"call out!"

In the deep, dark cave, a sharp arrow leaped with pale orange flames and dark purple arcs.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, the fat body of the ogre, who was walking towards the cave, twitched violently, and the corpse of the gnoll, still bleeding, slid from his trembling arms and fell on the cold rock with a dull sound.

"Giggle cluck..."

The ogre, whose face was distorted by the pain, was gasping for breath, trying to breathe fresh air, but in exchange, scarlet blood was gushing out.

He struggled to stretch out his palm the size of a fan, trying to pull out the sharp arrow that pierced his throat.

Immediately afterwards, the ogre with the arrow feathers in both hands fell to the rocky ground together with the gnoll corpse that had slipped to the ground with a dull sound of 'thumping', and soon disappeared.

Seeing the sudden death of his companion, the half-orc with a hatchet roared in a low voice, and his scarlet eyes searched for the hunter hidden in the dark.

The two tauren directly lowered their bull-like heads, showing their sharp curved horns, and launched the most ferocious slam in the direction of the arrow.

At this moment, the shadow above the cave trembled slightly, and a dark shadow the size of an adult emerged.

In the accompaniment of low-pitched roars, the black shadow swiftly pounced, and instantly pressed the half-orc holding a hatchet under his claws, scratching and biting.

"Bang! Bang!"

With the loud 'boom', the two stalactite pillars in the cave were subdued under the tauren's hard horns, forcing another hidden hunter out of their figure.

The two tauren once again locked their eyes on this figure, lowered their cow-like heads, and prepared to launch a new round of charge.

Seeing this situation, Thorne rushed up quickly. He hit the first tauren from the side, and a long sword cut deeply into the tauren's tangled thigh, stopping his charge.

The Fulong beast, which had eliminated the orcs, followed closely, swooping on the back of the tauren, its sharp front claws firmly grasping the broad shoulders of the tauren, opening its strong upper and lower jaws, and biting towards the wailing tauren. go.

At the same time, Thorne twisted his body again, knelt down on one knee, and stabbed straight up with the long sword in his hand. The blade of the light orange fire easily tore the knee of the other tauren.

The tauren with a bruised knee snarled and squatted down, leaning over to Thorne, but the ranger's nimble body had already stood up and ducked easily, causing the tauren to slam on the rock.

Thorne took advantage of the moment when the tauren leaned over and slammed the rock, took a breath, clenched the hilt of the sword with both hands, and slashed towards the bull-like head of the tauren with all his strength.

The sharp blade slashed under Thorne's full force, and with unrivaled momentum, it slashed ruthlessly.

"Pfft!"

The tauren who just raised his head only felt a heat wave blowing in front of him, and then a burst of pain mixed with burning and tearing suddenly appeared in his head, his eyes turned black, and he fell into the arms of the king of tauren.

The moment the tauren died, Thorne immediately locked his gaze on the last tauren entangled with the dragon beast.

Looking at this horned monster with his hands behind his back, he tried his best to twist his tangled body, trying to throw away the dragon beast.

Thorne rushed in front of the tauren with the door wide open in an instant at an incredible speed.

"Pfft!"

I saw him wielding a long sword, and a horizontal slash slashed across the neck of the tauren. The roaring tauren fell on the ground without making a sound as the 'gugu' throat stirred.

The target is dead!

Extract the target's soul energy and gain 2500 experience points!

Through the perception of battle, you get 200 practice points!

…

"go!"

The ranger glanced at the animal companion, stepping on the tauren's body and quickly disappeared into the deep darkness.

…

In a very hidden small cave, Thorne slowly opened his eyes and immediately called up his attribute column:

EXP: 117300

Ranger: Level 8 (0117000)

"Finally, I have enough experience points to level up." Looking at the data that emerged, Thorne looked relieved and whispered to himself.

Then he glanced at the ranger magic that had just been restored, and knew that a new day had come, that is to say, it was the time agreed with the players of Rezim King City.

So get up and prepare to return to the lighthouse town.

Since the last time he made a deal with the priestess Rose named Evelyn in the bar, he revealed to him that in the early morning of the third day, he was waiting at the bar, and someone would lead him to the Royal City of Rezim.

Although it was already early morning, Thorne was not in a hurry at all, because with the vigilance of the other party, it was impossible to foolishly reveal the detailed raid time to him.

Even if he has arrived at the Royal City of Rezim now, it is very likely that the raid plan will be delayed again for a day or two or so.

Since the experience points are about to meet the upgrade requirements, he took advantage of these three days to wander around in the dark area to level up monsters.

However, since the last time he learned a lesson, he has been extra careful in his ambush in the past few days. As long as the hunt is successful, he will immediately escape without hesitation.

Even when encountering difficult subterranean monsters, he only chose to use long-range attacks to kill one by one. When the other party found his figure, he turned around and left, and he would never let himself fall into a chaotic hard fight.

And as long as you don't provoke drow elves and deal with other subterranean monsters, it is still easy for Thorne.

So, he focused his attention on the professional level of the ranger, and thought:

"Ding!"

Consume 117,000 experience points to upgrade the ranger level!

Ranger level raised to level 9!

Gain 6 skill points and increase health by 10 points.

Gain class feature: Reflex Dodge.

Gain the ability to cast three circles of magic (inactive).

1st ring magic position +1, 2nd ring magic position +1, 3rd ring magic position +1.

…

[Reflection evasion (professional specialty): During your long-term training and combat, conditioned reflex is almost an instinctive habit for you. When you encounter a sneak attack, an assassination, or a surprise attack, you won't appear panicked, because the neural reflexes you have trained are sufficient to deal with the sudden situation. And when receiving some range attacks and spell attacks, you can also rely on neural reflexes to avoid the core area of ​​the attack and reduce the damage you take. 】

The so-called "reflex avoidance" is actually easy to understand, because it belongs to a person's innate neural activity.

It's like when someone tries to stab your eyes with a needle, you will instinctively close your eyes when you find out. When you accidentally get an electric shock and feel pain, your hand will suddenly retract uncontrollably. An instinctive self-protection mechanism.

The principle of the "Reflection Dodge" feat is to greatly strengthen this function.

With Thorne's current ability, after possessing the "Reflective Dodge" feat, and then with the Steel Soul faction's countermeasure "Being Careful", as long as his mobility is not restricted, those directional spell attacks will be difficult to hit. he.

And the reason why he wanted to raise the level of the ranger as soon as possible was to obtain this very critical dodge feat in advance before the battle.

Then Thorne once again put all the 6 skill points on the "focus" skill.

In addition to being effective in combat, the "Concentration" skill can also help him quickly and calmly while meditating, so this skill will be his main attack skill in the future.

Then he glanced at the three-ring magic technique that had not yet been activated, and ignored it, because the three-ring magic technique could only be planned after returning to the surface.

…

Lighthouse Town.

The chaotic streets looked crowded, but they didn't prevent Thorne from navigating among buyers, merchants, and slaves.

The ranger, shrouded in a black cloak, walked in silence while casually surveying the pedestrians on the street.

Drow elves, subterranean gnomes, grey dwarves, orcs, and other races appeared in groups, and various shouts were mixed with the curses like gun battles in the distance, forming a rhythmic noise, which made him listen very well. is upset.

So he went straight over a drunken ogre and stepped up to the basement bar.

Pushing open the door of the bar, Thorne stepped into the bar with the clear and pleasant wind chimes.

However, he couldn't help frowning and glanced at the hanging wind chimes.

The Underdark is a deep, dark and suffocating and depressing world as if everyone is carrying thousands of kilograms of boulders, and the melodious wind chimes seem a bit out of place to him.

The bar is still as usual, the light is dim and soft enough to allow him with darkvision to see any corner.

"It would be great if there was a piece of sad and euphemistic music in the bar at this time." Thorne felt the tranquility around him that was out of tune with the outside world, and this idea suddenly appeared in his mind.

Immediately afterwards, he looked dazed for a moment, as if he had returned to the scene of Winter City entering Andrina's small bar for the first time.

At that time, he was also dressed like this, and he looked very inconspicuous. He walked silently in Andrina's small bar, enjoying the light music played by the harp in the hand of the elf minstrel, and casually walked to one of them. At the table of the bandit player.

Then he draws the sword, kills, retracts the sword, and turns to leave. His actions are not in the slightest.

When the beautiful sorceress next to the counter closed the book in his hand and noticed something unusual, he was left with only one back left. As for whether there was chaos after he left, he was not quite sure.

There were very few people in the bar at this time, except for the bar owner who turned into a smoker and the ogre dressed as a waiter, there were only two people in the neatly arranged wine table.

Surprisingly, the little girl Sigrid was not here.

Octopus Govecz was still sitting silently in the familiar position in the corner, with an extra-large wine glass full of wine placed on the table.

Because he threw a few gold coins to the other party when he was about to leave, the octopus brother's wine glass was no longer the cheapest ale, but light orange fire moss wine.

Fire moss is a light orange fungus that grows in warm geothermal areas. After being crushed or fermented, it can be made into a spicy sauce similar to chili sauce, and added to food to have a different flavor.

However, alcoholic grey dwarves use fire moss to ferment to create a high-strength, spicy spirit that is spicy and strong and best suited to the dwarves' taste.

Then Thorne turned his attention to another figure, which was a male drow. He was wearing a magical black cloak embellished with scarlet lace and a delicate black chain mail, with two identical scabbards hanging from his waist. long sword.

This drow elf looks very neatly sitting, with one arm resting on the table, swaying gently with a glass of apple juice in his arms, his eyes hidden in the cloak are quietly watching the glittering juice in the glass goblet. .

The other hand was square on the thigh, as if there was a slight change, a sharp sword with a cold light would be unsheathed in an instant.

When Thorne noticed another full glass of apple juice across from the drow, and the chair that had never been pulled out, he knew right away that he was waiting for him.

So he didn't hesitate any longer and walked over.

"You're a half-elf ranger from the surface, Thorne, aren't you."

When Thorne approached the table of the drow elf, the other party put down the wine glass in his hand, looked at him with deep eyes hidden in the hood, and stood up straight.

Thorne greeted the deep red eyes of the drow elf, his expression fluctuated, and he regained his calm again, nodded and said, "Yes, I am."

Through the eyes of the other party, Thorne judged that the true age of the drow elf is definitely not as simple as that of a young man, and the other party did not feel as deep and gloomy as that of Sharish. The tone of the drow elf spoke instead. With a bit of gentleness.

Being able to maintain this character in the Rezim Royal City is either faked or his original character.

But no matter which type the other party belongs to, they are indirectly proving to him that this player definitely has his own specialties.

"Let me introduce, I'm Kalok from Rizim King City, a drow wandering swordsman."

Carlock lifted the hood on his head, revealing messy white hair and a gentle smile on his face. He first patted the sword hilt hanging from his waist, and then reached out for Thorne to sit down.

"You feel weird to me." Thorne pulled out his chair and sat up, his tone calm.

"I feel the same as you, and you feel strange to me." The drow elf Kalok sat down and gestured to Thorne with a faint smile.

"I can see that you are a person with a good heart in your heart, so you really shouldn't come here, and the Royal City of Rezim will pollute your heart."

The two were silent for a moment, Carlock hesitated for a moment, and spoke first: "If you regret it now, it's too late. After all, the surface world is where we should be."

"We?" Thorne stared silently at the drow whose voice suddenly became low.

"I yearn for life in the surface world, but unfortunately I still have an unfulfilled wish." Carlock sighed and looked at Thorne: "This little brother, can you tell me why you want to participate in this rebellion?"

"Is it because of the reward?" Carlock said, and guessed again.

Thorne looked at each other calmly, did not speak, just shook his head slightly.

A drow player who yearned for life on the surface never left because his wish was unfulfilled, and then he persuaded him not to participate in this rebellion. Thorne felt that his brain circuit was a little confused.

"In other words, you have a reason you can't refuse, right?" Carlock put down the wine glass in his hand and asked patiently.

"That's right." Thorne looked at this strange drow elf and always felt that the other party seemed to have something to hide, and he always seemed to be hesitant to say anything.

"Forget it, everyone has their own choices, and it's impossible for me to impose what I don't like on others."

Carlock laughed, shook his head, reached out and patted a few times, and then straightened his messy hair with a deep self-mockery in his tone.

"Then can we go?" Thorne asked directly, seeing that the other party was no longer entangled in this matter.

"Don't worry, we still have plenty of time, so please forgive my willfulness, because I still want to enjoy a moment of peace here.

Otherwise, I am afraid that there will be no such opportunity in the future. ' Carlock raised his glass and toasted Thorne with a smile.

So the two fell silent again.

The drow elf Kalok seems to have a heavy heart, holding a glass of apple juice that can never be drunk, taking a sip from time to time, and sighing slightly, going back and forth...

Thorne leaned back in his chair and looked up at the roof, thinking about his future plans.

"I heard Sharis mention you. Your swordsmanship is very fast, and you can actually make him suffer twice in your hands." Suddenly, Karlock struggled inwardly and broke the silence again.

"It's just some opportunistic methods, nothing to show off." Thorne looked back and replied.

In a simple fight with another drow player, he was indeed suspected of cheating. The first blinding caught the opponent by surprise, and only then did he have a chance to succeed in the sneak attack.

The second "Blade Shell" perfectly defended against Sharish's sneak attack, making the movement in his hand pause for a moment, and he instantly seized the opportunity.

If this method were to be used against Sharish again, Thorne believed that the drow swordsman master would definitely be able to deal with it accurately.

"Then do you know the most essential difference between the strength of our players and the original residents?" Carlock squeezed the wine glass tightly, remained silent for a long time, and asked again.

"The strength of the original residents is based on their own efforts, and we have a lot of things that we rely on to upgrade. Although we have mastered these skills and expertise, we can't apply them easily. There is no time for precipitation, and in the case of equal strength It's hard to compete with the original residents."

Thorne didn't quite know why the other party suddenly asked such a question, but after thinking about it, he still said his thoughts.

In fact, there are many skills and expertise that he wants to master through his own efforts, but time does not allow it.

Just like the dual-weapon combat expertise in the ranger genre, in the world of the original inhabitants, if you want to fully master it, you need at least a year of continuous practice, and he can't waste all of his time here.

The only thing that can be done is to slowly grind in the battle after acquiring these abilities. With the precipitation of time, it will naturally merge into the soul.

This is like playing a competitive game. With the same equipment attributes, there is a significant difference between the heroes operated by professional players and those operated by passers-by.

In the case of the same strength, the original residents are professional players, and their players are more like passerby players, but passerby players still have a lot of room for improvement.

They are like manipulating bodies that do not belong to them at all. If they want to truly exert their maximum strength, they can only slowly practice and run in, and fully master them with the precipitation of time.

"Then do you know how big the gap is?" Carlock asked again.

"I don't know that very well." Thorne couldn't answer this question, because he had never met an indigenous inhabitant who matched his strength very well.

"You are a ranger, so your dual-weapon combat expertise has reached the proficient level, that's right." Carlock pondered for a while and guessed.

"That's right." Thorne gave him a strange look and nodded in response, because he didn't quite understand what the drow player meant.

"I think we can learn from each other, you will probably understand." Carlock stated his purpose.

"This is a bar." Although Thorne wanted to try it, what happened the other day made him not want to make trouble here on purpose.

"It doesn't take much trouble." Carlock smiled slightly, took out eight gold coins from his pocket, handed them to Thorne, and met his suspicious eyes: "Throw it all into the air, and then pick up four coins with each hand. ."

Thorne took the eight gold coins in his hands in confusion, then got up, and threw them into the air gently, watching the gold coins slip from the air, he immediately stretched out his hands and waved them in the air.

"Ding!"

After a slightly embarrassing operation, a gold coin fell to the ground, making a clanging sound.

"Does it feel very difficult?" Carlock picked up the gold coin on the ground, put it on the table, and said with a smile.

"It's really hard." Thorne put the gold coin in his hand back on the table and answered truthfully.

Picking up the same amount of gold coins with both hands is a skill that tests both skillful hands.

Carlock smiled slightly, took out four gold coins from his pocket again, then took all the remaining eight coins on the table, and looked at Thorne: "I am also a proficient dual-weapon combatant."

As soon as the words fell, Carlock immediately threw all the gold coins in his hand into the air, and then he turned around in place, waving his hands in the air like lightning, turning into blurred afterimages, and then he stopped motionless and moved The clenched hands spread out, each holding six gold coins.

"Have you practiced before?"

Thorne asked subconsciously. The reason why he asked this question was mainly because the other party's movement of receiving gold coins was too smooth, and it felt like he had practiced for many years.

"No, in the real world I practice the double sword technique, so after I master this body, I can master it more flexibly." Carlock looked at Thorne and replied, "This is the gap between the specialties. ."

"So, what do you want to express?" Thorne slowed down, staring calmly at the other's deep scarlet eyes.

"The real masters of swordsmanship, their hands are perfect, because every inch of the bones of their palms and the focus of the skin are very balanced, and they will play their due value along with the exquisite swordsmanship."

Carlock met Thorne's gaze, smiled, and shifted his attention to his palm: "Come on, while it's still early, I'll teach you a little swordsmanship."

After Carlock finished speaking, he glanced around, drank the apple juice in the glass goblet, and walked towards the door.

Thorne looked at the back of the drow, hesitated for a moment, and finally followed.

"Remember, children are innocent."

Just as Thorne was about to push the door and leave, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind, he was startled for a moment, turned to look at the smoke-filled figure next to the counter, and disappeared into the cozy bar.