"Is the third level really this hard?"
Shi Feng stared at the human Swordsman standing at the center of the fighting arena, momentarily at a loss for words.
Krobyson (Black Sword Knight), Hero, Tier-Three Sword King, Level 99, HP 13 million.
For current players, NPCs were already untouchable existences, but most players didn't realize that the gap between NPCs and NPCs was just as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
The Giant race NPC he had fought earlier belonged to a naturally gifted race — its combat power ranked among the very top among same-tier NPCs. Yet compared to a Hero, it was like comparing a firefly to the full moon.
Heroes were powerhouses who had completed a divine trial and earned the recognition of the gods. After becoming a Hero, they received divine protection, making their combat power at the same tier virtually invincible. The strongest Heroes could even single-handedly slay dragons, serving as guardian deities for kingdoms and empires alike.
In his previous life, many peak Tier-Five experts had relied on their formidable strength and made frequent attacks on kingdom and empire trade caravans, only for a hidden Hero-level NPC to emerge from within. In the end, those peak Tier-Five experts had been utterly crushed, unable to even escape before being imprisoned.
And now his opponent was a Tier-Three Hero. How could that not leave Shi Feng speechless?
System: Defeat the Black Sword Knight Krobyson within one day. If the player fails to complete this within the designated time, the challenge will be automatically counted as a failure.
Upon hearing the system notification, Shi Feng's last shred of hope crumbled.
He had still been clinging to some hope — perhaps he only needed to hold out for a while against a Tier-Three Hero, which was something he might manage. But now he had to actually kill a Tier-Three Hero? That was simply impossible. Never mind that he was only Tier-Two — even if he were a genuine Tier-Three Class holder, it wouldn't be doable.
After all, those peak Tier-Five experts from his previous life were no weaker than him in terms of combat skill, not to mention their weapons and equipment — at minimum they would have had Epic-grade gear, with possibly a few Legendary-grade fragments among them, and they had still been trounced by a Tier-Five Hero without exception.
And here he was, a mere Tier-Two Class holder, facing a Tier-Three Hero.
"Wait — why is all this Hero's gear Dark Gold grade?"
Shi Feng had been just about to give up, deciding not to waste any more time on the Tower of Four Gods, when he suddenly noticed that the equipment on Krobyson only emanated the faint glow of Dark Gold-grade items.
Ordinary Hero-level NPCs wore Epic-grade sets at minimum, and the better ones were decked out in Legendary-grade fragments. After all, NPCs had an easier time obtaining such weapons and equipment compared to players.
But the Krobyson standing before him was wearing nothing but Dark Gold-grade gear, and it didn't even look like a matching set.
"There's a chance!" Shi Feng's eyes lit up instantly.
The gap between wearing an Epic-grade set and wearing scattered Dark Gold-grade pieces was three full tiers of equipment quality — which meant three tiers less in combat power. And most crucially, the Hero before him was only Level 99, not Level 100.
Level 100 was a massive watershed — not just for monsters, but for NPCs as well. Below Level 100, they were subject to system restrictions and could only unleash a portion of their true strength. He might actually have a shot.
With that thought, Shi Feng adjusted his mindset and strode directly onto the arena platform.
"Young adventurer, you should turn back. Your strength is not enough to defeat me," Krobyson said, addressing Shi Feng of his own accord.
"How would anyone know without trying?" Shi Feng replied.
"If that's the case, then I can only send you back!" Krobyson drew the pitch-black greatsword from his back, his aura surging violently as he charged straight at Shi Feng.
Krobyson's speed was breathtaking — in an instant, he split into six afterimages, all six completely indistinguishable from the real one, thrusting toward Shi Feng simultaneously.
"As expected — 100% magic skill completion rate." Shi Feng watched the six figures bearing down on him, feeling not the slightest hint of surprise.