Giant Snake
"Huff…huff…huff…"
Deep in the Corrupted Forest, the Corrupted Wolf was panting heavily.
After several missed attacks on Rylan, it was furious, its desire to kill rising sharply. Bearing its fangs, it pawed the ground with its front claws, ready to pounce.
Meanwhile, Rylan had reached the tree hollow. With a single sweep of his arm, he scooped up all the items inside.
[You have obtained Level 3 Healing Fruit.]
[You have obtained Level 3 Fine Iron Ore.]
[You have obtained Level 4 Wine Fruit.]
[Congratulations! You have discovered a Chest. Would you like to open it?]
Tilting his body to one side, Rylan once again dodged the Wolf's sneak attack from behind. Mentally, he chose "open."
[You have opened the Bronze Treasure Chest.]
[You have obtained Refined Silver Ore ×5.]
[You have obtained "Exquisite Knight's Shield" ×1.]
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[Exquisite Knight's Shield]
Required Level: 6
Quality: A
Defense: 30
Special Feature: Petrifying Shield
Class Restriction: Shield Guardian, Knight
Description: A regulation shield crafted by experienced artisans for the Knight Corps, remarkably easy to handle!
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Once the treasures had been transferred to Rylan's bag, the chest vanished on the spot.
"Grrr!"
Seeing this, the Corrupted Wolf let out an enraged howl, its fur bristling as it launched another attack on Rylan. This time, Rylan made no effort to dodge, allowing himself to be killed.
...
Two minutes later.
"Owooo…"
After it had killed Rylan another five or six times, the newbie protection feature kicked in again, and the Wolf was teleported away. Rylan turned and left that place, slipping into a nearby thicket.
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[Ding!]
[Detected that you have died 50 times within one hour. You have earned the title: Fragile and Powerless.]
[Your frailty has earned the pity of the gods.]
[You have obtained "Sanctuary Boots" and "Sanctuary Armor"!]
Just then, the system's voice rang out in Rylan's ears. His heart jolted, and he hurriedly opened his inventory. Sure enough, two new items had appeared.
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[Sanctuary Armor]
Grade: A
Defense: 1
Special Feature: Thorns
Thorns: Reflect 10% of physical damage
Description: Being weak is no sin. Wear this armor, and at least you can hurt your foes a little in return.
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[Sanctuary Boots]
Grade: A
Defense: 1
Special Feature: Sprint
Sprint: Increases movement speed by 20%
Description: If you can't win, at least run faster!
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Two pieces of Sanctuary equipment in a row put Rylan in a great mood. Still, from his memory, you need five pieces to truly unleash Sanctuary's full potential. In other words, he would need to keep "dying" for more.
Happily, there remained a hidden quest he had yet to complete. Standing there, he took stock of the surroundings, then continued deeper into the Corrupted Forest in search of the Corrupted Rose.
Half an hour later, Rylan finally spotted traces of the Corrupted Rose by the edge of a rotting marsh. Along the way, he'd died another thirty or so times.
Monsters deeper in the Corrupted Forest generally hovered at around Level 10, and at Level 1, Rylan was virtually a one-hit kill if he didn't dodge.
By now, he was getting close to his intended "death count" target. Using Eye of Insight, Rylan confirmed the presence of the Corrupted Rose and headed straight for it.
But when he neared the swamp, the muddy water began to churn. Two blood-red lights rose high above the slop, revealing the head of a massive snake. It hissed, exuding a vicious, icy aura. An old scar over its left eye only made it look more savage.
"Hissss!"
Upon seeing Rylan, the serpent let out a shrill cry. The sound waves rippled out in every direction, and the creature's neck inflated like gills.
Rylan immediately activated Eye of Insight.
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[Corrupted Giant Snake – Boss]
[Level: 10]
[HP: 62000]
[Attack: 355]
[Defense: 156]
[Speed: 15]
[Skills: Constrict, Tail Sweep, Venom Spit, Concealment]
[Warning: This is a BOSS-level creature. Newbie protection does not apply. Proceed with caution!]
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"A boss?" he murmured, blinking in surprise. At the same time, he felt rather fortunate for not playing by the "normal rules." Ordinarily, players would have to defeat the Corrupted Giant Snake to grab the Corrupted Rose. But up against a Level 10 boss, Rylan's Level 1 stats didn't stand a chance.
Boom!
Spotting Rylan, the Corrupted Giant Snake didn't hesitate. Its thick tail lashed out of the swamp, crashing down on Rylan's head.
[-1150]
A red number floated by.
[You have died!]
Rylan had once again succeeded in getting himself killed. He chose to resurrect on the spot, then fixated on the Corrupted Giant Snake, attempting to evade its next attack while rushing toward the Corrupted Rose.
Seeing Rylan refuse to back down, the Giant Snake hissed, unleashing two sprays of purple venom. Being a Level 10 boss, every stat far exceeded Rylan's. Even with advanced reflexes, Rylan's low attributes and pitiful speed left him no possibility of escape.
Before long, he was hit yet again.
[You have been poisoned!]
-15, -15…
Moments later, Rylan fell under the Giant Snake's assault.
"Revive!"
"Revive!"
"Revive again!"
Standing at the swamp's edge, Rylan mumbled these words over and over. Each time he resurrected, he got slightly closer to the Corrupted Rose. Finally, after three minutes of intense—and deadly—effort, he managed to snatch the Corrupted Rose.
[You have obtained the Corrupted Rose!]
[Hidden Quest – Corrupted Rose is complete! Please return to the Starter Village to finish the quest!]
The system's prompt chimed. At the same time, another attack from the Corrupted Giant Snake crashed down on him.
[You have died!]
[Choose to Respawn in Place or Return to a Safe Zone.]
"Respawn in place," Rylan muttered.
With a white flash, he came back to life. Although the battle itself lasted only three minutes, the Giant Snake had killed him ten times in that span. Added to his earlier total, Rylan had now died a staggering 98 times since the game went live—just one shy of his mark of 99.
According to Rylan's knowledge, dying 99 times on day one was the key to triggering another hidden condition.
Boom!
The Giant Snake slammed its poisonous tail into Rylan as soon as he revived.
[-1315!]
[You have died again!]
His death count hit 99. Right at that moment…
Beep…beep…beep…
[We have detected that you have died 99 times…]
An unusual, rapid system alert began to ring in Rylan's ears.