Chương 14: The "M" in MMO

Skill Rune Rare Skill runes are used to store skills. Breaking the rune will let the user learn the skill, if the requirements are met. Skill: Nature's Howl (Rare) Grants the user 10% increased attack speed and 10% increased attack power for the duration. Basic attacks will have the "Lifesteal" effect, healing for 20% of the damage dealt.

Duration: 25 seconds Cooldown: 180 seconds Mana: 28 Restriction: none Required level: 10 The skills I got by leveling up were ranked as 'Basic' skills, while Quick Step was a 'Common' skill. Now, stumbling upon a Rune holding an incredible 'Rare' ability, I figured skills followed a similar scheme as items: the higher the ranking, the more powerful they were. I couldn't wait to hit level 10 and gain Nature's Howl.

Increased attack speed and power, sprinkled with some much needed lifesteal, sounded like it was tailor made for me. Of course, it had no restrictions, but a mage would definitely not get as much use out of it as a Ranger like me. I stayed close and farmed the remaining boars, hounds, and wolves until level 9. I will have just enough time then to get back to Carpa and meet with this Castiel fellow.

The moment Seb left the vicinity, someone appeared from the hills beside the lake, barely twenty meters from where the Duskwolf Alpha had been killed. A second later, three more figures showed up.

"Did you see that, boss?" A Rogue turned to the Arcanist of the group.

"He soloed the elite mob that almost wiped us out when you and Talion weren't here."

"He's definitely an expert. He had the goblin camp leader's longbow and a full set of leather armor. That breastplate was particularly impressive. I wonder where he got it from," the mage answered.

"It was crafted armor," the group's Ranger said.

"It looks almost like my Leather Armor, but he probably used better quality materials. And the man's name is Orion."

"How do you know?" the Cleric, dressed in green robes, asked with a mocking impression. The girl rolled his eyes.

"I know, Talion, because he was the one who won the shooting competition in the village. I know thinking is not your forte, but..." Instead of finishing the sentence, she pointed at her bow, then pointed in the direction where the lone Ranger went, and raised her eyebrows. The girl was called Alysanna, fifth place at Carpa's archery competition.

"That doesn't make it obvious!" Talion burst out defensively.

"Enough," The mage said.

"We shouldn't waste any more time. We need to hit level 10 as soon as possible. All of us should be level 9 within the hour." He turned to the rogue.

"Scale, scout ahead, look for other elite mobs and big groups. We'll wipe them out with AoE attacks." Just as he said that, a group of three Lakeside Boars spawned nearby, and almost instantly aggro'd on the group. As they were charging, the rogue effortlessly dodged out of their way, while Talion, the Cleric, cast a spell that was not among his basic rotation.

"Binding Chains!" Three shackles made of light burst ahead from his hand, rooting all three of the boars in place. Even before the spell had hit its targets, the Arcanist had already started chanting. Once again, it wasn't a simple skill. If Orion had seen it at this point in the game, he probably wouldn't have believed his own eyes, but the truth was, Godsrealm was a game with infinite possibilities. And good players capitalized on them all.

It was natural for them to stumble upon things that would separate them from the rest. After all, the system didn't give Seb a secret reward for killing the elite wolf. And that meant that the first clear bonus for hunting down an Elite did not go to him. The Arcanist finished casting, and hell — literally — let loose.

"Flame Hydra!" Three heads of a serpent-like creature made of fire broke out of the earth, engulfing the boars and their vicinity in flames, instantly killing all three of them. Members in a party didn't receive the full amount of experience for killing monsters, but it wasn't evenly divided either. If a party of two killed a monster, for example, 110% of the original experience would be divided between them, so both would get 55%. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road.

If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The maximum number of players in a single party was six, and the EXP they gained overall was 150% of the original value. Sure, individually, that was less than playing solo, but the total amount was greater, and the efficiency of a six-man team was usually heaps higher as well. The problem was that the more people were in a party, the bigger groups of mobs were needed to stay efficient.

This was exactly why always playing with party members might not have been the best option. If mobs were scarce, a solo player would level faster than a team.

"You getting a skill like that this early on is cheating, Cyrus," Alysanna said, clearly upset that she barely had anything to do during the encounter.

"I get a fancier dodge, you get a literal nuke."

"You're one to talk!" Talion said.

"I don't even have Quick Step! Boss kills everything so fast I have no chance to dodge two attacks at the same time. At least let some mobs aggro on me every once in a while!"

"What do you mean? Talking like you don't have an uncommon skill like Binding Chains!" Scale retaliated.

"I have nothing but Quick Step either."

"Don't be impatient, guys!" Cyrus said. He opened his skill book and looked at the spell he had just used. 📖 Skill Book Flame Hydra Epic Summon the heads of a fiery Hydra, dealing massive area of effect fire damage. Enemies hit by the spell are affected with "Burn", dealing damage every second for 4 seconds.

Cooldown: Channeling time: 180 seconds 4 seconds Mana Cost: 60 He got it from a Skill Rune that was a reward for being the first players in Tidemark County to kill the level 10 Elite monster Flaming Centipede, in the caves of Dusk Peak. The monster had dropped a rare skill rune that evolved into an epic one from the secret reward. Not having a level restriction was ridiculous, and ever since obtaining it, the party had no problem clearing groups of monsters around here.

They could even split up to increase their efficiency, although that didn't last long: after the encounter with the Duskwolf Alpha, Team B went back for Team A to have some backup. If only they were faster, they could have had two Elite kills under their belt by now. Of course, they saw the fight between the monster and the lone Ranger, but they didn't want to steal EXP and loot from someone else. If he were to fall, however, they wouldn't have said no to an injured Elite and the rewards for killing it.

Orion had exceeded their expectations.

"Let's wait for Scale to find a bigger group of mobs while the cooldown of Flame Hydra resets," Cyrus said.

"In the meantime, we can just kill the solo monsters around here. It's better than standing around doing nothing."

"Roger that!"

I crouched low in the bushes, my bow drawn, scanning the clearing ahead. A small group of Lakeside Boars foraged near the water, their snouts rooting through the dirt. Easy prey. But beyond them, I quickly noticed the pack of Duskhounds and their larger cousins, Duskwolves, sneaking through the trees. Their glowing eyes flickered in the darkness, watching the boars with predatory intent. I grimaced. Looks like I'm not the only hunter here. I nocked an arrow and took aim at the nearest boar.

The creature raised its head, its coarse fur glinting faintly in the twilight. Releasing the string, I watched the arrow strike true, embedding itself behind its shoulder. The boar squealed in pain and turned to charge, but another quick shot ended its life before it could reach me. The other two boars followed it to the afterlife shortly after. The commotion drew the attention of the pack.

Duskhounds darted out of the trees, accompanied by menacing growls, while the Duskwolves stood back, blending in with the shadows." Here we go," I muttered, retreating to higher ground. The first hound lunged, its claws swiping through the air as I rolled to the side. I fired a Piercing Shot, the arrow striking its chest and also hitting the one behind it. They slowed down in confusion, but a third hound flanked me, teeth snapping.

I spun and loosed a Burning Arrow, the fire licking its side as it yelped and collapsed from the critical hit and the DoT damage. As I kept moving, my thoughts wandered in a different direction. Why does Castiel want to see me? He's clearly skilled, and he's got his own reputation, I thought. Another hound jumped at me, forcing me back into focus. I sidestepped its attack and fired quickly, the arrow burying itself in its throat as it blazed past. Maybe he's scouting for talent?

I knew I was better than him at target shooting, but I held no delusions: power-wise, I still couldn't hold a candle to NPCs. I wasn't even level 10, after all. Does he want to accuse me of cheating? The thought brought a smile to my face. That was probably not the case, although it was funny to think about such a scenario. A deep growl pulled my attention back to the Duskwolf. It let out a bark, and two more joined the fray.

My heart raced as I had never fought this many enemies before, at least not in this game, but everything went flawlessly. I retreated further up the slope, the uneven terrain slowing their advance slightly. I activated Burning Arrow, firing into the lead hound and setting it ablaze. The second darted forward, but I sent a Piercing Shot to challenge the wolf, and once again, the rapid arrow sped through and out the back of the beast, grazing another one in its path.

I needed to be wary of my mana, so I switched to basic attacks. The Duskwolf growled, its glowing eyes locked onto me. It leapt up the slope in a single bound, claws raking against my arm as I stumbled back. My health bar dipped a bit, and I gritted my teeth. Focus, I thought, drawing another arrow. Even so, my mind kept going back to the leather hat wearing man. Maybe he wants something else. Is he looking for apprentices? Or maybe he wants to be trained by me! I sent arrow after arrow at the pack.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with archery at all. I rolled to the side, avoiding another claw attack, and I fired a point-blank shot. It tore through fur and hide, almost felling the beast. The remaining wolves hesitated as the lead one fell back, its health bar nearly depleted. I used the moment to finish the closest with a quick shot, leaving just two wolves and one stray hound. It wouldn't make sense if it wasn't about archery, as that is all he knows about me, I concluded.

My next attack found the pack leader mid-air; the arrow struck its chest, and it soon collapsed with a heavy thud, the kill pushing me over the threshold, getting me to level 9. The last wolf and the hound were hesitant to attack, and I slowly shouldered my bow. They whined softly before retreating into the treeline. Good choice. I spent my attribute points on Strength, then skinned all my kills.

I had to move back to the village to get there in time for my mysterious meeting, and I still had a to-do list in my head that I wanted to finish before calling it for the day. I wanted to sell my excess loot, unused equipment, and all the flowers I'd collected. Doing something with the plethora of crafting materials in my inventory wouldn't have hurt either, and I also had the exquisite hide waiting to be turned into something extraordinary.

I also wanted to hit level 10 before logging off, but that had to wait until after I met Castiel. Plenty of things to look forward to, I thought. Godsrealm had so much to offer, and I had barely even scraped the first layer of the surface.