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BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the canyon, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.
"Cough... cough..."
Harper waved his hand in front of his face, choking on the debris. As the dust settled, he inspected his handiwork. He clicked his tongue in appreciation.
Perfect. The blast had carved a fissure into the rock face, just wide enough for a single person to squeeze inside.
Harper grinned with satisfaction. He pulled out his second Paper Bomb and carefully placed it high up on the canyon wall, wedging it into a crack behind a massive, unstable boulder.
The trap was set. Now, he just had to bait the snake into the hole.
Harper wove a quick set of hand signs.
[Stealth]
His body faded from view. He crept toward the Bandit Leader, moving silently until he was just within the maximum range of his shuriken.
The Boss stood in the clearing, his eyes scanning the area like a hawk.
Harper took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."
Whiz!
He whipped a shuriken out of stealth. It arced through the air, glinting in the sunlight, and buried itself right in the Bandit Leader's chest.
-1 HP (Forced Damage)
The Bandit Leader instantly spotted Harper.
Thanks to [Basic Shuriken Mastery], Harper didn't need to worry about missing. The second the weapon left his hand, he didn't even wait to see it hit. He spun around and sprinted toward the canyon entrance like a bat out of hell.
But Harper had underestimated the Boss.
This was the first Humanoid Boss of the starter zone. He wasn't going to let some noob humiliate him. The Bandit Leader leaped forward with terrifying speed, drawing a shuriken in each hand.
Thwip!
Thwip!
The sound of weapons cutting through the air screamed behind Harper's head.
He glanced back and his heart sank. The Boss was fast—way faster than expected. The projectiles were already closing in.
Harper threw himself into a combat roll. He barely dodged the first shuriken, scrambling to his feet to keep running.
But then, a sharp pain exploded in his shoulder.
The second shuriken had found its mark.
-90 HP!
Harper's health bar instantly dropped to critical red.
He was currently wearing the "starter rags"—armor that offered zero protection and existed solely so players didn't spawn naked. He might as well have been wearing paper.
Glancing back, he saw the Bandit Leader winding up for another throw.
"Damn it!" Harper cursed. He frantically popped a [Red Food Pill].
+HP (Regenerating...)
Thwip!
Thwip!
The sounds were like the bells of the grim reaper.
Harper abandoned all dignity. He dove forward, faceplanting into the dirt. It wasn't graceful, but the two shuriken skimmed inches over his scalp.
Clang!
Clang!
They sparked against the rocks ahead of him.
Harper scrambled up, sweat pouring down his face. He was only a few meters from the canyon entrance now. He lunged forward, rolling again to gain distance before springing back into a sprint.
Because of the dodging, the Bandit Leader had closed the gap. He was right on top of Harper now, drawing a kunai to finish the job.
Harper practically flew into the canyon entrance. He took three massive strides, positioning himself right next to his trap.
The Bandit Leader, blinded by rage, followed him straight into the bottleneck.
Harper grinned. "Gotcha."
He made a single hand seal.
"Detonate!"
BOOM!
The explosion overhead shattered the rock shelf. The massive boulder Harper had rigged came crashing down.
The Bandit Leader looked up, his eyes widening in panic. Instinctively, he dodged sideways to avoid being crushed.
Straight into the fissure Harper had blasted with the first bomb.
CRASH!
The boulder slammed into the ground like a guillotine, sealing the opening. The Bandit Leader was pinned tight inside the crack in the wall, with only his head sticking out.
He was completely immobilized.
Harper let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. If the map reset timer wasn't so long, this terrain bug strategy never would have worked.
He pulled out his kunai, a wicked grin spreading across his face. He sharpened the blade against a rock, staring at the trapped Boss.
"Now... it's grinding time."
He started stabbing.
Even with the critical hit bonus for attacking the head, the level gap was too massive. Harper was only doing 1 damage per hit.
The Bandit Leader roared and gnashed his teeth, glaring at Harper with pure hatred. But he couldn't move.
The problem was the Boss's health regen. He had 1,000 HP and regenerated health constantly. Harper did the math—he had to stab this guy roughly one thousand times. But with the regen, it was going to take forever.
"Die... die... die..."
Harper stood there like a robot, mechanically stabbing the Boss's face over and over again.
One full hour later.
A melodious system prompt finally rang in Harper's ears.
Ding!
[System]: Target is near death. Triggering "Final Enrage". Defense -30%. Attack +30%. Attack Speed +40%. HP Regeneration halted.
"ROAR!"
The Bandit Leader let out a final, desperate howl. His muscles swelled, and his eyes glowed a demonic red.
Harper jumped back, startled. "Whoa!"
He watched the Boss struggle, but the terrain bug held firm. The Boss was still stuck.
Harper walked back up and slapped the Boss on the forehead.
"Quit screaming, you're scaring me."
Noticing the HP bar had stopped regenerating, Harper's mood improved instantly. He sped up his stabbing.
A few moments later.
Ding!
[System]: You have killed the Bandit Leader (Bronze Boss).
Base XP: 40,000.
Level Gap Bonus (+4 Levels): +40%.
Total XP: 56,000.
[System]: Congratulations! You have leveled up. Current Level: 3.
All Stats +1.
[System]: Server First Achievement! You are the first player to kill the Bandit Leader. Reward: All Stats +1.
A pillar of golden light descended from the sky, bathing Harper in a warm glow.
The Bandit Leader went limp, turning into a corpse, his face still twisted in frustration.
Harper collapsed on the ground, exhausted from an hour of non-stop clicking. But when he saw the three items sparkling on the ground, his fatigue vanished.
He grabbed the loot.
[Leather Boots] (Bronze)
Requirement: Level 5
Defense: 18
Stats: Agility +5
Effect: Movement Speed +2%
[Sharp Kunai] (Bronze)
Requirement: Level 5
Type: Sword/Dagger
Attack: 16-32
[Unopened Letter] (Quest Item)
Description: A letter found on the Bandit Leader. Deliver to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the Hidden Leaf Village to unlock a Dungeon Quest.
Just as Harper picked up the letter, a massive announcement thundered across the sky, visible to every player on the server.