Village Announcement:
"Player ??? with ID SJ,8848 has killed 'Violent Cat Demon (Lv3 Lord Creature)' in the 'Dark Forest' map and received the first kill reward. His heroic deeds will be recorded in the history of Novice Village No. G233!"
X3!
The village announcement flashed three times in a row.
Suddenly, the public chat channel exploded.
"A Level 3 Violent Cat Demon? Am I seeing this right? How is that even possible? I've been grinding for hours and can barely handle a Level 2 ordinary cat demon one-on-one!"
"Wait a second... notice the title after Lv3—'Lord Creature.' That's a high-tier boss!"
"Uh... can someone explain what a 'Lord Creature' is? Any veterans here?"
"I'm from the fifth team that managed to take down a Level 2 elite creature—the Pipi Deer. I can tell you that killing an elite boss grants a high-quality treasure chest, but it doesn't trigger a full-village announcement!"
"So, Lord Creatures are even stronger than Elite Creatures? Damn! And this guy soloed it?!"
"Boss SJ,8848, please reveal yourself! I just want to... uh, make friends."
"Hold on! Swallow, don't leave me! I'm gonna find a Level 3 Lord Creature too!"
"This handsome guy also wants to be friends with the mysterious SJ,8848!"
The entire Novice Village G233, which had been relatively calm, was now buzzing with excitement.
Players quickly realized that a Lord Creature was even stronger than an Elite Boss, and that someone had defeated one alone. Many people were eager to get on this powerhouse's good side.
Remaining in the Shadows
Jack quietly observed the chat while letting out a sigh of relief.
"Good thing I hid my name. If people found out who I was, staying low-key would be impossible."
In The Killing World, basic player information—such as level, name, and occupation—could be viewed using ordinary reconnaissance skills, but ID numbers were never displayed.
As long as Jack kept his name hidden, no one would know he was the mysterious player who soloed the Violent Cat Demon.
After resting for a while, he felt his health gradually recovering. In this game, HP automatically regenerated outside of combat, though at a slow pace.
The 12 HP he had lost earlier from Qiu Kuang's fireball attack had already been restored. His health was now back above 400 points.
"Alright, time to check my spoils."
Ensuring his surroundings were safe, Jack activated Holy Light Illumination to scan for threats. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the blind boxes he had earned.
Opening the Blind Boxes
System Notification:
"You have opened a 'Rare Blind Box.' Congratulations! You have obtained the skill book 'Violent Power!'"
"You have opened a 'Normal Blind Box.' Congratulations! You have obtained the equipment 'Fine Crossbow!'"
New Skill: Violent Power (Rare Quality Skill Book)
Type: Tradable one-time consumable
Learning Requirements: Level 3, Strength 20+
Skill Effect (Lv1):
Passive ability: For every 1% HP lost, Strength and Agility increase by 1%, up to 20% max.
When HP falls below 50%, gain a 10% lifesteal effect on all attacks.
Jack's eyes lit up.
"As expected from a rare-quality skill—this is insane!"
Without hesitation, he learned Violent Power. With this skill, his combat effectiveness and survivability would significantly improve.
Next, he checked the equipment he had obtained.
New Weapon: Fine Crossbow
Quality: Lv3 Rare
Type: Light Weapon
Durability: 500/500
Requirements: Level 3, Agility 20+
Attributes:
Physical Attack: +55
Agility: +6
Attack Speed: +5%
Special Effect:
Attacks reduce enemy Physical Defense by 12% for 10 seconds.
Jack frowned. Something seemed off.
"This thing has way too much durability!"
For comparison, his Fine Tang Sword +5 had a durability cap of just 50 points—one-tenth of the crossbow's.
Curious about its performance, he decided to test it on a nearby cat demon.
Testing the Fine Crossbow
Jack aimed and fired.
Thwip!
The crossbow launched arrows at a rate of two per second, but accuracy depended on manual aim.
Since Jack had never used a repeating crossbow before, only one out of three arrows actually hit the target.
-85!
The damage number appeared above the cat demon's head.
Enraged, the creature charged at him.
Jack adjusted his aim, and as the cat demon got closer, his accuracy improved. Within moments, the beast was dead.
As he checked his weapon, Jack finally understood the crossbow's durability system.
"Each shot consumes 1 durability point—so, this thing basically has 500 rounds before breaking."
He also noticed another important detail.
"I can equip two weapons at the same time—my Tang Sword and the Crossbow—but their attack power doesn't stack. Their damage calculations are independent."
After some more testing, Jack came to a conclusion.
"The crossbow is a great backup weapon, but it's not practical for my playstyle."
It consumes durability quickly.
Repair costs are high (1 Energy Coin restores 10 durability).
Using it effectively requires practice.
Still, it had one advantage—it could weaken an enemy's defense before switching to melee combat.
Jack decided to keep it as a secondary weapon.
With the crossbow holstered at his waist, he left the Dark Forest and headed for the plains.
Hunting the Mutant Monitor Lizards
As Jack entered the open plains, he spotted a new type of monster: giant lizard-like creatures roaming in the distance.
Activating Insight, he scanned one.
Mutant Monitor Lizard (Lv3 Ordinary Creature)
HP: 600
Strength: 19
Agility: 12
Spirit: 10
Endurance: 13
Stamina: 17
Weak Spot: Eyes
Jack grinned.
"I love fighting slow monsters."
He approached the nearest lizard, which was dozing in the sun.
Jack raised his crossbow and fired.
-76!
The attack triggered the armor-breaking effect, reducing the lizard's defense by 10% for 10 seconds.
Jack dashed in with his Tang Sword, dual-wielding it with both hands.
-128!
-128!
-128!
The lizard barely had time to react before it was dead.
System Notification:
"You have killed 'Mutant Monitor Lizard (Lv3 Ordinary Creature).' Gained 165 XP (+10% level-up bonus) and 1 Energy Coin!"
"Congratulations! You are the first player to kill a 'Mutant Monitor Lizard' in Novice Village G233! You have received a 'Normal Blind Box' as a first-kill reward!"
Jack smirked.
"Good experience, solid kill efficiency—this place is perfect for grinding!"
He reached into his backpack and took out a Medium Experience Potion he had been saving.
Strengthening the potion would require 10,000 XP, which he didn't have at the moment. Besides, it wasn't worth upgrading a consumable early on.
Instead, Jack simply drank it straight—and prepared to slaughter his way across the plains!
To Be Continued…
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