The biggest difference between beating a boss and killing monsters is that you can continuously gain benefits and replenish yourself during the process of killing monsters, but the boss cannot give you experience before being killed, and its own consumption cannot be compensated.
There was no such thing as red or blue potions in this game, so Yang Jia and the other two couldn't fight continuously. They had to take turns resting and recovering their strength and energy. Otherwise, they would be depleted before the boss was defeated.
In a holographic online game, "dying from exhaustion" is absolutely possible, and none of the three people want this embarrassing thing to happen to them.
It was at times like these that the difference in their fighting abilities became apparent. For example, Li Bai's rest periods were brief, yet her duration was long. Sometimes, Yang Jia and Bai Ting would rest for two or three rounds before she did. She seemed to never tire; whenever she looked up, she was there.
Yang Jia finally understood why others, despite their mutual respect and fear for Li Bai, would still flock to her. It was because someone as powerful as her always gave people a sense of security. If they were soldiers, they would undoubtedly face frequent and prolonged battles. Having someone like her by their side was crucial and could provide immense peace of mind.
She is like a star hanging high in the sky, and also like a lighthouse standing silently.
No one could get close, but everyone could see her.
Now, Yang Jia herself is one of them, and she is moved, proud, and motivated to make progress.
The battle lasted a full four hours. At first, Yang Jia's mind was full of various thoughts, but eventually, she felt completely numb, only mechanically resting and fighting, her mind empty, as if she had no thoughts at all. Since she had little experience, she couldn't tell what the boss's current condition was or how long the fight would last, so she simply followed the others' lead.
At some point, Li Bai suddenly retreated, and Bai Ting turned around and pulled the boss to fly a kite. Yang Jia subconsciously rushed forward to attack. When the dagger in her hand hit the boss, the boss, whose body had expanded greatly during the battle, froze slightly and then fell to the ground with a loud bang.
Is this the end? Yang Jia seemed to still have some fighting spirit in her body, and she almost continued to attack the corpse on the ground. However, she was immediately enveloped by the warm current that flowed through her body, and her body softened and she fell down.
This leveling took longer, probably because the boss gave more experience. Especially since this was a boss that was supposed to be defeated several months later, and Yang Jia delivered the final blow, assuming she killed the boss, and would gain an additional 10% combat experience.
Yang Jia began to understand why Li Bai hadn't just killed the boss directly without dropping any more seeds. Last time, she'd fought it alone, and all the experience went to her. So, this time, she was probably trying to level up both Yang Jia and Bai Ting, while also training them.
Of course, the most important point is that Li Bai's ability likely has some limitations. This explosive growth in combat power usually comes at the cost of consuming the body's potential. High-frequency use over a short period of time is likely to leave irreparable damage to the body.
Now Yang Jia already knows that this game is about scanning the real body to create the game character, so Li Bai in reality should also have this ability, so she can even control the method of opening it freely, and she should also know how to use it while avoiding harm.
So, even though the body in the game is virtual, it shouldn't be abused. Who knows if, once you get used to it, you'll use it recklessly in real life? Li Bai is a soldier, and according to Yang Jia, she's probably fighting in the most difficult and dangerous places. A slight mistake could determine victory or defeat. If she makes a mistake, it would be fatal.
With these thoughts running through his mind, Yang Jia gradually came to his senses and finally felt that he was still alive.
After the warm feeling of leveling up wore off, she sat up from the ground, feeling still full of energy and ready for another boss fight. Players were supposed to be able to see their own physical data, but Yang Jia didn't know how they did it, and couldn't ask, so she could only make a rough estimate. If she'd reached around level ten the last time she left the city, then this boss had likely directly raised her by five to ten levels.
She was like this, and Bai Ting should be similar. As for Li Bai, Yang Jia felt that he couldn't see clearly. Based on the monsters she had killed, her level shouldn't be much higher than his, at most two or three levels higher. But the ease she had always shown in battle was not fake, so it was difficult to judge.
But no matter what, it shouldn't be that difficult to fight the boss again now.
After Yang Jia got up, she instinctively went over to touch the boss. She wasn't sure if the ID card brought good luck, but she found that her luck had always been good. Now, everyone else would tacitly let her pick up the bodies.
Then, Yang Jia stretched out his hand and took out from the boss Yuan Hai's arms... a thick paper roll tied with a rope.
So this is what the boss drops?
If you touch it again, there will be nothing else.
This time, Yang Jia didn't sense any pocket-like presence on Yuan Hai, so the only thing he had on him was this scroll. The paper felt thick, and he wondered if the contents on it were valuable.
Yang Jia wondered if her luck had run out. Hesitantly, she took the item in her hand, walked over to Li Bai, and carefully handed it to her, "This is it."
Li Bai took it and opened it without hesitation.
Bai Ting also came over curiously to watch. Perhaps because she had more opportunities to play alone with Li Bai in the game, and they were much more familiar with each other than before, she could now talk to Li Bai freely and no longer became timid when approaching him.
There were five sheets of paper in total. The first contained the recipe for a sedative potion, the second for a stimulating potion, the third a recipe, the fourth a shoe crafting blueprint, and the last, and most precious, a sword crafting blueprint. While the sword was made of ordinary materials and a low-level weapon, with only a bonus of 20 attack, it was still a rare find in the early stages when everyone was limited to weapons without any attributes.
"These formulas and blueprints arrived just in time, didn't they?" Bai Ting exclaimed in admiration, unable to resist looking at Yang Jia. "Your luck is truly incredible! This is far more useful than just a few high-quality weapons dropping!"
What Phoenix City lacks most right now are these basic things that can enhance its core strength. Medicine and equipment are essential in the game, and they're also the things that best reflect its core strength. With them, and the existence of this dungeon, there's no shortage of talented players. After all, everyone plays games for the sheer pleasure of it. Being able to use these things before others is an advantage.
Li Bai was silent for a moment before he offered his speculation, "This game's bosses probably won't drop weapons or medicines you can use right away. It's even possible there aren't any ready-made items in the game at all, just blueprints and materials—humanoid monsters drop blueprints, and beast monsters drop materials, allowing players to craft their own items based on the blueprints and recipes."
Yang Jia and Bai Ting thought about it and it seemed to be true. The beasts they had killed previously had neither equipment nor money on them. This meant that materials could be exchanged for money, otherwise killing monsters would only make them poorer. As for equipment, neither beasts nor humanoid monsters had ever dropped it.
They use it themselves, and those picked up after they die don't count. For example, the sword in Li Bai's hand was obtained when she killed Yuan Hai in the plot. Because she picked up the sword, Yuan Hai had no other weapons in his hand today, which made the battle much easier.
"Why bother with so much trouble?" Bai Ting thought for a while and couldn't help but say.
Indeed, is there any difference between giving rewards directly and giving drawings and materials and letting everyone do it themselves?
"Maybe it's to make it logical," Li Bai said, "after all, this is 'Real'." Its purpose is to create an environment similar to reality, so of course a lot of effort has to be put into these details.
Yang Jia didn't quite grasp Li Bai's last words. After a moment's reflection, she guessed it might be a slogan for the game. She'd thought before that this world didn't feel like a game world, but if it were modeled after reality, it would make sense. She wondered how much thought, effort, and resources went into making a game.
Although this doesn't make Yang Jia feel any better, living in such a world is better than living in a world full of bugs, where the graphics and settings look fake at first glance, right?
She suppressed the thought and said, "Perhaps it's also to train everyone's hands-on skills, or even encourage everyone to try various things. After all, this world is so big, and many things have yet to be studied. Perhaps players can experiment and discover new recipes on their own? That way, those who don't like combat can develop in the direction of potions, forging, tailoring, and the like."
"Right!" Bai Ting clapped her hands. "Nowadays, many players don't like to leave the city and look for jobs here. If there's real potential for development in this area, we can also absorb a group of life-based players so that we can make our own potions and equipment in the future."
After thinking about it in this direction, everyone felt that the gains from this trip were beyond their expectations, or at least very satisfying.
Then, Bai Ting asked a question, "But it suddenly occurred to me that we're not here to open a dungeon, but to find treasure. Now that we've killed the boss, where's the treasure?"
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
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