Chapter 35 : Your Exact Class
Wilhelm''s suggestion to go grinding resonated with Noah. It was a practical approach to bridge the gap between their current levels and those of more seasoned players after all. And with a casual nod from Noah, the two of them proceeded to set out in order to find a suitable grinding spot in the near area.
…
As they traversed the expansive landscape, they looked at their in-game maps and navigational tools to pinpoint the ideal location for grinding. In their previous brief discussion, they settled on a place known as the "Twilight Gorge," a canyon shrouded in mist and teeming with quite strong monsters.
The canyon was bathed in a perpetual twilight, casting long shadows over rock formations and meandering streams. Luminous light added an otherworldly glow to the surroundings.
But the breathtaking scenery was not the reason they had come here. The Twilight Gorge was known for its mobs, each offering generous experience points for players who could defeat them. It was a place where adventurers came to test their skills, earn valuable loot, and, of course, level up.
“Here we go…” Wilhelm spoke while looking at the surroundings.
Packs of shadowy wolves with gleaming eyes stalked the party, while massive stone golems patrolled the narrow pathways. Noah and Wilhelm could easily tell that they had come toward their destination.
...
[Shadowfang Wolf]
Level: 42
HP: 12,500/12,500
[Stone Golem Guardian]
Level: 45
HP: 14,000/14,000
[Duskwing Bat]
Level: 40
HP: 11,800/11,800
[Twilight Elemental]
Level: 48
HP: 15,000/15,000
[Obsidian Crawler]
Level: 43
HP: 13,200/13,200
...
Wilhelm, as a seasoned player that he himself acknowledged off, took the lead. Noah naturally let Wilhelm do that because as far as Wilhelm knew, Noah was still a pretty new player. So naturally, as someone who supposedly had more knowledge, he led the grind.
“Attack the monsters that I’ve marked…” Wilhelm said while enchanting a spell.
He had looked at the information of the creatures that inhabited the Twilight Gorge, and he knew which mobs would provide the most experience points without posing an insurmountable threat for Noah. With a thoughtful plan, he guided Noah through their battles.
“Alright.” Noah''s grip tightened around his trusty halberd, one of the weapons he had grown fond of in his adventures thus far. With its razor-sharp blade and sturdy shaft, it was the perfect choice for a relatively close-ranged fighter like himself.
Wilhelm, on the other hand, stood beside him, seemingly ready to unleash the devastating power toward the monsters.
“Gggrrrrrr…”
A pack of Shadowfang Wolves. These level 42 beasts, with their matted fur and gleaming red eyes, were the perfect subjects for their hunt.
"Brother Demerit, remember you''re the frontline here. Get their attention, and I''ll follow up with some powerful AoE spells. You being the frontline, so that you can be normalized as a close ranged fighter even though I can act as the tank too cause my level is high enough.”
“But to make it more efficient and effective for our roles, I will be on the back to deal AoE as I conveyed before. Just use this chance too to also train in fighting " Wilhelm spoke in a low voice.
Noah nodded and stepped forward, raising his halberd high. The Shadowfang Wolves, sensing a threat, lunged at him with bared fangs.
Kraanngg…
Noah expertly parried their attacks.
Wilhelm watched as Noah deftly maneuvered, drawing the attention of the wolves. With a quick incantation, he summoned a fiery rain of fire balls that crashed down upon their foes. The wolves yelped and whimpered as the flames consumed them, their HP bars rapidly decreasing.
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"These spells have area-of-effect damage. Use your agility to keep the enemies grouped together, and I can take care of the rest."
Noah nodded, understanding the part between their roles. He continued to dance through the battle, luring the wolves closer together while dodging their lunges. Wilhelm, with a flourish of his staff, cast another spell, creating a whirlwind of energy that froze the remaining wolves in place.
Ssshhhhh…
The corpses of the Shadowfang Wolves lay scattered on the rocky ground and turned into light particles soon after. Their grind proved to be quite effective when they saw that Noah’s exp bar spiked noticeably.
“Let’s move on…” Wilhelm said and started to walk fast.
They ventured deeper into the gorge and soon encountered Stone Golem Guardians, towering at level 45, blocking their path. These massive constructs were heavily armored and boasted an impressive HP pool of 14,000 each.
Wilhelm''s eyes glinted as he sized up the monster. "We''ll need to coordinate our attacks carefully for these. They''re slow but pack a punch. I''ll use my spells to weaken their armor, and you go for the joints."
Noah nodded, his halberd at the ready.
Dasshh
He charged at the nearest Stone Golem Guardian, targeting its knee joint with impactful strikes. Wilhelm''s spell impacted toward the monster, creating hairline fractures in the golem''s stony exterior.
Kraacckk
With a well-placed strike, Noah shattered the weakened joint, causing the guardian to topple to the ground as its HP rapidly depleting. Wilhelm finished them off quickly and moved on to the next one, repeating the process. Their synchronization was impeccable for a relatively new party, and the Stone Golem Guardians fell one by one.
As they continued their grind, Noah seemed to be absorbing Wilhelm''s guidance like a sponge. Wilhelm taught how to engage Duskwing Bats in mid-flight, using his halberd to disrupt their erratic flight patterns. He capitalized the art of dodging the energy projectiles unleashed by Twilight Elementals and retaliating when they were vulnerable.
The Obsidian Crawlers, level 43 monstrosities with a penchant for ambushing, proved to be another well obstruction. Wilhelm taught Noah the importance of situational awareness, and together they devised tactics to counter the crawlers'' surprise attacks.
Wilhelm could feel the growth not only in Noah’s character experiences, but even in his understanding of combat tactics as a team.
...
As the hours passed, the experience points began to accumulate, and Noah''s experience bar steadily increased. The feeling of growth was exhilarating, and Noah could feel his character becoming more capable with each battle. It was a stark contrast to the earlier days of his journey when every encounter had been a struggle met with a stuck experience.
“Bout the dang time, haha…” Noah laughed a bit loud.
Wilhelm smiled while looking at how Noah became excited like this. He too was like that back then, fighting the strong looking monsters for the first time and became excited in facing them . Especially when they were being carried by a high ranking player and swept through the mobs just like this…
“Don’t forget to look over your stamina and mana,” Wilhelm spoke while unleashing a buff speel over Noah.
He offered guidance and advice along the way, in order to help Noah fine-tune his combat techniques and adapt to the mobs of the Twilight Gorge.
At least that was what he intended to do at the first battles. Because the more they fought, the more Wilhelm came to realize that Noah was very capable of himself.
Wilhelm observed Noah''s combat prowess with a mix of surprise and admiration. It was clear that Noah possessed a level of skill and capability that exceeded his apparent level. As a level 30 player, Noah shouldn''t have been able to deal such high damage or display such agility in battle. Yet, he moved through their encounters with finesse, leaving Wilhelm in awe.
In the world of New World, damage dealt in combat was influenced by several factors. Among them were damage amplifiers, and one of the most popular amplifiers was the critical hit. Critical hits could significantly increase the damage of an attack, turning an otherwise ordinary strike into a devastating blow.
These critical hits could occur for various reasons, including critical hit amplification from rare items or weapons, or the ability to target vital points on an opponent especially with powerful attacks. And Wilhelm had a hunch that Noah''s prowess was linked to the third type, hitting vital points with power and precision. Simply because Noah''s level was still too low, hence he should not have any impressive items.
“There are also luck factors as I’ve heard, but a level 30 player with luck attributes? Who am I kidding?” Wilhem laughed at that notion.
While luck attributes and items seemed to play a role, he knew that getting them luck attributes was as hard as scaling the earth. Meanwhile, even though the second factor required a high level of skill and precision, it was also the easiest path on the surface. It involved knowing an enemy''s weaknesses, understanding their movements, and striking with pinpoint accuracy plus timing.
Everybody had the chance to do this, but not everyone could achieve this. A talented player, one could say.
"Dang... As expected of my boss, I guess." Wilhelm muttered under his breath.
...
Between battles, they took moments to reevaluate their moves. Practices make perfect after all, so it would be better for them to reassess their combos and timings.
And when the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing the gorge in deeper shades of twilight, Noah and Wilhelm decided to call it a day. Their packs were filled with loot from fallen mobs, and Noah''s character had made substantial progress in leveling up. He was now a level 31. And that was already amazing in itself. After all, gaining a level in this game was not easy.
He could only achieve it because there was Wilhelm who essentially carried him in this grinding. His damage as a High Sorcerer with a level 103 could be imagined easily.
As they finished up, they then returned to a safe spot near the gorge''s entrance, where they could log out or discuss their next steps.
"Right, I haven''t gotten the chance to check your class. What is your exact class? Warrior?" Wilhelm asked calmly.