77 Lunge

Ding!

Lu Fengyi watched as his experience bar empty and his level increase to 3. While he was already at 98% when he switched back to using the dagger, it had still taken him almost half an hour to level up due to his inability to use his newfound speed effectively. While it was definitely much easier to dash in straight lines, manoeuvring around the enemy and dodging attacks was difficult due to the increased speed, causing him to overestimate his movements.

Not only that, but there was much more pressure on him while dodging the enemy attacks, as even a single hit would cause him to instantly drop a quarter or more of his hitpoints if he was lucky. In one of his more recent battles, his health had dropped to the single digits, putting him into a layer of sweat. While it was true that mages had a much easier time levelling by themselves, Lu Fengyi knew that assassins were naturally disadvantaged in grinding mobs, however since they excelled in destroying players, it was a worthy trade off.

Lu Fengyi breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his health jump from a total of 70 to 85 once he put his ten stat points in, five into strength, two into dexterity and the rest into physique. At least the amount of health he gained from the points were still decent. If he were to be stuck with health that could not even rival the squishy mage class, wouldn't a poke of a sword or a blast of magic completely obliterate him when doing battle? Even Nie Yan had been written to obtain many health buffs, putting him skies above all the other players in terms of health, if not damage.

While the increase was not as significant as if other players did the same, what was definitely noticeable was the extra stat that did not exist in any of the MMORPGs Lu Fengyi had played in the past. Below all the main stats, highlighted in a dull, yet prominent box, was the 'Path of the Shadow Assassin'. Unlike everything else, the stat did not have a number next to it, but instead a coloured, percentage bar with a legend of all the different colours next to it. As of now, the bar was white, and had been filled a pitiful 0.2%, however Lu Fengyi knew that the further he progressed down the path of a Shadow Assassin, the high the percentage would be, although what it did, Lu Fengyi did not have a clue.

Turning his attention back to the fields, Lu Fengyi could see masses of individuals and a few groups of players begin to exit the village, heading towards the mobs that had just began to respawn. Knowing that staying would do him minimal good, Lu Fengyi traversed across the field, towards one of the cave systems indicated on the map. While the mobs there were significantly higher level, ranging from level 3-5 as opposed to the lizards that would cap at level 2, Lu Fengyi had an oddly good feeling about discovering more early on. As he whizzed past, shouts of astonishment and disbelief rang across the plains.

"How is he moving so fast?"

"Is he a thief as well? He must be at least level 4 or above to have such speed!"

"But the game had only launched today. He must be using a special item of some sort."

Lu Fengyi smirked at the comments. Right now, his speed was only at 7.6, even after placing two points of dexterity in, however this was more than enough to shock the average player into confusion.

Not long after, Lu Fengyi arrived before the bottom of a cliff, where several cave entrances lead inside. Of course, the game creators would not make the cave systems too complex, allowing players to experience the feeling of being in caves before introducing maze like systems in which players would have to use their wit and intelligence in order to navigate around without getting lost. As of now, Lu Fengyi could safely enter without fear of being unable to exit.

As expected of a virtual reality game, the cave was much more humid than the outside and periodic sounds of falling water drops could be heard from multiple locations inside the cave, giving an almost perfect representation of an actual cave. Brandishing his dagger between him and the darkness, Lu Fengyi advanced slowly into the cave, watching for even the slightest movement from the enveloping depths.

Accidentally kicking a small stone, Lu Fengyi tensed his body as a pair of red, glowing eyes appeared from slightly above his position in front of him, gleaming menacingly in the darkness.

Shit!

Seeing the eyes rush towards him, Lu Fengyi stepped back into a defensive stance before blocking the razor claws that swiped towards him.

Silver Fanged Bat: Level 3

Health: 150/150

Breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't a more powerful mob, Lu Fengyi ran swiftly towards the bat, narrowly dodging the second attack before stabbing his dagger into the beast and tearing it out the side.

-31

After allocating a fair amount of points into his strength, it was extremely evident how effective his attacks were against the bat as a single attack shaved away a fifth of the enemy's health. While his personal strength was a major factor, an extra plus was the fact that generally, low-levelled bat type beasts did not have any physical or magical defences, leaving them prone to the full extend of the damage caused by players. This was quite consistent across most of the MMORPGs that Lu Fengyi had played, and it wasn't surprising that it applied in Conviction as well.

Since Lu Fengyi did not have any skills yet, he could only make use of the basic attacks that one could do even without the game, however that did not mean that he could not make quick work of a single bat. After a series of manoeuvres and counterattacks, Lu Fengyi landed a final hit on the Silver Fanged Bat before it fell to the ground lifeless, dispersing into experience particles.

Like some of the lizards he had slain before, a few coins lay where the corpse would lie, however this time, there was a dusty book that looked to have been left for centuries beside the coins. Lu Fengyi's eyes lit up in excitement. If he wasn't mistaken, this was a skill book!

Heart beating quickly in anticipation, Lu Fengyi picked up the skill book before finding a suitable hiding spot and reading the contents.

Skill Book: Vital Strike

Description: Close the distance between your foes

Requirements: Action (requires weapon)

Properties: Quickly close a maximum distance of 3 metres before dealing 5% increased damage on the first attack.

Cooldown: 10 seconds

Restriction: Thief, Shadow Assassin, Warriors

Not hesitating in the slightest, Lu Fengyi used the book and as he did, a skill with the image of a lunging attacker appeared within his skill bar. Nodding in satisfaction, Lu Fengyi glanced towards the depths of the cave, this time with a hint of excitement within his eyes.