To be honest, this world seemed almost gamified, except you only had one life—and once it was gone, it was truly over.
During his conversation with the [Sage], because Bai Qiu had surpassed level 5 and had a record of killing a Dragonfang General, the [Sage] made an exception and gave him a full set of iron armor (E-rank).
Normally, acquiring this armor required reaching level 5 and submitting 100 ordinary Dragonfangs.
The iron armor covered Bai Qiu from head to toe.
Together with his weapons, the full set weighed over 25 kg, but with his current physique, he could handle it easily.
However, he didn't equip the entire set; he only wore the shoulder piece, combining it with the Dragon Slayer Pauldrons.
It looked awkward, but it was useful and didn't hinder his movements.
Hunting elite monsters was still very dangerous—not primarily because of level differences, but because of [Noble Phantasms].
The release level for a Noble Phantasm was 10, meaning once someone reached level 10, they could activate it, marking humanity's first wave of real power.
Bai Qiu hadn't abandoned the idea of hunting elite monsters.
Leveling up was slow now, and defeating elite monsters would give him enough experience to level up directly.
Otherwise, fighting low-level Dragonfangs to reach level 10 and unlock his Noble Phantasm could take several days.
It wasn't arrogance; with his current level, the full armor set, weapons and armor specialized against [Dragonfangs], and the satiety bonus attributes, plus his secret skill [Berserk], he was far stronger than before.
Still, Bai Qiu tested his attack and defense on a Dragonfang soldier.
First, for defense: when an ordinary Dragonfang bit his iron bracer, it couldn't penetrate, though he could feel a slight pressure.
As for the Dragon Slayer Pauldrons, he didn't even feel anything when bitten.
But since it was a low-level weakling, the difference in defense wasn't obvious.
Bai Qiu shook his head.
If he had explored the Black Tower first, found the [Sage], exchanged for the full armor set, and equipped it to strengthen his defense, the outcome against the Dragonfang General might have been completely different.
For attack power, he didn't bother testing with the spear.
Instead, he drew the Dragon Piercing Dagger and lightly stabbed at the Dragonfang soldier's head.
"Pft!"
He felt no resistance at all.
The dagger pierced straight through the Dragonfang's skull, and the moment it entered, some mysterious force seemed to erupt from the dagger, instantly blowing the Dragonfang into pieces, leaving only a glowing residue and a single material drop.
This surprised him greatly.
It turned out that this special-attack weapon's destructive power was so exaggerated that if he faced another Dragonfang General, one slash from this dagger could probably take it down!
Thinking about it now, elite monsters' attributes were roughly around D-rank.
His own base stats were also D-rank, plus D-rank armor and weapons, and with special effects as well, there was no reason not to hunt the elite monsters shown on the map!
Bai Qiu took out his map, pinpointed the nearest elite monster, and ran straight toward it.
Any Dragonfang soldiers flying at him couldn't even harm him and would be shredded by his casually wielded Dragon Piercing Dagger.
However, he didn't notice that the icon for the nearest elite monster on the map suddenly shifted…
Thanks to his high agility, strength, and resilience, Bai Qiu moved quickly and barely expended any stamina along the way.
He reached the elite monster's location on the map in under ten minutes—about four kilometers from the safe zone—and his breathing was still fairly steady.
Since his first elite kill had been on a rooftop, Bai Qiu scanned the surrounding streets and, finding nothing, started using the map to search, wondering which building's rooftop the elite might be hiding on.
Just then, a massive shadow suddenly charged out from the side of the street.
In the blink of an eye, it was right beside Bai Qiu!
Fortunately, his reflexes were fast.
He immediately reacted, stepped back, drew his Steel Spear, and swung hard.
The expected one-hit kill didn't happen; instead, the spear was jolted violently, almost slipping from his hands.
A canine monster with Dragonfang General features angrily launched a second charge, and one of its claws left a shallow scratch on Bai Qiu's Steel Spear.
Dragonfang Hound LV.15 [Special Variant]
Strength: D+
Magic: D+
Endurance: D+
Agility: D
Skills: ???
Bai Qiu frowned.
This Dragonfang Hound was over two meters tall and more than three meters long.
All its stats were D+, and it was no wonder he couldn't see its skills—its level was far higher than his.
Aside from the fresh blood flowing from its forelimbs, the Dragonfang Hound's body—including around its mouth—was streaked with dark red stains.
Whether this blood was truly its own, and why its level was higher than other elite monsters, Bai Qiu could more or less figure out!
However, he wasn't concerned with its appearance or how many humans it had harmed—after all, how many humans it killed or ate had nothing to do with him.
[Something's off. Its stats are far too low for a level 15 elite monster!]
Thanks to his overlapping agility bonus, Bai Qiu easily dodged its attacks.
In games, if a monster's level is high but its stats are weak, that's usually a warning to watch out for hidden mechanisms.
Often, such a seemingly weak appearance hides a deadly threat!
While evading its attacks, Bai Qiu waited for the perfect moment with his spear, repeatedly wounding it.
Occasional direct clashes also allowed him to gauge the strength of its attacks.
Its claw strikes and bite force were probably on par with a Dragonfang General, but they couldn't effectively damage Bai Qiu in his iron armor.
And while its attacks seemed reckless, it always managed to avoid Bai Qiu's strikes aimed at vital points like the eyes or nose!
Seeing this, Bai Qiu decided to bait it into revealing a flaw and kill it before it could use its trump card.
"Clang!" In a fatal misstep, Bai Qiu failed to grip his spear properly, and it was knocked from his hands.
The Dragonfang Hound immediately seized the rare opportunity and lunged at him!
[Hah! Just as I hoped!]
Seeing the Hound fully committed, Bai Qiu drew his Dragon Piercing Dagger.
As the claw came for him, he used his shoulder armor to block the strike and drove the dagger fiercely into its eye.
"Awooo!" The Dragonfang Hound realized what was happening—but it was too late.
The dagger pierced its eye completely.
The Hound let out a wail as its eyeball grotesquely split apart, spraying a cloud of blood!
Bai Qiu immediately pulled back.
Any creature's attack in its death throes is at its most lethal, as they release all remaining offensive abilities in their final moments.
For example, a venomous snake, even after decapitation, can release all its stored venom in one last bite—leaving the bitten prey with no chance of survival.
Sure enough, as the Dragonfang Hound struggled, its body began to turn red, as if it were about to burst into flames at any moment!