am-books Chapter 4 4: Still a Surprise?
Chapter 4 4: Still a Surprise?
A flash of white light, and Tristan found himself in a completely new environment.
At the same time, a system prompt sounded in his ear.
"Welcome to ExoGenesis. You have been assigned to Newbie Village 8860. We wish you a pleasant game experience."
Seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar Newbie Village, Tristan took a deep breath and felt his fighting spirit ignite.
"Let's check out the starting skills."
Tristan opened his character panel.
...
[Nickname]: Blackshade
[Class]: Shadow Assassin (Unique)
[Level]: 1 (0/1000)
[Attributes]: Strength 5, Constitution 5, Agility 8, Spirit 4
[Attack]: 10
[Defense]: 7
[Health Points]: 100
[Mana Points]: 50
[Equipment]: Starter Dagger (Attack +5), Starter Leather Armor (Defense +1), Starter Leggings (Defense +1)
[Skills]:Shadow Stealth LV1 (Enter Stealth mode. Breaking Stealth Strike deals additional (Attack * 100% + 20) damage, consumes 5 Mana, cooldown time 20 seconds).
Shadow Dagger LV1 (Use shadow energy to create a dagger that deals (Attack * 110%) damage, consumes 5 Mana, cooldown time 10 seconds).
Shadow Strike LV1 (A powerful melee attack that deals (Attack * 110%) damage, consumes 5 Mana, cooldown time 5 seconds)...
This was a pleasant surprise!
Originally, Tristan had planned to sell all of his starting equipment, buy a longbow from the blacksmith, and then start farming monsters from a distance.
Given his skills, kite fighting would be no problem.
But now, with the starting skills that came with Shadow Assassin, he didn't need a longbow at all.
Not only that, but the damage from Breaking Stealth Strike exceeded Tristan's expectations.
In addition to the fixed 20 damage, it was also linked to his attack power.
The surrounding players were stunned.
What the hell, can NPCs attack players?
Is this a newbie village or a den of thieves?Tristan, however, wasn't surprised.
NPCs in ExoGenesis were not just simple NPCs; they were life forms with self-awareness.
When the ExoGenesis fusion occurred, they would descend into Terra. But for now, due to the game's rules, they couldn't reveal themselves.
However, if players were disrespectful, NPCs had the right to deal with them.
Take Cole Hunter, for example—he had been injured in battle and had a lame leg.
If players touched a nerve, they would be killed by an arrow.The dead player's body turned into white light and was quickly resurrected. Full of anger, he came back to challenge Cole Hunter, but he forgot that he was only a level 1 newbie.
As soon as he stepped into Cole Hunter's courtyard, he was shot down again by an arrow.
Meanwhile, the village guard outside the courtyard simply ignored the scene.The other players, trembling in fear, lowered their voices.
Many started thinking about leaving.
They had already tried various methods and still couldn't get the quest. Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to go out and hunt a few rabbits.But Tristan didn't retreat; instead, he pressed forward, going against the flow of players to reach Cole Hunter's house.
Entering the small house, Tristan found Cole Hunter calmly hanging his hunting bow on the wall. He paid no attention to Tristan and instead drank a scoop of well water, gulping it down.Tristan didn't waste time and directly stated his intention, "I want to buy the Beast Skull."
Cole Hunter's body stiffened, and he suddenly turned around. His sharp eyes locked onto Tristan as he spoke with a grim tone, "Not for sale!"
Then he asked, "Where did you hear about this?"
As he spoke, Cole Hunter walked over to the wall.
If Tristan's answer didn't satisfy him, he might end up with an arrow in his chest.
But Tristan remained unphased and calmly responded, "We can respawn. Even if you kill me now, it won't matter."
Upon hearing this, Cole Hunter slowed his steps, and a hint of sarcasm appeared on his face. "So what? I don't want to sell it. What can you do about it?"
Tristan smiled faintly. "I can't do anything to you, but don't you want to take revenge on the Wolf King? I'll help you kill the Wolf King, and in exchange, you give me the Beast Skull."Tristan knew that Cole Hunter's lamed leg was caused by an attack from the Wolf King.
Though Tristan didn't quite understand how someone like Cole Hunter, who had obtained the Beast Skull, was defeated by the Newbie Village's Wolf King, that didn't matter. What mattered was triggering the quest.
Tristan's words clearly struck a nerve with Cole Hunter, who hesitated. After sizing Tristan up, he sneered, "With your strength, you want to kill the Wolf King?"
Tristan replied calmly, "You don't need to worry about how I'll kill the Wolf King."
"Three days. In three days, I'll bring you the Wolf King's head."
"But in exchange, you need to give me the Beast Skull now."