BXBX NOVEL Chapter 42: Chapter42-Friends Over There
The Bloodstripe Wolf King didn't even have the chance to enter its berserk state before being slain by John.
The sight left everyone, both the demonwolf pack and the chubby magus, utterly stunned in shock.
This was the Bloodstripe Wolf King, the lord of the lower regions of the Crimson Realm, taken down in close combat by a magus!
The chubby magus gasped, recognizing that this individual was at most silver-tier, yet possessed the strength to solo a lord-tier monster.
Such a person would be considered a prodigy even in the Imperial City!
[You have slain a lv20 "Bloodstripe Wolf King," earning 77,000 Exp!]
After slaying the Bloodstripe Wolf King, John directly gained a massive 70,000+ Exp.
Simultaneously, a blinding silver light traced a beautiful arc across the sky, landing on the grass.
It was a silver-tier item! John's eyes lit up; this was an unexpected boon.
Even if he couldn't use the silver-tier equipment himself, selling it to the exchange would yield a significant profit.
He quickly stepped forward to pick it up and store it in his storage ring.
With no time to inspect the gear now and more pressing matters at hand, he decided to examine it later when he had a moment.
John's gaze then turned cold and lethal as he looked back at the demonwolf pack that had been pursuing him.
Having been chased by these beasts, John had long harbored a simmering rage, and now that the opportunity for revenge had arrived, he was not about to let it slip by.
The Zephyr Shield, which had previously dissipated, reappeared around him.
Transforming into a swift arrow, John charged straight towards the bewildered demonwolf pack.
With the Bloodstripe Wolf King slain, the demonwolves were in disarray, and upon seeing John charging at them, they were struck with terror, many attempting to flee in panic.
But John was not about to give them that chance.
A cyan light illuminated his hands, and a fierce wind suddenly rose on the Corpse Plains, conjuring a tornado over twenty meters high out of nowhere.
Within it, blades of wind danced wildly, like a meat grinder, dreadfully fearsome.
"Storm Blade!" The tornado, carrying a powerful gale, enveloped over twenty demonwolves.
A dozen demonwolves were instantly swept up by the tornado.
Their desperate twists and turns were futile; they could only emit feeble howls.
The demonwolves on the edge of the hurricane struggled desperately, trying to use their powerful bodies to escape the reach of the tornado.
John snorted coldly, waving his staff again, which flickered with black light.
Suddenly, a black swamp appeared beneath the feet of the demonwolf pack.
All the demonwolves instantly sank into the swamp, and those already being pulled by the ferocious winds found themselves unable to struggle any longer, completely engulfed by the raging Storm Blade.
Sharp blades of wind continuously inflicted wounds on them, with crimson blood raining down from the sky like water!
"-2716!"
"-2899!"
"-2778!"
…
A series of damage indicators appeared within the Storm Blade, as John cast one skill after another into it, each causing massive area damage among the demonwolf pack.
In no time, the twenty or so already weakened demonwolves were slain by John on the spot.
[You have slain a lv19 "demonwolf," earning 1984 Exp!]
[You have slain a lv20 "demonwolf," earning 2413 Exp!]
…
The twenty-meter-high Storm Blade gradually dissipated.
The sky rained down demonwolf corpses and equipment.
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!" A torrent of experience flowed into John's body, his figure illuminated by two successive flashes of white light!
[Your level has increased to lv14, gaining 15 free attribute points!]
[Your level has increased to lv15, gaining 15 free attribute points!]
...
[You have acquired new skills "Shadow Puppet" and "Novice Skeleton Summoning"!]
[Your SSS-level talent "Divine Favor Tome" has been activated!]
[Your basic skill "Shadow Puppet" has been upgraded to lv20 (MAX)!]
[Your basic skill "Novice Skeleton Summoning" has been upgraded to lv20 (MAX)!]
...
On the edge of the forest, the chubby magus Albertus watched the light emanating from John.
His eyes widened so much, he could almost fit an egg in his mouth.
Given the limited experience provided by the demonwolves, he could easily deduce what level John was at.
At this moment, Albertus was so shocked he was rendered speechless.
He had assumed the other was at least a silver-tier powerhouse.
Who could have imagined that the person was only in their teens in terms of level?!
What kind of monster was this guy, to be able to solo kill the Bloodstripe Wolf King and so many demonwolves in his teens?!
Recalling his own experiences at that level, Albertus felt utterly disheartened.
If he remembered correctly, when he was in his teens, he was still proud of soloing an elite monster, wasn't he?
And keep in mind, he was considered the top genius of his generation in House Fairfax!
Although the offspring of House Fairfax were always somewhat lacking in talent, this gap seemed far too vast!
...
On the Corpse Plains, John looked at the series of notifications before him, feeling quite pleased.
With the experience boost from the secret realm dungeon, his leveling speed was incredibly fast, almost like he was on a rocket.
Slaying over thirty demonwolves, along with the Bloodstripe Wolf King, catapulted his level to lv15.
Moreover, the loot drop rate from these thirty-plus demonwolves was quite favorable, gifting him four iron-tier pieces of equipment, one bronze-tier item, and a beginner's skill scroll for the knight class.
Coupled with the silver-tier equipment dropped by the Bloodstripe Wolf King, John's haul was indeed substantial.
[Equipment]: Wolf King Boots
[Type]: Shoes
[Level]: lv15
[Tier]: Silver-tier
[Quality]: Common
[Attributes]: Speed +35, Casting Speed +5%
[Skill]: Gallop (Passive)
[Description]: Once your Speed attribute reaches 120 points, grants a 10% bonus to your Speed attribute.
...
[Equipment]: Wolf Bone Bracelet
[Type]: Bracelet
[Level]: lv15
[Tier]: Bronze-tier
[Quality]: Exquisite
[Attributes]: Spirit +30, Cooldown Reduction -5%
...
[Equipment]: Crimson Belt
[Type]: Belt
[Level]: lv15
[Tier]: Iron-tier
[Quality]: Perfect
[Attributes]: Spirit +35
John deemed only three of the lv15 items in his possession passable; the rest fell short in terms of attributes and quality.
Opting to stick with his lv10 gear for the time being, he wasn't in a rush to switch.
Allocating all his free attribute points to Spirit, he then equipped several lv15 items before opening his attribute panel.
[Class]: All-Class Magus (God-tier)
[HP]: 4289
[MP]: 12895
[Attributes]: Strength 132, Stamina 185, Spirit 480, Speed 144
[Talent]: Divine Favor Tome (SSS-level)
[Skills]: Spring of Soul lv20, Mana Recovery lv20, Elemental Affinity lv20, Shadow Puppet lv20, Novice Skeleton Summoning lv20, Shadow Marsh lv20, Thunder Arrow lv20, Ice Spear lv20, Vine Thorn lv20, Pyrokinesis lv20, Aquakinesis lv20, Zephyr Shield lv20, Silent Curse (Equipped), Specter (Equipped)…
[Equipment]: Necrostaff lv10 (Silver-tier), Phantom Cloak lv10 (Bronze-tier), Ghoul Necklace lv10 (Bronze-tier), Gargoyle Ring lv10 (Bronze-tier), White Jade Robe lv10 (Bronze-tier), Wolf Bone Bracelet lv15 (Bronze-tier), Crimson Belt lv15 (Iron-tier), Wolf King Boots lv15 (Silver-tier)…
[Items]: Random Teleportation Stone, Mana Potion, Spirit Potion, Swiftness Potion, Cooldown Potion, Healing Potion…
...
This level-up not only enhanced his attributes but also granted John two remarkable skills: "Shadow Puppet" and "Novice Skeleton Summoning."
Coupled with the "Ground Spike" he initially acquired, he gained a total of three new skills this time!
[Shadow Puppet v20 (MAX)]
[Type]: Basic Skill (Active)
[Description]: Upon using this skill, you can appear anywhere within ten meters, leaving behind a Shadow Puppet at your original location to confound your target. The Shadow Puppet lasts for 30 seconds, with a cooldown of 10 minutes and consumes 1200 MP.
...
[Novice Skeleton Summoning v20 (MAX)]
[Type]: Basic Skill (Active)
[Description]: This skill summons four lv20 novice skeletons under your command, with a duration of 8 minutes, a cooldown of 15 minutes, and consumes 1200 MP.
...
[Ground Spike v20 (MAX)]
[Type]: Basic Skill (Active)
[Description]: Activating this skill conjures 12 Ground Spikes under your target, each inflicting 4800 points of damage. The cooldown period is 5 minutes, with a mana cost of 1000 MP.
...
What truly thrilled John were the two skills rewarded upon leveling up.
"Shadow Puppet" enhanced his agility, while "Novice Skeleton Summoning" provided him with two free minions.
With two lv20 novice skeletons to shield him, he could cast spells from the rear with greater ease.
Regaining his composure, John didn't rush to collect the equipment; instead, he turned his gaze towards the forest's edge and called out calmly, "Friend over there, after watching for so long, won't you come out and say hello?"