[Life Value -31,020]
As the blood-red number floated above the Black Rock Snake's head, the colossal beast let out a mournful wail. It finally crumbled into countless pieces of gravel that slowly cascaded to the ground.
Yu Zhun collapsed onto his backside, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. He knew it was expected of a Level 15 Newbie Area Boss. Even though his active talent meant he only needed a single strike to kill it, merely managing to touch its body was no easy feat for someone at Level 5. He had to endure a hit from its Rock Breath just to find an opening to strike. That single Rock Breath had instantly slashed his health to below fifty percent. If it weren't for the [Black Demon Sheep's Cursed Necklace] increasing his Life Value by 100%, that one attack would have killed him on the spot.
The crumbling remains of the Black Rock Snake finally settled into a cone-shaped pile of rubble. As the Boss's death animation concluded, rows of text appeared.
[Congratulations on your divine might! You have defeated the brutally vicious Demon Beast Boss, Black Rock Snake (Lv15). Level Experience +2000!]
[Congratulations! Your level has increased to Lv7!]
[Congratulations on meeting the requirements! You have obtained the title: [Snake Hunter Warrior].]
[[Snake Hunter Warrior] (Blue): Physical Attack +15%]
[The Demon Beast Boss, Black Rock Snake, left you a surprise upon its defeat. Dropped Item: Black Snake Rock Armor (Master Level)]
[The Demon Beast Boss, Black Rock Snake, left you a surprise upon its defeat. Dropped Item: Ouroboros Necklace (Outstanding Level)]
[The Demon Beast Boss, Black Rock Snake, left you a surprise upon its defeat. Dropped Item: Black Snake Frenzied Fang (Outstanding Level)]
[The Demon Beast Boss, Black Rock Snake, left you...]
"Holy crap!" Yu Zhun gasped in shock, staring at the long string of notifications suddenly popping up.
The rewards for killing a Boss were certainly rich. He had received a Master Level Armor piece, an Outstanding Level accessory, an Outstanding Level weapon, and several Excellent Level pieces of equipment. On top of that, it dropped two [Avoid Battle Stones], various crafting materials, and over twenty Basic Skill Books.
"No wonder people capable of fighting Bosses look down on regular wild monsters. The profit here is on a completely different level," Yu Zhun muttered to himself. However, he knew that ordinary players would never see this kind of return, even if they fought a Boss. First of all, a typical Boss-hunting party had a full roster of ten people, meaning these drops would have to be split ten ways. Secondly, a Boss's strength far exceeded that of average players, and the penalty for dying in the Divine Revelation World was incredibly steep, making the risk of the hunt immense.
"Let's check the equipment," Yu Zhun said, opening the details of the items in his inventory. He ignored the Excellent Level items, deciding to bundle and sell them later. He preferred to keep the Outstanding Level and Master Level items for himself if possible.
[Black Snake Rock Armor]
[Equipment Description: Armor forged from the scales of a Black Rock Snake, boasting a defense as sturdy as a rock. Highly recommended by all who wear it!]
[Equipment Level: Lv10]
[Equipment Quality: Master Level (Purple)]
[Equipment Slot: Armor]
[Equipment Durability: 100]
[Equipment Stats: Life Value +400, Physical Defense +60, Magic Defense +60]
[Equipment Effect 1 (Rock): When taking a Physical Attack, temporarily reduces Magic Defense by 50% and adds the reduced value to Physical Defense.]
[Equipment Effect 2 (Resurrection): When Life Value drops below 20%, instantly restores 30% of Maximum Life Value. This effect only triggers once per battle.]
"Master Level equipment is one thing, and high stats are to be expected, but it actually has two equipment effects!" Yu Zhun's eyes lit up in an instant. Looking at the first effect, it was clear that this Master Level Armor was specialized in resisting physical attacks rather than providing balanced defense. Even so, it left Yu Zhun thoroughly thrilled. If it didn't have a Level 10 requirement, he would have equipped it without a moment's hesitation.
The [Ouroboros Necklace] was an accessory that increased magic power and Mana regeneration, which wasn't suitable for him. After a brief glance, Yu Zhun decisively chose to sell it. His currently equipped [Black Demon Sheep's Cursed Necklace] was excellent as is. Its effect of reducing attack to increase Life Value might be something others avoided like the plague, but for him, it was a stroke of absolute genius. He likely wouldn't need a replacement anytime soon.
Checking the other Outstanding Level equipment, Yu Zhun couldn't help but let out a smug chuckle.
[Black Snake Frenzied Fang]
[Equipment Description: A dagger forged from the fang of a Black Rock Snake. It is incomparably sharp and can effortlessly pierce gold and split rock!]
[Equipment Level: Lv10]
[Equipment Quality: Outstanding Level (Blue)]
[Equipment Slot: Weapon]
[Equipment Durability: 100]
[Equipment Stats: Physical Attack +160]
[Equipment Effect 1 (Frenzy): When Life Value is below 50%, agility increases by 100% and Physical Attack increases by 10%.]
"This equipment effect is pretty good..." A look of satisfaction appeared in Yu Zhun's eyes. When his Life Value dropped below fifty percent, his agility would double outright. This would make it much easier for him to strike powerful opponents. As for the weapon's Physical Attack bonus, that was entirely secondary. After all, whether his attack stat was high or not didn't matter to him.
"It's just a shame that both the Armor and the dagger are Level 10. I can't equip them yet," Yu Zhun sighed. "Leveling up is still too slow."
After a brief inventory of the remaining loot, Yu Zhun clicked on his newly acquired blue title, [Snake Hunter Warrior]. Its effect provided a 15% bonus to Physical Attack.
"Never mind, I'll stick with [Demon Sheep Nightmare] for now." Yu Zhun shook his head and opened his status panel for a quick glance. After Level 5, the experience required to level up grew increasingly steeper. Going from Lv5 to Lv6 took 600 experience, while Lv6 to Lv7 required 1,000 experience. The experience from defeating the Black Rock Snake had pushed him directly to Lv7, and reaching the next level would require 1,600 experience.
Now that the inventory check was complete, it was time to leave.
***
"Su Hong... why hasn't Yu Zhun come out yet?" Outside the Black Rock Snake's lair, Su Yue clenched her fists nervously. "We've been out for a while now, and he..."
"I don't know," Su Hong said, his face taut. He thought to himself that this shouldn't be happening. He had explicitly given Yu Zhun an [Avoid Battle Stone], which only needed to be crushed to immediately exit the battle. Even if Yu Zhun had never used one before, he should have received a system prompt explaining how it worked the moment he touched it. Could it be that he hadn't managed to crush it in time before being...
At the thought of this possibility, Su Hong abruptly clenched his fists, his heart filling with remorse. It was his own carelessness that had doomed Yu Zhun! He snapped his head toward the direction of Newbie City, his eyes blazing with fury. Those damn bastards had actually broken the rules to sabotage a team in the middle of a Boss hunt. Such behavior had to be punished. Unless they stayed offline forever, he would make them regret everything they had done. He was going to kill those guys and avenge Yu Zhun...
"Oh? You guys are still here?"
Su Hong whipped his head back around, a look of sheer astonishment overtaking his face as he saw the figure walking out from the depths of the lair.
"You're... not dead?"