Level 1!
The feeling was exhilarating, a warm surge of energy that coursed through every fiber of their beings. They could feel the subtle shift, the quiet but profound power building within them. The numbers on their panels confirmed it, and the sight was nothing short of astonishing.
Thalia: [Fixed Attribute Points +10, Free Attribute Points +10]
Vincent: [Fixed Attribute Points +20, Free Attribute Points +20]
Vincent's breath hitched as he processed the numbers. A normal Professional only gained 2 fixed and 3 free attribute points per level. The raw increase in their stats was a full four times that amount. This wasn't a minor advantage; it was an astronomical, foundational disparity. And this was just the beginning. When he considered the compounding effect of their Professional coefficients, the gap would grow even larger with every single level. The so-called difference between Epic Professionals and ordinary Professionals wasn't just a simple stat boost; it was a completely different scale of existence. He felt a mix of awe and grim satisfaction as the full weight of their potential settled in.
Thalia's eyes were wide as she stared at her panel. Her attack power had surged from 695 to an astonishing 821! She let out a small, breathless gasp. Vincent smiled as he watched her. He could see that her four main stats—Strength, Constitution, and Spirit—had each increased by 2 points, with Agility gaining 4. The raw power from those stats alone was a full 96 points, and with the increase in her base attack power, her total had already surpassed eight hundred. To put it into perspective, a Level 10 ordinary Professional, even with a full set of Epic gear, would be lucky to get close to those numbers. The disparity was so vast it was almost comical.
"Brother, how should I put my points?" Thalia asked, a hint of nervous excitement in her voice.
"What's your plan?" Vincent asked calmly.
"Agility gives me the biggest boost, so I'm going to put everything into Agility!" she said without a moment's hesitation. Her resolve was clear; she was a natural-born glass cannon.
Vincent's smile widened. Her choice was sound. At Tier 0, the monsters they faced were not a significant threat. Her current health and defenses were more than sufficient, and stacking her attack power for the highest possible burst damage was the most efficient strategy. He also knew that with every level, her secondary attributes would automatically increase by 2 points each, ensuring her survivability would never fall too far behind. "Then do as you wish," he said, and Thalia's face lit up.
She put all 10 of her free attribute points directly into Agility. Her attack power immediately shot up by another 200, landing at a staggering 1021.
Attack power over a thousand. At Level 1.
Vincent's mind flashed back to the Professionals they had seen today. Many of them were Level 6, and a few of the stronger ones were still struggling to break 100 in attack power. The gap wasn't just wide; it was a chasm.
Vincent looked at his own panel. The 20 fixed attribute points were automatically and evenly distributed among his four main attributes—Strength, Constitution, Spirit, and Agility—with each receiving 5 points. He didn't have to think about his remaining 20 free points either; he put all of them into Agility.
He did not need to worry about attribute allocation. The very nature of his Boss profession was a long-term strategy. As he recruited more employees, their leveling would directly and continuously increase his own stats. Eventually, his panel attributes would be utterly invincible. Right now, he only had the Shadow Assassin coefficient from his one employee, which gave a significant bonus to Agility, so it was the obvious choice.
With a thought, he allocated the points. His attributes changed dramatically, a surge of latent power flowing through him. His attack power directly increased by a massive 555 points, reaching a total of 1690. But this was not the limit. He knew that when he settled Thalia's earnings tonight, he would receive a significant boost from her experience. He did a quick mental calculation and realized his attack power would easily break two thousand.
Vincent let out a slow, deep sigh. His Boss profession, just a few hours into its existence, already possessed the aura of an unstoppable force. He wasn't just a leader; he was a catalyst for impossible growth.
"Brother, I opened a green piece of clothing!" Thalia's voice was full of unbridled glee as she waved her hand. In a flash of light, her worn clothes were replaced by a sleek, black trench coat. The coat was made of a soft, exquisite leather, its surface covered in subtle, dark patterns that seemed to shimmer. It was a stylish piece of equipment, and she twirled around to show it off, the coat flowing elegantly around her.
"Does it look good?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
"It looks great," Vincent said with a genuine smile. "It's a perfect fit."
"And it's green quality! It adds 20 Agility," she said, before a hint of regret touched her voice. "But it only takes effect at Level 5, and the stats are a little low."
Vincent chuckled. "Tier 0 equipment is what it is. What more could you want?"
Thalia paused, stuck her tongue out playfully, and giggled. "You're right. It's actually amazing. It's my first piece of real gear!" She then looked at him with a curious expression. "Where's your equipment blind box, Brother?"
Vincent glanced at his panel. A small, glowing box sat in his inventory. He opened it with a thought, and a moment later, a massive greatsword materialized in his hand. It was beautiful, gleaming with an emerald hue, and it pulsed with power. But it was completely useless for an Assassin. "I got a greatsword," he said, a note of disappointment in his voice. "Green quality, but neither of us can really use it."
He could equip it, sure, and it would hurt to hit someone with it, but he had no skills for it. The only way he could use it would be by unequipping his dagger, which would negate all of his Assassin skills.
"Oh..." Thalia's expression fell.
"Never mind that," Vincent said, a newfound confidence in his voice. "Let's pick up the boss drops first, and then… we can check out the Hell Instance. If the Hard Instance rewarded us for the record, the Hell one will probably give even more."
Thalia's eyes lit up like a pair of beacons. "Right! Good!" she shouted, and took off at a sprint toward the pile of glowing loot. She clearly hadn't had enough of fighting, and the thought of an even greater challenge thrilled her. She loved the pure, simple thrill of instantly killing monsters and was eager to test her newfound power.
Vincent smiled and waited patiently as he listened to Thalia's excited shouts. She had collected all the Hard Instance boss drops, and they were indeed far better than the Normal Instance. Just the gold coins alone amounted to over 200, and that was on top of the 1000 from the record-breaking reward. In a matter of a few hours, their income was hundreds of times what the two of them had earned in the past two years. A single gold coin was worth 100 silver, and for them, that used to be two to three months of hard work. The feeling of financial freedom was as intoxicating as the power they had gained.
Besides the massive pile of gold, there were four passes—two for the Hard Instance and two for the Hell Instance—and a few pieces of white-quality equipment. Unfortunately, none of them were for Assassins. After tidying up their gains, the two of them operated on their panels, ready to exit the instance.
With a flash of white light, their consciousnesses blurred for a moment. The sudden cacophony of sounds—shouting, laughter, and an angry debate—assaulted their ears as they materialized outside the dungeon entrance. The familiar cool air and the scent of the nearby food stalls replaced the dungeon's damp earth.
As they were about to continue on their way, both Vincent and Thalia suddenly paused. Dozens of eyes were on them. They were stared at, judged, and then, as quickly as the gazes came, they were gone. A palpable wave of disappointment washed over the crowd.
"It's not them," someone muttered nearby.
"It's been more than ten minutes. It seems they're not coming out," another person said, defeated.
"Is anyone here named 'Boss' or 'Hill'?" a man shouted, his voice filled with a desperate hope.
Vincent and Thalia froze. Their heads tilted in unison. Boss? Hill? Were those not their newly minted codenames? They exchanged a look of pure confusion, then their eyes narrowed in shared curiosity. They stood silently in a small pocket of space, listening intently to the conversations around them.
That's when they heard it—a heated, ongoing dispute. They followed the sound to a group of human Professionals engaged in a furious argument with a handful of Centaurs. And the topic of their debate was the same question that had been echoing through the crowd: were Boss and Hill human, or were they centaurs?
The siblings' expressions shifted from confusion to a dawning, stunned amusement. They had come out of a dungeon and walked right into the middle of a battle that they, entirely by accident, had started.