Chapter 21: First Clear

Black Rose was only able to scream before the Ice Queen lunged forward and stabbed her in the chest.

-200

A huge red number appeared above Black Rose's head and her body instantly exploded into pixels, dying on the spot. Even though Liu Ye didn't kill her personally, an inventory bag still dropped on the ground, ready to be picked up.

"Sweet," Liu Ye commented casually, knowing he would be claiming it.

When it came to killing other players in a video game, Liu Ye didn't give special treatment based on gender. All of the players were walking loot to him. If anything, Black Rose deserved to die more based on how she treated them.

"Watch out!" Vice-leader warned but Liu Ye could already see the danger coming.

[Ice Queen's Offspring - Lvl. 3]

[HP: 35/35]

Their bait activated the trap as the lair instantly filled with spiders. Liu Ye immediately caught their aggro while the Ice Queen wasn't as eager to fight, staying behind in her cavern.

This setup couldn't be more perfect.

"Let me handle them!" Liu Ye called out as he kited the spiders into the tunnel and covered his arms with water. With a 100% damage increase to the Ice Abilities, the spiders were nothing but a walking experience.

Liu Ye one-shotted each spider with one swing of his arm, enjoying it plenty. He couldn't help but admit it felt extremely cool to have the power over elements. How amazing would it be to possess such an ability in real life?

[Ding! You killed the Ice Queen's Offspring. You received 20 Experience and 20 bronze.]

10…

20…

The notification kept filling his tab only to stop at 30 when the last offspring fell dead. Even if Liu Ye only added 600 Exp, it was still more satisfying than killing bandits.

[Name: Grind God]

[Level: 8] [SP: 0]

[Exp: 3500/5500]

Only two thousand experience separated him from another level up and Ice Queen would definitely help him close that gap. Liu Ye returned in front of the cavern and began creating Ice Projectiles for another one-shot.

With just 300 HP, he only needed to hit 9 to kill her.

"Let's get this over with."

———

While Liu Ye was preparing to claim the first clear, he wasn't the only one in the game with such plans. With thousands of Newbie Villages, there were bound to be other players who also discovered the Ice Queen's Lair.

Many already died trying to slay the Ice Queen but one particular squad came prepared. Four teams worked together, creating an ultimate group of 16 high-leveled players. To make it even more professional, all their names had the same beginning as if they belonged to a guild.

[White Knight William - Lvl. 8]

[White Knight Lancelot - Lvl. 8]

[White Knight Hector - Lvl. 8]

[White Knight Evelyn - Lvl. 8]

…

"Walls up!"

"Whips and Rocks!"

"Shoot now!"

Lancelot kept giving orders and his squad acted in sync, leaving the Ice Queen no choice but to take the hits. When she tried to attack, they bombarded her with rocks and whips which pushed her back, only to switch for Ice Projectiles to maximize their damage.

Everything was going perfect until Ice Queen went crazy and pushed through their defenses while slicing and stabbing with all she got. If she was going down, she wanted to take them down with her.

[Ding! Ice Queen killed player White Knight Hector from your team. Avenge him!]

[Ding! Ice Queen killed player White Knight William from your team. Avenge him!]

"Don't stop! Kill this bitch!" Lancelot cried out madly as they all began spamming abilities without the care for their lives. With so many players, the Ice Queen couldn't survive any longer.

[Ding! You killed the Ice Queen. You received 1000 Experience and 1 gold. As a Team Leader, you also received the following: Ice Queen's Heart, Water Stone.]

When everyone heard the notifications, they immediately jumped in cheers.

"Hell yeah, baby! We did it!" Lancelot cried out while clenching his fist. "Good job boys!"

"And Eve!" A short female corrected him with a cute voice. "You always forget me!"

"Haha, of course, you too Eve!" Lancelot added with a happy laugh. "You are our pride and joy. The most beautiful White Knight!"

"Humph! That's right!" Eve replied proudly before threatening cutely with her finger. "Forget me again and I will kick your butt."

The boys pretended to be scared but her voice was too sweet to take her words seriously.

"Anyway, pick up Hector and William's bags. It sucks we had sacrifices but it was still worth it. The first clears are the easiest way to promote our guild," Lancelot muttered as he paused. "Talking about that, why was there no server announcement yet?"

"Could it be that there is no announcement for this boss?" Eve suggested but Lancelot shook his head.

"There was one for a simple adult wolf and none for the first field boss? I don't believe—"

Ding!

Lancelot stopped himself halfway, suddenly hearing a notification sound out loud. Their lips couldn't help but curve into a smile as they knew what was coming.

[Server Announcement! Player Grind God was the first to kill the Newbie Village Field Boss: Ice Queen. Achievement Reward: 10 gold and 25 Fame.]

The announcement was repeated three times, stunning all 14 players left in the cavern. Each time they thought they heard it wrong only to finally understand it wasn't a mistake.

"Fuck!" The White Knights cursed at the same time. "How is that possible?!"

Lancelot was the only one calm, contemplating what might have happened.

"It's not that hard to understand. This Grind God was the first to leave the tutorial and based on his name, he began farming right away," Lancelot explained as he took a deep breath. "I am guessing he later gathered some people and fought the Ice Queen at the same time as us. It's already good that we caught up to his speed, so all we need to do is overtake him."

"Gosh, I am sure he had tens of players assist him," Eve commented bitterly while the rest nodded eagerly. "We only had sixteen players so we still did a good job."

"Yeah! I also wouldn't be surprised if he stole that kill—"

[Ding! Server Announcement! Player Grind God was the first to solo kill the Newbie Village Field Boss: Ice Queen. Achievement Reward: 10 gold and 25 Fame.]

"..."

The announcement ringed in their ears as they looked at each other speechlessly. They killed Ice Queen with 16 players while Grind God was alone. How could they even compare those two feats?

Everyone got depressed for a moment beside Lancelot who brightened with interest.

"All high-skilled players are welcome to become a White Knight. We need to get this player into our Guild," Lancelot decided as he cheered up his team. "If we can get him into our Guild, wouldn't his success be our success?"

"Eve!" Lancelot continued as he patted Eve on her shoulder. "I will leave that task to you. When we reach the mainland, you will find him and recruit him."

The blonde beauty widened her eyes. "Why me?"

Lancelot only shrugged. "Everyone knows no player can resist your sweet smile. That's your personal mission so I count on you."

He clapped his hands to mobilize everyone and announced, "So what if we didn't get the field boss clear. Let's focus on our next target: the first clear of the Dungeon! Follow me!"