Zhao Qiu stared at Zane in disbelief for several moments of awkward silence. All the while the foreigner who had just confessed to being an absurd level to Sixty-Five attracted attention from all who had heard his boastful claims.
That is until the local woman broke out into laughter, making a joke at Zane's expense, clearly not believing the claims he had made just now.
"Oh, I see. I had assumed you were fluent, but clearly you have a problem when it comes to numbers. It's okay, Mandarin is not the easiest language to learn. I'm sure with a few more years of practice you will be able to speak like a local!"
Zane simply rolled his eyes before speaking in perfect mandarin, reiterating his words. Clearly not the least bit pleased by the woman's refusal to believe him.
"I made no error. I am level 65. That's a six and a five. You understand? My companions here are level 50, level 60, and within the 25+ range altogether."
Of course, now that Zane knew that the average level was much higher than it had been two years prior. He would need to work on leveling the likes of Eliza, Jett, Lawrence, Darren, Zander, and Beatrix as soon as possible.
Because of this, he felt that they would need to go out and gain proper experience. After all, the Horde Kings beneath his command operated much in the same way as the undead did. They could either gain experience points by feasting on living human flesh. Or by slaying their fellow undead.
They would not gain experience from consuming blood crystals however, it was the act of killing itself that gave them experience unlike awakened humans. This obviously had not applied to the petrified undead in Seoul. As they were already lifeless according to the system, or maybe it was simply because they could not defend themselves and thus there was no experience to be gained?
Either way, Zane knew his companions needed to catch up with humanity now that they had basically just rested for two years straight. Meanwhile, Zhao Qiu was stunned by Zane's words. She found it hard to believe that a man had progressed so far.
As far as she knew, there was only one human who had broken through to the level 40 range within Beijing. And he was not someone to be trifled with. Yet Zane, a foreigner, was saying he somehow made it well past sixty to a level of 65? Just how powerful would be then?
She, of course, had no idea the man was actually a horde of King, so when he progressed to a new tier he would gain an additional boost to his attributes as a racial trait. Something which humans wouldn't have. Because of this, Zane's attributes were all ten points higher than an awakened human of the same level.
This meant that in a 1v1 fight between an awakened human of the same level, and with gear that was appropriate for his level. Zane would win every time. This, of course, was contingent on Zane having a same degree of equipment. Otherwise, he simply had an enormous advantage.
But the stat boost one would gain from equipment of an appropriate level, and quality were not to be underestimated. Especially when there were new features Zane had yet to make use of for his equipment after the system upgraded two years ago.
For example, his equipment was still at the level 30 range, and while legendary quality, it was 35 levels behind his own level. Meaning he was not getting the full benefits from it. In addition to this, his equipment was lacking what was referred to as Runes and Enchantments. Both of which could be applied to his weapons and armor.
Zane had never encountered a rune, or an enchantment. And that was a fault of his own. Without realizing it, he had not utilized his companions to the full effect. The system upgrade introduced a new crafting system, and an accompanying profession system.
Well, monsters are ranked in the same grade as our items? Okay, so you have common monsters, uncommon monsters, rare monsters, epic monsters, and legendary monsters. The higher the quality, the more powerful the monster is, and of course the better the loot it drops!
If you want to craft legendary gear, you need legendary materials. And the higher the level of the gear you want, the higher the level of the legendary monster you have to slay! In addition to this, you will need a qualified craftsman to make it for you.
So for level 50 legendary armor for example, you need a level 50 smith, who has unlocked the certification to craft legendary gear. Which, in case you didn't know, nobody exists like that in the area.
Zane was indeed surprised to hear all of this. It would appear the system had changed a lot of over the last few years. As the world evolved into more of that of a fantasy world. So too apparently did the system.
No longer were awakened humans relegated to mere combat roles to survive. Instead, it appeared certain humans had opted to become full-time craftsman, and leave the fighting to those more qualified to perform it.
This was all very good, especially if humanity wanted to thrive in this new world. But Zane had largely been secluded from the changes to the world over the past two years. Having been stuck in Seoul with only the city's petrified citizens, and the crazed horde king to keep him company.
Because of this, he would need to spend a significant amount of time gaining information on the changes to the world during his isolation from it. To do this, he would need to prove his worth, and that of his companions, as a combatant. And the best way to do this was to slay the level 50 Legendary lake monster that Zhao Qiu was talking about.
Thus, Zane nodded his head and was quick to accept the challenge.
"Alright, give me the details and I'll be back by the sun goes down with this monster's head."
Though Zhao Qiu was almost entirely certain that Zane was simply boasting. A small part of her genuinely wanted to see if he was as strong as he claimed. And thus she did not hesitate to transfer the details to Zane via the system. Which now included a mini map of the area.
And once Zane had this information he set off. Triggering a quest as he did so.
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[New Quest available!]
[Slay the Lake Monster of Houhai!]
[Accept Y/N?]