Leander gripped his rusted sword tightly as he stepped into the first map of the beginner's area: Clover Plains.
It didn't take long before a group of wild boars appeared in his path. Their bodies emitted a sinister black mist, and each had two menacing tusks protruding from their jaws.
[Monster: Enraged Wild Boar]
[Level: Lv.2]
[HP: 20/20]
[Attack: Enraged Tusks – Deals 5 damage to the target and inflicts continuous pain, reducing HP by 1 per second for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds.]
[Description: Be careful not to provoke the leader of the wild boar herd, or you'll face their collective wrath.]
Leander's gaze fell on the largest boar at the front of the group. Its massive frame and the thick black mist surrounding it radiated a savage aura.
Not wanting to risk a direct confrontation with the herd, Leander carefully circled around to the edge of the group. He targeted the boar furthest from the others, raised his sword, and struck. Then, he quickly retreated a few steps.
As expected, the lone boar's aggro was drawn. It broke away from the herd and clumsily charged at Leander.
Leander smirked. With a quick sidestep, he dodged the boar's bite and thrust his sword forward. The blade seemed to find its mark instinctively, piercing the boar's eye.
[Critical hit! Damage doubled. Enraged Wild Boar HP -7.]
The boar's health bar immediately dropped to [13/20].
"Easier than I thought. These boars must be designed as practice targets for beginners," Leander muttered, his initial caution easing.
With his confidence restored, he launched a basic swordsmanship skill followed by a normal attack, dealing a total of 8 damage.
[Enraged Wild Boar HP -8. Remaining HP: 5/20.]
The boar's skill cooldown ended, and it lunged at Leander with its tusks, aiming for his leg. But Leander's agility was higher, and he dodged the attack effortlessly.
With his Basic Swordsmanship skill refreshed, Leander gripped his rusted sword tightly and delivered a decisive slash.
[Enraged Wild Boar HP -5.]
The boar let out a pitiful squeal before collapsing to the ground. Two glowing items appeared near its corpse.
[Congratulations! You've completed your first monster kill. You've received the following rewards: F-grade armor ×1, silver coin ×1, EXP +20.]
[You've killed a Lv.2 Enraged Wild Boar. Rewards: EXP +5, Evolution Points +2, Wild Boar Tusk ×1.]
The total of 25 EXP caused a faint glow to envelop Leander's body as he leveled up.
He quickly equipped the armor, picked up the silver coin and materials, and was greeted by two red exclamation mark notifications.
[Notification: You've unlocked a new skill. Would you like to learn it?]
[Notification: You currently have 2 Evolution Points. You can use them to evolve a skill of your choice.]
Leander tapped to confirm the skill unlock.
[Congratulations! You've learned a new skill: Whirlwind Swordsmanship.]
However, with only 2 Evolution Points, he could only afford to evolve his Basic Swordsmanship.
[Congratulations! Basic Swordsmanship has evolved successfully.]
[Personal Information Panel (Public)]
Name: Leander
Level: Lv.2 (EXP: 15/100)
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
HP: 10,020/10,020
MP: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Lifespan: 9,999,999 years
Wealth: 1 silver coin
Faction: Human
Reputation: 0
Guild: Unlocks at Lv.10
Equipped Medals: None
[Basic Attributes Panel]
Strength: 5 → 6
Defense: 5 → 7
Endurance: 5 → 7
Agility: 5 → 6
Intelligence: 5 → 6
[Equipment Panel]
Armor: F-grade Armor [Defense +5]
Weapon: Rusted Iron Sword [Bound] [Attack +2–4]
Backpack: Beginner's Backpack (Space Remaining: 2/20)
[Skill Panel – Warrior]
Basic Swordsmanship (Tier 0 → Tier 1): A normal attack that consumes no MP. Slashes the enemy, dealing 5 → 10 physical damage. Attack frequency increased by 50%. (Next evolution requires 10 Evolution Points.)
Whirlwind Swordsmanship (Tier 0): A single-target burst skill that consumes 5 MP, dealing 10–13 damage. Cooldown: 5 seconds. (Next evolution requires 5 Evolution Points.)
[Talent Panel]
Talent 1: Infinite Evolution (SSSSS-grade). When in a solo state, killing non-elemental monsters grants Evolution Points equal to the monster's level × your level. Evolution Points can be used to evolve skills.
Leander's eyes lit up as he noticed the improvement in his Basic Swordsmanship. The increased attack frequency meant his attack speed had significantly improved.
Looking at the remaining wild boars ahead, Leander felt a surge of excitement.
Still, he remained cautious. Though his initial health was high, these wild boars were filthy, and he certainly didn't want to get covered in their excrement. This time, Leander drew two boars, easily dodged their attacks, and aimed his sword at their eyes.
[Critical hit! Damage doubled. Damage +17.]
[Critical hit! Damage doubled. Damage +15.]
...
In less than 20 seconds, both boars were down. They dropped a few silver coins, two Wild Boar Tusks, and granted him 10 EXP and 4 Evolution Points.
Leander's EXP now stood at 25/100.
The difference in damage and efficiency after leveling up and evolving his skills was staggering.
"I've been too cautious," Leander thought. "With my current attack speed and damage, I can easily take on five at once!"
Acting on his realization, Leander charged forward. Within a minute, he had slain five more wild boars, earning another 25 EXP and 10 Evolution Points.
[EXP: 50/100]
[Evolution Points: 14]
With 14 Evolution Points, Leander could only evolve one skill. He chose to further evolve Basic Swordsmanship, as it required no MP and offered higher attack frequency.
[Congratulations! Basic Swordsmanship has evolved successfully.]
Basic Swordsmanship (Tier 1 → Tier 2): A normal attack that consumes no MP. Slashes the enemy, dealing 10 → 20 physical damage. Attack frequency increased by 50%. Current attack speed: 3 attacks per second. (Next evolution requires 20 Evolution Points.)
The increase in both damage and attack speed was significant.
Leander's eyes gleamed with determination. His SSSSS-level talent, Infinite Evolution, was proving to be far more powerful than he had imagined. He was certain there were even greater surprises waiting for him.
Turning his gaze to the massive wild boar leader, which was several times his size, Leander felt a surge of confidence.
"This oversized pig is nothing."
After clearing the remaining wild boars, Leander faced the Lv.5 boar leader. Thanks to his high attack speed, he defeated it with ease.
[Congratulations! You've killed 10 monsters and earned the Beginner's Hero Medal. Equipping this medal grants +10 Human Reputation and a 10% discount on materials, equipment, and bundles.]
[Congratulations! You've killed the Elite Enraged Wild Boar Leader. Rewards: Silver Coins ×5, Rare Material: Assault Tusk ×2, Map Fragment ×1.]
Leander picked up the glowing loot. As he looked up, he noticed four players approaching him.
The leader, an archer, waved at him. "Hey, bro! Wanna team up? We're clearing dungeons, and we could really use a warrior!"