I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

Eighth day.

Li Wu has been in the Soul Devouring Rift for four days.

The intensity of the battles over the past four days was even higher than in the Dragonbone Wasteland. The monsters deep in the rift were generally between level 58 and 61, with elite monsters having between 180,000 and 250,000 HP, and occasionally one or two lord-level monsters would appear.

But these are not problems.

What is the problem?

The problem is that he kills them too quickly, and the monster respawn rate can't keep up with his clearing speed.

"We have to move again."

Li Wu stood on a high platform at the deepest part of the rift valley, looking at the massive, vitrified craters left behind him. These craters formed a line, stretching from the rift valley entrance all the way here, like a charred scar.

Compared to when we set off eight days ago:

The level increased from 50 to 59.

Both intelligence and luck have increased significantly!

This is the terrifying aspect of the Devouring Soul. The more monsters you kill, the faster your attributes increase. The higher your attributes, the more efficient you are at killing monsters. The higher your efficiency, the more monsters you can kill.

Snowball effect!

And it rolls faster and faster as it rolls.

The communicator rang.

Hua Zitong.

"Li Wu, the guild's quarterly recruitment has ended."

How many people?

"As of today, there are 563 official members. Including 120 probationary members, the total is 683."

"good."

"But there's a problem," Hua Zitong said. "With more people, the management pressure has also increased. When there were 300 people, I could manage it all by myself. Now that there are almost 700 people, just the daily dungeon scheduling, equipment distribution, and dispute mediation are enough to overwhelm me."

"What do you think we should do?"

"I need to establish a functional department system: combat department, logistics department, intelligence department, and training department, with a head for each department. I have a few preliminary candidates; please take a look and see if they are suitable."

"You can decide."

"...You always say that."

"Because I believe in you."

There was a brief silence on Hua Zitong's side.

"Okay. I'll start implementing it then, and I'll contact you if any problems arise."

"Oh, and by the way, how much guild experience do you have now?"

"Upgrading from level three to level four requires 50 million. We have accumulated 18 million so we are still short 32 million."

"What about the upgrade speed?"

"The first and second raid groups each run Zul'Farrak three to four times a day. With daily guild quests and individual contributions, they gain about 1.2 million guild experience points per day. At this rate, it will take about 27 more days."

"It's too slow," Li Wu said.

"I know, but this is the limit right now," Hua Zitong said. "There are only two ways to speed things up. First, open higher-level dungeons, as higher-level dungeons offer more guild experience rewards. Second, increase the number of teams that can run dungeons."

"Then let's take both paths," Li Wu said. "What are the current ranks of the core members of the First and Second Regiments?"

"The average number of people in the first regiment is 43, and the average number of people in the second regiment is 42."

"Let them push it to level 45. Once they reach level 45, they can open level 40 and level 45 dungeons, and the guild experience efficiency will at least double."

"I've already made arrangements. Immovable Mountain is leading the second group in leveling up in the Howling Abyss, and the progress is going well. Steel Shield is a bit slower, as he's training new recruits and has to devote a lot of his energy to it."

"Tell Steel Shield to let the middle-level managers mentor the new recruits, and he should focus his energy on elevating the level of the core team."

"it is good."

"Is there anything else?"

"There is one." Hua Zitong's tone changed subtly. "Lin Hai has received a big order."

"What order?"

"The Sword and Rose Guild, Sword Pointing at Rose, wants to buy one hundred sets of Soul Forger Sets, offering five thousand gold per set, for a total of five hundred thousand gold."

"Five hundred thousand gold coins?"

"Yes. This is the largest equipment transaction in Ironforge to date. Lin Hai has already negotiated the terms, with delivery in three installments. The initial payment of 150,000 gold has already been received."

"Do."

"We're already working on it, but production capacity can't keep up. With our current number of manufacturers, it will take at least three weeks to produce one hundred sets. Lin Hai is considering whether to hire a few manufacturers from outside."

"Let him confess. You don't need to ask me about this."

"You don't need to ask me anything," Hua Zitong said, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "Then I won't disturb you while you're killing monsters."

"Wait a moment."

"Um?"

"What's your own level?"

"Forty-two."

"That's too low," Li Wu said directly. "You're the vice president, and your level represents the guild's image. You were level 39 before I left, and you've only leveled up three times in ten days."

"I spend more than ten hours a day dealing with guild affairs, how can I have time to level up?"

"Make time," Li Wu interrupted her. "Set aside at least three hours each day to level up. Delegate daily tasks to people you trust; you can't handle everything yourself."

Hua Zitong remained silent for a few seconds.

"understood."

Communication was lost.

Li Wu put away the communicator and glanced at the distant horizon.

Next area.

The Eternal Night Forest, level 60 to 65.

He couldn't wait.

The conveyor belt was crushed.

The dense forest in the eternal night.

This name wasn't given for nothing.

He appeared in a forest completely shrouded in darkness. There was no sky overhead, only layers upon layers of giant tree canopies, the trunks so thick that ten people couldn't wrap their arms around them. Light was almost entirely blocked out, the only source of light being the occasional glowing mushrooms growing on the ground, emitting a faint green glow.

Quiet.

It was unusually quiet.

A system notification popped up: "You have entered an extremely dangerous area: Evernight Forest. Environmental effects in this area: Evernight - Visibility range reduced by 60%, hit rate of all ranged attacks reduced by 15%."

"Hit rate reduced by 15%?"

Li Wu frowned.

For archers, reduced accuracy is a very annoying debuff. If an arrow misses, not only is mana wasted, but the best window for attacking may also be missed.

But after thinking about it, he felt relieved.

His agility exceeds 500, a value that, according to the accuracy conversion formula, is enough to offset the 15% hit rate penalty. In short, this debuff is a disaster for ordinary archers, but ineffective against him.

"Walk."

He drew his bow and stepped into the depths of the Eternal Night Forest.

The first group of monsters waited for him in the shadows thirty meters away.

Eight level 60 elite monsters called "Shadow Hunters".

It is a two-meter-tall humanoid spider with six eyes that glow red in the dark.

Blood volume: 220,000.

The Arrow that Burns Stars and Returns to Ruins.

Eight seconds of charging, one shot to wipe out the field.

Because his magic attack had now exceeded 14,000, the damage was excessive, and the eight Shadow Hunters were left with not even ashes.

"Efficiency hasn't decreased." Li Wu nodded in satisfaction.

He continued to delve deeper.

The monsters in the Eternal Night Forest are more diverse than in previous areas. In addition to the melee Shadow Hunters, there are ranged "Rotting Tree Archers" and support-type "Mycelium Weavers." The latter can apply beneficial buffs to surrounding monsters, including increased magic resistance and health regeneration.

For regular players, this mixed team composition would be very tricky, requiring them to prioritize eliminating support monsters.

But Li Wu's approach was very simple.

One arrow takes them all away, no matter what type you are.

He advanced through the Eternal Night Forest for two hours, clearing out approximately 1,200 elite monsters.

The level jumped from 59 to 60.

It's over sixty.

Li Wu put away his bow, took out a bottle of energy potion, took a sip, and continued walking deeper into the dense forest.