"I told you my guide would be useful!"
Back home, Yu Zhu winked smugly at Yu Zhun. "Yesterday you made six hundred, and today you made six thousand!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Yu Zhun nodded casually.
This six thousand was largely the leftover money from selling He Guangtao's excellent-grade Long Sword and purchasing the *Sword Dance* Skill Book. However, there was no need to let Yu Zhuzhu know about that. If the little girl found out he was almost killed, she would probably worry for quite a while.
At this thought, Yu Zhun glanced at Yu Zhu, unable to help but think of the siblings he had met today, Su Hong and Su Yue.
Calculating the time, Yu Zhu would also enter the Divine Revelation game in a year. The players in the Divine Revelation World were not exactly friendly. Because dying in the Divine Revelation World wasn't true death—it only meant permanently losing the qualification to enter—it wasn't considered murder. In the early days, offenders might be tried for crimes like destruction of private property, but now, it wasn't even considered that. As a result, some of the malice restrained by real-world laws was completely unleashed in the Divine Revelation World.
He worried about what would happen if a little girl like Yu Zhu entered alone and got bullied in the Newbie Area. He briefly considered whether he should stay stuck at Lv10 like Su Hong, just to guide Yu Zhu when she finally arrived.
But the very next second, Yu Zhun extinguished the idea. He possessed an SSS-rank talent. With a year of steady progress, he could potentially reach Lv40 or higher. Once he became powerful, he would naturally have other ways to take care of Yu Zhu. Lv10 was simply too weak. Even if he could protect her in the Newbie Area, what would happen once they left it?
It would be much better to focus on his own development first. Then, when Yu Zhu eventually stepped out of the Newbie Area, he could bring her to the faction he had built, wave his hand, and declare, "Look! This is the empire I've conquered for you!"
Ah, that was truly a scene to look forward to...
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you giggling about? I'm talking to you!" Seeing Yu Zhun grinning like an idiot, Yu Zhu slapped his cheek with a loud SMACK.
"Ah!" Yu Zhun snapped back to reality and looked at her. "What did you just ask me?"
"I want pocket money!" Yu Zhu stretched a hand out to Yu Zhun, spreading her five fingers. "Yu Zhun, my guide helped you make so much money. Shouldn't you give me some pocket money?" she demanded righteously.
"You have a point." Yu Zhun nodded in agreement. He pulled a ten-yuan bill from his pocket. "Spend it wisely."
"Yu! Zhun!" Yu Zhu wrinkled her nose and gritted her teeth. "Believe it or not, I'll bite you!"
"Alright, how much do you want?"
"Hmm..." Yu Zhu rolled her eyes playfully and tentatively held up one finger. "One... one hundred? I want to buy a new dress."
He mused over the request. When was the last time Yu Zhuzhu wore a new dress?
"Buy a few more." Yu Zhun counted out five one-hundred yuan bills and slapped them into her hand. "Remember to haggle."
"Yay!" Flush with cash, Yu Zhu jumped up happily, already muttering to herself about which dresses she wanted to buy.
Yu Zhun shook his head, caught between tears and laughter. He stood up and walked toward the kitchen. "I'm going to cook."
"I'll help you!" Yu Zhu carefully tucked the money away, bounced off the sofa, and eagerly followed him into the kitchen. Soon, the aroma of food wafted through the house.
***
"Black Rock Snake..."
As he carefully flipped through the guide Yu Zhu had written, a thoughtful expression appeared on Yu Zhun's face. Yu Zhu had spent quite a few pages analyzing this creature, one of the three major bosses in the Newbie Area.
Every boss had its own unique skill Mechanism and state Mechanism. For instance, the Black Rock Snake possessed a Mechanism where it would go berserk after taking rapid damage. If the damage dealt to the Black Rock Snake exceeded 10% of its health within ten seconds, it would enter a berserk state. In this condition, the cooling for all of its skills would be reduced by half, its Physical Resistance and Magic Resistance would increase, and it would randomly attack any enemy within range, completely unaffected by aggro.
For a team of players with clearly defined roles, this berserk state was undoubtedly extremely dangerous and needed to be avoided during combat. Therefore, the secret to fighting the Black Rock Snake was simple: be slow. Players had to control their damage output so it wasn't too high, ensuring the Black Rock Snake never entered its berserk state, and then slowly whittle away its health.
Of course, there was another way—powering through the berserk state and killing the Black Rock Snake outright—but the difficulty of such a kill was exceedingly high. Only a rare ten-man team of top-tier players with excellent Equipment could pull it off.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Su Hong will probably choose a steady and cautious combat style tomorrow," Yu Zhun muttered to himself. "Even though both he and Su Yue have Advanced Equipment, there are still only three of us. Su Hong is experienced, so using a slow tactic will be very safe. As for me..." He smiled. "I'll stay hidden first and see how the situation unfolds."
His Profession was Assassin anyway, so using *Lurking* to find an opportunity to strike was perfectly reasonable. He believed that even without him bringing it up, Su Hong would arrange it that way.
"Yu Zhun! Look at my new dress!"
Yu Zhu excitedly pushed open the door and entered the room. After getting her pocket money and finishing dinner, she hadn't been able to wait to go out shopping. Now, wearing the new dress, she stood before Yu Zhun and did a quick twirl. "How does it look?"
The off-the-shoulder princess dress revealed the delicate lines of Yu Zhu's collarbones, making Yu Zhun space out for a moment.
"The dress looks good," Yu Zhun nodded.
"What? Shouldn't you say *I* look good?" Yu Zhu's face fell. She tossed the shopping bag she was holding into Yu Zhun's arms. "Here, I bought this for you. Try it on."
"You bought something for me too?" Yu Zhun opened the bag and saw a jacket, which he casually slipped on.
"Autumn is just around the corner, so it's the perfect time to wear it." Yu Zhu walked a circle around Yu Zhun and nodded in satisfaction. "My taste is as good as expected."
Catching sight of the open guide on the desk from the corner of her eye, Yu Zhu blinked. "Huh, you're reading the analysis on the Black Rock Snake?"
"I'm teaming up with someone tomorrow to fight the Black Rock Snake," Yu Zhun nodded.
"Huh?" Yu Zhu froze for a moment, then her eyes widened. "I remember the requirement to team up for the Black Rock Snake is Lv5, right? You reached it that fast?!"
"I've told you before, I'm a genius with an SSS-rank talent." Yu Zhun clasped his hands behind his back. "A mere Lv5 is entirely within my grasp."
"Look at you showing off!" Yu Zhu curled her lips. "Be extremely careful when fighting the Black Rock Snake. You're an Assassin, so just find a place to hide.
"If you realize mid-fight that your teammates are dead weight, run away immediately. If your teammates are alright, look for a safe opportunity to strike.
"Let me tell you, when fighting a boss in a team, you can't just foolishly give it your all. The Assassin is the absolute best Profession for slacking off, since the boss won't even look your way.
"And another thing..."
Looking at the chattering girl in front of him, Yu Zhun couldn't help but smile and rub her head.
"Don't worry. I'm a seasoned Asshole."