"Blessing of Thunder."
Ye Bai cast a buff on himself, feeling a surge of energy as he sprinted forward with lightning speed.
"The Blessing of Thunder lasts for 30 seconds. Under its effect, normal attacks gain an additional 20 points of lightning element damage.
The Cave Giant Rat has 50 health points. With my strength at 9, my basic physical attack deals 9 points. Combined with the Blessing of Thunder, I can deal 29 damage!"
Ye Bai dashed towards a Cave Giant Rat, bringing his staff down with force.
"-29!"
"-29!"
After two strikes, the Cave Giant Rat collapsed, just like the previous one, dissolving into light and leaving behind three copper coins.
"I need to hurry!"
Ye Bai wasted no time.
While fighting, he continuously cast the skill [Ready to Go], timing it perfectly with its cooldown!
This meant that, in the short term, Ye Bai couldn't use [Blessing of Thunder] or [Lightning Arrow], or all his efforts would be in vain!
To stack more [Ready to Go] for a decisive strike on the final boss, Ye Bai had to eliminate as many Cave Giant Rats as possible during the buff duration of [Blessing of Thunder].
"-29!"
"-29!"
"....."
***
A series of numbers appeared above the Cave Giant Rats' heads, as they fell one after another in the dim corridor.
Meanwhile, the time on the Blessing of Thunder was rapidly depleting!
"10, 9, 8..."
Less than 10 seconds left!
The intense combat took a toll on Ye Bai's body.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The Eternal Tower, being a game with 100% simulation accuracy, made fatigue feel all too real.
Ye Bai exhaled deeply, looking ahead in the corridor, his steps unwavering, his staff a blur of motion.
In the last 10 seconds, bolstered by the Blessing of Thunder, Ye Bai took down four more monsters.
From entering the beginner dungeon until now, in just one minute, Ye Bai had defeated 12 Cave Giant Rats!
If this efficiency got out, who knows how many would go crazy over it!
Ye Bai's focus was entirely on the battle, with eight more to go!
"Ready to Go!"
While fighting, Ye Bai didn't forget to keep using Ready to Go, stacking the buff.
Another Cave Giant Rat charged at him, its swift body slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.
Without the Blessing of Thunder and unable to use lightning skills, Ye Bai could only rely on basic attacks to fight.
In his vision, several red dots appeared on the Cave Giant Rat, with a small note:
[These are the enemy's weak points. Attacking them deals double damage. A mage resorting to melee, you really should reconsider your career path.]
"This talent is quite cheeky."
Ye Bai ignored the latter half of the note's sarcasm, focusing on the weak points.
His staff thrust forward, striking one of the red dots.
"-19!"
"Hit the Cave Giant Rat's weak point, causing double damage and a brief blindness effect!"
Capitalizing on his success, Ye Bai quickly followed up with two more staff strikes, hitting the red dots and smoothly taking down the opponent.
"Seven more to go!"
With the help of the Eye of Insight, even a mage relying on basic attacks could easily pass this level!
"Hit the weak point...."
"Hit the weak point...."
"....."
Five minutes later, the entire corridor was left with only Ye Bai standing.
"Whoo—"
Ye Bai exhaled a breath of stale air, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
All the Cave Giant Rats had become Ye Bai's experience and copper coins.
Only now did he have the chance to check the relevant notifications.
From killing the monsters, he gained 100 experience points.
"Congratulations on reaching level 2!"
"Gained Strength +1, Intelligence +2, Spirit +1, Agility +2, Constitution +2, Free Attribute Point: 1."
With the level-up, a white light enveloped Ye Bai, infusing him with new strength and sweeping away his fatigue.
HP and MP fully restored, Ye Bai was in peak condition, glancing at his attribute panel.
All five attributes had significantly improved, and he allocated the extra free attribute point to Intelligence.
Looking at his post-level-up attributes, Ye Bai recalled the strategy guide,
"According to the textbook, the attributes gained during level-up in the Eternal Tower are influenced by many factors. Race template, class template, the leveling process... all affect the attribute increase during a level-up!
In my previous battles, I mostly relied on basic attacks, engaging in close combat with the Cave Giant Rats, rather than using skills. So my increases in Strength/Constitution/Agility were higher than Intelligence/Spirit!"
Thinking of this, Ye Bai felt a bit helpless.
How could a dignified mage gain fame through melee combat?
Such unorthodox methods were beneath Ye Bai!
Putting away the attribute panel, Ye Bai continued stacking [Ready to Go] as he proceeded down the corridor.
The dark passage was eerily quiet, with occasional cold drafts from behind that could make the faint-hearted freeze in their tracks.
Ye Bai strode forward confidently, unaffected by the environment.
***
Soon, he reached a fork in the path.
"Left or right?"
Ye Bai knew this was the second level of the beginner dungeon.
The textbook clearly stated that going left would spawn a group of monsters, leading to an ambush.
The right path would spawn a powerful elite monster that most people couldn't handle.
According to past data analysis, the rewards for choosing the left path were 45.7% higher than the right.
Ye Bai looked at the left passage, and sure enough, a note appeared before him:
[10 bats reeking of stench are craving your blood]
[In the dark corner, a Mutant Bat is lurking]
11 bats, huh?
Ye Bai envisioned the bats' stats, slightly stronger than the Cave Giant Rats, with their speed being the main issue.
The right passage:
[A young Hellhound is sleeping, please don't disturb it, or you'll end up feeding it]
A Hellhound?
Ye Bai didn't expect such a powerful elite monster on the right!
In the textbook's monster compendium, the [Hellhound] was undoubtedly the strongest elite monster in the beginner dungeon!
Bar none!
Even in its juvenile stage, its three heads could unleash three different elemental skills, dealing massive damage. Its hellish bloodline granted it a thick health bar, terrifying regeneration speed, and high physical and magical resistance.
It was every beginner's nightmare, the terminator, an insurmountable wall.
Ye Bai's gaze shifted, and on the wall ahead, a note appeared!
[Lucky fellow, don't move the stone on the left, or you'll unlock a hidden level!]
Ye Bai's spirit lifted.
A hidden level?!