"Guild Leader, you've finally hit Level 25." Hei Zi watched the golden glow radiating from Shi Feng and couldn't help but sigh with feeling.
"That's right," Shi Feng said with a bitter smile. "Choosing this Blade Saint class means my leveling speed is destined to be slow."
"Guild Leader, I've saved some Gold-grade and Mythril-rank equipment specifically for Level 25 Swordsmen." Huo Wu spoke as she pulled several pieces of equipment from her inventory—items she had deliberately set aside, while all other Level 25 drops had been sent to the guild warehouse.
The fact that Shi Feng was a hidden class wasn't exactly a secret among Zero Wing's core members. Ziyan Liuyun being a Star Astrologer was the same. Originally, everyone had been rather envious of hidden classes, eager to find legacies that would let them transfer into one. But after watching the two of them level up over this period, the speed was painfully slow.
Plenty of team members had originally been lower level than both Shi Feng and Ziyan Liuyun, but after a few days in White Mist Canyon, everyone had surpassed them both.
They were only in their twenties now. What about when they hit their thirties, fifties, or even past level one hundred? It would only get worse.
Thinking about how their leveling speed would lag so far behind other players going forward, the group quietly abandoned the idea of specifically seeking out hidden class transfers. If they happened to encounter a high-level legacy down the road, great—if not, so be it.
Level mattered enormously in the Divine Realm, and dying just once on a hidden class… just thinking about it was enough to make anyone lose their mind.
"Thanks." Shi Feng didn't refuse. The gear he was wearing was all Level 20 miscellaneous pieces. Swapping them for Level 25 Gold-grade and Mythril-rank equipment would give his stats a decent boost.
On top of that, Shi Feng pulled a pair of exquisitely crafted fire-red boots from his inventory. Three dazzling flame crystals were embedded across them, and a deep crimson glow flowed over the entire surface.
These were the ultra-rare boots that had dropped when Shi Feng killed the High Leader, the Scorching Serpentess.
Boots of Flame. Plate armor boots. Dark-Gold rank. Required Level: 25. Defense +175, Strength +21, Agility +30, Stamina +15, Movement Speed +8. Fire Resistance +5. Equipped Skill: Flame Dash—Movement Speed increased by 100% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
These boots were worth at least 30 gold now. Shi Feng had been holding onto them because his level hadn't been high enough, but he could finally put them to use.
The moment Shi Feng equipped the Boots of Flame, his stats jumped up another tier, and he gained a new skill—Flame Dash. It was practically essential for both escaping and chasing, and it undoubtedly boosted Shi Feng's mobility by a considerable margin.
"Guild Leader, what are those boots? They're so pretty!" Water Rouge spotted the Boots of Flame on Shi Feng's feet and gushed with admiration.
It wasn't just Water Rouge—even Huo Wu and Ziyan Liuyun couldn't take their eyes off them.
Beautiful things were every woman's weakness.
"These boots dropped from a mob in the Fire God's Cavern, but since you're both magic classes, you can't equip them. Otherwise I'd suggest running it a few more times." Shi Feng found himself staring down three gorgeous women, and even with all his battlefield experience he couldn't hold his ground—he simply posted the Boots of Flame's stats for everyone to see.
Everyone took one look at the stats, and their hearts skipped a beat.
"Guild Leader, is that Dark-Gold rank equipment at Level 25?!" Fei Ying nearly had his eyes pop out of his head. He had assumed the Boots of Flame were Gold-grade equipment—after all, Zero Wing had only just begun clearing High Leaders above Level 25, and the best drops they could hope for were Gold-grade at best.
"Those stats are insane!" Hei Zi said, eyes brimming with envy. As for the boots being Dark-Gold rank, he wasn't particularly surprised.
"Guild Leader, when exactly did you manage to kill a High Leader above Level 25?" Water Rouge asked, staring at Shi Feng in disbelief.
Huo Wu and the others only then realized just how much information was packed into Shi Feng's casual remark.
Zero Wing had only entered White Mist Canyon not long ago. Judging from Shi Feng's manner, he had clearly obtained this equipment before entering the canyon. But Dark-Gold rank gear only dropped from High Leaders—Level 25 Dark-Gold equipment meant he'd had to kill at least one Level 25 High Leader. Yet Shi Feng had been operating solo the entire time. The only possibility was that he had soloed a Level 25 High Leader.