"Huh... What did you say?" Confusion filled Augustus's amber eyes as his gilded mane swayed slightly; he clearly hadn't understood Kalis's meaning.
Kalis explained patiently, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes beneath his blue-gray gradient short hair: "I mean, I have a friend who was born to walk the path of a Knight, far more suitable to inherit the God of War's legacy than me. Hand over the inheritance item, and I'll pass it on to him for you. It'll save both of us trouble, won't it?"
The so-called "friend" was just an excuse. A God-tier Hidden Class inheritance scroll, if sold on the player trading market, would definitely fetch an astronomical price, enough to give him an absolute resource advantage in the early game.
"Absolutely impossible!" Augustus shook his head violently, his gilded lion claws slamming heavily into the ground, sending gravel flying. "The inheritance of Supreme God Caron is sacred beyond measure.
It can only be bestowed directly upon the worthy one; how dare you suggest transferring it casually? If you're willing to accept it, I'll initiate the inheritance ritual immediately. If not, then leave at once!"
"Oh?" A playful smile tugged at Kalis's lips as pale blue magical energy condensed at his fingertips. "So talking nicely won't work?"
Before the words faded, a Magic Missile had already shot forth, hitting Augustus's lion forehead squarely.
-223,751!
"Roar! How dare you attack me again!" Augustus roared in pain. A golden barrier erupted around him, divine pressure surging instantly. His massive body rose slowly, assuming a combat stance.
Kalis felt no fear; instead, he laughed: "You know my strength. No need for nonsense. Either hand over the inheritance item, or I'll take it from you by force. After all, I can be resurrected infinitely, but you only have one life."
"Damn adventurer! Do you truly think I dare not kill you?" Augustus was furious, his golden barrier glowing brighter. Clearly enraged, he still hesitated to launch a real attack.
He knew full well that if he killed Kalis, the latter would return from the respawn point in just a few minutes, while his own HP couldn't recover quickly. In a war of attrition, he was doomed to lose.
Kalis saw through his hesitation and raised his hand for another Magic Missile: "You can one-shot me, but I'll be back in minutes.
It only takes five and a half minutes at top speed to run from Oak Town's respawn point to here. How much HP can you regenerate per minute?"
According to the game's universal rules, wild Mythic Lords had extremely slow HP regeneration when out of combat, usually only 1% per minute.
With Augustus's 3.2 million HP, he could regenerate at most 32,000 HP per minute, which was nothing compared to Kalis's over 200,000 damage per hit. As long as he had enough patience for "life-trading attrition," this Mythic Boss would soon be his.
"You... You are profaning the divine inheritance!" Augustus trembled with anger, his golden claws scratching deep furrows in the ground, yet he still dared not attack recklessly.
Biu~
-226,894!
Kalis responded with an unhesitating third Magic Missile. Augustus's HP bar dropped again, falling to 2.54 million, equivalent to 79% of his total HP.
"Roar!!! I'll make you pay!" Having suffered four heavy hits in a row, Augustus could no longer contain his rage. He pounced fiercely at Kalis, his lion claws cutting through the air with golden energy, slamming heavily into him.
Boom!
-72,563!
Kalis's HP instantly dropped to zero, dissolving into a streak of white light that vanished from the cave.
"Notice: You have been killed by the Mythic Lord [Gilded Lion King Augustus]. 20% of your current level's experience has been deducted."
"He actually dared to attack?" Kalis's figure recondensed in the white light of the respawn point. Instead of anger, a smile curved his lips. "Now this is interesting."
Oak Town's respawn point was located in the central square, surrounded by Level 3 to 4 players.
Most players were still grinding Spiny Rats and Thorn Goblins on the outskirts of the starting village.
Those who reached Level 5 were already elites, and Level 6 or above were extremely rare, Kalis's Level 7 status still stood out.
Ignoring the surprised glances of the surrounding players, he rushed straight out of the starting village toward the isolated mountain cave.
Along the way, he encountered blocking Shadow Lynxes, killing them instantly with a casual Magic Missile. The experience gained just made up for the deduction from death, keeping his level firmly at 7.
Five minutes and twenty-six seconds later, Kalis returned to the cave. Augustus was lying on the ground, his HP bar slowly recovering to 2.61 million, exactly less than 3% regeneration.
"Blasphemer! You dare to come back!" Augustus roared, spitting a ball of golden flames.
Kalis dodged sideways while raising his hand to shoot a Magic Missile, glancing at the Boss's status panel:
[Gilded Lion King Augustus (Mythic Lord)]
HP: 2,613,480/3,200,000
"And I dare to kill you again." He chuckled, the Magic Missile hitting its target precisely.
-224,189!
Augustus's HP bar dropped once more, and Kalis was hit by the golden flames, instantly killed.
"Notice: You have been killed by the Mythic Lord [Gilded Lion King Augustus]. 20% of your current level's experience has been deducted."
Third respawn, run back, one-shot, get counter-killed... Kalis was like a tireless warrior, 往返 between the respawn point and the cave again and again.
Augustus's HP continued to drop at an extremely slow pace, while Kalis's level remained at 7 thanks to the experience from killing monsters on his way back, never falling.
Within twenty minutes, Kalis died four times in a row, each time engaging in "life-trading attrition." This abnormal behavior finally caught the attention of casual players in the starting village.
"What's wrong with that guy? He's died four times in half an hour and is still Level 7. Could he have encountered a super Boss?"
"He must have! Otherwise, with his Level 7, no one in the starting village could kill him four times!"
"Quick, tell the Vice President of the 'Shadow Claw' Guild. Let them send people to follow him. A Boss that can make a Level 7 expert die repeatedly must have incredible drops!"
Several players whispered among themselves, secretly passing on the message. Meanwhile, two players pretended to grind monsters, quietly following behind Kalis.
At this moment, Kalis's mind was filled with thoughts of the Mythic Boss's drops and the Supreme God's inheritance; he didn't notice the followers at all.
After his fifth respawn, he rushed out of the starting village again, hurrying toward the cave.
Just then, a clear vendor's voice echoed at the starting village entrance: "Selling Mage equipment! Usable at Level 5, increases Spell Attack, don't miss out!"
Kalis's footsteps paused, a look of realization flashing in his blue eyes: "Right! I can buy equipment to boost my base stats!"
His [Ultimate Amplification] talent multiplied skill effects by 10,000. Every 1-point increase in base Spell Attack would translate to a 10,000-point increase in actual damage.
If he could equip a few pieces of gear that boosted Spell Attack, his efficiency in grinding the Boss would skyrocket; he might even be able to one-shot it directly!
"I'm such an idiot." Kalis cursed softly, immediately turning around and rushing toward the vendor.
The vendor was a female player named Lia. Dressed in a white starter cloth robe, she held several pieces of equipment in her hands.
She had a delicate appearance and shy eyes. Seeing Kalis rushing over, she quickly said: "Hello! I have three pieces of Mage equipment here, all dropped from starting village quests and monsters."
She raised her hand to display the three items, and detailed attributes appeared on a virtual screen:
[Oak Staff (Common)]: Level Requirement 5, Spell Attack +15
[Thorn Ring (Common)]: Level Requirement 5, Spell Attack +3
[Lightweight Leather Boots (Common)]: Level Requirement 3, Constitution +2
"Do you have any others? I'll take anything that boosts Spell Attack or Intelligence." Kalis's eyes lit up.
These three pieces of equipment would increase his base Spell Attack from 24 to 42 points, and Magic Missile damage would soar from over 260,000 to over 460,000!
Lia quickly pulled a necklace from her backpack, explaining embarrassedly: "I have this too, it's a reward for completing the Village Chief's commission quest."
[Village Chief's Blessing (Refined)]: Level Requirement 3, Intelligence +3, Constitution +3
"I'll take all four. Name your price." Kalis's tone was urgent.
Lia hesitated for a moment, holding up five fingers, her voice as soft as a whisper: "F-five... five silver coins."
"What? Five silver coins? Why not just rob people!" Another player who also wanted to buy equipment immediately complained.
"Right now, one silver coin exchanges for 100 copper coins. Most players don't even have 50 copper coins on them. Your price is way too greedy!"
Lia's cheeks blushed instantly. She lowered her head and explained quietly: "I... I accepted an urgent quest that requires 10 silver coins to buy materials. Otherwise, I wouldn't sell them this expensive..."
Kalis understood. Silver coins were scarce in the early stages of the starting village, and five silver coins were indeed an astronomical price. But for him, as long as it boosted his damage, the cost was completely worth it.
He opened his backpack, taking the three silver coins he had obtained from grinding monsters and the Boss, plus 200 copper coins (exchanged for 2 silver coins) saved during his runs, totaling five silver coins. He handed them to Lia: "Deal. I'll take all four pieces."