The moonlight was still cold and clear.
But the air in the Moonlight Forest seemed to have been ignited, hot and tumultuous.
Lin Mo stood quietly in the center of the corpse-strewn battlefield, surrounded by countless glowing spoils of war.
He was composed and indifferent, like a monarch who had just concluded a great harvest.
As he leveled up to 17, he could clearly feel a surge of even greater power flowing through his limbs.
The comprehensive increase in his base attributes allowed his attack power, Life value, and agility to all reach a new level.
His gaze fell upon the core equipment pieces that Raging Dragon Howls to Heaven dropped upon his death.
First was the heavy breastplate, entirely engulfed in a dark-red flowing light.
Its design was imposing, its lines rugged, and it was filled with a sense of power.
The moment Lin Mo's finger touched it, a string of purple attributes slowly unfolded before his eyes.
[molten heart breastplate] Quality: Excellent (Purple) Equipment Type: Plate Armor Required Level: 20 Defense: +150 Constitution: +50 Strength: +30 Effect 1: [Lava Shield]
— Passive: Every time your Life value drops by 10%, you automatically gain one stack of Lava Shield, absorbing 500 damage.
This effect can trigger at most once every 30 seconds.
Effect 2: [Unyielding]
— Active: When activated, all incoming damage is reduced by 20% for 10 seconds.
Cooldown: 5 minutes.
"Hiss..."
Even Lin Mo couldn't help but gasp when he saw the breastplate's attributes.
Purple equipment!
It was a piece of Purple Excellent-grade equipment, which was extremely rare at this stage!
Moreover, it was a defensive item with such top-tier attributes!
The 150 base Defense was five times that of the Bronze Leather Armor Lin Mo was currently wearing!
Not to mention the massive +50 Constitution and +30 Strength bonuses, which were enough to drive any warrior class crazy!
The most outrageous aspects were the two special effects.
The passive Life-saving ability of [Lava Shield], combined with the active damage reduction of [Unyielding], made the value of this breastplate even surpass most Level 25 purple equipment!
"As expected of the guild leader of one of the Three Great Guilds, he certainly has deep pockets."
Lin Mo unceremoniously put the top-tier breastplate, which he couldn't wear yet, into his inventory.
If this item were put up on the auction house, it would be enough to cause a bloody storm and fetch a sky-high price that ordinary players could only dream of their entire lives.
Next was the two-handed greatsword engulfed in flames.
[blade of the flame demon] Quality: Fine (Silver) Equipment Type: Two-Handed Sword Required Level: 18 Attack Power: 120-185 Strength: +40 Effect: [Flame Slash]
— Your next attack will deal fire damage, causing an additional 50% weapon damage to the target.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Another excellent item!
Although Lin Mo was an Assassin and couldn't use a two-handed sword, the value of this weapon was equally immeasurable.
For a Berserker focused on extreme output, this was practically the ultimate gear at this stage!
"I'll take this too."
Lin Mo happily tossed the blade of the flame demon into his backpack.
Besides these two major drops, Raging Dragon Howls to Heaven also dropped three blue Fine-grade miscellaneous items and dozens of gold coins, essentially a small mobile treasury.
After sweeping up all the valuable spoils, Lin Mo's gaze swept over the ravaged forest.
Without lingering, he activated Stealth, his figure merging back into the shadows, and quietly left in the direction of the City of Glory.
He knew that the moment he left, a storm truly sweeping across the entire Huaxia Region was just beginning to brew...
The official forum for Oracle, Huaxia Region.
As the hottest game globally, the official forum's daily visits had long surpassed the traffic of any national portal website.
This was the sacred ground where players exchanged tips, showed off equipment, and watched the drama unfold.
Less than five minutes after Lin Mo left the battlefield, a post with an incredibly explosive title suddenly appeared on the forum homepage like a bolt from the blue!
[Title: Ascending to Godhood in One Battle! Mysterious God Lin Mo Single-Handedly Takes on Mad Dragon Guild, Forcing the King to Kneel! Video Proof Included!]
The poster was one of the scattered players who had been trembling in the bushes earlier.
Initially, the title didn't garner much attention.
After all, the forum was flooded daily with thousands of clickbait and bragging posts.
"Heh, another clickbait title.
Taking on a whole guild single-handedly?
Why don't you say you soloed the World BOSS?"
"Exactly.
Young people nowadays will claim anything just to get attention."
"I'll click in and see.
If the content doesn't match, I'm reporting it immediately!"
However, when these players, intending to mock the post, clicked in and downloaded the ten-minute, carefully edited video...
the entire forum fell into an eerie silence that lasted for dozens of seconds.
What followed was a volcanic eruption of sheer excitement!
"Holy crap!!!"
"My eyes!
What did I just see?!
Is this real?!"
"Oh my god!
Is... is this a movie?!
One person chasing down and killing hundreds?!"
The post's reply count soared at a terrifying, visible speed!
100...
1,000...
10,000!
In less than a minute, the replies exceeded ten thousand!
In three minutes, the views surpassed a million!
In five minutes, the system automatically highlighted, bolded, and pinned the post, making it the most dazzling presence on the entire Huaxia Region forum!
The content of the video was simply too shocking!
From the beginning, Lin Mo used the lock-on of [Blood Falcon Eye] to turn the tables, using the invincible divine skill Poison Shadow Shift to withstand the focused fire of nearly two hundred people without a scratch!
To him appearing like a phantom in the enemy's backline, annihilating the Healer team with overwhelming force!
Then to him charging into the ranks like a tiger among sheep, strolling casually through the hundred-man legion, applying the mark of deathly Poison to everyone!
Finally, the earth-shattering, everything-clearing Poison Burst, followed by the great rout where the army collapsed like a mountain!
Every frame of the video assaulted the visual nerves and preconceived notions of all players!
And when the video concluded, showing the haughty leader of the Mad Dragon Guild, Raging Dragon Howls to Heaven, dropping to his knees before Lin Mo to beg for mercy with a "thud," only to be cleanly and decisively instantly killed by a single strike, the atmosphere of the entire forum was pushed into a frenzy!
"A God!
This is a true God!
From today onward, Lin Mo is my only God!"
"He's too handsome!
He's so cool it gives me goosebumps!
This control, this awareness, this damage!
Is this even something a player can achieve?!"
"Did you see the damage from that Poison Burst?
The screen was instantly filled with four-digit damage numbers!
Is this really a Poison Class talent?
Is the Poison Class I play the same game as the one you play?"
"Don't ask, upstairs!
I'm already preparing to delete my account and restart!
Forget Paladins, I'm playing Poison!"
"Mad Dragon Guild has completely lost face this time!
Their guild leader led hundreds of elites, only to be beaten by one person who was forced to kneel and beg for mercy!
Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter!"
"God Mo is awesome (voice cracking)!
You alone have redeemed the honor of all us scattered players today!"
On the forum, ninety-nine percent of the players were immersed in fervent adoration for Lin Mo.
Of course, a few die-hard Mad Dragon Guild fans were still fighting a losing battle under the post.
"Nonsense!
This video must be edited!
How could our Mad Dragon Guild possibly lose!"
"Exactly!
Lin Mo must have used some despicable bug!
I demand an official investigation!"
But these weak, pale excuses were instantly drowned out by the verbal barrage of countless players.
"Mad Dragon loyalist upstairs, if you had even one peanut, you wouldn't be this drunk."
"A bug?
Tell me what bug lets you take on hundreds of people alone?
Why don't you glitch one for me to see?"
"You lost, just accept it.
Being a sore loser is truly shameful!"
The Mad Dragon Guild, that former behemoth, saw its reputation plummet to rock bottom that night, thoroughly becoming the laughingstock of the entire server.
Naturally, this storm also attracted the attention of other top-tier forces.
The Oracle Guild.
The guild leader, Luo Li, watched the video three times.
For the first time, the playful smile faded from her face, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
"His growth speed... has exceeded my estimation," she murmured.
"Especially that final Poison Burst; its range and damage already possess the rudimentary form of a strategic-level skill.
This person... can no longer be judged by conventional standards."
The [Yann Alliance] Guild.
"Flame Emperor" watched the black figure maneuvering skillfully among the vast army in the video, the fighting intent in his eyes almost erupting as tangible flames.
"Good!
What an impressive Lin Mo!"
He slammed his hand on the table and let out a hearty laugh.
"This is the kind of opponent worthy of my full effort as the Flame Emperor!
Pass down my order: starting today, raise Lin Mo's threat level to the highest category!
Furthermore, tell everyone below that no one is allowed to become his enemy!"
One battle, and the world knew!
Starting that night, the name "Lin Mo" was no longer just the symbol of the number one spot on the level rankings.
He became a legend.
A living legend who, by his own power, shook the entire guild landscape!
The undisputed King in the hearts of all scattered players!
Meanwhile, the legend himself had quietly returned to the City of Glory.
He listed all the unusable spoils, including the blade of the flame demon, on the auction house, then found the most secluded inn and rented a room.
He didn't pay attention to the storm brewing on the forum, because all of it was within his expectations.
He simply opened his equipment panel and calmly replaced the worn Bronze Leather Armor he was wearing with the blue Fine-grade armor he had just acquired, which still carried the "body heat" of Raging Dragon Howls to Heaven.
With the equipment update, his Defense and Life values saw another small leap.
Having finished all this, he lay down on the bed and began to sort out his next plan.
"After this battle, the Mad Dragon Guild shouldn't have the guts to provoke me again for a while."
"Next, I need to level up as quickly as possible, equip the molten heart breastplate, and then... complete the follow-up quests for Thorn of Shadow."
Lin Mo's eyes became deep and resolute.
Tonight's victory was certainly glorious.
But this was only the beginning.
In this grand world named Oracle, there was a much broader stage awaiting his conquest!