When Lin Mo's name, in a posture of dominating the world, was engraved at the top of the Huaxia Region Level Leaderboard, the entire *epoch* world plunged into a near-frenzied state of excitement.
The refresh speed of messages on the World Channel was already too fast for the naked eye to capture.
"Lin Mo?! Holy crap! The expert who topped the charts is called Lin Mo? That 'Anonymous' player who solo-killed the hidden elite before, surely that's him, right?!"
"It absolutely is him! The timing matches perfectly! He just finished getting the First Kill, and immediately leveled up to 10. Who else could it be but him!"
"Oh my god, this is what a true God-tier player looks like! We are still fighting tooth and nail over a Level 2 wild wolf, and he has already cleared the Novice Village!"
"Emperor Yann, Luo Li... these are all ace players hidden away by the major Super guilds, true favored children of heaven! Yet they were actually suppressed by an unknown casual player?"
"The rise of the casual player! This is simply the ultimate dream for us ordinary players! From today onward, I am a die-hard fan of the expert Lin Mo!"
"Fan him, my butt! Do you know who he offended? The Mad Dragon Guild just issued their highest-level bounty, and the target is 'Anonymous,' which means this Lin Mo! The kind that means endless pursuit!"
"Hiss... He just topped the charts and is already being hunted by a Super guild? This is too exciting!"
Countless ordinary players were shocked, worshipful, and discussing heatedly, while the reactions of the major guilds were even more intense.
The [Oracle] Guild.
The Guild Master Luo Li looked at the dazzling name on the Level Leaderboard, and the corner of her mouth, shrouded in a mist of holy light, curled into a faint smile. "Lin Mo... it really is you. Choosing to reveal your ID at this moment, are you announcing your existence, or... are you declaring war on the Mad Dragon Guild? What an interesting man."
The [Flame Alliance] Guild.
"Emperor Yann," whose body was engulfed in flames, had just split a Level 8 Elite Lava Hound in half with an axe. He glanced at the leaderboard, and instead of being angry about being surpassed, his eyes burned with even stronger fighting spirit. "Good! Very good! This game finally hasn't bored me! Lin Mo, I hope you can gain a firm foothold in the City of Glory and wait for me!"
Meanwhile, the command channel of the [Mad Dragon Guild] was deathly silent.
None of the elite members dared to breathe loudly; they could clearly hear the heavy, ragged breathing of their Guild Master, "Mad Dragon Soaring in the Sky," caused by extreme rage.
"Lin... Mo!"
He practically squeezed the two words out from between his teeth, his handsome face utterly twisted by jealousy and malice. "He is provoking us! He is slapping the face of our Mad Dragon Guild in front of the entire server's players!"
"Pass on my order!" Mad Dragon Soaring in the Sky roared like a beast. "All members in Novice Village No. 9527, immediately blockade the teleportation array leading to the main city! All other online members, immediately gather at the resurrection point in the City of Glory! I don't care what method you use, whether it's piling up corpses or using human wave tactics, I must make this Lin Mo die back to Level 1!"
A bloody storm targeting Lin Mo was quietly beginning in the City of Glory... Lin Mo was completely unaware of the external storm, nor did he care.
He took one last look at the Highly Poisonous Swamp that had transformed him, turned around, and strode toward the Novice Village.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on him. His figure appeared solitary and resolute in the morning mist.
When he stepped back into Novice Village No. 9527, he immediately sensed an atmosphere completely different from before.
Under the large banyan tree at the village entrance, the originally noisy and bustling players all seemed to have been paused, simultaneously turning their gaze toward him.
Those gazes were overwhelmingly complex.
There was shock, awe, jealousy, curiosity, and even a hint of... fear.
"Look quickly! He... he is Lin Mo!"
"Holy crap! It really is him! The top expert on the Level Leaderboard!"
"He... why is he here? Did he come out of our village?"
"Oh my mother, I mocked his Poison talent as trash before, he won't hold a grudge, will he?" A player who had previously mocked Lin Mo in the creation space was now terrified, his face pale, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
Lin Mo paid no attention to these gazes. His expression unchanged, he walked straight through the crowd toward the most imposing wooden house in the center of the village.
That was the Village Chief's home.
When Lin Mo stepped into the wooden house, the white-bearded Village Chief, who had been sitting leisurely with his legs crossed, drinking ale, instantly dropped the wine cup from his hand with a clatter upon seeing the ID above Lin Mo's head, shattering it on the floor.
The old Village Chief sprang up from his chair with an agility completely unsuited to his age, his face plastered with a fawning and exaggerated smile, and rushed over to greet him.
"Oh! My esteemed warrior! Lord Lin Mo!" The Village Chief's waist was bent nearly ninety degrees, his tone utterly respectful. "You... you are actually the hero who single-handedly slew the King Venomous Toad and saved our village from the Deadly Poison invasion! Please... please accept my highest reverence!"
[Ding! Your Reputation in Novice Village No. 9527 has increased to: Respected!]
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.
He knew the Reputation System was at work. In *epoch*, reputation not only allowed him to receive higher-level quests from NPCs but also granted unexpected discounts and privileges.
"Village Chief, I am here to turn in the quest," Lin Mo said concisely.
"Yes, yes, yes! Of course!" The Village Chief nodded repeatedly and personally opened the quest panel for Lin Mo. "You have completed the final stage of [Secret of the Poison Pond]. These are your deserved rewards!"
[Quest Complete!]
[Obtained Experience x5000!]
[Obtained Gold Coin x1!]
[Obtained Title: 'Novice Village No. 9527 Honorary Villager'!]
[Obtained Item: Village Chief's Letter of Recommendation x1]
A series of reward notifications popped up, causing even Lin Mo's heart to skip a beat.
One Gold Coin! That was a full ten thousand units of real-world currency!
And this title.
[Novice Village No. 9527 Honorary Villager]
[Equip Effect: Within the Novice Village area, all NPCs' Affection towards you is increased by 50 points (Friendly).]
Although it was just a Novice Village title and not terribly useful, it was still a recognition of his achievement.
The most crucial item was the Letter of Recommendation.
[Village Chief's Letter of Recommendation: Holding this letter grants you initial respect and recognition among the major faction forces in the City of Glory.]
For others, this item might just be the icing on the cake, but for Lin Mo, who was determined to make his mark in the main city, it was undoubtedly a timely help in a desperate situation!
"Hero, your deeds will surely be passed down across this land," the Village Chief said in an almost operatic tone. "You have already reached Level 10; this small pond can no longer hold a dragon like you. A wider world awaits your conquest!"
[Ding! You have triggered the Main Quest — [Call of the City of Glory]!]
[Quest Objective: Travel to the City of Glory and deliver the Village Chief's Letter of Recommendation to General Galio, who serves under the City Lord.]
[Quest Reward: Large amount of Experience, City of Glory Reputation, one Excellent-grade equipment piece.]
"I understand."
Lin Mo put away the letter of recommendation, wasting no time, and turned to walk toward the teleportation array at the village entrance.
After he left, the entire Novice Village erupted into chaos again.
"Oh my god! What did I just see? The Village Chief actually bowed to a player?"
"Is this the power of reputation? That's incredible!"
"The expert Lin Mo is heading to the main city! We need to hurry up and level too, so we can go to the main city soon and admire his greatness!"
... On the main road leading to the city, Lin Mo's figure moved forward at an unhurried pace.
He chose not to teleport directly, wanting instead to see the scenery of this world with his own eyes.
Just as he passed a small grove, three players whose IDs were also red names suddenly jumped out from behind the trees, surrounding him in a triangle formation.
"Heh heh, kid, hand over all your valuables, and we might consider letting you die painlessly!" the scarred warrior leading them sneered.
They were clearly "road bandits" specializing in robbing newcomers here, and seeing Lin Mo alone, they developed wicked intentions.
Lin Mo stopped and looked at them with an expression reserved for idiots.
"Just the three of you?"
"Damn it! Still talking tough! Brothers, get him! Let him know how to spell death!"
The scarred warrior roared and raised his knife to strike.
Lin Mo shook his head.
Even the elite squad of the Mad Dragon Guild had become casualties under his fists, let alone these few low-level nobodies?
His figure suddenly vanished from the spot.
"[Poison Blade]!"
A dark flash streaked past, and his fist, carrying the whisper of the grim reaper, struck first despite starting later, accurately landing on the scarred warrior's throat!
[-35!]
A terrifying damage number floated up!
The scarred warrior's Charge posture instantly froze. He stared in disbelief at his health bar, which had instantly dropped significantly, his eyes filled with terror.
Before he could react, Lin Mo's second strike had already arrived.
[Venom Spray]!
[-20]
Following closely were the third punch, the fourth punch... the entire process was fluid and extremely fast!
The other two bandits hadn't even managed to get close before their leader, the Level 5 scarred warrior, was instantly killed by a seamless combo within three short seconds, turning into a white light and dropping a pair of Bronze Greaves.
!!!
The remaining two were scared out of their wits. They exchanged a look and, without thinking, turned and ran.
But was it too late?
Lin Mo's figure was like maggots clinging to bone; he instantly caught up, ending the farce cleanly with one punch per person.
"Asking for death."
He picked up the spoils, didn't even look at them, and continued walking toward the distant colossal city whose outline was now visible.
Half an hour later.
When Lin Mo finally stood before the legendary city, even with his resilient temperament forged over two lifetimes, he was still overwhelmingly shocked by the sight before him.
An indescribably magnificent city stood at the edge of the horizon.
City walls hundreds of meters high stretched endlessly like a mountain range, extending to the limit of his vision. The walls were constructed from an unknown pure white rock, their surfaces engraved with countless intricate and profound magic runes, flowing with a faint golden light under the sun, filled with an aura of sanctity and majesty.
The massive city gate was fifty meters tall, easily allowing a giant dragon to pass through. Above the gate, four large characters were carved in vigorous common language —
City of Glory!
At the city gate, people came and went in a continuous stream. Guards in excellent armor, nobles riding tall horses, adventurers carrying greatswords, merchants pushing carts selling various novel items... countless players and NPCs gathered here, forming an incredibly realistic and vivid picture of an otherworldly realm.
"This... this is the real *epoch*..."
Lin Mo murmured to himself, an uncontrollable surge of lofty ambition rising in his chest.
The Novice Village was, after all, only a starting point.
And here, the City of Glory, was the true beginning of his conquest of this world!
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and slowly walked into this great city, which symbolized glory and dreams, following the flow of people.
Entering the city, the first thing that met his eyes was a central avenue wide enough for eight carriages to travel side-by-side. The avenue was paved with smooth bluestone slabs, flanked by rows of shops and buildings. The clang of hammering came from the blacksmith shop, colorful magic potions were displayed in the alchemy store windows, and hearty laughter echoed from the tavern... everything was filled with vitality and opportunity.
Lin Mo did not rush to turn in the quest. Instead, he immediately opened his map and found the "Central Auction House" located in the east of the city.
He listed the dozen or so Bronze equipment pieces that he didn't need, which had dropped from the Mad Dragon squad and the bandits, all at once. The price was slightly lower than the market rate, aiming for a quick sale.
Almost the instant he listed them, this equipment, considered top-tier in the Novice Village, was instantly bought out by the eager wealthy players.
[Ding! Your item 'Bronze Chain Mail' has been sold, obtaining Silver Coin x5!]
[Ding! Your item 'Healer Staff' has been sold, obtaining Silver Coin x8!]
... In less than a minute, Lin Mo's account had gained a full 43 Silver Coins!
Adding his previous savings and quest rewards, his total assets had reached an astonishing 1 Gold Coin and 50 Silver Coins!
A huge sum of money that would drive any current player mad with desire!
"Very good, the start-up capital is secured."
Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction. He closed the auction house interface and looked at the bustling city before him, having already formed a clear plan for his next step.
"Next up is the class change."
He opened his class panel, only to find that his class column was still the empty word "None."
He frowned and walked toward a guard NPC nearby who was responsible for guiding newcomers, asking, "Hello, where is the Warrior Class Mentor?"
The guard glanced at him, pointed to the nearby Temple of War, and said, "The Warrior Mentor is inside the temple, but... my esteemed warrior, I seem to sense a unique power emanating from you... It is a kind of... cold and deadly aura."
Confusion appeared on the guard's face. "Forgive my directness, but a powerhouse like you probably cannot obtain true guidance from the conventional class mentors."
Lin Mo's heart suddenly sank.
It's here!
The clue to the hidden class!