18: Gear Upgrade
"Elite monsters sure give a lot of experience," Tristan thought, a satisfied smile on his face.
Although it took two daggers to kill a single Granite Giant, which wasn't as efficient as farming level 10 wild boars, the trade-off was worth it. Activating the Silver Grade boss was his primary goal, and these kills were a necessary step.
By the time he reached level 10 and equipped his Silver Grade gear, Tristan could head straight to the main city. What a perfect scenario.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten his hidden quest. Before leaving the beginner's village, he planned to eliminate the Wolf King—a Bronze Grade boss.
"Let's go all out and claim the first kills for both the Bronze and Silver bosses," Tristan resolved, his determination blazing as he resumed his grind.
---
Ding! You have defeated a level 10 Granite Giant. Experience gained: 150. Bonus for a level 6 difference: 90.
You have leveled up to 5!
You have gained 5 free attribute points!
The power of shadows gathers within you. You have gained an additional 5 free attribute points!
Beast Blessing activated. You have gained an additional 5 free attribute points!
Tristan poured all 15 attribute points into agility and swapped in his new gear. His stats underwent a stunning transformation.
---
[Character Status: Blackshade]
Class: Shadow Assassin
Level: 5 (90/5000 EXP)
Attributes:
- Strength: 14
- Constitution: 9
- Agility: 91 + 5 (bonus from gear)
- Intelligence: 8
Attack: 64
Defense: 30
HP: 390
Mana: 90
Equipment:
- Rabbit Fang Dagger (+50 Attack, +5 Agility)
- Rabbit Leather Armor (+20 Defense, +200 HP)
- Novice Legguards (+1 Defense)
Skills:
- Shadow Stealth LV2 (Black Iron Grade): Enter stealth mode. Breaking Stealth Strike deals (Attack 120% + 100) additional damage. Mana cost: 5. Cooldown: 18 seconds.
- Shadow Dagger LV1: Create a shadow-energy dagger to deal (Attack 110%) damage. Mana cost: 5. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
- Shadow Strike LV1: A powerful melee attack dealing (Attack 110%) damage. Mana cost: 5. Cooldown: 5 seconds.
- Rend LV1 (Black Iron Grade): Passive. Inflicts bleeding wounds with physical attacks, dealing (Attack 20% + 20) damage per second for 3 seconds.
---
With agility soaring to 96 points, Tristan could feel the difference.
"If I hadn't allocated five points to strength initially, my agility would've already surpassed 100!" he thought, though he quickly brushed the regret aside.
The upgraded gear and boosted attributes had dramatically amplified his combat power. He quickly calculated his damage potential at a 50-meter range:
- Shadow Dagger + Breaking Stealth Strike + Weak Spot Attack: 2,781 damage!
- Rend (3 seconds): 492 damage!
- Total Damage: 3,273!
"Still can't one-shot a Granite Giant," Tristan sighed dramatically, shaking his head in mock disappointment.
If other players heard this, they'd probably report him for hacking.
At level 5, dishing out over 3,000 damage was absurd. Most players were still struggling against wild boars!
---
Despite still needing two daggers per kill, Tristan wasn't bothered. He had a trump card: Beast Skull.
The evolution point he earned from the Giant Rabbit boss had been reserved for this moment. Once he farmed enough evolution points to evolve Shadow Stealth to Bronze Grade, both its damage multiplier and flat damage bonus would skyrocket.
By then, killing a Granite Giant in a single strike would be trivial—even without relying on Rend.
---
Ding! You have defeated a level 10 Granite Giant. Experience gained: 150. Bonus for a level 5 difference: 75.
Another Granite Giant collapsed into rubble. Tristan's level-up bar crept ever closer to the next milestone.
At this pace, Tristan estimated he'd reach level 10 by the time he activated the Granite Giant Lord. The entire process would take less than half a day.
"Fast, way too fast," Tristan marveled.
In his previous life, it had taken him until the third day after the server launch to hit level 10—a speed that was already considered impressive.
But back then, crowded grinding spots and slow kill speeds had made leveling a nightmare for most players. Without the ability to farm high-level monsters, the baseline experience gains were pitiful.
For Tristan, though, it was a completely different story this time around.
---
Ding! You have defeated a level 10 Granite Giant. Experience gained: 150. Bonus for a level 5 difference: 75.
You have leveled up to 6!
You have gained 5 free attribute points!
The power of shadows gathers within you. You have gained an additional 5 free attribute points!
Beast Blessing activated. You have gained an additional 5 free attribute points!
Another level-up. Tristan casually allocated all points to agility, his expression unchanged.
His grinding process was straightforward: stealth, throw a dagger, stealth, throw another dagger—repetitive, monotonous, but highly effective.
The monotony was made bearable by the promise of progress.
"Just a bit longer, and I'll have enough kills to evolve Shadow Stealth again!" Tristan mused, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Having a Bronze Grade skill in the beginner's village? Nobody would believe it."
The thought filled him with satisfaction, though he kept his guard up.
---
As Tristan carved through the Granite Giants, their numbers steadily dwindled. Each time one fell, its remnants were quickly absorbed into the ground by an unseen force.
Tristan knew what this meant.
The Granite Giant Lord was awakening. The growing rune patterns etched into the earth were undeniable proof.
According to the game lore, the boss was sealed here long ago. Over time, the weakening seal had released its energy, spawning the mindless Granite Giants that now roamed the area.
For most players, this backstory was just flavor text.
But for Tristan—reborn with the truth of ExoGenesis—it hinted at a deeper mystery.
"This boss might be from another world absorbed by ExoGenesis," he speculated, his mind racing.
The idea sent a chill down his spine.
"If Terra couldn't resist the gods' invasion, would it also be assimilated into ExoGenesis, becoming part of another world's game?"
The notion unsettled him, but it also steeled his resolve.
"This time, I will take control of my fate."
Taking a deep breath, Tristan conjured a shadow dagger, hurling it toward another distant Granite Giant.
---
Ding! You have defeated a level 10 Granite Giant. Experience gained: 150. Bonus for a level 4 difference: 60.
You have leveled up to 7!
You have gained 5 free attribute points!
The power of shadows gathers within you. You have gained an additional 5 free attribute points!
Beast Blessing activated. You have gained an additional 5 free attribute points!
Hunting Moment activated. You have gained 1 evolution point!