Clang!
A dagger slammed against Lin Tianhao's Thunderstrike Bow, sending sparks flying.
"You again!" Lin Tianhao frowned, recognizing the assassin who had tried to steal his boss earlier. While the player's name tag was hidden, their appearance wasn't so easy to disguise.
The assassin remained silent, spinning their dagger 180 degrees before lunging at Lin Tianhao again.
Lin Tianhao leaned back sharply, simultaneously equipping his full set of Ironwood Treant Armor. The moment the gear clicked into place, his physical and magical defenses surged, and his health pool increased significantly. He followed up with a sideways roll, narrowly avoiding the assassin's strike.
But avoiding the blow only heightened his alarm.
The assassin was gone.
Not stealthed – Lin Tianhao could feel their presence right behind him. He whirled around instantly.
Nothing. Empty air.
An observer would have seen the assassin perfectly positioned in Lin Tianhao's blind spot, moving with him like a shadow, always staying out of his direct line of sight.
"Shadow-Step?" Lin Tianhao's expression darkened. Shadow-Step wasn't a game skill; it was pure technique. It involved maneuvering to stay hidden in an opponent's visual blind spot, making you as elusive as their own shadow.
Hearing Lin Tianhao name his technique surprised the assassin. That split-second of hesitation was all Lin Tianhao needed.
Thwip!
An arrow shot backwards! Lin Tianhao hadn't turned. Instead, he braced the bow against his leg, drew the string, and fired blindly over his shoulder. The assassin had skill, but Lin Tianhao, reborn with future knowledge, had his own bag of tricks.
The move was utterly unexpected. Combined with the assassin's momentary surprise, it landed perfectly.
-1352!
The assassin crumpled, instantly killed. Unfortunately, this time, no loot dropped.
"So they're targeting me," Lin Tianhao muttered. He'd thought their earlier clash over the boss was just a minor grudge. He hadn't expected the assassin to launch a full-on ambush without a word.
Newbie Village - Resurrection Altar
Ying Sha (Shadow Kill) materialized, his expression grim. "Fast reflexes... insane damage... solid combat technique... and he recognizes Shadow-Step..." He clenched his fists. "Xue Di... whoever you are. You've killed me twice now. I will return the favor someday."
(If Lin Tianhao heard this, he'd scoff. First time, you tried to steal my boss! This time, you attacked first!)
But Lin Tianhao was already moving on. His target: the Newbie Village's wandering minstrel.
The man was impeccably dressed, save for a comically large handlebar mustache.
[Wandering Minstrel - Level 15]Health: ??? Attack: ??? Skills: ???Note: This minstrel roams near the newbie village. He might hold unexpected secrets or treasures...
This note had fooled countless players into thinking he offered quests or sold rare items. He did not. He was simply an intelligent, humanoid boss – low-tier, only Iron-rank – but infamous for his bizarre skillset. In Lin Tianhao's past life, it took thousands of newbie players swarming him to bring him down.
Lin Tianhao was here to test his past-life skills against this unusual foe. As he'd told Shield Bearer of the Pagoda, basic kiting was just the start. His earlier bow-block against the assassin was another example.
Ducking behind a large tree, Lin Tianhao nocked an arrow. As the energy arrow coalesced, he did something strange. He twisted the bowstring, winding it tightly like a coiled spring. He didn't aim directly at the minstrel, either; his point of aim was far to the left.
Thwip!
The arrow flew.
Nearby, Ying Sha, still stealthed and observing, frowned. Hunting the minstrel? But why aim there?
What happened next made his eyes widen in disbelief.
The arrow curved in mid-air, arcing sharply to strike the oblivious minstrel dead center!
-925!
A massive damage number bloomed. The minstrel staggered, utterly confused. Lin Tianhao remained completely hidden behind the tree.
This was an archer's advanced technique: Spiral Shot! By twisting the string and controlling the release, a skilled archer could make the arrow spin and curve. The spin also gave it terrifying penetration power, maximizing damage.
Thwip!
Another arrow flew.
"Found you!" the minstrel snarled. He hadn't seen Lin Tianhao, but he tracked the arrow's origin. He leapt high, aiming to close the distance in a single bound.
Thwip!
He never landed. The second Spiral Shot slammed into him mid-air, its immense force blasting him back over a meter. Before gravity could take hold, a third arrow hit, then a fourth, then a fifth...
Ying Sha watched, utterly transfixed. The minstrel was trapped, suspended mid-air by the relentless barrage! Every time he started to fall, another precisely timed Spiral Shot smashed into him, knocking him higher and keeping him airborne. The arrows struck with calculated brutality, exploiting the physics of the impacts.
"This... is impossible..." Ying Sha breathed, his usual killer's calm shattered. He understood the insane difficulty: each shot had to anticipate the minstrel's trajectory after the next impact. It was like playing multi-dimensional chess with a bow.
In Gods' Twilight, airborne targets took extra "Combo" damage, but this was usually the domain of warriors with knock-up skills. Seeing an archer achieve such a devastating, continuous aerial combo was mind-bending.
"ROOOOAAAR!!"
Enraged, the minstrel's body erupted! His human form dissolved, replaced by a massive, over three-meter-tall creature covered in coarse, bristling brown fur. It was a Huangpi Zi – a Weasel Spirit, a creature of folklore known for its cunning and temper!
[The Raging Weasel Spirit (Iron Rank Boss) - Level 15]Health: 1,012,500 / 1,253,000Attack: 813Skills: Huangshan Illusion, Displacement, Super Armor, Frenzy, Soul Siphon, Spirit Puppetry