Leo carefully picked out 40 charms, bringing his four resistances to 10. His Strength increased by 22 points and Dexterity by 18. Combined with the 8 Strength provided by The Gnasher, his Strength sat exactly at 100, while his Dexterity reached a solid 81. He gave the remaining charms and the Light Plate to Majesty; in exchange, he took Majesty's Studded Leather armor. Leo smiled with confidence.
"Hurry and change, little sister. Tomorrow, your brother is taking you to the top."
Majesty nodded wordlessly and changed into the Light Plate. Not in the mood for chatter, she sat down to meditate and cultivate.
Seeing his sister working so hard, Leo also sat on the ground to meditate, focusing on gaining better control over his surged power. By the time he felt sufficiently adjusted, it was already midnight. He climbed onto the roof to switch shifts with Gerdie.
Once settled on the roof, Leo immediately tossed the Studded Leather into the charm space, followed by 1,000 gold. An hour later, a prompt sounded.
{Analysis complete. Charm Defense increased by 34.}
Opening his character attribute panel, he saw that his defense had indeed increased by 34 points. Awesome! Leo slapped his thigh hard. No wonder Reinhardt had been so fierce; it turned out he wasn't the only one with a "cheat." This was a true combat-oriented cheat—compared to his own "Information Encyclopedia" and the "Substandard Large Backpack," this was on a different level.
During the latter half of the night, Leo remained excited, itching for a monster to show up and test his hand. Unfortunately, heaven did not grant his wish; no monsters appeared until the sky began to turn white.
The sound of Gerdie preparing breakfast echoed from the small house. Having stood watch for half the night, Leo's stomach was growling. As soon as Gerdie called out that the meal was ready, he somersaulted down, as agile as the Monkey King stealing peaches.
They ate voraciously, and the delicious breakfast was soon devoured. Without wasting words, they continued their leveling journey.
Leo felt that the process of leveling and rapidly increasing his strength was addictive, and he was already beyond saving.
Leading the way, he continued to guide the team deeper. The Blood Moor felt far more expansive than in the game; they had been walking in one direction for a day and a half without reaching the end.
"Heh... heh... heh..."
Hearing familiar sounds ahead, Leo stepped forward to investigate. It turned out to be three Boss-level Zombies.
After the trio activated their buffs, Gerdie began to pull the monsters. She wasn't looking for a kill yet, just leading the three bosses in circles. Majesty provided long-range support while holding her Psychic Hammer ready to cover Gerdie.
Leo was bolder. While the bosses were foolishly chasing Gerdie, he crept up from the flank. Spotting a boss lagging behind, he delivered a Smite directly into its right side. His massive strength erupted; the boss wasn't just knocked back, it was sent flying, tumbling miserably for four or five meters.
Watching the boss roll on the ground, Leo let out a long breath of satisfaction. The frustration I took from your 'Big Brother' yesterday, I'm taking back from you today.
Seeing the other two bosses fading into the distance, he relaxed. With a chuckle, he looked at the boss still struggling on the ground, leveled his axe, and launched a Charge. He slammed directly into the boss's face, sending it rolling two more times.
Seeing the boss in such a pathetic state, Leo felt it was losing its challenge. He unleashed his full output, and soon the boss was in six pieces, lying motionless on the ground.
Turning back to the others, he couldn't help but be amused. Each of the two remaining bosses was chasing one of the women. Talk about brotherly love—they even know to split the beauties between them.
His sister had Burst of Speed, so teasing a zombie was child's play for her. Leo decided to help Gerdie first.
Leo ran toward Gerdie. As soon as the boss entered his charge range, he swung The Gnasher and launched a Charge into the boss's back. Triggering Crushing Blow and Open Wounds consecutively, he sent the boss face-planting into the dirt, its head getting stuck in the moist earth.
Hearing the commotion behind her and seeing Leo coming to assist, Gerdie also began to fire her bow.
Seeing the boss still flailing on the ground, unable to get up immediately, Leo walked to its right side. With a Zeal strike, he delivered two rapid axe blows, severing the boss's right arm.
Leo then targeted the boss's right leg. Soon, its right leg bid it farewell. Following the same pattern, this boss was also quickly reduced to six pieces.
Majesty, seeing that Leo had dealt with the other two, led the final boss over.
"Brother, help! I'm almost out of stamina!"
Hearing this, Leo immediately turned and took his stance. He launched a Charge, crossing paths with Majesty. His axe bit into the boss's neck, and this boss followed in its predecessors' footsteps, being sent flying.
Open Wounds triggered. A spray of foul-smelling blood erupted from the boss's neck, drenching Leo right as he charged in.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Leo's mouth and face were covered in the stench-filled blood. He backed away while wiping his eyes. Fortunately, the zombie didn't have Poison Enchanted, or he might have been blinded.
His strength had been growing too fast lately; his restless heart was getting harder to restrain, and his mindset was becoming unstable. He silently warned himself: Stupidity leads to death. Don't get too cocky.
Seeing the boss about to crawl up, Leo launched another Charge, but this time he was much more cautious. With his shield in front—prioritizing safety over damage—he delivered a Smite from low to high the moment he made contact. The boss was like a mob hit by a "Rising Dragon" punch, launched into the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
This time, the boss truly couldn't get back up because its legs had been shattered by the fall. Seeing the boss in such misery, Leo decided to put it out of its misery quickly. After a flurry of blows, the boss lay still.
Gerdie watched in a daze. Is this still a Paladin? His fighting style was even more brutal than those reckless Barbarian brats, but it was certainly a blood-pumping sight to behold.
With the battle over, Gerdie began to clear the battlefield.
"Come quickly! A Set item dropped!"
Gerdie, seeing a Set item for the first time, shouted with excitement. As Leo approached, she hurried to pick up the green weapon and handed it to him.
Looking at the green mace, Leo wondered—could it be a scaling 'god-tier' starter? He tore open an Identify Scroll, and a brilliant green light shone out, momentarily blinding him.
> Civerb's Ward (Civerb's Vestments Set):
> * Damage: 8-41
> * Strength Requirement: 37
> * Level Requirement: 9
> * Range: 2
> * Attack Speed: Fast
> * +75 to Attack Rating
> * +23 Maximum Damage
> * +50% Damage to Undead
> * +1 to Max Damage per Level
>
Perfect. The small Gnasher was starting to feel a bit light. Leo equipped the Grand Scepter; the damage displayed on the weapon instantly became 8-53. For a novice, this weapon was fantastic—low requirements, high damage, and its power would continue to grow.
Most importantly, while Set items usually require several pieces to show their true power, this mace was an exception; even on its own, it could be considered a god-tier starter.
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