2: Chapter 2: Killing Chickens for Attribute Drops? I'll just max out Intelligence!
This Level 1 dungeon was different from other places like the Level 2 Scarecrow Valley or the Level 3 Gray Wolf Plains.
It was the weakest dungeon, without exception.
It was also specifically chosen by Jiang Feng.
He wanted to see exactly how many attribute points killing a single chicken would grant.
Light and shadow distorted.
A thick stench of chicken droppings assaulted his senses.
Jiang Feng opened his eyes and found himself standing in a dilapidated farm.
The sky was a murky yellow, and the surrounding area was a breeding zone enclosed by wire mesh.
"Cluck, cluck!"
Not far away, a red-feathered rooster the size of a local dog was staring intently at him.
[Red-Crested Chicken] (Mutated)
Level: Lv1
HP: 150/150
Attack: 15
Defense: 4
Skill: Fierce Peck
...
This was the weakest monster in the Demon Realm World.
Though it was just a chicken, its sharp beak could easily peck through wooden planks.
Once an ordinary player allowed such a mutated chicken to get close, its rapid attack speed made it very difficult to hold one's ground.
It was worth mentioning that in the world of "Demon Realm," increasing one's level and strength could be 100% manifested into the real world.
Even skills and equipment, pets, and so on that carried the word "True" in their entries could be brought into reality.
Furthermore, every piece of "True" equipment was worth a fortune; looting one could make a person modestly wealthy.
At this moment...
Jiang Feng glanced at his own status panel.
ID: Qing Feng (Hidden)
Class: Mage
Level: Lv1
HP: 100/100
MP: 100/100
Attributes: Constitution 10, Wisdom 10, Strength 10, Agility 10, Luck 10
Magic Damage: 48
Defense: 28
Talent (100% Reality Sync): [Infinite Grade: Pangu Plunder]
Effect 1: Upon killing any unit, forcibly plunder 10 to N free attribute points (depending on the target's strength).
Effect 2: No upper limit on attribute point allocation.
Talent (Disguise): Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent (Grade B, Monster Kill EXP +25%)
Skill: Fireball Lv.1 (Consumes 10 MP, deals Magic Damage x 1.2 fire damage. Cooldown: 1 second.)
Equipment: Novice Staff (+18 Magic Damage), Novice Cloth Armor (+8 Defense)
...
With only 10 initial Wisdom points, plus the 18 damage from the weapon, his total was 48.
The Fireball damage coefficient was 1.2x, resulting in 57.6 damage.
Subtracting the monster's defense gave the final damage.
In other words, with Jiang Feng's current Fireball damage of 53-54, three casts were enough to insta-kill a mutated chicken.
With a 1-second cooldown and a 10-point mana cost, a Mage was theoretically a high-damage, high-efficiency "mobile turret."
But the shortcoming was equally obvious...
A 100-point mana pool could only cast ten skills. Combined with the low mana regeneration speed of the early game, his sustainability was extremely poor.
Once out of mana, it was very easy to be closed in on and killed by monsters.
Because of this, Mages were recognized as "early-game trash."
After all, having to rest for five minutes after fighting two monsters was pathetically inefficient.
"Cluck!"
A sharp crowing erupted as the mutated poultry flapped its wings, lunging at Jiang Feng with a foul wind.
That speed didn't look like a chicken at all; it was more like a rabid dog.
Jiang Feng didn't move.
He didn't even consider dodging.
His muscles instinctively raised the Novice Staff, and an orange-red light instantly condensed at the tip.
Predict, lock on, and fire.
"Fireball."
Boom!
A fist-sized Fireball whistled through the air, accurately smacking the Red-Crested Chicken right in the forehead.
Sparks flew and feathers charred. The Red-Crested Chicken let out a miserable shriek as a bright red number floated above its head.
-54!
Its health bar was instantly emptied by a third.
"Defense is even lower than I expected. Such a squishy chicken."
Jiang Feng quickly felt more confident.
Without waiting for the Red-Crested Chicken to land and counterattack, his wrist flicked, and the staff lit up again.
Though this was his first real battle, the psychological fortitude gained from living two lives made him as steady as an old dog.
Taking advantage of the Red-Crested Chicken being staggered by the Fireball's impact, a second Fireball was seamlessly linked.
Jiang Feng's monster-killing was gradually becoming smooth and effortless.
-53!
The Red-Crested Chicken's health bar was mostly gone. Terrified and trembling all over, it flapped its wings, trying to flee.
This human was a bit too powerful; of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing was the best!
"Trying to run? Too late."
The corners of Jiang Feng's mouth curled up as a third Fireball cut off its escape route.
Boom!
The final Fireball completely emptied its health bar.
The mutated chicken twitched twice before dissipating into white light, leaving a few copper coins clinking on the ground.
At the same time, a mechanical voice rang out in Jiang Feng's mind.
[Ding! You have killed a Lv1 Mutated Red-Crested Chicken. Gained EXP +10 (Talent Bonus +2.5)!]
[Talent 'Pangu Plunder' triggered!]
[Plunder successful! Obtained Free Attribute Points: 10!]
Jiang Feng's hand gripped the staff tightly, as if he had misheard.
He stared fixedly at the notification on his retina.
10 points?
One must know that in this gamified world, players had to work themselves to death just to level up once to get 5 distributable free attribute points.
And now, Jiang Feng received at least 10 attribute points for killing a single monster, regardless of whether he leveled up or not!
This was simply too incredible, wasn't it?!
With this unparalleled growth speed, things were going to be incredibly easy and pleasant.
And this feeling of becoming stronger was so intoxicating that he could hardly control himself.
"Woo... hoo..."
Jiang Feng exhaled slowly, suppressing his racing heart, his gaze gradually becoming burning with intensity.
Killing one chicken gave 10 distributable free attribute points.
Then what about killing 100 chickens? Or 10,000?
Jiang Feng didn't dare imagine it.
Gradually...
He calmed down.
He gladly accepted this delightful reality.
Immediately, he began to plan his next steps for hunting monsters.
First, allocate points to maximize gains, then clear the Mutated Chicken Farm dungeon!
Jiang Feng glanced at his panel.
The three Fireballs just now had consumed 30 mana, leaving him with 70/100.
For a Mage, being out of mana was equivalent to waiting for death.
"Since I have infinite attribute points, I'll fill in all my shortcomings."
With precision and speed, Jiang Feng added all 10 of those attribute points to his Wisdom.
[Allocation complete!]
[Wisdom: 10 → 20]
[Magic Attack: 48 → 78]
[MP: 100 → 200]
[Mana Regen Speed: 10/min → 20/min]
...
In an instant, a cool sensation washed over his brain, and the slight fatigue from casting earlier vanished into thin air.
Jiang Feng felt as if his very soul was transforming into butterflies, dancing within his mind.
His thinking became clearer, and the magic power reserves in his body felt overflowing.
"Phew—"
Jiang Feng let out a light breath. The feeling of magic surging through him was even more refreshing than drinking an ice-cold Coke in the middle of summer.
The combat power of 20 Wisdom was immediately apparent.
The previous Red-Crested Chicken had required three Fireballs and some kiting maneuvers, but now?
He glanced at another "EXP baby" scratching the dirt dozens of meters away. He casually raised his staff, not even bothering to aim properly.
"Go."
Boom!
This time, the Fireball's color was so dark it was almost black, and its core even flickered with a terrifying bluish-white light.
-90!
A massive damage number floated up.
Then came the second one.
-91!
The Red-Crested Chicken didn't even have time to let out a shriek before its head was blasted into charcoal, and it fell straight over.
An absolute kill.
And it was a kill with massive overkill damage!
[Ding! You have killed a Lv1 Mutated Red-Crested Chicken...]
[Talent 'Pangu Plunder' triggered! Obtained Free Attribute Points: 10!]
"Now this is comfortable."
Jiang Feng was delighted.
This feeling was like playing on a private server with a hundred-fold drop rate; every monster's fall meant a concrete increase in strength.
Next, the third one.
Without any suspense, the Fireball traced a straight red line through the air, as precise as if it were equipped with a guidance system.
Instant kill.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up to Lv2! Gained Free Attribute Points: 5.]
[Talent 'Pangu Plunder' triggered! Obtained Free Attribute Points: 10!]
Just like that, he leveled up.
For ordinary people, they would have to toil in the novice dungeon for half a day, partying up like beggars to split that measly bit of experience, killing dozens of chickens just to reach Level 2.
But for Jiang Feng, who took all the experience for himself and had that seemingly insignificant "25% EXP bonus" from his talent, his leveling speed was comparable to a rocket.
At this point, his reserve of attribute points had reached a staggering 25!
"In this world, hesitation leads to defeat, and insufficient firepower is the original sin."
Jiang Feng scanned his panel, his eyes glinting with the feverish intensity of a gambler.
Balanced builds? Survival builds? Those were just excuses for the weak.
As long as the monsters die fast enough, I don't need defense at all!
"All in! Everything into Wisdom!"
With a thought, all 25 attribute points were poured into the [Wisdom] column.
[Allocation complete!]
[Wisdom: 20 → 45]
[Magic Attack: 78 → 153]
[MP: 200 → 450]
[Mana Regen Speed: 20/min → 45/min]