The huge White Sac Spider Leader collapsed, Chu You bent down; his health bar was reduced to a sliver, and he could no longer withstand any damage.
However, the brutal and bloody battle he had just experienced left Chu You feeling deeply unsettled.
Though his once hot-tempered personality had significantly softened, the violent instincts deep within his blood still existed, profoundly influencing his character.
Glancing at the body on the ground, he saw a faint light radiating from it, indicating that something had dropped from it. Bodies that had nothing to offer would quickly vanish.
In contrast to an open world, in dungeons one would have to search the bodies for equipment, adding to the anticipation. In the open world, items dropped immediately, scattering on the ground for players to pick up, which magnified the risk!
Especially during a world boss fight; when equipment scattered on the ground after it died, the atmosphere turned intense. The players at the scene would be incredibly heated, as if they hadn't eaten for many days.
"Could it just be a quest item?" Chu You was numb. Not to mention in the open world, he had just killed so many elite monsters, yet hadn't seen a single equipment drop. The drop rate was frighteningly low, the luck terribly bad.
Chu You squatted down, touched the body, and immediately a window popped up. A few pieces of equipment appeared before his eyes.
Chu You's heart stirred at the sight of a skill book, though he wasn't sure which profession it belonged to.
Chu You took out the first item.
Name: Cracked Chestplate
Rank: Common
Requirements: Warrior Profession, must be at least Level 5 to use.
Attribute: Defense +3
Chu You took out the second item.
Name: Ring of White Sac Spider
Rank: Viscount Level
Requirements: All professions, must be at least Level 5 to use.
Attributes: Attack power +5, Magic Power +20, Stamina +2, Hit Rate +1.
Chu You took out the third item, which was the skill book.
Name: Speed Increase Healing (A healing spell that is cast rapidly within 1 second, its basic healing effect is +100 health points which then combines with the user's own attributes to calculate the final healing amount).
Type: First Grade Skill (highest grade is Ninth Order)
Requirements: Priest System Profession, must be at least Level 5 to learn.
With these three equipment, Chu You was satisfied. Especially with the Viscount Level ring, Its attributes were good, and as an accessory, its availability in the early game was scarce, thus it would have a long lifespan.
As for the skill book being for the Priest profession, Chu You wasn't disappointed. This skill book was a universal Priest skill book, in other words, regardless of the specialities chosen by Priest players after promotion, they could all learn this skill.
Universal skill books are the most valuable as they can be studied by all subclasses within a system. They are difficult to obtain and very valuable. Of course, if a player sells it to an NPC ... okay, for 1 Silver Coin, take it or leave it?
There are only four ways to get a skill book. The first is by killing monsters who drop skill books; the second is through quest rewards; the third is through player-to-player trading; and the fourth is to put a winning bid in the auction house. In the Celestial World, big cities do not sell skill books.
Shortly after, Chu You took out the last item, which was the quest item.
Name: Perfect Blue Devil Flowers x2 (meaning there are two)
Item description: It's Herb Gathering Old Man's most beloved ingredient, presenting this to the kind old man will yield handsome rewards.
After reading, Chu You couldn't suppress the slight expectation stirring within his heart. He was eager to reach the promotion stage quickly.
Next, Chu You turned his gaze towards the nest. Inside, a treasure chest was waiting for him to open.
Once all the equipment within the body was retrieved, the giant spider body gradually disappeared.
Inside the nest, the effect of his slowed movement speed still persisted. Finally, Chu You stopped in front of a shining treasure chest. He chose to open it, his hands automatically reaching out.
System notification: Viscount treasure box is opening, progress…10%...21%...56%...79%...93%, successful opening.
After 2 minutes of opening progress, the chest shook, the lid opened, and the light scattered.
Chu You immediately retrieved the equipment inside.
Name: Pure White Sword
Rank: Viscount Level
Requirements: Warrior Profession, Assassin Profession, must be at least Level 5 to equip
Attributes: Attack power 11-17, Strength +3, Critical Hit +5, Hit Rate +2.
This is a great item! Chu You rejoiced inwardly, feeling that reaching level 5 would mark a small turning point for him.
Obtained Silver Coins +10
Obtained Minor Healing Potion x10 (restores 10 health points per 3 seconds for a duration of 25 seconds)
Quickly, Chu You drank a minor healing potion, then proceeded back the way he came. His aim was to clear out all the remaining BaiNang Spiders, leaving none behind.
Soon, Chu You dispatched the obstructing spiders in the same manner as before, and finally chose to leave the dungeon.
A faint light rose from Chu You and vanished in the now empty dungeon.
Having adapted to the dark environment, emerging into the bright sunlight caused Chu You to squint slightly.
Chu You soon noticed that two players were engaged in ongoing discussions with the herb-gathering old man, oblivious to his arrival. The old man, who had previously been unwell, was now up and is repeatedly shaking his head and motioning with his hands – as if refusing something.
Both players were at Level 1, yet they dared to venture into a Level 4 Experience Monster Zone – quite a daring move. One was a Priest and the other a Mage, both professions from the magic system.
Chu You took a step forward, walking towards the old man - it was time to turn in his task.
Only then did the two players notice Chu You. However, when they saw that he was Level 3, both were taken aback. Didn't it just take him a short while to reach Level 3? Despite being in a team and sharing the experience points, they believed they had been leveling up pretty efficiently.
But this was unbelievable. A warrior had managed to outlevel them both by two levels. How was this even possible?
No matter how bewildering it was for the other two players, Chu You approached the old man.
"Old man, I've brought what you requested," Chu You said.
"Really? Let me see it." The old man looked somewhat excited.
The two players exchanged glances – they clearly saw the surprise in each other's faces.
No matter what methods they had tried earlier, they hadn't been able to trigger a task from the old man who had insistently told them "there was nothing to share". Now... it seemed different. Watching the old man interact with the burly player contrasted significantly with their own experience. The difference was as stark as night and day.
"Is it a unique task?" both players pondered, remaining there quietly observing without leaving.
Chu You pulled out two 'Perfect Blue Devil Flowers' from his storage bag and handed them over to the old man.
As Chu You retrieved the flowers, the old man could not contain his excitement after one look. He trembled slightly, reaching out his shaky hands to receive the 'Perfect Blue Devil Flowers' in Chu You's hands.
"Young warrior, did you procure these from the most difficult secret realm?"
"Yes, I believe this is what you truly wanted," Chu You responded flatteringly. In the dialogue mode, earning an NPC's favor sometimes yields unexpected surprises.
"Ah... This indeed is what I've wanted the most. You must have made many sacrifices. That place is practically an impasse!" The old man, caressing the Blue Devil Flower in his hands, spoke with a look of great gratitude and a hint of guilt.
As Chu You held back a smile, he remained silent. His eyes bore a trace of melancholy, hinting at unimaginable hardships experienced only through silence.
"Excellent! Excellent!" The old man nodded enthusiastically, took the task items, and handed Chu You a book from his chest. "This is a valuable heirloom passed down in my family. My great-grandfather became a general because of the secrets contained within these pages. Today, I am sending this secret book to you!"
That's a Skill Book! The players standing on the side could hardly believe their eyes. The recognition hit them almost instantly - the secret book was a Skill Book fulfilled.
What kind of task could reward a Skill Book? This... this was nothing simple of a great opportunity.
Chu You's pupils contracted slightly. Somewhat taken aback, he reached out his hand and took the Skill Book.
System Notification: You have received the task reward (Skill Book): Decapitation!
System Notification: You have received the task reward of 4000 experience points!
System Notification: Congratulations, you've leveled up!
A ray of light emerged from Chu You – the sign of a player leveling up. Chu You had reached Level 4!
Damn it! The two players by his side were completely dumbfounded. One task had led him to level up immediately. They had just been amazed at his Level 3 and now saw him reach a sky-defying level.
At this time, the herb-gathering old man pulled out a letter from his chest and gave it to Chu You. "Young warrior, once you've changed your job, go to Wangshan City to find Captain Zhao. I think Captain Zhao will express his thanks for your help. Take this letter of introduction."
"So, old man, you were trying to save this person?" Chu You accepted the introduction letter, knowing that accepting such things would trigger a task which required him to find Captain Zhao after a job change.
"Indeed." The old man sighed. "Captain Zhao is honest and upright. He was poisoned secretly and now suffers from difficulties in movement. Young warrior, you are talented and noble, I hope you can become his capable assistance."
"Alright, I will visit this gentleman soon."
"The night sky, the celestial world has a hint of chaos. The Great Yan Royal Court is concerned about this. There are many treacherous officials in the court. This is an ominous sign." After finishing, the old man turned around and disappeared.
Chu You began to carefully inspect the Skill Book he'd just retrieved from his bag.
Name: Decapitation (Within a range of 10 meters, consume 100 magic power to inflict a fatal blow on the target. If the target's health is below 300, it will be instantly killed. If the target's health is above 300, it will cause 200 health damage. Cooldown: 3 minutes. Casting speed: Instant)
Proficiency: 0/1000, when full, the skill will upgrade, making this skill more powerful.
Category: Third Order skill (highest is Ninth Order)
Requirements: All warriors can cultivate when they reach Level 5.
Chu You looked briefly at his magic power. Since he hadn't increased his intelligence, his magic power was still at the original level gained from leveling up. He currently had exactly 100 magic power. Each time you level up, you gain 10 more points of magic power.
Since he had just leveled up and had 5 free points unassigned, Chu You pondered a while. He thought that he would have 20 additional points of magic power when he equipped the ring after reaching Level 5. Plus the 10 points of magic power from leveling up, he would then have 130 magic power. This skill had a fast cooldown, so it was best to add all points to intelligence.
So, Chu You added all his points to intelligence. His magic power increased by 75 and his attack power increased to 54 due to the strength attribute increase of +2 from leveling up.