"Thump, thump, thump, thump!"
In the Slime Forest, Chen Tian’s figure moved like a gentle breeze, his form constantly running through the woods, searching for targets.
Soon, a multitude of slimes appeared before Chen Tian. Their azure forms, resembling spheres, numbered over a dozen.
Chen Tian looked at the slime horde and nodded in satisfaction, "A slime horde? Perfect for testing my new skill!"
In the game "Epoch of Time," monsters could exist individually or in groups, and some monsters even had settings similar to game players.
This game truly ignited Chen Tian’s desire to challenge himself, his gaming spirit.
"Gale Strike!"
Chen Tian’s speed instantly surged. He transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the slime horde.
Leaping from the bushes, he soared into the air, dual blades in hand. "Swish, swish, swish, swish!" His hands moved incessantly, sending wave after wave of blade illusions shooting from his twin swords at extreme speed.
A total of fourteen blade illusions instantly flew towards the slime horde.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!"
Countless cutting sounds rang out. Before Chen Tian's eyes, numbers continuously appeared above the slime horde.
"-60"
...
After more than a dozen numbers appeared, they finally stopped. Chen Tian landed softly on the ground, looking at the damaged slimes. Blue ichor continuously flowed from their bodies.
The health bars above their heads were also moments away from being depleted.
Chen Tian picked up his dual blades and finished them off one by one. This was experience, after all. How could he let it go?
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating a Level 1 Slime, gaining 10 experience points."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating a Level 1 Slime, gaining 10 experience points."
"Ding! Congratulations for defeating the slime horde, gaining 70 experience points."
...
Chen Tian listened to the system voice resounding in his mind, his heart filled with joy. He had instantly gained nearly three hundred experience points. With just a few dozen more, he could level up.
In "Epoch of Time," the game system could be adjusted to voice mode or panel mode. Chen Tian had currently chosen voice mode, where rewards were announced audibly.
Panel mode was used for strengthening attributes and viewing skills. Voice mode was simpler, while panel mode was more complex, but each had its advantages.
Just as Chen Tian was about to leave the slime area, an item appeared before his eyes – a scroll, an ancient yellow scroll lying quietly in the center of the slime horde.
Chen Tian picked up the scroll, and instantly the system voice sounded in his mind: "Ding! Congratulations, player Adventurer, for triggering the hidden class quest! Defeat the Dark Nether King! Upon defeat, open the treasure chest for rewards."
"Huh!"
Chen Tian was stunned by the voice in his mind. A hidden class quest already? Was this luck, or just sheer luck?
Then, Chen Tian’s finger tapped on the scroll. The detailed quest content transformed into a panel and appeared before his eyes.
Defeat the Dark Nether King: The Dark Nether King is a great demon hidden within the Slime Forest, awaiting its chance to resurrect and let death dominate the world. Players can head to the cave within the Slime Forest, open the Dark Nether King's resurrection site, and defeat the Dark Nether King.
"Do you accept the quest?"
Below the panel were "Yes" and "No." Chen Tian did not hesitate and tapped "Yes."
Subsequently, the scroll transformed into a beam of light and entered Chen Tian's brow, disappearing. This signified that the quest was bound to Chen Tian; unless Chen Tian died, no other player could accept the same quest.
In "Epoch of Time," for players in Adventurer mode, quests they accept are bound to them. Only when a player dies will the quest scroll reappear, awaiting the next Adventurer player to accept it.
Chen Tian, as a player in the solitary mode, the Lone Wolf, could accept quests at will without any restrictions. This was the advantage of a Lone Wolf.
The advantage of Adventurer players lay in quest binding; once a quest was bound, unless the player died, only one person could complete it, or it could be completed as a team.
Noble players had the advantage of being born into nobility, starting with top-tier equipment. They only needed to level up and complete trials.
Guild players had the advantage of completing any quest, event, or activity together, utilizing sheer numbers.
Each of the four modes offered corresponding playstyles. Chen Tian couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder which idiot died in the Slime Forest to let me get such a huge bargain."
Then, Chen Tian's figure slowly moved away. Of course, Chen Tian did not plan to undertake this quest immediately. His level was too low. Even the Adventurer player who accepted this quest had died. If Chen Tian went now, the result would be the same – suicide.
Adventurer players' attributes were basically over a hundred at the start, making them superior to Chen Tian. If even they couldn't win, Chen Tian didn't want to rush to his death. He would develop steadily for a while, leveling up his attributes before attempting it. Since the quest was bound to him and the location was in the Slime Forest, it wouldn't disappear for now.
Subsequently, Chen Tian's figure transformed into an afterimage once more and vanished into the mountain forest. Countless cutting sounds echoed through the Slime Forest. Chen Tian was doing his utmost to level up, level up, and level up again, killing any slime he encountered.
Slimes offered little experience, but their reproduction rate in this forest was the fastest, and they were the most numerous. Moreover, Chen Tian's current speed attribute allowed him to kill slimes below level three without even using skills. Slimes below level three were not as fast as Chen Tian and had no chance to attack.
As the sun slowly rose, Chen Tian's figure appeared deep within the Slime Forest. Looking at the massive cave entrance before him, Chen Tian said, "After a night's effort, I've reached Level 10. I don't know if I can defeat the Dark Nether King, but the quest mentioned he's in the resurrection phase and his level is low. Based on my gaming skills, even if I can't win, I can still retreat safely."
"However, I need to use my attribute points first to strengthen my stats. For leveling up five consecutive levels, I gained fifty attribute points. Weapon Mastery got thirty points, and Speed got twenty. I'll focus on building up my dual-speed assassin class first."
"Beep, beep, beep!"
Chen Tian looked at his panel and began clicking the plus signs next to Weapon Mastery and Speed. Each click when adding attribute points added ten points. So, Chen Tian clicked three times for Weapon Mastery and two times for Speed.
Weapon Mastery became 90 points, meaning Chen Tian's weapons would deal 90 points of damage, and his skills would also deal 90 points of damage. His strength increased dramatically.
Simultaneously, his Speed increased to 130 points, greatly enhancing Chen Tian's movement speed and evasion rate.