I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

"Let's go, it's time to get to work."

After testing the power of the new bow, Li Wu stood up excitedly.

Hua Zitong also stood up, looking at the longbow in Li Wu's hand, which had an even more ancient and mysterious design, her eyes still filled with a lingering sense of shock.

Instantaneous Fusion Penetration Arrow.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like when Li Wu appeared on the battlefield of the future with this bow in hand.

That would truly be "killing gods and Buddhas alike if they stand in your way".

The two left the cave and resumed their leveling journey.

This time, their goal was clear: to reach level 20 as soon as possible.

The monsters in Blackrock Mountain are generally between level 10 and 15, and for them now, the experience is not enough.

They followed the mountain road northward, heading towards the higher-level "Black Rock Hills" region.

Along the way, they encountered many more players.

Some are small groups of three or five, while others are lone wolves.

Without exception, when these players saw the two iconic figures of Li Wu and Hua Zitong, their reactions were remarkably consistent.

First he froze, then a look of terror appeared on his face, and finally, without saying a word, he turned and ran.

Those who were running slowly would immediately stop what they were doing, stand respectfully against the mountain wall, and make way for them, not daring to breathe loudly, until Li Wu and Hua Zitong's figures completely disappeared from their sight.

The entire process was filled with a strange sense of ritual.

"I...I didn't see wrong, did I? Were those the two who just passed by?" A new player who had only recently started playing asked his companion uncertainly as he watched Li Wu and the others leave.

"Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind?!" His companion, a seasoned player who looked more experienced, quickly covered his mouth, glanced around furtively, and then whispered:

"That's them! 'Seeing Flowers Through the Mist' and 'Searching for Mist Among Flowers'! The living devils of Beginner Village No. 101!"

"The Living Yama?" The newbie player looked completely bewildered.

"You're new here, you don't understand." The veteran player's face showed lingering fear. "You didn't see what happened in Blackrock Mountain. Blood Wolf Guild, you know? More than three hundred elites came to besiege those two with great momentum."

"And the result?"

"The result?" The veteran player sneered.

"Then they stood on the mountaintop and fired two arrows. The first arrow, from hundreds of meters away, instantly killed the Blood Wolf Guild leader. The second arrow vaporized over a hundred of them, along with the ground beneath their feet! There's still a huge crater there! Go see for yourself if you don't believe me!"

"Hiss—" The novice player gasped, feeling as if his worldview had been shaken.

"So, if you see these two in the wild in the future, don't think about anything, don't ask anything, just run! If you can't run away, just stand still and don't make any unnecessary movements, or you won't even know how you died!" the veteran player earnestly advised.

Similar conversations continued to unfold wherever Li Wu and his group went.

Li Wu didn't feel anything particularly special about this change.

He even seemed to enjoy it a little.

Because no one dared to come up and cause them trouble anymore.

They can quietly and efficiently grind monsters and level up.

Soon, the two crossed the Blackrock Mountains and arrived at the Blackrock Hills.

The terrain here is flatter than Blackrock Mountain, but the level and strength of the monsters are a whole level higher.

Most of the creatures roaming the hills are ogres and gargoyles of level 15 to 18.

These monsters are thick-skinned and have considerable attack power; even a regular five-person team would have to be very careful when dealing with them.

But for Li Wu and Hua Zitong, none of these were problems.

"roar!"

A giant ogre, over three meters tall and wielding a massive stone club, spotted them, roared, and charged forward with heavy strides.

Hua Zitong didn't even raise her shield before rushing forward.

Just as the ogre's stone club was about to strike her head, her body twisted to the side at an extremely strange angle, easily dodging the powerful blow.

Immediately afterwards, the longsword in her hand drew a cold arc and precisely pierced the ogre's armpit.

-288!

A respectable damage number appeared above the ogre's head.

The ogre, in pain, let out a roar and turned to swing his club again.

But Hua Zitong is like a top-notch bullfighter, always able to dodge all attacks with minimal movement on the edge of danger, while simultaneously leaving wounds on her opponent.

Her fighting style is full of contradictory beauty, combining violence and elegance.

Li Wu, on the other hand, stood not far away, leisurely as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

He didn't even use any skills.

He simply raised his bow and casually shot an arrow at the ogre's head.

call out!

A pure white beam of light flashed and disappeared.

puff.

The ogre's enormous body suddenly stiffened.

On its watermelon-sized head, there was a tiny hole that was open from front to back.

-1285! (Weakness Critical Hit!)

A terrifying injury, capable of shattering the mentality of anyone who saw it, slowly rose from above the ogre's head.

The ogre that had been so ferocious just moments before didn't even have time to let out a scream before it fell straight backward with a dull thud.

Sold out instantly.

It sold out in seconds again.

I killed a level 18 elite monster instantly with a basic attack.

Hua Zitong stopped what she was doing, turned around and glanced at Li Wu, her eyes filled with helplessness.

She felt like she was now just a tool to lure monsters.

She painstakingly positioned herself and drew aggro, but before she could even land a few hits, Li Wu finished the battle with a single "basic attack."

This made her feel like she had no gaming experience at all.

"Where do we go next?" Li Wu asked as he skillfully picked up the few copper coins dropped by the ogre.

"Keep heading north, there's a place ahead called 'Wailing Cave.' The monsters inside are all around level 20, and they give a lot of experience," Hua Zitong replied, sheathing her longsword.

She paused, then added, "However, you have to promise me that we absolutely cannot touch the level 20 world boss."

"Why?" Li Wu asked, puzzled. "We've already killed two level 15 wild bosses, so a level 20 one shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"It's different." Hua Zitong's expression turned serious.

"Level 15 and 20 are a watershed moment. Level 20 world bosses are several times more complex and powerful than level 15 bosses in terms of health, attack power, and skill mechanics."

"Many of them even possess rudimentary intelligence and can change their tactics based on the battle situation. With our current equipment and level, challenging them is no different from suicide."

"Only when your team has a true tank/knight can you attempt this challenge!"

Looking at Hua Zitong's serious expression, Li Wu knew she wasn't joking.

He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Although he was confident, he was never arrogant.

He was still willing to believe Hua Zitong's judgment.

For the next few days, the two of them lived a monotonous yet fulfilling life of grinding monsters, going back and forth between Blackrock Hills and Wailing Caverns.

Li Wu first used the Explosive Burning Arrow to burn the enemy's health, and then used his almost bug-like "basic attack" to kill them from a distance.

Hua Zitong was responsible for dealing with those who slipped through the net and protecting Li Wu's safety.

The two worked together more and more seamlessly.

The experience bar for leveling up is also growing rapidly at a visible rate.

During this time, they also encountered several elite teams from other guilds who were also leveling up in Wailing Caverns.

But upon seeing them, all those people immediately chose to take a detour, fearing any interaction with them.

Li Wu's name has become an unwritten "clearing order" for this area.

Wherever he went, there were no other players within a hundred meters.

This feeling is wonderful.

Without conflict or disturbance, the whole world seemed to consist only of the two of them and the ever-respawning monsters.

Li Wu even felt that this was exactly what he had always envisioned, what it should be like.

Simple, pure, and efficient.

Two days later.

When Li Wu once again used a [Fusion Penetrating Arrow] to kill a level 20 Cave Lurker.

A pleasant system notification sounded in his ear.

[System Notification: Congratulations on reaching LV20! Your Strength +1, Agility +1, Intelligence +1, Constitution +1, Spirit +1! You have gained 5 free attribute points.]

A golden beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping both him and Hua Zitong.

The warm energy washed away all their fatigue.

Without a second thought, Li Wu immediately added all 5 points of his free attribute to Intelligence.

He opened his attribute panel and looked at his intelligence attribute, which was close to 190, and his magic attack power, which was over 350 points. He felt a sense of satisfaction.

However, his joy was short-lived.

A system announcement, louder and more expansive than ever before, resounded across the entire sky of District 21 without warning.