"Although a day isn't exactly short, dealing with Second Class giant NPCs of the same level is going to be a real jump in difficulty." Shi Feng studied the ten giant gladiators in the arena. "I'm afraid that even a half-step Perfection Realm expert wouldn't stand a chance without a full set of Dark Gold Equipment of the same level."
NPCs were nothing like ordinary monsters. They possessed numerous magic skills, and their combat level was a cut above monsters of the same class.
Moreover, even among NPCs of the same class, there were clear differences in strength.
That came down to differences in weapons and equipment. After all, a full set of Bronze Equipment versus a full set of Dark Gold Equipment meant a massive gap in stats.
The ten giant NPCs before him were no exception—the weakest wore a full set of Bronze Equipment, while the strongest sported a full set of Gold-grade. On top of the giants' natural racial talents, even a player in a full set of Dark Gold Equipment would likely fall short in raw stats. The only option was to rely on skill to fight back.
Inside the Tower of Four Gods, external items couldn't be used, and even burst skills were off-limits. Players could only rely on their own strength—a severe restriction.
It almost felt like the first two trials were training the player, while this third trial was the real examination.
Shi Feng didn't overthink it and stepped straight into the arena.
Six days of training had pushed him to a bottleneck. He could still only use fourteen strikes of Thunderflash, though the mental energy consumption had dropped to a quarter of what it used to be. Further improvement wasn't something that could be achieved in a short time, so there was no point wasting an entire day. Better to just clear the first floor and move straight on to the second.
As Shi Feng stepped onto the stage, a giant NPC strode to the center of the ring. Without a word, it swung a massive battleaxe straight at him.
The axe carried a dense charge of earth element, making it crushingly heavy. To make matters worse, the area around Shi Feng was flooded with gravitational force, drastically reducing his mobility.
A single strike carrying power approaching that of a Great Lord of the same level. The axe split into three afterimages like a mountain pressing down, leaving absolutely no room to dodge.
"A combat skill!"
Shi Feng's eyes widened with surprise at the move.
Combat skills weren't exclusive to players—they had always existed in the Divine Realm, which was exactly why things like Legacy Stone Tablets were out there. But in the Divine Realm, for NPCs to learn combat skills was far harder than for players. Most NPCs didn't truly gain access to combat skills until they reached Third Class, and even then, only a handful could use them.
Yet this Second Class giant NPC could wield one. How could that not be surprising?
Even a basic combat skill could dramatically boost an NPC's combat power. Combined with natural talent and a combat level matching the early stage of the fifth floor of the Tower of Trials, this giant NPC could absolutely dominate any half-step Perfection Realm expert.
But to Shi Feng, this kind of attack was still quite crude.
Shi Feng simply raised his Blade of Dusk and effortlessly blocked the axe, while his Holy Sword Thunder Slayer sliced across the giant NPC's body, giving it no chance whatsoever.
Sword Light Phantom!
Ten streaks of sword light orbited like stars, clashing in pairs to produce a burst of instantaneous brilliance.
System: Sword Light Phantom completion 101%, skill proficiency +10, dealing 170% skill damage.
The giant NPC was sent flying instantly. A chain of damage numbers exceeding two hundred thousand popped above its head, and it was immediately frozen in a brief stunned state.
"What an incredible effect!" Shi Feng himself was mildly stunned.
Over the six days of training, compared to the progress made with Thunderflash, the improvement in Sword Light Phantom had been the greatest.