Within minutes, the skeletal cavalry were reduced to heaps of shattered bones, and less than half of the original 1,000 monsters remained.
The pace of the attacks began to slow, but Orson remained vigilant. With a wave of his hand, another Quaking Stone Spikes erupted, reinforcing the pocket formation and extending the defensive line.
A group of about 30 fox spirits, their bodies glowing faintly with flames, approached cautiously.
Although their numbers were small, their stats far surpassed ordinary mobs, rivaling those of a standard Level 20 boss.
What made them particularly troublesome was their cunning. Instead of recklessly charging forward like the skeletal riders, they broke formation and began targeting the NPC soldiers drawing aggro on the outskirts.
Orson's expression darkened. In a matter of seconds, three mounted NPC soldiers were dragged down, their horses overwhelmed. The surrounding monsters swarmed them, leaving nothing but carnage in their wake.
Skills: Heavy Claw Strike, Basic Fire Magic
"These mobs are rare," Orson murmured. "If memory serves, they drop a 20-level mage set."
He quickly commanded the NPC soldiers to retreat to avoid further losses.
While the fox spirits demonstrated some intelligence, they were no match for Orson's veteran cunning.
Under the buff from Whisper of the Wind, Orson's attack speed increased. His basic attacks interrupted the lead fox's pursuit, followed by a barrage of fireballs that sent it flying.
Suddenly, a crack of thunder split the air. An NPC soldier was struck by lightning, collapsing into a state of forced paralysis, his body emitting faint smoke.
Emerging from the ranks of the fox spirits was a majestic figure wreathed in sparks of electricity. Its piercing eyes locked onto Orson as it growled menacingly.
Skills: Fire Thunder Curse, Heavy Claw Strike
Just as Orson had predicted, this was a boss mob. Its stats and abilities rivaled those of an elite boss, particularly its Fire Thunder Curse—a variant of fire magic leaning into lightning-based effects.
In the game's elemental system, each of the four major magic types had numerous specialized subclasses, ranging from D-tier to A-tier in power.
Lightning magic was one of the C/B-tier awakenings of fire magic, known for its devastating power and swift casting speed—a formidable choice among ordinary awakened classes.
Orson faced the snarling Sacred Fox King with a calm smile.
The Flame Dragon materialized above the fox spirits with a deafening roar, unleashing a torrent of flames. Caught off guard, the Sacred Fox King was swept up by the fiery onslaught.
Orson capitalized on the dragon's knockback effect, chaining basic attacks into the stunned boss from over 200 meters away.
Meanwhile, The Flame Dragon's fireballs rained down, engulfing the fox spirits in waves of flames. Those attempting to break through toward Orson found themselves within range of the NPC archers, whose arrows reduced them to pincushions.
"You've slain a Sacred Fox Spirit. Experience +1000."
"You've slain a Sacred Fox…"
"Your level has increased to 17."
Orson grinned. The leveling efficiency was even better than he had anticipated.
With this pace, even considering the steep XP curve after Level 20, he estimated he could reach Level 23 in 24 hours of grinding.
The Sacred Fox King wailed as Orson's relentless attacks, combined with his Blazing Burn passive, hammered away at its health. Suspended in mid-air, the boss never touched the ground again.
"This is how the Mage King fights? An effortless Combo x182...what the hell?!"
"Kneeling to the Mage King. I struggle to combo 10 hits on trash mobs, and he's chaining combos ."
"Two thousand damage per second?! Insane."
Nearby mage players, awestruck by Orson's display, could only gape. Though convinced that Boss Bai was an elite NPC, watching him utterly dominate a boss like a child's toy was still overwhelming.
While infinite combos might seem miraculous to ordinary players, in Hardcore Mode, they were a survival necessity.
Regular bosses lacked escape abilities like Super Armor or Unstoppable Stance, allowing seasoned players to chain hundreds, if not thousands, of hits with proper technique.
"Holy crap, a hero-tier item dropped! And not just one!"
"Looks like a mage robe and some other armor...can we grab it?"
Before the spectators could react, the Sacred Fox King exploded in mid-air. Coins, materials, and equipment scattered in all directions.
A dazzling purple light beamed upward, but before anyone could examine the loot, Orson swept it all into his inventory with a flick of his hand.
Defense: Physical/Magic Damage Reduction 20%
Effect: Regenerates 1% MP per second.
3-Piece Set Bonus: Thunderclap
Effect: Increases Fire/Lightning Magic Crit Rate by 50% for 1 minute (Cooldown: 10 minutes).
6-Piece Set Bonus: Reduces Thunderclap cooldown to 7 minutes.
Orson's scalp tingled with excitement. In his past life, the Fox Clan mage set was one of the strongest hero-tier mage sets at Level 20.
With its 6-piece bonus skill Thunderclap, it was the pinnacle of burst damage, unrivaled by even legendary sets.
The robe's baseline stats were equally exceptional. Its percentage-based defense bonuses were critical for a fragile mage, and the MP regeneration made it perfect for Orson's mana-heavy build.
With 17,500 MP, the robe's 1% regeneration restored 175 MP per second—enough to make him a perpetual spell-casting machine.
He moved on to inspect the second hero-tier drop from the mobs.
[Fox Clan Ring (Left Hand)]
Effect 1: +5% Crit Rate
Effect 2: +0.2 Attack Speed
3-Piece Set Bonus: Quickstep
Effect: Reduces cooldowns by 10%.
6-Piece Set Bonus: Reduces cooldowns by 20%.
"Perfect," Orson smirked.
Accessories were often minor upgrades to stats but could create significant disparities between players. Due to their rarity, many players reached Level 30 without completing a full set of accessories.
Elated by his haul, Orson resumed his grind.
As the monster waves began to thin out, nearly 2,000 creatures had fallen within an hour.
"Congratulations! You have defended against the first wave of monsters."
"Rewards: Experience +20,000, Skill Points +5, Attribute Points +5, Gold +2."
"Stay alert! The monsters will return in 10 minutes!"
Orson relaxed slightly, surveying the battlefield littered with loot.
Suppressing a grin to maintain Boss Bai's dignified image, he began cleaning up the spoils.
"You've obtained 27.5 Gold."
"You've obtained 53 Green-Quality Items."
"You've obtained 15 Blue-Quality Items."
"You've obtained 2 Purple-Quality Items."
"You've obtained 12 Skill Books."