Lin Tianhao blinked. So that's why the Hydra Cypress only had one skill... the others were sacrificed to empower it. The revelation clicked. From the dungeon haul, he'd kept Withered Wood's Rejuvenation and still had 12 other Skill Books leftover – all common drops from the Treants, useless to his build.
"Learn Withered Wood's Rejuvenation!""Sacrifice Skill Books!"
He fed 10 of the Treant skill books into the new passive.Withered Wood's Rejuvenation (Passive Skill): ★★☆☆☆
Effect: When your HP falls below 10%, you instantly restore 20% of your Maximum HP.
Cooldown: 12 Hours
Proficiency: 0/100 *(Note: Proficiency is gained by sacrificing Skill Books. Each book sacrificed grants +1 Proficiency. Certain unique skills may grant more.)*
Perfect. Just as he'd hoped. Each star rank increased the heal by 10% and significantly reduced the cooldown. This boost was monumental. Combined with his ever-growing health pool, this skill transformed him into a survivor of legendary proportions. Crucially, the percentage-based healing meant its power scaled infinitely into the late game. At 30,000 HP, 20% was 6,000. At 3,000,000 HP? It would be 600,000. This was a true endgame-tier ability, secured in the Newbie Zone.
Refocusing, Tianhao checked his EXP bar. Halfway to Level 10. He could reach it within half an hour if he prioritized grinding. But leveling wasn't his sole objective. He opened the Global Level Leaderboard:
NetherEmperor (Nether Realm): Level 11 (25%)
DreamChaser_FrostSnow (Dragon Nation): Level 10 (95%)
MoneyMeansNothing (Dragon Nation): Level 10 (91%)
FloatingPagoda_DivineWolf (Dragon Nation): Level 10 (90%)
KingSizeTruth (Dragon Nation): Level 10 (88%)...
The gaps were tight. Tianhao recognized most names. The top three were high-ranking officers in major guilds. MoneyMeansNothing was the infamous Dragon Nation tycoon heir – levels bought with sheer wealth, amplified by uncanny luck and genuine skill. A frustratingly complete package. KingSizeTruth, much like Zhou Xiaopang in his past life, had likely struck early gold with some unique opportunity, rocketing him to fame. Tianhao recalled the man faded into obscurity later as early advantages dwindled.
Next, he opened the Global Gear Leaderboard:
Golden Scepter (Gold)
Thunderclap Bow (Silver)
Hydra Bulwark (Bronze)
Hydra Pauldrons (Bronze)
Hydra Cloak (Bronze)...
Just like last time. The Golden Scepter belonged to DreamChaser_FrostSnow, the owner of the Dream Chaser Club. It was a Summoner's weapon with a single, devastating effect: Summon 6 Level 10 Obsidian Bosses. An absolute game-breaker in the early stages. One Obsidian Boss could dominate; six were an unstoppable tide. FrostSnow herself... Tianhao remembered her from his time at the club. Attractive, but prone to nepotism, filling key positions with incompetent relatives, fostering a toxic environment. Irrelevant now. With his Transcendent talent, surpassing her was inevitable.
He allocated the 50 Free Attribute Points from the First Clear reward entirely into Attack Speed. It surged from 2.63 → 3.63. He'd briefly considered putting a few points into Movement Speed, but ultimately dismissed it. Attack Speed was the core synergy with Hand of Heavenly Punishment. Faster attacks meant faster Health stacking, fueling his True Damage engine.
Finally, the Quest Scroll. These were exceptionally rare, representing tasks issued not by mundane NPCs, but by the Gods themselves. Completing them could grant Divine Blessings – permanent stat boosts at minimum, legendary Traits at best.
He unrolled the ancient parchment. The script glowed with divine power. As he read, his blood ran cold.
"Beneath the Newbie Village slumbers a Droughtfiend (Lich). Should this ancient evil awaken, desolation and death shall sweep the land."
"Quest Objective: Slaughter every NPC within the Newbie Village. Destroy the Village Heartstone. Ensure all Adventurers from other worlds can only manifest within Main Cities, forever barred from returning to these cursed grounds.""Quest Penalty: None.""Quest Reward: Unknown."
Tianhao stared, his face hardening into a mask of grim disbelief. This quest...It wasn't just absurd; it was suicidal madness. He'd seen bizarre quests in his past life, but this? Annihilate the entire Newbie Village? Even the lowliest tavern servant NPC could casually flick their hand and deal thousands of damage. The Village Elder? The Blacksmith? Their power levels were likely astronomical – akin to level 200 elites. This wasn't a quest; it was a death warrant disguised as divine mandate.
He carefully rerolled the scroll, stowing it deep in his inventory. No penalty for refusal... for now. He needed time to process this insanity.
Exiting the dungeon portal, Tianhao found the area bustling. Players clustered, shouting recruitment pleas:"Need a beefy Cleric! Big heals! Got two carry DPS, damage guaranteed!""Anyone cleared this besides Snow Emperor? Buying gear! Paying top gold, no lowballs!"...Tianhao scanned the crowd. Newbie Village #10086 wasn't a hotspot for elite players; they congregated in the lower-numbered starting zones. He ignored the chatter and set off towards the village outskirts.
According to the Elder's quest, slaying ten Bosses would yield a special reward. The higher the level, the better the prize. He recalled another unique Boss in the village: the Bard Zhou Xiaopang had encountered. Whispers claimed its true form was a shapeshifting Wererat (Kitsune), having gained human form through trickery. Its motives within the village were murky, potentially sinister. The past-life guides had been vague, but it was a lead.
As he walked, a prickle of danger shot down his spine. Instinct screamed. Without turning, he whirled, not drawing an arrow, but using the Thunderclap Bow itself like a bladed staff, scything it backwards in a crackling arc. It wasn't meant to kill, but to disrupt an ambush.Ssss-CLANG!