Volume One, Chapter 19: The Reward of the Furious Tree Spirit King

"Tsk tsk, as expected of a Level 15 boss; this reward is truly something else."

Hearing that there were four pieces of Black Iron-grade equipment, Lin Yu couldn't help but click his tongue. This haul was far superior to the Ghost Scorpion King he had defeated yesterday. The frustration he had felt earlier from the poor drop rates of ordinary monsters instantly vanished into thin air.

With a surge of excitement, Lin Yu hurriedly checked his gains. First were the three skill books, which, unsurprisingly, disappointed him. The highest-ranked one was only C-grade; he tossed such trash directly into his inventory to serve as fodder for enhancing other skills. He understood, however; bosses of this type usually dropped a high volume of skill books, and it would have been a miracle to find a high-tier one among them.

Next, Lin Yu turned his attention to the four pieces of Black Iron equipment, and fortunately, this time he was not let down.

[Berserker’s Blade (Black Iron Equipment)
Equip Requirement: Assassin
Level Requirement: None
Effect 1: Attack +150
Durability: 100]

[Berserker’s Soft Armor (Black Iron Equipment)
Equip Requirement: Non-Heavy Armor Classes
Level Requirement: None
Effect 1: Defense +80
Effect 2: Can be activated to conjure a magic shield equal to 300% of the user's attack.
Durability: 100]

[Berserker’s Boots (Black Iron Equipment)
Equip Requirement: None
Level Requirement: None
Effect 1: Defense +45
Effect 2: Movement Speed +20%
Durability: 100]

[Berserker’s Cuirass (Black Iron Equipment)
Equip Requirement: None
Level Requirement: None
Effect 1: Defense +60
Durability: 100]

The stats on these four items were excellent, especially the Berserker’s Boots, which provided a 20% boost to movement speed. For any player, this was an immense upgrade, as higher movement speed meant a greater chance to dodge attacks. In the world of *Gods and Demons*, movement speed only increased with level; therefore, equipment that could boost it was exceptionally valuable.

While Lin Yu had easily dodged the Berserker Treant King’s attacks earlier using his combat techniques from his past life, that was only because the boss was a clumsy, heavy-type monster. If he were to face a more agile opponent, he wouldn't even be able to touch them, let alone dodge their attacks. This was exactly why leveling up and fighting higher-level monsters was so difficult in *Gods and Demons*—the speed gap alone was insurmountable.

After internalizing the stats of all the equipment, Lin Yu looked at Xiao Xiao, who was still standing there in a daze. He smiled slightly and said, "Senior Xiao, I managed to loot three pieces of Black Iron gear. Are you interested? If so, I can sell them to you at a low price."

Lin Yu intended to sell the Berserker’s Blade, the Soft Armor, and the Cuirass to Xiao Xiao. These three items didn't offer him much of a boost, and keeping them was useless, so he might as well use them as a favor. As for the Berserker’s Boots, since they increased movement speed, he would keep them for himself. Furthermore, Xiao Xiao had only mentioned help with leveling; the equipment drops were not part of their agreement. Naturally, he couldn't just hand them over for free—he was in desperate need of money right now.

"What kind of equipment?" Xiao Xiao asked, finally snapping out of her trance.

"These three. Are you interested, Senior?" Lin Yu said, sharing the stats of the three items through the party interface.

After a brief glance, Xiao Xiao was clearly tempted. Black Iron equipment was essentially a powerful weapon at this stage of the game, especially with such good stats.

"Junior Lin Yu, we are fellow alumni, after all. Do you really have the heart to charge me?" Xiao Xiao closed the shared panel, looked up at him, and said with a touch of resentment.

This guy was such a dense, straight-laced man. If it were anyone else, they would be begging her to take them just to earn her favor.

Lin Yu felt his scalp tingle under her gaze. He scratched his head, feigning composure, and said, "Senior, you joke. How about this: I'll bundle these three pieces for fifty gold coins."

Free was out of the question. Although Xiao Xiao was undeniably beautiful—ranking among the top three women he had ever seen—this was not the time for such considerations. His priority was to increase his strength, earn money, and prepare resources for those he wanted to protect when *Gods and Demons* went mainstream.

"You..." Xiao Xiao hadn't expected him to be so unromantic, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. A moment later, she stared at him and said indignantly, "I've transferred the money. Hand over the gear."

Lin Yu quickly traded the items to her. Looking at the fifty gold coins now in his possession, he felt overjoyed.

Just as they were speaking, a system notification rang in their ears.

[Ding! Congratulations to "Xiahou Qingqing" for becoming the first player in the server to reach Level 10. Reward: +50 Free Attribute Points, +1 Class-Specific Skill Book, +1 Self-Selected Bronze-grade Class-Specific Equipment. This is a server-wide announcement; we encourage all players to keep up the effort.]

Hearing this, both Lin Yu and Xiao Xiao froze and exchanged a look.

"That Xiahou Qingqing really lives up to having a God-tier talent. I didn't expect her to snatch the top spot for leveling," Xiao Xiao sighed in frustration. She had hoped to reach the top spot with Lin Yu’s help. The rewards for being the first to hit Level 10 were incredibly generous—the fifty free attribute points alone were enough to create a significant gap, not to mention the self-selected Bronze equipment.

It seemed she had underestimated the opponent’s God-tier Summoning technique. Lin Yu, however, remained calm. Xiahou Qingqing’s God-tier Summoner class allowed her to summon pets one tier higher—Level 10—to fight for her, a speed of clearing mobs that no one else could match. Even Lin Yu would find it hard to compete. He excelled at defense and could farm monsters without taking damage, but his attack power was limited, and speed-farming required high damage.

"Senior Xiao, let's hurry and level up. With your current experience, getting into the top three shouldn't be a problem," Lin Yu said suddenly.

The top three on the leaderboards received special rewards. Xiao Xiao was only sixty or seventy experience points away from Level 10; making the top three was definitely achievable.

Xiao Xiao nodded slightly. Though she felt a bit of regret, this wasn't the time to dwell on it. Having made their decision, the two wasted no time and headed toward the next spawn point for Level 10 monsters.

Time trickled by, and two hours passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, Lin Yu killed dozens more Level 10 monsters, reaching Level 8 himself, while Xiao Xiao was just one step away from Level 10. The only drawback was that they hadn't encountered another boss.

At a small creek, Lin Yu held his Light Sword, locked in a struggle with a Level 10 Cloud Dream Deer. As he finished it off, a soft shimmer flashed over Xiao Xiao, who was standing not far away.

In an instant, she leveled up from nine to ten. As she did, the system’s chime sounded once more!

[Ding! Congratulations to "Xiaoxiao Ran" for becoming the second player in the server to reach Level 10. Reward: +30 Free Attribute Points, +1 Class-Specific Skill Book, +1 Random Bronze-grade Class-Specific Equipment. This is a server-wide announcement; we encourage all players to keep up the effort.]