Su Bai was panting as the corpse of the Dark Cat Demon lay at his feet. After collecting the loot from the monster, his eyes fell on the piece of equipment that had dropped. The shine of the object caught his attention, but upon examining it, he frowned in disgust.
[Broken Budding Cloth Belt]
• Level: 4
• Quality: Common
• Category: Cloth Armor/Belt
• Attribute: +1 to Intelligence
• Defense: +19 Physical Defense, +11 Magic Defense
• Affix: "What is this made of? It looks like sprouts are actually growing..."
The description of the belt was unimpressive. "Just as I expected," Su Bai thought. The equipment wasn't high quality, but he still stored it in his backpack. Perhaps he could sell it when other players entered the game. Anything could be useful later.
With the loot stored, Su Bai continued his journey through the Dark Forest. As he advanced, he decided to practice his new technique: the rebound block. He knew that simply blocking was not enough; there was something deeper in the combat mechanics that he hadn't fully mastered. He remembered the concept of a rebound, where he wasn't just supposed to stop the blow but also return the energy back to the attacker. He decided to apply that approach, but he knew it wouldn't be easy.
The first time he tried to block an attack and push back, the blow caught him by surprise. The Dark Cat Demon he faced was fast, and though Su Bai had managed to stop the attack, he didn't apply enough force to push the demon back.
Clang!
-40 HP
A chill ran through his body. He hadn't countered the attack properly, and the impact knocked him backward. He landed heavily on the ground, a dull pain spreading through his arm. "This won't be as easy as I thought," he muttered as he got back to his feet.
He took a healing potion and continued. He knew he would fail, but every failed attempt brought him closer to success. With each new attack from the Dark Cat Demon, he adjusted his posture. At first, the block wasn't enough to prevent damage. Su Bai made errors in the angle of his sword or the strength applied, and the attacks would slip through his defense.
Block!
-5 HP
Block!
-8 HP
Each mistake left Su Bai with new wounds and the need to heal with more potions. "I can't afford to keep making mistakes like these," he thought as he applied his remaining potions. But he didn't give up. He knew that mastering this technique would be key to his future survival.
"Come on, again," he told himself as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
Finally, after several failed attempts and imperfect blocks, the moment came. The Dark Cat Demon lunged at him once more, and this time Su Bai was ready. Instead of simply taking the hit, he pushed forward with his sword, applying force at the exact moment the demon's claws met his blade.
Clang!
The impact was much stronger than before, but this time, the demon was knocked back. Su Bai had done it correctly. The Dark Cat Demon was thrown off balance in mid-air, giving Su Bai a window of opportunity to counter.
-351
The blow landed directly on the creature's stomach, inflicting considerable damage. He had successfully used the rebound mechanic.
"It works... I finally did it!" Su Bai exclaimed with excitement, though he remained focused on the battle. He couldn't let his guard down too soon. The demon was still alive and could launch a fierce counterattack if he didn't act quickly.
"Knowing how to do it isn't enough—I have to perfect it."
He charged at the creature, now feeling more confident in his movements. The Dark Cat Demon was still trying to recover from the hit, but Su Bai didn't give it time. With a swift movement, he blocked another attack and this time returned the force with more precision.
Clang!
-8 HP
The damage was still minor, but Su Bai wasn't too worried about small wounds. His focus was on continuing to perfect his technique. He was convinced that once he fully mastered the rebound, he could face even stronger and more dangerous monsters without fear.
Su Bai kept fighting more Dark Cat Demons in the forest, using each one as an opportunity to refine his technique. With each encounter, he became more precise, faster, and more effective in using the rebound block. He began to notice that while the rebound didn't always deal massive amounts of damage, it destabilized his enemies, leaving them exposed to critical hits.
Experience gained: +600
After his fight against the Dark Cat Demon, Su Bai felt somewhat exhausted but satisfied with his ability to block and counter attacks. As he picked up the items that had dropped from the enemy, a notification appeared before his eyes, interrupting his concentration.
[Congratulations, you have reached level 6.]
Su Bai blinked, surprised by the notification. He checked his stats panel and saw that he had indeed accumulated enough experience to level up. The familiar blue glow of the system screen showed an increase in his skill points and stats.
"Level 6, huh... about time," he muttered, satisfied with his progress. "I need to assign these points before I face any more enemies."
Focusing on his interface, Su Bai distributed his points strategically, boosting his strength and endurance, knowing that the enemies in the Dark Forest would only become more dangerous as he advanced.
Su Bai checked the new stats of the Celestial Cloudsword because it had also advanced to level 6.
[Celestial Cloudsword]
• Grade: LV6
• Quality: High Rare
• Category: Sword-type weapon
Attributes:
Strength: +40 (increase of 6)Intelligence: +14 (increase of 2)
Damage:
Physical Attack: +120 (increase of 15)Magical Attack: +30 (increase of 4)
Special Attribute:
Water Attribute Enhancement: +28 (increase of 4)
Special Bonus:
Water attribute attack, enhancing the wielder's affinity with elemental water energy.
Special Damage:
20% additional water attribute damage on hit, increasing their ability to manipulate the mystical currents of water in combat.
Suddenly, something else caught his attention. The crunching of dry leaves alerted him, and from the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw the shadow of another enemy approaching. This time, it was a much more intimidating version of the demons he had been facing.
The red eyes of this Dark Cat Demon glowed intensely as it let out a deep growl. It was clearly stronger than the other demons, and Su Bai knew he had to be fully prepared.
"Perfect. One last test." He thought as he braced himself for the upcoming battle.