Chapter 2 Infinite Decay! I completely wiped out those who were stealing monsters.

As the white light dissipated, Lin Ye appeared in the bustling Novice Village No. 003.

The open space at the village entrance was packed like a can of sardines, filled with players who had just entered the game. Each one wore the basic cloth clothes provided by the system and clutched a rusted novice iron sword. They were charging like madmen toward the Wild Rabbit spawn points outside the village—the novice quest required ten rabbit legs, and whoever finished first to level up would gain the upper hand.

[System Notification: You have entered Novice Village No. 003. Current Level: 1. HP: 100. Attack Power: 1-3. Defense: 0. No skills.]

Lin Ye glanced at his attribute panel. It was a standard novice account, no different from any other player. However, he knew in his heart that holding the server's only SSS-grade heaven-defying Talent was his greatest source of confidence.

He didn't follow the crowd to fight over rabbits. Instead, he found a secluded corner and tentatively activated his Talent against a domestic hen pecking at the ground by the roadside.

[System Notification: Target is a non-malicious unit. Perpetual Energy Level Decay Talent cannot be triggered.]

As expected.

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow, now fully understanding the mechanics. The rules of this Talent were strictly defined; it truly only worked against malicious targets. This also quelled any thoughts of killing the innocent—not that he ever intended to bully ordinary people. His targets were always those blind, rotten bastards.

He turned and walked toward the Wild Rabbit spawn point at the village entrance. As he approached, he heard a burst of arrogant, overbearing cursing that stood out sharply from the noisy crowd.

"Get lost! Are you blind? Brother Kai has claimed all the rabbits in this area! If any blind fool dares to touch one, we'll kill you back to level zero and make all your hard work go to waste!"

Three players were blocking the densest spawn area. The leader, a blonde warrior with the ID [Young Master Kai], was actually wearing a piece of green novice armor, and the iron sword in his hand emitted a faint glow. He had clearly just spent money to buy a novice gift pack, making him look out of place among the surrounding players in basic gear.

Behind him followed two Mage lackeys, conjuring small fireballs in their hands. They were hurling insults at several novice players trying to snatch kills, their voices dripping with disdain.

Those novice players were fuming but didn't dare speak up. They could only huddle on the edges, eyes fixed on the spawning rabbits. If they were a second too slow, they would be hit by a Mage lackey's fireball, losing both HP and experience.

"Brother Kai, these pathetic solo players are such an eyesore. Why don't we just clear the area? It'll save us the trouble while we level up!" one Mage lackey said flatteringly.

Young Master Kai sneered and cut down a newly spawned rabbit with his sword, causing his experience bar to jump slightly. He patted his armor and said arrogantly, "What's the rush? Let them watch us level up first. Once I hit Level 3, I'll deal with them one by one. I'll let them know that this game isn't for broke losers!"

Lin Ye's expression instantly turned cold.

What he detested most were scumbags like this who bullied novices just because they had spent a bit of money. Perfect. He would use these guys to see exactly how powerful his Decay Talent was.

Lin Ye didn't say a word. He stepped forward directly, just as a plump Wild Rabbit spawned at his feet. He raised his hand and gave a light swing of his novice iron sword; the rabbit lost 3 HP, entering a critical state. With another strike, he successfully claimed the experience.

This move immediately enraged Young Master Kai.

"Fuck! Are you goddamn deaf? Didn't you hear me say we've claimed this area?!" Young Master Kai led his two lackeys to block Lin Ye's path. He pointed his iron sword at Lin Ye's nose, his gaze fierce. "Kneel and apologize, then hand over all your money. Otherwise, I won't let you leave the Novice Village today. I'll drop you back to level zero and make you delete your account and start over!"

[System Notification: Player [Young Master Kai] has issued a malicious threat. Determined as a malicious target. Perpetual Energy Level Decay Talent can be triggered!]

Here it comes!

A mischievous smirk curled on Lin Ye's lips. He thought to himself: "Trigger Talent, target Young Master Kai!"

[System Notification: 1 stack of [Decay] debuff has been applied to target [Young Master Kai]!]

Almost instantly, a red damage number popped up over Young Master Kai's head—12!

He was currently Level 2 with a maximum HP of 120. One stack of Decay dropped exactly 1% of his max HP, and it was true damage that ignored defense!

At the same time, in his attribute panel, his Attack Power, Defense, and Max HP all dropped by 1%. The defense of his novice armor and the attack power of his iron sword were also simultaneously reduced by 1%!

"Huh? What the hell?" Young Master Kai froze for a moment, looking down at his sudden loss of health with a face full of confusion. "I wasn't attacked, why am I losing HP?"

"Brother Kai, could it be a bug?"

"Bug my ass!" Young Master Kai snapped back to his senses, his embarrassment turning into rage. "It must be this kid's doing! Kill him first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Young Master Kai charged at Lin Ye with his iron sword. His two Mage lackeys also raised their hands, conjuring small fireballs and hurling them toward Lin Ye with aggressive momentum.

Lin Ye didn't dodge or hide. He stood right there, frantically triggering his Talent in his mind, layer upon layer, without stopping.

[2 stacks! 5 stacks! 10 stacks!]

In just two short seconds, Young Master Kai's head was stacked with 10 layers of the Decay Debuff. Red true damage numbers jumped incessantly. His HP dropped by 10%, and all his attributes, including equipment stats, were slashed by 10%!

His charging pace slowed significantly. When his iron sword swung out, it should have dealt 10 damage, but now it only grazed Lin Ye for 1 HP, like a mere tickle!

“??? What happened to my damage?!” Young Master Kai was completely bewildered. He stared at his attribute panel, watching his stats plummet, and began to panic. “Why is my armor useless? Why did my attack power drop so much?!”

He frantically clicked his Purify skill, only for the system to notify him that [This debuff cannot be cleared]. He cursed in frustration.

The two Mage lackeys behind him were also stunned. Their fireballs hit Lin Ye but couldn't even break his defense. Instead, Lin Ye retaliated by slapping 10 stacks of Decay on each of them. Their HP plummeted, and their Mana followed suit, hitting rock bottom. They couldn't even conjure a small fireball anymore and could only stand there, faces pale.

"Still want to kill me?" Lin Ye took a step forward, his eyes full of mockery. He rested his iron sword on his shoulder and continued to stack debuffs on Young Master Kai.

20 stacks! 30 stacks! 50 stacks!

Young Master Kai's HP dropped by half, and all his attributes were slashed by 50%. His paid equipment was now no different from basic gear. His legs went weak, and he looked at Lin Ye as if he were seeing a ghost.

He couldn't understand how he, who had spent money, had better gear, and was a higher level, was being ground into the dirt by a Level 1 player in basic gear.

"You... are you using cheats?! What kind of garbage skill is this?! Why can't it be cleared?!" Young Master Kai screamed hysterically, his voice carrying a sob.

"Cheats?" Lin Ye sneered, his tone full of ridicule. "This is your daddy's Talent. Weren't you quite arrogant just now? Going to kill me back to level zero? What's wrong, getting cold feet now?"

He didn't stop, continuing to stack the layers.

80 stacks! 100 stacks!

[System Notification: Target [Young Master Kai] has reached 100 stacks of [Decay] debuff. All attributes, equipment stats, and skill effects reduced by 100%!]

Young Master Kai's HP hit rock bottom. His iron sword fell to the ground with a clang, and he collapsed, unable to even move. With all his attributes stripped away, he was no different from a Level 1 training dummy. He could only watch helplessly as his health ticked down bit by bit, his scalp tingling with despair.

"Stop... stop stacking! Big brother, I was wrong! I apologize! I'll never steal kills again, I'll never bully novices again!" He wailed for mercy, all his previous arrogance gone, tears nearly streaming down his face.

"Too late." Lin Ye remained expressionless, mentally adding another layer of Decay.

[System Notification: Target [Young Master Kai]'s HP has reached zero. Target is dead!]

[System Notification: Target [Young Master Kai]'s level has dropped. Current Level: 1 → 0!]

[System Notification: Since the target's level is 0, they have been forcibly kicked out of the Novice Village and returned to the Creation Space!]

With a flash of white light, Young Master Kai vanished on the spot. He was likely so angry he went to delete his account and start over.

The remaining two Mage lackeys were scared out of their wits. They turned to run, but Lin Ye slapped 50 stacks of Decay on each of them. They didn't get more than a few steps before dropping dead, their levels reset to zero as they followed their boss out of the game.

The surrounding novice players were stunned. It took a long moment before a burst of cheers erupted, their voices filled with relief.

"Holy crap! Big shot is awesome! Finally, those bastards got what was coming to them!"

"That felt so good! Those guys hogged the spawn point for half an hour. we couldn't even touch a monster without getting cursed at!"

"Big shot, what kind of Talent is that? It's way too fierce! Stacking debuffs until they die, and it can't even be cleared?"

Lin Ye smiled and didn't say much. He had already fully grasped the terrifying nature of this Talent—infinite stacks, permanent effect. As long as the target was malicious, no matter how much they spent or how good their gear was, he could strip them down to nothing!

He looked toward Black Wind Ridge outside the Novice Village. It was shrouded in mist, and the faint sound of wolf howls could be heard.

Black Wind Ridge was the lair of Novice Village No. 003's ultimate boss, the Black Wind Wolf King.

Since the server opened, over a dozen parties had charged in, only to be swatted to death by the Wolf King. The forums were full of complaints that the Wolf King was simply not meant for novices and required a Level 10 team at the very least.

But now, a more wicked idea popped into Lin Ye's head—others couldn't do it? He wanted to try soloing this ultimate boss that no one in the server dared to touch, even while unequipped! Just as the thought crossed his mind, a glaring message suddenly popped up on the World Channel: [Heavenly Temple Qin Wentian]: Anyone in Novice Village No. 003 who dares touch the Black Wind Wolf King is making an enemy of my Heavenly Temple. Consider yourselves warned! Lin Ye sneered, his eyes full of defiance: Heavenly Temple? Perfect, I'll strip them bare too!