Chapter 48: Advanced Mission, Ambush Encounter


    ?


    Gulped.


    The orc leader staring at the scattered premium third-tier equipment on the ground, unsure if it was due to greed or fear.


    "Next, it''s your turn!" John sneered, raising his staff.


    Thud!


    To John''s and the two women''s surprise, the orc leader fell to his knees.


    It was the first time John had encountered a boss begging for mercy.


    "Master, I am willing to hand over my treasures. Please spare my life," the orc leader begged, trembling and kowtowing repeatedly.


    John scoffed. Compared to the orc leader who attacked the elves, this one had no spine.


    But John''s interest was piqued, and he asked, "What treasures?"


    Seeing a glimmer of hope, the orc leader quickly replied, "It''s a treasure scroll I stole from my n. It is said to contain the treasures of the extinct Gates Empire."


    "Interesting!" John sneered, not bothering to waste time. Heunched his attack.


    In the world of Gods, items on monsters and Dark Humans are guaranteed to drop upon death.


    "Human, you are not keeping your word!" The orc leader panicked as he saw the iing magic, scrambling to his feet to flee.


    But he couldn''t outrun the magic.


    Boom! Boom!


    The spells hit their mark instantly, and the powerful magical energy obliterated his remaining health. He fell to the ground, unwilling and defeated.


    [Killed 100-level rare boss orc leader, you gain 1630 experience points]


    [You level up, Spirit +4, Strength +3, Agility +2, Free Attribute Points +8, Skill Points +2]


    [Plunder talent activated, Strength +50, Constitution +50, Physical Critical +1]


    The notifications shed, and John leveled up again, reaching level 58, getting closer to level 60.


    Unfortunately, this time the orc leader did not yield any special talents.


    John nced at the items dropped by the orc leader and found a scroll.


    [Treasure of the Gates Empire: Hero-level Secret Area; rumored to contain the treasures of the extinct Gates Empire; can be opened by level 60 and above third-tier professions]


    A hero-difficulty dungeon!


    John was thrilled.


    Thest time he and Sinipleted the normal difficulty Goblin Secret Area, they obtained two sets of premium first-tier equipment.


    The rewards for this hero-difficulty dungeon would surely be higher.


    But it required third-tier professionals to open, so they couldn''t enter it yet.


    John was already level 58, very close to the level 60 third-tier advancement.


    He checked the other items dropped by the orc leader.


    10 equipment enhancement stones, 10 embedded gems, and a giant axe, also of epic quality. [Mountain-splitting Axe: Epic, third-tier warrior, knight profession can equip; Physical Damage +100, Strength +80, Armor Pration +2]


    It even increased hidden attribute armor pration by 2 points!


    John was amazed. Two points of armor pration ignored 2% of the target''s physical resistance.


    Unfortunately, it was for warrior and knight professions.


    "John, why do you always get premium equipment when you kill regr monsters?" Sini asked in surprise, cradling a pile of premium gear she had gathered from the battlefield. "It''s due to my talent. Keep any of this gear you need, and I''ll take the rest," John replied. He nned to prioritize his allies for these premium items and then sell the rest to Ritchie and the Blues Family.


    In the world of Gods, gold had many uses in theter stages, so he wasn''t about to give away items for free.


    At best, they''d get a friends-and-family discount.


    The two women didn''t hold back, selecting gear that suited them best.


    Once they were equipped, the three of them continued deeper into the forest, hunting more monsters.


    They were still on the outskirts of the Eternal Forest, but the monsters were growing stronger.


    Enraged tree monsters at level 80, venomous tree monsters at level 85, iron-armored giant bears at level 90, and demonic giant apes at level 100.


    However, none of these creatures posed a threat to John, who dispatched them with ease.


    ...


    After two days, during which John took a day off to rest at Sini''s insistence.


    He finally reached level 60 and triggered the third-tier ss advancement quests.


    Sini and Tracy also leveled up past 50, reiming their spots on the leaderboard. John reviewed his advancement quests:


    [Wrath of the Gods Mage Third Advancement Quest: Kill two level 60+ epic bosses]


    [Demonic Assassin Third Advancement Quest: Kill two level 60+ epic bosses]


    Both quests required killing two epic bosses over level 60.


    This task wasn''t simple.


    The challenge wasn''t in defeating epic bosses but in finding them.


    John wasn''t confident he could handle level 100+ fourth-tier epic bosses yet.


    Hisst advancement had been a stroke of luck, involving the interruption-resistant Undead


    Mage.


    It seemed he would need to tackle that hidden quest.


    John remembered a hidden quest from his previous life that he was now strong enough to


    complete.


    "Tracy, do you still have a town portal scroll?" John asked, turning to Tracy.


    With Avis still in closed-door cultivation and the city too far away to walk, John preferred not


    to trek back on foot.


    "I do," Tracy replied, handing out three town portal scrolls to John and Sini.


    "Let''s head back to the city. I need to do my advancement quest." With that, John crushed his


    town portal scroll.


    The three of them vanished in a sh of light and reappeared at the Jade City teleportation


    point.


    The ce was bustling with yersing and going.


    John''s sudden appearance caused quite a stir.


    "Godyer!"


    "Yeah, that''s him."


    "Finally, we''ve got him."


    ...


    A crowd of over a thousand yers quickly surrounded John and the two women. John looked at the leader, a ck man dressed as an assassin, and a smile formed on his lips. "The second on the leaderboard, Dark Angel!"


    "Oh?" The ck assassin was surprised and studied John suspiciously. "You know me?"


    John didn''t respond, his cold gaze scanning the crowd. He recognized many as top-ranked


    yers.


    Smirking, he said, "Looks like you''ve been hired by the Mike White Family to assassinate


    me."


    He hadn''t expected these yers to fail in finding him in the real world and instead attempt


    to target him in the world of Gods.


    Dark Angel shrugged. "Godyer, I bear you no personal grudge, but you''ve crossed someone


    you shouldn''t have. Attack!"


    He pulled out a charm and crushed it.


    A strange energy surrounded John, freezing his magic.


    An anti-magic charm!


    John was surprised at how far the Mike White Family had gone to deal with him.


    The charm had the same effect as Mana-Suppressing Potion, temporarily sealing his magic, a


    bane for any mage.


    But the charm was much rarer and more expensive, one can cost ten thousand gold coin.


    In the real world, it''s a billion dor.


    "Quick, his magic is sealed. Kill him!" Dark Angel ordered coldly, stepping back.


    Arrows and spells flew towards John.


    -1


    -1


    -1


    ...


    The damage numbers shed pathetically, unable to breach John''s defense.


    He remained unscathed, but the women beside him were vulnerable.


    Sini was hit by a barrage of arrows and spells, turning into a sh of white light and


    disappearing.


    Tracy, being a priest, had higher health and defense and managed to survive the first wave of


    attacks by hiding behind John.


    "Sini!" John shouted, furious as Sini vanished. He grabbed Tracy and threw her out of harm''s


    way.


    "You are unforgivable!" John''s voice was ice cold, his killing intent palpable as he wielded his staff and charged into the crowd.


    He deliberately withheld his assassin abilities.


    Dark Angel sneered. Initially, he was concerned seeing John only taking one point of damage


    per attack.


    But a mage rushing into closebat? That was a death sentence!


    With a cold smile, Dark Angel brandished his twin daggers and blinked behind John, aiming


    for a lethal strike.


    "Die!" he roared, his face twisted with triumph. He was confident that this strike would end


    Godyer.


    What top-ranked yer? He was the real number one.


    "Foolish," John muttered disdainfully. As if he had eyes on the back of his head, he


    effortlessly dodged Dark Angel''s critical hit and swung his staff hard.


    BAM!


    -6455


    A terrifying damage number floated up.


    Dark Angel froze, his less-than-3000 health instantly depleted, and he vanished in a sh of


    white light.


    This guy is a mage?


    It''s hisst thought before respawning was full of confusion


    John moved fluidly, showcasing his exceptionalbat skills as he tore through the crowd


    with reckless abandon.


    "Help!"


    "This guy''s a demon! He can''t be killed and his damage is insane!"


    "Report him! Damn it, I''m reporting Godyer for health lock and invincibility hacks!"


    "Screw the Mike White Family for setting us up."


    "Godyer, I was wrong, please don''t kill me..." Cries for help, curses, and pleas for mercy echoed around him.


    Over a thousand yers couldn''tst even two minutes, ughtered by John.


    But John didn''t n to let them off that easily. In a sh, he reached the respawn point.


    The yers he had just killed were respawning, their faces nk with disbelief, still unable toprehend how a mage could inflict such monstrous physical damage.


    "Everyone not involved, get out of here!" John roared. Swinging his staff, he cast Rain of Fire,


    and mes rained down.


    "Oh no!" Dark Angel saw Johning and felt the danger, but it was toote to escape.


    The firestorm engulfed the respawn point in a radius of nearly a hundred meters.


    The freshly respawned yers screamed and were killed again instantly.


    The respawn point continued to sh as yers respawned only to be caught in the magic


    once more.


    "Godyer, I know I was wrong, please let me go..." Dark Angel was terrified, desperately begging for mercy.


    He had painstakingly leveled up to 50, but after being killed by John, he was down to a mere


    level 30 second-tier.


    John showed no sign of relenting, determined to kill them back to the newbie vige.


    "Stop! Who dares to cause trouble in Jade City?" A shout rang out as a squad of Jade City''s elite cavalry charged toward John.