5: Chapter 5 is all about getting a buff; players instantly become sycophants.

More and more people gathered around the hill.

But there were very few left who actually dared to make a move.

The assassin who had been sent back to the respawn point by the counter-shock just now was the best example.

The players currently surrounding Lin Zhe were all shouting "Hidden Boss" or "Quest NPC," but their actions were more honest; none of them dared to actually charge forward.

Just then, a little mage wearing a White-tier Mage Robe gritted his teeth.

"I don't believe it. I can't even touch him?"

He raised his hand and conjured a small fireball, hurling it toward Lin Zhe.

Pa!

As soon as the fireball landed, a pale golden light shield flashed.

Boom!

The counter-shock exploded directly back at him!

"Ah!"

The little mage was knocked flat on his buttocks, his health bar instantly dropping to a sliver, and his face turned pale.

"Damn it... again!"

He hurriedly pulled a healing potion from his backpack, but his hands were shaking so much the bottle almost fell to the ground.

The surrounding players immediately burst into laughter.

"Told you not to be so stubborn!"

"Still trying? You almost sent yourself to the grave!"

With a sour expression, the little mage didn't dare approach Lin Zhe again. He could only retreat dejectedly three meters away and sit cross-legged to recover health.

After downing a Basic Health Potion, he stared at his health bar, originally intending to leave once his status recovered.

But after looking for a moment, he suddenly froze.

"Eh?"

His health bar was rising a bit fast.

Significantly faster than usual.

He frowned, thinking he had misseen, and looked down again.

That's right.

It really was faster than usual.

Normally, this kind of Basic Health Potion only recovered a tiny bit of health per second, but now, his health bar was climbing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"What's the situation?"

Stunned, the little mage quickly opened his status bar.

The next second, his eyes went wide.

[Current Buff: Minor Health Regeneration]

[Effect: Restores 1% of Max HP per second]

[Source: Special NPC Domain Influence]

"Holy crap!"

He shouted out loud.

Everyone around him looked over in unison.

"What are you yelling for?"

"What happened now?"

The little mage jumped up and first took a few steps back.

As soon as he left the five-meter range, the buff in his status bar instantly disappeared.

His breath hitched.

Then he jogged closer again.

The moment he stepped into the range, the buff lit up again.

[Minor Health Regeneration]!

The little mage was completely excited.

"There really is a buff!"

"Crap! Crap! Crap!"

"Standing next to him heals you!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding players went quiet for a moment, then erupted into a frenzy.

"For real?"

"Are you making this up?"

"Did that counter-damage make you stupid?"

The little mage got anxious and immediately projected a screenshot of his status bar.

"If I'm lying, I'm a grandson! Look for yourselves!"

A group of people swarmed forward.

When they saw that [Minor Health Regeneration] entry, the looks in their eyes completely changed.

"Special NPC Domain Influence?"

"No way, there really is a hidden buff?"

"Get out of the way, let me try!"

A warrior immediately rushed into the five-meter range around Lin Zhe. After standing there for two seconds, he looked down and gasped.

"I have it too!"

"It really heals!"

Another low-health Archer squeezed in, and a few seconds later, he jumped up in excitement.

"It works! It really works!"

"It's gone when you're far, and there when you're close!"

The entire place went completely wild.

The players who were originally watching from the periphery all rushed toward Lin Zhe.

But halfway there, everyone braked in unison.

Everyone remembered the fate of those who had attacked Lin Zhe earlier.

Thus, the scene instantly became a bit comical.

A group of players carefully maintained their distance, none of them daring to touch Lin Zhe, surrounding him at about five meters like they were huddling around a campfire for warmth.

"Don't push, don't push! I was here first!"

"Stand over that way a bit, don't push me out of the buff range!"

"Damn it, who stepped on my foot!"

"Everyone be careful, don't let your hand slip and attack him!"

The players who were just shouting about looting equipment and getting the first kill were now more well-behaved than anyone else.

Even their voices were lowered significantly.

For fear of offending Lin Zhe.

Lin Zhe stood in place, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd, and he understood in his heart.

This was a change brought by the system.

It wasn't the counter-shock.

But something else, more hidden.

He didn't have any children, and his authority wasn't high, but the system had been activated after all. That Power of Rules coiled around him would naturally radiate a bit of influence outward.

From the looks of it, this influence was a weak buff.

Healing.

And it wasn't just healing.

Soon, someone else discovered something new.

A warrior wielding an iron sword was killing Wild Rabbits near Lin Zhe. Just as he finished off a Level 1 Wild Rabbit, his experience bar jumped.

He was first startled, then quickly checked the system logs.

"Wait!"

"The experience is also increased!"

The players nearby were stunned.

"By how much?"

The warrior licked his lips, his voice even trembling a bit.

"5%!"

"I got 20 EXP for killing a Wild Rabbit outside just now, but here it's 21!"

"It's an EXP Bonus!"

Boom!

When this news came out, it was even more shocking than the healing buff.

What was needed most in the beginner village?

Experience!

Whoever leveled up faster could snatch more monsters, equipment, and quests.

5% didn't look like much, but for a group of newbies at the start of the server, it was already very sweet.

"Quick, quick, quick, lure the monsters over here to kill!"

"Don't go outside anymore, just fight right here!"

"What kind of boss is this? This is a god-tier NPC!"

"I'll fight anyone who dares to attack him!"

In an instant, the players' attitudes did a complete 180-degree turn.

One moment they were trying to test him with attacks.

The next moment, they had already started actively farming monsters while guarding Lin Zhe.

A few of the smarter players immediately ran out to lure all the nearby spawned Wild Rabbits and Wild Chickens over here.

But they didn't dare lure them too close, only daring to fight while staying right at the edge of the five-meter range.

The area around the hill suddenly became lively.

"Quick, get the last hit!"

"This one's mine!"

"Don't steal it! I just lured it over!"

"It's so comfortable fighting here, it saves potions and gives more EXP!"

"Hahaha, this is so good!"

The little mage who had been wailing from the counter-damage earlier wasn't leaving now. He simply stood to Lin Zhe's left, casting fireballs like a stationary turret.

As he fought, he would occasionally check his buff bar, fearing it might suddenly disappear.

"Brother, move to the right a bit, you're blocking me."

"Stand back yourself, don't touch this big shot."

"Big shot?"

Someone instinctively called it out.

After they said it, the surrounding people were first taken aback, but then no one actually refuted it.

That's right.

What kind of ordinary NPC could counter-shock players?

What kind of ordinary NPC provided an EXP Bonus and a healing buff just by standing still?

If he wasn't a big shot, what was he?

To put it more bluntly.

In the entire Luofeng Village right now, who didn't have to look at this person's face to level up?

Soon, some players began to harbor other ideas.

A warrior carrying an old wooden shield looked left and right, then quietly fished a healing potion he had been reluctant to drink out of his backpack and gingerly placed it at Lin Zhe's feet.

After placing it, he even stepped back two paces and rubbed his hands with a dry laugh.

"That... big shot, this is for you."

Lin Zhe glanced at him but didn't speak.

The warrior wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, he was delighted.

He didn't reject it!

When the surrounding players saw this, their eyes immediately lit up.

"That works too?"

Another player with the gathering skill quickly rummaged through their bag for two wild fruits and placed them there as well.

"These are fresh, big shot, please try some."

"I have mushrooms!"

"I have half a stack of rabbit meat!"

"I don't have many potions, please don't mind!"

Soon, a pile of miscellaneous items grew at Lin Zhe's feet.

There were healing potions.

Wild fruits.

Rabbit meat.

Someone even put down a pair of white-tier gloves they had just looted.

Each and every one of them was incredibly enthusiastic.

For fear that Lin Zhe might suddenly become unhappy and turn to leave.

"Everyone stay back, don't bother the big shot."

"Right, right, just farm monsters here, don't touch anything recklessly."

"If anyone's hands get itchy and they attack him, I'll be the first to curse them to death!"

"This spot will be a sacred ground from now on."

Yellow Hair had been shrinking behind the crowd, wanting to see Lin Zhe continue to be unlucky.

When he saw this scene, he was completely dumbfounded.

"No... this works too?"

The group of people who were just clamoring with him to loot Lin Zhe were now all surrounding him to farm monsters, their faces full of smiles.

There were even people actively giving him things.

It was as if they had become a different group of people.

Yellow Hair's face turned from green to white; he was so angry his teeth were about to shatter.

But he simply didn't dare to rush up again.

If his hands really got itchy and he slashed again, let alone whether he'd be crippled by the counter-shock, just the surrounding group of players who had already tasted the sweetness of the buff could drown him in spit.

Lin Zhe saw everything.

He didn't speak.

He didn't drive them away.

And he certainly didn't bend down to touch the things at his feet.

He just stood there quietly, like a nail driven into the hill.

But the more he was like this, the more mysterious the surrounding players felt he was.

The more they felt he was not to be trifled with.

The wind blew across the hill, and the wild grass on the ground swayed slightly.

Not far away, a Wild Rabbit had just spawned when three players scrambled to pounce on it.

"My experience!"

"Don't steal it!"

"We're all beside the big shot, show some rules!"

Amidst the noise, Lin Zhe calmly lowered his eyes and looked at the pile of miscellaneous supplies at his feet.

He knew very well in his heart.

These players didn't respect him.

They respected the buff.

But so what.

As long as they started revolving around him, that was enough.

Lin Zhe slowly raised his eyes and looked toward the direction of Luofeng Village, which was becoming more and more lively.

In the distance, even more players were rushing this way.