In truth, this was the ultimate goal for every major guild leader grinding relentlessly on launch day. A powerful guild couldn't be forged with gold alone—it needed a string of accolades to win players' loyalty and lure top-tier talents. Without that, it was little more than a mercenary crew, doomed to crumble once the coins dried up.
Guild envoys scrambled to track Lucas down using all their connections, yet his identity remained a total enigma. Lucas had blocked friend requests and ignored all private messages, leaving them completely stymied.
Atop Concave Summit, Lucas kept slaying bison. The moment he hit Level 4, he dumped all attribute points into Intelligence, boosting it to 34. With the Demon's Heart (+10 Int), Crispy Eel Fillet (+5 Int), and Hex Ring (+2 Int), his Intelligence jumped to 51.
Adding the Pyromancer's Staff (+10 Int), his total Intelligence soared to 61—translating to 61 Spell Power. Combined with the Hex Ring's +5 Spell Damage and the staff's +24 Spell Damage, his total Spell Power hit a terrifying 90. The staff also granted +12 Critical Strike Rating, which equated to 2.3% Crit Chance at his level.
Now, each Fireball dealt over 120 damage to the 580-HP bison. Only five Fireballs took one down—twice as fast as before. He tossed a Fireball casually, and a crit landed, slicing the bison's HP clean in half. The surge of power sent a thrill coursing through him.
Just as he prepared to keep leveling, a blinding white light erupted from the valley's center, forcing him to shut his eyes. A low, enraged roar followed. Blinking through the stinging pain, Lucas saw an 8th-level White Bison Chieftain emerge from the light, glaring at him and pawing the grass furiously.
Lucas could scarcely believe his luck—after encountering the Golden Whelp here, he'd stumbled on a Bison Boss spawn. No wonder a player in his past life, who joined three days late, still caught up to the first tier and grew invincible. This spot was truly a goldmine.
In Forsaken World, drop rates were abysmally low. Gear only came from dungeons (low-stat junk) or world bosses. But every world boss boasted devastating attacks, massive HP pools, and tough defenses—especially the Bison King, widely regarded as one of the hardest early-game world bosses.
From past-life knowledge, the Bison King had a base Attack of 106-150 and three abilities: Bloodthirsty Charge (Physical, +32 ATK, high-speed rush), Bison Stomp (Magical, +10 MAG, 2-second stun in a 5-yard AoE), and Tail Lash (Physical, +60 ATK, knockback). Its base Attack alone exceeded Lucas's HP—one hit would send him back to the starting zone.
On flat ground, he'd never dare it. But he was on an exploit spot. Grinning, Lucas began conjuring Fireballs. The Bison King had 8,000 HP, and each Fireball dealt 129 damage to it.
Enraged, the boss charged—only to fail to climb the 30-meter steep slope, just like the ordinary bison. Lucas pelted it with Fireballs for over three minutes, until it had less than 5,000 HP—and he ran out of Mana again.
Helpless, he relied on the eel fillet's passive Mana regen (8 Mana every 5 seconds) to wear the boss down. Two hours later, the Bison King let out a final cry and collapsed, dropping four items. Lucas cleared the remaining mobs, jumped down, and collected them.
Acolyte's Staff (Silver): ATK 2-6, Vitality +1, Intelligence +2, Spell Damage +14, Mana Regen +5. The best healer weapon in the starting area—an unexpected haul. Hex Ring (Iron): Spell Damage 2-5, Intelligence +2, Lv.3 Req. Equipping it, Lucas now had the best mage rings in the starting zone, set until Level 10.
Buffalo Horn Dagger (Iron): ATK 5-8, Agility +1, Vitality +1, Lv.3 Req. A rogue's weapon—far superior to the 1-2 ATK starter gear, sure to spark a fierce auction war. Most valuable of all was Blink: Spatial Magic (shared by all three mage specializations), 20 Mana cost, Instant Cast (8-second cooldown), 20-yard range. Teleports to a target location (usable while stunned).
Lucas froze. He'd expected Warrior abilities like Savage Charge or War Stomp—each worth around 10 Silver Coins (SC) at auction. But Blink was a mage's lifeline, especially for Fire Mages lacking early survival tools. Later in the game, it sold for 2 Gold Coins (GC)—priceless in the launch phase. After learning it, a pale blue spatial orb appeared in his skill bar. If the Bison King had spawned, the other bosses in Giant's Hamlet must have too. Glancing at the leaderboard, Damon (2nd place) and the next three players were all Level 3. Barring mishaps, they'd hit Level 5 by this time tomorrow—leaving him with a narrow window of opportunity.