Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Superb Hand Crossbow

Dawn Dew and Light Frost joined the group, and Huang Yunshuo was taken aback—she hadn't chosen to conceal her information.

Class: Frost Archer

"A hidden class?"

Huang Yunshuo asked in surprise. Not only was this Dawn Dew and Light Frost a hidden class, but the name of her class was astonishingly similar to his own. She was a Frost Archer, and he was an Ice Eagle—clearly, both followed the path of ice.

"Intelligence and agility growth. I can't level up in the novice village," Dawn Dew and Light Frost nodded slightly. Huang Yunshuo thought, so that's how it is. Without strength growth, that's truly tragic, and there's no way the novice village would give you a bow.

The iron sword was dropped by the advanced rooster, which was already difficult—and now it doesn't even drop equipment anymore. How frustrating.

Huang Yunshuo moved swiftly; in less than five minutes, he had already slashed the rooster, Cock-a-doodle-do, with his sword.

With his iron shield blocking the sharp, vicious beak, Huang Yunshuo stood his ground and traded blows with Cock-a-doodle-do.

First strike, combo, and agility bonuses—though Cock-a-doodle-do still dealt him 16 damage each time, it collapsed first, and Huang Yunshuo hadn't even used a single spray.

Clatter.

A large pile of copper coins spilled onto the ground, along with a hand crossbow.

"Equipment drop!"

Huang Yunshuo was overjoyed. He had just been complaining about the rooster not dropping equipment, and now it happened again.

Worn-out hand crossbow, level 10.

Requirement: universal ranged.

Attack: 4–5

Unique passive: recovers 1 crossbow bolt every 5 seconds.

"This is a gem."

Huang Yunshuo was stunned—the hand crossbow's attack didn't match his iron sword, but in all other aspects, it was superior. Not only could he roam and shoot from a distance, but it regenerated 12 bolts per minute. It was almost absurd.

"Will you sell it to me?" Dawn Dew and Light Frost asked. Though she hadn't seen the crossbow's stats, she noted Huang Yunshuo's astonished expression.

As a ranged weapon, the crossbow was precisely what she needed—and if its stats were good, she would be making a fortune. As for how many credit points it cost, she didn't care.

"Sell it?" Huang Yunshuo hesitated for a moment.

This hand crossbow would definitely rank on the equipment leaderboard. If the blacksmith shop sold it, just for that last stat, it would cost at least six hundred copper coins—equivalent to 120,000 credit points. And copper coins were scarce...

But then he thought, it's just over a hundred thousand, and Dawn Dew and Light Frost had already spent 550,000 credit points to hire him for the full set; he shouldn't haggle over this little benefit.

"I'll give it to you," Huang Yunshuo said, closing his eyes and painfully dropping the hand crossbow to the ground.

Dawn Dew and Light Frost bent to pick it up, her waterfall-like dark hair cascading down, her delicate features hidden beneath the thick strands growing more alluring.

From Huang Yunshuo's vantage, the loose chestplate strained under gravity, barely containing her full curves—he nearly had a nosebleed.

"Thank you, then! Let's add each other as friends!" Dawn Dew and Light Frost picked up the hand crossbow, turning it over in her hands with obvious delight and a faint smile.

Even if this guy asked for money, she wouldn't hesitate to pay—anything under a million credit points was fine. But saving money was always better, and Dawn Dew and Light Frost had no intention of being fleeced.

"For a million-credit-point service, quality must be guaranteed," Huang Yunshuo replied with a carefree laugh. Meeting such a beautiful girl was worth it; he wouldn't fuss.

"You can't add me," Dawn Dew and Light Frost said. Does it require a hundred million credit points to add?

Huang Yunshuo tried to add Dawn Dew and Light Frost to his friend list, preparing to leave.

"Wait, can we handle disaster difficulty?" Dawn Dew and Light Frost asked.

Huang Yunshuo shook his head: "I doubt it. My guess is that in disaster difficulty, the chicklings’ stats are double those of level-one monsters outside, and they all trigger group aggro. The rooster projection probably has 500 HP. If your hidden class has slowing abilities, maybe we can try. Otherwise, I can't do it, and your damage isn't enough."

Since Dawn Dew and Light Frost grew with high agility, she could help him kite. Now that she was level 7 and wielding the hand crossbow, her attack should be over ten points, but it still wasn't enough.

"My class passive: normal attacks inflict a 5% slow for 5 seconds, stacking up to six times."

Dawn Dew and Light Frost responded instantly.

"Damn," Huang Yunshuo's vision darkened—this was brutal. As a ranged class, shooting a target from afar to stack a 30% slow—couldn't you just kite anything to death?

It seemed Frost Archer was a ferocious and unreasonable hidden class, though still not quite as overpowered as his flying abilities.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's try it!" Huang Yunshuo said excitedly.

Disaster-level difficulty—the redemption PvE dungeon of the novice village.

At the dungeon’s safe zone, Huang Yunshuo didn’t rush out, instead questioning Dawn Dew and Light Frost, now level 7, about her stats.

"Attack 15–17, defense 6, 100 HP, but I don't have any healing sprays," Dawn Dew and Light Frost said slowly.

"That's pretty good attack." Huang Yunshuo nodded, judging that her hidden class must have five free attribute points per level, all allocated to strength. With over thirty points in agility bonuses, she achieved these stats.

Eight chicklings, some lying down and some standing, looked utterly relaxed. Their tiny, fluffy bodies seemed so harmless, making one want to cradle them in the palm of their hand.

Yet these chicklings crowded together were actually little fiends—if Huang Yunshuo rushed in unprepared, he'd be wiped out in seconds.

"I'll buy some sprays at the ranged shop. Watch your HP, and help me out if I need it," Huang Yunshuo told Dawn Dew and Light Frost.

Dawn Dew and Light Frost nodded, "Sorry to trouble you."

Items at the ranged shop cost double. One small healing spray for 50 HP cost twenty copper coins.

Huang Yunshuo bought ten small sprays in one go, spending 200 copper coins—the savings he'd painstakingly kept, now completely gone.

After trading five sprays to Dawn Dew and Light Frost, Huang Yunshuo took a deep breath.

Dawn Dew and Light Frost stood at the vantage point in the valley, aiming her hand crossbow at a chickling and pulling the trigger.

-11!

The chickling hit by the bolt tumbled to the ground, immediately shrouded in a white haze—clearly slowed.

The other seven chicklings jumped up, fiercely charging toward Dawn Dew and Light Frost.

Huang Yunshuo looped behind the chickling group, suddenly rushing in and attacking one that had turned to face him.

-25! -10!

-23!

-16!

Huang Yunshuo’s first strike and combo dealt a total of 58 damage to the chickling, while he took 16 himself.

As expected, disaster-level chicklings had 100 HP, 5 defense, and 40 attack—utterly savage.

But the saving grace was their defense hadn’t doubled to ten; otherwise, unless they had a massive supply of healing sprays, Huang Yunshuo would have told Dawn Dew and Light Frost to retreat from the dungeon.