The dagger swept across, slashing open the last player's throat. With a whimper, he collapsed to the ground, dead. Just like that, this once-confident squad was completely wiped out, and I gained 25 more contribution points. So satisfying! Next, I should think about how to make good use of these contribution points to make a name for myself in Black Castle. Of course, this trip out definitely earned me more than just 23 contribution points—there’s more to come!

So, I sank down again, stealthily moving through the woods, sitting beneath a towering ancient tree, quietly watching players come and go, waiting for the right moment to strike.

None of them have taken up a class yet, so it’s even less likely they’ve learned any skills to detect stealth. Right now, this is absolutely a golden period for me!

Five minutes later, I struck again. After wiping out another group, I quickly slipped away in stealth.

Just like that, I kept changing locations after each attack. More and more newbie players gathered in Rabbit Forest, but none of them could do anything about me, the first BOSS of the area. I was toying with them all!

……

An hour and a half later.

“Huff, huff…”

As the battle ended, I melted into the moonlight, crawling into a patch of bushes and gasping for breath. In the distance, the ground was littered with corpses. This was a squad of nearly 50 people. After clearing them all out, my HP had dropped to 72%. I needed to rest for a while, and if necessary, I shouldn’t make another move!

At the same time, after all this killing, my level had risen to 7, with a significant boost to all attributes!

【July Blaze】 (Undead Assassin)

Level: 7

Attack: 27–34

Defense: 25

HP: 1150

Critical: 0.3%

Comprehension: 94

Charisma: 0

Soul Star: 0

Contribution: 316

Combat Power: 53

……

My contribution points had reached 316. For a moment, I felt like a landlord who’d just struck it rich, full of ambition and excitement. I could hardly wait to return to Black Castle and go on a shopping spree. At the very least, I needed to upgrade my assassin skills.

“Little Reed, things are about to get lively, hahaha~~~”

Beside me, Little Flynn let out a gloating laugh through his helmet.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He said excitedly, “Did you know? The BOSS that spawned in Autumn Moon Village is an assassin-type BOSS—comes and goes without a trace, super hard to kill. I heard a bunch of guilds sent people to hunt it down, but in the end, they all got wiped out instead. Supposedly, at least several hundred people have been killed by the BOSS!”

“Oh, impressive…” I forced a smile.

“But this BOSS won’t last much longer,” he said, sounding regretful.

“Why?” I asked.

“When I went back to town to restock on potions, I saw a group of level 10 players gathering. They said they were going to settle the score with the BOSS. Most of these level 10 players have already completed their class advancement quests with the village chief, and probably learned their level 10 skills. Think about it, it’s just an elite BOSS—how could it withstand a barrage from a group of level 10 class-advanced players?”

“That’s true…”

My heart sank, so I changed the subject: “Little Flynn, what level are you now?”

“Level 8, almost 9, not far from 10. Damn, I made a mistake an hour ago and got killed by a gray wolf, lost a level—so annoying…”

“It’s fine, it’s still early in the game. Losing a level doesn’t matter, just keep grinding.”

“By the way, how are things on your end?”

“I’m training. My hidden class is a bit weird. I’ll tell you more once I figure it out. For now, I can’t come find you.”

“Why not?”

He sounded a bit unhappy: “What about our Taihu Legend? If you come to the newbie village to find me, is everyone going to hunt you down or something?”

I replied awkwardly, “Maybe they really would…”

“Damn, so mysterious. Whatever, I’m going to level up. Once I finish my class advancement, I’ll cover you!”

“Alright, good luck!”

……

Not long after, Rabbit Forest was no longer peaceful.

Under the moonlight, a group of people entered the woods—all level 10 players. At the front was a middle-aged man with a very noticeable knife scar on his nose. Who knows if it was a deliberate design or if he really had it. He was a level 10 Paladin, holding a longsword that glowed green, wearing light green armor, and white gear on his knees, wrists, and feet. For someone to be decked out like this was already quite luxurious. This was the best-equipped person I’d seen so far in “Phantom Moon”!

Above his head was a line of ID and stats—

【Thomas Lewis】 (Apprentice Paladin)

Level: 10

Squad: Dragon Hidden Mountain

……

Following him was a level 10 swordsman named Edward Walker, also looking like a middle-aged man, holding a white longsword, though his wrist guards seemed to be green gear. He looked sharply into the woods and said, “Last time, the Bronze Ghost General wiped out the Yunhong Guild right here. It didn’t take long, so he should still be around.”

“Hmph!”

Thomas Lewis sneered, “An assassin-type BOSS… interesting. Today, I, Mr. Lewis, am going to face him head-on and see who’s stronger—him, or my sturdy Jungle Tiger Sword!”