With an attack power of 600, it was no wonder that team had given up. Unless one was a Constitution Knight, a character at level twenty-something could easily be instantly killed by a critical hit from the boss. Furthermore, this boss's HP regeneration rate was astonishing; after just a short break from combat, it had already recovered over 20,000 HP. Xiao Hua did some quick calculations and estimated that it would take at least 300 magic bombs to take down the Black Ape Leader. However, the experience gained from soloing a boss five levels higher was worth it, not to mention that even ordinary bosses usually drop at least one blue item, and sometimes even a purple one!
Having confirmed the boss's level, Xiao Hua moved in to join the illusion in bombarding the Black Ape Leader.
The Black Ape Leader stood over three meters tall with a massive body, and as a boss, it possessed certain status effect immunities. Xiao Hua quickly realized that the knockback effect of his magic bombs wasn't very effective against the Black Ape Leader; it took five bombs to knock it back once. Clearly, this was a monster worthy of its boss title!
Xiao Hua's original plan of safely killing the boss using the knockback effect was foiled. With his defense below 100 and HP barely over 1,000, he would certainly be killed if the Black Ape Leader got close enough for two consecutive hits.
To make matters worse, the Black Ape Leader occasionally used a skill similar to a charge, lowering its head and rushing forward, completely negating the knockback effect of the magic bombs.
Several times, the Black Ape Leader managed to close the distance, and Xiao Hua couldn't help but feel alarmed as he saw the giant hand swiping past him. One critical hit, and he'd be done for! If he were bombing alone without the help of the illusion, he wouldn't have lasted long before being overwhelmed.
Fortunately, the Black Ape Leader's HP had been reduced significantly by the previous group, and under the combined bombardment from Xiao Hua and the illusion, its HP continued to plummet rapidly. As the boss's HP dropped below 30,000, Xiao Hua became even more cautious, knowing that even ordinary bosses often use special skills when near death.
Surprisingly, the Black Ape Leader didn't use any additional skills until it finally collapsed. Xiao Hua was a bit puzzled. In fact, if he had been hit by the Black Ape Leader's charge, he would have been stunned momentarily, allowing the boss to land five consecutive attacks, which would surely kill him!
It seemed Xiao Hua's luck held out today, as the Black Ape Leader dropped a large pile of gold coins, silver coins, and equipment. Xiao Hua happily collected everything.
Over 300 gold coins, one blue item, three green items, and one purple item.
Ape Bone Necklace (Purple Item): Physical Attack +10-22, Constitution +11, Strength +15, Agility +10, Level 28 required to equip.
Seeing the purple necklace, Xiao Hua’s eyes lit up. Typically, jewelry would add both physical and magical attack power, but usually only a small amount, making them general-purpose equipment. However, this necklace was clearly an exceptional single-attribute item. Its physical attack power was comparable to a level 40 purple necklace, making it a super rare item for him.
Feeling delighted, Xiao Hua carefully stored away the Ape Bone Necklace. His gaze then fell upon the last item on the ground—a book!
A free skill book? Of course not, a level 30 monster, even a boss, couldn’t drop such a thing! Curious about this item that resembled a skill book, Xiao Hua immediately picked it up after storing the necklace.
System Notification: You have obtained the Rare Book "Flower World"!
"Flower World": Within books lie golden mansions, and within books are beautiful jade-like ladies! This book can only be used by male players with a "Reading" skill level of Master or above. Giving this book to a female friend and having her read it daily can rapidly increase your intimacy. While reading this book, her "Reading" skill will also improve faster!
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Sweat, this book really is a treasure for wooing girls. In the game, there are several ways to increase intimacy between men and women: partying up to kill monsters, completing dungeons, or sending flowers daily. Party play is the most normal method, related to the experience gained from killing monsters, but has a daily limit. Completing dungeons is the fastest way; the harder the dungeon, the higher the evaluation, the faster the intimacy increases. Xiao Hua and Piaoling, though they’ve only completed two dungeons, have already upgraded their relationship from strangers to acquaintances. Sending flowers is the most time-saving and effort-saving method, requiring only one flower per day, with no effect if more are sent. When a woman receives 100 flowers from a man, she gains one charm point, although just one point. However, flowers aren’t just any gift; at least one hundred gold coins per flower is needed for it to be effective, and the more expensive the flower, the better the effect, making it unaffordable for the average player.
Xiao Hua carefully stored away this even rarer treasure, planning to give it to Fang Ning when she returns, ensuring their intimacy would increase rapidly!
With the temptation of two rare items, Xiao Hua's motivation to level up surged even more!
A few days later, when Xiao Hua reached level 26, another shocking news spread through the Chinese server of Second World: an obscure guild called "Zhan Tian" became the second guild to defeat a level 50 super boss in the Chinese server, successfully obtaining a town guild upgrade token. Moreover, this guild possessed a sub-artifact named "Arakax's Sword," reportedly acquired by completing a massive guild quest chain with the collective efforts of the guild members.
Surprisingly, despite the significant event, news of Zhan Tian's feat didn't emerge until a day after the super boss was defeated. The guild's ability to control information so tightly amazed many people!
In no time, Zhan Tian's name became well-known throughout Second World, surpassing the Icebound Guild and becoming the center of attention. Rumors had it that Zhan Tian was preparing to upgrade their guild to a town-level guild, potentially becoming the first town-level guild in the Chinese server!
When Xiao Hua heard this news, he was slightly taken aback. He recalled Piaoling, feeling that this person's style was too similar to that of the guild!
At the same time, the operators of Second World globally announced an important update: at ten o'clock on the evening of March 31, the game would undergo its first major update. While the details of the update were unknown, the officials hinted that there would be a small celebration event that night, with all online players receiving substantial experience rewards!
In reality, advertisements for the update and event were everywhere, on every TV station, and even companies publicly stated they would take a day off on the 31st to accommodate the update. In-game, the system reminded players to stay online at ten o'clock on the 31st each time they logged in.
Although Second World had undergone updates before, they were usually minor adjustments. This time, the official announcement was shrouded in mystery and grandeur, igniting a strong interest among almost all players. Speculations about the update's contents abounded, and the number of concurrent players reached unprecedented heights!
With the sudden surge in online players, Old Fei of the Pot of Gold Auction House was particularly delighted. The auction was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and his promotional efforts had attracted considerable interest. The reputation of Pot of Gold would undoubtedly soar after this auction, especially with the major system update, making the results even better than expected!
Naturally, Xiao Hua was aware of these developments. After hearing about the major update, he discussed and speculated with Piaoling and Zhou Xiaoru. Occasionally, he would open the guild channel, filled with discussions about the upcoming update.
The number of players joining the Paradise of Beauties guild had increased noticeably, reaching over forty members. Although their levels weren’t high, most enjoyed doing quests, including many acquaintances of Wandering Brothers, and a few high-level solo players like Undying Berserker.
With the full effort of dozens of quest-loving players, the guild's contribution had reached the upgrade standard. Xiao Hua spent money to gather the necessary materials and injected construction funds directly, upgrading Paradise of Beauties to Village Level Two. He then selfishly allocated the guild's attribute bonuses to HP, giving all members a 2% HP boost.
No one objected to this, as most guilds operated similarly. Firstly, HP is crucial for all professions, while MP is often surplus for some. Secondly, MP can be replenished, but losing HP means death.
After upgrading, the rewards for guild quests would increase accordingly, although still less than those of higher-level guilds. With a 0% gold reward deduction rate, the actual gold received was not much different. Given the same gold reward, the quest difficulty was much lower, making them more willing to participate.
After settling the guild matters, Xiao Hua focused on leveling up, aiming to reach level 27 before the 31st. Should any interesting activities occur during the update, lacking the required level would be frustrating.
Time quickly passed to March 25, the day of the Pot of Gold Auction!
Please note that the translation aims to maintain the original context and tone while ensuring clarity and readability in English.