won't be a burden. Of course, all the swordsman class equipment in the instance will be yours. Do you have time?" Ezio was anxious, as experts usually avoided bringing others, especially newcomers. Hence, he emphasized that all teammates were level 2 veterans to reassure Eric.
"The Silent Forest? I remember that instance well. As soon as a sufficient number of players in Willowbrook Town reach level 2, the first level 2 instance, Silent Forest, opens in Willowbrook Town. The instance's challenge made it clear how tough the Divine Realms: Legends dungeons were. It wasn't cleared until many players reached levels four or five. The primary purpose of Silent Forest was to increase players' skill count, with most monsters dropping basic skill books for each class. The most valuable items inside were the forging blueprints, exclusively dropped by the final boss, Werewolf Ferot, albeit at a low rate."
Eric was intrigued by the forging blueprints, realizing mastering them could significantly advance his plans.
"Alright, but I have a condition. I'll bring a mage with me. The swordsman and mage equipment and skill books will belong to me, along with all materials and blueprints dropped by the boss. If you agree, I'll come." Eric casually claimed the lion's share of the benefits, seeing no issue with it.
"This..." Ezio felt the pressure; experts demanded a high price. Despite the alpha tester's prowess, he reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I agree. I'll inform them. When will you be available?"
"In a couple of hours, at the instance entrance," Eric estimated that in a bit over an hour, they would have around 100 starmetal ores.
"Alright, I'll prepare and meet you at the instance entrance. See you, master." Ezio hung up, relieved.
Ezio was accompanied by three others, all at level 2.
"What did the expert say?" a handsome male Ranger inquired.
Ezio relayed the conversation to the group as it happened.
"What a load of nonsense. He's just here to snatch our equipment and use us. Why do we need him? We can find two other level 2 DPS players and clear the instance ourselves," a Shield Warrior fumed, outraged.
The male Priest beside him also expressed discontent, "So, he gets all the mage equipment? How unfair."
Ezio reasoned, "He's a true expert, a beta tester, likely very knowledgeable about instances. Perhaps he can lead us through the dungeon. Don't you want to clear Silent Forest?"
"What's so special about a beta tester? They only had a month of experience in Divine Realms: Legends. Even if they know a lot about Silent Forest, how much of that knowledge will be useful once the game is officially launched?" The Shield Warrior dismissed the testers, believing their luck played a part in their success rather than skill.
"Let's wait for them to arrive. If it doesn't work out, by then, many players will have reached level 2, and we can find others to join us," the Ranger suggested, and the group agreed.
Meanwhile, a radiant light shimmered in the Darkmoon Valley.
Eric finally reached level 3, but the level leaderboard hadn't been unveiled yet. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly top the Willowbrook Town rankings.
"At last, level 3," Eric eagerly allocated his four attribute points to Agility, raising it to 20.
System: [ Player's Agility has reached 20, unlocking the hidden basic skill 'Agile and Nimble,' granting extraordinary agility and flexibility, enhancing physical capabilities significantly. ]
Eric felt a surge of strength coursing through him, his body remarkably agile, senses heightened, unleashing his body's full potential.
Apart from Eric reaching level 3, Tonny, after eliminating a batch of kobolds, unexpectedly looted a pair of level 1 Bronze Equipment boots.
Eric couldn't help but admire Tonny's luck. Regular monsters from level 1 to 3 wouldn't drop Bronze Equipment, and the chance of level 4 monsters dropping it was less than one in a million. Yet, Tonny managed to find a pair, defying the odds.
"These boots have excellent attributes," Eric showed Tonny the stats.
Newbie War Boots, Plate Armor, Bronze Level, Requires 6 Strength, Level 1, Defense +8, Strength +1, Stamina +1, Movement Speed +1, Durability 20/20.
"Fantastic! With these boots, your speed will be even faster, Eric," Tonny rejoiced. Previously, only he had Bronze Equipment, leading to some guilt. Now that Eric had a pair, Tonny felt relieved. "Eric, how many starmetal ores are left?"
"Not many, just 4 more. One more wave of kobolds should do it," Eric checked his backpack, surprised to find he already had 96 starmetal ores. If someone else were grinding, it would take five to six hours. Luckily, with Tonny's help, they were close to completion.
As Eric prepared to lure more monsters, his heightened senses detected three blurry figures approaching behind Tonny.
"Tonny, get out of the way!" Eric shouted, drawing his novice sword and swiftly charging towards them.
Tonny, unaware of the impending danger, was too caught up in his newfound happiness to react.
"Only now do I realize it's too late. He's the first one."
Three figures materialized suddenly—three Assassin players, with one of them being Shadowfang, the one previously slain. Against three Assassins, a mage stood little chance, even if Tonny was a level higher than them.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
