Novice Village No. 9527 was bustling with noise.
As one of the thousands of starting points in the world of "epoch," it was currently hosting a carnival belonging to the players.
Players wearing various starter cloth outfits rubbed shoulders, their excited shouts, bargaining, and team invitations rising and falling, merging into a wave of noisy heat.
Under the big tree at the village entrance, in front of the blacksmith shop, and beside the general store counter, everywhere was packed with players full of curiosity and anticipation for this new world.
"Level 1 Warrior seeking party! High Stamina growth, can tank and deal damage! Just need a Priest sister and we're off!"
"Mage team, 3=2, looking for strong damage dealers, magic gear priority!"
"Buying all types of herbs and ores! Large quantities get great prices! Honest merchant, cash first, goods second!"
Lin Mo stood in the shadow of a large banyan tree at the village entrance, calmly observing the bustling scene before him.
There was no trace of the excitement of a first-time player on his face; his deep eyes were like an ancient well, undisturbed, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding mismatched atmosphere.
The 100% realistic sensory experience truly lived up to its reputation.
He could feel the gentle brush of the breeze across his cheek, smell the fragrance of earth and grass mixed in the air, and even hear the rhythmic "clanging" sound coming from the distant blacksmith shop.
Everything here was so real it didn't seem like a virtual world.
But Lin Mo did not immerse himself in this novel experience.
His mind was racing, analyzing his current situation.
The most pressing task was to test the specific effect of the [Endless Poison Source] talent and confirm his previous hypothesis.
"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."
Lin Mo muttered softly to himself and stepped out of the shadows.
Instead of loudly calling for a party like the other players, he walked straight towards the monster spawning area outside the village.
The monsters outside the Novice Village were Level 0 to 1 [Slime] and [Wild Rabbit], with weak aggression and low health, designed for new players to familiarize themselves with the controls.
Soon, a wobbly, jelly-like blue Slime entered his line of sight.
That's the one.
Lin Mo had no weapon; the system had only given him a set of burlap clothes with zero stats.
He clenched his fist, his only means of attack currently available.
Approach, punch!
"Bang!"
His fist landed on the Slime, feeling soft, like hitting a piece of jelly.
A bright red "-1" damage number floated above the Slime's head.
Immediately following, a faint, gray "-1" poison damage number also appeared.
[You have applied the 'Endless Poison Source' effect to 'Slime'. The target takes 1 point of poison damage per second for 5 seconds. Current stack count: 1/3.]
Lin Mo's brow furrowed slightly.
The damage was appallingly low.
He did not stop and continued to swing his fist.
"-1"
"-1"
"-1"
After three consecutive attacks, the number on the poison effect icon above the Slime's head finally changed from "1" to "3."
['Endless Poison Source' has reached the stack limit (3 layers). The target takes 3 points of poison damage per second.]
Lin Mo stopped attacking and quietly watched the Slime's health bar.
"-3"
"-3"
"-3"
"-3"
"-3"
Five seconds later, the poison effect disappeared, and the Slime, which only had 50 total Life, still had over 30 Life remaining and was still hopping around vigorously.
Lin Mo fell silent.
He calculated that he needed to attack twice to stack the 3 layers of poison, causing 15 points of damage.
And the physical damage from those two attacks combined was only 2 points.
In other words, a full rotation of his damage only dealt 17 total points.
It would take three full attack rotations, spanning over 15 seconds, just to kill the weakest Slime.
Meanwhile, a Mage player nearby who had just learned [Fireball] cast one spell, and with a slight explosion, a full-health Slime immediately turned into white light.
The gap in efficiency was monumental.
"Brother, grinding alone is too slow. Want to team up?"
Just then, a Warrior player who looked quite forthright clapped him on the shoulder.
The Warrior was followed by a Priest and an Archer; they seemed to be a fixed party.
Lin Mo thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
He also wanted to see if his talent would perform differently in a team setting.
"My name is 'Frenzy World Domination,' this is my sister 'Worldly Cuteness,' and this is my buddy 'Divine Archer.' What should we call you, brother?" the Warrior introduced himself familiarly.
"Lin Mo."
"Alright, Lin Mo brother, let's go grind those Wild Wolves over there, they give good experience!"
Soon, the four-person team arrived at a small grove where Level 2 [Vicious Wolves] spawned.
"I'm going in!" Frenzy World Domination shouted, raising the starter wooden sword in his hand and charging forward, hacking the Vicious Wolf for "-15" damage.
Divine Archer's arrow followed closely, dealing "-12."
Lin Mo also rushed forward and punched the Vicious Wolf.
"-1"
"-1" (Poison)
The atmosphere in the party instantly became a bit awkward.
"Uh..." Frenzy World Domination glanced back, somewhat incredulous, "Lin Mo brother, what... what's going on with you? Did you not put points into Strength?"
"My talent is Poison Class," Lin Mo explained concisely.
"Poison Class?"
Hearing those two words, the looks the other two party members gave him changed.
The Priest, Worldly Cuteness, curled her lips and whispered to her brother: "Bro, isn't the Poison Class talent widely known to be trash? His damage is so low, won't bringing him drag us down..."
Divine Archer also chimed in: "Yeah, Frenzy, we're aiming for efficiency. His punch only deals 1 point of damage, and the poison damage is just 1 point. It's not even a fraction of my single arrow. How are we supposed to grind like this?"
Although their voices were low, Lin Mo heard them clearly.
Frenzy World Domination looked embarrassed. He cleared his throat twice and said to Lin Mo: "Well... Lin Mo brother, look, our party composition... might not be the best fit for you. How about you go explore somewhere else first?"
This was a blatant dismissal.
Lin Mo didn't say another word, simply nodded calmly, and chose to leave the party.
As he turned to leave, he could still hear the discussion behind him.
"He finally left. What bad luck, running into someone with a trash talent right out the gate."
"Exactly. Look at his ID, just Lin Mo. He couldn't even bother to pick a catchy name. He's clearly a total newbie."
"Forget him, let's keep going!"
Lin Mo's steps did not falter, and his heart remained calm.
Being disliked and mocked was something he was long accustomed to.
Whether in reality or in a game, strength was what ultimately mattered.
Without strength, even your breathing is wrong.
He was neither discouraged nor angry; instead, he was even calmer than before.
Being kicked out of the party made him completely recognize one fact: the conventional use of this talent in the early stages of the game was a dead end.
To make a name for himself with it, he had to find another way!
"Infinite stacking..."
Lin Mo chewed on those four words again, and the thought process in his mind gradually became clear.
"Since the damage per hit is low, I'll compensate with the number of hits. Since the burst damage is weak, I'll fight a war of attrition."
"I need to find a type of monster that must meet several conditions: First, high health and high defense, so I have enough time to stack the poison layers; second, its attack power cannot be too high, or I won't be able to tank it; third, it should preferably be melee, making it easier for me to kite and reposition."
With a clear goal in mind, Lin Mo immediately opened the Novice Village area map and began to study it carefully.
The Novice Village map marked the monster spawning areas for various levels.
Most areas were densely occupied by players; there were more people than monsters.
Lin Mo's gaze finally settled on an area marked with a skull in the northwest corner of the map.
[Highly Poisonous Swamp (Level 3-5 Danger Zone)]
The description read: Deadly poisonous mist permeates the swamp, and terrifying Highly Poisonous Toads live here. Players are advised to proceed with caution.
"Poisonous mist... Highly Poisonous Toad..."
Lin Mo's eyes instantly lit up.
For other players, this was forbidden territory; the swamp's poisonous mist would cause them continuous Life loss, and the Toad's poisonous attacks were even more Deadly.
But for him, this was simply the chosen land!
Although he didn't have any poison resistance yet, as long as he was careful not to be hit directly by the Toad's Venom Spray, he should be able to endure the environmental poisonous mist for a while.
More importantly, absolutely no one would be contesting the monsters here!
Having made up his mind, Lin Mo no longer hesitated and immediately ran toward the Highly Poisonous Swamp.
Passing through the crowded leveling zones and crossing a dense forest, the humidity in the air grew higher, and the soil became muddy.
About ten minutes later, a swamp emitting a faint purple mist appeared before Lin Mo.
In the swamp, fist-sized "gurgling" bubbles continuously emerged and burst, releasing a foul, fishy odor.
On several dead, crooked-necked trees hung the skeletons of unknown animals, making the entire environment look eerie and sinister.
[Warning: You have entered the danger zone 'Highly Poisonous Swamp'. You are affected by 'Miasma' and lose 2 points of Life per second.]
A "-2" damage number began to float continuously above Lin Mo's head.
He only had 100 total Life, meaning he could only stay here for 50 seconds without doing anything.
Time was tight!
Lin Mo's eyes were sharp, and he quickly searched the swamp.
Soon, by a murky pool, he spotted a monster croaking "Gua Gua."
The monster was emerald green all over, its skin covered in bumpy pustules, making it look extremely disgusting.
Its body was as large as a basin, and a pair of scarlet eyes fixed firmly on Lin Mo, the uninvited guest.
[Highly Poisonous Toad (Normal Monster)]
[Level: 3]
[Life: 300 / 300]
[Skill: Venom Spray]
That's it!
Lin Mo did not rush forward but picked up a stone and threw it hard.
"Smack!"
The stone hit the Highly Poisonous Toad, causing only 1 point of forced damage, but successfully drawing its aggro.
"Croak!"
The Highly Poisonous Toad let out an angry roar, moving its thick hind legs, and pounced fiercely toward Lin Mo.
Here it comes!
Lin Mo advanced instead of retreating, rushing two steps toward the Toad, and the moment the opponent was about to enter attack range, he punched it and immediately pulled back.
"-1"
"-1" (Poison)
One man and one frog began a bizarre chase in this purple swamp.
Lin Mo was like the best matador, constantly maintaining a critical distance from the Highly Poisonous Toad.
Whenever the Toad was about to pounce on him, he was always able to narrowly dodge it with a precise sidestep or backpedal, and in the brief moment of evasion, he calmly threw a punch, applying a new layer of poison.
"-1"
"-1" (Poison)
['Endless Poison Source' stack count: 2/3]
"-1"
"-1" (Poison)
['Endless Poison Source' stack count: 3/3]
Soon, three layers of poison were fully stacked.
But Lin Mo's attacks did not stop.
He clearly remembered that the talent description was "can stack infinitely," and the "maximum stack of 3 layers" in the initial effect might just be a limitation for the Novice phase, a "lock" that needed a special method to break!
He wanted to try and force this lock open!
The fourth punch!
"Bang!"
"-1"
The moment this punch landed, the system prompt arrived as expected!
[Ding! It is detected that you are continuously applying poison to the same target. Your will has triggered a hidden characteristic of 'Endless Poison Source'...]
[Talent restriction broken! The stack limit for 'Endless Poison Source' has been raised to 10 layers!]
[You seem to have gained a new understanding of the application of poison. You have unlocked a hidden attribute — Poison Affinity +1]
Success!
A surge of ecstasy rose in Lin Mo's heart, but his movements didn't falter in the slightest, and he calmly maintained the kiting rhythm.
The fifth punch! The sixth punch! The seventh punch!
The poison stack count above the Highly Poisonous Toad's head began to jump wildly upward!
4 layers! 5 layers! 6 layers! ... And the poison damage it took per second also skyrocketed from "-3" all the way to "-4," "-5," and "-6"!
Although it only increased by 1 point each time, Lin Mo saw the potential for world-destroying power!
When the poison stacked to the 10th layer, the Highly Poisonous Toad's Life loss per second had already reached 10 points!
Coupled with the 2 points of environmental damage, it didn't have to do anything and would suffer 12 points of sustained damage per second!
"Croak!!"
The Highly Poisonous Toad seemed to sense the threat to its Life. It stopped moving, and its cheeks suddenly puffed up.
Lin Mo's heart tightened, knowing this was when the BOSS was about to use a skill.
"Pfft!"
A stream of dark green Venom Spray shot out of the Toad's mouth like an arrow, aimed directly at Lin Mo's face.
In that split second, Lin Mo performed a messy but effective dodge roll, narrowly avoiding the Venom.
The Venom landed on the ground, making a "sizzling" Corrosion sound. The ground was instantly scorched into a small pit, emitting black smoke.
Lin Mo's eyelids twitched; if he had been hit, given his current Life, it would have been an instant kill.
After dodging the skill, he didn't hesitate, immediately getting up to continue his "great scraping endeavor."
Time passed, minute by minute.
Lin Mo's Life had dropped to below half under the influence of the environmental poisonous mist.
And the Highly Poisonous Toad, after stacking over thirty layers of poison, finally saw its health bar bottom out.
The poison damage number floating above its head had changed from the initial "-1" to a terrifying "-35"!
"Croak..."
Accompanied by an unwilling wail, the Highly Poisonous Toad, which had deterred countless novice players, crashed to the ground and vanished in a flash of white light.
[Congratulations, you have successfully slain 'Highly Poisonous Toad' and gained 15 experience points.]
At the same time, several copper coins and a faintly glowing item lay quietly where it had disappeared.
Lin Mo let out a long breath, feeling drenched in sweat.
The battle took nearly five minutes, the process was incredibly thrilling, and the test of mental focus and execution reached its peak.
But he succeeded!
Not only did he kill a monster 2 levels higher than him, but he also proved that his hypothesis was completely correct!
[Endless Poison Source] was not trash at all!
It simply placed extremely demanding requirements on the user—a cool head, precise execution, and... a brave heart willing to challenge the limits!
Lin Mo walked forward and picked up the dropped items.
Several copper coins, and one item... a Bronze-grade cloth wristguard.
[Rough Leather Wristguard (Bronze)]
[Slot: Wrist]
[Defense: +3]
[Equipment Requirement: Level 1]
Although the stats were poor, this was the first piece of gear Lin Mo had acquired through his own strength!
He equipped it without hesitation, then cast his gaze toward the deeper parts of the swamp.
Hundreds and thousands of "Highly Poisonous Toads" were waiting for him there.
For others, this was a forbidden land of death.
But for Lin Mo, this was paradise.
A cold curve finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Then, the hunt begins!"