Chapter 8

Talented Brother cast a Magic Missile at the little warrior who had cheered for Alpha, and the 1st-level spell, which consisted of multiple missiles, hit the little warrior solidly, dealing -57, -53, and -55 damage.

Warriors usually start with 20 points in Constitution, which translates to 10 HP per point, and they receive the highest HP bonus per level among all classes—half of their base Constitution score. With a total HP of around 300, this single Magic Missile almost took away half of the little warrior's life.

The little warrior looked indignant but didn't dare to say anything more, as the gap in strength was too great.

Though there's no substantial penalty for a beginner's death, no one wants to spend half an hour in the Resurrection Temple.

"Shut up, you bunch of noobs. What's the hurry to lick this guy's ass?" Talented Brother's mouth was incredibly foul, and his words were harsh. Alpha frowned slightly.

"There's no need to be like that," Alpha said.

"I need to teach you guys who don't know the rules and those with foul mouths a lesson. This is necessary."

Talented Brother put away his hand crossbow and shook his oak staff, a 10th-level staff that could cast a 3-missile Magic Missile. Alpha had seen some of the spell effects of mages before; Magic Missile gains an additional missile per level, and a 3-missile Magic Missile is learned at level 16, a 4-missile at level 19.

This meant the guy was likely a mage between levels 16 and 19. The fact that Talented Brother could solo farm corpses also suggested he was around this level.

It seemed there were enough reasons for a fight, but Alpha rationally assessed the current situation:

Although his initial attributes were ridiculously high, he was still a "waste mage." Relying solely on high HP and speed, Alpha couldn't defeat a mage above level 16.

Especially since his HP was even less than the little warrior who had been hit by a Magic Missile.

Though both had 20 points in Constitution, mages only gain 1/4 of their Constitution score as HP per level. At level 10, Alpha had only gained 245 HP, meaning Talented Brother could kill him with two Magic Missiles, not to mention the more powerful 1st-level spell, Mage Hand.

—Alpha didn't want to fight a losing battle and then spend half an hour in the Resurrection Temple. That wasn't bravery; it was stupidity.

As for asking Lancelot for help? Alpha wasn't the type to run to his mother when bullied. It was just a minor issue, no need to trouble Lancelot.

"Alright, sorry, Talented Brother."

Alpha smiled and shrugged, apologizing as Talented Brother demanded. He decided to let it go for now, after all, he was still a waste mage, and Talented Brother wouldn't be willing to engage in close combat.

But it seemed the matter wasn't that simple.

"Too late. Your guy's mouth was too foul. What are you going to do about it, Alpha? You're the waste mage from Northshire, right?"

Alpha's tolerance made Talented Brother even more arrogant. The little warrior's "Alpha, go for it" further reminded Talented Brother of Alpha, the joke of Northshire, making Alpha's apology meaningless. Talented Brother clearly felt he couldn't leave without getting something.

"What do you want then?"

"Bring a few people, some money, and hand over that hand crossbow."

Talented Brother pointed at Alpha's Pale Hand Crossbow. Its slightly longer and more refined shape, along with the unique glow of high-quality equipment, made it clear to Talented Brother that this was a good piece.

"Ha, no need for that."

"Spending an hour in the Resurrection Temple is enough. Don't be ungrateful. Do you want me to kill you and loot you first?"

Talented Brother's words became harsher, and Alpha felt a headache. People in online games were diverse, but Alpha couldn't understand how someone like this existed. What was going through Talented Brother's mind? A little provocation was one thing, but extortion was another.

"Alright, just this hand crossbow?"

Alpha smiled and unhooked the Pale Hand Crossbow from his waist. Talented Brother's eyes lit up, and Alpha made a gesture to hand it over. Talented Brother eagerly moved forward.

Just as he was about to take it, Alpha suddenly raised his hand, aiming the Pale Hand Crossbow at Talented Brother's forehead, and pulled the trigger. "Puff," a bolt shot out.

At such close range, Talented Brother had no time to react. The bolt pierced his forehead, and a golden damage number appeared, indicating a critical hit.

Forehead, a medium critical point, 4x damage!!!

However, as the bolt hit, a faint glow passed over Talented Brother. Alpha sighed; it was the 1st-level spell Mage Armor, which increased a mage's physical defense, providing excellent protection against physical damage.

A fully-fledged mage was far superior to a waste mage like himself. For example, when hit, they had Mage Armor, while he could only tough it out.

With Mage Armor, Alpha's critical hit only dealt 33 damage, which wasn't much for a 16+ level mage with over 130 HP.

Without the ability to cast spells, this basic physical damage was hard to deal significant damage without skills. The surprise attack had caught Talented Brother off guard, but it would be much harder to hit a critical point again.

"Damn it!!!"

Talented Brother cursed and raised his hand to cast a spell. The milky white light on his hand indicated another Magic Missile.

Alpha wouldn't wait for the three missiles to take away half his life. In fact, the moment the bolt hit Talented Brother, Alpha had already charged at him. For a spellcaster, using position to make his spells miss was the best tactic Alpha could think of.

Sure enough, as Alpha passed by Talented Brother, the Magic Missile lost its target and vanished.

At the same time, Alpha drew his longsword and stabbed Talented Brother's abdomen.

-4!!!

Though the damage was limited by Mage Armor, it was enough to make Talented Brother flinch in pain.

Alpha rushed behind Talented Brother. The two newbies who had come to help him farm corpses also joined in. Though their combat ability was limited, they still provided some support. The other newbies watching felt disgusted by Talented Brother's actions.

—A 10+ level mage dealing with a 10-level waste mage needed help?

However, Alpha clearly didn't care about these two newbies. In fact, he hoped they would join in, especially when Talented Brother, clutching his abdomen, recast Magic Missile.

Alpha turned and moved behind the newbie rogue who was about to stab him. His 20 points in Dexterity gave him incredible speed.

He then grabbed the newbie rogue's neck from behind with his right hand, which had been holding the hand crossbow.

Not only did the newbie rogue suffer from being grabbed from behind, but Alpha's 14 points in Strength were also not inferior, giving him the upper hand in the struggle and allowing him to firmly hold the newbie rogue.

At the same time, Alpha waved his left hand, and Mage Hand grabbed the throat of the other rogue.

With 14 points in Strength, Alpha's Mage Hand was stronger than many warriors. The rogue, who wasn't specialized in strength, couldn't resist, though Mage Hand couldn't cause any damage, it allowed Alpha to drag the rogue in front of him.

Alpha, the two newbies, and the three of them stood in a line.

At this moment, Talented Brother's Magic Missile was cast. Alpha's actions were too fast and strange, and Talented Brother didn't understand what was happening, let alone react. He didn't realize that his Magic Missile was heading straight for the three of them in a line.

The first to be hit was the newbie rogue whose throat was grabbed by Mage Hand.

-55!!! -56!!!

A newbie rogue wouldn't choose an extreme Constitution build, so his HP couldn't withstand the total 111 damage from the spell, and he collapsed as a corpse.

However, the nightmare for the two newbies wasn't over. There was still one being held by Alpha's arm.

The second newbie rogue was hit by the third missile. Normally, one missile wouldn't kill a newbie rogue, but bad luck struck, and the missile triggered a critical hit.

—Who knew how low the critical hit chance was for a 10+ level mage?

Perhaps because Talented Brother had a foul mouth, or perhaps because Alpha had incredible luck, the 109 damage from the spell killed the second rogue.

Now, both of Talented Brother's main targets were in the Resurrection Temple, facing a half-hour game vacuum. Talented Brother might consider suicide to keep them company, at least enough to play a game of Landlord.

Now, only Talented Brother was left...

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