After ending the chat, Lucas doubled down on grinding, determined to claim first place before the server's nightly shutdown. Securing the top spot among millions would etch his name in the game's official records—a far cry from his anonymous start in his past life.
He felt no fear of standing out, Even if someone resented his rank, tracking him down in a sea of players was impossible.
When the bison herd stopped respawning entirely, Lucas sighed—he'd killed hundreds, yet not a single loot drop. He set to skinning them for leather (3 Copper a piece, meager but steady profit).
A flash of gold at the valley entrance made his pulse race: a Golden Whelp. This Level 5 newbie zone boss was tiny—no bigger than a hound, with gleaming golden scales and a deceptively cute appearance. But it was the deadliest early-game mob in the game: blistering attack power, lightning speed, thick armor, and a massive HP pool. It took three hits to down a tank, two for most classes, and just one for squishy mages.
Server legends told of single whelps wiping out entire raiding parties of 100 players. Yet it had a critical flaw—it was melee-only. On flat ground, Lucas would've fled instantly. But from his exploit spot on the ledge? He could lure it in and attack with impunity. He dropped the leather, scrambled back up to the ledge, and waited.
As the whelp passed below, Lucas cast Fireball. It struck true, dealing 35 damage. The whelp roared, charging the cliff and leaping—only to fall short by two meters, claws scraping uselessly at the rock. Lucas lured it into the valley (to avoid loot thieves) and kept casting.
He'd poured all his Attribute Points into Intelligence, plus 10 from the Demon's Heart and 5 from the eel fillets—pushing his total Intelligence to 31. That boosted his Mana to 310 and Spell Power to 31. The whelp boasted 10,000 HP, and Lucas burned through his entire Mana pool in two minutes. Undeterred, he relied on the eel fillet's passive regen (8 Mana every 5 seconds) to whittle the boss down over two grueling hours.
With a final roar, the whelp exploded in a 4x4 loot drop. Amid 16 items, Lucas's eyes locked on a glowing staff—the Pyromancer's Staff. His luck, it seemed, was only just beginning. But as he stared at the loot, he failed to notice a faint shadow looming beyond the valley's edge.