Killing Crimson-Eyed Rabbits was easy, true. But the experience points were pitiful, and they almost only dropped the quest item – Crimson Eyes. Even copper coins were a rare sight.Yet Lin Tianhao hunted them relentlessly. His true goal wasn't levels: it was stacking Health.Health was everything. The higher it climbed, the harder his arrows would hit.Besides, he knew a secret. A hidden reward in the starting village. The standard quest asked for one hundred Crimson Eyes. But if you submitted ten thousand...You earned a unique skill. A skill that increased basic attack range. Maxed out, legends said it could extend your reach by a staggering fifty percent.For a Mage or a Priest? Maybe niche. For an Archer like Lin Tianhao? It was game-breaking.Stack the stats, get that range... then his real plan could begin.
Ding! You have slain a Crimson-Eyed Rabbit. EXP +1.Ding! You have slain a Crimson-Eyed Rabbit. EXP +1....Every three seconds, his health pool grew by 2 points. Every minute, roughly 40 points gained. Factoring in movement and the brief moments between kills, he averaged about 30 points per minute.At first, it took twelve arrows to down one rabbit. Then ten. Then eight. Then five.When he hit the five-arrow mark, a chime echoed in his mind.Ding! Your Transcendent Talent [Hand of Heavenly Punishment] has ascended to ★★!
Hand of Heavenly Punishment (Transcendent): ★★☆☆☆
Effect 1: Each basic attack deals True Damage equal to 2% of your Max HP.
Effect 2: Each basic attack permanently increases Max HP by 2 points.
Proficiency: 0/100,000.
With his talent upgraded, rabbits now fell in just three arrows.Thankfully, over eight hours into the game's launch, the rabbit fields were deserted. Any later starters were grinding elsewhere. If anyone had seen him… he'd have drawn a crowd.
During this marathon, he'd also dinged Level 2. Five precious Free Attribute Points. All went straight into Attack Speed, boosting it from 0.63 to 0.73. An improvement, yes, but still agonizingly slow.Equipment. More Attribute Points. That's what I'm starving for, Tianhao thought grimly as another arrow flew, striking a rabbit nearby.-30 (True Damage)His damage was climbing steadily with his swelling Health pool. Three arrows per kill was efficient, but it meant constantly finding new targets, dragging his attack frequency down. Where he once managed thirty shots a minute, now he barely hit twenty. The silver lining? Each shot now granted two Health points, netting him forty per minute – more than before.But a new problem emerged: killing Level 1 mobs at Level 2 yielded zero EXP.In Godslayer's Twilight, outside of dungeons, bosses, or rare elites, slaughtering creatures below your level gave nothing but drops.Tianhao didn't hesitate. He kept grinding. The promise of that range-extending skill was worth the EXP drought.Two more hours vanished.He was still Level 2. But his Health? It had exploded from a paltry 100 to a monstrous 4,800.At this stage, even a Level 5 Warrior, stacking everything into Health, would only boast around 500 HP. Tianhao dwarfed them.Godslayer's Twilight balanced its classes through attribute scaling:
Archers: Got double value from points invested in Attack Speed (0.02 per point vs. 0.01 for others), Attack, and Critical Strike.
Warriors: Received double bonuses for points in Health (+20 HP per point), Armor, and Magic Resist.
Assassins: Excelled with Attack, Movement Speed, and Critical Strike.
Mages & Priests: Focused on Spell Power, Mana Pool, and Movement Speed.Free points from leveling were just the foundation. Real power came from gear. Tianhao desperately needed both.He checked his inventory. Crimson Eyes: 1,600+. A long way from 10,000. But he wasn't worried. One-shotting rabbits now meant collecting eyes would become trivial.Just then, an external notification pinged. Real-world call. Over ten hours logged; probably mealtime.Exiting the gaming pod, Zhou Xiaopang practically vibrated with excitement. "Bro Hao! This game! It's insane! Feels like a whole other world!"They headed towards the cafeteria.The Dream Chaser Club was one of Binhai City's top three gaming organizations. Both Tianhao and Xiaopang were "Gold Farmers" – the lowest rung on the club ladder. For Xiaopang, though, it was paradise: play games, get paid, room and board included. What could be better?A dozen other farmers were already eating. Once everyone was seated, a portly middle-aged man entered, trailed by a secretary in black stockings.Li Haitao. General Manager of Dream Chaser. Also known as "Li Bigmouth." More hot air than gaming talent."Godslayer's Twilight launched today," Li announced, scanning the room. "You've had ten hours. Left to right: report your level and currency earned.""Level 4. Forty-five Copper.""Level 4. Fifty-three Copper.""Level 4. Thirty-two Copper."...The reports came, monotonously Level 4. Finally, it reached Zhou Xiaopang. He puffed out his chest. "Level 5. Two Silver Coins."Li Haitao, previously disinterested, snapped his head up, eyebrows raised. "...Adequate," he finally grunted.Lin Tianhao kept eating. Xiaopang nudged him. "Bro Hao, your turn."Tianhao looked up. "Level 2. Fifteen Copper." Rabbit drop rates were abysmal. Fifteen Copper from over a thousand kills was actually decent.Li Haitao's palm slammed onto the table with a sharp crack!"Lin Tianhao!" he roared. "What the hell is this?! Everyone else is Level 4! How are you only Level 2?!""Watched the promo video. Took some time," Tianhao answered calmly."Watched the promo?!" Spittle flew from Li's mouth. "Do you have any concept of how precious early-game time is?! Wasting it on promos!"The tirade was instant and vicious."Lin Tianhao! This club carries no dead weight! We have no use for idle net-bugs like you! Pack your things! Get out! NOW!"