After spending more than ten minutes, Wu Shaochen finally returned to Jinling City. Walking in, he noticed that after six hours of sleep, the city was now teeming with players.
It seemed there was money to be made. He hadn't earned anything in a while, so he decided to start by turning in his quest.
He headed straight for the City Lord's mansion but was stopped at the entrance by the guards.
"The City Lord's residence is restricted. Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entry."
"Quite the arrogance," Wu Shaochen muttered to himself before explaining his purpose and presenting the letter. The guard quickly entered to report, and soon came out to lead him inside.
Upon entering the main hall, Wu Shaochen immediately recognized the middle-aged man sitting with a stern expression; he was undoubtedly the City Lord.
"I hear you encountered Ji Rui? How is he now?" the City Lord asked, stepping down as soon as he saw Wu Shaochen.
"I'm sorry to say, he has passed away. He entrusted this letter to me before his death and asked that I deliver it to you," Wu Shaochen said, handing over the letter.
The City Lord sighed deeply. "I should have been more thorough in assessing the enemy before sending them," he lamented, then took the letter and read it carefully.
After finishing, he clenched his fists in anger, and after a long pause, he spoke: "Adventurer, thank you for bringing this letter back. This is your reward."
"Ding! Quest complete. Congratulations, you have gained 200 reputation and 20 gold coins."
"20 gold coins? Not bad for just delivering a letter. This City Lord sure is generous," Wu Shaochen thought, pleased.
He was about to leave when he noticed that the City Lord still looked troubled. His curiosity piqued, Wu Shaochen spoke up. "City Lord, it seems like you are facing a difficult situation. I wonder if there's anything I can do to help."
The City Lord's eyes brightened for a moment but quickly dimmed as he responded, "Indeed, there is a rather troublesome matter, but with your current strength, you're not yet capable of handling it."
"No problem, City Lord. You don't have a solution yet, right? Let me give it a try. Rest assured, I am quite strong, and as adventurers, we don't truly die," Wu Shaochen said, making one final plea. He felt this task must be significant.
Clearly, Wu Shaochen's words had made an impact. After a moment of thought, the City Lord relented. "Very well, at present, there are no better candidates. I'll entrust this task to you. However, if things don't go well, we'll have to rethink. I'll find another way then."
"Ding! The City Lord of Jinling has assigned you a quest. Quest details: Go to Blackwind Stronghold, defeat the Blackwind Stronghold's leader, and bring the leader's head back to the City Lord. Quest duration: 3 days. Quest reward: Unknown!"
"The Blackwind Stronghold leader sounds like quite the formidable opponent. An unknown reward... does the City Lord not have high hopes for me?" Wu Shaochen thought, then asked, "City Lord, what is the strength of this Blackwind Stronghold leader?"
"Level 20, Silver-tier," the City Lord said gravely.
"Ah?" Wu Shaochen was momentarily stunned. Was he digging his own grave? A Silver-tier at level 20? It was obvious that he was far from strong enough to handle this.
"Well, since I've accepted, I'll at least go see the leader. After all, where else can I find a Silver-tier boss? Plus, I have three days. If I can't beat him, I'll just take some time to level up," Wu Shaochen thought.
"Alright, City Lord, I'll take my leave now. Expect good news from me," Wu Shaochen said with a smile.
"Be careful, and good luck!"
Leaving the City Lord's mansion, Wu Shaochen made his way straight to the Hall of War Gods. Inside, there were still plenty of players. The War God's Secret Realm was a solo challenge, but many players still gathered around to watch the heroic feats displayed by others.
He walked directly to the vortex door of the War God's Secret Realm...
"Ding! Do you wish to challenge the War God's Secret Realm?"
"Yes."
The vortex door opened, and Wu Shaochen stepped inside. The scene shifted, and he found himself in an isolated space. Soon, a figure carrying a massive axe materialized before him.
[War God's Phantom]Bronze-tier
Level: 13
Health: 250,000
Physical Attack: 700
Physical Defense: 300
Magical Defense: 150
Movement Speed: 80
Skill 1: Heavy Slash: Swings the massive axe downward with great force, dealing 170% physical damage to the target. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Skill 2: Horizontal Slash: Sweeps the axe in a wide arc, dealing 155% physical damage to all enemies within 1 meter. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Skill 3: Block: Uses the axe to block the next incoming attack. Cooldown: 5 seconds.
This enemy's attributes were comparable to the Black Bear King's. Fortunately, its skills didn't include crowd control. While the damage was fierce, Wu Shaochen didn't feel too much pressure. He activated his speed boost, struck twice, and easily dodged the Phantom's basic attack, stepping back.
He tried using Stealth, thinking it would make the fight easier, but to his surprise, the War God's Phantom could see through his Stealth. It seemed the system wouldn't let him slack off. Fortunately, the War God's Phantom's attack range was quite short, and with each two strikes, he only had to endure one basic attack or skill, making the fight manageable.
After over eight minutes, the War God's Phantom finally collapsed, and Wu Shaochen was teleported out.
"Ding! Congratulations, you have succeeded in the challenge. Your rank has been upgraded to Bronze-tier. You have gained +20 to all attributes, and 20 free attribute points. Your [War God's Medal]has been upgraded from Black Iron to Bronze-tier. As the first player to reach Bronze-tier, you are rewarded with +20 free attribute points."
"Ah, this feels great. As expected, increasing my rank is the best way to grow stronger," Wu Shaochen thought, looking at his newfound 60 free attribute points, including those from the previous two levels. He decided to allocate 20 points to Agility and 40 to Root, focusing on stacking defense. With his Agility already high, he knew that even the boss monsters he faced now couldn't match his speed.
He glanced at his newly upgraded [War God's Medal], which had boosted all of his attributes by 20%. The results were truly remarkable. Looking at his stats now:
Name: Dust Seal
Rank: Bronze-tier
Level: 13
Health: 2708
Mana: 540
Physical Attack: 263
Magical Attack: 84
Physical Defense: 246
Magical Defense: 216
Movement Speed: 258
Attack Speed: 54%
Crit Rate: 5%
Experience: 29,710/50,000
Strength: 68
Intelligence: 42
Constitution: 103
Root: 156
Spirit: 42
Agility: 208
Talent: Poison Damage 260 (can stack up to 3 layers)
Immortal Body: +318 max health
Equipment:
Weapon: [Wooden Sword]Newbie Equipment: Attack +2
Helmet: [Wolf King Helmet]Black Iron: Health +200, Defense +10, Additional Attributes: Constitution +6
Armor: [Wild Boar King Armor]Black Iron: Health +100, Defense +10, Additional Attributes: Constitution +8
Pants: [Bear King Leggings]Black Iron: Health +300, Physical Defense +20, Magical Defense +10, Additional Attributes: Constitution +12
Belt: [Silver Wolf King Belt]Bronze: Health +300, Dual Defense +20, Additional Attributes: Constitution +10, Root +10
Boots: [Black Bear King Boots]Bronze: Movement Speed +50, Physical Defense +30, Magical Defense +30, Additional Attributes: Agility +18, Root +15
Necklace: [Silver Wolf King Necklace]Bronze: Attack +25, Crit Rate +5%, Luck +3, Additional Attributes: Strength +10, Agility +8
Left Bracelet: [Silver Wolf Bracelet]Whiteboard: Health +20, Attack +12, Attack Speed +1%
Right Bracelet: [Bear King Bracelet]Black Iron: Physical Attack +50, Attack Speed +6%, Additional Attributes: Agility +12
Left Ring: [Toad Ring]Whiteboard: Health +20, Physical Attack +8, Attack Speed +1%
Right Ring: [Silver Wolf King Ring]Bronze: Health +100, Attack +30, Attack Speed +5%, Additional Attributes: Strength +12, Constitution +10