Level 9

Chen Zixuan had already prepared to flee in panic, even planning his escape route through the window.

This couldn’t be blamed on him being timid—after all, the Sawtooth Crocodile in the morning had left him with a psychological shadow.

Yet what Chen Zixuan didn’t expect was that Austin, this level 20 mini-boss, was surprisingly weak.

At the same level, he wasn’t even as strong as the Witch of the Swamp whom Chen Zixuan had killed not long ago.

Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, the strength of humans was ultimately limited, and they could never be on the same level as monsters of the same grade.

But Chen Zixuan was keenly aware that in a one-on-one duel, austin might not be very impressive.

What was truly troublesome about him was actually his group of underlings.

They were level 12, each with nearly 100 attack power.

If Chen Zixuan was caught and pinned down by Austin, then surrounded and attacked by a dozen of them, even ordinary players above level 20 might easily fall right then and there.

Not to mention Chen Zixuan, who was only level 8 at the moment.

Everything he did was high-risk, high-reward; even at level six or seven, he had gone solo against all kinds of monsters at level ten and twenty, relying entirely on his high damage output and agility.

In a sense, from the start of the game until now, Chen Zixuan had always been dancing on the edge of a knife—it was not much different from courting death on purpose.

Within these few seconds, the Hammer Gang members’ eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness of the room.

An enemy standing by the window immediately raised his hammer and smashed open the tightly shut window; light from the street poured in at once.

“An assassin from the Scythe Gang, you’re here for that batch of goods, aren’t you?”

Austin slapped the bloody wound on his chest, his expression twisted as he questioned Chen Zixuan.

The dull-yellow streetlight shone through the broken window, casting a diagonal beam onto the girl, turning her silky silver hair into a golden brilliance.

A petite yet high nose bridge, thin cherry lips, and icy blue eyes as cold as frost… Facing Austin’s interrogation, the girl kept her exquisite and charming face blank, saying nothing at all.

What’s the point of wasting words on an NPC?

Especially one who was about to die.

How do villains usually die, again?

Since he was currently on the [Black Eats Black] quest, Chen Zixuan had already immersed himself in the villain’s role.

As everyone knows—villains can’t be talkative.

Seeing the silver-haired girl’s silence, austin was so furious that he nearly passed out, angrily pointing at Chen Zixuan and roaring to everyone in the room, “You lot! Smash her into mince and throw her into the sewer to feed the rats!”

Upon hearing their boss’s order, the Hammer Gang elites began twirling their hammers menacingly and surrounded the girl.

“They’re not attacking all at once? What a laughable attempt at a gauntlet.”

Seeing this, Chen Zixuan felt a glimmer of joy inside.

If Austin had attacked together with his underlings, Chen Zixuan would really have no other options—he’d have to use [Shadow Assault] to instantly relocate and turn invisible, then escape through the open window.

And secretly pray that, after landing, he wouldn’t break his leg like some osteoporosis-ridden demon hunter.

After all, the character he was playing was an exceptionally beautiful girl—if he broke a leg and had to hobble around on crutches, it would really ruin the image.

However, what Chen Zixuan didn’t expect was that Austin actually let his subordinates attack first, while he stood back and observed from the safest spot at the rear.

Level 8 against level 12 looked like Chen Zixuan would certainly lose, but his current stats and skills had reached nearly level 15. While he couldn’t defeat the level 15 Sawtooth Crocodile, dealing with these minor thugs was still a breeze.

Reapplying the [Wound Tear] buff to himself, the girl let out a cold laugh as her dagger danced like a dragon between her palms and fingertips. She pressed herself against the wall and launched an assault against the two nearest enemies.

With a sharp metallic clang, a Hammer Gang elite staggered back, blood streaming from the hand gripping his hammer, while the girl, having traded blows at close quarters, bent swiftly to dodge a hammer swing from the side, immediately repositioning herself with her back to the wall.

In a battle of one versus many, the biggest taboo was exposing your back to an enemy—especially in such a tight space. A moment’s carelessness could lead to being surrounded and beaten.

Chen Zixuan figured that this was likely the most difficult part of the quest.

Still, it wasn’t without its solutions.

Chen Zixuan cautiously hugged the wall, finding a dead zone in the enemy formation so that he only had to face two foes at once, while the others, afraid of friendly fire, dared not approach.

After all, these were just NPCs in the game. Although they looked human, their intelligence clearly wasn’t enough to counter the cunning of an outlander player.

After a short standoff, one enemy stepped forward, breaking ranks with his teammate and leaving an opening.

Chen Zixuan naturally wouldn’t let such a chance slip by and immediately stepped in with a decisive stab!

-213!

A brilliant spray of blood burst from the Hammer Gang elite’s neck—a vital strike triggered, dropping his health to less than half in an instant!

But as a level 12 enemy, he remained standing; his body only paused for a moment before he swung his hammer at Chen Zixuan in retaliation.

However, Chen Zixuan’s reflexes were quicker. After landing the blow, he didn’t get greedy for another, but swiftly retreated a step, adjusted his footing, and darted in with a second stab.

-241!

The sickening sensation of blade cutting through flesh followed, and after taking two hits, the Hammer Gang member fell flat on his back, even crashing into the enemy behind him—buying Chen Zixuan a bit more precious time.

Seconds later, another enemy replaced him.

So, even trading blow for blow, Chen Zixuan clung relentlessly to the corner of the room, quickly cutting down several Hammer Gang elites.

Just as he was in the heat of battle, a sudden system prompt sounded in his mind, giving him a jolt.

“System prompt: You’ve reached level 9! All attributes +3, assignable attribute points +1!”

Immersed in the tense fight, Chen Zixuan hadn’t even noticed his experience bar filling up unknowingly—he had broken through level 8, and reached level 9.

After playing for so long, Chen Zixuan had more or less understood that level wasn’t the most important thing in this game—equipment and skills were the keys.

Without using skills, even a level 10 player in civilian gear might not beat a level 3 player clad in a full epic set.

How could a few extra levels compensate for the stats equipment provided?

Still, +3 to all attributes wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

With fewer and fewer enemies left, Chen Zixuan’s pressure eased up. A few minutes later, as the last Hammer Gang elite fell, his experience bar was already up to one-fifth for the next level.

NEW NAMES, lOCATIONS, sKILLS, aND TECHNIQUES:

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep