When Qin Feng saw the Swift Runner, his first instinct was to glance at his Agility attribute.
Thanks to the Shadow Class bonuses and the added agility from the Bronze-tier Corrosion Dagger, his current Agility had climbed to 34 points.
In God Forsaken Game, increasing Agility didn't translate to a simple doubling of movement speed. Instead, the system used a complex correlation formula.
"With an initial 10 Agility, normal movement speed is around 3 meters per second, while a full sprint reaches about 9.5 meters," Qin Feng murmured. "At 34 Agility, my normal speed is 5.83 meters per second, and full sprinting is about 17 to 18 meters."
That meant his speed was nearly twice that of most new players. Even so, it was only barely on par with the Swift Runner.
"That's enough," he whispered. "If I can keep up, I don't have to worry about it getting away."
Hidden within the shadows, Qin Feng scanned the battlefield ahead.
The Swift Runner was pursuing a small team of players. At the front, a burly man wielding a low-grade shield was trying to block its attacks while retreating step by step. That man was none other than the second-ranked player in Shell Town, Wang Meng.
Behind him, five Hidden Class players fought desperately, their faces grim as they hurled skills at the creature.
Unfortunately, neither the Archer nor the Mage could land a clean hit. The Swift Runner weaved through the air like a ghostly blur, its decaying claws and jagged teeth flashing in and out of sight. Within seconds, Wang Meng's health dropped to half.
It was alarming. Holy Shield Warriors were known for their high durability, boasting at least thirty percent more health and defence than other novice players. Wang Meng had been the team's protector since they entered the game, leading them safely to Level 2 without a single fatal encounter.
Now, though, against a Bronze-tier BOSS like the Swift Runner, he was barely managing to stand. The monster still had at least ninety percent of its health left.
The young Sharp-Eyed Archer in the backline missed two more shots, frustration tightening his voice. "No good! It's too fast. My arrows can't even touch it!"
Wang Meng's expression stayed composed, though his breathing was heavy. "Keep attacking. Even if we can't kill it now, we'll chip its health. When we revive, we finish it off."
His calm words held a trace of forced confidence. Because the truth was, things were about to get much worse.
From the forest's edge, dark figures emerged.
[Polluter (Lv2)]
[Grade: Common]
Three sludge-covered humanoids appeared, their bodies dripping with viscous brown mud. Without hesitation, they began hurling projectiles toward the team's backline.
"Incoming!" someone shouted.
A ball of mud struck a young woman in a black robe square in the chest. The impact made her stagger backwards, her staff clattering as she gasped in disgust.
-32!
"Ugh! It stinks!" she cried, nearly retching from the foul odour that clung to her.
More mud projectiles followed, streaking through the air at alarming speed. The team barely had time to react. If they focused on dodging the Polluters' ranged attacks, the Swift Runner would break through their defences and tear them apart in seconds.
For a brief moment, panic rippled through the group. Their formation broke, and everyone's health began plummeting.
Qin Feng narrowed his eyes, watching silently from the shadows.
"Wang Meng…" he murmured.
Of course, he recognised the man. Not in this life, but in the one before.
Back then, Qin Feng had risen to become one of the top hundred powerhouses in the world, though ranked near the bottom, he had achieved it as a simple Warrior Class player. That alone had made him a legend.
And among those who looked up to him was this very Wang Meng.
Despite being a Hidden Class Holy Shield Warrior, with higher bonuses and more advanced skills, Wang Meng's raw combat ability had always been slightly inferior to Qin Feng's. He had admired Qin Feng deeply for it.
Their paths had crossed because Wang Meng represented the Great Xia Official, acting as liaison with Qin Feng's guild, God Slayer.
Whenever Qin Feng's guild obtained surplus equipment or skill books they couldn't use, he would hand them to Wang Meng for sale in exchange for tradable lifespan.
"In my past life, I built that guild just to protect Qin Xiaoyou," Qin Feng thought coldly. "In this life, there's no need for that anymore."
His eyes softened slightly as he watched the embattled team. "But Wang Meng… is still someone worth knowing." He needed a steady way to convert future loot into tradable lifespan, and Wang Meng's official connections made him an ideal partner.
"Besides," Qin Feng murmured, fingers brushing the hilt of his dagger, "these monsters have to die anyway." Qin Feng smirked, "So let's give him a hand."
Without another sound, he sprang into motion.
His body dissolved into the darkness as he circled behind one of the Polluters. The creature, focused entirely on throwing mud at the robed girl, never sensed him closing in.
The Corrosion Dagger flashed, a single cold stroke across its neck.
-441 (Weak Point Attack)!
The Polluter's body collapsed into a heap of mud, splattering across the dirt.
[You have killed 'Polluter (Lv2)'.]
[You have gained 20 experience points.]
[You have gained 1 Evolution Point!]
[You have gained 4 days of lifespan (tradable).]
Qin Feng blinked in mild surprise. "An Evolution Point from a small monster? Lucky." He extended his hand, activating Greedy Hand.
[Skill 'Greedy Hand' judgment successful!]
[You have gained 4 days of lifespan (tradable).]
"Too bad, no Evolution Points," he muttered, half amused.
He knew the odds were low; Greedy Hand didn't duplicate rewards, it simply made another drop judgment, as if he had slain the same monster twice.
So getting double loot was fortune enough.
"Only BOSS kills guarantee consistent Evolution Points." His dagger gleamed faintly as he vanished once more into the shadows.
Meanwhile, on the field, Wang Meng and his team were frozen in disbelief. One of the Polluters had simply disintegrated before their eyes.
"Who was that?" the Archer gasped. "It… it just died in one hit!"
They'd seen nothing but a flicker of black light, and the monster was gone.
"Impossible…" Wang Meng's eyes widened. "Even a Level 1 Crawler takes us over ten seconds to kill. How could someone instantly kill a Level 2 Polluter?"
The six teammates exchanged stunned looks, their breathing quick and uncertain. For the first time, they realised there might be someone nearby, far stronger than they could imagine.
Someone who moved unseen like a shadow, someone who killed like the reaper himself.