Lord-class BOSS!

Xiao Wen glanced at the time, stretched, and logged out of the game.

Looking up at the hazy sky outside the window, Xiao Wen got out of the game pod and immediately smelled a hint of burnt toast.

He left his room and saw Xiao Ya busy in the kitchen making breakfast. Xiao Wen's heart warmed.

"Sis, what's for breakfast? Smells amazing!"

He sniffed the air deeply, taking in the aroma.

Just then, Xiao Ya, who was working in the kitchen, finished preparing breakfast. She came out holding a plate in each hand. Seeing Xiao Wen, a smile appeared on her face.

"Little bro, why aren't you sleeping in today? How was your game last night? Your big sister here already reached level five, and I even found a powerful player to team up with. Want me to carry you? Let me tell you, your sister's mage is really something."

Xiao Ya walked out with the plates and set them on the table.

Xiao Wen looked at the fried eggs and sandwiches on the plates, his appetite whetted. He grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, eating ravenously. He finished the sandwich in a few bites, then picked up the milk beside it and drank it all in one gulp.

"N-no need… burp… Sis, your cooking is still as amazing as ever! Good food with gaming, the best of both worlds, hehe!"

Xiao Wen grinned, then took out the bank card he had prepared from his pocket and pushed it towards Xiao Ya.

"Sis, I'm giving this card to you. The password is your birthday. From now on, your little brother will support you."

After speaking, Xiao Wen wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned back to his room.

Xiao Ya was stunned and stared at Xiao Wen with a strange expression. She watched his retreating back as he entered the room, and it took her a long time to snap out of it. Looking down at the mess on the table, her heart warmed.

"This brat, after all these years, his temper hasn't changed one bit." Looking down at the bank card in front of her, Xiao Ya was a little lost in thought. "Brat, you want to support me? Fine, let me see how much pocket money this brat has saved all these years."

She put the bank card in her pocket, finished the food on the plates, and carried the dishes into the kitchen. After cleaning up, she prepared to leave for work.

As she was leaving, she had intended to inform Xiao Wen. However, when she opened his door, she found him already engrossed in the game pod again. Shaking her head with a smile, she turned and left.

After eating his fill and feeling refreshed, Xiao Wen returned to the game, feeling full of energy.

He glanced at his empty inventory. All his equipment had been sold off; he hadn't kept a single item.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. It was that when he tried to equip items, he suddenly discovered that his Duelist class couldn't equip normal gear.

He couldn't even equip regular armor, pants, or boots.

Thinking carefully, Xiao Wen attributed it all to the uniqueness of the Duelist's hidden class.

Perhaps the only equipment this class could wear were those seven Millennium Artifacts.

As he thought this, his gaze fell upon the Millennium Puzzle on his chest.

Although he possessed this artifact, apart from the fifty attribute points it granted during the initial stat allocation, all its other effects were question marks, in an unknown state.

"Whatever, I'll take it one step at a time. The most important thing now is to level up. I need to hurry and get out of the newbie village. Those guys are probably thinking the same thing, right?"

Xiao Wen muttered to himself. He glanced at the crowded people around him, then stepped out, moving through the crowd, leaving the newbie village and heading outside.

Just like yesterday, the area around the newbie village was still packed with people. The closer they were to the newbie village, the more players there were. Conversely, in areas further away with higher-level monsters, players were scarce.

Xiao Wen walked at a steady pace. In no time, he had passed many players and arrived at the Ironback Rhino habitat.

The dead Ironback Rhinos had respawned and were now alive, burying themselves in the lush aquatic plants, enjoying themselves.

"Should I keep grinding experience here?"

Xiao Wen muttered, then suddenly heard low roars from a distance.

The Ironback Rhinos, which had been partially submerged, suddenly stood up. Their dark eyes instantly turned blood red, and they snorted heavily through their nostrils as they charged in one direction with heavy steps.

"I didn't expect there to be players in this newbie village, No. 96508, who can fight monsters above their level. Interesting."

A hint of interest appeared on Xiao Wen's face. He followed behind the Ironback Rhinos, heading in that direction.

Several hundred meters away was an open alluvial basin. In this open area, a large number of Ironback Rhinos lived scattered about.

Now, these Ironback Rhinos were roaring, bellowing, and galloping, forming a long, dark line as they charged into the distance.

At the end of the basin were two sheer cliffs, with a long, narrow canyon between them. At the entrance of the canyon, a large group of Ironback Rhinos were piled up.

"Sis, this herd of silly rhinos is charging! Hurry up and shoot them! I can't hold them off for much longer!" A shout came from the distance.

About five meters from the canyon entrance stood a chubby little guy, wearing a set of black iron armor and holding a pair of gauntlets. He was blocking the entrance perfectly.

In front of the chubby guy was an Ironback Rhino that had managed to squeeze its way through the narrow passage.

Its eyes were blood red, and its steel-like hide scraped against the rock walls, sending down loose gravel as it charged at the chubby guy.

The chubby guy thrust out his hands. A faint black light emanated from his palms as he pressed them directly onto the Ironback Rhino's horns. With the help of the surrounding rock walls, he managed to block the rhino's attack.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The moment the chubby guy stopped the Ironback Rhino's charge, three cold glints whistled out from behind him, striking the Ironback Rhino's head in succession.

-2!

-2!

5! (Critical Hit)

Three damage numbers popped up consecutively above the Ironback Rhino's head.

Seeing the numbers appear, the chubby kid's eyes narrowed, and a delighted expression spread across his face. "Sis, keep shooting arrows! It's taking damage! It's taking damage!"

"Got it, you noisy brat! Hurry up and drink your health potion. If you can't hold them off, we'll both die! Don't forget, all our allowance for the past six months is tied up in this. If your green gear gets dropped, I'll scrape off all that fat on you!"

A crisp female voice chimed in. Standing on a protruding sharp rock about fifteen feet behind the chubby kid was a female player holding a bow and arrow. She drew her bow and fired, each arrow flying out, striking the Ironback Rhino and dealing damage, steadily reducing its health.

When Xiao Wen arrived, the sibling duo had already left three Ironback Rhino corpses behind them.

"A Fist Master and an Archer? That combination seems familiar." Xiao Wen's face showed a thoughtful expression.

He had seen such a combination once before. They were a pair of very promising players, combining to create the strongest spear and the strongest shield.

The Fist Master had put all their stat points into Constitution, constantly strengthening their defense while sacrificing attack to build the strongest shield. The Archer, on the other hand, had put all their stat points into Strength and Agility to build the strongest spear.

The tank drew aggro, attracting the opponent's attacks and attention, while the Archer attacked from a distance, reaping the opponent's lives.

Such a combination had been renowned in the game back then, even creating the "Strongest Paradox" playstyle and being hailed as players who were not King-tier but acted like they were.

Individually, neither of them could withstand a single blow from a King-tier player. However, when combined, even King-tier players found them troublesome, with more losses than wins.

"However, compared to those two from back then, this pair's combination seems considerably more amateurish."

Even so, it was more than enough to deal with these Ironback Rhinos, which only possessed ferocity and no intelligence.

One Ironback Rhino after another charged in anger, entering the canyon one after another. The chubby kid blocked them all, while the female Archer behind him continuously fired arrows to finish them off.

One Ironback Rhino after another fell, occasionally dropping some coins and equipment, which the chubby kid quickly scooped into his inventory.

Suddenly, two bright lights rose from the two players – they had leveled up.

"Sis, I'm level six."

The chubby kid's face was full of joy. Without hesitation, he allocated all five stat points to Constitution, making it even easier to withstand the increasingly fierce Ironback Rhinos.

The Archer behind him also increased her firing speed significantly. The damage dealt jumped from -2 to -10, increasing their monster-slaying efficiency by several times.

Watching the siblings grind monsters, Xiao Wen couldn't help but recall his own first experience with the game, when his older sister brought him along.

Although their situation was far more desperate than this, the bond of sibling affection was just as strong.

At this moment, seeing the siblings diligently grinding monsters, he found himself reluctant to leave, wanting to see how far they could go.

He chugged health potion after health potion, and the chubby kid's health always remained above 90%. The number of fallen Ironback Rhino corpses in front of him grew larger and larger.

Moo!

Moo!

Moo!

Outside, the eyes of the Ironback Rhinos turned from blood-red to dark red. Low grunts emanated from their nostrils, and their eyes were all fixed on the narrow canyon path ahead.

Moo!

Both front hooves were raised in unison and slammed down, shaking the ground. Sand and stones tumbled down from the cliff face.

"Holy crap, Sis, are these dumb cows crazy? Stomping their feet outside, do they plan to shake these two mountains down?"

The chubby kid's peripheral vision caught the Ironback Rhinos' actions, and he scoffed.

"Worry about the monsters in front of you, and don't think about unnecessary things. If you let even one slip past me, I'll beat you into a pig's head!" the female Archer retorted.

The chubby kid nodded aggrievedly, channeling all his dissatisfaction into the Ironback Rhinos before him.

Xiao Wen, standing in the distance, saw this scene, his expression slightly changed, his eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of surprise.

"Interesting. These two little ones have stirred up trouble. How will they resolve this?"

Xiao Wen stroked his chin, speaking in an old-fashioned tone, completely forgetting that he was only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth.

With repeated stomping, the earth trembled. White light points appeared on the backs of the Ironback Rhinos, transforming into light rings that spread outwards, circle after circle, enveloping all the Ironback Rhinos in the area.

At the same time, an unusually powerful aura began to brew within them.

"This is bad! Yang Cheng, retreat quickly!" the female Archer's face changed, and she exclaimed.

"Clap clap clap!"

Xiao Wen watched the light clusters in the distance, clapping in celebration, his face filled with joy.

"Searching everywhere for something that was nowhere to be found, and then finding it effortlessly."

"A Lord-class BOSS, it's finally appeared!"