Chapter 4: A hidden level

Chapter 4: A hidden level



"Blessing of Lightning."

Mike slaps on a buff and sprints forward with a burst of speed.

"Blessing of Lightning lasts for 30 seconds, adding an extra 20 points of Lightning damage to regular hits."

"With the Cave Giant Rat's HP at 50, and my Strength at 9, that's a base physical attack of 9. With Blessing of Lightning, that's a hit of 29 damage!"

Mike dashes up to a Cave Giant Rat and slams his staff down hard.

"-28!"

"-31!"

After two hits, the Cave Giant Rat collapses just like the previous one, turning into light particles and dropping three copper coins.

"Gotta move fast!"

Mike doesn't waste any time.

While fighting, he keeps firing off [Charge Up], refreshing it the moment it's off cooldown!

This means, for a short time, Mike can't use [Blessing of Lightning] or [Lightning Arrow] without losing all progress!

To stack up more [Charge Up] for a killer blow on the final boss, Mike needs to take down as many Cave Giant Rats as possible during the buff time of [Blessing of Lightning].

"-30!" "-29!"

|| ||

A series of numbers pop off the heads of the Cave Giant Rats, and in the dim corridor, more rats keep falling.

Meanwhile, the timer on Blessing of Lightning keeps ticking down! "10,9,8..."

Less than 10 seconds left!

The intense back-to-back battles are starting to take a toll on Mike.

In the Tower of Truth, a simulation with 100% realism, the fatigue feels absolutely real.

Mike takes a deep breath, eyes the corridor ahead, but doesn't stop moving, his staff swinging continuously.

In the last 10 seconds with the boost from [Blessing of Lightning], Mike takes down four more beasts.

From entering the newbie instance to now, in just one minute, Mike has taken out 12 Cave Giant Rats!

If word of this efficiency gets out, it's gonna drive folks wild!

Mike's focus is all in on the fight, with 8 more Cave Giant Rats to go!

"Charge Up!"

While battling, Mike keeps stacking the Charge Up buff.

He tucks away the attribute panel and, while stacking up [Charge Up], continues down the

corridor.

The dark corridor is eerily quiet, enough to freak anyone out, with cold drafts occasionally

brushing past.

Mike speeds up, unfazed by the creepy vibes.

Soon, he reaches a fork in the path.

"Left or right?"

Mike knows this is the second stage of the newbie instance.

The textbook is clear: left leads to a mob of monsters, a full-on ambush.

Right, there's a tough elite monster that most folks wouldn't dare tackle.

According to last year's big data analysis, going left has a 48.9% higher payoff than right.

Looking left, sure enough, a note pops up:

[10 stinky bats thirsting for your blood]

[And in a dark corner, a mutant bat lurks]

11 bats, huh?

The bat stats flash before Mike's eyes, a bit tougher than the Cave Giant Rats, especially with

their speed.

To the right:

[A young Cerberus is sleeping, please don't disturb it, or you'll end up its meal]

Cerberus?

Mike didn't expect such a powerhouse elite monster on the right!

In the textbook's monster manual, [Cerberus] is definitely the toughest elite in the newbie

instance.

No contest!

Even in its youth, its three heads can cast three different types of skills, dealing massive

damage. Plus, its hellish lineage gives it super high health and a terrifying regen rate, along with strong resistance against both physical and magical attacks.

It's every newbie's nightmare, the ultimate boss, an insurmountable wall.

Mike's gaze shifts, and there on the wall right in front of him, a note appears! [Lucky you, don't move the stone on the left, or you'll unlock the hidden level!]

Hidden level?!