chapter 11

The skill Bind isn't a Hard CC ability. It's more of a targeted cast.

In other words, you can dodge it with proper positioning.

The main reason Alden got hit before was his carelessness. On top of that, all three Treant Overlords used Thorn Bind at the same time, cutting off his escape route.

Now, with full focus, Alden quickly repositions and dodges whenever he notices the Treants lifting their hands to cast Thorn Bind.

Combined with his high damage value and the lightning chain effect, Twisted Treants' number dropped rapidly.

As their numbers thinned, Alden's grinding efficiency only got better.

Finally, all the Twisted Treants in this stage were eliminated.

Ding! "You've leveled up to Level 9. Attribute Points +5."

Leveling up once per stage—this kind of speed was downright terrifying.

Moreover, Alden's health had fully recovered thanks to his Revival skill.

Meanwhile.

Skyspire Guild.

Offline Meeting Hall.

A video was being played on the big screen, showcasing Alden's solo run of the Twisted Treant King.

A young man stood at the head of the conference table.

"You've all seen the video. Fenrir, you're an archer too—what's your take on this?"

Fenrir from the Skyspire Guild immediately stood up. "The damage value is impressive, sure, but his technique? That's what's truly terrifying.

"Even if his damage value were lower, his skill alone would let him solo this boss."

Skyspire Marauder, standing to the side, chimed in. "Skyspire Shield, what's your point in showing us this video?"

"I want you to help me assess. If I were to recruit him, how much would I offer? I previously made him a ten-million-a-year offer, but he turned it down without even blinking."

Fenrir frowned. "With skills like his, there's no way he's just some random nobody. Likely, he was already earning tens of millions annually during the PC gaming era—or even more."

After all, there once was a legendary archer in PC gaming whose annual salary exceeded 80 million.

"With Twilight of the Gods gaining so much traction right now, his skills and stats could easily justify a yearly salary of 100 million.

"And if we factor in the impact he could have on our guild's influence and momentum in the game's early stages, his salary could even go as high as 150 to 200 million."

Fenrir's assessment was spot on.

Even as the Skyspire Guildmaster, his own annual salary was just over 20 million.

But Alden's skills? They had genuinely impressed him.

"Got it." Skyspire Shield nodded. "Fenrir, organize our members who are still in the Rookie Village to start grinding the Twisted Treant dungeon. Also, if possible, encourage every player in the Rookie Villages to try their hand at the Level 10 Twisted Treants."

Fenrir nodded. "Understood."

After that, Skyspire Shield cleared his throat. "One more thing—I wanted to show you my current stats."

With a satisfied smirk, he displayed the attributes of his Treant gear set.

Fenrir's eyes widened in shock at the stats.

"Max health increased by 5,800, and both armor and magic resistance are boosted significantly. Not to mention the unique set bonuses."

Fenrir couldn't help but gasp. "Skyspire Shield, how much did this gear cost you?"

"Four hundred thousand, and that includes power-leveling to Level 10.

"It was originally 300,000, but I added two Black Iron gears."

Fenrir was stunned. "That cheap?"

That's right—it was cheap.

A single Level 10 elite-level equipment was worth around 20,000.

Individually, these 13 pieces could easily fetch 400,000.

But the real kicker was that it was a full set—and it came with power-leveling to Level 10.

"The Frost King sold it to you?"

"Yep."

"Then it's clear he's not strapped for cash. Otherwise, he could've sold it for much more."

Fenrir instinctively assumed Alden was wealthy enough not to care.

He didn't know Alden was rushing to get some money, so he didn't haggle.

Besides, real-world currency would be practically worthless in five years when the great catastrophe hit.

Twisted Jungle!

Alden entered the third stage of the dungeon.

This time, there were four Twisted Treant Kings.

Twisted Treant King (Black Iron Boss): Level 10.

HP: 186,800.

Attack: 598.

Skills: Summon Treants, Revival, Vine Bind, Thorn Shield, Vine Cage.

Although the number of skills hadn't changed, their stats had significantly improved.

And now, there were four of them.

After glancing at his own health, Alden immediately made his move.

Whizz!

Critical Hit!

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These Black Iron bosses lived up to their reputation in a Hell-Level dungeon. Their high defenses meant that despite Alden's Thunderstorm Bow adding 300 attacks, his critical hits barely made a dent.

Most of his damage value came from Heaven's Hand.

One important thing to note was that the Twisted Treant King's Vine Bind was far deadlier than the regular Treants' Bind skill.

This skill was close to a Hard CC because the vines emerged directly from under the player's feet, making it nearly impossible to react in time.

Alden could simultaneously interrupt up to two Twisted Treant Kings' attacks at his current attack speed.

But now, he was up against four.

The battle began.

The four Twisted Treant Kings, displaying a hint of intelligence, started closing in on Alden.

Simultaneously, their Vine Cage skill was cast.

Fortunately, Vine Cage had the slowest casting speed and was the easiest to interrupt.

Alden quickly disrupted their skill.

Still, with four Treant Kings casting skills simultaneously, they cut off Alden's escape routes.

Instead of retreating, Alden advanced. This was exactly what he wanted.

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Alden stepped into the Treant Kings' basic attack range by moving forward.

Their combined strikes dealt over 2,000 damage to him.

After their skill effects dissipated, Alden backed off, distancing himself from the bosses.

He resumed kiting them.

As long as he avoided getting chained by Vine Bind, his current health and Revival skill made it nearly impossible for him to be one-shot.

While kiting, he finally took down the first Twisted Treant King.

With one down, the fight became much easier.

Before long, the remaining three Treant Kings fell as well.

In Twilight of the Gods, dungeon rewards were calculated upon completion. Until then, killing mobs only yielded experience points, not drops.

At least Alden didn't have to bother looting corpses.

He stepped into the fourth and final stage of the Twisted Jungle dungeon.

As soon as he entered, he saw a towering tree over 30 feet tall, its countless vines swaying in the wind.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary giant tree, not a boss.

Nine-Headed Hydra Tree (Bronze): level 10.

HP: 1,528,000 / 1,528,000

Attack: 1,358

Skill: Withered Tree Reborn.

Alden's eyes narrowed. This boss had only one skill!