Online game: God-level Assassin, I Am the Shadow.

When Qin Feng laid eyes on the 'Swift Runner', he instinctively glanced at his own agility stat.

Thanks to the Shadow class bonuses and the agility boost from his bronze-tier 'Corrosive Dagger', Qin Feng's agility had soared to 34 points.

In the Abandoned Game, doubling one's agility didn't equate to doubling movement speed. Instead, there was a specific calculation formula.

"With an initial 10 points of agility, the usual movement speed is around 3 meters per second, and sprinting can reach about 9.5 meters per second."

"Now, with 34 points of agility, my normal movement speed is 5.83 meters per second, and sprinting reaches 17 to 18 meters per second."

Qin Feng's speed was nearly double that of some newbie players. Even so, it was just enough to match the Swift Runner's speed.

"That's sufficient."

"Being able to keep up with the Swift Runner means I don't have to worry about it escaping."

Hiding within the shadows, Qin Feng observed the scene ahead.

The Swift Runner was chasing down a player squad.

Leading the group was a burly man wielding a shabby shield, steadily retreating while fending off the Swift Runner's attacks.

That man was none other than 'Wang Meng', the second-ranked player in Shell Town.

Behind him, five hidden-class players were seriously unleashing their skills, targeting the Swift Runner.

Unfortunately...

Whether it was the archer or the mage, both the male and female ranged classes found it nearly impossible to hit the Swift Runner.

The Swift Runner's erratic movement and decayed claws and fangs quickly brought Wang Meng's health to half.

Even with the 'Holy Shield Warrior' class's high base durability, with health and defense stats about 30% higher than other newbies, Wang Meng was struggling.

Their rise to level 2 had been relatively smooth, with Wang Meng bearing the brunt of the danger.

But now...

Facing the bronze-tier boss, the Swift Runner, Wang Meng was clearly overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, the Swift Runner still had at least 90% of its health left.

At this moment, the youth, a 'Sharp-Eye Archer' in Wang Meng's team, missed two more attacks, his face grim. "No, this boss is too fast, hitting it from a distance is too hard!"

Wang Meng remained calm. "Just keep attacking. We can wear it down and finish it off after respawning if necessary."

But Wang Meng's plan was a bit too optimistic.

As the battle dragged on, other monsters appeared from the surrounding woods!

[Defiler (lv2)]

[Grade: Common]

These were level 2 common monsters, humanoid in shape but covered in dark brown sludge, specializing in ranged attacks.

Three Defilers emerged from the woods, hurling sludge at Wang Meng's rear line.

Splat!

A beautiful girl with a staff was struck hard in the chest by a glob of sludge.

The force made her black robe tremble in a ripple of undulating motion...

-32!

"Ugh, yuck! It stinks!"

The pretty girl recoiled from the stench, utterly repulsed.

But that was just the beginning.

More and more sludge began to rain down on their rear line!

The projectiles came fast, making them hard to dodge.

The critical issue was...

They still had the bronze-tier boss, the Swift Runner, in front of them!

If they scattered to evade the ranged attacks, Wang Meng wouldn't be able to shield them from the Swift Runner, and a single strike from it could be fatal.

In no time, Wang Meng's team was in peril.

Their health was rapidly dwindling!

…

"Wang Meng."

Qin Feng squinted, sizing up the squad.

Truth be told, he recognized Wang Meng.

Of course, not from now.

But from before his rebirth.

Back then, Qin Feng was among the top 100 global players. Although he was on the lower end of the top tier, being an ordinary 'Warrior' class was already legendary.

Many idolized Qin Feng.

Among them was Wang Meng.

After all...

Wang Meng, with his hidden class 'Holy Shield Warrior', had much better class bonuses and skills than Qin Feng, an ordinary warrior.

Yet, Wang Meng's combat prowess fell short of Qin Feng's.

Thus, Wang Meng held Qin Feng in high regard.

Their acquaintance stemmed from Wang Meng representing the Summer Empire, cooperating with Qin Feng's guild, 'Godslayer'.

Whenever Qin Feng acquired surplus gear or skill books that the guild didn't need, he'd hand them to Wang Meng to sell to the Summer Empire, exchanging them for tradable lifespan.

"In my previous life, I formed the guild to better protect Qin Xiaoyou."

"This time, it's unnecessary!"

"Still... Wang Meng is worth befriending."

Qin Feng now aimed to convert all surplus gear and skill books into tradable lifespan to bolster himself.

Thus, finding a stable sales channel was vital.

Wang Meng was reliable, and the Summer Empire he represented had ample 'resources'.

"Since these monsters must die."

"Why not lend him a hand first…"

Qin Feng didn't plan on abruptly introducing himself.

Just making an impression would suffice.

He assessed the situation, swiftly closing in on one of the Defilers from behind.

Unleashing a sudden strike!

The Defiler was furiously hurling sludge at the pretty girl with the staff, oblivious to the assassin at its back.

The Corrosive Dagger flashed, landing on the Defiler's nape!

-441 (Weak Point Strike)!

A single blow took it down!

The Defiler instantly dissolved into a heap of sludge, spilling across the scorched ground.

[You have slain 'Defiler (lv2)'.]

[You have gained 20 experience points.]

[You have gained 1 Evolution Point!]

[You have gained 4 days of tradable lifespan.]

The system notifications surprised Qin Feng. It was fortunate to gain an Evolution Point from a common monster!

He casually activated 'Greedy Hand'.

[Skill 'Greedy Hand' successful!]

[You have gained 4 days of tradable lifespan.]

"Too bad, no Evolution Point this time."

Ordinary monsters rarely yielded Evolution Points.

Greedy Hand's extra reward worked like killing another identical monster, not duplicating the loot.

Thus, missing out on an Evolution Point was expected.

"Only bosses guarantee steady Evolution Point income!"

Having dispatched one Defiler, Qin Feng remained patient.

Before the monsters and players could react, he slipped back into stealth mode.

"Who?!"

Seeing a Defiler suddenly collapse into sludge, Wang Meng and his team were stunned.

They only caught a glimpse of a dark figure before the Defiler fell!

"How is that possible?"

"Even a level 1 Crawler takes us over ten seconds to kill, yet someone just instantaneously took down a level 2 Defiler?"

The six-member team was utterly astounded!