Slash!
Leon pushed deeper into the level 6 area of the [Wild Forest], his movements fast and precise.
The air here felt heavier, the trees thicker, their shadows stretching unnaturally across the ground. It didn't take long before he sensed something was wrong.
Then he saw it.
---
[Dark Tree]
[Level: 6]
[Combat Power: 500]
[Details: A monster tree that tries to act as a normal one to ambush victims.]
---
To an untrained eye, it looked like any other tree, dark bark, twisted branches, roots half-buried in the soil. But Leon knew better.
The moment his gaze lingered on it, he acted.
Strong Fireball!
A blazing sphere of condensed flames shot forward.
BOOM!
The fireball slammed directly into the trunk, igniting it instantly. The tree didn't even have time to react before it cracked apart, blackened wood collapsing inward as the monster let out a shrill screech and died on the spot.
"One-shot," Leon muttered.
Against physical attacks, [Dark Trees] were annoying. Their bark was tough, and their vines could restrain careless players. But they had one glaring weakness: fire.
For warriors, elemental weaknesses didn't always matter. A sword was a sword. But for mages, elements were everything. And Leon was both.
As a [Magical Swordsman], he needed to understand every advantage his skills could offer. Fire against wood was as simple as it got.
The moment the first [Dark Tree] fell, two more revealed themselves nearby. Their trunks split open, massive dark eyes opening where bark had once been.
Slash!
Leon spun on his heel and rushed forward, his dagger flashing. He slashed straight into the exposed eye of the nearest tree, dark sap spraying outward as it recoiled.
Thud! Thud!
Roots burst from the ground, thick vines snapping toward Leon's legs and torso, trying to restrain him.
But it was pointless. Leon's agility was far too high.
He stepped lightly between the vines, movements sharp and clean, then struck again.
Slash! Slash!
His blade carved through bark and flesh alike. In seconds, both trees collapsed, their bodies splitting apart as their life force faded.
Ding!
[You have killed x3 "Dark Tree" and gained 150 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Leon barely spared the corpses a glance before checking his storage space. And immediately, his lips curled upward.
[Challenge Token x2: Can be used to increase the novice village's score by one.]
"Haha," Leon laughed softly.
This was where his talent became truly unfair.
[Challenge Tokens] didn't drop often. Even when monsters could drop them, the chance was painfully low. Most players would kill dozens of monsters and see nothing.
But Leon? If a monster could drop it, he would get it. Every time. That alone tilted the entire event in their favor.
He brought up the event progress bar, translucent panels appearing in front of his vision.
[Novice Village #1: 1 Challenge Token.]
[Novice Village #5: 3 Challenge Tokens.]
"They're fast," Leon noted.
It had only been a few minutes since the event started, and [Novice Village #5] was already ahead. There was also a leaderboard showing individual contributions.
[Challenge Token Leaderboard:]
[1. David Windbreak: 1.]
Leon nodded slowly.
"I guess they're working too. Can't let them down."
He understood the stakes better than anyone. If their village lost, the punishment would cripple them. Half experience and resources for twelve hours this early was devastating.
And so—
Fwish!
Leon added his two [Challenge Tokens] to the village score.
[Novice Village #1: 3 Challenge Tokens.]
[Novice Village #5: 3 Challenge Tokens.]
Just like that, the gap closed.
Beside the tokens, the [Dark Trees] had also dropped three [Dark Tree Essence], which increased Strength by 3 each, and a [Dark Branch (Uncommon)].
Leon consumed the essences immediately, feeling his muscles tighten slightly as his strength rose.
Then he moved on.
Slash!
Leon didn't spare a single monster he encountered. Every [Dark Tree] that even hinted at movement was cut down or burned to ash. He cleared the area efficiently, never slowing, never hesitating.
Eventually, the forest shifted again.
The trees grew thinner, the ground rougher. The howls reached his ears before the monsters appeared.
---
[Howler Wolf]
[Level: 7]
[Combat Power: 650]
[Details: Wolves that roam in the darkness of the forest, waiting for prey.]
---
Leon narrowed his eyes. Now it was a mix.
[Howler Wolves] roamed in packs, fast and aggressive, while [Dark Trees] still lurked, waiting to ambush careless players.
For most people, this area was a nightmare.
Vision Enhancement!
The world sharpened instantly. Every movement, every shift of shadow, every twitch of muscle stood out clearly.
A wolf lunged from the side.
Slash!
Leon cut its throat mid-leap, blood spraying as the body hit the ground lifeless.
At the same time, he twisted his torso and fired a spell.
Strong Fireball!
Boom!
A [Dark Tree] trying to ambush him was engulfed in flames before its vines could even reach him.
Howlll!
More wolves emerged, their glowing eyes locking onto Leon as they surrounded him.
But they were too slow. Leon moved like a blur, weaving between them, blade flashing again and again.
Slash! Slash!
Heads rolled across the forest floor. Bodies dropped one after another.
The remaining [Dark Trees] panicked as they realized their camouflage wasn't working.
Vines lashed out wildly. Leon dodged, leapt, and retaliated.
Strong Fireball!
Boom!
The explosion shook the ground, splintering wood and scattering ash. Within minutes, the forest fell silent.
Ding!
[You have killed x8 "Dark Tree" and gained 350 experience points.]
[You have killed x6 "Howler Wolf" and gained 420 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 5!]
[You have gained 5 points in all attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]
Leon exhaled slowly.
"Phew."
His combat power now far surpassed anything in this area. That was why he could fight so freely, chain kills together, and level up without slowing down.
He quickly checked the loot.
[Eternal Coins x170]
[Dark Tree Essence x8: Consuming will increase strength by 3.]
[Howler Wolf Essence x6: Consuming will increase agility by 4.]
[Dark Tree Branch x4 (Uncommon): Can be used to forge a weapon.]
[Howled Wolf Claw x3 (Rare): Can be used to create a powerful dagger.]
[Challenge Tokens x7]
"Nice."
Leon immediately consumed all the essences.
His strength surged by 24 and his agility surged by another 24.
Just like that, his combat power climbed past 1,200.
But Leon didn't add the seven [Challenge Tokens] right away.
"I should head back," he muttered. "Winning fast matters more."
Since any monster could potentially drop tokens, there was no reason to linger here. He could always return later to grind.
And so Leon retraced his steps, killing monsters along the way while keeping an eye on the event.
[Novice Village #1: 6 Challenge Tokens.]
[Novice Village #5: 8 Challenge Tokens.]
If he added his tokens now, their village would jump far ahead.
But Leon shook his head, a grin forming.
'Nah. Just like they did to us before… I'll let them think they can win.'
Five minutes passed. Leon continued hunting, moving efficiently, collecting more drops.
By the time he slowed, he had gained five more [Challenge Tokens].
And then—
"Got one more!"
"Nice!"
Leon recognized the voices instantly.
He rushed forward and saw David, Aaron, Eleonore, and their other teammate standing over a fallen monster.
David wiped sweat from his brow, grinning.
"Perfect timing," Leon thought as he stepped out from the trees.