Seeing Luca in action, Cassman couldn’t help but ask the question that had been on his mind for some time now.
And this question many others were thinking as well.
With a look of disbelief, he muttered, “Is this kid really a beginner? Even if he started fighting monsters the moment he was born, he shouldn’t have this level of battle skill!”
“Maybe… it’s just pure talent,” an old soldier nearby responded, his face full of envy.
If he had Luca’s combat skills, his comrades would have been green with jealousy, much like a bunch of Violent Rabbits.
But alas, some things you just can’t learn by trying.
As more and more monsters fell before Luca’s spear, his experience points surged at an incredible rate.
[Ding! You have slain “Lv20 Rotting Hellhound (Common)”, earning 18,074 EXP!]
[Ding! You have slain “Lv21 Man-faced Eagle (Common)”, earning 21,437 EXP!]
[Ding! You have slain “Lv20 Scorpion-tailed Tiger (Rare)”, earning 36,133 EXP!]
…
The double experience bonus gave a significant boost to Luca’s progress.
With his monster-slaying speed, his experience points shot up like a rocket.
In no time, he leveled up twice, reaching Level 18.
Luca allocated all 20 of his free attribute points to his Spirit, bringing it up to 580 points.
His base attack power broke past 1500, and his low-level skill damage skyrocketed to 2700, leaving ordinary players far behind.
Afterward, he checked the Riverfall City quest interface.
He was pleasantly surprised to see that his reputation had unknowingly risen to 400 points.
In Eternal Continent, reputation was a valuable asset.
Reaching a certain level of reputation not only granted special treatment from NPCs in major cities, but also allowed players to be knighted and establish their own forces.
More importantly, some unique dungeons and Secret Areas could only be accessed if the player’s reputation met the required threshold.
If Luca’s memory was correct, the Kingdom of Clinton had several top-tier Secret Areas, heavily guarded by the major powers.
Only players who had made significant contributions and gained enough reputation could gain entry.
In his previous life, one player had entered one of these Secret Areas and obtained the legacy of a Transcendent-level powerhouse.
Overnight, that player’s strength skyrocketed, eventually becoming one of the top Transcendent-level figures.
Luca also recalled that many of the best items in the game required a certain level of reputation to access.
For example, in Dawn City, the capital of the Kingdom of Clinton, there was a top-tier Secret Area guarded by the royal family, hiding a piece of Transcendent-level gear.
If he wanted to claim that piece of equipment, Luca would need to raise his reputation to 100,000 points and secure a count title.
With these thoughts in mind, Luca closed the quest panel and returned to slaughtering monsters in the horde.
He aimed to see if he could raise his reputation to 1,000 points before the end of the mission.
In Beast Forest, the deafening roars of Hydra echoed through the trees, accompanied by massive explosions that shook the ground. From a distance, one could see the thunderbolts crashing down from the sky, waves of blood energy surging upwards, and Hydra’s nine heads spitting fire, ice, and poisonous mists.
The earth trembled, mountains crumbled, and the withered trees and monsters around them were obliterated by the shockwaves of the battle.
The fight was intense, but the situation was far from ideal.
It wasn’t that Lucia and the others couldn’t damage Hydra—they could—but its regeneration was terrifyingly fast.
Often, by the time they were ready to launch a second strike, Hydra’s wounds had already healed, making their efforts feel futile.
Meanwhile, their stamina was steadily depleting.
In mid-air, Bright slashed through the air with his dagger, leaving a deep gash on one of Hydra’s heads.
However, his movement was a fraction too slow, and another of Hydra’s heads knocked him flying.
Struggling to steady himself, Bright’s face turned pale as he spoke, “This isn’t working. We have to find its weakness!”
As an Assassin, Bright excelled in burst damage, but his endurance in prolonged battles left much to be desired.
If things dragged on like this, he would be the first to fall.
The others frowned, worry evident in their expressions.
This monster already had high attack power and an enormous health pool, but its regeneration made the battle seem impossible.
Lucia, in particular, was speechless.
Her earlier remark had come true—her repeated lightning strikes hadn’t done enough damage to slow Hydra down.
As she watched the wounds on Hydra’s body close up once again, Franklin suddenly recalled something Luca had told him earlier.
“Could the kid have been right?” Franklin muttered to himself.
He had been skeptical at first, but seeing Hydra’s abilities in action made it hard to deny.
“What did he say?” Lucia asked, curious.
Franklin shook his head. “Luca said he read about this monster in an ancient text. According to him, its weakness lies in its nine heads. To kill it, we need to sever all nine heads at once.”
The group froze at this revelation.
“Is this information reliable? That kid better not be making this up,” Bayou said, doubtful.
He had read countless books, but had never come across any mention of such a nine-headed creature.
Lucia shot him a sharp glare. “My student isn’t the type to make things up, especially about something this serious. If he says it’s possible, then there’s at least some truth to it.”
Kurk chimed in, “We can test it. Let’s focus on cutting off one of the heads and see what happens.”
The group agreed. Cutting off all nine heads at once wasn’t realistic, especially with just the five of them. But working together to take down a single head was definitely doable.
At that moment, Hydra unleashed another vicious attack.
Two of its heads opened wide, spewing terrifying black flames. Anything the fire touched was instantly reduced to ashes—even Franklin’s Lich’s Shield couldn’t withstand the intense heat.
The group scrambled to evade the attack, each sustaining minor injuries. Though no one was gravely wounded, the ordeal stoked a burning frustration in their hearts.
“I’ll distract it with Bayou. You all prepare your skills and aim for the head on the far right,” Kurk shouted before charging toward Hydra, with Bayou close behind.
Their offensive capabilities were limited, but their high health made them the perfect candidates to buy time for the others.
…
Meanwhile, on Wind Plain.
Luca’s ice magic runes shimmered in his hands, his spear glowing with a cold blue light.
A freezing ice lance shot forward with a sharp whistle, piercing directly through the head of a Rare Wind Wolf.
-2757!
[Ding! You have slain “Lv20 Wind Wolf (Rare),” earning 34,791 EXP.]
As the experience notification popped up, Luca’s level increased to 18.
This time, he got lucky—besides the experience points, the Wind Wolf also dropped a Bronze Grade item.
[Wind Wolf Boots: Bronze Grade, usable at Lv15. Increases Agility by +30 and Movement Speed by 5%. Collect all five pieces of the Wind Walker set to unlock the “Wind Walker” attribute.]
Luca glanced at the item before casually storing it in his Storage Ring.
While the Wind Walker set was decent, it was more suited for Assassin classes, and Luca’s current Wanderer Set was far superior for his needs. The boots would be sold when he returned to Riverfall City.
After gathering the materials dropped by the Wind Wolf, Luca was about to continue hunting.
When a familiar voice called out to him. “Luca, might you be willing to sell that item in your hand?”
He turned to see Ada, the Guild Leader of Snowfall Guild, walking toward him.
She wore a pristine white priest’s robe, her tall, graceful figure and elegant appearance reflecting her well-bred upbringing.
Behind her was Ben, his dyed-yellow hair easy to spot in the distance.
His eyes gleamed with excitement as they locked onto the Wind Wolf Boots in Luca’s hand.
For an Assassin, the Wind Walker set was one of the best sets available during the early stages of the game. Ben already had two pieces and was now only three away from completing the set.
If he managed to get it, even someone like Dien Resurrection wouldn’t be able to stand against him.
The thought of completing the set filled him with excitement.
Luca, having a relatively good impression of both Ada and Ben, casually replied, “If you want to buy it, I’ll let it go for 500,000.”
The price Luca named wasn’t exactly cheap, especially since it was for part of a set.
But Luca wasn’t being greedy either—he was only charging about 100,000 more than its market value.
In the real world, plenty of rich players would gladly throw money at a deal like this.
When Ben and Ada heard the price, their eyes lit up.
“Deal! 500,000 it is!” Ben responded eagerly.
They had expected Luca to charge them a much higher price, especially for a set item like this.
Early on in the game, set items were incredibly rare, and it wouldn’t be unusual to see them selling for over a million.
Luca’s price was more than fair.
After adding each other as friends, Luca casually tossed the Wind Wolf Boots to Ben, saying, “Get in touch with me after the game.”
He wasn’t worried about being scammed.
If they tried anything shady.
They’d soon learn the hard way what real cruelty meant.
Impressed by Luca’s straightforwardness.
Both Ben and Ada felt a growing sense of respect for him.
Ben thumped his chest confidently. “Don’t worry, Luca! I’ll transfer the money to you today.”
Luca nodded slightly and was about to leave when Ada quickly spoke up, “Mr. Luca, I was wondering—are you considering joining a guild?”
Having seen Luca’s strength firsthand.
Ada knew how valuable a player like him would be to their Snowfall Guild. Recruiting him would be a huge win.
Ben chimed in with an offer, “If you’re willing to join Snowfall Guild, we can offer you twice what The World Guild promised!”
The surrounding players who overheard this gasped in shock.
Previously, Celephais had offered Luca over a million to join The World Guild.
But that was backed by Jiang Group and the James Family, for whom such an amount was pocket change.
No one expected Snowfall Guild to be willing to pay so much to recruit Luca.
But what shocked everyone even more was Luca’s response.
Without even a moment of hesitation, he shook his head and said, “Sorry, I’m not looking to join a guild right now.”
For Luca, joining a guild wasn’t necessary. The benefits were limited compared to what he could achieve on his own.
If the opportunity arose in the future, he planned to create his own team, recruiting some of the top-tier players from his past life and building an elite force.
But joining someone else’s guild? That was out of the question. He didn’t like being tied down or controlled.
Hearing his answer, both Ada and Ben were visibly disappointed.