Chapter 131: The Demon-Hunting Archer

Not long after I arrived at Fly Valley, Dr. Ye logged on. Having successfully changed his class to "Demon-Hunting Archer," he seemed to have returned to his former calm and intelligent "Guide" persona, his tone noticeably devoid of its previous agitation.

Dr. Ye told me he wasn't yet sure just how powerful the Demon-Hunting Archer class was. His original Tier 2 Archer skills remained, still in their base state; the only changes the new class had brought him were two innate talents:

Movement speed increased by 10%;
Light-based power released when attacking undead creatures, dealing an additional 20% damage.

Upon hearing the first attribute, my brain nearly short-circuited from shock. When I heard the second, even more insane attribute, I didn't hesitate. I unleashed a "Triple Bow Fusion," swiftly dispatched the poison-spewing flies, and shouted back, "Damn! A 10% speed advantage is already ridiculously strong, what more could you want? The second attribute is even more insane! From now on, you should just grind by killing undead monsters... Right, go to the Mysterious Mausoleum! You’ll definitely level up faster than me!"

"I’m well aware of the speed and anti-undead advantages, but the problem is I can't figure out the core strengths of the Demon-Hunting Archer class. Are you suggesting I shouldn't add any attribute points for the next few levels?"

Dr. Ye had clearly given this some thought, and he continued to explain: "Don't forget, even with a standard class, because your class compatibility reached 100%, the quest difficulty was much higher than average. Do you really think the advancement difficulty for a hidden class will be lower than yours?"

Hearing this, I suddenly understood Dr. Ye's dilemma. It was true; the advancement quests for hidden classes must be far more difficult than those for standard ones. Without adding attribute points or upgrading to better gear, passing the advancement test would be impossible. However, unlike standard classes, hidden classes cannot have their development paths set at will. Their skills are highly specialized and targeted; if one chooses the wrong path, a formidable class could easily end up significantly weakened.

Moreover, the Demon-Hunting Archer's innate attributes only reinforced this point. Between the speed talent and the anti-undead talent, who could say if he should follow a high-agility path or a magic-archer path? Who could say whether adding Spirit and Agility, or Wisdom and Strength, would better leverage the class's strengths?

At this point, Dr. Ye sighed. "Sigh, I miscalculated. I thought that once I finished the job change quest, everything after would be much easier. I never expected that the road would become even harder after the change! And I don't even know which path to take..."

Dr. Ye’s confusion, mingled with a sense of exploration, made me realize how terrifying scientific minds can be: they make even the simplest problems incredibly complex. It was a good thing the Demon-Hunting Archer class wasn't an electronic device, or he surely would have taken it apart to study its components.

"Why overthink it? Just grind for now. Once you hit level 29 and receive your advancement quest, you can decide how to allocate your points then."

"Hmm, that's one way to do it. Alright, keep grinding. I’m going to take a spin through the Mysterious Mausoleum! Oh, and be careful when you head back..."

***

"Greenfield Town hasn't been this lively in a long time. Heh, to think they actually mobilized over two hundred Tier 3 experts. Honestly, did you do something world-shaking again?"

His teasing tone made me pause. "What two hundred Tier 3 experts? Don't try to scare me. There were only three of us when I left town..."

"Three? Do you have any idea? There are nearly a hundred Tier 3 experts from the Dark Legion blocking the area near Ghost Lake alone! They’re guarding the entrance to Greenfield Town. There are over a hundred others scouring the world for you. Don't tell me they’re here to kill Ghost Frog Warriors to level up their skills..."

Dr. Ye’s words stunned me again. I frowned slightly, unable to believe it. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"What do you mean, it can't be? What exactly did you do to corrupt the social order? I remember last time you caused them to lose four people, and it wasn't even this big of a deal. Confess! Did you hit on the Dark Lord’s girl?"

Dr. Ye was actually cracking jokes at a time like this. I speechlessy wiped the sweat from my forehead—provoked by Dr. Ye—and told him everything that had happened. As soon as I finished, it was Dr. Ye’s turn to be speechless. After a long silence, he dropped one line: "You really lured them into a pile of Quicksand Beasts?"

After I silently acknowledged it, Dr. Ye let out a deep, helpless sigh. "You’re crazy... I’ve only been to that place twice, and I only gave you a little bit of information, but you actually lured people there... Were you so desperate for their gear? Ah!! I am completely speechless!"

"..."

"No wonder they hate you so much. You caused them to lose face once, and that was bad enough, though at least the Dragon Flame people outnumbered them back then, so it wasn't too humiliating. But this time? You, a Tier 2 newcomer, lured Tier 3 veterans into a monster nest and wiped them out. If I were the Dark Lord, I wouldn't be able to swallow this either!"

I broke into a cold sweat. "Is it really that serious? Such a massive mobilization..." I replied, feeling a bit depressed. I wasn't worried about my own safety; I was just mourning the cost of my Town Portal Scroll. If things were as Dr. Ye said, I might have to use one just to get back to town once I hit level 29. At 200 gold coins a pop, it was heart-wrenching to use.

"Two hundred people is actually on the low side. The area outside Greenfield Town is huge; two hundred isn't even enough... But since you'll be staying in Fly Valley for a while, you don't need to worry. They can't keep searching forever, and they’ll never find Fly Valley!" As Dr. Ye spoke, he began to console me, though I could hear the slight self-satisfaction in his tone—he was essentially praising himself.

***

I felt a chill. After ending the conversation with Dr. Ye, I focused entirely on luring the poison flies. As for the news of the Dark Legion’s mass mobilization, it didn't weigh on me at all. The experience from the flies was enough for me to reach the advancement threshold within half a day. During that time, they could search wherever they liked. Whether they were admiring the scenery of Greenfield Town or enjoying the desolation of the border desert, there was no way they could find the secluded Fly Valley, which was half an hour's journey away.

As things settled down, one poison fly after another turned into experience points under my arrows. Both "Triple Bow Fusion" and "Long-Range Shot" began to advance toward "Advanced" and "Top" levels (Top requires 3,000 proficiency). As time passed, the flies in Fly Valley continued to respawn...

Repeating the cycle of luring and killing, I pushed my experience toward level 29. When my arrows ran out, Dr. Ye made a special trip back to town to buy me a fresh supply. After the trade, he headed back to replenish his own supplies before returning to the Mysterious Mausoleum.

...

By 2:00 AM the next day, I finally received the system notification that I could no longer gain experience. By then, Dr. Ye had reached level 27. He was a natural bane to the undead, and with his innate damage talent, his leveling speed was terrifying. And that was only because we had cleared out more than half of the undead in the main hall; he was currently pacing the corridor between the exit and the hall, killing the sparse spirits, ghosts, and wraiths that respawned. If the hall’s inhabitants had fully respawned, his leveling speed would be even higher—after all, his basic attacks dealt more damage than my skills! Reaching level 29 would likely take him less than thirty-six hours.

No wonder he had been grinning so smugly and moving so fast when he brought me those arrows earlier.

I silently scoffed at him, then packed up, ready to leave Fly Valley to scout the situation outside. Although nearly ten hours had passed and most of the Dark Legion had withdrawn, there was no telling if they had left a few scouts behind.

Moreover, Dr. Ye had specifically warned me to be extremely careful when heading back to town. In this world, there was a class that could hide itself upon reaching Tier 3, making it nearly impossible for anyone but an Archer to detect them in the short term: The Thief.

Thieves, a class rarely seen in open combat, were also one of the classes with the most difficult advancement paths. If they deployed a Tier 3 Thief, I would have to rely on my own "Eagle Eye" ability to spot anything unusual in my surroundings, as I lacked the Tier 3 Archer’s "Detection" skill.

However, just as I stepped out of Fly Valley, heart full of caution, a flurry of urgent shouting and the roar of monsters suddenly erupted from the valley ahead.