5: The first boss, the Shadow Cat Demon King!

Pairs of eerie green cat eyes stared at the two of them in unison. Combined with the dim and terrifying surroundings, Feng Yun, Young Master Leng felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up one by one.

The Land of the Final End was different from ordinary virtual reality games; its atmosphere was virtually identical to the real world. Calling it the "Second World" was no joke.

"Magic Missile."

Expressionless, Lin Yue waved his staff with one hand. Two missiles flew out in quick succession, slamming heavily into the Shadow Cat Demon.

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The Beginner Spell Combo effect triggered, dealing over 1,500 points of damage instantly. A Shadow Cat Demon's health immediately dropped by a quarter.

Seeing the staggering damage numbers popping up over the monster's head, Feng Yun, Young Master Leng was incredibly envious. He had already seen White Emperor trigger this kind of attack dozens of times along the way.

Although the probability wasn't very high, in the early stages, this kind of combo skill was already a god-tier ability.

For a dungeon-clearing team, dealing one extra instance of damage could potentially prevent a total party wipe at a critical moment.

Moreover, as the grinding session lengthened, this skill significantly improved efficiency.

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng had tried to pay for information on how to obtain it midway, but upon hearing he'd have to grind tens of thousands of Level 1 mobs for a chance at the drop, he decisively gave up on the skill.

Time was of the essence in the early game; he wasn't crazy enough to waste over ten hours grinding Level 1 mobs that gave no experience.

"Ding! You have killed an elite Shadow Cat Demon. Experience +356."

Looking at the high experience gain, killing elite mobs above one's level was indeed much more rewarding than normal mobs. Even Feng Yun, Young Master Leng, who was teamed up with Lin Yue, received 35 experience points.

After ten minutes of frantic damage dealing, although the elite mobs' health and stats were significantly higher, Lin Yue's damage had increased to the point where his efficiency wasn't much slower than when he was grinding normal mobs.

"Ding..."

While they were grinding, a blue light flashed, and a piece of equipment dropped.

It had to be said that the drop rate in the Land of the Final End was truly abysmal; after nearly an hour of grinding higher-level mobs, this was only the second piece of equipment to drop.

Shadow Breastplate (Heavy Armor): Blue Advanced.

Requirement: Level 10 Warrior-type class.

Effect: Armor +20, HP +200, Poison Resistance +1%.

Durability: 100.

"A pity it's not for Mages. Do you want this gear?"

Lin Yue looked toward Feng Yun, Young Master Leng.

"Yes! I'm a Warrior, so I definitely want it. But White Emperor Boss, how much are you selling it for?"

"Same as before, five silver coin."

Lin Yue said flatly.

Although a breastplate is just defensive gear, this Shadow Breastplate was part of a set. Collecting the full shadow set provided bonuses that were no worse than jewelry.

"Alright, I'll transfer them to you now."

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng bought it without hesitation. He'd already spent sixty silver coin; another five wouldn't hurt.

Although in-game currency was important in the early stages, he had a gold-farming team. If push came to shove, he could always buy more from solo players; it wasn't a big deal.

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng glanced at the leaderboard. The top player was already Level 8 and would likely reach Level 10 before long.

He was only Level 6 now and wondered if he could still catch up.

"White Emperor Boss, the top-ranked player is already Level 8. Should we hurry up?"

Lin Yue allocated all 10 attribute points from reaching Level 5 into Casting Speed. Waving his staff, he said, "Don't worry. It's only been a little over an hour; we'll catch up soon."

"Boss, you're awesome! Boss, you're mighty! Keep it up, I'll be cheering you on from behind."

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng hid behind Lin Yue and acted as a cheerleader.

A Level 6 tank Warrior hiding behind a squishy Level 5 Mage while cheering—no matter how you looked at it, the scene was bizarre and hilarious.

Lin Yue ignored Feng Yun, Young Master Leng. He wondered what the guild members would think if they saw the leader of a top-ten guild acting as a cheerleader for a solo player.

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With his steady and consistent damage output, although there were hundreds of Shadow Cat Demons gathered here, they were nothing more than experience fodder to Lin Yue.

As his HP gradually stacked, the damage of each Magic Missile also slowly increased.

Initially, it took 8 or 9 missiles to kill a Shadow Cat Demon, but it gradually dropped to 6, and he was getting closer to finishing them in 5.

If a Spell Combo triggered now and then, his grinding efficiency would reach a whole new level.

Watching Lin Yue level up, Feng Yun, Young Master Leng could only feel silent envy.

Since Lin Yue was getting the lion's share of the experience, he would soon overtake him.

One, two, three... As the corpses of Shadow Cat Demons piled up, a blue light flashed once more, as if to compensate Lin Yue.

"Another drop?"

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng asked in surprise.

Lin Yue nodded and checked the stats.

Shadow Spaulders (Heavy Armor): Blue Advanced.

Requirement: Level 10 Warrior-type class.

Effect: Armor +15, HP +150, Poison Resistance +1%.

Durability: 100.

Lin Yue rolled his eyes—it seemed Mage equipment just wouldn't drop. He helplessly sold it to Feng Yun, Young Master Leng for five silver coin.

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng grinned as he accepted it, thinking that spending sixty silver coin for leveling didn't seem like a bad deal after all.

"Boss is awesome! Keep going, Boss!"

Acting like a spoiled child who got a bargain, Feng Yun, Young Master Leng tucked the equipment into his backpack as if it were a precious treasure and even started doing a celebratory dance.

The hunt continued, and over three hours seemed to fly by. By now, both of them had reached Level 7, and Lin Yue was only about ten minutes away from Level 8.

During that time, four more pieces of the shadow set dropped. Unfortunately, they were all Warrior gear, so they were all sold to Feng Yun, Young Master Leng.

A player could wear a maximum of twelve pieces of equipment (in the early stages).

These were: Main Weapon, Boots, Armor, Helmet, Cloak, Rings (2), Necklace, Spaulders, Leggings, and Bracelets (2).

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng had already obtained six pieces and was only six away from a full set.

The shadow set was arguably the strongest class set available before Level 20, bar none.

By this point, Lin Yue had cleared out most of the elite Shadow Cat Demons within a few hundred meters of the Gloomy Forest's depths.

Just as he was about to head deeper, a piercing screech, like a baby crying in the night, rang out. Lin Yue's expression immediately turned sharp.

A giant cat, more than twice the size of an elite Shadow Cat Demon and glowing with a thick purple light, stepped out slowly with elegant strides.

The screech was accompanied by a foul wind that hit their nostrils. Lin Yue frowned immediately, while Feng Yun, Young Master Leng bent over, gagging. If it weren't for the fact that...

...you couldn't actually vomit in the game, he definitely would have.

Shadow Cat Demon King (Boss): Level 10.

HP: 128,500

Attack: 385

Skills: Poisonous Claws, Poison Cloud, Life-Steal Scratch, Shadow Impact, Shadow Stealth.

"Holy shit!"

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng was startled. "A boss with nearly 130,000 HP? And with these stats and skills, who the hell could beat this thing?!"

No sooner had he spoken than a System notification rang out the next second.

"You have been kicked from the party by White Emperor. Party status dissolved."

???

Feng Yun, Young Master Leng was completely dumbfounded...