After running for over ten minutes, Ethan Carter finally reached Golden Ridge City. The city was bustling with players, a stark contrast to the stillness when Ethan last logged off. It seed the influx of players had grown significantly in the six hours he'd been offline.
"Looks like it's ti to start making so money again. Feels like forever since my last paycheck." Ethan thought with a grin. But first, he needed to turn in his quest.
He headed straight to the City Hall. However, as soon as he arrived at the entrance, the guards stopped him in his tracks.
"This is the City Hall. No unauthorized individuals are allowed inside," one of the guards declared coldly.
"Well, that's rude." Ethan rolled his eyes but explained his purpose and showed the letter from the dying soldier. The guard's deanor imdiately shifted. He hurried inside to report, then quickly returned to lead Ethan through the grand entrance.
Inside the main hall, Ethan was t by a middle-aged man exuding authority. It was clear that this was the city's mayor.
"I heard you encountered Captain Jeray. What's his condition?" the mayor asked as he descended from his seat.
"I'm sorry, sir. He didn't make it," Ethan said, handing over the letter. "He entrusted this to before he passed."
The mayor's face fell. He sighed deeply and muttered, "It's my fault... I underestimated the enemy and sent them to their deaths." His hands trembled as he read the letter, his expression growing darker with each word.
After a long silence, the mayor spoke again. "Thank you for delivering this. Here is your reward."
Ding! Quest Complete. You have gained 200 reputation points and 20 gold coins.
Ethan's eyes widened at the notification. "Whoa, 20 gold for a simple delivery? This guy's really generous," he thought gleefully.
Just as he was about to leave, Ethan noticed the mayor's troubled expression. Seizing the opportunity, he asked, "Mayor, it seems like sothing else is troubling you. Is there any way I can help?"
The mayor's eyes lit up briefly but then dimd again. "There is indeed a pressing matter, but I doubt soone of your current strength could handle it."
"Don't worry, Mayor. Us adventurers have an advantage—we don't truly die. Let give it a shot. Who knows, I might surprise you," Ethan said confidently.
The mayor seed to consider this for a mont before nodding. "Alright. We have no better options right now. I'll entrust this to you. But if the task proves too difficult, retreat imdiately. I will find another way."
Ding! New Quest Received: "Eliminate the Black Wind Stronghold's Leader." Objective: Defeat the leader of the Black Wind Stronghold and return with their head. Ti Limit: 3 days. Reward: Unknown.
"The Black Wind Stronghold Leader? That sounds intense. And an unknown reward? They must think I'm dood to fail," Ethan mused. He then asked, "Mayor, what can you tell about the leader's strength?"
"Level 20. Bronze Rank." The mayor's tone was grave.
"Level 20? And Bronze Rank?" Ethan felt a sinking feeling in his chest. "Did I just dig my own grave?"
Still, he quickly steeled himself. "Well, I've already accepted it. At least it's a Bronze boss—where else am I going to find one of those to fight? Besides, I have three days. If I'm not ready now, I'll just power up first."
He gave the mayor a confident smile. "Don't worry, Mayor. I'll get it done."
"Be careful," the mayor said sincerely as Ethan departed.
Ethan headed directly to the War God's Hall. The large building was bustling with players, so idly admiring the statues of legendary warriors while others were gathered near the vortex portal that led to the Trial of the War God.
Ignoring the crowd, Ethan walked straight to the portal.
Ding! Do you wish to challenge the Trial of the War God?
"Yes."
The swirling vortex activated, and Ethan stepped through. The scenery shifted, and he found himself in a secluded space. Before him, a figure wielding a massive battle-axe materialized from the ether.
[War God's Avatar] (Bronze-tier)
Level: 13
Health: 250,000
Physical Attack: 700
Physical Defense: 300
Magical Defense: 150
Speed: 80
Skills:
Heavy Strike: Swings the battle-axe in a downward arc, dealing 170% physical damage. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Sweeping Slash: Swings the battle-axe in a wide arc, dealing 155% physical damage to all enemies within a 1-ter radius. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Block: Uses the battle-axe to block the next incoming attack. Cooldown: 5 seconds.
Ethan assessed the stats. "This guy's stats are on par with the Black Bear King. At least his skills don't include crowd control—that's a relief."
He activated Rapid Burst and darted forward, landing two swift strikes on the avatar before retreating. Each strike applied a stack of his poison, dealing 260 damage per second. After enduring a single attack from the avatar, Ethan retreated to safety.
He activated Stealth, thinking it would make things easier, but to his surprise, the avatar imdiately saw through it. "Looks like it's not letting slack off," Ethan thought. Fortunately, the War God's Avatar had a very short attack range. As long as he stuck to striking twice per turn, he only had to endure one normal attack or skill, which posed little real danger.
Still, the avatar's short attack range worked to his advantage. By alternating between attacking twice and retreating, Ethan avoided most of the damage. After just over eight minutes, the avatar crumbled to the ground.
Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Trial of the War God.
Your rank has increased to Bronze.
You gained 20 to all attributes.
You received 20 free attribute points.
Your [War God's dal] has been upgraded to Bronze Rank.
As the first player to reach Bronze Rank, you have earned an additional 20 free attribute points.
Ethan couldn't help but grin as he checked his updated stats. Including the points he had saved, he now had 60 free attribute points. He distributed 20 points into Agility and the remaining 40 into Stamina, deciding it was ti to bolster his defenses.
His newly upgraded War God's dal now granted a 20% boost to all attributes. The impact on his stats was staggering:
Na: Sealed
Rank: Bronze
Level: 13
Health: 2,708
Mana: 540
Physical Attack: 263
Magical Attack: 84
Physical Defense: 246
Magical Defense: 216
Movent Speed: 258
Attack Speed: 54%
Critical Rate: 5%
Talent: Toxic Source (260 poison damage per second, stackable up to 3 layers)
Immortal Physique: 318 maximum health
Equipped Gear:
Weapon: [Wooden Sword] Starter Gear: 2 Attack
Helt: [Wolf King Helt] Black Iron: 200 Health, 10 Defense, 6 Stamina
Armor: [Boar King Armor] Black Iron: 100 Health, 10 Defense, 8 Stamina
Pants: [Bear King Legguards] Black Iron: 300 Health, 20 Physical Defense, 10 Magical Defense, 12 Stamina
Belt: [Silver Wolf King Belt] Bronze: 300 Health, 20 to both defenses, 10 Stamina, 10 Constitution
Boots: [Black Bear King Boots] Bronze: 50 Movent Speed, 30 to both defenses, 18 Agility, 15 Constitution
Necklace: [Silver Wolf King Necklace] Bronze: 25 Attack, 5% Critical Rate, 3 Luck, 10 Strength, 8 Agility
Left Bracelet: [Silver Wolf Bracelet] Common: 20 Health, 12 Attack, 1% Attack Speed
Right Bracelet: [Bear King Bracelet] Black Iron: 50 Attack, 6% Attack Speed, 12 Agility
Left Ring: [Toad Ring] Common: 20 Health, 8 Attack, 1% Attack Speed
Right Ring: [Silver Wolf King Ring] Bronze: 100 Health, 30 Attack, 5% Attack Speed, 12 Strength, 10 Stamina
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