《I Only have One Skill, But I Can Put A Hole Through The Planet》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°I finally got the admission ticket.¡±


    Under the starry night.


    Upon returning home, the tall and lean Su Chen took off his hat to reveal his messy jet-black hair which directly contrasted his gorgeously good looks.


    The word [ Ark ] was printed on the black box that he had brought back.


    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not left too far behind.¡±


    Su Chen then brought out a lustrous, silver gaming helmet from the box. After tearing apart an instruction manual that he had already memorized thoroughly, he began setting up the helmet.


    This was the 20th day that Su Chen had arrived in this world.


    The development of technology in this world had far surpassed that of Su Chen¡¯s previous world. The metaverse concept that everyone was all the craze in his previous world had been fully realized, and both realities, virtual and non-virtual had merged seamlessly in this world.


    The [ Ark ] that had made waves across the globe was the product of this enhanced technology.


    Regardless of one¡¯s age, they would likely be thrilled at the prospect of experiencing a brand new world. Moreover, at its core, the [ Ark ] employed one¡¯s consciousness to interact with the game. As such, it would not affect one¡¯s physical body whatsoever, and putting on the helmet to play the game was essentially the same as entering a deep slumber.


    This made [ Ark ] the perfect device to pass the time during long nights!


    With the ability to link one¡¯s bank account to [ Ark ], players were even able to make money through the game.


    As a result, [ Ark ] had instantly taken over the world, and it had become a true, accessible online experience that was available for everyone.


    After only two months of service, [ Ark ] had instantly showed the metaverse¡¯s true potential to the entire world, and due to this, countless people had thrown themselves into the experience, fully embracing the metaverse for what it is and what it has to offer.


    Su Chen was one of these individuals, especially since he was an avid game developer in the previous life. As such, he was particularly knowledgeable about the ins and outs of video game design and their philosophy.


    Thus, after toiling tirelessly for the past 20 days and pairing it with his savings from this world, he had finally gained enough money to afford the exorbitantly-priced gaming helmet.


    Su Chen sincerely believed that this was his only chance of changing his fate in this world.


    He had to seize the opportunity.


    After fully configuring the gaming helmet, Su Chen then put on the helmet and laid down on his bed. Following this, he then pressed the start button.


    In a blink of an eye, countless brilliant rays of light covered Su Chen¡¯s vision.


    ¡­


    Upon returning to his senses.


    Su Chen realized that he was trapped in an ancient hall with a domed roof. There were eight red columns around him that had several strange patterns engraved within them. It was a magnificent sight to behold.


    He was situated in the middle of the hall, and behind him was a door that was emitting a faint light.


    In front of him stood a woman in pink with a very slim figure. She was drop-dead gorgeous.


    ¡°Congratulations on becoming the 368157254th Player of [ Ark ] 1.¡±


    ¡°I am your guide, Jing Tian.¡±


    Su Chen, who was now donning a white robe, nodded. He subconsciously surveyed his surroundings, and true to his nature as a developer, he began guessing at how his environments were constructed.


    The sweet-sounding Jing Tian paid no heed to Su Chen¡¯s reaction.


    She walked forward enthusiastically. ¡°I will now guide you on two tasks. The first of which, is a class compatibility test, whereby you¡¯ll have to go through door so that your compatibility with the available classes will be measured and distributed.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, is that once your class has been established, you¡¯ll then have to choose which starting skills you would like.¡±


    Hearing this, Su Chen retracted his gaze and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    He was very well aware of what the compatibility test was about.


    The compatibility door was able to quickly determine the the compatibility of player with all the classes that available within the game. The higher a player¡¯s compatibility with the selected class was, the higher the initial stats of the player.


    Even if they were both level 1, the Strength attribute of players who were compatible with the Warrior class would be at least 8-10 points higher than those who were incompatible with the warrior class.


    The difference in these stats was not to be underestimated. After all, this gap would only widen as the players gained levels, and at the end of it all, the difference in these stats would amount of at least half a piece of equipment!


    The compatibility of a player with their chosen class was of utmost importance.


    It was to the extent that the developers of [ Ark ] had to officially publish the guidelines for the compatibility scores.


    They used the score of 60 as their base, and they deemed anything below the value of 60 as incompatible. On the other hand, the higher one¡¯s score was from 60, the more compatible they were with the particular class. In fact, just a one point difference in compatibility scores alone would put a person above tens of thousands of other players.


    As such, the importance of this test to Su Chen could not be understated.


    Jing Tian smiled and turned around to walk to the door that was emitting a dim light.


    ¡°You only need to walk through this door.¡±


    As a person who had already experienced two different lives, Su Chen was completely unfazed by the gravity of the situation.


    He walked towards the compatibility door and casually stepped over it.


    The moment he stepped over it, a dim light instantly enveloped Su Chen¡¯s body and examined every part of his body.


    The dim light slowly faded after three seconds.


    The words then displayed before Su Chen.


    [ Player: Su Chen ]


    [ Warrior class compatibility: 62, B rank ]


    [ Swordsman class compatibility: 57, C rank ]


    [ Archer class compatibility: 73, A rank! ]


    [ Mage class compatibility: 90, SS rank! ]


    Three passes!


    As he stared at the screen before him, Su Chen finally revealed a smile.


    At this moment, a fragrant breeze wafted past Su Chen.


    ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°You are the seventh player in history to be compatible with three different classes!¡±


    ¡°You are also the second player who has reached the 90 point threshold and has a SS rank!¡±


    Jing Tian¡¯s voice grew softer and softer, and it felt as if she was becoming more energized by the second.


    ¡°I will now upload your compatibility score to the leaderboards.¡±


    Jing Tian looked at Su Chen with her beautiful eyes.


    She was actually a player, and she specialized in guiding new players who had joined the game for the first time.


    At the same time, as a guide, she was also able to come into contact with players who had high compatibility values. Being a guide was truly the greatest privilege that one could have in the world of [ Ark ].


    The guides would not miss any opportunities to gain the favor of these future powerhouses, as by doing so, they would be able to build a lasting friendship.


    ¡°Wait, can you withhold from uploading my compatibility scores?¡±


    While Jing Tian was racking her brain to come up with a way to establish relations with Su Chen, the man in question suddenly interrupted her train of thought.


    ¡°Huh? Y-You don¡¯t want your score to be uploaded?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s already too late, I¡¯ve already uploaded it. This is a requirement from the developers.¡±


    Jing Tian stuck out her tongue resentfully and then said with starry eyes.


    ¡°This is a very good opportunity to make a name for yourself. After all, you¡¯re a player with a one-in-a-million compatibility score!¡±


    Su Chen pursed his lips slightly and kept to himself.


    Su Chen had taken the idiom ¡°rattling the hornet¡¯s nest¡± quite seriously, and thus, he actually did not plan on exposing himself this early on.


    Although compatibility scores were important, in the end, it was only one portion of the game.


    Leveling, skill selection, as well as equipment were other aspects that could either make or break his playthrough.


    This was no longer the launch of the game.


    Back then, everyone was busy leveling up and exploring the game. When faced against those who ranked highly in the compatibility score¡¯s leaderboard, the most they could do was to suck it up to their misfortune.


    However, things were different now. The game had already been launched for two whole months.


    There were many players who had high levels but low compatibility scores.


    If one so desired, they could easily stir trouble for Su Chen while he was in the early game. After all, by doing so, they could delay, or outright avoid Su Chen from surpassing these players in their own classes in the future.


    Worse still, as Su Chen had already spent most of his money on the [ Ark ] gaming helmet, his only desire was to rush as many quests as possible and gain a good sum of Gold Coins.


    He was certain that enhancing his equipment in the future would burn a huge hole in his finances, after all.


    Suddenly.


    Su Chen thought of something and turned to look at Jing Tian.


    ¡°Right, can you hide my ID on the compatibility ranking list?¡±


    Jing Tian, who had been looking for an opportunity to strike up a conversation, quickly nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But are you sure? After all, this is¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence.


    Su Chen¡¯s voice interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯m sure. In addition, I choose the [ Mage ] class.¡±


    Su Chen¡¯s choice to become a [ Mage ] was a no-brainer. After all, he had an extremely high compatibility score with the class.


    Upon hearing this, Jing Tian hurriedly anonymized Su Chen¡¯s ID before turning back to him with a smile.


    ¡°Okay, congratulations on choosing the [ Mage ] class.¡±


    ¡°Now, please select your starter skills.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Now, please select your starter skills.¡±


    The moment Jing Tian¡¯s voice subsided, a projection of a scroll slowly unfurled before Su Chen.


    ¡°Please choose your element.¡±


    [ Wind ] [ Wood ] [ Ice ] [ Fire ] [ Earth ]


    The five elements that were available only to mages appeared as options in front of Su Chen.


    Every class in [ Ark ] has a distinct role. Only by defining these niches and roles would there be variability and diversification amongst the player base.


    Moreover, doing so would also give rise to several different strategies and playstyles.


    It was this variance of playstyles that had resulted in a high player retention in the game.


    Returning to the choice of the five elements, Su Chen had actually done plenty of research in advance.


    Otherwise, he would not have recklessly entered the game right after purchasing the game helmet. As a game developer, digging into the nitty-gritty details of the game¡¯s mechanics was his forte.


    Many of the skills available to the [ Wind ] and [ Wood ] elements were buff-related. They were not a suitable element for Su Chen, who valued his personal strength over anything else.


    On the other hand, the [ Earth ] element was defense-oriented, and what it lacked in strength, it made up in terms of sheer defensive prowess.


    As such, all that was left to him were the [ Ice ] and [ Fire ] elements. In terms of sheer firepower and ruthlessness, the [ Fire ] element had definitely taken the cake.


    Through this method of elimination, Su Chen had ended up with the [ Fire ] element as his choice.


    ¡°I choose the [ Fire ] element.¡±


    Su Chen¡¯s cool but pleasant voice rang out.


    Jing tian nodded, ¡°You can now proceed to the next and final phase of the tutorial section, the initial skill selection.¡±


    ¡°Upon making your choice, you will leave this zone and officially enter the world of [ Ark ].¡±


    Jing Tian¡¯s soft voice was tinged with a reluctance as she spoke those words.


    A mere instant later, Su Chen¡¯s vision was filled with yet another projection.


    This time, a panel that was vastly different from [ Ark ]¡¯s typical art style appeared before him.


    [ Do you want to select ¡°Fireball¡± as your starter skill? ]


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Su Chen frowned slightly at the sight.


    Something was wrong.


    Su Chen clearly remembered that in the guides that he had read on the Internet, it was detailed that [ Fire ] Mages had three initial skill choices.


    However, Su Chen only had one.


    As if to affirm Su Chen¡¯s doubts, new words quickly appeared on the interface.


    [ Hint: Upon choosing Fireball, you will not be able to learn any new class skills. ]


    ¡®What?!¡¯


    Su Chen, who usually kept a cool head, immediately scrunched his brows upon reading those words.


    ¡®Is there a bug?¡¯


    ¡®How can this happen¡¯


    Su Chen¡¯s mind was racing, and just as he was about to go offline to contact customer service, the words on the panel changed once again.


    [ If the host does not want to choose ¡°Fireball¡±, you are allowed to select the default starter skills instead. Subsequent class skills will also have their spell strength increased by one-tenth of their original value. ]


    [ Should the host choose ¡°Fireball¡±, upon reaching Level 10 for this skill, the spell strength of this skill will double, and your compatibility score with the Mage class will be increased to 100! ]


    [ Should the ¡°Fireball¡± skill be raised to Level 20, the casting time of ¡°Fireball¡± will be reduced by half, and it will be mutated, granting it the ¡°Melt¡± enhancement! ]


    [ Should the ¡°Fireball¡± skill be raised to Level 30, the casting time of ¡°Fireball¡± will be reduced once more! ]


    [ Should the ¡°Fireball¡± skill be raised to Level 50, the power of ¡°Fireball¡± will be enhanced, granting it the ability to burn through weapons and equipment! ]


    [ Should the ¡°Fireball¡± ¡­ ]


    Su Chen¡¯s eyes lit up upon reading the wall of text before him.


    He finally understood why the panel before him deviated this greatly from the norm.


    This was due to the system that had come with his transmigration.


    It had merged with [ Ark ]¡¯s system.


    Moreover, it did not affect [ Ark ]¡¯s normal game functions.


    Upon confirming that there were no real in-game bugs, Su Chen calmed down and began to analyze the situation seriously.


    On one side, he could learn countless powerful skills, and better still, each of those skills will have a 10% power boost.


    On the other side, he could only use ¡°Fireball¡±. The skill was simple, and it would take much greater effort to reach his power-level ceiling. However, once he had raised the skill properly, Su Chen was certain that he could crush anyone on his level who dared to stand against him.


    ¡°I choose to learn [ Fireball ] !¡±


    After thinking for a while, Su Chen no longer hesitated and decisively chose [ Fireball ] .


    Although Su Chen would lose access to other flashy abilities, the plain [ Fireball ] had limitless potential for growth! It was worth much more in the long run!


    At this moment, Su Chen had already completed all the tasks in the tutorial. As such, his figure gradually morphed into an orb of light before disappearing from the tutorial hall.


    All that was left was Jing Tian, who was disappointed for not being able to build up a proper friendship with Su Chen.


    ¡­


    [ Ark ].


    Within a dense forest located along a winding mountain range.


    A constant barrage of sword auras illuminated the area as a flurry of arrows piercing through the air could be heard.


    A wild beast that was burning with purple flames was surrounded by two figures.


    ¡°Sister Weiwei, just land one more hit at the wound on its right, and this beast is basically done for.¡±


    A young man instructed as he pulled out yet another arrow from his infinitely refreshing quiver.


    He drew his bow like a full moon.


    An arrow shot out with a piercing sound!


    It hit the left eye of the flaming purple beast!


    ¡°I finally hit it!¡±


    The young man was ecstatic.


    Meanwhile, right as the arrow had struck the beast¡­


    A beautiful woman, who was constantly using her movement techniques to deftly avoid the purple flaming beast¡¯s attacks, instantly seized the opportunity.


    She changed her pace and rushed to the right side of the Purple Flame Beast.


    A brilliant spark appeared as she swung down her sword¡­


    It was a critical hit!


    The wild monster, whose HP bar had been completely exhausted, disappeared on the spot with a wail, turning into a string of data before disappearing.


    All that was left was a pile of precious materials.


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    The long-haired girl wearing a silver combat uniform slowly sheathed her sword as she spoke.


    Si Weiwei threw the beast¡¯s hide to the youth. ¡°This is a level 60 Beast Hide. It should be able to fetch a decent price.¡±


    The youth accepted it into his Storage Bracelet and smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, Sister Weiwei, you¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    ¡°I knew that following you was the right choice. After all, you¡¯re ranked number one on the Compatibility Score Rankings. Plus, you¡¯re the only one in the Hualong Server who has a compatibility score of over 90!¡±


    ¡°Also, also, you¡¯re the highest level in the entire server!¡±


    Hearing this, the beautiful Si Weiwei, who was wearing a silver battle uniform, shook her head.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Sure, I might have the highest level in this server.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯m not the only one with a compatibility score of over 90.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking.


    The young man with a lean build halted in shock. He could not believe what he was hearing.


    ¡°Huh? Another big shot appeared? Who is it?¡±


    He quickly pulled up his in-game browser and started to look through the ranking board.


    ¡°Anonymous!¡±


    Upon seeing that there was no name displayed, the youth was extremely shocked.


    He had never expected that an anonymous person would appear on the ranking list that countless people wanted to be on.


    Moreover, it was the second big shot with a compatibility value of 90!


    ¡°Sis, do you know who he is?¡±


    Hearing this, Si Weiwei shook her head.


    ¡°No, most netizens are curious as to who this anonymous individual is.¡±


    ¡°However, it seems that someone has snuck a peak at this person¡¯s class before he became anonymous. From what I¡¯ve read, he¡¯s a newly registered [ Mage ]. ¡±


    The youth put away his browser and asked in a serious tone, ¡°Sister, do you want me to find out who this person is? After all, the guild system should be implemented soon. We can¡¯t miss out on such a talent.¡±


    Si Weiwei stood in the dense forest and looked at the blazing sun in the distance. She remained silent for a while before answering.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too..¡±

 Chapter 3

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Welcome to the World of [ Ark ]!¡±


    Upon opening his eyes, Su Chen realized that he had returned to his own home.


    However, unlike his actual home, the place that he was currently situated in was in ruins. He was in a dreary wasteland and was dressed in an ultramarine mage robe.


    Due to a lack of obstructions, his field of vision had thus become extremely wide.


    On the streets.


    Countless people wearing all kinds of clothing walked through them.


    Warriors with huge shields on their backs, archers with bows on their backs.


    At the same time, there were also the roars of all kinds of chimera-looking creatures.


    Su Chen immediately took action. He had read countless guides and he understood what had to be done, unlike the newbies who would likely shout and gawk around in amazement at the world around them,


    The Wasteland City was considered to be the starting area for newbies to live in.


    Laser doors were spread out in all four corners of the street, leading to all kinds of dungeons, be they universe-themed, ancient-civilization-themed, rain-forest-themed and etcetera.


    These were all places that only experienced players could explore.


    For newbies, their first battlefield to conquer was the wasteland.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to set off.¡±


    Su Chen knew of the secret reward for rushing levels.


    If one was able to reach level 10 within three days of playing the game, the reward that they would obtain would be 200,000 Gold Coins!


    The ratio of the time in the outside world versus in-game was 1:10.


    However, the ratio of Blue Star currency to in-game currency was 1:1.


    In other words, upon completing the hidden achievement for rushing levels, Su Chen would obtain 200,000 Blue Star Coins in one go!


    Although this sounded easy on paper¡­


    Let it be known that despite [ Ark ]¡¯s two month of service, the current highest level in-game was only level 57.


    Reaching level 10 within three days was certainly a tall feat.


    As Su Chen walked through the wasteland, he spotted all sorts of monster spawn points.


    There were a large number of new players in the city.


    Some were already using the stamina buffs they had gotten as a newbie reward to travel back and forth between cities to take in the sights of the apocalyptical landscape.


    On the other hand, some were just like Su Chen, who had already memorized the ins and outs of the game before venturing in. They were already in a grind-mode, and they were in search of spawn points, so that they could farm up some monsters and hurriedly level up.


    Similar to Su Chen, these professional players were vying for the 200,000 Gold Coin reward; unlike him however, these players were likely working in sweatshops and had already partied up to grind as efficiently as possible.


    As for Su Chen, who was an individual player, he did not have any advantages over these professional players, and worse still, the only skill that was available to him was [ Fireball ].


    However, through his professional skills and tireless work at analyzing the monster data available on the official website, Su Chen had already identified the most efficient mobs for him to hunt down and to level up.


    They were the [ Heartless Bloodwolf ]s and the [ Mutated Vine ]s.


    Su Chen hurriedly scoured the city in search of monster spawn points.


    Fortunately for him, he soon arrived at a spawn point for the [ Heartless Bloodwolf ]s. Better yet, there were also no other players present who could possibly interfere with his experience farming.


    In [ Ark ]¡¯s storyline, due to the pollution caused by the advancement of technology, the animals and plants within Wasteland City had mutated, and as a result, they had killed large swaths of the population, and had even ended up destroying the city.


    Thus, the Heartless Bloodwolf that stood before Su Chen was massive, towering at two meters. It was taller than the average human.


    [ Heartless Bloodwolf ]


    Level: 1


    HP: 150


    Attack: 10-15


    Defense: 8


    Speed: 10


    Skill: [ Bite ]


    Description: A Wolf that has been corrupted by the pollution caused by the advancement of technology. It has lost all sense of rationality and feels no pain. It would relentlessly pounce and rip its prey to shreds.


    Su Chen looked at the feral glow within the Heartless Bloodwolf¡¯s eyes and its razor sharp fangs drooling with saliva.


    He could not help but think of the many female players who cried and complained on the official website back at the game¡¯s launch, claiming that the monsters of Wasteland City had scared them.


    In stark contrast to those female players¡¯ reactions, Su Chen could not help but marvel at [ Ark ]¡¯s ability to generate such a realistic creature. For a second, Su Chen had even thought that the wolf was real.


    ¡°Bring up the system interface.¡±


    Now that he had discovered a spawn point of his desired monster, Su Chen decided to take his time to study his own stats.


    [ Player: Su Chen ]


    [ Level: 1]


    [ Class: Mage ]


    [ HP: 200 ]


    [ Mana: 150]


    [ Elemental (Attack) Power: 35(+ 5) ]


    [ Defense: 12(+ 2) ]


    [ Speed: 10 ]


    [ Equipment: Beginner¡¯s Staff, Elemental Power + 5; Beginner¡¯s Robe: Defense + 2 ]


    [ Skills: Level 1 Fireball, consumes 10 mana on each cast ]


    [ Casting time: 3 seconds ]


    [ Level 10 Reward: Raises compatibility score and increases spell strength ]


    ¡°My Elemental Power is already at 30 points despite being level 1?¡±


    Su Chen was also a little surprised by what he had seen. Usually, a typical level 1 mage would only have Elemental Power of around 20 points.


    However, his was 35!


    Perhaps this was a result of his high compatibility score.


    ¡°The rest of my stats are not much different from normal players. The only other major difference is my skill section, I suppose.¡±


    After understanding what his character was capable of, Su Chen then made preparations to bring down the beast before him.


    Usually, facing wild monsters like the Heartless Bloodwolf would be a great headache for mages and archers. After all, there was a high likelihood for them to interrupt their bow-drawing or their spell-casting.


    However, since [ Mutated Vine ]s were a rare enemy to encounter, the Heartless Bloodwolf which was weak to fire was Su Chen¡¯s next best bet.


    The wounds scattered across the Heartless Bloodwolf¡¯s body would result in its HP loss. However, compared to its bulky HP, this HP loss was an insignificant amount. Nevertheless, once it made contact with the fire element, a burning reaction would trigger, and the bloodwolf would enter a continuous HP loss state.


    It was for this reason that Su Chen had chosen it as his prey.


    With his strategy now thought out, he immediately began to cast Fireball.


    Soon, a fist-sized ball of flame was rapidly formed, crashing into the Heartless Bloodwolf¡¯s body seconds later!


    28!


    The damage value quickly appeared above the wolf.


    Heartless Bloodwolf¡¯s aggro1 was also pulled up, and it immediately started running towards Su Chen with blood red eyes!


    Su Chen, who was an expert when it came to games was well prepared for this response. He had already made the calculations beforehand, and he determined that there was a 5 second downtime at minimum between each of his [ Fireball ] casts, considering that the cooldown of [ Fireball ] was 2 seconds.


    As newbies did not possess any notable movement skills to speak off, the usual approach that newbies took to fighting monsters was to take their attacks head-on, trading blows with them, whilst using health potions to regain their lost health.


    Either that, or they would party up with their friends and defeat the monster via teamwork.


    As for Su Chen, who was a solo player, he immediately fall backed to the skill that MOBA1 games in his previous life had taught him, kiting2!


    All starting skills regardless of class possessed a slight knockback effect.


    Apart from the first fireball to pull aggro, Su Chen had to use every other skill at the right time to pull off the kill unscathed.


    Facing the Heartless Bloodwolf¡¯s deadly pounce, Su Chen chanted as he hurriedly sidestepped and avoided [ Bite ] by a hair¡¯s breadth!


    However, he was still scratched by the bloodwolf¡¯s sharp claws and lost 2 HP.


    Nevertheless, when compared to the potential 15 damage he would take from [ Bite ], this value seemed negligible.


    Su Chen continuously kited the Bloodwolf around.


    Had anyone passed by at this moment, their jaws would drop in amazement.


    This was because Su Chen had grasped each opening extremely well.


    Kiting was not a foreign concept to most players. However, using in practice was not as easy as it sounded on paper. Many players who thought themselves as gaming gods soon faced the harsh reality that kiting was much harder in [ Ark ]. For most, kiting was simply an impossible task.


    ¡­


    After a few minutes of kiting, the Heartless Bloodwolf that had taken a continuous beating by Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ] wailed and collapsed onto the ground.


    Then, it turned into a ball of light and disappeared.


    An item dropped immediately after.


    Su Chen walked over to pick it up.

 Chapter 4

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Ding! Congratulations, player [ Su Chen ] has reached level 2!¡±


    ¡°HP increased by 20 points, MP increased by 20 points.¡±


    ¡°Elemental Power increased by 10 points, defense increased by 5 points.¡±


    ¡°1 skill point gained.¡±


    After killing the Heartless Bloodwolf, [ Ark ]¡¯s system notification rang out within Su Chen¡¯s ears.


    Su Chen did not pay attention to the notification. Instead, he walked towards the items that had dropped from the corpse of the Heartless Blood Wolf.


    Upon coming closer, he spotted two wolf fangs.


    [ Collected: Deformed Heartless Bloodwolf Fangs x2 ]


    Upon picking up the deformed wolf fangs, Su Chen received yet another system notification.


    For every item that a player picked up, the system will display its value. For instance, it would list down its current floor price in the market, or it would list down which potions that could be synthesized via the item.


    In Su Chen¡¯s case, the mutated wolf fangs were worth around 4 Gold Coins each, which corresponded to 4 Blue Star Coins.


    They were not very valuable.


    However, Su Chen did not feel disappointed because of this.


    It was to be expected. After all, if items dropped by level 1 monsters were worth their weight in gold, the economy would be in shambles!


    ¡°Assign skill point to Fireball.¡±


    ¡°Skill point assignment successful.¡±


    [ Skill: Fireball, Damage: 55 , 2-second cast time, 3-second cooldown time ]


    ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡±


    The damage of Fireball had increased from 35 to 55 after leveling up.1


    The damage of Fire Mages were supposed to only be around 40 points at this level.


    Upon reaching level 2, Su Chen was already 15 points ahead of his peers. This gap in power would only grow wider and wider the more he leveled up. It was a clear result of his high compatibility score.


    At this moment, which was around 5 seconds after the Heartless Blood Wolf had been killed, a new one of the same level had appeared at the spawn point.


    However, Su Chen had no intentions to kill it again.


    This was because the casting time and the cooldown time of the fireball spell had not changed.1


    Although the firepower of his Fireball had increased, since kiting the wolf would take the same amount of effort, he would rather hunt monsters that yielded higher experience points instead.


    After all, Su Chen was already in the spawn zone of the [ Heartless Bloodwolf ]s.


    Therefore, upon setting off to search for higher level monsters, he quickly encountered a level 2 Heartless Bloodwolf and immediately started kiting it again.


    ¡­


    Back in the real world.


    Magic Capital.


    Within Snow Abyss Games¡¯ office.


    A pot-bellied middle-aged man was browsing through the confidential document that he had just received whilst lounging comfortably in his office chair.


    The contents of the document was very simple. There was only a single line of words.


    [ Ark ] will officially launch the guild system on May 15th.


    ¡°It¡¯s finally here. The countdown for the final month has begun.¡±


    The greasy middle-aged man was relieved. With the global presence that [ Ark ] possessed, [ Ark ]¡¯s developers were well aware of the players¡¯ focus on raising levels. As such, to make sure that players would not feel overwhelmed, they had chosen not to implement guilds just yet.


    However, after two long months since the game¡¯s release, news of the implementation of guilds had finally reached the middle-aged man¡¯s ears.


    At this moment.


    A familiar ringtone could be heard.


    The greasy middle-aged man subconsciously picked up his phone. Upon realizing who the caller was, he immediately straightened his back answered the call.


    The caller ID had the words ¡°Si Luo¡± written on it.


    It was the name of the one of the company¡¯s major shareholder¡¯s son.


    ¡°Hello, Young Master Si.¡±


    Even through the phone, the greasy middle-aged man had a flattering smile on his face.


    ¡°Hmm, have you found out anything about the person I told you track down this morning?¡±


    Si Luo¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone. He was the same lean-built young man who had hunted the purple beast together with Si Weiwei in [ Ark ].


    Upon hearing this, the greasy middle-aged man almost broke out in cold sweat.


    He was afraid that Si Luo would bring up this matter.


    Si Luo had instructed him to investigate just who exactly was the new player that had obtained a compatibility score of 90 in the rankings. However, as this new runner-up in the leaderboards was anonymous, there was in fact, no way for the greasy man to dig up anything on him.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Young Master Si, I¡¯ve done all I could, but I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re aware as well, that person is anonymous¡­¡±


    ¡°You idiot! Why would I come to you if that person isn¡¯t anonymous? Had I known his ID, I could¡¯ve personally look him up myself!¡±


    Si Luo¡¯s voice turned cold as he continued speaking.


    ¡°The fact that he is smart enough to hide his identity speaks volumes about his critical thinking abilities. Not only is this man strong, but he¡¯s also aware of the concept of rattling a hornet¡¯s nest.¡±


    ¡°He possess both the brains and the brawns to become one of the top players of [ Ark ] in the future.¡±


    ¡°His only downfall is that he registered an account rather late into the game¡¯s release. However, this also presents an opportunity for us. We must dig up this individual¡¯s true identity as well as their in-game ID.¡±¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve probably received news about the guild system¡¯s implementation. Plus I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware that [ Ark ] is the future of the world¡¯s economy. Only by recruiting talented individuals like this person can we ensure our company¡¯s growth.¡±


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re aware of the gravity of the situation, you better pick up the slack. If you fail at this task again the next time I call, I¡¯ll suspend you for half-a-year!¡±


    Si Luo¡¯s words of wisdom were also merciless at the same time. The greasy middle-aged man on the other end of the phone listened to his words carefully as he quivered in his seat.


    ¡°Understood, Young Master Si. I¡¯ll get to it right away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already discovered that the individual in question is a Fire Mage. Following this discovery, we plan to hire professionals to ¡®visit¡¯ [ Ark ]¡¯s database and track down this individual¡¯s identity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll report to you as soon as I find out who the person is.¡±


    Once he was certain that the young master had finished reprimanding him, the greasy middle-aged man hurriedly proposed a new plan of action.


    Two seconds later, the other end of the phone went silent for two seconds before hanging up.


    ¡°Who could this new powerhouse be?¡±


    The greasy middle-aged man sank back into his office chair and muttered to himself.


    ¡­


    Two days later in [ Ark ] time.


    Back in Wasteland City.


    Su Chen, who had been grinding for two whole days in the [ Heartless Blood Wolf ]¡¯s spawn area, had finally reached level 7.


    Despite reaching level 5 in the first day, Su Chen had only managed to gain two more levels in his second day.


    There were only two hours left before the deadline of [ Ark ]¡¯s level sprint reward.


    However, Su Chen was still three levels away from level 10.


    Time was running out.


    Su Chen had already replaced the Beginner¡¯s Staff that came by default with a brand new White rank staff with a +10 Elemental Power stat bonus.


    At this moment, he was facing a group of level-5 Heartless Blood Wolves.


    The group of Heartless Blood Wolves pounced at Su Chen one after another, and it had greatly increased his kiting difficulty. As a result of this increased difficulty, Su Chen found himself taking damage constantly.


    Each attack that landed on him would take out a large chunk of his health.


    Fortunately, his Fireball had also received major upgrades since he first started.


    Every Fireball that managed to land onto the Bloodwolves would instantly annihilate them, and those in its vicinity would also take huge collateral damage.


    Fireball was a starter skill, as such, it was set to hit a single target by default. However, as all elemental spells had AOE1 damage, and thus, it was possible for Su Chen to hit the other two Bloodwolves in the crossfire as well.


    Finally, right as his robe¡¯s durability was about to hit its limit¡­


    Su Chen used one final Fireball to take down the remaining Heartless Bloodwolves.


    ¡°Ding! Congratulations, player [ Su Chen ] has reached level 8!¡±


    ¡°Two skill points have been awarded!¡±


    The system notification rang in his ears again.


    Su Chen let out a deep sigh of relief.


    He had finally used the group of level 5 monsters to push his level up to level 8.


    It was a fortunate turn of events, as he would not be able to reach level 10 in the remaining two hours otherwise.


    The reason this was considered to be a stroke of luck to Su Chen was due to the 2 skill points he had received.


    Once a player reached level 5, the system would reward players with 2 or more skill points whenever they level up. The reason behind this was due to players having unlocked their third skill at that level.


    Had [ Ark ] not increased the number of skill points gained per level, most players would find it hard pressed to advance any further.


    In Su Chen¡¯s case however, it had presented a great opportunity.


    As Su Chen had only one skill, [Fireball], he had already used all his skill points to bring the ability to level 9.


    The reward for unlocking a level 10 Fireball was within his reach.


    The power of his Fireball would be doubled and his compatibility score will be pushed to 100!


    With this increase in power, Su Chen would stand a chance in defeating the Wolf Lord of this spawn zone!


    As soon as possible, he would rush to level 10 and unlock his own level reward.


    ¡°Allocate all skill points to Fireball.¡±


    Su Chen instructed.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the system immediately got to work and allocated the points.


    At the same time, the familiar notification of the transmigration¡¯s system rang out.


    ¡°Ding, the host¡¯s [ Fireball ] has reached level 11. Level 10 milestone has been unlocked, distributing rewards now.¡±


    ¡°Ding, the host¡¯s [ Mage ] class compatibility score has reached 100!¡±


    ¡°The host is now the only player within [ Ark ] to reach the maximum compatibility score!¡±


    ¡°Ding, host¡¯s [ Fireball ] has doubled in power!¡±


    The voice of the transmigration system constantly chimed in Su Chen¡¯s ears.


    Once the voice disappeared, Su Chen immediately opened his attribute panel and browsed through it.


    [ Player: Su Chen ]


    [ Level: Level 8]


    [ Class: Mage (Peerless) ]


    [ HP: 450 ]


    [ MP: 400 ]


    [ Elemental Power : 410 ]


    [ Defense: 67 (+2) ]


    [ Speed: 18 ]


    [ Equipment: White Ranked Staff + 10 Elemental Power; Beginner¡¯s Robe + 5 Defense ]


    [ Skills: Level 11 Fireball, consumes 30 mana each cast, Cast time: 2 seconds, Cooldown: 3 seconds; Level 20 reward: Reduces cast time by half and obtain the Melt enhancement! ]


    Ridiculous!


    Simply ludicrous!


    Had Su Chen posted a screenshot of his attribute panel on the Internet, it would definitely cause a huge uproar!


    He had never seen one¡¯s Elemental Power being higher than one¡¯s MP before!


    Normally, for the first 5 levels, mages will only gain a 15 point increase in Elemental Power whenever they leveled up. As such, their Elemental Power would only be enhanced by around 60 points.


    As for the gain in Elemental Power points when going from level 6 to 10, the increase would be 30 points per level.


    As such, it stands to reason that, even with the enhancement from the Beginner¡¯s Staff, an ordinary player who started at 25 points would only have 165 points of Elemental Power at level 8.


    However, Su Chen had already obtained 410 points at level 8!


    Had Su Chen been an ordinary player, his Elemental Power should be around 175 points. However, as a result of his transmigration system, he had managed to obtain 350 points via base stats alone!


    Meanwhile, the Peerless title that had been granted via his maximum compatibility score with the [ Mage ] class had also risen his Elemental Power by another 50 points! This, in addition with the new staff he obtained, had brought him to 410 Elemental Power points.


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll spend these next two hours to fight the level 10 Heartless Bloodwolf Lord!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll snag the level grind reward in one go!¡±


    Ecstatic with his power spike, Su Chen grinned brilliantly. Coupled with his handsome looks, any ladies who had walked by would likely have been smitten with him.


    At the same time.


    In the real world.


    The forums of [ Ark ] were also in an uproar, and the discourse was only becoming more heated!


    Countless posts flooded the forum like mad, and it was all because of a single person!


    It was regarding the anonymous user who had obtain the maximum compatibility score,


    For the first time since [ Ark ]¡¯s launch, there was now a player with a maximum compatibility score with their class!


    Who exactly was this anonymous powerhouse!?

 Chapter 5

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ Ark ]¡¯s official forum.


    ¡°¡­ Bro, I¡¯m dumbfounded! Is this f*cking for real?¡±


    ¡°100 compatibility score? This guy is a hacker, right!?¡±


    ¡°How can this person¡¯s compatibility score still increase? I¡¯m certain his compatibility score was only 90 when I last looked.¡±


    ¡°If would¡¯ve been fine if they only scored 90. After all, we already have someone else in Hualong server who got a score of 90?¡±


    ¡°But this person managed to score 100! I¡¯m certain that they¡¯re the only one throughout all the servers who managed to score this high!¡±


    ¡°I pray that this anonymous big shot reveals himself to us! I¡¯ll patiently wait for his reveal!¡±


    ¡°Ditto, I too, wish to express my reverence towards him!¡±


    ¡­


    Magic Capital.


    In a villa in the city where every inch of land was ten times their size in gold.


    Si Weiwei, who had just finished hunting the purple flame beast with her younger brother, temporarily went offline to ease her tense nerves and to take a bath.


    She had just stepped out of the bathroom, and she was dressed in a simple bath towel, her curvy figure laid bare.


    Her arms were as white as porcelain, and her legs were as slender and beautiful as characters from comics.


    Before entering the bathroom, Si Weiwei had just talked to her younger brother on the phone.


    At present, the company had yet to discover who the anonymous player who was second only to her in compatibility scores was.


    However, they had received confirmation that the individual was a mage who had chosen the Fire element, which would narrow down their search somewhat.


    Nevertheless, it did not change the fact that the tutorial area, the Wasteland City Dungeon, was massive.


    It would be near-impossible to locate their target within the dungeon.


    At present, Si Weiwei¡¯s character of level 57 was the highest within the Hualong Server.


    The runner-up to her in terms of levels was the level 55 Warrior, Duan Leie the level 55 warrior Duan Lei, and the level 54 Swordsman Kong Qiu.


    Si Weiwei had the backing of [ Snow Abyss ]¡¯s company resources.


    It was for this reason that she was firmly in the first place in terms of levels.


    As such, she was wholly unconcerned about anyone else catching up to her in terms of levels. However, that did little to calm her nerves regarding the guild system that would come online in the near future.


    There was still one month left before the guild system would come online.


    During this month of downtime, she needed to recruit as many players with high levels and the wits to back up their skill to join her guild.


    At the same time, she had also made plans to form the strongest four-man party in the game. A pre-requisite to join this party was that all members needed to have a compatibility score of 85 and above.


    Si Weiwei¡¯s own compatibility score was 92, and she was a level 57 Swordsman.


    Her younger brother Si Luo¡¯s compatibility score was 85, and he was a level 52 Archer.


    The party currently had two vacancies.


    She was still thinking about recruiting someone to fill the Warrior class vacancy.


    The level 55 Duan Lei fulfilled her requirements, but since he was also a player that was backed by a different game company, there was little to no chance of them partying up together.


    Therefore, Si Weiwei set her sights on the anonymous mage instead.


    His low levels were not a big deal for her. After all, there was still a month of downtime before the guild system¡¯s implementation.


    As long as she could successfully invite the individual to her ranks and make him tag along in her hunts, she was certain that she could powerlevel him easily. It would all work out by the time that guilds were implemented.


    After sorting out her thoughts, Si Weiwei changed into a nightgown, lay on her bed, and started scrolling through her phone.


    Upon picking up her phone, she was instantly bombarded with dozens of messages.


    To boil the contents of all the messages down, they were all essentially telling her to visit [ Ark ]¡¯s official website.


    Si Weiwei bit her pink lips lightly and clicked into the website curiously.


    The moment she saw the content on the screen.


    Si Weiwei was instantly dumbfounded.


    ¡°Compatibility score¡­ 100!¡±


    H-HOW!?


    Si Weiwei¡¯s eyelashes immediately quivered.


    HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?


    After her moment of surprise, Si Weiwei noticed who this top ranker was. It was once again, ¡®Anonymous¡¯. Her beautiful eyes began to dart around as she began to think a plan of action.


    She needed to locate the individual as soon as possible.


    It was no longer just about the person¡¯s aptitude for the Mage class.


    She also wanted to find out the why his compatibility score had increased!


    She would get to the bottom of this mystery regardless of the costs!


    ¡­


    [ Ark ].


    Wasteland City.


    Balls of scorching flames continuously gathered from Su Chen¡¯s fingertips!


    Every time they were unleashed, a Level 9 Heartless Bloodwolf would instantly lose half of its HP from the flames. However, even after taking such a huge hit, they would also be plagued by the ¡°Burning¡± effect, of which would result in a continuous loss in HP!


    One by one, swathes of massive wolf-like creatures collapsed.


    All of them had turned into exp to assist Su Chen in leveling up.


    There was still half an hour left before the level sprint achievement¡¯s deadline.


    In the past one and a half hours, Su Chen had successfully killed a single Heartless Bloodwolf Lord, and had dozens of level 9 Heartless Bloodwolves.


    He was now level 9 and his experience bar was now half full.


    Killing the Wolf Lord had allowed him to successfully advance from level 8 to level 9.


    However, the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord had a one-hour-long respawn time. Worse still, the exp that was required to push him from level 9 to 10 could not be supplied by a Heartless Bloodwolf Lord alone.


    Therefore, while Su Chen was waiting for the Wolf Lord to respawn, he began hunting the level 9 Heartless Bloodwolves around him.


    Under ordinary circumstances, level 9 mages would only have around 180 points of Elemental Power. As such, Su Chen¡¯s 440 points of Elemental Power was more than enough to bring down the monsters around him. Heck, one could even argue that it was like bringing a railgun to a knife fight.


    Right now, the only thing Su Chen needed to do was to wait for the Wolf Lord to respawn and then kill it.


    There were only 10 minutes left before the Wolf Lord respawned.


    There were still 30 minutes left before the deadline for the level-up quest.


    Taking advantage of the momentary downtime where all the level 9 Heartless Bloodwolves were respawning, Su Chen decided to check his spoils from the past three days.


    ¡°Display the items in my Storage Bracelet.¡±


    [ Bound to: Su Chen ]


    [ Storage Space: Occupied 3/10 slots]


    [ White-rank Equipment: Beginner¡¯s Staff (Can be sold for 1 Gold Coin) ]


    [ Lesser Deformed Wolf Fang: 61 pieces (Can be sold for 122 Gold Coins) ]


    [ Advanced Distorted Wolf Fang: 58 pieces (Can be sold for 290 Gold Coins) ]


    Apart from the coin from the Beginner Staff, Su Chen had accumulated 412 Gold Coins after spending three days within the game.


    Throughout all of this, only eight hours had passed in real life.


    If Su Chen were to exchange the Gold Coins into Blue Star Coins and transfer it into his bank account, he would only earn 404 yuan.


    After all, every transaction between Blue Star Coins and in-game-coins would be subject to a 2% service tax from [ Ark ]


    However, to Su Chen, who had a monthly salary of around 5,000 yuan, this was a decent income.


    Of course, Su Chen was one of the very few who could make this much money this early into the game.


    A normal player¡¯s combat strength would not reach such a level. Had they spent three whole in-game days hunting monsters as well, they would likely only reach one-fifth of Su Chen¡¯s earnings.


    At the same time, most NPC merchants in [ Ark ] would accept all materials dropped by the players. As such, there was no concern that the materials could not be sold.


    The only times that players will sell to one another was when the item in question was a high-value item. Otherwise, selling them to NPC merchants in trading cities was much less time-consuming.


    Su Chen remembered the uproar that had resulted from from this direct exchange between virtual and fiat currencies.


    Most avid gamers would eventually drop their games once responsibilities kicked in. After all, not all players were born with silver spoons in their mouth and had the luxury to carry on with their games without paying heed to anything else.


    However, [ Ark ] had changed all of this. It had greatly lowered the barrier of entry for making money through games. Via the innovative system they had in place, not only would professional gaming studios make money, so too would regular players. As such, it was no wonder that [ Ark ] had a high player retention rate!


    As for concerns about [ Ark ] losing money, such problems did not exist.


    The materials that were collected by shop merchants would be used as crafting materials for equipment. As such, if players wanted to create equipment, they would have to spend Gold Coins to purchase these crafting materials.


    Moreover, the price of an [ Ark ] helmet was around 30,000 yuan. Its popularity across the globe made this a highly profitable venture. Furthermore, there was also the service tax that players would be charged with when converting between in-game and actual currency, as well as the release of premium weapons down the line. All of this had ensured that [ Ark ] would not be operating at a loss.


    This low barrier of entry to making a living was also one of the reasons why Su Chen had chosen to buy the helmet.


    Su Chen slowly retracted his thoughts.


    At this moment, it was finally time for the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord to respawn.


    There were only 20 minutes left before the deadline of the level sprint quest!


    At the same time.


    Two figures suddenly appeared.


    Their eyes fell on Su Chen who was about to kill the Wolf King..

 Chapter 6

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Wasteland City.


    Within the [ Heartless Bloodwolf ]s spawn zone.


    In front of the ruins of a research office building that existed before the apocalypse.


    The buildings of the bygone era were not completely destroyed. All kinds of exquisite research instruments were covered in dust within the ruins. A wall of test tubes that contained a collection of various solutions could be found on one side. The liquids from the test tubes had slowly leaked out, mixing together to form a green sludge that gradually dropped down from the wall.


    At the place where the green sludge had gathered, stood a mutated wolf-like creature that was three meters tall and had a python-like tail. It was the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord!


    It was Su Chen¡¯s target!


    [ Heartless Mutated Bloodwolf Lord ]


    Level: 10


    HP: 5,000


    Attack: 50-80


    Defense: 100


    Speed: 30


    Skills: [ Bite ][ Spiked Tail Swipe ]


    Description: One of the first batch of wild animals to be contaminated by mankind¡¯s pollution. Its fur is as tough as iron, and it has a tail full of spikes. It feels no pain, and upon landing two consecutive hits onto its targets, its following attacks would deal increased damage.


    Due to the side effects of the contamination, it will enter a weakened state from time to time, and at most twice within a month. Every time it is weakened, all of its attributes would be reduced by half, and each weakened state would last for 10 minutes.


    Su Chen was alarmed by the description regarding the weakened state.


    As far as he could tell, the Wolf Lord that he had encountered earlier seemed to be in its weakened state.


    Nevertheless, the Wolf Lord¡¯s ferocity had still left a lasting impression in Su Chen¡¯s mind.


    After all, the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord was the strongest boss within the Wasteland dungeon.


    It had a super-thick HP of 5,000, and it had a sky high defense of 100 points.


    It also had two skills.


    Ordinary newbies stood zero chance fighting it alone. They would not even last three hits against it, and they would likely immediately flee back to the safe zones upon realizing the sheer power of the Wolf Lord.


    If they were unlucky and did not manage to escape, they would be reduced to a white ray of light before being sent back to the central resurrection point.


    Players below level 10 would not lose levels when they died. All they would lose would be their experience points. After all, even though the Wasteland was a dungeon for newcomers, they must still be penalized so that they would be incentivized against dying.


    On the other hand, once players above level 10 died, they would immediately lose a level, all equipment that they had just obtained in the past minute, and there would also be a 10% chance of losing items that were stored in their storage bracelet.


    Therefore, the most hated of players would at most be sent back to the Wasteland City dungeon, as killing a player past level 10 was highly inefficient.


    Back to the matter at hand, Su Chen was razor-focused in his upcoming battle against the Wolf Lord.


    After all, time was limited. He could not afford any mistakes, as not only would his death result in his hard earned half-bar of exp being reduced to zero, but it would also make him lose out on the Level Sprint reward.


    Therefore, after forming his battle plan, he immediately fired his first wave of attack at the Wolf Lord!


    [ Fireball ]!


    Su Chen, who was wearing a dark blue robe, clenched his staff tightly. Flames surged at the tip of the staff, and before long, a ball of pale blue-orange flame that was the size of a football had formed. the wasteland city immediately surged and slowly gathered at the top of Su Chen¡¯s staff.


    To think that his Fireball used to be the size of a small fist!


    With a wave of the staff, the fireball smashed into the Wolf Lord¡¯s curled up body on the ground!


    342!


    A terrifying damage value jumped out from the Wolf Lord¡¯s body.


    AWOOOO!


    An angry howl came from the Wolf Lord¡¯s mouth!


    With a powerful kick from its hind legs against the ground, the Wolf Lord immediately shot up into the air!


    Its scarlet eyes instantly locked onto Su Chen, and the iron-hard fur all over its body slowly stood up. As strange colorful patterns began to spread across its body, the old research room was suddenly filled with a dangerous atmosphere!


    Although Su Chen had faced the Wolf Lord in its weakened state previously, it was still considered as having prior experience. As such, Su Chen was not unnerved by the sight before him


    Once the cooldown of [ Fireball ] was over, Su Chen began to cast it again!


    The Fireball began to form once more.


    However, the Wolf Lord, that had now regained its original stats would no longer let Su Chen get his attacks in that easily!


    While Su Chen was casting his skill, the Wolf Lord rushed towards him, and in a blink of an eye, its shadowy figure was right before Su Chen and it had slashed his claws towards Su Chen.


    Although he was surprised by the Wolf Lord¡¯s astonishing speed, Su Chen still reacted quickly, and he had leaped backward in the nick of time!


    At the same time, the fireball spell that had he just finished casting smashed into the Wolf Lord¡¯s face with deadly precision!


    411!


    Su Chen¡¯s robes fluttered in the wind due to all the dodging that he was doing. At the same time, Su Chen was also observing the damage he had inflicted from the unexpected critical hit, and an epiphany seemed to dawn on him.


    Previously, perhaps due to the Wolf Lord¡¯s sturdy fur, Su Chen¡¯s Elemental Power of 440 could only manage to deal around 340 damage onto the Wolf Lord.


    However, the attack that had landed on the Wolf Lord¡¯s face was different. Due to the lack of fur on its face, Su Chen was able to land a more damaging attack when he struck its face!


    Upon taking the Fireball head-on, the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord was immediately inflicted with the ¡°Burn¡± status effect. Enraged by this, the Wolf Lord turned furious and pounced towards Su Chen once more.


    Su Chen¡¯s HP was still at a healthy level. He had yet to consume any potions as he constantly weaved and maneuvered about to dodge the Wolf Lord¡¯s attacks.


    The Wolf Lord lunged forward and opened its mouth, baring its razor sharp fangs that were contaminated with the pollutants from the test tubes towards Su Chen.


    Su Chen once again attempted to dodge its attack.


    However¡­


    The Wolf King suddenly turned around and slammed its python-like thorny tail into Su Chen¡¯s body. Damage figures instantly popped up above him!


    68!


    Su Chen¡¯s HP dropped by nearly a fifth.


    Fortunately, Su Chen had already finished casting before the Wolf Lord struck him. Otherwise, his attack would have very likely been interrupted!


    Being a virtual world, the intense pain that Su Chen had suffered had only lasted for a second before it disappeared. Aside from that, the seemingly grievous wound had vanished at the same time as well.


    Therefore, once Su Chen had finished adjusting his aim, he fired his Fireball from his staff and struck the Wolf Lord.


    349!


    The Wolf Lord¡¯s HP had dropped from 5,000 to 4,000!


    At the same time, Su Chen made a last minute change to his strategy.


    He decided to target the Wolf Lord¡¯s hind legs instead.


    The wounds on players¡¯ bodies would heal instantly, but the same did not apply to wild mounters.


    The Wolf Lord had high HP and agility, but low attack.


    Therefore, Su Chen wanted to hit the Wolf Lord¡¯s Achilles¡¯ Heel.


    After suffering through several of the Wolf Lord¡¯s Spiked Tail Swipes, Su Chen had finally managed to cripple the Wolf Lord¡¯s hind legs. As a result, the Wolf Lord¡¯s speed was noticeable reduced!


    At the same time, the Wolf Lord¡¯s HP had also dropped to 1,000.


    Naturally, Su Chen had also paid a hefty price to gain the upper hand. He had already drank all the HP and MP potions that he had purchased using 50 coins.


    Under normal circumstances, 50 Gold Coins was enough to purchase half-a-month long of resources within [ Ark ].


    There were still 8 minutes left before the deadline of the level-up achievement.


    The plan to kill the Wolf King was gradually coming to an end.


    ¡­


    In the ruins not far behind Su Chen.


    While Su Chen was coming up with a battle plan to take down the Wolf Lord.


    A man and a woman walked over and stopped.


    The man was Level 10. He was wearing armor and looked average. He held a broadsword.


    He was a Swordsman with the specialization of [ Heavy Swordsman ] .


    The woman was Level 7. Her looks were average, but she was petite. Her sexy figure was completely outlined by her choice of attire. She had a soft waist and a gray bow on her back. She was an Archer.


    The two of them were obviously a couple. They had formed a party to level up.


    ¡°Brother Mu, I think there are fewer people here. Let¡¯s level up here.¡±


    The Petite Su Yan held the man¡¯s arm and said in a sweet voice.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s farm here then.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, baby, just focus on using your starter skills later. No need to bother attacking and aiming normally.¡±


    ¡°Although the damage is much lower, it¡¯s a guaranteed hit. Moreover, with me around, you don¡¯t have to worry about not dealing enough damage. My attack stat is at 200 points!¡±


    Mu Han smiled and said to Su Yan.


    Although Mu Han appeared to be speaking softly on the surface, in reality, he was on the brink of despair mentally. He was completely speechless at her lack of ability.


    Back when he had brought her to farm monsters previously, his partner had somehow missed all attacks whenever she was not using her starter skill. She could not even land an arrow onto a target that was standing right in front of her. It was truly ridiculous!


    If it was not for her BOMBSHELL figure, he would not have bothered partying up with her.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Hey, Brother Mu, is that person thinking of farming the Wolf Lord?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s impossible for rookies like us to defeat it?¡±


    Su Yan looked around and spotted Su Chen approaching the Wolf Lord.


    Hearing this, Mu Han also turned around and revealed a disdainful smile.


    ¡°Hehe, this kid must be crazy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve studied the boss extensively before this. For newbies, a minimum party of three is required to take down a Wolf Lord, otherwise, we¡¯re simply just courting death.¡±


    Unless the Wolf King was currently in a weakened state.


    In the end, Mu Han silently added another sentence in his heart.


    As he had stayed in the Wasteland dungeon for a long time in order to pick up girls, Mu Han, who was stuck at level 10, had at least some understanding of the Wolf Lord.


    A Level 9 newbie fighting solo against the Wolf Lord was a death flag if he had ever seen one.


    ¡°Just you wait, this Level 9 kid will be killed in less than 10 seconds!¡±


    What transpired after that left Mu Han speechless.


    In the end, he was so shocked that his jaw almost fell off!


    After all, the first hit that Su Chen had landed onto the Wolf Lord with his Fireball had managed to deal 300+ damage despite its 100-point thick defense!


    Was there a f*cking bug?


    Even with his attack power of 200 points, he could only deal less than 100 points of damage against the Wolf Lord¡¯s high defenses.


    How could this person¡­


    ¡°!¡±


    Before Mu Han could finish his thought, the next scene made him and Su Yan widen their eyes even further.


    Despite the Wolf Lord¡¯s massive and quick claw swipes, the player with the ID ¡°Su Chen¡± had managed to effortlessly dodge it!


    Although Mu Han knew that in [ Ark ] , it was possible to dodge the attacks of wild monsters through positioning and dodging. The system simulated one¡¯s physical abilities near perfectly in the simulation.


    In reality, those who could repeat Su Chen¡¯s feats were likely one-in-a-million.


    More shockingly, Su Chen seemed to be doing it effortlessly.


    There was no sense of urgency to any of his movements. It felt as if he was taking a casual stroll in the park.


    How can he be so skilled?


    ¡°Brother Mu¡­ This person, he¡­¡±


    As a newbie in the gaming field, Su Yan, who barely understood the workings of the game, could also tell that this was an anomaly.


    The following scene of Su Chen attacking the Wolf Lord¡¯s weak spot and kiting it left them dumbfounded once again. Had they not seen Su Chen chugging down health potions and mana potions frantically, they would have suspected that there was a bug in the system.


    As Su Chen¡¯s hunt neared its end¡­


    Mu Han, who was momentarily stunned, also came back to his senses.


    There was definitely something amiss.


    The Wolf Lord was not an easy target to bring down.


    Mu Han looked at the tottering wolf king in the distance and suddenly had a thought.


    Could this person have encountered the Wolf King¡¯s weakened state twice within a month?!


    Yes.


    That was definitely the case. Otherwise, there¡¯s definitely no way that he could deal such a high amount of damage.


    A shame that I didn¡¯t encounter it myself.


    Otherwise, it might drop¡­


    Wait!


    A thought immediately appeared in Mu Han¡¯s mind.


    Who said this Wolf Lord belonged to Su Chen?


    As far as the system was concerned, the person to land the final hit on an opponent would be its killer.


    Mu Han¡¯s entire body began to tremble with excitement.


    He was certain that Su Chen had already exhausted all of his potions. After all, it had been a while since he last brought out any potions.


    The Wolf Lord was at a low health, and the Mage who was one level lower than himself was left with no potions.


    Moreover, he also had a level 7 companion at his side.


    Mu Han¡¯s eyes turned green with greed.


    He quickly grabbed Su Yan¡¯s hand and rushed toward Su Chen..

 Chapter 7

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    78!


    The Heartless Bloodwolf Lord whose HP bar had dropped below 1,000 seemed to have entered a frenzied state.


    Ignoring the injuries on its legs, it began to lunge rabidly at Su Chen!


    The [ Bite ] attack that had landed onto Su Chen had dealt 78 points of damage! It was a dangerous figure.


    Su Chen¡¯s HP had dropped to lower than 200 points.


    However, even though he was without a health potion, Su Chen did not panic. Instead, he fired yet another Fireball at the Wolf Lord¡¯s head.


    375!


    Another attack that penetrated a portion of the Wolf Lord¡¯s defense!


    The Wolf Lord howled in pain, and its HP bar plummeted.


    As the scene unfolded before him, Su Chen smiled in satisfaction.


    There were still 3 minutes left before the deadline of the level sprint achievement.


    At this moment.


    A bow and arrow suddenly shot forth from behind him!


    21.


    Huh?


    Although the damage was not high, Su Chen was rather surprised that someone was attacking him at this moment.


    Su Chen whirled his head around and spotted the approaching Mu Han and Su Yan.


    Before he could say anything.


    The man with the ID of Mu Han who was running frantically shouted with an excited expression, ¡°Kid, hand over the Wolf Lord to me and I¡¯ll spare your life and the experience you¡¯ve farmed up.¡±


    Mu Han lifted up his broadsword. On the surface, it looked as if he was trying to attract Su Chen¡¯s attention to prevent the Wolf Lord from being killed before his arrival.


    In reality, however, he meant to cut down Su Chen with his [ Heavy Chop ]!


    ¡°Right, get lost!¡±


    Upon hearing that she could gain two levels by killing the Wolf Lord from Mu Han, Su Yan instantly leaped at the opportunity.


    She immediately shouted at Su Chen to scram!


    Despite the scene, Su Chen did not show any anger on his face.


    In the next moment.


    In the wasteland filled with all sorts of technology from a previous age, and in front of the ruins of the old research institute.


    The Wolf Lord that was completely battered, rolled on the ground, and upon getting up, it readied itself to unleash its final [ Bite ] attack.


    Su Yan, who had drawn her bow and arrow, had a mocking smile on her face as she shot an arrow that was bound to hit Su Chen.


    The excited Mu Han had finally made his way to the bloodied Su Chen and raised his broadsword.


    Su Chen was in a pinch.


    However, it was also at this moment that Su Chen had finished casting his Fireball.


    An orb of flames burst forth!


    It struck Su Yan who was several meters away, enveloping her in flames in an instant, before converting her into a string of data that soon disappeared.


    Instant kill!


    Archer Su Yan was at full health and had only possessed white rank equipment.


    Nevertheless, Su Chen¡¯s starter skill, [ Fireball] had somehow scored an instant kill!


    Su Chen then dodged to the side.


    As a result, the Wolf Lord that was making a final desperate attempt at retaliating Su Chen, had somehow sunk its malevolent fangs into Mu Han instead!


    99!


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Mu Han was thrown to the ground by the Wolf Lord, and he was suddenly at a loss.


    This was especially true once he realized that the Wolf Lord was not in its weakened state.


    The Heartless Bloodwolf Lord tore at Mu Han with its claws.


    39!


    57!


    42!


    Mu Han was scared silly at the Wolf Lord¡¯s savagery.


    At this moment.


    A ball of flame was unleashed.


    The Wolf Lord that had 5,000 HP at the start of the battle and sky-high (relatively speaking) defense, had been slain by Su Chen!


    ¡°Ding! Congratulations, player [ Su Chen ] has slain the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord!¡±


    ¡°As the first player to kill the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord alone, player [ Su Chen ] has obtained an additional reward of 666 Gold Coins. Green rank equipment, [ Bloodwolf Armor ] obtained!¡±


    ¡°Ding! Congratulations to player [ Su Chen ] for reaching level 10!¡±


    ¡°Two skill points obtained.¡±


    ¡°Ding! Congratulations to player [ Su Chen ] for becoming the 29th player to complete the [ Rushing 10 Levels in 3 Days ] achievement!¡±


    ¡°Awarded 200,000 Gold Coins!¡±


    As a series of system notifications rang out.


    The tall and handsome Su Chen slowly exhaled.


    Following this, he looked to his right and his expression returned to normal. Then, he walked to the side of Mu Han who was lying on the ground and slowly squatted down.


    Su Chen glared down at Mu Han and spoke in a cold voice.


    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Did you actually think that a piece of garbage like you is worthy of stealing my prey?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking.


    Mu Han¡¯s face turned pale with terror.


    An instant later, he was wreathed in flames, and before long, he had warped in a ball of white light then soon dispersed..

 Chapter 8

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ Ark ].


    Ancient City of Ten Thousand Towns Dungeon.


    Peach Blossom Town.


    A system notification suddenly sounded out in the ears of countless players.


    ¡°Congratulations to Su Chen for becoming the first newbie to single-handedly kill the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord!¡±


    At this moment, Liu Wankun, a level 36 [ Shield Warrior ] wearing battle-worn armor and carrying two shields on his back stopped in his tracks, together with his three party members beside him.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with shock.


    The reason was none other than the contents of the system¡¯s announcement!


    ¡°Brother Wankun, do my ears deceive me? Where on earth did this monstrous player come from!¡±


    ¡°A newbie single-handedly defeating the most difficult Boss of the [ Wasteland ] dungeon? It must be fake!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Thinking back to the time when the four of us were in the newbie dungeon. Back then, we¡¯ve put in blood sweat and tears, and even then, we barely managed to kill despite our tacit understanding of one another. How could this [ Su Chen ] possibly do it alone?¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous, this is absolutely ridiculous!¡±


    The party was instantly in an uproar as they ridiculed Su Chen¡¯s ¡°fake¡± achievement in disbelief.


    Seeing that everyone was suffering such a huge blow, Liu Wankun decided not to express his true thoughts on the matter. He decided to keep a brave front and acted indifferently to Su Chen¡¯s achievement whilst he consoled them.


    ¡°No matter how exaggerated this achievement is, he¡¯s still a newbie. He¡¯s two months behind us. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be able to catch up to us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to hurry up and hand-in the quest to slay the level 40 [ General Baiqi ].¡±


    Only then did Wankun¡¯s party members regain some confidence. They hastened their pace to submit the quest that they had just completed.


    ¡­


    Ancient City of Ten Thousand Towns.


    Outside Qingfeng Town.


    ¡°The Boss only has 50,000 HP left. Just fire off everything you got! I¡¯ll personally cover all of your HP and MP potions!¡±


    A Level 42[ Swordsman ] with the ID of Li Kai quickly retreated to the back of the party the moment his HP dropped low. Upon confirming his safety, he then brought out a HP potion and chugged it down.


    As the [ Unstoppable ] game company¡¯s most important player in [ Ark ], he had gathered 3 parties consisting of 12 players each to take down a level 50 Boss in a raid.


    This was one of his go-to methods to power-level.


    At this moment, a system notification sounded in his ears.


    ¡°Congratulations to Su Chen for becoming the first newbie to single-handedly kill the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord!¡±


    Li Kai could not help but take a deep breath.


    Was this a joke?


    A solo kill!?


    What game company did this expert belong to?


    Li Kai recalled the mob that had yielded him enough EXP to reach level 10. He too, had slain a Boss. In his case, the Boss that he had defeated was the [ Venom-spewing Golden Python ], and although it was a different Boss from the Wolf Lord, he was well aware of how tough the battle against it was, since he had tried to fight it as well.


    The Wolf Lord was considered to be the most difficult Boss within the newbie dungeon of Wasteland City.


    At that time, he had even spent a pretty penny to hire three players to take down the Golden Python together with him.


    Is the system working correctly?


    I should get someone to investigate this Su Chen player later.


    I¡¯ll need to see whether he¡¯s already hired under a different company, and if not, I¡¯ll get him to join mine¡­


    ¡°You mortals, don¡¯t even think about taking my head!¡±


    While Li Kai was marveling at Su Chen¡¯s achievement and healing up with potions, the boss, Wang Jian, suddenly shouted.


    Now that his HP was bottoming out, the Boss had entered his Berserk state.


    Wang Jian waved the long spear in his hand, striking four members of the party in a single swing!


    The critical damage instantly killed two of them!


    Worse still, their equipment had dropped upon death!


    ¡°F*ck!¡±


    Li Kai cursed in anger. Upon realizing that he needed to compensate those players for their losses, he suddenly realized that Wang Jian was left with only 20,000 HP. As such, he charged forward without a single ounce of hesitation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! I¡¯ll cover all the costs for your deaths, even if you somehow returned to level 1 because of it!¡±


    ¡­


    [ Badlands ] Dungeon.


    The same system notification rang out in Si Luo and Si Weiwei¡¯s ears.


    Only those with level 50 and above could enter the Badlands.


    As such, there were not many players present in the dungeon.


    Those that were present were mostly the first batch of players that played [ Ark ] since its release.


    Moreover, they had the backing of companies behind them as well.


    As the system notification sounded out.


    The two of them exchanged glances at one another.


    They could see the surprise in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Sister Wei Wei, a newbie killed the Wolf Lord all by himself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Si Luo refuted subconsciously.


    As one of the first batch of players to enter Ark, he knew just how difficult it was to defeat the Boss of Wasteland City.


    Even he and Si Weiwei needed to join hands and use up a near-infinite amount of HP and MP potion just to stand a chance against it.


    As such, the fact that a newbie had accomplished such a task felt like a fever dream.


    Si Weiwei remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.


    ¡°Since the system has announced it, it can¡¯t be fake.¡±


    Si Luo was still in disbelief. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware just how difficult it is to take down that particular Boss. We needed to join hands just to stand a chance against i!¡±


    Si Weiwei¡¯s expression did not change. ¡°At that time, we were the pioneers of [ Ark ] . Many aspects of the game were still unknown to us back then.¡±


    ¡°However, with the number of guides and resources readily available on the Internet now, it¡¯s only a matter of time before a powerhouse would manage to make history. Though, I do admit that I didn¡¯t expect such a day to arrive this early.¡±


    Si Weiwei analyzed the matter bit by bit and quickly sorted out her thoughts.


    ¡°But Sis, no matter how powerful this Su Chen is, he¡¯s still only a level 9 newbie! There are limits to both his attack and defensive stats!¡±


    ¡°That is, unless he had a pile of orange-ranked equipment at his disposal, but I¡¯m sure no company would be willing to waste their money on such a vain venture! It¡¯s just not worth spending such a huge amount of gold on a newbie dungeon¡¯s Boss!¡±


    ¡°A reward of 200,000 Gold Coins wouldn¡¯t even make a dent on the cost of such a venture!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Si Weiwei turned around and looked towards Si Luo again.


    ¡°As a game that grounds itself to reality as much as possible, after eliminating various factors, the only reason that I could think of that allowed this newbie to accomplish such a feat would be his dodging ability.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Si Luo did not know how to respond.


    One¡¯s ability to dodge and weave was an extremely precious resource within a realistic game like [ Ark ]. They were priceless, as they were raw, unadulterated talents that no amount of money could purchase.


    After all, one¡¯s ability to dodge was tied directly to the basic attacking and defending mechanics of the game.


    If movement skills were rampant within the game, monsters and bosses would have difficulty landing hits onto the players, and as a result, the power level of the game would completely collapse.


    It was for this reason that [ Ark ] did not sell any movement or evasion abilities within its shops.


    However, according to the official website, there were actually two ways to obtain movement or evasion skills.


    The first was to obtain a hidden quest that could be taken upon reaching level 40.


    The second was via a mechanic that was already coded into the game, but in an effort to maintain the game¡¯s balance, the developers have decided to withhold the information until further notice.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe this person is a martial arts master in real life.¡±


    Realizing that there was no way to get to the bottom of this, Si Luo decided not to think too hard on the matter any longer.


    Si Weiwei had been able to successfully dodge a few times by accident during her stint in the game. As a human that had received genetic modifications via the latest research of this parallel world, her body¡¯s constitution and reaction speeds were far superior to that of ordinary individuals..


    However, at this moment, a thought suddenly occurred to Si Weiwei.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Luo, do you think it¡¯s possible that this Su Chen is the anonymous player on the compatibility score rankings?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Although I also really hope that it¡¯s actually the case, even with a max compatibility score, he would only gain an extra 30 to 40 points at level 10. That¡¯s not a lot to be a game-changer.¡±


    Si Luo quickly denied this idea.


    Then, as if to change the topic, he suddenly took on an eager tone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sister Weiwei. The beast hide that we obtained last time has been purchased for 80,000 Gold Coins by a player of the Job [ Heavenly Craftsman ]. We just made a killing!¡±


    ¡°Once the guild system comes online, we¡¯ll need a large sum of money to maintain operational costs.¡±


    After hearing about the financial troubles regarding the guild, Si Weiwei retracted her thoughts on the matter and set off towards the location of her quest.


    At the same time.


    Su Chen, who had finally completed the level-sprint quest and received his reward, also temporarily went offline.


    He had returned to reality..

 Chapter 9

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Magic Capital.


    The LED indicators on the silver helmet that Su Chen was wearing gradually turned from green to red.


    His consciousness slowly returned to his body in reality.


    As the ratio of time between reality and [ Ark ] was 1: 10.


    Therefore, after staying in the game for three and a half days, only eight hours had passed in reality.


    The sun had just risen outside the window.


    ¡°This game helmet is exactly as advertised.¡±


    Su Chen could not help but nod and praise at the helmet¡¯s abilities.


    After all, despite being in the game for a whole eight hours in reality, he did not feel an ounce of weariness. It truly felt as if he had gone to sleep for eight hours, and better still, he felt invigorated!


    He habitually used his slender fingers to tuck his long hair behind his ears, revealing his handsome face that was sighing with relief.


    ¡°Ding!¡±


    A notification chimed out from Su Chen¡¯s phone.


    Su Chen gently put his helmet into the black box it had come from, took out his phone, and began to check his notifications.


    [ Dear Mr. Su Chen, you have just deposited 100,000 yuan into your Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICB) account of the account number 5640xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx264. Your balance is now 102,076 yuan. ]


    The Blue Star Coins that Su Chen had converted in-game had finally been transferred to his bank account.


    He had exchanged half of his 200,000 Gold Coins into Blue Star Coins upon receiving them from the hidden achievement.


    The reason for doing so was so that he had spare funds to use for his in-game equipment. After all, he was about to take on a new dungeon soon.


    Once a player reached level 10 and left the Wasteland City, it would truly mark the beginning of their journey into the proper [ Ark ] gameplay experience.


    There were basically no conflicts between players in the newbie [ Wasteland City ] dungeon. Even if one died, their level would not drop. As such, there was not much point in purposely griefing1 other players.


    This was the brilliance of [ Ark ].


    Although 98% of the players in the game had purchased helmets for the sake of feeling powerful within a game world.


    There were also a very small number of players who sought not of power, but rather, they were merely there to experience the beautiful world that [ Ark ] had to offer.


    This helmet could perfect make use of the long nights, and quite possibly, enrich it as well.


    The non-competitive nature that was fostered within [ Wasteland City ] was made for this 1% of players.


    However, things were obviously quite different once players reached level 10.


    Equipment, skills, and the importance of partying up were immediately increased, and one might even argue that they were mandatory.


    100,000 Gold Coins was a small number of assets in the long scheme of things, as Su Chen was certain that he would spend much more as he progressed further into the game.


    As for the 100,000 Blue Star Coins he had transferred out, Su Chens had already made plans for them.


    On one hand, it was to increase the comfort of his material life.


    On the other hand, he planned to use it for genetic modification surgery as well.


    The technology of this parallel universe was far superior to the world Su Chen had come from. Not only did humans make leaps and bounds in digital technology, the same had also applied in the field of biology.


    [ Genetic Evolution ] was the direct embodiment of the research results of the human body.


    There was nothing wrong with Su Chen¡¯s body, be it in terms of figure or looks.


    Heck, his looks were so charming that many had mistaken Su Chen as one of those who had undergone [ Genetic Evolution ] surgery. It was no exaggeration to say that he had gotten many women to fall head over heels over him.


    Nevertheless, his appearance was not part of the reason for why he wanted the surgery. Rather, it was to enhance his skill in [ Ark ] .


    [ Ark ] was a game that was bound to become an indispensable part of human life in the future. It had a huge market.


    Not only would the [ Genetic Evolution ] surgery ensure that he would not be afflicted with any diseases, it would also improve his reaction times, focus, and thinking speeds.


    The cost of the genetic modification surgeries could reach as high as 50 million Blue Star Coins. In this sense, the money that Su Chen had set aside was only a small portion to reach this goal.


    Su Chen slowly recollected his thoughts.


    He got out of bed and began to wash up. Then, he took out the ingredients in the fridge and started to cook.


    ¡­


    Two hours later, Su Chen put the clean dishes back into the cupboard.


    The grease from washing the dishes earlier had tainted his beautiful eyebrows earlier, causing him to frown. As such, Su Chen made up his mind to purchase a smart dishwasher later.


    A knock could be heard on his door.


    ¡°Is anyone there?¡±


    A gentle female voice came from outside the door along with a knock, interrupting Su Chen who was searching online for a dishwasher.


    Upon hearing the voice, Su Chen got up from his chair in his small living room and opened the door.


    A beautiful girl with two ponytails appeared in front of Su Chen. She was wearing a new white floral dress and had long legs.


    ¡°Good morning, Brother Su Chen. This is the dessert that our university instructor told us to make. I would like to¡­ Ask you to taste it for me.¡±


    Tao Xingyue¡¯s cheeks turned rosy as she carefully handed over the dessert in her hand.


    ¡°Your university instructor is quite a slave-driver, huh? He requires you to make fifteen types of desserts in a month.¡±


    Su Chen did not say much and immediately took the dessert.


    As Tao Xingyue was the daughter of the landlord, and the two lived very close to each other. Ever since their first meeting, Tao Xingyue had come to him to seek help from time to time.


    Ignoring Tao Xingyue¡¯s rosy cheeks, Su Chen continued, ¡°Your desserts are actually quite delicious, but I may not have time to taste them in the future.¡±


    Su Chen pointed at the packaging of the game helmet in the corner of the living room. ¡°I would be spending most of my time in [ Ark ] in the future.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking.


    Tao Xingyue¡¯s eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment that had gone unnoticed by Su Chen. However, her smile remained as she answered, ¡°Oh, Brother Su Chen, do you play this game too?¡±


    ¡°Me Too?¡± Su Chen caught the word. ¡°Do you play this game too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, many of my university classmates play this game. Since most of them play during the night, it doesn¡¯t cut into their classes, and as such, I decided to join them as well.¡±


    A gentle voice came from Tao Xingyue as she asked, ¡°I heard it¡¯s quite difficult. Brother Su Chen, can you guide me in game?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You should familiarize yourself with the game environment first and level up to level 10. Once you¡¯ve reached that level, I¡¯ll join you once I have the time.¡±


    Faced with the cute twin-ponytail girl¡¯s inquiry, Su Chen immediately chose to think about his future leveling plan before replying to Tao Xingyue.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll head back first. See you in the game.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    Su Chen nodded and closed the door.


    At this moment, Tao Xingyue, who had simply bid farewell to Su Chen, only had a single thought in her mind.


    That was to use her small savings now to buy a [ Ark ] game helmet.


    After closing the door.


    Su Chen sat back in the living room chair and picked up a spoon to taste the dessert.


    While tasting the dessert, he also browsed the official website of Ark.


    He began to summarize the contents of the website selectively.


    He also began planning on how he should upgrade his equipment once he reached [ Ancient Town ].

 Chapter 10

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The first thing Su Chen had decided to research on were his weapons and equipment.


    He was certain that upon his arrival at [ Ancient Town ]. the streets will be swarmed with players, and as a result of this, the competition would be fierce,


    Su Chen was not referring only to the possible conflicts that would arise, but also the highly rewarding time-limited quests and bosses where players would have to fight tooth and nail against one another to get the killing blow.


    In addition, although Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ] was indeed very powerful, the total number of skills at his disposal was far less than the other players, and this gap would only increase as they leveled up. Therefore, Su Chen felt that it was necessary to gear up properly in order to fully make use of his powerful Fireball.


    The second thing that Su Chen researched on were the four dungeons that were currently released by [ Ark ].


    The first was a beginner dungeon without any level requirements, the [ Wasteland City ] that Su Chen had farmed up his first 10 levels in.


    The second was the [ Ancient City and Ten Thousand Towns ] dungeon that could be accessed upon reaching level 10. This was the dungeon that most players gathered in. Owing to its low barrier of entry, but having plentiful resources, it was the main dungeon of Ark players.


    Once the guild system comes online, the various player guilds that would be established would also be able to own their own land within these dungeons, enabling them to carve out their a piece of territory for themselves.


    The third and fourth dungeons were the level 50 [ Badlands ], and the level 80 [ Interstellar Battlefield ]s respectively. These were both dungeons which incentivized players to party up so that they could take down the high level difficult bosses within the dungeons.


    However, beyond that, Su Chen was not sure what awaited him in the final two dungeons. After all, it was still well beyond Su Chen¡¯s level range.


    Su Chen was currently level 10.


    Upon making his way into [ Ancient Town ], he will need to complete his [ Mage ]¡¯s class quest.


    Using Su Chen¡¯s Mage class as an example, it could be split to five different specializations.


    As a [ Fire Mage ], the only difference with the other Mages would be in terms of the element that they could use as well as the corresponding skills. However, this was only within the scope of [ Mages ].


    Correspondingly, the Swordsman class was also divided into the Heavy Swordsman class, the Long Swordsman class, and the Assassin ( Short Swordsman) class.


    Meanwhile, the Warrior Class could be divided into the [ Heavy Shield Warrior ] and the [ Double Shield Warrior ] class.


    Similar to the Warrior class, the Archer Class could also be split into two specializations, namely, the Crossbowman and the Bowman, who each had their own set of pros and cons.


    All players needed to enter the Ancient Town in order to receive a level 10 class quest. Upon completion of said quest, players would receive white rank equipment that were between level 10 to 15 for their respective classes.


    This was considered a generous reward for most players who would likely still have their starter equipment on.


    Aside from that, upon his arrival at Ancient Town¡­


    Su Chen would also need to pick up a subclass. However, unlike the main classes, there would be no compatibility tests for the subclasses.


    These subclasses were mainly divided into four categories.


    For example, there was the [ Gourdmaster 1] subclass that was capable of healing allies in battle.


    The [ Heavenly Craftsman ] could utilize materials to forge equipment.


    The [ Alchemist ] that could synthesize potions, as well as the [ Beast Tamer ] that could tame mounts for players.


    Although these four were named subclasses, in truth, they were more akin to lifestyle classes.


    Do not let the name fool you though, as the subclasses were also an indispensable part of the game.


    However, as most players were incentivized to play [ Ark ] for the sake of making a living, most would choose a class that would make them the most profit.


    As someone who needed to save up 50 million Blue Star Coins for the [ Genetic Evolution ] surgery, Su Chen had also belonged to this money-minded group of players.


    However, he was still undecided on which class to pick. After all, there was a chance that his transmigration system would give him ridiculous bonuses again.


    After clearing his thoughts, Su Chen lay back on his bed and put on his gaming helmet.


    ¡­


    [ Ancient City of Ten Thousand Towns ].


    Fengwu Town.


    Upon entering the game, Su Chen hurriedly made his way into the Ancient Town dungeon via the portal on the streets of Wasteland City. An instant later, he had arrived at one of the towns within the dungeon, Fengwu Town.


    Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.


    He found himself in an dilapidated, archaic looking town filled with green tiles, green bricks, as well as willow trees.


    Moreover, the mist that was currently enshrouding the town felt rather refreshing.


    Su Chen could not help but commend [ Ark ]¡¯s ability to mimic reality.


    Aside from that, there was also one noticeable difference to this town compared to the Wasteland City, namely, the population of players.


    Every once in a while, Su Chen would walk pass players that wore all sorts of clothes and equipment. After a simple inspection of their stats, Su Chen soon realized that most of them were around the level 10 ¨C 20 range.


    Su Chen was not surprised. After all, he had just stepped out of a portal that led out from the newbie dungeon. Those of higher levels would likely have already left to hunt and farm monsters outside of Fengwu Town.


    ¡°Adventurer, are you looking for the Main Class Quest Pavilion?¡±


    At this moment, a male NPC dressed in cloth clothes walked over towards Su Chen and asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am a Mage.¡±


    Su Chen nodded calmly.


    ¡°Alright, follow me.¡± The NPC who was in charge of guiding Su Chen led him forward, and brought him to one of the four pavilions that were off in a distance.


    Upon reaching one of the pavilions that had the words ¡°Mage¡± carved onto its structure, the NPC spoke again.


    ¡°This is the Main Class Quest Pavilion for Mages. You can receive your quest here.¡±


    ¡°At the same time, you can also select your subclass here. Upon choosing your subclass, you are not allowed to change it. As such, please think over it carefully.¡±


    With that, the NPC bowed and left, disappearing into the crowd of players.


    Su Chen then looked around the building, and with that, he noticed that there were five different counters for handing out class quests.


    This was a result of the different specialization amongst Mages.


    Su Chen quickly received his class quest.


    [ Go to the garrison outside of Fengwu Town and assist Security Chief Pan Feng in defeating 20 Mountain Bandits. ]


    Upon receiving the mission, Su Chen received a map and a teleportation talisman that contained two charges.


    He then left the counter on the first floor and headed to the second floor to select his subclass.


    [ Gourdmaster ] , [ Heavenly Craftsman ] , [ Alchemist ] , and [ Beast Tamer ] .


    Four classes appeared in Su Chen¡¯s line of sight.


    As expected.


    The moment Su Chen stepped into the second floor of the attic, he received a new notification from his transmigration system.

 Chapter 11

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The moment Su Chen stepped into the second floor of the quest pavilion.


    Lines of text flooded his vision.


    [ Gourdmaster: When casting healing abilities, the efficacy of their effects will be halved. However, the host will also gain a ¡°Lifesteal¡± ability, which would recover the host¡¯s HP based on the amount of HP lost from the target as a result of the ability. ]


    [ Alchemist: The host is unable to synthesize potions, but is able to restore the potions back to their constituent materials. ]


    [ Heavenly Craftsman: The greater the number of times the host fails to forge a weapon, the higher the weapon¡¯s enchantment rates. ]


    [ Beast Tamer: Can instantly tame any wild beasts, but the mounts would frequently get lost. ]


    Despite Su Chen¡¯s calm and analytical personality, he could not help but shake his head and laugh in disbelief.


    Never in his wildest imaginations had he expected his transmigration to come up with such ridiculous effects for the subclasses.


    [ The host can choose to reject one of the subclasses. ]


    However, while Su Chen was busy laughing, another line of text appeared.


    Huh?


    Does this mean what I think it means?


    Normal players were only allowed to select one subclass at most, but could he possibly select three?


    Su Chen immediately regained his composure. At this point, there was nothing else he could do but take it in stride. With that, he began the process of ruling out subclasses.


    The first subclass, the [ Gourdmaster ]¡¯s greatest asset was in its ability to heal its allies.


    However, after the transmigration system¡¯s tempering with the said subclass, Su Chen would need to spend double the amount of mana just to heal someone compared to his regular peers. It was quite a detriment to him.


    Of course, it also came with a good spell called ¡°Lifesteal¡±, Although it consumed quite a hefty amount of mana, it was still useful.


    Su Chen could use it on his enemies, after all.


    He decided to keep it.


    The second subclass was [ Alchemist ]. Its new effects had caught Su Chen off guard, as he did not expect it to decompose potions to their constituent materials instead.


    He would keep this subclass in view.


    The third subclass was [ Heavenly Craftsman ]. He decided to keep it, as he felt that he could make proper use of its reverse success rate effect,


    The fourth subclass, [ Beast Tamer ], would result in his mounts regularly getting lost?


    This was clearly the most useless subclass out of all of them.


    ¡°I reject the [ Beast Tamer ] subclass.¡±


    The moment Su Chen spoke those words, the system immediately erased the [ Beast Tamer ] option from Su Chen¡¯s window.


    In contrast to the choice he had made in the transmigration system, Su Chen was officially registered as a [ Beast Tamer ] in [ Ark ]¡¯s system.


    Once Su Chen had ensured that the registration was complete, Su Chen the anonymized his ID and left the pavilion.


    ¡­


    The counter on the teleportation talisman dropped by one.


    Su Chen, who was dressed in his mage robes, had appeared outside of Fengwu Town.


    At this moment, heb spotted a dozen or so soldiers who were repairing the trenches and fortifications not far away.


    Su Chen recalled the details of his quest and confirmed that he was in the right place.


    The size of each town within the [ Ancient City of Ten Thousand Towns ] dungeon was comparable to an actual city in ancient times. However, due to various reasons, none of them had successfully erected city walls around their territory.


    As a result, they were unable to gather their troops at a single point, and had to split them up to defend the various entrances to the towns.


    As such, bandits attacking the towns was a regular occurrence within this dungeon.


    Su Chen walked up to the NPC [ Decurion ], donned in jet-black armor and wielding a sharp rapier, and handed him the teleportation talisman he had received.


    Upon spotting the talisman, a look of realization appeared on the [ Decurion ]¡¯s face. ¡°Honorable Adventurer, are you here to help us defend Fengwu Town?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Su Chen nodded and put away the teleportation talisman that had only one charge remaining.


    ¡°I do not know when we will be assaulted by those despicable Mountain Bandits again. You can wait here for now.¡±


    ¡°This time, we will kill them all and be done with them for good!¡±


    The Decurion finished his words in high spirits and stopped talking immediately after. Following that, he then started patrolling the area.


    At this moment.


    Su Chen looked back to the spot where he was standing earlier, and flashes of light indicating someone¡¯s approach via teleportation appeared one after another.


    Four level-10 figures slowly came into view.


    One was a [ Heavy Shield warrior ] who carried a massive shield that was half as a tall as an adult man.


    One was an [ Bowman ] who carried a gray bow.


    One was a [ Heavy swordsman ] who had a massive blade sheathed behind his back.


    One was a [ Fire Mage ] who wore the same robes as Su Chen.


    The four of them must have accepted the same mission as Su Chen because they went to the [ Decurion ] and showed him their teleportation talismans.


    The Decurion then brought them to Su Chen¡¯s side and shouted, gathering all the guards present.


    He then turned around and looked at the five players.


    ¡°Including the 5 of you, there are currently 20 guards patrolling this area of Fengwu Town. As such, we will divide the 20 members into 5 teams.¡±


    ¡°Currently, three teams are already full and their members will remained untouched. However, there is still one team that is short of three people and one team that is short of two people.¡±


    ¡°You can form teams based on your classes. I will personally record the number of bandits killed by each team and will reward the team that killed more with additional rewards.¡±


    The moment the Decurion¡¯s voice subsided,..


    Su Chen and the others became visibly excited as they did not expect to be able to obtain additional rewards.


    Naturally, they did not forget the prerequisite of bagging the most kills.


    The Heavy Shield Warrior of the ID [ Qiao Yi ] spoke up, ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen of this game¡¯s meta, 4-man-parties are formed centered around the four available classes. As such, we actually have enough members of varying classes to form a proper party. ]


    ¡°The team that¡¯s lacking three members are in a lack of a Swordsman, Archer, and a Mage. On the other hand, the team that¡¯s lacking two members is in a lack of a Warrior and a Mage.¡±


    ¡°In other words, three of us already have our choices made for us, but since both of you are Fire Mages, I¡¯ll leave it to both of you to discuss how you wanna ¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence.


    The second Fire Mage with the ID [ Chu Xiongzhou ] frowned and interjected.


    ¡°Why bother discussing? I¡¯m definitely joining the team with three vacancies!¡±


    Now that there were additional rewards at stake, the logical choice would be to join the team with three vacancies.


    After all, it would be a team that consisted of three players and one NPC.


    Their combat power would far surpass the party that consisted of only two players and two NPCs.


    Everyone glanced between Su Chen and Chu Xiongzhou. For a moment, they did not know how they should decide.


    ¡°Hmm, how about we compare compatibility scores to decide?¡±


    The Archer suggested.


    ¡°Why bother comparing? My [ Mage ]¡¯s compatibility score is 70! Just let me join the team with a three-man vacancy! I¡¯m definitely stronger than this player here who¡¯s hiding his ID. Why would anyone care what your ID is!?¡±


    Chu Xiongzhou did not want to miss out on this opportunity before him. He raised his voice and mocked Su Chen.


    Su Chen suddenly froze. He originally wanted to give Chu Xiongzhou an icy glare, but upon hearing his compatibility score, he revealed a mocking grin.


    ¡°What are you laughing at? You don¡¯t believe me? Then let¡¯s compete to see who will kill more bandits later. I¡¯m sure the difference in our Elemental Power would be clear for all to see once we begin.¡±


    Chu Xiongzhou said noisily.


    Hearing this, Su Chen shook his head in boredom. ¡°Compete with you? I reckon that I¡¯ll hit harder than your advanced skills with just a beginner one.¡±


    With that, Su Chen then turned around and walked towards the party that was lacking two players. He could not be bothered to argue with the wild dog that seemed to be barking nonsensically.


    As for the reason why he had chosen to join the team with a three-man vacancy.


    It was because he could not be bothered. After all, regardless of the number of players or NPCs in his team, he was certain that he would be the one to come up on top in the end,


    Meanwhile, Chu Xiongzhou froze upon hearing Su Chen¡¯s words. He felt as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world and started laughing out loud.


    ¡°Hahahaha, you really know how to bullsh*t don¡¯t you!?¡±


    ¡°Forget killing more enemies than me. So long as you can even reach one-fifth of my kill count with a starter skill alone, I¡¯ll concede my loss and hand you my reward.¡±


    Then, just as Chu Xiongzhou was about to mock Su Chen even further, he was suddenly interrupted by the Decurion. He put on a smug grin and began following behind the Heavy Swordsman and the Bowman.


    On Su Chen¡¯s side.


    [ Heavy Shield Warrior ] Qiao Yi quickly caught up to him.


    ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t need to pay heed to his words. After all, what good can a level 10 class quest reward you with? There¡¯s no need to get that agitated over such a small matter.¡±


    ¡°These kind of players are the most obnoxious. There¡¯s no need to compete with him. Just play normally later and use whatever skill you¡¯d like.¡±


    Su Chen did not say anything else and simply nodded.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of them then walked side by side to their team and arranged their positions.


    Qiao Yi brought down his massive shield and stood at the vanguard. Beside him was an NPC Heavy Swordsman.


    Su Chen and another NPC [ Crossbowman ] stood at the back row.


    The moment all the players and NPCs had settled in.


    The expression of the Decurion in the distance suddenly changed.


    ¡°Eyes up people!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a large group of bandits attacking from the front!¡±


    The quest had begun!


    During this tense moment.


    Qiao Yi, who was silently raising his shield in front of Su Chen, suddenly turned around. ¡°Oh right, Bro, I see that your ID is still hidden.¡±


    ¡°How should I address you?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Su Chen, who did not have a bad impression of Qiao Yi, decided not to hide his identity. As his gaze slowly fell on the mountain bandits who were charging over on their horses.


    Following that, he spoke softly amidst the sounds of horse hooves.


    ¡°Su Chen.¡±


    His voice slowly fell.


    Qiao Yi¡¯s expression froze as he immediately whipped his head around to look at Su Chen.


    His face was filled with disbelief!

 Chapter 12

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Su Chen?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the bigshot newbie who managed to single-handedly kill the Heartless Bloodwolf Lord?!¡±


    Qiao Yi looked at Su Chen in shock as his eyes trembled uncontrollably.


    Despite Qiao Yi¡¯s fervent gaze, Su Chen¡¯s expression remained calm. His gaze was fixed on the approaching bandits, and he simply nodded in response.


    Upon this revelation, Qiao Yi simply laughed out loud.


    He thought to himself how lucky he was.


    In that case¡­


    We might have actually stand a chance to obtain more kills that the other team! It¡¯s no longer an impossible battle!


    Better yet, I might even stand a chance to make friends with this hotshot!


    The future is looking bright, bright indeed!


    While Qiao Yi¡¯s thoughts were running wild¡­


    The Mountain Bandits had officially entered the range of the [ Archer ] and [ Mage ] classes.


    The Mages and Archers standing at the back rows of each team began to unleash their attacks!


    The next instant.


    A torrent of elemental energy began to gather throughout the area!


    Following that, flames, flowing water, and vines gathered on the staffs of the five Mages one after another.


    A rainbow of colors flew out, striking the densely packed, 100-man strong group of Mountain Bandits.


    76!


    88!


    The Water Dragon Shots that were fired off by the the water dragon bullets of the two water-type mage npcs landed, they immediately dealt damage!


    18! 29! 37!


    The wood-type mage NPC that had gathered the vine seeds quickly spread and grew after landing on the ground. In an instant, it bound many people and dealt continuous damage.


    80 points of fluctuating damage was the only thing these npcs could do.


    146!


    But at this moment.


    An eye-catching number popped up!


    Another fire magician, Chu Xiong Zhou, who had three players in his party, instantly received close to 150 points of damage!


    The health bars of the two Mountain Bandits that had been struck was immediately depleted by one-third!


    This power far surpassed that of the other Mages and Archers.


    ¡°Trash, you still dare to compete with me?¡±


    Chu Xiongzhou, who was very satisfied with his damage, glanced haughtily at Su Chen who was a few meters away from him, and was still casting his skill.


    This should teach him a lesson!


    At this moment.


    Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ] was finally unleashed, and it had struck his desired targets!


    Boom!


    444!!


    400+ damage was instantly dealt!


    Among the three bandits that had been struck, two of them had instantly lost their lives!


    Their health bar was immediately depleted!


    Meanwhile, the one who was some distance behind his allies instantly lost four-fifths of his health!


    ¡°WTF?¡±


    Upon seeing this scene, Chu Xiongzhou subconsciously blurted out the vulgarity. He had almost cancelled his casting too!


    What the hell was that just now?


    Chu Xiongzhou¡¯s mind was completely blank at this moment.


    This¡­ This..


    He was certain that [ Fireball ] was a starter skill!


    What that person said just now¡­ Was actually true!?


    Following that, Chu Xiongzhou chanted all three of his skills robotically, and in a trance-like state.


    After all, Su Chen¡¯s strength was too mind-blowing.


    His most powerful skill did not even have reach half the damage of his opponent¡¯s starter skill.


    This level of difference was like heaven and earth!


    Meanwhile, in Qiao Yi¡¯s perspective.


    While he guarded against a rain of arrows, he could not help but praise aloud, ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re goddamn amazing!¡±


    Did he funnel all his skill points into that one skill?


    Qiao Yi, who himself was not a Mage, subconsciously tried to reason out why Su Chen¡¯s skill was able to deal such a huge amount of damage.


    This scene had also caught the attention of the NPC [ Decurion ], whose eyes glinted slightly at the sight of Su Chen¡¯s might.


    However, it quickly regained its composure.


    He watched as dozens of Mountain Bandits still crossed the first line of defense under the bombardment of Archers and Mages.


    He immediately waved the flag to charge forward!


    The Warriors and Swordsmen in the front row, who had not made a move earlier, finally sprung forward at this moment, and they used their own bodies to form a new line of defense!


    Qiao Yi roared as he charged towards the bandits. The heavy shield in his hand looked as if it weighed as much as a sheet of paper, as Qiao Yi was swinging it around wantonly.


    He used his skill, [ Mountain Fortress ] , to directly withstand an NPC Mountain Bandit who was charging towards him on horseback!


    The moment he stopped, Qiao Yi activated yet another one of his skills and pushed the mountain bandit down from his horse!


    108!


    Since Qiao Yi was a warrior, his Attack power was nothing to write home about.


    What was outstanding however, was his HP and Defense stats.


    Nevertheless, he did not hesitate.


    His final skill, [ Shield Slash ], had been activated, and he raised his massive shield upwards for a moment before slamming it down into the level 10 Mountain Bandit¡¯s chest!


    112!


    The iron sword in the bandit¡¯s hand was sent flying!


    Clang! Clang!


    He quickly followed it up with a few string of normal attacks.


    36!


    39!


    42!


    34!


    The bandit turned into a white light and disappeared.


    While Qiao Yi was celebrating his first kill within the [ Ancient Town ] Dungeon, three figures suddenly surrounded him.


    The three masked bandits surrounded him on horseback and slashed at him.


    69!


    67!


    72!


    Qiao Yi lost a quarter of his health in an instant!


    He immediately raised his shield to defend!


    23!


    17!


    18!


    Qiao Yi looked for opportunities to strike, but unfortunately, the three level 10 Mountain Bandits were on horseback. It was all he could do endure their attacks with his shield.


    After dozens of seconds, although he had greatly reduced the damage he would otherwise receive from the trio, Qiao Yi¡¯s HP was still gradually being worn down. His HP was already flatlining.


    At this moment, Qiao Yi finally realized the error of his ways. He had been too impulsive earlier when he decided to jump front-and-center into the battle.


    He reckoned that he would become the first player to drop a level during a class quest. How shameful¡­


    Boom!


    At this moment, a familiar explosion sounded!


    446!


    398!


    412!


    A blazing Fireball brought with it flames that instantly enveloped the area.


    In an instant.


    The bandits surrounding Qiao Yi were sent flying by the Fireball!


    ¡°Warrior Qiao Yi, retreat for now and replenish your HP!¡±


    The NPC Decurion was still stronger than an ordinary NPC, and thus, he was taking on the bandits with ease.


    Qiao Yi immediately retreated. He laughed and said, ¡°Thank you, Brother Su!¡±


    He took out a HP potion and consumed it whilst nodding at Su Chen with gratitude.


    Su Chen nodded slightly in response.


    With that, he then brought out an MP potion to drink as he waited for the cooldown of [ Fireball ] to pass.


    Meanwhile, once they realized the anonymous Mage was capable of dealing an insane damage of 400+ per hit, the players on the second team started to grow mad at Chu Xiongzhou.


    ¡°Sigh! If I had known earlier, I would have asked that Mage to join our team.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I actually believed you. I can¡¯t believe I let such a great opportunity slip by!¡±


    The Archer in the team could not believe how weak his team¡¯s Mage was.


    The team that consisted of three players had not gained much EXP from the battle.


    Heck, even the number of Mountain Bandits that they had killed could not match Su Chen¡¯s own contributions.


    It was a ridiculous sight.


    At this moment, they were lamenting over their choice of the Mage.


    At the same time.


    Two of the guard teams¡¯ defensive line had crumbled while fighting against the Mountain Bandits. As a result, around thirty or so Mountain Bandits had now breached the rear!


    The level-15 NPC Mountain Bandit that was second-in-command, immediately spurred forward in search of his enemy that had killed the greatest number of his members.


    At this moment, Su Chen had just used [ Fireball ], which had a three-second cooldown.


    Qiao Yi, who was recuperating, had retreated to the rear, but he was still a few meters away from Su Chen.


    The Decurion who was still holding back the bandits in the front line could not spare any attention to the rear!


    At this moment, the level 15 Second-in-command Mountain Bandit galloped behind Su Chen, and slashed down with his machete!

 Chapter 13

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    With a shout, the Second-in-command NPC Bandit charged up his [ Crescent Moon Slash ] and brought it down onto Su Chen¡¯s neck!


    243!


    The level 15 full-strength attack that had been fully charged up had struck Su Chen¡¯s at his vital points, instantly taking half of his health bar!


    However, the real danger was yet to come.


    No matter how strong Su Chen¡¯s Fireball was, he was still a Mage that exceled at long-ranged combat. It was a rather difficult feat for him to go toe-to-toe against an enemy at melee distance.


    Moreover, as he had left his back wide-open to this second-in-charge bandit, what awaited him after the first slash was another flurry of attacks.


    The second-in-charge reined in his horse and raised its hooves. The horse¡¯s front hooves stomped down heavily!


    The second-in-charge was prepared to kill this individual who had taken the lives of so many of his brethren in a single move!


    36!


    A damage value flashed once again.


    A hint of shock flashed across the second-in-charge¡¯s eyes, because in his previous experience, the damage value of his stomp should be around 60 points!


    Essentially, what had transpired was that in the instant that he brought the hooves down, the player in front of him had forcefully twisted his body, and as a result, he had only take half of the damage.


    Realizing this, the second-in-command slashed at Su Chen with his machete once more.


    However, Su Chen, whose Fireball had already finished cooling down, intercepted the slash with his staff and successfully avoided any harm to himself.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    A moment of calm followed after the clash between machete and staff.


    Seizing this opportunity, Su Chen unleashed the blue-hued [ Fireball ] that he had been casting, and shot it into the second-in-command¡¯s face!


    467!


    A shocking number suddenly popped out!


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    While the second-in-charge was in pain, three-fifths of his HP had already been burned away!


    More than half of his HP had instantly evaporated!


    Su Chen was not going to let the second-in-command counterattack. He immediately pulled back, but this particular monster seemed to have predicted such a move and instantly gave chase.


    He continued to charge towards Su Chen while on horseback!


    Su Chen frowned slightly, and he instantly swept his gaze across the battlefield.


    The Decurion was being surrounded by the final three bandits, and he caught in a rather desperate battle.


    Meanwhile, Qiao Yi was rushing over to his side. However, as a Heavy Shield Warrior, his speed leaves much to be desired. As such, Su Chen came to the conclusion that he needed to rely on himself to break free from this predicament.


    There was still one second left before the cooldown of [ Fireball ] would end.


    ¡°For taking the lives of my subordinates, you shall die!¡±


    The second-in-charge rushed to Su Chen¡¯s side once again and raised his machete over his head to unleash [ Meteor Slash ] !


    Seeing as there was no time to dodge to the size, Su Chen hurriedly crouched down. As a result, he had successfully dodge the slash once again!


    Miss!


    ¡°How is this possible? !¡±


    The second-in-command had never witnessed such a nimble reaction from a player before. A sense of surprise rose within his heart.


    There was still one second left until the end of the chant.


    Su Chen and the second-in-command had almost the same amount of HP left.


    If they fought head-on, both sides would suffer heavy losses. The second-in-command would be killed, whereas Su Chen would be reduced to a white orb of light that would be transported to the resurrection point.


    On the battlefield, two-thirds of the bandits had basically been killed off by Su Chen and the other players.


    As for the remaining one-third of them, they had broken through the defense lines of the NPCs and are hunting down the units in the rear. Apart from the level 15 mini boss that was chasing Su Chen around, most of the bandits had already been wiped out.


    At this moment.


    Although Su Chen did not have much HP left, as he had just consumed a mana potion, his mana reserves were more than enough to deal with the situation at hand.


    The second-in-command charged forward once more.


    He raised his machete and slashed vertically downwards!


    However, Su Chen no longer bothered dodging.


    [ Fireball ] !


    At this moment.


    Blue Flames instantly ignited, and while this was happening, Su Chen activated another skill ¡ª [ Lifesteal ]!


    The second-in-command brought down his blade at the same time!


    275!


    Immediately after, the horse that the bandit was on slammed into Su Chen¡¯s chest!


    67!


    Overkill damage!


    Su Chen¡¯s HP plummeted.


    However, the second-in-command seemed to be faring even worse than Su Chen!


    452!


    At the same time!


    100!


    The second-in-command was reduced to a ball of white light before disappearing and leaving dozens of Gold Coins and a piece of green ranked equipment in his wake.


    Su Chen immediately picked it up and stored it in his storage bracelet.


    The reason why Su Chen did not turn into a white light and return to the resurrection point despite the overkill damage was due to his ¡°Lifesteal¡± skill.


    It was precisely because of ¡°Lifesteal¡± that Su Chen had managed to recover some of his HP before it was fully depleted.


    A level 15 mini boss like the second-in-command bandit was supposed to be faced by the Decurion. However, contrary to its usual behavior, it had targeted a player like Su Chen instead.


    The reason was very simple.


    The Second-in-command always hunted down the individual who had killed the most bandits, be they NPCs or players. Usually, the Decurion was always the one who killed the most bandits. This time, however, it was Su Chen.


    Nevertheless, the results were rather nice.


    Su Chen had once again unlocked an achievement for single-handedly defeating a boss unit!


    He also leveled up on the spot.


    Everyone present was dumbfounded!


    Whether it was from the sheer firepower of his skills¡­


    Or the never-before-seen movement techniques, all of them made the players present exclaim in satisfaction.


    Chu Xiongzhou was downright flabbergasted.


    It felt as if they operated on fundamentally different levels.


    They were both level 10.


    They were both Fire Mages.


    Yet, it felt as if they were miles apart.


    ¡°Brother, what are you doing?¡±


    Qiao Yi walked over to Su Chen. He raised his shield and looked at the players around him who were giving Su Chen strange looks due to the green equipment he had just obtained.


    It was only after Su Chen had finished recovering his health and mana via potions that Qiao Yi gradually lowered his shield.


    ¡°Little one, are you alright?¡±


    The Decurion, whose armor was stained with blood, walked up to him and asked softly.


    Upon realizing he was being addressed, Su Chen¡¯s eyes lit up and a notification from his transmigration system appeared in his field of vision.


    [ Relationship with Decurion improved. You can now trigger a hidden quest. ]


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve recovered.¡±


    Su Chen understood and immediately changed the tone of his voice.


    The Decurion nodded lightly and turned around to look at the ten surviving members of the battle.


    ¡°A hundred Mountain Bandits have been vanquished in this battle, You have all made a great contribution to the safety of Fengwu Town. As such, I¡¯d like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all of you present.¡±


    ¡°I will ensure that everyone receives a fair compensation for their efforts. Fret not.¡±


    The soldiers celebrated joyfully for a moment before they set off to clean up the battlefield. As a result, only the five players remained on scene.


    ¡°All of you adventurers have completed your tasks perfectly. Everyone of you has contributed to the safety of Fengwu Town by vanquishing those vile bandits.¡±


    ¡°The quest you have been assigned to is now over. The three of you are allowed to leave now.¡±


    The Decurion, Wu Lie, spoke to the three players from Chu Xiongzhou¡¯s team.


    It was obvious that the additional rewards would be distributed to Su Chen¡¯s team.


    Wu lie was simply ¡°Inviting¡± the three of them to leave.


    Upon realizing this, the three of them sucked up their grievances and prepared to leave. After all, they could not possibly lay a finger on the level 15 Decurion, nor Su Chen, who had single-handedly defeated a level 15 mini boss.


    ¡°Wait, Chu Xiongzhou.¡±


    Su Chen¡¯s voice suddenly sounded.


    Chu Xiongzhou, who was leaving quickly, froze in his tracks. His expression changed drastically, and he turned around stiffly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Although Chu Xiongzhou was shocked by Su Chen¡¯s strength, at the end of it all, this was still a game, and it was not reality.


    ¡°No, I just wanted to send you off.¡±


    Su Chen muttered casually as flames began to condense on his staff.


    ¡°S-Send me off¡­ How dare you! I know [ Unstoppable ]¡¯s ¡­¡±


    Boom!


    Su Chen would rather not listen to the mongrel¡¯s nonsense. As such, he simply raised his hand and unleashed [ Fireball ] and [ Lifesteal ] at the same time.


    Chu Xiongzhou was instantly killed!


    The remaining two players were afraid that they would be caught in the crossfire and be sent back to the newbie dungeon over nothing, and thus, they had already teleported away long ago.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s talk about the reward that you promised, Decurion.¡±


    Overjoyed that the annoying Chu Xiongzhou was now gone, Qiao Yi felt that his heart was much lighter now, and thus, he posed the question to the Decurion.


    Hearing this, Wu Lie flashed a bitter smile and nodded.


    ¡°Okay..¡±

 Chapter 14

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Outside of Fengwu Town.


    The NPC Wu Lie looked at Su Chen and Qiao Yi and spoke slowly.


    ¡°The both of you are truly adventurers who are worthy of respect. You have made great strides in protecting the safety of Fengwu Town!¡±


    ¡°Therefore, I have here with me, two pills that the general has graciously rewarded me in the past. I will now pass these pills onto the both of you.¡±


    Wu Lie brought out a silver porcelain bottle and handed it to Su Chen.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡±


    Qiao Yi looked at the bottle and said excitedly.


    Su Chen did not have much of a reaction. He took a pill out of curiosity and handed it to Qiao Yi.


    Then, he used the system¡¯s identification ability to inspect it.


    [ Spirit Enhancing Pill: Upon consumption, permanently raises stat points by 5 ]


    Permanent increase?


    Su Chen¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°This pill is amazing! It¡¯s effects are equivalent to gaining a single level!¡±


    Qiao Yi shared Su Chen¡¯s ecstasy upon realizing the effect of the Spirit Enhancing Pill!


    Indeed.


    Now that Su Chen was past level 10, for every new level he gained, not only would he be rewarded with 3 skill points, he would also be rewarded with 5 stat points.


    These stat points would be used to increase various stats of the players, including but not limited to Agility, Defense, or Attack.


    Upon hearing this, Wu Lie revealed a pained expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is an extremely valuable item in the army. If not for the fact that we could not increase our stats, you¡¯d likely not have received this pills as a reward.¡±


    ¡°Usually, when adventurers assist us, I would hand them a piece of white rank equipment. This is the first time we have ever brought out such a precious item from our supplies.¡±


    At this point, Wu Lie turned to look at Su Chen.


    ¡°However, seeing as this little one have killed the Second-in-command bandit who has been a thorn at our side for a long time, I must give you your due recompense.¡±


    The moment his voice fell.


    The joy on Qiao Yi¡¯s face became even more obvious.


    He turned to look at Su Chen. ¡°Wow, what a chad you are, Brother Su. I now realize that those ¡®Gods¡¯ of [ Ark ] that I saw on the internet are nothing when compared to you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both level 10, and yet you¡¯re so much stronger!¡±


    Su Chen remained indifferent to Qiao Yi¡¯s praise. ¡°You can be as good as me once you¡¯ve gotten used to your skills as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, respected adventurers, your assistance on this matter has now come to an end. You can proceed with your adventure now.¡±


    Wu Lie looked at the soldiers who were still cleaning up the battlefield and said to Su Chen and Qiao Yi.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go, Brother Su.¡±


    Qiao Yi could not wait to obtain a brand new white rank shield upon submitting in his quest.


    ¡°You can head back first. I have other matters to attend to.¡±


    Su Chen had kept the transmigration system¡¯s prompt in mind. Moreover, he had also noticed that Wu Lie was referring to him as ¡°little one¡± once again.


    ¡°¡­ Alright, but Brother Su, can you add me as friends?¡±


    Qiao Yi, who had short hair and a tall and sturdy figure seemed to be an simple and honest person. He asked Su Chen with some hesitation in his voice.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Su Chen remembered Qiao Yi guarding him while he was recovering his HP earlier. As such, he immediately accepted the request.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Su!¡±


    Qiao Yi sent a friend request to Su Chen with a smile. Once Su Chen had agreed, he then used the teleportation talisman to leave the place.


    Su Chen turned around and looked at Wu Lie.


    ¡°Adventurer, is there something else you¡¯d like to ask?¡±


    Wu Lie¡¯s eyes were originally fixed on the spot where the bandits had rushed out from. However, upon noticing that Su Chen was still present, he asked the question.


    [ Ask NPC Wu Lie about his personal matters. ]


    A prompt of the transmigration system flashed past Wu Lie¡¯s vision.


    ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just curious


    ¡°¡­ Based on your battle prowess, I feel that you could live a better life in Fengwu Town.¡±


    ¡°Why did you think of joining the army?¡±


    Su Chen forcefully broached the topic to test whether he could trigger the hidden quest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because my father was the [ Centurion ] of Fengwu Town in the past. As a result, I grew up in the military camps.¡±


    Wu Lie did not expect the player in front of him to ask such a question.


    ¡°I see. However, based on your combat ability, I daresay that you¡¯re worthy of the Centurion rank.¡±


    ¡°As far as I can tell, a precious item such as the Spirit Enhancing Pill will not be given to a mere Decurion without proper reason. Have you not thought about advancing ranks?¡±


    Su Chen recalled the [ Spirit Enhancing Pill ] that he had received and used it as a tool to push the conversation forward.


    Upon hearing this, Wu Lie fell silent for a moment.


    ¡°I was demoted by the higher-ups due to certain matters.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other thoughts now. I only want to protect this pass and prevent the people here from being harmed again!¡±


    Wu Lie¡¯s expression suddenly became solemn, and so too did his tone.


    Oo, I¡¯m getting close.


    An idea popped up in Su Chen¡¯s mind. ¡°Why this pass? Did something specific happen here?¡±


    ¡°You can tell me what you know. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to help you.¡±


    Wu Lie¡¯s expression became conflicted, and it looked as if he was struggling in his heart.


    At the same time.


    A line of text appeared in Su Chen¡¯s eyes.


    [ You have triggered the Hidden Quest ¡®Night Raid on the Mountain Bandit Leader, Save the Girls of Fengwu Town¡¯. Do you accept? ]


    Of course.


    As the two stood within the mists of Fengwu Town, Wu Lie began to recount his past to Su Chen while explaining what he planned to do next.


    Su Chen silently accepted this hidden quest in his mind.


    ¡­


    Fengwu Town.


    After settling on the plan with Wu Lie, Su Chen immediately used the teleportation talisman to return to Fengwu Town.


    He submitted his main class quest and obtained a white rank staff.


    Recalling that he had already placed a lot of items into his storage bracelet, Su Chen decided to use this opportunity to clear up his inventory and equip himself properly.


    In a sense, it could be treated as a way of making preparations for his raid on the level 20 Bandit Leader. After all, he was only level 11.


    Su Chen went to a restaurant in Fengwu Town and ordered a bottle of wine and a signature dish to restore his stamina.


    At the same time, he opened the projection of his storage bracelet.


    [ Bounded to: Su Chen ]


    Storage Space: 6/10


    Gold Coins: 100,937 (Can be exchanged for 1,000 Pearl Coins)


    Pills: Spirit Enhancing Pill x1, can permanently raise stat points by 5 ( Can only be used once)


    Equipment:


    1. [ Wooden Spirit Staff ] (White rank):


    Elemental attack: +20


    MP: +18


    Stamina: + 3


    Additional effect(s): None


    Equip requirement: Mage, level 5 and above


    2. [ Bloodwolf Armor ] (Green rank):


    Attack (Elemental) Power: +10


    HP: +80


    Defense: +150


    Stamina: +50


    Additional effect(s): Upon receiving physical damage, reflect 15% of the attacker¡¯s damage!


    Equip requirement: Any class, level 15 and above


    3. [ Charging Bracelet ] (Green rank)


    Attack Power: +1


    HP: +30


    Defense: +15


    Stamina: +20


    Additional effect(s): Before unleashing any attack, the user is able to accumulate power for 1-3 seconds to receive an 50-150 Attack power increase for the attack!


    Equip requirement: Swordsman/Warrior, level 10 onwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t use both of my green rank equipment at this moment.¡±


    Su Chen frowned slightly.


    Then, he equipped the [ Wooden Spirit Staff ] that he had just obtained.


    He took a closer look at the other two pieces of equipment.


    [ Bloodwolf Armor ] was a fine piece of equipment in all aspects. It had strong defensive stats, and even though Su Chen was a Mage, equipping it would greatly boost his survivability.


    He could only equip it at level 15, but Su Chen was in no hurry.


    However, the green rank [ Charging Bracelet ] that he had obtained from the Second-in-command Bandit earlier was not something that Su Chen could ever wear.


    As such, he decided that he would auction it off at the market later and procure a piece of mage equipment worth the same value.


    Su Chen opened [ Ark ]¡¯s market board and instantly listed the [ Charging Bracelet ] there. Following this, he then pulled up his stats panel.


    Upon entering the [ Ancient Town ] dungeon, players¡¯ stats would change drastically, as stepping into this dungeon would mean that they had become a proper player.


    ¡°System, display my stats.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ Host: Su Chen ]


    [ Level: 11 ]


    [ Main Class: Mage ]


    [ Subclass: Gourdmaster, Heavenly Craftsman, Alchemist ]


    [ HP: 650 ]


    [ MP: 618 (+18) ]


    [ Elemental Power: 670(+ 20) ]


    [ Defense: 82 (+2) ]


    [ Agility: 5 (Can be increased via stat points) ]


    [ Strength: 5]


    [ Endurance: 5]


    [ Stamina: 73/100 (Will be forcefully booted out of the system upon reaching 0) ]


    [ NPC Rapport: 11 ]


    [ luck: 5]


    [ Reputation: 280 ]


    [ Spirit: 100 ]


    [ Stats: 5 ]


    [ Skill Points: 3 (can only be used for combat skills) ]


    [ Mounts: None ]


    [ Combat Skills ] :


    1. (Level 15 Fireball: 2-second cast time, 3-second cooldown, mana cost: 60; skill effect: Condenses a fireball that can be locked onto a target or an area and unleashes it. Damage: 670, range: 20 meters)


    2. (Level 1 Lifesteal: 1-second cast time, 10-second cooldown; skill effect: instantly steals 80 HP from a target, Range: 5 meters)


    [ Lifestyle Skills ] :


    1. [ Beginner Gourd Arts ] : Proficiency 0/100, Heals 30 HP


    2. [ Beginner Heavenly Crafting ] : Proficiency 0/100, Forging Blueprints: 0, Enchantment Blueprints: 0


    3. [ Beginner Alchemy ] : Proficiency 0/100, Potions Decomposed: 0


    [ Equipment ] :


    1. Helmet (Magic Hats) : None


    2. Necklace: None


    3. Armor: Beginner¡¯s Armor, Damage Tolerance: 70/100


    4. Staff: Wooden Spirit Staff (white rank) , Damage Tolerance: 0/100, Increases Elemental Power by 20, MP +18, Defense +2, Stamina +3


    5. Wrist Guard: Beginner¡¯s Wrist Guard, Damage Tolerance: 63/100


    6. Magic Robe: Beginner¡¯s Robe, Damage Tolerance: 85/100


    7. Magic Boots: Initial Shoes, Damage Tolerance: 18/100


    While seated in the restaurant, Su Chen began browsing through his stat changes in his character panel. Upon reading the lifestyle skills section, he was immediately dumbfounded.


    As a result of the transmigration system, his ¡°Alchemist¡± subclass had turned to an actual ¡°Decomposer¡± class instead, who could decompose a potion into its constituent materials.


    He needed to think long and hard on how he could make use of his decomposing ability. After all, he did not have many combat skills to begin with, and as such, his subclasses¡¯ abilities are of even paramount importance.


    After all, these lifestyle skills would become an important avenue for him to earn money in the future.


    Su Chen drank the fine wine that the NPC waiter had brought over for him. As he recovered his stamina, he started inspecting his attribute changes.


    The first noticeable change was that all levels gained after reaching level 10 would yield 100 points of HP and MP.


    Aside from that, his Elemental Power would also increase by 50 points each time he leveled up. Under normal circumstances, his base Elemental Power at level 11 should be 280 points. However, after the tampering of the transmigration system, his base Elemental Power was 560 instead.


    Moreover, the Peerless bonus from his maximum compatibility score had also awarded him with an additional 70 points of Elementa Power. This, combined with the 20 points from his staff, had given him a total of 650 points of Elemental Power.


    A level 11 player holding 650 points of Elemental Power was truly a terrifying entity. After all, players who had that much Elemental Power were usually level 20 or above.


    Secondly, Su Chen noticed that he now had Agility, Strength, Endurance, and Stamina stats.


    Agility was pretty straightforward to understand. On the other hand, Strength was now necessary as there was a Strength-check to wield higher-level equipment.


    Meanwhile, Endurance and Stamina were required to weather abnormal conditions such as volcanoes or ice caves.


    Lastly, Su Chen checked his system-based stats, namely, NPC Rapport, Luck, Reputation, and Spirit.


    The NPC Rapport value was very important. All players started at 10 points. The higher one¡¯s point was, the easier it was to trigger hidden quests.


    On the other hand, the Luck stat determined the drop rate of equipment. Meanwhile, Reputation was closely tied to the creation of guilds. In order to successfully form a guild, a total of 1,000 points were needed, and to hold a position within guilds, one needed to have at least 200 Reputation points.


    Reputation Points started at 5 points as well. However, despite being only level 11, Su Chen had already amassed 280 Reputation points. Su Chen hypothesized that the reason he had this much was due to his achievement of killing the Wolf Lord being announced throughout the Hualong Server.


    On the other hand, Spirit would increase one¡¯s resistance against debuffs. Aside from the existing skill tree of the main classes, one could also obtain debuffing abilities via hidden quests or other hidden mechanics as well.


    The higher one¡¯s Spirit was, the effective debuffs such as Dizziness and Blindness would become.


    At this point, Su Chen had fully recovered his stamina. With that, he left the restaurant.


    Su Chen had agreed to meet Wu Lie at midnight. It was afternoon when he left the restaurant, and thus, Su Chen decided to rent a horse from Fengwu Town for his upcoming venture.


    Otherwise, he would not be able to make it to their agreed spot.


    After using the teleportation talisman twice, its lights dimmed, and it could no longer be used. Fortunately, however, the charges will be recharged on the following day, and it would gain three charges instead of two.


    Upon arrival at the horse stables, Su Chen spent 200 Gold Coins to rent a horse for two hours. This meant that the rental costs were 100 Blue Star Coins an hour, and truth be told, it was much higher than Su Chen would like.


    Had he not completed the level sprint achievement, perhaps he would have hesitated. However, as he was now, there was no such concerns, especially since the reward for completing the hidden quest would definitely be worth more than 100 Gold Coins.


    Su Chen rode on his horse and headed out of Fengwu Town.


    ¡­


    The official roads of Fengwu Town was paved with bluestone. Although there were many players and NPCs on both sides of the road, it did not affect Su Chen in the slightest.


    He had even attracted the envy of many players due to his horse riding.


    After all, 200 Gold Coins was a hefty sum for most players.


    ¡°You have a received a [ Trade Request ] from the market. Would you like to accept it now?¡±


    While he was riding his horse, a line of words appeared in front of Su Chen¡¯s eyes. It was obvious that someone was trying to buy the [ Charging Bracelet ] that he had listed.


    Since the horse he had rented would automatically make its way to the selected location, Su Chen could initiate the trade without any worries.


    Upon accepting the request, a player with, a player with the ID ¡°Xu Ruoxuan¡± messaged him via the chat box within the chat window.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : I saw that you were hoping to exchange Mage gear of the same rank. I have two such Mage equipment with me. Do check them out and let me know if you¡¯re interested in any of them. ]


    [ We can trade the first pair of boots 1 to 1. If you wish to trade for the second necklace, you¡¯ll need to pay an extra 1,000 Gold Coins. ]


    [ Green Spirit Boots ( Green Rank) : Agility +10, Elemental Power +10, Mana +20; Skill ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡±: Three charges per day. Using this skill will temporarily increase your Agility by 8 points. Requirement: Level 10. ]


    Su Chen nodded silently. The attributes of green rank equipment were certainly a step above white rank ones. The starting agility was only 5 points, but this piece of equipment had +10 agility, and better yet, its skill would increase it by another 8 points, albeit temporarily. It was an exceptional item for his level.


    [ Jade Spirit Necklace (Green Rank) : Elemental Power +50, Mana +100, Reputation +5; Effect: reduces the cooldown time of a Mage¡¯s skills by 10%. Can be worn from level 10 onwards. ]


    The basic attributes of this necklace were very outstanding, and its effects was even more precious. It was indeed worth the additional 1,000 Gold Coins. Satisfied with the trader¡¯s conditions, Su Chen felt that they could come to a deal.


    Then, he opened the chat box and began to reply:


    [ Seller (level 11) : I agree to your terms, but I don¡¯t intend to trade only the [ Charging Bracelet ] for the [ Green Spirit Boots ] ]


    [ Feel free to name a price for the necklace. ]


    [ I want them all! ]

 Chapter 16

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ I want them all. ]


    Xu Ruoxuan had just finished putting up her company¡¯s new batch of products when Su Chen sent her the message.


    As a core member of the [ Dragon Slayer ] studio, her biggest responsibility to the company was to sell all the equipment that her colleagues had managed to obtained whilst playing [ Ark ]. She was responsible for making profits for the company.


    Aside from that, she was also tasked with purchasing the necessary equipment for her fellow studio members.


    Usually, large-scale studios like Dragon Slayer would hire shrewd middle-aged accounts to handle and manage their income and expenditure.


    However, Xu Ruoxuan was only 20 years old. She had a dignified and beautiful appearance. She stood at 1.7 meters tall and her legs were long and slender.


    At this moment, she was sitting in the first floor of a shop that the studio had spent a hefty sum purchasing, and she was thinking of a reply to the anonymous seller.


    [ Okay, but as a Mage, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of this necklace¡¯s value. ]


    [ This necklace costs 12,000 Gold Coins. If you are still willing to accept this price, look up my ID and add me as a friend. Then, we¡¯ll make the trade via the friend menu. ]


    [ If you think the price is too high, feel free to close this chat window once you¡¯re done with the trade. ]


    As a professional, Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s EQ was very high, and thus, she had offered a proposition that would avoid embarrassing the other party if they could not afford it.


    One second later.


    She received a new message. [ Deal, I¡¯ll add you as a friend later. ]


    Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s lips curled into a smile.


    The most important items in their studio at this point in time were the green rank equipment. Despite having a high turnover rate, the white rank equipment did not produce much profits, and on the other hand, the orange rank equipment were hard to farm. They would thank their lucky stars if they could even obtain a single piece of orange rank equipment within a week.


    [ Transaction successful. obtained ¡®Charging Bracelet¡¯. ]


    A system notification appeared in front of Xu Ruoxuan.


    A moment later, she received a friend request.


    Upon checking who the sender was, the person¡¯s familiar ID instantly caused her beautiful eyes to light up.


    She immediately accepted and sent a message.


    ¡­


    Fengwu Town.


    As his horse continued to gallop forward, Su Chen was only one stretch away from reaching the meeting point he had agreed upon with Wu Lie.


    Upon successfully conducting the trade, Su Chen immediately put on his [ Light Spirit Boots 1] to increase his personal attributes.


    At this moment, he received a notification that his friend request had been accepted.


    Following this, he received two strings of messages.


    [ Su Chen? Seeing as you¡¯re only level 11, you must be the newbie player that the system announced not long ago. ]


    [ Su Chen, I would like to invite you to join our ¡®Dragon Slayer¡¯ studio. If you agree, I¡¯ll see you this necklace at a 30% discount. ]


    Su Chen pondered for a moment on how he should reply.


    [ I am indeed that individual. However, I¡¯m not currently interested in joining any studio or company at the moment. , but I do not consider joining any studio or company at the moment. Let¡¯s proceed with the transaction for now. ]


    Su Chen received his reply around 10 seconds after he had sent his message.


    [ Okay, we will not force you to join us. However, we hope to maintain a good relationship with you. You are welcome to join our studio anytime in the future. ]


    [ Our studio also takes part in purchasing equipment, and we also offer mercenary work. Perhaps we¡¯ll be able to cooperate in the future. ]


    [ Your friend ¡®Xu Ruoxuan¡¯ has offered to trade her Jade Spirit Necklace for 10,000 Gold Coins. Do you accept this trade? ]


    10,000 Gold Coins?


    Su Chen looked at the prompt in surprise.


    It was clear that the 2,000 Gold Coin reduction in price was a gesture of goodwill from Ruoxuan. Better still, the only strings that were attached to this offer was to maintain a friendly relationship. It seemed very sincere.


    Su Chen was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He immediately agreed to the trade and obtained the green rank necklace. He also kept Xu Ruoxuan as his in-game friend.


    Upon equipping the boots and necklace that he had obtained via trading. Su Chen¡¯s Elemental Power and MP had risen to 730 and 738 respectively.


    The importance of having good equipment was made clear at this very moment.


    Now that he was made known of this, Su Chen planned to equip himself with a full set of green rank equipment once he was done with the hidden quest. He was certain that it would be highly beneficial for his combat strength,


    Making use of the last stretch of the journey, Su Chen decided to distribute the 5 stat points he had obtained via the Spirit Enhancing Pill as well as the 3 skill points that he had received via leveling up.


    Su Chen did not distribute his stats equally. Rather, he had put in all 5 stat points into his Agility stat. Although he was well aware of the usual Mage playstyle of attacking from the backlines, as a solo player, he had much preferred to abuse high Agility stats to kite his opponents instead.


    At the same time, his [ Fireball ] had also been upgraded to level 18. There were only 2 levels left before he would receive his next batch of rewards.


    Not long after, with the sunset as his backdrop, Su Chen had finally arrived at the outskirts of Fengwu Town and had spotted the level 15 [ Decurion ], Wu Lie.


    ¡­


    Late at night.


    In the military camp outside of Fengwu Town.


    Su Chen and the NPC, Wu Lie, sat opposite each other.


    ¡°Little one, the two individuals there are the remaining two [ Decurions ] in charge of Fengwu Town. It will be midnight soon, and it won¡¯t be long before they start switching shifts. We¡¯ll use that opportunity and head out together once that happens.¡±


    Wu Lie had already changed into a new set of battle armor and was explaining the follow-up actions to Su Chen.


    Wu Lie had been planning to take action for a long time before this, but due to the constant supervision of the other two Decurions, he did not have the chance to do so.


    Back when he was a Centurion, in an attempt to rescue his sister who had been kidnapped by the bandits, he had gathered his men in an attempt to raid the bandits¡¯ den. However, unbeknownst to him, he had been reported by a green-eyed subordinate who wished to be promoted. As a result, Wu Lie had been demoted.


    However, after his chance meeting with Su Chen, he had decided to finally step up and to take advantage of the shift-swap to sneak away from the camp.


    Based on Wu Lie¡¯s investigation over the past month, there were many bandits around. Even if all the guards in the town went, they would not be able to wipe them out. Luckily, they did not go.


    After he was demoted, Wu Lie decided to investigated the Mountain Bandits¡¯ activities, and it was from there that he learned that the whole mountain was crawling with bandits. Had he actually succeeded in launching his assault previously, his crew would likely have been wiped out. It was a fortunate stroke of luck that he had been held back.


    Aside from that, he had also discovered that the organization behind the kidnapping of Fengwu Town¡¯s women were a force that were 500-man strong.


    Although Su Chen and the other players had managed to cut down this massive number by a 100 men, the fact remained that there were still 400 of them.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll wait for a while.¡±


    Su Chen nodded slightly. ¡°Have you already gathered enough troops?¡±


    ¡°Yes, including you and me, there are a total of 102 people who will take part in this undertaking.¡±


    ¡°With your help, I¡¯m certain that our assault will be a success.¡±


    Wu Lie smiled and replied.


    In the afternoon, after listening to Su Chen¡¯s suggestions, Wu Lie decided to contact his old subordinates In the end, he managed to persuade 40 level 12 guards to join him, and he had also managed to recruit 60 level 10 mercenaries from Fengwu Town at a high cost. They were all ready to launch the assault at a moment¡¯s notice!


    In truth, had it been anyone else, Wu Lie would most likely not proceed with the operation. After all, the adventurers who had assisted him in the past were never as strong as himself.


    Back then, the most that the adventurers could manage was to repel the Mountain Bandits.


    However, everything had changed that afternoon. All 100 Mountain Bandits had been executed, and Su Chen had even managed to take down their Second-in-command. It was truly a commendable feat.


    The sheer talent and strength that Su Chen had displayed had made Wu Lie to decide to put his trust in him.


    Very soon, midnight arrived.


    The two Decurions swapped shift, and there was a momentary lapse in their attention.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Seizing this opportunity, Su Chen and Wu Lie then snuck out and gathered with their troops that were waiting some distance away.


    The two of them led their 100-strong company forward, taking care to avoid main roads along the way.


    At long last, they arrived at the foot of the Bianshan <ountain outside of Fengwu Town.


    The leader, Su Chen, looked at Wu Lie as well as the hundred NPCs behind him. Under the cover of the night, he then ordered¡­


    "Follow the plan! The operation starts now!"

 Chapter 17

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The moment Su Chen¡¯s voice subsided.


    The troops immediately set off to work. The 40 level 12 [ Swordsman ], who used to be disciplined soldiers, carried out their orders without any hesitation and without much supervision.


    Among the remaining 60 level 10 mercenaries, 40 of them were [ Warriors ] and the rest were [ Archers ].


    They slowly joined their formations, with 20 Warriors following behind the former guards and 20 [ Warriors ] protecting the 20 [ Archers ] .


    According to Wu Lie¡¯s previous investigations, there were a total of 44 Mountain Bandits guarding the entrances to Bianshan Mountain at night, and among these 44, 11 of them were guarding the entrance nearest to Wu Lie and his men.


    10 of the patrolling Mountain Bandits were level 10, whereas the one who was sitting front and center and enjoying his drinks was level 11.


    Although it seemed like a rather weak line of defense, one must keep in mind that the guards posted were not meant to deter against intruders. Rather, their main task was to deliver the message of intruders!


    So long as the message had been sent out, all other Mountain Bandits would come rushing on scene to push back the intruders.


    Su Chen¡¯s plan involved having the Archers kill their targets in one hit. By doing so, it would avoid the other bandits of being alerted to their presence.


    Su Chen, who was surrounded by 20 Heavy Shield Warriors and had no real way of eyeing the situation, had passed the chain of command back to Wu Lie. As a former Decurion, Su Chen was confident in Wu Lie¡¯s ability to lead the troops.


    Wu Lie waved the flag in his hand.


    Immediately after, the 20 Archers fired their fully taut arrows from the shadows!!


    109!


    116!


    113!


    108!


    The Arrows rained down like a storm!


    According to Su Chen¡¯s plan, each Archer would be assigned their own target, with 2 Archers sharing one target. As such, they would be able to deal 200+ damage in the first wave of the attack!


    The 10 bandits¡¯ HP had dropped by half!


    ¡°CHARGE!¡±


    The moment the arrow rain had subsided, the level 12 soldiers who were at the vanguard charged forward. They slashed down at the bandits who had already lost half their health, killing them immediately!


    Streaks of white light flashed one after another!


    None of the 10 bandits had even manage to let out a whimper.


    Meanwhile, the level 11 bandit was the only one who had survived the two waves of barrage leaped into action. He hurriedly brought out the item that would notify his allies of the intruders, but before he even had the chance to use it¡­


    Boom!


    721!


    Su Chen¡¯s flames enveloped him, turning him into an orb of white light that disappeared into the night.


    The 721 points of damage was overkill against his 500 points of HP!


    Upon seeing this scene, the troops that Wu Lie had brought were in equal parts shocked and inspired.


    Wu Lie ordered his troops to press forward.


    Su Chen who was surrounded by 20 Warriors began advancing together with the troops towards the center of the mountain.


    Su Chen did not know what reward awaited him at the end of the hidden quest. However, if he could really manage to take down all the bandits present, he would gain enough experience points to advance to level 12.


    With the skill points obtained via leveling up, he would finally be able to upgrade his [ Fireball ] to level 21 and obtain the reward for reaching level 20 in the process.


    Two minutes later.


    Wu Lie and Su Chen were standing side by side once again.


    The area in front of them was completely flat. Many shabby buildings were scattered across the terrain, and judging by how brightly lit it was, it was clear at a glance that the buildings housed many individuals.


    Now that they had successfully broken past the first line of defense, the next phase of the plan was to locate the kidnapped women.


    ¡°This is the only way to reach the peak of the mountain. The only way forward is via brute force now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my research. Seeing how brightly lit this area is, it probably means that they¡¯re holding a banquet. We won¡¯t be able to sneak our way in this time.¡±


    Wu Lie¡¯s face was filled with killing intent as he said softly to Su Chen.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll kill our way in and find the women or interrogate the bandits.¡±


    Su Chen immediately replied.


    Despite needing to face 300+ Mountain Bandits, Su Chen and Wu Lie who were armed with 100 men had no choice but to force their way in.


    ¡°CHARGE!!¡±


    Wu Lie roared, his thunderous voice reverberating in the air.


    40 [ Swordsman ] guards and 20 [ Warrior ] mercenaries obeyed his command and rushed forward!


    The [ Archer ]s also followed slowly and attacked from a distance.


    Su Chen temporarily broke off the formation and led the 20 Heavy Shield Warriors into the fray.


    However, the bandits¡¯ reacted quickly as well. Although there were dozens of bandits who were clearly inebriated and were in no condition to fight¡­


    The remaining bandits immediately leaped into action.


    ¡°B*stards!¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did these soldiers come from?!¡±


    ¡°All of you, Get the f*ck up!¡±


    Furious roars continued to ring out.


    The leader, who was third-in-charge in the bandits¡¯ chain of command, stood up to guide his brethren at this moment. He waved his hand and drew his sword as he rushed forward to engage in a chaotic battle against Wu Lie and the others.


    176!


    183!


    191!


    213!


    Damage values continuously jumped out.


    Meanwhile, the level 15 Wu Lie swung his blade around, dealing 260+ damage to his surroundings. With just two slashes, he had finished off the bandits surrounding him!


    However, the bandits still had the advantage in numbers. Very quickly, they began to overwhelm the troops, and some of the bandits were even heading towards the backline, towards the Archers and Su Chen.


    The situation began to shift in favor of the bandits.


    Despite the circumstances, Wu Lie, who was also in a predicament of his own, was unable to lend his aid to his troops. It was all he could do to keep himself alive in the chaos of the battle.


    ¡°Kill them all!¡±


    The level 15 third-in-command shouted. The bandits began to counterattack. After all, they had the advantage in numbers.


    The level 12 guards quickly fell under the assault, and half of the level 10 Heavy Shield Warriors had already perished.


    With their cover lost, the Archers soon found themselves surrounded by the bandits.


    It was an extremely precarious situation.


    Seeing this, Su Chen, who originally wanted to head straight to the peak to fight the level 20 Bandit Leader, stopped in his tracks.


    [ Fireball ] and [ Lifesteal ] were instantly unleashed.


    719!


    100!


    The pale blue hue of his flames was extremely dazzling. However, hiding behind this beauty was a fearsome and deadly force. Upon being struck by the flames, the fours bandits who were gathered together immediately perished. They turned into streaks of white light and disappeared, leaving behind some wild beast materials in the process.


    The bandits who had witnessed the scene were at a loss for words.


    The third leader¡¯s gaze turned cold, and he immediately led his men to charge towards Su Chen.


    ¡°Form up!¡±


    Su Chen shouted.


    The 20 level 10 [ Heavy Shield Warriors ] that had been around him throughout the entire battle instantly formed a phalanx formation, defending Su Chen behind several layers of shields.


    They had even given up on attacking to ensure Su Chen¡¯s safety.


    Boom!


    The mountain bandits that were crowded together were instantly blown into smithereens by the AOE of Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ].


    Six Mountain Bandits had been killed in a single hit! It was a new record for the number of targets hit for Su Chen!


    The green rank necklace around Su Chen¡¯s neck immediately got to work, reducing the cooldown of his skill in the process.


    Small Fireballs exploded continuously throughout the battlefield!


    Since Wu Lie had deactivated friendly fire in advance, Su Chen was not worried that he would harm his allies.


    Su Chen threw two fireballs at the enemies targeting the Archers and immediately got them out of their pinch. With that, they could now join Su Chen in providing the other troops the cover fire they needed!


    While his [ Fireball ] was on cooldown, Su Chen made sure to cast [ Lifesteal ] on his enemies. Aside from that, he also used [ Gourd Arts ] on Wu Lie once he saw that his health was dropping low.


    Although Wu Lie¡¯s troops were gaining the upper hand again, the down side to it all was that Su Chen¡¯s supply of mana potions was depleting at a crazy rate.


    Fortunately, Su Chen¡¯s indiscriminate bombardment had also caused the bandits to fear him. After their initial frenzied charges, they no longer dared to come near Su Chen any longer.


    This gave Su Chen more opportunities to cast spells. Aside from that, it had also opened a path for Su Chen and his Heavy Shield Warriors to gradually approach Wu Lie and the other soldiers.


    If the bandits wanted to get close to them, they would need to get pass Su Chen¡¯s iron wall formation.


    However, doing so would also lead to their deaths!


    A vast of white streaks could be seen as Su Chen¡¯s experience bar rapidly filled.


    At this moment, Su Chen was like a ¡°moving cannon¡±!


    Su Chen had turned the tides of battle!

 Chapter 18

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Bianshan Mountains.


    Su Chen raised his hand and continued conjuring Fireballs. He was in sync with the Archers, who were unleashing torrents of arrows unto their enemies!


    Things were starting to look bright for Su Chen and his troops!


    The number of casualties on Su Chen¡¯s side were beginning to decrease, and at some point, they had stopped completely.


    On the other hand, the Mountain Bandits¡¯ numbers were reducing rapidly, and even after combining with the guards who were stationed outside, they did not even number to a 100 people.


    Su Chen continuously cast Fireballs and Lifesteal attacks, causing the already panicking group of bandits to scatter in all directions!


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°Brothers, kill them all!¡±


    Wu Lie¡¯s health bar, which had nearly bottomed out earlier, was now back at peak condition after being healed by Su Chen and after consuming HP potions.


    Whenever Su Chen¡¯s skills were on cooldown, the Archers would follow up with their Arrow Rain!


    As the heads of the bandits were vaporized by Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ] one after another, the bandits finally started showing signs of dispersing.


    The bandits sunk even further into chaos once Wu Lie ordered his men to break their formation and give chase to the bandits. This had completely shattered the bandits¡¯ will to fight.


    However, just as Wu Lie¡¯s sword was about to slash at the fleeing bandits¡­


    Suddenly, a figure appeared. A long spear extended forward and knocked away the level 15 Wu Lie!


    What monstrous strength!


    Upon witnessing this scene, an expression of joy appeared on the fleeing bandits¡¯ faces.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re finally here!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to flee anymore, the boss is here!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡±


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s kill these soldiers!¡±


    The bandits who were running rampantly earlier started to fall back in line. Despite running around like stray dogs earlier, they seemed to have suddenly gained a boost in confidence!


    Su Chen, whose MP had been thoroughly depleted, pulled up the market again. He spent dozens of Gold Coins to restock his potion supply. Upon obtaining said potions, he started chugging them down like no tomorrow.


    At the same time, he also used the system to appraise the Mountain Bandit Leader¡¯s stats.


    [ Leader of the Bianshan Mountain Bandits: Xiao Feng ]


    Level: 20


    HP: 10,000


    Attack: 200-250


    Defense: 150


    Strength: 30


    Agility: 15


    Skills: [ Retractable spear ] [ Burst Strike ]


    Introduction: Xiao Feng is the son of the former Bandit Leader of the Bianshan Mountains. He is cruel and brutal by nature, and he has been honing his martial arts since he was young. He loves to plunder neighboring towns and abduct young women.


    Su Chen frowned slightly.


    This boss was on a completely different level compared to the Wolf Lord.


    The Wolf Lord was only a mutated beast after all. However, the level 20 boss before him was balanced in all aspects. Be it in terms of his Defense, Attack, or even his intelligence, he was truly a difficult opponent to deal with.


    ¡°Just a couple dozen soldiers are enough to make all of you p*ss your pants? All of you are truly useless!¡±


    Once the level 20 Boss, Xiao Feng had finished reprimanding his subordinates, he immediately rushed towards the Heavy Shield Warriors who were guarding Su Chen and swung his spear, ignoring Wu Lie and the others completely!


    Although the HP of the two Heavy Shield Warriors who had taken the brunt of the attack was only halved, as a result of Xiao Feng¡¯s herculean strength, those Warriors had been swept aside, exposing the second line of defense as a result.


    Xiao Feng had his sights set on Su Chen!


    Upon recovering his MP, Su Chen immediately blasted Xiao Feng with a [ Fireball ] !


    Xiao Feng, who was originally looking down on Su Chen, suddenly turned serious upon sensing the intense heat contained within Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ]. Nevertheless, it was already too late for him to dodge.


    688!


    Xiao Feng recoiled slightly from the impact of the attack. Seizing this chance, several Heavy Shield Warriors closed in on him. Meanwhile, the Archers have also shifted their target from the other bandits to Xiao Feng instead!


    Xiao Feng, who was pushed back by Fireball, was also slightly surprised by the damage that Su Chen had dealt. However, while Su Chen¡¯s Fireballs were certainly a threat, the same could not be said about the Archer¡¯s arrow rain, as Xiao Feng utilized his high agility stats to nimbly weave about, avoiding most, if not all of the arrows.


    32!


    21!


    37!


    Furthermore, even if the Archers had managed to land a hit, his high Defense had also helped him to negate a huge chunk of the arrows¡¯ damage.


    Xiao Feng¡¯s gaze turned cold. In a shocking move, Xiao Feng thrust his spear forward into a Double Shield Warrior, turning him into a ball of white light instantly.


    Seizing this opening, Xiao Feng then took a step back and thrust his spear forward once more.


    A cold glint of metal could be seen, followed by a powerful thrust that contained the strength of a raging dragon!


    [ Burst Strike ] !


    Xiao Feng¡¯s spear was extremely powerful, and it had directly pierced through the shield of the Warrior before Su Chen, turning him into an orb of white light.


    Xiao Feng now stood directly before Su Chen. With his intelligence, he had immediately determined who was the biggest threat to him out of all the soldiers present.


    Back when Xiao Feng was using [ Burst Strike ] earlier, Su Chen had purposely chosen not to retreat despite his [ Fireball ] being on cooldown. After all, he knew that none of the soldiers present would be able to hold him back.


    As such, he bade his time, and once he was ready, he started casting [ Fireball ] again, followed up by [ Lifesteal ].


    703!


    100!


    Upon firing his attacks, Su Chen took advantage of his [ Light Spirit Boots ] agility to put some distance between them.


    As a Mage, facing a melee Boss like Xiao Feng was Su Chen¡¯s greatest nightmare. after all.


    The Archers followed up with yet another rain of arrows.


    23!


    31!


    18!


    After taking Su Chen¡¯s Fireball, Xiao Feng noticed that the Archers were left undefended.


    A sinister grin appeared on Xiao Feng¡¯s face as he swung his spear at the Archers, turning them into orbs of white light!


    100!


    While Su Chen waited for the cooldown of his skill to be over, he tried using Lifesteal to chip away at Xiao Feng¡¯s HP.


    However, Xiao Feng was highly dexterous. With a few lightning-fast steps, Xiao Feng had already arrived in front of Su Chen and had thrust his spear forward!


    Su Chen was still casting Fireball while it happened. However, upon realizing what was going to happen, and in order not to interrupt his casting, he decided to use his Light Spirit Boot¡¯s skill to pull away from the Boss.


    Xiao Feng¡¯s spear brought with it the sound of rushing wind.


    Su Chen¡¯s Fireball once again smashed into Xiao Feng¡¯s face. Since the Fireball had innate tracking abilities, it was impossible for Xiao Feng to dodge the blow!


    However, it seemed as if Xiao Feng had intended to take on the attack. After taking the 600+ instance of damage, his body paused slightly for a moment before he continued charging towards Su Chen again!


    This time, Su Chen did not even have the chance to activate his boots¡¯ skill. He was struck by a sweeping spear attack!


    328!


    Su Chen¡¯s HP was reduced by half!


    100!


    Fortunately, the 100 HP that he had stolen via Lifesteal had managed to help Su Chen cling to life.


    Xiao Feng, who was standing in front of Su Chen, did not let up on his offense. He thrust his spear out fiercely, but Su Chen¡¯s rich kiting experience had kicked in, allowing him to dodge the strikes by a hair¡¯s breadth!


    Miss!


    At this moment, as Su Chen¡¯s Fireball and Lifesteal skills were still on cooldown, the only choice Su Chen had was to dodge the Boss¡¯ bloodthirsty strikes!


    Su Chen used his agility to retreat again. At the same time, he started to look for a way out of his predicament.


    The Warriors were incapable of blocking the Boss¡¯ attacks, and as a result, their shield formation was completely useless.


    Suddenly, a flash of inspiration appeared in Su Chen¡¯s mind.


    He immediately pulled out his stats panel and took a look.


    A smile immediately appeared on his face.


    He then activated his boots¡¯ skill again. This time, however, it was not to put distance between himself and the boss, but rather, he was using it to approach the group of Mountain Bandits before him.


    The fireball spell that he had just finished casting appeared in Su Chen¡¯s hand.


    The level 10 Mountain Bandits instantly turned into orbs of white light!


    Xiao Feng rushed over towards Su Chen again and used [ Burst Strike ] once again!


    340!


    Su Chen was hit by the spear and his HP plummeted!


    However, at the same time, a system notification could be heard.


    ¡°Congratulations to player [ Su Chen ] for reaching level 12.¡±


    ¡°HP increased by 50 points, MP increased by 50 points, Elemental Power increased by 50 points.¡±


    ¡°3 skill points rewarded¡­¡±


    ¡°Detected that host¡¯s [ Fireball ] has reached level 20, reward distribution in process.¡±


    ¡°Host¡¯s [ Fireball ] skill casting time has been reduced by half, cooldown time has been reduced by half, and it has now gained the Melt enhancement!¡±


    Amidst the chaotic battlefield between the bandits and the guards¡­


    Su Chen slowly picked himself back up from the ground, his eyes shining bright as he glared in the direction of Xiao Feng..

 Chapter 19

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ Fireball ]¡¯s casting time was reduced by half to 1 second!


    Its cooldown time was reduced by half to 1.5 seconds!


    In addition to the 10% cooldown reduction granted by Su Chen¡¯s green rank [ Jade Spirit Necklace ], the cooldown time of his [ Fireball ] was now 1.3 seconds!


    This was extremely important to Su Chen, who only had two combat skills at the moment!


    Despite having high burst damage, a long period of inactivity would always follow after Su Chen¡¯s attacks. Since other players would have at least three skills at their disposal, there was little to no downtime between their attacks.


    However, with his new upgrades, Su Chen could also accomplish the same feats now!


    Better yet, his [ Fireball ]s were now imbued with the Melt effect as well!


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    As countless thoughts rushed through Su Chen¡¯s mind, Xiao Feng continued to press the attack. He was displaying the full might of his spear techniques.


    He exerted strength from his waist and lunged forward!


    The spear in Xiao Feng¡¯s hand was like a venomous snake, hissing viciously as it lunged towards Su Chen!


    Su Chen¡¯s HP had already fallen to around 300 points. Should this spear land on him, he might very well perish on the spot.


    However, Su Chen, who had just received his skill upgrades, seemed to have calmed himself down. There was no trace of panic in his expression.


    His body had even seemed to relax a lot.


    He then used his body¡¯s inertia and leisurely tilted his head!


    Hiss!


    A hole had now formed on the hood of Su Chen¡¯s magic robe!


    However, Su Chen had not been struck! Xiao Feng¡¯s attack was a miss!


    Xiao Feng¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted. The thought of someone avoiding his attacks twice in a single battle had never occurred to him before this!


    Su Chen had been waiting for this moment. Once Xiao Feng had closed the distance between the two of them, flames started to converge at the tip of Su Chen¡¯s staff.


    However, most of the flames this time were blue flames, and unlike before, they were not just a thin layer on the outside. The flames were entirely blue, and the high temperatures that it radiated had unnerved Xiao Feng slightly.


    Therefore, Xiao Feng gave up on attacking and decided to pull back momentarily. Taking advantage of his Agility stat, Xiao Feng tried his best to avoid the imminent attack.


    Unfortunately, since [ Fireball ] was a starter skill which would lock onto its target, it struck Xiao Feng¡¯s chest plate dead-on!


    713!


    More than 700 points of damage had been inflicted onto Xiao Feng. At the same time, Xiao Feng was forced to take a step back as a result of the projectile¡¯s intensity!


    Obviously, now that Su Chen¡¯s [ Fireball ] was at level 20, the knockback effect of the ability had also received an upgrade.


    Xiao Feng¡¯s HP had dropped to 7,500+ !


    100!


    Su Chen¡¯s followed up his [ Fireball ] with a [ Lifesteal ].


    Xiao Feng¡¯s expression turned grave for the first time throughout this battle. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that Su Chen¡¯s latest Fireball had received more than just an increase in Firepower.


    Xiao Feng tightened his grip on his spear and unleashed a flurry of attacks. His arms shook violently as he unleashed his spear techniques at a breakneck speed! A mirage of spear strikes could be seen, and it was difficult to determine which was the real spear!


    298!


    Su Chen was swept by the spear, forcing him to take a few steps back.


    Su Chen¡¯s Agility was higher than Xiao Feng¡¯s, but Xiao Feng¡¯s spear was three meters long, completely nullifying the distance between them.


    However, now that the downtime of his Fireball had decreased from 4.7 seconds to 2.3 seconds, Su Chen was able to use his Fireball to retaliate this blow!


    731!


    Su Chen raised his hand and cast the [ Fireball ] skill once more, interrupting Xiao Feng¡¯s advance.


    At the same time, he used the opening created by his Fireball to put some distance between himself and Xiao Feng. While retreating, Su Chen gulped down another bottle of HP potion and MP potion.


    Xiao Feng leaped forward to give chase. He had grown wary of Su Chen, and thus, he continued unleashing a flurry of spear strikes to hinder Su Chen¡¯s ability to dodge!


    267!


    The spear brushed past Su Chen¡¯s shoulder, dealing a bit of damage.


    Su Chen took a step back and prepared to cast another Fireball.


    At this moment, however, Xiao Feng used his second skill for the first time in this battle. He took a step back and turned around!


    [ Retractable Spear ] !


    The attack range of his spear was once again extended.


    349!


    Su Chen¡¯s expression changed drastically!


    He had taken the full brunt of this new attack!


    At this moment, despite having just fully recover his HP, the moment he took on the new attack, his HP was immediately halved once again.


    His casting was also interrupted, and thus, he had to recast his [ Fireball ].


    Although Xiao Feng¡¯s [ Retractable Spear ] had hit much harder than his other attacks, it took time for him to retract and unleash his spear¡¯s power again. Taking advantage of this downtime, Su Chen launched yet another ball of blue flames at Xiao Feng!


    742!


    Upon noticing the damage instance, Su Chen seemed to have realized something, and a hint of joy flashed across his eyes.


    This was because he realized that ever since his skill had leveled up, the damage value of his Fireball had been steadily increasing.


    However, it was clear that this was not a result of having more skill points allocated to it. As such, Su Chen believed that it was due to the newly added Melt enhancement instead!


    The source of the increase in damage had come not from an increase in sheer firepower, but rather, due to a deterioration of his opponent¡¯s defenses!


    As an effect of the Melt enhancement, Su Chen¡¯s Fireball was now capable of eating away at his opponents¡¯ equipment!


    Their defenses would gradually decrease!


    Su Chen believed that two more hits was all that it would take to finally hit his true [ Fireball ] damage.


    ¡°You b*stard! You¡¯ll pay with your life!¡±


    Xiao Feng lowered his head by chance, and to his surprise, he noticed that spots were suddenly forming on his breastplate. His defense was gradually decreasing, and he was feeling a faint burning sensation as well.


    [ Burst Strike ]!


    The merciless flash of Xiao Feng¡¯s spear could be seen once again as strong gusts of wind were produced from Xiao Feng¡¯s rapid strike!


    However, for someone like Su Chen who was adept at dodging, this attack posed little threat to him!


    Miss!


    Su Chen had dodged by a hair¡¯s breadth once again!


    At the same time, he activated [ Lifesteal ] and recovered 100 HP.


    Xiao Feng¡¯s HP was now below 6,000 and encroaching the 5,800 range!


    Xiao Feng¡¯s face revealed a hint of anger. His eyes glowed slightly red, and he turned around to ready another [ Retractable Spear ] attack once more!


    However, after experiencing the attack once, Su Chen would not fall for the same trick again.


    No matter how high the damage of the spear was, it was still just a cheap trick that relied on its sudden increase in length.


    Miss!


    At the same time, a blue Fireball had converged at the tip of Su Chen¡¯s Wooden Spirit Staff.


    It struck Xiao Feng dead on!


    751!


    The damage value continued to rise!


    At the same time.


    13!


    9!


    11!


    A minor amount of continuous damage was starting to pop out from Xiao Feng¡¯s body.


    Since the Fireballs had fully melted Xiao Feng¡¯s breastplate, they had now inflicted the Burn status on him instead!


    Although their value was small, it was a condition that would last for quite some time.


    [ Lifesteal ] !


    Xiao Feng¡¯s HP finally fell below the 5,000 threshold!


    At this moment¡­


    Xiao Feng¡¯s eyes suddenly turned crimson red. His face was filled with rage, and it looked as if he had fallen into a state of madness.


    [ Boss: HP has decreased below 50%. Attack power has risen to 400-450. Intelligence has been reduced. ]


    A system notification appeared in Su Chen¡¯s field of vision.


    Xiao Feng¡¯s Attack power had suddenly increased by 200 points!


    Fortunately, as he was only a level 20 boss, so he did not have an increase in all of his stats. In order to balance out his power level, his Intelligence was forced to take a hit.


    Nevertheless, Su Chen¡¯s room for error had decreased even further now. Should Su Chen take two consecutive hits from Xiao Feng while he was in this state, Su Chen would undoubtedly perish.


    ¡°HAND ME YOUR LIFE!¡±


    Xiao Feng let out an angry roar that was as booming as a thunderclap!


    Seeing the now shadowy spear, Su Chen had no intentions of taking it head-on.


    Su Chen¡¯s figure turned blurry as he retreated.


    ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡±!

 Chapter 20 - The Long Night has Passed, and Dawn has Arrived!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This was Su Chen¡¯s final charge of the ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡± skill for that day.


    He turned into a blur and quickly vanished from where he once stood.


    At this moment, within the center of Bianshan Mountain, a fierce battle was entering its final phase. After the intense round of fighting earlier, the originally overwhelming number of Mountain Bandits had been reduced to no more than 60 people.


    On the other hand, the troops that Wu Lie had led were left with around 40 people.


    The reason why the Mountain Bandits had their numbers wiped out this quickly was due to Su Chen configuring his Fireballs to target an area instead of a single individual. As a result, any Mountain Bandits who were caught in the area had received splash damage, resulting in them either dying outright or having their health significantly reduced.


    It was for this reason that Wu Lie and his troops had not been overwhelmed by the bandits.


    However, things were starting to get dicey once again as most of the remaining bandits were relatively high-leveled compared to Wu Lie¡¯s troops. Most of them were around the range of level 11 to 13.


    The Shield Warriors on Wu Lie¡¯s side were all level 10. The only reason that they were managing to hold on was due to their bulky HP pool.


    As he utilized his final charge of the ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡± ability to dodge XIao Feng¡¯s strikes, he also made sure to assist Wu Lie however he could whilst he tried to figure out the Mountain Bandits¡¯ line of thought.


    After all, Xiao Feng¡¯s Attack power was sky high while he was in his Berserk state. It would be best to defeat Xiao Feng¡¯s subordinates and have Su Chen¡¯s own allies back him up once they no longer had their hands full.


    Boom!


    763!


    The four level 12 Mountain Bandits surrounding Wu Lie were instantly vaporized. The mountain bandits had low defense, and as such, the Melt-enhanced Fireball was capable of dealing its full damage!


    ¡°Hurry up and wipe out the other bandits. I need the Heavy Shield Warriors to form up around me!¡±


    Su Chen did not stop running as he issued his commands. Moreover, he had also used his [ Gourd Arts ] to recover the troops¡¯ HP while he was on the run.


    ¡°Loser, don¡¯t you dare run!¡±


    Although Xiao Feng¡¯s Attack power had received a massive boost, the same could not be said about his Agility. He needed to give it his all just to match Su Chen¡¯s pace.


    Realizing this, Su Chen lowered his guard and started to survey the battlefield.


    He ran circles around the battlefield, constantly firing his combat skills at his enemies and using his healing arts on the NPCs from his side.


    The reason Su Chen could afford to do so was due to Xiao Feng¡¯s lowered intelligence.


    After all, Su Chen¡¯s goal was very obvious. He wanted to get rid of the other bandits nd have his allies to chip away at Xiao Feng¡¯s HP.


    Had Xiao Feng been his former self, he would have realized this at a glance, and he would have done the same to Su Chen¡¯s allies as well.


    However, Xiao Feng had become a berserker who was devoid of all reason. His mind was in a daze, and he was incapable of understanding his enemies¡¯ actions.


    As for Su Chen, whose Agility was slightly higher than Xiao Feng¡¯s, he was able to maintain the distance between himself and Xiao Feng quite comfortably. As such, he was able to have free rein over the battlefield.


    Every place he passed by would leave behind a trail of dazzling fireworks!


    ¡­


    ¡°Three more to go!¡±


    ¡°SHIELDS UP!¡±


    Wu Lie and Su Chen¡¯s voices could be heard.


    At long last, the Mountain Bandits of Bianshan Mountain had been completely wiped out. They had all turned into white orbs of light and dispersed, dropping countless materials and even some white rank pieces of equipment in the process.


    While Su Chen was helping them to take down their opponents, he also made sure to hand the 12 remaining Heavy Shield Warriors some HP potions so that they could recover.


    With that, they should hopefully survive more than a single hit from Xiao Feng!


    Apart from that, there were also 7 level 12 [ Swordsman ] left.


    ¡°Wu Lie, fall back for now. I¡¯ll call for you once we start identifying the women!¡±


    Su Chen shouted at Wu Lie who was sent flying backward.


    While they were lining up their formation, Wu Lie recklessly rushed ahead to go against Xiao Feng. Since they were both melee combatants, they each took a direct hit. However, the main difference was that Wu Lie had been sent flying. He had even lost more than half of his health in the process!


    Wu Lie had no other choice but to stay back upon hearing that command. After all, the purpose of raiding the Mountain Bandits was to save the kidnapped women of Fengwu Town. There was no point in dying here, especially since he wanted to meet his sister.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    After sending Wu Lie flying, the furious Xiao Feng quickly rushed to the Shield Warriors who had formed the [ Mountain Fortress ] formation.


    He was just about to swing down his spear when suddenly, an intense blue flame struck his body, forcefully stopping him in his tracks.


    753!


    21!


    16!


    17!


    100!


    Damage numbers continuously popped up!


    Su Chen, who was protected by three layers of defense, began to bombard Xiao Feng with his attacks!


    [ Fireball ] Cooldown + cast time : 2.3 seconds.


    [ Lifesteal ] Cooldown: 2 seconds!


    In addition to [ Gourd Arts ] , which had half the efficacy per point of MP used¡­


    Su Chen began to use his skills indiscriminately!


    This was the first time that he had ever casted spells non-stop, without any downtime whatsoever!


    On the other hand, Su Chen¡¯s MP was being depleted at a never before seen rate as well!


    On the bright side, however, Xiao Feng¡¯s HP was depleting at a similarly rapid rate!


    He was down to his final 2,000 HP!


    ¡°AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!¡±


    The armor on Xiao Feng¡¯s body began to shatter, dropping his defenses drastically, and causing the damage from Su Chen¡¯s Fireballs to hit even harder.


    However, Xiao Feng did not stop. He was not standing idly by while Su Chen attacked him. He had already cut down the Shield Warriors that were at the forefront, and he was already making his way to the second line of defense!


    With a powerful thrust of his [ Retractable Spear ], Xiao Feng penetrated a Warrior of the second layer, turning him into an orb of light!


    769!


    100!


    36!


    42!


    39!


    Su Chen¡¯s continued his skill rotations of Fireball and Lifesteal. However, Xiao Feng was also continuing to cut down the Warriors. With a powerful swing of his spear, he had managed to pummel away the Warriors in the second line of defense!


    Upon reaching 1,000 HP, Xiao Feng finally regained his senses, and he was finally at the third layer of defense!


    [ Burst Strike ] !


    [ Retractable Spear ] !


    Xiao Feng used both of his skills consecutively in a polished manner!


    429!


    431!


    The moves had somehow ignored the [ Mountain Fortress ] skill, and they had dealt their full amount of damage!


    Nevertheless, Xiao Feng still did not make it past the third layer of defense.


    At the same time, Xiao Feng¡¯s armor had completely melted away, and all that was left was his plain clothes.


    A brilliant arc of flame followed, piercing through Xiao Feng¡¯s chest!


    The level 20 Mountain Bandit Leader who had 10,000 HP and had terrorized several nearby towns had finally died at the hands of the level 12 Su Chen!


    ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s finally f*cking dead!¡±


    Wu Lie roared upon noticing that Xiao Feng¡¯s HP bar had been depleted.


    At this moment, Xiao Feng, who had just been hit by the fireball, was trembling in fear. No amount of medical arts would be able to save him now. The crimson glow of his eyes slowly faded, and the savage expression on his face gradually turned into that of despair.


    In the next moment, Xiao Feng turned into a white light. After dropping several items, he then vanished into the dark of the night.


    ¡­


    Bianshan Mountain.


    The long night had passed, and dawn had finally arrived.


    At long last, Su Chen, Wu Lie, and their remaining 3 level 10 Warriors and level 12 Swordsman had finally taken down the level 20 Bandit Leader!


    Then, without even needing Su Chen¡¯s reminder, Wu Lie immediately led his troops to locate where the townspeople had been imprisoned at.


    Meanwhile, Su Chen approached the spot of Xiao Feng¡¯s death and began inspecting the items that he had dropped..

 Chapter 21 - Level 13!? Aren鈥檛 You Supposed to be Level 11?

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    At the peak of Bianshan Mountain.


    Although Su Chen had killed Xiao Feng, the hidden quest he had accepted was to rescue the kidnapped girls. As such, the quest had not been completed just yet.


    Nevertheless, while Wu Lie and his men searched every corner of Bianshan Mountain, Su Chen walked towards the items that had been dropped during battle.


    [ Pick up 999 Gold Coins? ]


    [ Pick up ¡°Ancient Spirit Court¡± token? ]


    [ Pick up level 20 green rank ¡°Basilisk Armor¡±? ]


    Su Chen picked up the items one by one and nodded his head with satisfaction.


    Although he had spent nearly 300 Gold Coins to purchase MP potions in the previous night, the rewards for his efforts had made that cost well worth it.


    Just the Gold Coins that he had obtained from the Boss¡¯ death was already enough to cover the costs.


    As for the level 20 green rank equipment, [ Basilisk Armor ], since Su Chen could not equip it, he decided to sell it on the market, or once again exchange it for an item of equal worth.


    There were two reasons that he could not equip it. The first was that he was not at the right level. Secondly, it was because the armor had belonged to the [ Warrior ] or [ Swordsman ] classes.


    ¡°Found them!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine, they¡¯re all here!¡±


    While Su Chen was placing a few pieces of white rank equipment that had dropped from the bandits into his storage bracelet¡­


    The voice of one of the troops could suddenly be heard calling out to the others!


    Wu Lie leaped with joy and he immediately called for the others to head to the source of the voice.


    ¡­


    Early morning.


    Outside Fengwu Town.


    In the military camp.


    After leaving the Bianshan Mountain, the remaining troops escorted the ladies back to where they had come from.


    Su Chen and Wu Lie arrived at We Lie¡¯s home in Fengwu Town.


    The Wu residence, which had given rise to two Centurions, was one of the wealthy families within Fengwu Town.


    After receiving the sincere thanks of his sister and his family members, Wu Lie then carefully brought out a brocade box and said to Su Chen with great sincerity, ¡°The honor of vanquishing the bandits and saving everyone, including my sister, lies on you, Brother Su Chen!¡±


    ¡°To show my gratitude, I hereby present you with the Wu family heirloom. Please do not hesitate and accept this gift!¡±


    Su Chen nodded slightly and grabbed the item.


    Canglan Armor.


    It was a green rank skill tome.


    [ Canglan Armor: Green rank skill tome. Can be learned at any level ]


    [ Beginner Proficiency: Increases Defense by 50 points, Lasts for 3 minutes ]


    [ Intermediate Proficiency: Increases Defense by 100 points, Lasts for 5 minutes ]


    [ Advanced Proficiency: Increases Defense by 150 points, Lasts for 10 minutes ]


    [ Grandmaster Proficiency: Increases Defense by 200 points, Lasts for 15 minutes ]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Su Chen assumed that it would be a green rank equipment or something of the sort. He did not expect it to be an extremely rare skill tome.


    Although there existed several class skills in the game, those of the same class could learn said skills. As such, they were a dime in a dozen. However, what Su Chen had in his hands was very different, it was an extremely rare skill.


    A high rank skill tome could sell for hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins.


    Seeing a confused expression on Su Chen¡¯s face, Wu Lie decided to explain.


    ¡°Brother Su Chen, this skill tome is the reason why our Wu family has managed to produce two Centurions in just decades.¡±


    ¡°Upon learning the instructions contained within this tome, you¡¯ll be able to strengthen your muscles for a short period of time. It is a precious treasure that has been passed down from our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Su Chen nodded and stored it into his storage bracelet.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll bid farewell to Brother Su Chen. I hope we meet again.¡±


    Wu Lie bowed deeply to Su Chen.


    Su Chen turned around and bid farewell to Wu Lie before leaving the Wu residence.


    The moment he stepped out of the Wu residence, a [ Mission complete! ] notification appeared in Su Chen¡¯s field of vision. Upon receiving the experience points for the quest¡¯s completion, Su Chen realized that he had leveled up once again!


    In just a few short hours, he had advanced two levels, from level 11 to 13!


    This was an unprecedented rate of progress, perhaps the first within the world of [ Ark ] !


    Despite this, Su Chen did not seem to particularly mind. After all, it was to be expected after wiping out a whole mountain-full of bandits.


    At the same time, his NPC Rapport points had risen from the initial 5 points to 10 points. He was gradually building up his Rapport with the NPCs living in the world of [ Ark ].


    He thought that the main reward for the quest would come from the level 20 Bandit Leader. However, he did not expect it to be a skill tome instead.


    No wonder countless people were so eager to look for hidden quests.


    ¡­


    After a long period of battling, Su Chen¡¯s stamina was down to 50 points.


    Therefore, Su Chen decided to spend his time in one of Fengwu Town¡¯s inns. After purchasing several bottles of fine liquor, he then booked a ¡°Son of Heaven¡± room in his selected inn.


    He would use the liquor as well as rest to recuperate his stamina.


    Since the flow of time was ten times faster in [ Ark ] compared to the real world¡­


    Ark would forcefully boot their players out for 6 hours once they had stayed in the game for 10 days.


    Although the game would not sap at players¡¯ physical strength and cause weariness, staying online for a full 10 days had meant that the players had not eaten nor drank anything in 24 hours. This was undoubtedly detrimental to the players¡¯ health.


    However, there was another way in which players would be booted out, and that was when their stamina had dropped to zero. Although players could do nothing against the hard limit, for the stamina issue in particular, they were able to circumvent it by drinking high-grade liquor to recover lost stamina.


    While sitting in his room, Su Chen looked at his storage bracelet that was almost full and started listing his white rank equipment in the marketplace. Aside from that, he started to prowl for new storage bracelets as well.


    After all, as his storage bracelet was still the default one from the beginning, it had only 10 available slots.


    Su Chen set the prices of white rank equipment in a range of 1,000 to 3,000 Gold Coins. He was unable to use them as the equipment that had dropped from the Mountain Bandits were only equippable by [ Warriors ] or [ Swordsman ] classes.


    Moreover, white rank equipment had fetched a pretty penny as well for his standards. Green rank equipment was not easy to come by, and the only reason Su Chen had gotten this many was due to him being somewhat of an oddball who challenged bosses way beyond his level range.


    For normal players, owning just one or two white rank equipment at Su Chen¡¯s level was already considered to be quite impressive, and usually, one of those white rank equipment would be a reward from the class quest.


    Mages had seven equipment slots. Su Chen had four missing pieces left before he could be considered to be fully geared up.


    The prices of white rank equipment varied according to their levels. The prices were generally stable and had ranged between 1,000 to 5,000 Gold Coins.


    Meanwhile, green rank equipment were stably in the 10,000 to 50,000 Gold Coins bracket. They were considered to be rather expensive for the average person.


    However, that was only if one overlooked the existence of orange rank equipment. Even the lowest tier of orange equipment would fetch 100 thousand Gold Coins as its asking price!


    Su Chen¡¯s gaze landed on the Bloodwolf Armor and the Basilisk Armor he had obtained from the Bosses he had fought.


    Su Chen pondered for a moment and messaged Xu Ruoxuan of the [ Dragon Slayers ] studio.


    [ I have a piece of Warrior equipment here that I¡¯d like to sell. Would you like it? ]


    Su Chen received a reply almost a second later.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : ?? You¡¯re level 13!? Weren¡¯t you only level 11 yesterday? ]

 Chapter 22 - Killing a Boss Above Your Level!?

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ ?? You¡¯re level 13!? Weren¡¯t you only level 11 yesterday? ]


    Xu Ruoxuan, who was seated in her shop in Youchang Town was overjoyed upon receiving Su Chen¡¯s message. She felt that it was her chance to turn things around for her organization.


    After all, leveling alone in [ Ark ] was neither an easy nor a fast task. She had spent great time and effort just to bring herself to level 30. However, at some point, she started to feel burned out by the levelling process, and thus, she decided to devote herself to managing finances instead.


    Recruiting Su Chen into the [ Dragon Slayers ] was also her brother¡¯s, also the boss of the organization, idea.


    The reason behind Su Chen¡¯s recruitment was that despite having a number of mid to high level players in their studio, their numbers were lacking, and thus, they needed more personnel.


    This was especially true for their low-level members, whose numbers were basically countable with one hand.


    As for the reason why they wanted low level players, the explanation was rather amusing.


    The developers did not wish to see high-level players abusing low level bosses for drops, as doing so would greatly impact the low-level players¡¯ gameplay experience. As such, they had set up a system in which drop rates would be adjusted based on the levels of the monsters and the players. With this system in place, although high-level players might occasionally be able to farm gear from mid-level bosses, low-level bosses would be completely out of reach, as their drop rates would be reduced by more than half.


    When faced with complaints of companies or game studios whose primary business ventures involved the selling of in-game goods, the developers responded by saying that they could circle around this issue by recruiting new players, or by purchasing new [ Ark ] helmets.


    Therefore, when she received Su Chen¡¯s message, Xu Ruoxuan was very happy.


    However, that all changed once she read the message properly. She was utterly stupefied by what she had spotted.


    She was shocked to find that Su Chen, who was only Level 11 just a day before, had leveled up by two levels in just one in-game day!


    She originally wanted to claim that ¡°It¡¯s not easy to level up alone¡± to try and persuade Su Chen to join their studio. However, once she saw the increase in Su Chen¡¯s level, those words were immediately caught in her throat.


    She could only ask a single question out of pure shock.


    Three seconds later, Su Chen replied.


    A line of text appeared in her field of vision.


    [ Su Chen (level 13) : Yes, I¡¯m level 13. So, do you want the Warrior equipment I have or not? ]


    Xu Ruoxuan stared blankly at the chat window.


    She did not know what to say.


    After all, judging by Su Chen¡¯s current level and his expected combat strength, Xu Ruoxuan had assumed that it was only a piece of white rank equipment, especially since he had gotten it within a short period of time.


    Therefore, she estimated that Su Chen would only bring out a level-10 white rank equipment.


    Had it been anyone else, she would probably just awkwardly chase the customer away by telling them that they could easily sell white rank equipment in the marketplace.


    Those who could use it and afford it would instantly purchase it, after all.


    However, the player she was dealing with was Su Chen, an individual that her brother wanted to recruit with all his heart. Moreover, he was also a ridiculous player who had managed to go up by two levels in a single in-game night.


    Therefore, she replied politely,


    [ Of course, just link your equipment here. I promise I¡¯ll give you a fair price. ]


    A few seconds later.


    Xu Ruoxuan waited for Su Chen¡¯s reply, but upon reading the equipment¡¯s stats¡­


    Her jaw dropped.


    [ Basilisk Armor ] (Green rank) :


    Attack: +20


    HP: +150


    Defense: +180


    Stamina (Upper Limit) : +90


    Strength: +10


    Additional effect: Reduces damage taken by all attacks by 10%.


    Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s beautiful and fair face immediately revealed a hint of shock.


    T-This isn¡¯t a joke, right?


    Su Chen actually managed to obtain yet another green rank equipment?


    Moreover.


    This is a level 20 item!


    Sure, she might have seen many level 20 green rank equipment during her time in the game, but Su Chen was only level 11 a day before!


    This¡­


    This level 11 newbie couldn¡¯t have possibly killed a level 20 boss, right? RIGHT!?


    Xu Ruoxuan was at a loss for words. All she had in mind was for her brother to visit Su Chen directly in the real world and invite him to their workshop!


    While she was deep in thought, Su Chen sent yet another message to her.


    [ If you think that this piece of equipment isn¡¯t good enough, I¡¯ll ask someone else instead. ]


    No!


    Don¡¯t!


    Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s slender legs were no longer crossed. She immediately replied.


    [ Nono! The attributes of this piece of equipment are very good. I¡¯m willing to pay up to 30,000 Gold Coins. ]


    Under normal circumstances, the price of this piece of equipment could only fetch a price of around 25,000 Gold Coins. As such, Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s offer could be considered a mark up of 5,000 Gold Coins!


    There was no other reason behind her actions than to simply get Su Chen to interact with their studio more often. By doing so, she hoped that she could eventually get Su Chen to join their studio.


    After all, most individuals who had managed to single-handedly defeat bosses would have their names announced throughout the server via the system just as Su Chen had experienced. However, those players were few and far between, and most of them were contracted by various other major companies and studios.


    However, Su Chen was clearly unaffiliated with anyone, and thus, this was Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s prime opportunity to gain a powerhouse within their studio!


    After all, most game companies and studios were still trying to track down the individual with a 100% compatibility score, and until they had determined who that individual was, Su Chen was the next best choice.


    [ Su Chen (level 13) : Okay, I wish to obtain a full gear of Mage equipment. Mind showing me some of the equipment you have? ]


    [ Su Chen (level 13) : Feel free to deduct the fees from the 30,000 Gold Coins that you¡¯re offering for the Warrior equipment. I¡¯ll top up the rest if it¡¯s not enough. Do try to list down green rank equipment though. ]


    [ Okay! Please hold on. ]


    Su immediately started looking through the items within her storage bracelet.


    After close to five minutes of careful inspection, Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s had divided the equipment into those that suited Su Chen¡¯s current needs, and those that could be equipped in the future. She then uploaded them all into the chat box.


    At the same time.


    In Fengwu town.


    While Su Chen was asking Xu Ruoxuan to help him look for equipment, he also took the opportunity to taste the delicacies within [ Ark ]


    After a round of tasting, Su Chen felt that [ Ark ] had truly manage to replicate the tastiness of food in the real world.


    Sometime later, he saw Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s reply.


    He started to browse through the equipment as well as the separate sets that Xu Ruoxuan had prepared for him.

 Chapter 23 - The Surprisingly Compatible [ Jade Tide Wrist Guard ]

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    As he read through the messages sent by Xu Ruoxuan, Su Chen subconsciously nodded his head slightly.


    This was because the first message sent by Xu Ruoxuan was a piece of news that Su Chen was unaware of.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : Let¡¯s not talk about the Mage¡¯s magic hat for now. After all, it simply does not exist below the orange rank. ]


    Upon reading this, Su Chen started to recall all the information he had read about [ Ark ].


    Back when he was researching the optimal gear for each of [ Ark ]¡¯s available classes, he realized that most Mage setups did not involve using the magic hat.


    Heck, even those that had the magic hat slot occupied were those who had equipped the hoods that had come with their robes. However, this issue did not pertain only to the Mage class, as helmets seemed to be a rarity on other classes as well.


    Su Chen theorized that the reason that this piece of information was not widely known was due to the player base being quite new at the time. After all, they had no way to obtain high rank equipment back then, and thus, they had no way of realizing this information.


    After all, even now, two months after the launch of the game, the character with the highest level in the Hualong Server was only level 50+.


    Most players were between the levels of 20 and 40.


    Su Chen continued browsing Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s wares.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : Okay, here¡¯s the first list. If you¡¯re in a hurry to become stronger, these level 10 equipment would do the trick. ]


    [ You mentioned that you wanted a ¡°Wrist Guard¡±, ¡°Robe¡± and ¡°Armor¡±, and you also expressed that you wanted a better ¡°Staff¡±. Well then, here you go, all four of these equipment are green rank. ]


    The first item was an [ Armor ] that could be worn from level 10 onwards.


    [ Silver Bear Armor: Elemental Power +10, HP: +70, Defense: +120, Stamina: +50; Additional effect: Reduces physical damage taken by 2%. ]


    The second item was a green rank level 10 staff.


    [ Storm Staff: Elemental Attack: +50, MP: +30, Stamina: +10; Additional effect: Every time a skill is unleashed, an additional 50 damage will be dealt. Cooldown time: 1 minute. ]


    The third item was a green rank level 10 [ Wrist Guard ].


    [ Blue Cloud Bangle: Elemental Power: +20, HP: +30, Defense: +25, Stamina: +5. Additional effect: Every time a skill is used, the casting time of the main class skill will be reduced by 5% . ]


    The last item was a level 10 green rank [ Robe ].


    [ Philo¡¯s Robe: Elemental Power: +80, HP: +80, Defense: +20, Stamina: +10. Additional effect: None ]


    Su Chen looked at the descriptions that had appeared in his field of vision. Upon noticing that all the equipment were indeed green rank, he nodded his head slightly in approval.


    It was a pity that the robe did not carry any additional effects, however.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : Su Chen, here comes the second set of equipment. Since you¡¯re already level 13, I¡¯ve selected gears of level 15 for this particular set. Remember, all three pieces of equipment are level 15 and green rank. I won¡¯t be repeating myself after this. ]


    [ I¡¯ve left out the armor this time since you already have the level 15 Bloodwolf Armor. ]


    [ Thunder Staff: Elemental Power +100, MP +50, HP: +20, Stamina: +20 ]


    [ Additional effect: Each skill cast will be imbued with the Lightning element, There is a 2% chance that the opponents will be stunned for 3 seconds upon being hit. ]


    [ Jade Tide Wrist Guard: Elemental Power +50, MP +20, HP + 50, Defense +40, Stamina +10. ]


    [ Additional effect: Will be bound to a selected skill. Upon reusing that skill, the skill will gain a 10 damage increase on each skill cast. The effect lasts for 3 minutes, and the cooldown time is 4 hours. ]


    [ Crimson Moon Robe: Elemental Power +150, HP +10, Defense +50, Stamina +10. ]


    [ Additional effect: Unlocks ¡°Rising Tide¡± skill. Upon taking damage from a skill, 10% of the damage received will be converted to Elemental Power. Effect last for 10 minutes. Cooldown time is 1 hour ]


    The moment Su Chen saw the Jade Tide Wrist Guard, his eyes immediately lit up.


    He was particularly interested in the wrist guard¡¯s additional effects.


    After all, it was highly compatible with his [ Fireball ]!


    He was likely the only Mage who could use it properly since for usual level 13 Mages who had four class skills, the combined casting time and cooldown time of each skill would add up to around 8 seconds.


    As such, their normal behavior during combat was to rotate between the four skills to reduce the downtime between their attacks. As such, in a usual rotation of skills, there would be a 20-ish second window before the skill would be used again.


    As such, they could only make use of the effect 9 times during a normal battle, since its effects would only last for 3 minutes, and they could at most use it thrice in a minute in a proper rotation.


    The damage increase from the first repeat cast would result in a +10 increase.


    The damage increase from the second repeat cast would result in a +20 increase.


    The damage increase from the third repeat cast would result in a +30 increase.


    The damage increase from the fourth¡­


    By these calculations, regular Mages would at most gain a 90 damage increase against their opponents via the effect.


    This was a rather negligible amount of damage, even for regular players who did not have a transmigration system to back them up.


    However, things were different for Su Chen.


    As a starter skill, [ Fireball ] had a shorter downtime compared to the other class skills.


    Previously, Suchen¡¯s [ Fireball ]¡¯s had a 5 second downtime without any help of the system and equipment. However, after receiving upgrades, its downtime had been reduced to 2.5 seconds.


    That meant that Su Chen could cast it 24 times in a minute!


    Su Chen could rack up to 720 points of additional damage within three minutes!


    Had Su Chen worn those wrist guards during his fight against Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng would never have stood a chance against him.


    That was because the combined damage of [ Fireball ] and the wrist guards¡¯ effects would allow Su Chen to deal 1,400+ damage within a single hit! Xiao Feng would definitely not be able to endure such a beating.


    Although the wrist guards would seem like a regular piece of equipment to most, to Su Chen, it was considered to be an epic-tier enhancement.


    Should he come across orange rank gear with the same effects in the future, Su Chen would become unstoppable.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : The first set of level 10 green rank equipment would cost you a total of 55,000 Gold Coins. An additional 25,000 Gold Coins would be required. ]


    [ The second set of level 15 green rank equipment would cost you a total of 60,000 Gold Coins. An additional 30,000 Gold Coins would be required. ]


    [ However, you can take your time to choose. I¡¯m in no hurry. Feel free to contact me once you¡¯ve made your mind. ]


    While Su Chen was marveling at the wrist guard¡¯s effects, Xu Ruoxuan messaged Su Chen the price of the equipment.


    Upon returning to his senses and noticing the price that Xu Ruoxuan had charged him, he was a little surprised.


    He actually knew the market¡¯s prices quite well. Going by usual standards, the first set of level 10 green rank equipment should have gone for 65,000 Gold Coins.


    On the other hand, the second set should have gone for 70,000 Gold Coins.


    Xu Ruoxuan had silently marked down the prices of each set by 10,000 Gold Coins. Su Chen doubted that she would make much of a profit via such an act, and he even had a hunch that she was selling the items to him at cost price.


    What a sincere person.


    After pondering for a moment, and after taking another look at the Gold Coins in his storage bracelet, he then answered her.


    [ I¡¯ll take both sets. Let¡¯s conduct the trade via the friend menu. Accounting for the sale of my Warrior Equipment, I¡¯ll pay you the remaining 85,000 Gold Coins. ]


    [ In addition, while I do not intend on joining any organization as of this moment, once the guild system goes online, I¡¯ll keep [ Dragon Slayers ] under consideration as one of the guilds to join. ]


    Su Chen¡¯s in-game balance was 100,000 Gold Coins. He could easily afford such an expenditure.


    He was currently level 13, and thus, he was unable to equip the level 15 equipment just yet. As such, he needed to rely on the level 10 set to receive a temporary power boost.


    Once he reached level 15, he would then sell the level 10 equipment. At most, he would only lose 1,000 Gold Coins due to a decrease in the durability of the equipment.


    Ding Dong.


    Xu Ruoxuan immediately replied:


    [ Really? That¡¯s great! If you¡¯re willing to join us once we set up our guild, I¡¯ll happily lend you the level 10 set instead. After all, you level quickly anyway. ]


    Su Chen pondered on the offer for a moment before responding.


    [ Alright, I¡¯ll pay you 34,000 Gold Coins in that case. Consider the 4,000 Gold Coins as maintenance fee for the decline of the equipment¡¯s durability. ]


    After a short exchange, Su Chen completed the transaction with Xu Ruoxuan and received a total of seven pieces of green rank equipment!


    With that, Su Chen now had six of his equipment slots filled with green rank equipment! With the exception of an orange rank helmet slot, he was now fully geared!


    His stats instantly reached a brand new height.


    Suddenly, Su Chen recalled the requirements of his [ Heavenly Craftsman ] subclass. He needed new forging blueprints and a large amount of materials so that he could increase his enchantment success rate. As such, he decided to ask Xu Ruoxuan whether she had any blueprints and materials to spare.


    Then, as he waited for a reply, he inspected changes in his attributes closely with slight anticipation. He wanted to see how much his attributes had increased after being enhanced by his new equipment.

 Chapter 24 - [ Ark ] System Update

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    [ Host: Su Chen ]


    Level: 13


    Elemental Power: 970 (+220)


    HP: 1,030 (+180)


    MP: 950 (+150)


    Defense: 245 (+165)


    [ Level 21 Fireball ] : 1 second cast time, 1.5 second cooldown, Mana cost: 100. Skill Effect: Conjures a fireball that can be locked onto a target or an area and unleashes it. Damage: 970, Range: 20 meters.


    [ Level 1 Lifesteal ] : 1 second cast time, 1 second cooldown; Skill Effect: Steal 100 points of the target¡¯s health, Range: 5 meters.


    After putting on his equipment, Su Chen looked at his new attributes and nodded in satisfaction.


    With close to 1,000 Elemental Power, coupled with a 2.3 downtime between his Fireball casts, his combat prowess had massively increased.


    A regular Mage of the same level would probably be equipped with only a couple pieces of white rank equipment. By normal standards, reaching 400 points of Elemental Power was already considered to be rather impressive.


    Aside from that, Su Chen also realized that he had gained 165 points of Defense after donning on the new armor piece. This made him feel much more at ease.


    Moreover, this was only his level-10 equipment. Once he put on his level 15 equipment, his attributes will receive yet another massive power boost.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : Level-10 forging blueprints huh? Hmm, is your subclass Heavenly Craftsman? ]


    [ I do have some on my side, but it¡¯s not a lot. After all, studios like us make money by selling equipment that would increase one¡¯s combat strength. Making money via lifestyle class items aren¡¯t really our gig. ]


    [ Just take this as a friendly advice, but with your amount of strength, it¡¯s perfectly fine for you to only focus on your main class. Try not to waste too much of your time on your subclass. ]


    [ Hold on for a sec, I¡¯ll prepare the blueprints and their corresponding materials for you. ]


    Once Su Chen had finished inspecting his new stats, Xu Ruoxuan sent him a new message.


    It was not that Su Chen had not shared Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s line of thought. After all, based on his combat strength, it would have been a waste of talent had he focused too much on his subclass and ignored his main class as a result.


    However, as a result of the transmigration system, his [ Heavenly Craftsman ] subclass had been given the potentially broken ability of reversing the success rates of enchantments and forging.


    It was this mechanism that had convinced Su Chen to invest some time in his subclass. After all, unlike other craftsmen, Su Chen could focus solely on enchanting equipment and ignore the forging aspect of his subclass.


    Not long after, Su Chen received another message.


    [ Xu Ruoxuan (level 30) : Ignoring the blueprints that you¡¯ve received back when you selected this subclass, I have here with me a different blueprint as well as the seven types of materials that are required to craft the item from the blueprint. I¡¯ll charge you 600 Gold Coins for the blueprint, and 700 Gold Coins for the materials. ]


    After reading the message, Su Chen exchanged 1,300 Cold Coins for the blueprint and materials.


    Naturally, Su Chen did not actually possess the blueprints that were supposed to be given upon selecting the [ Heavenly Craftsman ] subclass. After all, he had officially registered himself as a [ Beast Tamer ] back then.


    Nevertheless, the blueprint would serve just fine as a stepping stone to raise his [ Heavenly Creation ] ability.


    He then read the crafting requirements of the blueprint.


    [ Earthen Wind Armor (white rank) ] :


    1. 7.5 kilograms of fine iron


    2. 20 Crescent Stones


    3. ¡­


    After looking at the blueprint, Su Chen immediately took out the tools and furnace that the transmigration system had provided him and started forging the equipment.


    Although he had used the [ Heavenly Creation ] skill during the forging process, he did not actually need to follow the steps listed in the blueprint.


    After all, his goal was to fail.


    While Su Chen was busy failing his forging and raising his enchantment success rate in the process, a long notice from the system suddenly appeared across the Hualong Server.


    [ Ark System ] :


    1. We have detected that there are now 10 players who have reached level 50 and above. We will now implement a ranking board for the players of the Hualong Server, and we will also set up a level 60 sprint event.


    The first player to reach level 60 will be rewarded with 200 Reputation points, 100,000 experience points, 500,000 Gold Coins, and 50 stat points.


    The second player to reach level 60 will be rewarded with 150 Reputation points, 70,000 experience points, 300,000 Gold Coins, and 30 stat points.


    The third player to reach level 60 will be rewarded with 100 Reputation points, 50,000 experience points, 150,000 Gold Coins, and 15 stat points.


    2. The Guardian System has officially been implemented, and the event will randomly occur within the [ Ancient Town ] dungeon.


    The Guardian will spawn in different locations based on player levels. The level brackets for each spawn point is as listed below:


    [ Level 10 ¨C 20 ]


    [ Level 20 ¨C 30 ]


    [ Level 30 ¨C 40 ]


    [ Level 40 ¨C 50 ]


    [ Level 50 ¨C 60 ]


    A Holy Beast Guardian will spawn together with Ten Elite Guardians at each spawn point, and the player who lands the finishing blow on each Guardian will be the one who keeps it. Upon hatching, the Guardian is capable of participating in battles.


    The spawn points of all Guardians will be announced 10 days after this announcement in [ Ark ] time. However, players can also learn of these spawn points in advance by collecting two map fragments.


    Finally, to obtain these map fragments, players will need to kill bosses or complete quests.


    ¡­


    A wave of emotions washed over the players upon reading the contents of the notice.


    This was because the updates listed were earth-shattering.


    The first change would affect the high-level players directly. Previously, players would create their own rankings and post them on the official website¡¯s forums. However, now that a clear hierarchy within the player base had been created, the developers from [ Ark ] had decided to officially set up a leaderboard.


    Moreover, the rewards for the level 60 sprint event had also served as a massive incentive for the players.


    50 stat points would yield an explosive growth in power for these high-level players. After all, it was equivalent to a 10-level increase in stat points! This was a massive boost that could not be easily replicated via equipment.


    Aside from that, the bountiful Reputation points would also be useful for paving the way once the guild system came online. After all, one of the requirements for establishing a guild was to collect 1,000 Reputation points.


    Meanwhile, the Guardian System was more akin to a carnival where all the players could freely participate in.


    Despite existing since the start of the game, the Mount System was not particularly well-received by the player base. This was due to the Mounts¡¯ inability to participate in battles. Its only use was to shorten travelling times, on the off chance that players had run out of charges for their teleportation talismans.


    However, the Guardians that were soon to come were a different breed altogether!


    Better yet, Ark had even planned the new system with accessibility in mind. In order to prevent high-level players from trampling over low-level players, they had decided to split the spawn points into different brackets, which would no doubt enhance the gameplay experience of the low-level players.


    After all, it would mean that low-level players would stand a chance to obtain a precious Guardian of their own. The attributes of the Guardian were the same. With the Guardians at their side, players would be able to defeat their enemies much faster.


    Of course, there was also a certain level of difficulty to this event.


    After all, all players in the server would be competing for the same 11 Guardians within their brackets. The competition was bound to be tough, and not just that, players also needed to hunt for the Guardians¡¯ spawn point before everyone else.


    The best possible scenario would be if no one had discovered any map fragments and that everyone would learn of the Guardians¡¯ spawn points at the same time via the system.


    However, in the worst case, someone would have pieced together the map fragments and discovered the location of the Guardians in advance. Should that happen, that individual might camp at the spawn point and fight the Guardians as soon as they spawned, possibly claiming all Guardians for themselves.


    Nevertheless, the fact remained that the notice had stirred quite the storm within [ Ark ]¡¯s playerbase.


    ..


    [ Badlands ] dungeon.


    Si Luo and Si Weiwei were about to continue farming monsters and completing quests when they suddenly received the system¡¯s notice.


    Si Weiwei immediately stopped in her tracks upon reading the notice.


    She hesitated on what her next move should be.


    She could either rush to level 60 first and claim the rewards from the level sprint for herself, or she could return to the [ Ancient Town ] dungeon to hunt for Map Fragments. The first option would increase her combat strength by a hefty amount, whereas the Guardian might become a powerful asset in the future.


    However, the uncertainty and danger of obtaining a Guardian was far too great.


    After all, the players above level 50 each possessed great combat prowess, and they were all back by major companies. The competition was bound to be fierce.


    Si Weiwei was in a dilemma and she decided to take some time to ponder on the matter. After more than ten minutes, she finally made a decision and had come up with a plan.

 Chapter 25 - Level Leaderboard Announced!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Si Weiwei stood beside a river valley of the [ Badlands ] dungeon together with her brother, Si Luo. They were engaged in a serious discussion regarding the latest system updates.


    Both of their expressions were very serious at this moment. Even Si Luo who usually had a cheery attitude looked unbelievably grim at this moment.


    After all, this was a matter that concerned their family and their company.


    Usually, when it came to company operations, the siblings will take their parents¡¯ words as law. However, for matters pertaining to [ Ark ] specifically, the siblings were usually the ones who called the shots. After all, this was the only field where their knowledge trumped their parents.


    ¡°Si Luo, now that the system has released the level leaderboard and announced the level-60 sprint event, I believe most players who are above the level 50 mark will fully divert their attention into leveling up.¡±


    Si Weiwei opened the leaderboard as she spoke.


    [ Ark Level Leaderboard (Hualong Server) ]


    [ 1st place: Si Weiwei, level 57 Long Swordsman, Current experience 86% ]


    [ 2nd place: Duan Lei, Level 56 Double Shield Warrior, Current experience 21% ]


    [ 3rd place: Kong Qiu, Level 55 Heavy Swordsman, Current experience 97% ]


    [ 4th place: Lu Jiayi, Level 55 Ice Mage, Current experience 89% ]


    [ 5th place: Chen Shi, Level 55 Bowman, Current experience 76% ]


    [ 6th place: Si Luo, level 53 Bowman, Current experience 32% ]


    [ 7th place: Bai Xingjian¡­ ]


    ¡°If I were a low-level player, I would¡¯ve given up on forming parties to grind up my levels and instead, I would start farming Bosses or quests. By doing so, I¡¯d at least be able to obtain the Map Fragments and locate the spawn points of the Guardians.¡±


    ¡°After all, the number of low-level players is gargantuan, to say the least. I¡¯m sure the competition will be cutthroat.¡±


    ¡°In our case, however, since there aren¡¯t many players whose levels are above 50, we won¡¯t be facing the same problem. We can split the 11 Guardians equally amongst ourselves. As such, I believe that the developers introduced the level sprint just to keep us occupied.¡±


    Hearing this, Si Luo frowned and commented on his sister¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Sister, so what you mean is that [ Ark ] has laid out two paths for us to choose from. We either collect Map Fragments to locate the Guardians, or we should try and speed up our leveling process to reach level 60.¡±


    ¡°If we were to focus solely on the leveling aspect, we might miss out on the Holy Guardian Beast, and we would only manage to obtain an Elite Guardian. However, I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s a significant difference in stats between the Holy Guardian Beast and the Elite Guardians.¡±


    As soon as Si Luo had finished speaking, Si Weiwei nodded and elaborated,


    ¡°Indeed, this is the assumption that I¡¯ve made while I came up with my plan. Moreover, the main reason that we¡¯re able to carry out this plan in the first place is due to the fact that both of us are above level 50.¡±


    ¡°There are only 10 players who are above level 50 at this moment. However, there are 11 Guardians. I believe that everyone is vying for the Holy Guardian Beast as it holds great potential and might possibly be strong enough to transcend the concept of levels.¡±


    ¡°Should someone manage to obtain the Holy Guardian Beast for themselves, the rest of us will be stuck with Elite Guardians instead. However, what I intend to do is to shatter this notion.¡±


    ¡°Which notion, you might ask, Well, the notion I¡¯m referring to is that all of us would at least obtain a single Guardian for ourselves.¡±


    Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed across Si Luo¡¯s eyes. ¡°How will we disrupt it, sis? The number of Guardians exceed the number of players in our bracket!¡±


    ¡°So what? Although the system stipulates that each player can only use one Guardian at a time, there¡¯s nothing barring us from having more than one Guardian Egg. Once we obtain the full map via the Map Fragments, we¡¯ll camp the spawn point and take the Guardians for ourselves. After all, the worth of Guardians lies beyond just money for us high level players.¡±


    ¡°Right now, there are four players above level 50 who have the backing of large corporations. They are Duan Lei, Kong Qiu, and the both of us. As for the rest, they have only the support of small companies and are not worth worrying over.¡±


    ¡°For the next few in-game days, I¡¯d like you to pause your leveling progress and start hunting Bosses in the [ Ancient Town ] dungeon to farm Map Fragments. Aside from that, I¡¯d also like you to recruit the rest of the top rankers besides Duan Lei and Kong Qiu and form an alliance with them.¡±


    Si Luo was a little surprised. ¡°An alliance? Albeit small, they¡¯re still backed by companies of their own, and there¡¯s more than enough Guardians to go around. I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t form an alliance with us, right?¡±


    ¡°No, they will definitely form an alliance with us!¡± Si Weiwei answered with certainty.


    ¡°The level 60 Guardians aren¡¯t foes that one could take on alone. Moreover, based on their classes, I¡¯m sure that their previous party members are level 40 players. Since those players will exist in a separate bracket, they won¡¯t be able to form their usual parties, and thus, they¡¯ll have no choice but to come to us.¡±


    ¡°Tell them that as long as they form an alliance with us, we¡¯ll guarantee that each of them will get an Elite Guardian. At the same time, promise them we¡¯ll pay them 20 million Gold Coins as remuneration.¡±


    Si Weiwei then added, ¡°There¡¯s no reason for them not to decline our offer. Moreover, we¡¯re definitely not the only ones who are thinking about snatching the Guardians. I¡¯m sure Duan Lei and Kong Qiu share the same line of thought as well.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, in the upcoming days, I¡¯ll return to the [ Ancient Town ] dungeon and hire a bunch of level 40+ players. Following this, I¡¯ll have them help me round up monsters and reduce the monsters¡¯ HP as much as possible without killing them. They¡¯ll then let me land the killing blow, and through this non-HP sharing method of gaining experience, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be the first to make it to level 60. With this, our preparations of starting a guild will finally fall in place.¡±


    ¡°Right now, my Reputation score is 800+. With the reward from the system, I¡¯ll hit 1,000, giving me just enough Reputation points to fulfill the guild creation criteria.¡±


    Si Weiwei stood up.


    Si Luo also stood up and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop leveling up for now and try to talk to the other level 50 players. After that, I¡¯ll go and recruit some level 40 players and hunt level 50 Bosses. I¡¯ll try my best and farm up the Map Fragments.¡±


    ¡°Seeing as there are only a handful of level 50 players, I¡¯m sure the drop rate will be pretty high compared to the other brackets.¡±


    Si Weiwei and Si Luo walked to the [ Dungeon Portal ] at the side.


    ¡°Also, tell the other employees of all levels in the company to organize themselves and farm up their own Map Fragments.¡±


    ¡°Once the upcoming batch of Guardians have been captured, I believe there¡¯s a chance where players will sell off their duplicate Guardians. While I doubt that this will happen, it¡¯s best to be prepared. Tell father and mother to prepare the funds to purchase those Guardians.¡±


    ¡°Also, have we determined who the player with the full compatibility score is yet? Had we identified them in advance, we probably could¡¯ve power-leveled them and they should¡¯ve reached level 10 by now. We could¡¯ve let them join the level 10-20 bracket of the Guardian event.¡±


    Following which, the voices of the two gradually disappeared from the [ Badlands ] dungeon.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Sis, I¡¯ve managed to dig up some information about that Su Chen player. If we can manage to sign him on, I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll be of great use to us for the level 10-20 Guardian bracket.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯d better contact him as soon as possible¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Fengwu Town.


    Within Su Chen¡¯s room in an inn¡­


    After seven failures in forging equipment, Su Chen checked the relevant changes of his [ Heaven Craftsman ] subclass¡¯ skill.


    [ Heavenly Craftsman ] : Beginner Heavenly Creation, proficiency: 14/100;


    Forging blueprints: 1, Enchantment blueprints: 0


    (Times failed while forging white rank equipment: 7, White rank equipment enchantment success rate: 14%)


    The beginner [ Heavenly Creation ] skill could only be used to forge white rank equipment, whereas intermediate could forge green, and advanced could forge orange rank equipment.


    Aside from the line within parentheses, every other description were usual descriptions that every Heavenly Craftsman would have. However, it was that very same line within parentheses that Su Chen wanted to develop.


    Things were going quite smoothly for Su Chen. He had already depleted all his materials, and his stamina had already fully recovered.


    After returning all his tools into the storage bracelet, Su Chen then left the inn and headed to the trading alley and the quest pavilion within Fengwu Town.


    The reason he headed to the trading alley was to replenish his stock of materials as well as liquor that would imbue one with additional effects.


    As for the reason that he went to the quest pavilion, it was naturally because of the system¡¯s announcement.


    Although the level 60 leaderboard had nothing to do with him, Su Chen felt that the Guardian event was something that was worth participating in.


    Before long, under the guise of Fengwu Town¡¯s everlasting mist, Su Chen finally arrived at the trading alley..

 Chapter 26 - Golden [ Heavenly Creation ]!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Within the trading alley.


    Plenty of shops were set up along the streets.


    Essentially, the trading alley was a gathering place for players who focused solely on their lifestyle classes.


    The shops were available for rent, but there were also some players who forked the cash to buy the shops outright.


    The shops located on the east side of the trading alley had belonged to NPCs, whereas the shops on the west were usually player-owned.


    Based on the list of materials written within the blueprints, Su Chen first purchased hundreds of kilograms of fine iron from an NPC ironsmith. Following that, he then visited some of the neighboring shops to look for Crescent Stones. However, after a couple failed attempts, Su Chen gave up on the NPC shops and headed to the player-owned ones instead.


    To Su Chen¡¯s surprise, before he could even spot any shops that sold his required materials, he had already located the liquor store that sold effect-imbuing liquor.


    The plaque outside the shop had the words ¡®Blue Luan¡¯ written on them.


    Su Chen walked in.


    The shop was not particularly large, and a level 21 player of the subclass [ Alchemist ] was pouring all sorts of materials into a cauldron. He seemed to be preparing a new batch of potions.


    On the shelf behind him, a large assortment of HP and MP potions, as well as liquor could be found.


    ¡°You looking for HP potions, MP potions, or liquor?¡±


    Spotting Su Chen, who was fully decked out in green rank equipment, the eyes of the man with the ID Li Ruoyan lit up.


    After stabilizing the concoction that was brewing in the cauldron, he immediately walked to the counter and respectfully handed a list to Su Chen.


    The list read:


    [ Lesser HP Potion: Recovers 50 HP within 5 seconds after consumption. Price: 2 Gold Coins ]


    [ Normal HP Potion: Recovers 100 HP within 5 seconds after consumption. Price: 5 Gold Coins ]


    [ Greater HP Potion: Recovers 200 HP within 5 seconds after consumption. Price: 10 Gold Coins ]


    The details of the MP potions were similar to the HP potions, with the exception that they recovered MP instead of HP.


    Su Chen felt that Li Ruoyan had already reached the Advanced rank of the [ Alchemist ] subclass, and he felt that she should be close to becoming a Grandmaster.


    The description of the liquor could be found at the bottom of the list.


    [ Lesser Fine Wine: Recovers 10 stamina points after drinking, rough taste, Price: 10 Gold Coins ]


    [ Normal Fine Wine: Recovers 20 stamina points after drinking, average taste, Price: 20 Gold Coins ]


    [ Greater Fine Wine: Recovers 30 stamina points after drinking, mellow taste, Price: 50 Gold Coins ]


    [ Special Effect: recovers 50 HP and 20 MP within 1 minute after consumption. ]


    [ Exquisite wine: Recovers 50 stamina points after drinking, rich and mellow taste, Price: 100 Gold Coins ]


    [ Additional effect: Increases Elemental Power by 20 points after consumption. Lasts for 5 minutes. Effects only stack twice on multiple consumption ]


    As he browsed through the list. a flash of surprise could be seen in Su Chen¡¯s eyes as he read the last two types of liquor.


    After all, in the items available in online markets were usually only equipment of all tiers as well as low-quality potions.


    The former were items that could make large profits, whereas the latter were items that were most in demand.


    Items such as materials and high-quality potions were usually not found in the markets. After all, there was a cost associated with each listing in the market, and thus, players usually preferred to sell those products in trading alleys than to list them in the marketplace.


    Despite taking his sweet time to browse through the items, the middle-aged shopkeeper, Li Ruoyan seemed to be in no hurry as well. He did not pressure Su Chen to act, and he had only tended to his concoction patiently.


    After all, level 13 players who were fully equipped with green rank equipment were quite a rarity amongst players. After all, according to usual standards, the money that they had made until this point would was insufficient to afford such an expenditure.


    ¡°10 bottles of [ Greater HP Potion ] as well as 100 bottles of [ Greater MP potion ] please.¡±


    ¡± Also, I¡¯d like 10 bottles of [ Greater Fine Wine ] and 20 bottles of [ Exquisite Wine ].¡±


    Thinking about his usual needs in battle, Su Chen decided to put greater emphasis in procuring MP potions.


    The moment Su Chen made his order¡­


    The reserved smile on Li Ruoyan¡¯s face turned into shock in an instant.


    ¡°Yo! Alright, that¡¯ll cost you a total of 7,600 Gold Coins.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how about I give you a discount of 100 Gold Coins, and I¡¯ll even throw in 10 bottles of Normal MP potions? What¡¯d you think?¡±


    Noticing that Su Chen had purchased several Greater MP potions, 100 of them at that, Li Ruoyan had a sneaking suspicion that Su Chen was a young master of a studio who was personally replenishing their studio¡¯s goods.


    Su Chen nodded casually at the offer. He handed 7,500 Gold Coins in exchange for his wine and potions.


    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve also taken the liberty to add you as a friend. Please accept.¡±


    ¡°After all, I¡¯ll be able to send anything you need via the marketplace in the future. Don¡¯t worry about the listing fees and transaction fees, I¡¯ll take care of it for you.¡±


    ¡°As for the quality, you can rest assured.¡±


    Seeing that Su Chen was ready to leave after the transaction, Li Ruoyan immediately sent him a friend request.


    Su Chen gave the request some thought. After all, it was indeed more convenient if he could trade directly instead of making his way over. Plus, from what he could see, the quality of the goods were also top notch. In the end, he accepted the request.


    After purchasing the potions and fine wine, all that was left to restock were the materials needed for his forging. After asking around, Su Chen learned that the materials could be found in the shops at the end of the Trading Alley.


    ¡°Alright, transaction complete.¡±


    The shop owner with the ID of Qin Muxue stated. She exuded an elegant but frigid aura, and her tone of speech was especially cold.


    Just as Su Chen was about to leave, however¡­


    He suddenly saw Qin Muxue, who was of the [ Bowman ] class, painting some sort of purple liquid onto her longbow. She seemed to be enchanting her bow based on a diagram she was holding.


    Beside her were seven or eight broken longbows.


    Su Chen looked on curiously, as he had never seen the enchantment process before.


    Throughout all the articles Su Chen had read, he had never heard about enchanting an item by painting on it.


    However, this enchantment method had given him a flare of inspiration. It made him want to develop new enchantment methods that strayed from the norm.


    This confidence came from nothing other than the fact that he would eventually have a 100% enchantment success rate in the future.


    Even though not all materials will give rise to powerful enchantments, Su Chen was certain that he would eventually strike gold. Should that happen, he will then note down the method and sell it as blueprints of his own.


    While all these thoughts were running wild in his mind, Su Chen stood still in the shop.


    Naturally, Qin Muxue was aware of his presence. However, copying the designs on the diagram required stability and calmness.


    Finally, after several minutes had passed, Qin Muxue finally finished her copying.


    She then used her [ Heavenly Creation ] skill to cast the enchantment.


    Snap!


    Su Chen personally watched as the white rank longbow shattered before him.


    The enchantment had failed.


    Qin Muxue, who had a cold and elegant temperament, did not utter a single word. Moreover, she did not seem to be embarrassed at her failure either.


    She then tossed the broken bow aside and put away the enchantment tools, including the bottle that contained the dark purple liquid.


    ¡°Are you trying to develop a new enchantment blueprint by yourself?¡±


    Seeing that she was done with her work, Su Chen immediately asked her.


    Qin Muxue looked at him with a calm expression and nodded.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it development. I¡¯m just trying things out.¡±


    ¡°The purple liquid just now was a blend of poison from several sources. The enchantment I was trying to pull off earlier was to make all of the bow¡¯s attacks, be they from normal shots or skills, to be imbued with the poison effect. ¡°


    Within the trading alley.


    Plenty of shops were set up along the streets.


    Essentially, the trading alley was a gathering place for players who focused solely on their lifestyle classes.


    The shops were available for rent, but there were also some players who forked the cash to buy the shops outright.


    The shops located on the east side of the trading alley had belonged to NPCs, whereas the shops on the west were usually player-owned.


    Based on the list of materials written within the blueprints, Su Chen first purchased hundreds of kilograms of fine iron from an NPC ironsmith. Following that, he then visited some of the neighboring shops to look for Crescent Stones. However, after a couple failed attempts, Su Chen gave up on the NPC shops and headed to the player-owned ones instead.


    To Su Chen¡¯s surprise, before he could even spot any shops that sold his required materials, he had already located the liquor store that sold effect-imbuing liquor.


    The plaque outside the shop had the words ¡®Blue Luan¡¯ written on them.


    Su Chen walked in.


    The shop was not particularly large, and a level 21 player of the subclass [ Alchemist ] was pouring all sorts of materials into a cauldron. He seemed to be preparing a new batch of potions.


    On the shelf behind him, a large assortment of HP and MP potions, as well as liquor could be found.


    ¡°You looking for HP potions, MP potions, or liquor?¡±


    Spotting Su Chen, who was fully decked out in green rank equipment, the eyes of the man with the ID Li Ruoyan lit up.


    After stabilizing the concoction that was brewing in the cauldron, he immediately walked to the counter and respectfully handed a list to Su Chen.


    The list read:


    [ Lesser HP Potion: Recovers 50 HP within 5 seconds after consumption. Price: 2 Gold Coins ]


    [ Normal HP Potion: Recovers 100 HP within 5 seconds after consumption. Price: 5 Gold Coins ]


    [ Greater HP Potion: Recovers 200 HP within 5 seconds after consumption. Price: 10 Gold Coins ]


    The details of the MP potions were similar to the HP potions, with the exception that they recovered MP instead of HP.


    Su Chen felt that Li Ruoyan had already reached the Advanced rank of the [ Alchemist ] subclass, and he felt that she should be close to becoming a Grandmaster.


    The description of the liquor could be found at the bottom of the list.


    [ Lesser Fine Wine: Recovers 10 stamina points after drinking, rough taste, Price: 10 Gold Coins ]


    [ Normal Fine Wine: Recovers 20 stamina points after drinking, average taste, Price: 20 Gold Coins ]


    [ Greater Fine Wine: Recovers 30 stamina points after drinking, mellow taste, Price: 50 Gold Coins ]


    [ Special Effect: recovers 50 HP and 20 MP within 1 minute after consumption. ]


    [ Exquisite wine: Recovers 50 stamina points after drinking, rich and mellow taste, Price: 100 Gold Coins ]


    [ Additional effect: Increases Elemental Power by 20 points after consumption. Lasts for 5 minutes. Effects only stack twice on multiple consumption ]


    As he browsed through the list. a flash of surprise could be seen in Su Chen¡¯s eyes as he read the last two types of liquor.


    After all, in the items available in online markets were usually only equipment of all tiers as well as low-quality potions.


    The former were items that could make large profits, whereas the latter were items that were most in demand.


    Items such as materials and high-quality potions were usually not found in the markets. After all, there was a cost associated with each listing in the market, and thus, players usually preferred to sell those products in trading alleys than to list them in the marketplace.


    Despite taking his sweet time to browse through the items, the middle-aged shopkeeper, Li Ruoyan seemed to be in no hurry as well. He did not pressure Su Chen to act, and he had only tended to his concoction patiently.


    After all, level 13 players who were fully equipped with green rank equipment were quite a rarity amongst players. After all, according to usual standards, the money that they had made until this point would was insufficient to afford such an expenditure.


    ¡°10 bottles of [ Greater HP Potion ] as well as 100 bottles of [ Greater MP potion ] please.¡±


    ¡± Also, I¡¯d like 10 bottles of [ Greater Fine Wine ] and 20 bottles of [ Exquisite Wine ].¡±


    Thinking about his usual needs in battle, Su Chen decided to put greater emphasis in procuring MP potions.


    The moment Su Chen made his order¡­


    The reserved smile on Li Ruoyan¡¯s face turned into shock in an instant.


    ¡°Yo! Alright, that¡¯ll cost you a total of 7,600 Gold Coins.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how about I give you a discount of 100 Gold Coins, and I¡¯ll even throw in 10 bottles of Normal MP potions? What¡¯d you think?¡±


    Noticing that Su Chen had purchased several Greater MP potions, 100 of them at that, Li Ruoyan had a sneaking suspicion that Su Chen was a young master of a studio who was personally replenishing their studio¡¯s goods.


    Su Chen nodded casually at the offer. He handed 7,500 Gold Coins in exchange for his wine and potions.


    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve also taken the liberty to add you as a friend. Please accept.¡±


    ¡°After all, I¡¯ll be able to send anything you need via the marketplace in the future. Don¡¯t worry about the listing fees and transaction fees, I¡¯ll take care of it for you.¡±


    ¡°As for the quality, you can rest assured.¡±


    Seeing that Su Chen was ready to leave after the transaction, Li Ruoyan immediately sent him a friend request.


    Su Chen gave the request some thought. After all, it was indeed more convenient if he could trade directly instead of making his way over. Plus, from what he could see, the quality of the goods were also top notch. In the end, he accepted the request.


    After purchasing the potions and fine wine, all that was left to restock were the materials needed for his forging. After asking around, Su Chen learned that the materials could be found in the shops at the end of the Trading Alley.


    ¡°Alright, transaction complete.¡±


    The shop owner with the ID of Qin Muxue stated. She exuded an elegant but frigid aura, and her tone of speech was especially cold.


    Just as Su Chen was about to leave, however¡­


    He suddenly saw Qin Muxue, who was of the [ Bowman ] class, painting some sort of purple liquid onto her longbow. She seemed to be enchanting her bow based on a diagram she was holding.


    Beside her were seven or eight broken longbows.


    Su Chen looked on curiously, as he had never seen the enchantment process before.


    Throughout all the articles Su Chen had read, he had never heard about enchanting an item by painting on it.


    However, this enchantment method had given him a flare of inspiration. It made him want to develop new enchantment methods that strayed from the norm.


    This confidence came from nothing other than the fact that he would eventually have a 100% enchantment success rate in the future.


    Even though not all materials will give rise to powerful enchantments, Su Chen was certain that he would eventually strike gold. Should that happen, he will then note down the method and sell it as blueprints of his own.


    While all these thoughts were running wild in his mind, Su Chen stood still in the shop.


    Naturally, Qin Muxue was aware of his presence. However, copying the designs on the diagram required stability and calmness.


    Finally, after several minutes had passed, Qin Muxue finally finished her copying.


    She then used her [ Heavenly Creation ] skill to begin the enchantment process.


    Snap!


    Su Chen watched as the white rank longbow shattered before his eyes.


    The enchantment had failed.


    Qin Muxue, who had a cold and elegant temperament, did not utter a single complaint. She did not seem particularly embarrassed by her failure either.


    With that, she then threw the broken bow aside and put away her enchantment tools.


    ¡°Are you trying to develop a new enchantment blueprint by yourself?¡±


    Seeing that she was done with her work, Su Chen immediately asked.


    Qin Muxue looked at him with a calm expression and nodded.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it development. I¡¯m just testing things out.¡±


    ¡°The purple liquid earlier was a blend of poison from various sources. My goal was to create an enchantment that would allow all bow attacks, be they from normal arrows or from skills, to be imbued with the poison effect.¡±


    Su Chen did not expect that she would be this frank with him.


    Qin Muxue¡¯s idea sounded like a great experiment for Su Chen. Should Qin Muxue finally get down the formula, Su Chen could then use his 100% success rate to enchant his equipment with said effect.


    ¡°Sounds like a great idea. I hope you succeed. If you do, we might get the chance to work together in the future.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qin Muxue did not think that Su Chen, who was only a beginner [ Heavenly Craftsman ] , was worthy of her cooperation. She simply nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    With that, Su Chen then made his way to the quest pavilion in Fengwu Town.


    As he made his way there, all sorts of enchantment ideas came to his mind. His thoughts wandered back to his time in his previous world, where he had seen various strange but useful items.


    The end goal was not to simply just sell blueprints. After all, the enchanted equipment would undoubtedly increase his combat prowess. Who knew, perhaps with the effects of his enchantment, his green rank equipment would be able to compete against orange rank ones.


    While Su Chen¡¯s thoughts were churning¡­


    A line of golden text appeared in his field of vision.


    [ There exists a quest in a mercenary board located on the southwest, which would reward you with a Map Fragment for the Guardian event, ]


    Su Chen immediately stopped in his tracks.

 Chapter 27 - Imminent Conflict!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Upon spotting the transmigration system¡¯s prompt, Su Chen instantly snapped back to reality.


    Su Chen did not actually think that the transmigration system would point out the quests that would reward the Map Fragments.


    Su Chen¡¯s emotions fluctuated for a moment before he forcefully calmed himself down. His cold personality basically dictated that he was not one to be perturbed by emotions.


    He then left the trading alley and walked toward the southwest direction where the quest board was located.


    ¡­


    [ Fengwu Town ] mercenary office.


    The mercenary office was not far from the trading alley, and thus, Su Chen had reached the location rather quickly.


    Despite offering quests as well, the quests offered at the mercenary office were different from those that were offered from quest pavilions. The quests from the pavilion were usually related to Fengwu Town¡¯s plotline, or it would be class quests.


    In contrast, the quests offered by the mercenary office had only one purpose, which was to make money.


    Upon arrival, Su Chen noticed that there were already a number of level 10-25 players present.


    This was a usual phenomenon as players who usually accepted mercenary quest were those who needed money desperately, be it to maintain a livelihood, or to deal with bills.


    After all, veteran players had many other ways of making money, whether it was via signing up with a game studio or a game company.


    Hell, they could even offer boosting services to low level noobs but had tons of money. In short, they had near limitless avenues to make bank.


    However, these benefits were not shared by the low-level players. As such, they had no other choice but to take up mercenary quests.


    Hence, Su Chen, who wanted to avoid drawing any attention to himself and to avoid stirring up any trouble, unequipped four out of his six slots of green rank equipment before entering the office.


    The reason behind his actions was very simple. After all, if someone who was equipping almost 100,000 Gold Coins¡¯ worth of gear were to pick up low reward mercenary quests, he would very well arouse the suspicion of the other players.


    Although he was not afraid that someone else would try and snatch his quest because of it, he decided to err on caution in case someone were to spread some false rumors and cause an endless stream of trouble for him.


    Thus, Su Chen decided to hide most of the equipment he was wearing.


    However, he did not expect that even after going through the trouble to hide his gear, he would still attract the attention of countless players the moment he stepped in.


    This was because that compared to the players around him who were only equipped with white rank equipment, two pieces of green rank equipment was already considered to be an anomaly.


    At the same time, there was also another reason for their attention. Su Chen was tall and slender. With his thin figure, he looked like a walking clothes hanger. Adding his ink-colored magic robe to the mix, he looked like a spitting image of the western magicians from his past life.


    Moreover, with his long hair that extended past his ears and his cold, apathetic, but handsome face, Su Chen gave off somewhat of a divine presence, making those around him feel as if they should not be existing in the same dimension.


    In terms of appearance and temperament, it was a definitely a huge blow to the other players.


    Although the female players around him were not so infatuated to the point where they would drool for him, it was still enough to make them steal several glances at him.


    In contrast to the females, the male players were more interested in the two pieces of green rank equipment he had on him.


    Sure, Su Chen might only be level 13, but the two pieces of green rank equipment he had on him would still be a powerful boon to him in battle, allowing him to take on quests that were beyond his level.


    Su Chen ignored the gazes of the people around him. He walked straight to the hiring board and browsed through the listings one by one. He even pretended to be deep in thought and shook his head from time to time.


    If one did not know better, they would have thought that Su Chen was complaining that the rewards were too low, or that the quests were too hard.


    However, in truth, the moment Su Chen¡¯s gaze fell on the hiring board, a golden line of text filled his vision once more. The transmigration system had helped him to pick out the quest that would reward him with the Map Fragment.


    [ Mercenary Quest: Escort the Xue Feng Mercenary Group to the rear section of the Thousand Snakes Lair and work together with the other mercenaries to defeat any monsters or Bosses along the way. ]


    [ Quest Reward: 400 Gold Coins, reimbursement for all MP and HP potions consumed while escorting the group, as well as a recommendation letter for the ¡°Demon Worshipping Court¡±. ]


    After browsing the quest board for some time, the attention that Su Chen had attracted gradually went away.


    Following the address listed in the quest details, Su Chen then headed to the meeting area to meet up with Xue Feng, the individual who issued the quest.


    ¡°Hmm, are you here to accept my quest, little one?¡±


    Upon his arrival at the exclusive meeting area, Su Chen was greeted by the burly level 21 [ Heavy Swordsman ], Xue Feng who was stroking his beard.


    At Xue Feng¡¯s sides stood two young men who looked similar to one another.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Su Chen immediately nodded, indicating his intention to join.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you in then. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already read the contents of the quest, right?¡±


    Xue Feng¡¯s personality was also very straightforward, so he immediately agreed.


    ¡°Wait, Brother Feng, you can¡¯t be serious, right? Don¡¯t you want to put a little more thought to it? After all, this anonymous little one is only level 13.¡±


    ¡°Do keep in mind that we need to face and kill a boss halfway through our journey.¡±


    The taller one among the twins spoke out in an attempt to make Xue Feng reconsider.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Can¡¯t you see the two pieces of green-ranked equipment he has on?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, those two pieces of equipment will give him the combat strength of a level 15 player, which barely meets our recruiting criteria. That¡¯s good enough methinks.¡±


    Xue Feng, was a ballsy man who liked to take bets. Moreover, he was also one who trusted his own sense of judgment.


    The waves of calmness that was rolling off of Su Chen made him made him feel inexplicably at ease.


    After patting the twin¡¯s shoulder, Xue Feng made the decision to keep Su Chen on board.


    At the same time, he looked at Su Chen with a smile, and introduced, ¡°Little one, this here is Mu Long, a level-17 [ Assassin ] .¡±


    ¡°And the other one¡¯s Mu Lin, a level-18 [ Crossbowman ]. If you can¡¯t already tell, they¡¯re a pair of twins. What is your surname, little one?¡±


    Xue Feng knew that Su Chen must have had his own reasons to remain anonymous. As such, he requested Su Chen to give his surname instead.


    ¡°My surname is Su.¡±


    ¡°Alright, little Su, I hereby declare that you¡¯ll join us in the upcoming mission,¡±


    ¡°We need eight men for this particular quest. Please wait a little longer¡­¡±


    Xue Feng was just about to invite Su Chen to join the quest via the system interface when suddenly, a booming voice interrupted him.


    ¡°Brother Xue!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue working together.¡±


    A Level 20 [ Long Swordsman ] with the ID of Zhou Pengtai had entered Xue Feng¡¯s exclusive meeting area.


    ¡°I have a total of four people on my side. That makes us exactly eight people. Let¡¯s set off immediately!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai said to Xue Feng with a smile.


    Hearing this, Xue Feng, who was originally wearing a smile, turned sour upon noticing Zhou Pengtai¡¯s men.


    ¡°Working together has indeed been a pleasant experience previously, but ¡­¡±


    Xue Feng changed the topic. ¡°Among the people that you¡¯ve brought along this time, there seems to be one individual whose class and level are not up to par.¡±


    Behind Zhou Pengtai, stood a level 15 Bowman, a level 15 Double Shield Warrior, and a level 14 Ice Mage.


    As soon as he finished speaking.


    Zhou Pengtai frowned for a moment. ¡°Is that so? Are you referring to the Ice Mage? Level 14 should be good enough, no? This kid is actually pretty strong.¡±


    However, Xue Feng shook his head firmly. ¡°No can do, Brother Zhou. I¡¯ve looked at our lineup. We have more than enough damage. What we need is a Heavy Shield Warrior who can hold the front lines.¡±


    Seeing that Xue Feng was adamant about his decision, Zhou Pengtai, who had been paid to pick up the three newbies, started to think of ways to get Xue Feng to agree.


    His eyes darted around the room, and before long, he had noticed Su Chen.


    ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s this I see? Brother Xue, look at this runt. He¡¯s only level 13. If you really want to talk about abiding standards, this kid here is obviously the least qualified. Just kick him out, problem solved. Are you really going to doubt my judgment?¡±


    Zhou Pengtai proposed to kick Su Chen out of the team.


    ¡°Brother, can you stop fooling around? We¡¯re talking about combat prowess here. Don¡¯t tell me that you aren¡¯t aware of the importance of equipment despite being level 20!?¡±


    ¡°Plus, in terms of formation, it would be better for us to add a level 10 Heavy Shield Warrior than another Mage, even if they might be level 20!¡±


    Xue Feng firmly refused once again.


    Zhou Pengtai¡¯s expression turned sour, as this meant that he would a portion of his earnings for failing to get one of the players on board. In fact, it might even result in him losing the Ice Mage as a client permanently.


    ¡°Heh, fine. I just can¡¯t fathom why someone with two pieces of green rank equipment would want to take part in a quest that would only reward 400 Gold Coins. How interesting.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, forget it.¡±


    Zhou Pengtai¡¯s tone became sarcastic.


    Upon hearing those words, Su Chen¡¯s gaze immediately fell on Zhou Pengtai. His gaze was as calm as water, but his tone was as cold as ice.


    ¡°And why does my business concern you?¡±


    The atmosphere instantly stiffened.

 Chapter 28 - The Perilous Den of Snakes

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The moment Su Chen¡¯s voice subsided¡­


    Zhou Pengtai, who rarely experienced low-level players talking back to him instantly blew a fuse.


    This was especially frustrating since his original intention was to merely tease the level 13 newbie.


    How dare this weakling act so impudently towards me!


    Do you actually think that you stand a chance against me, a level 20 Swordsman, all because you have two pieces of green rank equipment!?


    His gaze gradually turned cold as they swept past Su Chen¡¯s face.


    ¡°Alright, alright, back to business. We still need one more member.¡±


    Seeing this, Xue Feng immediately spoke up in an attempt to clear up the tense atmosphere in the air.


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    Zhou Pengtai suppressed his emotions and looked at the green rank equipment on Su Chen with a sinister smile.


    Then, the anger and greed in his heart surfaced, and the beginnings of a plan began to form in his mind.


    However, he chose not to shed all pretense of cordiality at this moment. Instead, he smiled and nodded at Xue Feng. Following that, he then pulled the Ice Mage behind him to the side and began discussing matters with him.


    Noticing that Zhou Pengtai had now dragged the Ice Mage away, Xue Feng decided that there was no need to give further reasons to dissuade Zhou Pengtai. He was also not worried that there would be any bad blood during the expedition later, as friendly fire would be turned off in the party settings, which would in turn, prevent Su Chen from entering harm¡¯s way, at least from party members.


    Meanwhile, Su Chen could not be bothered to deal with Zhou Pengtai¡¯s tantrum. Instead, he decided to focus his attention on the manpower shortage instead. Suddenly, he was reminded of Qiao Yi, the Heavy Shield Warrior who was on his team when he was doing the class quest. Thus, he decided to contact him.


    Qiao Yi was ecstatic upon receiving Su Chen¡¯s message, so much so that he immediately agreed to Su Chen¡¯s request.


    Su Chen then relayed the good news to Xue Feng.


    ¡°I have a friend who¡¯s almost level 12, and he¡¯s a Heavy Shield Warrior. Most of his stats are specced into Defense, and I¡¯ve already asked for his availability. He¡¯ll be able to join at a moment¡¯s notice. Do you want to take him in?¡±


    ¡°Level 12? Hmm¡­ Alright, are you sure that he¡¯s available?¡±


    Xue Feng asked again to reconfirm.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. You can add him as a friend and send him the quest invite.¡± Su Chen nodded.


    ¡°Alright, with that, we¡¯ve settled the manpower requirements. Now, if anyone wishes to settle some things in real life, feel free to log out and handle them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll reassemble outside Fengwu Town at 7 a.m. tomorrow in Ark time.¡±


    Upon officially listing the quest within the system, Xue Feng then sent an invitation to Su Chen and the rest of the members, including Qiao Yi. Everyone accepted the invite.


    Once the group dispersed, Su Chen then returned to the inn to continue failing at forging equipment.


    In the end, he managed to raise the number of his failed forging attempts to 15, and the success rate of his enchantments had risen to 30%.


    A night had passed in Ark time.


    Upon daybreak, Su Chen, Qiao Yi, Xue Feng, and the rest of the party had gathered outside of Fengwu Town.


    After explaining the details of the mission, everyone then vanished as they activated their teleportation talismans.


    They were heading towards the [ Thousand Snakes Lair ] .


    ¡­


    ¡°This is a reliable piece of information that I bought at a hefty price. Within the Thousand Snakes Lair lies a level 25 Twin-headed Snake Boss. Not only does it have high HP and Defense, all of its attacks are also imbued with poison. It is a rather difficult foe to deal with.¡±


    ¡°However, the four of you below level 16 need not worry about that. Your mission is to simply escort us to the middle section of the lair, and to help us deal with the level 20 Boss and any monsters before that.¡±


    ¡°Your escort mission will come to an end once we defeat the level 20 Boss. Should the level 20 Boss drop any sort of equipment, I¡¯ll adjust your payment based on the price of the equipment dropped, no need to worry.¡±


    Xue Feng¡¯s voice echoed in the party¡¯s voice chat as he explained in greater detail.


    ¡°Also, please take extra caution once we enter the lair. Obey my instructions, and be wary of any players who we might possibly cross paths with. Although the probability of such an encounter should be small, it is not completely zero.¡±


    [ Thousand Snakes Lair ]


    Upon using up all of their teleportation talisman charges, the party of eight had finally arrived at an obscure entrance in front of the Thousand Snakes Lair.


    The party¡¯s composition was as listed below.


    Standing at the forefront was the level 21 [ Heavy Swordsman ] Xue Feng, followed by the level 17 [ Assassin ] Mu Long, then the level 18 [ Crossbowman ] Mu Lin, followed by the level 20 [ Long Swordsman ] Zhou Pengtai.


    As for the ones guarding the rear, there were the level 15 [ Double Shield Warrior ] Li Xing and the level 15 [ Bowman ] Zhang Ming who had been introduced by Zhou Pengtai.


    Aside from the two, there was also the level 13 [ Fire Mage ] Su Chen, and the now level 12 [ Heavy Shield Warrior ] Qiao Yi, who had spent all nights grinding mobs to reach that level.


    The difference in levels between the frontline and the rear was very obvious.


    Moreover, from the way Xue Feng had given his instructions, it was also clear that Xue Feng and his merry band of four were the real crew of this undertaking. Su Chen personally believed that the four were taking a larger cut of the rewards as compared to the four of them in the rear.


    The four of them pulling up the rear were likely nothing more than cannon fodder to be fed to the monsters and mini Bosses along the way.


    However, Su Chen was unperturbed by this.


    After all, he could not care less about the gold coins, and his aim had been the recommendation letter for the [ Demon Worshipping Court ] all along.


    Based on the transmigration system¡¯s description, the recommendation letter would turn into a Map Fragment for the Guardians once the Guardian System had officially come online.


    ¡°Just to reiterate, the four of you will be rewarded with 400 Gold Coins, and you will also be compensated for any potions you¡¯ve depleted during this expedition. Aside from that, the one among the four of you who makes the greatest contribution in battle will also be given a letter of recommendation for the [ Demon Worshipping Court ].¡±


    Xue Feng stopped and turned around to look at the four guarding the rear. He wanted to give them a final reminder to avoid any monetary disputes halfway through the quest.


    Su Chen, Qiao Yi, and the others nodded.


    ¡°Alright, the mission shall now commence!¡±


    ¡°The first part of the Thousand Snakes Lair is filled with a bunch of low level small snakes. Save up your stamina and skills while you¡¯re in this portion of the cave.¡±


    ¡°Once we start encountering level 20 mobs, feel free to go ham. No need to worry about your potion usage, I¡¯ll reimburse the cost of any potions you¡¯ve consumed while you¡¯re taking part in this mission!¡±


    Xue Feng waved his hand and led everyone into the lair of snakes.


    Not long after they had entered the lair. Mu Long then asked Xue Feng, ¡°Brother Xue, what¡¯s that [ Demon Worshipping Court ] letter that you mentioned earlier?¡±


    ¡°Why are you handing it to them instead of keeping it to ourselves?¡±


    Hearing this, Zhou Pengtai grinned and replied in Xue Feng¡¯s stead.


    ¡°Haha, Mu Long, that item¡¯s merely a gimmicky collectible. I used to have one too. I got mine from an easily triggerable [ Swordsman ] hidden quest.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s actually not worth much. All it¡¯s good for is to unlock follow-up story quests. There¡¯s no harm in handing it to them. I¡¯m sure Old Brother Xue here would never hand anything good away to others.¡±


    ¡°Although your words ring true, insult me again, and I swear that I¡¯ll cut you in half.¡±


    Xue Feng did not refute Zhou Pengtai¡¯s claims as they were all true.


    Once Su Chen and the others had caught up to the front liners, Xue Feng and the other three immediately went silent.


    The snake den was extremely dark.


    Xue Feng took out a white rank Illumination Pearl from his storage bracelet and instantly, their surroundings became as bright as day.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start encountering snake monsters once we make this turn here. We¡¯ll need to defeat those snake monsters as quickly as possible. The level 25 snake boss has a fixed weakened state schedule, and I¡¯ve planned our timing around that weakened state in mind.¡±


    ¡°Let me make this clear. If there¡¯s any delays in the first half of this expedition, I¡¯ll be deducting you four¡¯s rewards.¡±


    Xue Feng¡¯s words rang out loud and clear as he conveyed the layout of the snake den to his party members. He was not afraid of leaking the information out as the level 25 boss that dwelled in the den only spawned once a year in [ Ark ] time.¡±


    Everyone continued to advance.


    Sure enough, they soon encountered several level 3-6 small snake monsters that could be easily defeated in a single hit.


    After walking for dozens of meters, the party of eight soon reached an opening. What laid before their eyes intimidated them a little.


    After all, there were dozens of level 12 pythons blocking their path.


    Xue Feng stopped and turned around to look at his party members.


    ¡°Come here for a moment. What stands before us is the first obstacle of our expedition.¡±


    ¡°These snakes that you see blocking our path are a minor obstacle compared to what¡¯s waiting for us at the end of the hall!¡±


    Hearing that, Su Chen then brought Qiao Yi to stand beside Xue Feng, whereas the other two gathered around Zhou Pengtai instead.


    ¡°Once we take care of the snake monsters guarding the opening, we¡¯ll be able to spot a massive pit. There¡¯ll be a path on both sides of the pit that we can use to continue forward.¡±


    ¡°While taking care to avoid falling into the pit, we¡¯ll also need to fend off any snake monsters that attack while we¡¯re at it. Remember, our priority in that situation is to avoid falling into the pit.¡±


    ¡°There are quite a number of snake monsters below the pit. There are even two level 15 bosses. They are very difficult to deal with and their item drop rate is very low. Fighting them is not a good use of our time.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, since I doubt that there are any Grandmaster [ Gourdmasters ] in our party, once you die, that¡¯s it. No one will resurrect you, and you can kiss your quest rewards goodbye! So, all of you had better be on your toes!¡±


    Xue Feng warned everyone of the obstacles in their way to avoid any needless casualties.


    However, while he was talking, Zhou Pengtai, who had now learned about the enemies lying in wait within the pit, immediately gave his underlings Zhang Ming and Li Xing a meaningful glance. The two instantly realized what he was going at.


    ¡°No Problem!¡±


    At the same time, Qiao Yi nodded, indicating that he understood.


    Without delaying any further, the party of eight then unleashed their skills onto the python monsters guarding the entrance.


    Xue Feng took the lead and unleashed a Double Chop with his massive broadsword.


    367!


    398!


    The level 12 snake monster was considered to be a fragile monster before his strength, and with that, he had managed to kill it in a single skill!


    At the same time, Mu Long¡¯s figure suddenly rippled like the surface of a lake before seemingly vanishing into thin air.


    652!


    72!


    Using one of his [ Assassin ] class skills, he suddenly appeared beside one of the snake monsters and unleashed a sneak attack, dealing extra damage because of it!


    However, the damage from the sneak attack was not quite enough, and thus, Mu Long quickly followed it up with an extra attack, finally killing it!


    Meanwhile, Su Chen felt that the snake monsters were not worth using mana against, and thus, he attacked normally instead.


    Once all the snake monsters had been taken care of, the eight of them then exchanged glances and nodded at one another.


    They returned to their previous two subgroups and entered the opening. With that, they They had officially entered the middle section of the Thousand Snakes Lair. They looked at the empty pit and the path further ahead and were surprised were surprised at the lack of snake monsters.


    This struck them as odd.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Hurry up and move!¡±


    However, Zhou Pengtai snapped at them.


    Everyone stuck close to the narrow path on both sides of the cave and carefully walked forward.


    However, the moment they were halfway through, something unexpected occurred!


    Countless snake monsters appeared from both below and above the lair!


    Hundreds of snake monsters pounced on them in the narrow tunnel!

 Chapter 29 - How Amusing

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Middle section of the [ Thousand Snakes Lair ].


    Over a hundred snake monsters were making their way towards the party be it from above or the bottom of the lair!


    This sudden appearance of the snakes caused many of them to panic.


    The thick and heavy snake monsters lunged forward at the same time, forming a slithery veil that obscured their vision!


    57!


    63!


    59!


    Almost everyone had taken damage from the sudden surge of monsters!


    Fortunately, the damage the monsters dealt was rather low. Plus, owing to how densely packed they were, not many were actually capable of landing a hit.


    However, everyone immediately noticed that their Spirit values were beginning to deteriorate!


    It was dropping from 100 to 95, and it showed no signs of stopping.


    Their vision started to waver.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Warriors, activate your skills to block them!¡±


    ¡°These snakes are venomous! After taking too many attacks, their venom will cause momentary blindness!¡±


    The wall of snakes was making it difficult for Xue Feng¡¯s subgroup to spot Su Chen¡¯s subgroup. All he could do was shout his orders and hope for the best.


    Fortunately, Su Chen¡¯s subgroup heard the orders loud and clear!


    [ Mountain Fortress ] !


    As a Heavy Shield Warrior, Qiao Yi knew that it was his time for act.


    He erected his giant shield and cast a projection that enveloped Su Chen¡¯s subgroup.


    The projection pushed all the snake monsters aside.


    ¡°You can come to our side!¡±


    Upon casting [ Mountain Fortress ], Qiao Yi¡¯s Defense had risen immensely, and upon striking the projection or his shield, they had only managed to deal 20 damage!


    ¡°Each cast only lasts 30 seconds. I can¡¯t hold them back for too long! Let¡¯s start moving forward!¡±


    ¡°Once my shield ends, it¡¯s your turn to take the brunt of the damage, Zhang Ming!¡±


    Qiao Yi¡¯s voice rang out once more.


    During such a situation, the correct course of action to take was to imitate Su Chen, who was leaning against the wall while steadily moving forward.


    However, Zhang Ming and Li Xing exchanged glances amidst the chaos, indicating that it was time to make their move.


    One of them unleashed their Bowman skills to avoid arousing suspicion, whereas the other one used the two shields that he was holding to suddenly push Su Chen!


    This was the plan that they had thought of just now.


    Although friendly fire would prevent them from directly harming their allies, touching was fair game.


    You dare take our brother¡¯s spot and reduce our income!?


    You¡¯ll pay with your level!


    Unfortunately, even if you drop any equipment here, we won¡¯t be able to pick it up.


    Su Chen, who was in the midst of casting his Fireball, was pushed by the great strength of the Double Shield Warrior, and he immediately lost balance!


    He suddenly fell into the pit that was filled with snake monsters!


    As he was surrounded by snake monsters, Qiao Yi, Su Chen¡¯s little fanboy, was utterly clueless that his idol had already dropped into the pit.


    However, just as Su Chen was falling, he managed to grab Zhang Ming¡¯s left arm, and as a result, the two of them had fallen into the pit together!


    ¡°Careful!¡±


    It was only then that Qiao Yi noticed Su Chen and Zhang Ming falling down. He shouted anxiously, but as expected, it had done nothing to help with the situation.


    At the same time, his [ Mountain Fortress ]¡¯s duration had already run out. With the projection now gone, the snake monsters leaped onto the party once more.


    He swung his shield and smacked the snake monsters, but since he had allocated all his stats into Defense, he was lacking enough damage to kill them.


    His HP was dropping rapidly.


    The same had applied to the Bowman as well. He was already chugging down HP potions like no tomorrow.


    It seemed that he would not last for much longer.


    However, at this moment.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Suddenly, several crossbow bolts flew over.


    They pierced through the snake monsters¡¯ body, and although it was not enough damage to kill them outright, it had still managed to pin them onto the wall.


    ¡°Quick, stick to the wall and come over!¡±


    The level 18 [ Crossbowman ] Mu Lin shouted at Qiao Yi¡¯s subgroup.


    Xue Feng also swung his heavy broadsword to clear the way for them.


    Qiao Yi led his subgroup that had now been reduced to two members and met up with Xue Feng and his crew. They hurriedly cleared their way across the pit, and before long, they had returned to a normal tunnel.


    Seeing that they were now out of the aggro zone, the snake monsters stopped giving chase and returned to whence they came.


    Xue Feng looked at the two-man subgroup and frowned as he asked Qiao Yi, ¡°Where¡¯s Little Brother Su? Where¡¯s Zhang Ming?¡±


    ¡°Did they die, or did they drop down?¡±


    Qiao Yi responded dejectedly, ¡°They accidentally fell into the snake pit.¡±


    ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t an accident. It was that kid who accidentally fell. But in a failed attempt to regain his footing, he pulled Zhang Ming as well, causing the both of them to drop into the pit!¡±


    The Bowman Li Xing angrily spat.


    Xue Feng frowned deeply. He had a feeling that something was amiss.


    He subconsciously glanced at Zhou Pengtai.


    ¡°Old Xue, why are you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, no? The kid thinks he¡¯s a hotshot all because he has two pieces of green rank equipment. The truth of the matter is, he¡¯s simply trash when it comes to an actual battle.¡±


    Zhou Pengtai immediately replied.


    ¡°F*ck! Forget it, let¡¯s just move on.¡±


    ¡°Those two will die sooner or later now that they¡¯re in the pit.¡±


    ¡°The rest of you, keep your spirits up. There¡¯s a level 20 boss ahead. Now that we¡¯ve lost two party members, our combat prowess has taken a major hit! Don¡¯t waste any more time!¡±


    Xue Feng did not dawdle on this matter. He simply proceeded with the plan and led everyone forward.


    ¡­


    Within the snake monster pit.


    99!


    99!


    Su Chen and Zhang Ming slammed into the ground with a thud and lost 99 HP.


    However, their surroundings were completely different from what they had expected.


    Perhaps due to their party members above aggroing all the monsters in the pit, there was currently not a single snake monster in sight.


    Zhang Ming turned to look at Su Chen, who was equipped with two pieces of green rank equipment. Suddenly, a hint of green flashed in his eyes.


    [ level 15 Double Shield Warrior, Zhang Ming has left the party. ]


    A system notification flashed across Su Chen¡¯s vision.


    Realizing that something was amiss, Su Chen hurriedly stood up and dodged to the right!


    Miss!


    Zhang Ming equipped his shields and launched a Double Shield Strike at Su Chen!


    ¡°You dodged it?!¡±


    Zhang Ming looked at Su Chen in surprise.


    He had finally dropped the act.


    Especially since no one could see them down there.


    Right now, his only goal was to kill Su Chen.


    It should be a cinch for a level 15 Double Shield Warrior to take down a mere level 15 Fire Mage!


    Even if he has green rank equipment, my class and level advantage will definitely still let me pull ahead!


    Plus, what if I can get him to drop his green rank equipment!?


    I¡¯d make a killing!


    ¡°To think that you¡¯d actually dare to drag me down with you. Oh well, this is a good opportunity for me as well. Let¡¯s hope you¡¯ll drop your equipment upon death!¡±


    Zhang Ming shouted and began his assault on Su Chen!


    Su Chen looked at the attacking Zhang Ming and calmly moved his staff. At the same time, he said with a bemused expression on his face.


    ¡°What an interesting turn of events.¡±


    ¡°To think that you¡¯d even make an opportunity for us to be alone.¡±


    ¡°You even took the initiative to leave the party for me, how kind.¡±


    The moment he finished talking, a flaming blue orb shot outwards and slammed into Zhang Ming!


    939!


    Zhang Ming¡¯s was instantly blown back after being hit by the fireball!


    His HP was instantly vaporized!


    ¡°Holy sh*t!¡±


    Before turning into a ball of white light, Zhang Ming¡¯s eyes were wide open with shock.


    He was really stunned!


    Is this supposed to be an amount of damage that a level 13 Mage can deal!?

 Chapter 30 - All Buffs Activated

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In the snake monster pit.


    After using his [ Fireball ] to get rid of Zhang Ming¡­


    Zhang Ming dropped a pair of white rank shields upon death.


    Su Chen accepted the ¡°gifts¡± graciously.


    Once Su Chen had finished picking up the equipment, he then brought out his own Illumination Pearl. Much to his shock, however, the snake monsters had already returned!


    Their mouths were wide open and there was venom dripping out of their fangs!


    They were slowly slithering towards Su Chen.


    Their numbers seemed to be endless!


    However, before their shadows could threaten the glow from Su Chen¡¯s Illumination Pearl¡­


    A brilliant blue flame shot out, enveloping them in flames!


    As the flames spread, more and more of them turned into white orbs of light and vanished into thin air!


    It looked as if a flaming blue monster had devoured them.


    All that was left of them were their fangs, skin, as well as some Gold Coins.


    However, much to Su Chen¡¯s chagrin, the snake monsters that had avoided the flames did not seem to be intimidated by their brethren¡¯s death. Rather, it seemed to have the opposite effect of riling them up instead.


    Su Chen realized that he needed a different plan.


    He leaped up into the air, and while dodging several lunging snake monsters, he then activated [ Lifesteal ] !


    HP +100!


    Once Fireball¡¯s cooldown was over, Su Chen launched the ability once again and doused the battlefield in flames.


    The originally dark pit of the snake monsters was now enveloped in blue flames.


    A few minutes later.


    All the snake monsters had turned into white orbs of light, providing Su Chen with vast amounts of experience points.


    Aside from that, the materials and Gold Coins that they dropped had also provided Su Chen with a small fortune.


    After putting his staff away and consuming a bottle of Greater Fine Wine to recover his stamina, he then set off to collect the materials scattered across the ground.


    As he looked through the venomous fangs on the ground, Su Chen¡¯s thoughts subconsciously went back to Qin Muxue and her murky purple mixture he had spotted previously.


    The venom in these fangs are the real deal. They managed to drop my Spirit values below 70, and they even caused my vision to flicker.


    Perhaps they¡¯ll be of use?


    An idea flashed past Su Chen¡¯s mind.


    Wait a minute.


    It took that many snake bites for my vision to barely start blurring¡­


    Perhaps these monsters¡¯ venom aren¡¯t really that potent.


    Once Su Chen had finished collecting the fangs, he then stood up and started exploring the pit with his Illumination Pearl. After walking forward for a while, he soon spotted two paths that seemed to lead deeper into the lair.


    One of the paths was as large as an adult.


    The other one was massive.


    Clearly, the two level 15 Bosses that Xue Feng had mentioned earlier was located within the paths.


    Su Chen considered whether killing the two level 15 snake Bosses and taking their fangs were worth the risk of dying.


    If there was only one of them, then Su Chen would not hesitate. After all, he could use his dodging skills to kite it to death.


    However, the reality was that there were two of them. In that case, he might not be able to successfully kite them.


    Forget it, I¡¯ll just wait until I¡¯m level 15 and return while wearing the [ Jade Tide Wrist Guards ] ¡­


    Swoosh!


    Right as Su Chen was heading towards the adult-height path¡­


    Suddenly, a ball of dark purple slime was fired in his direction!


    186!


    Upon closer inspection, the source of the attack was a level 15 crimson snake.


    Due to how suddenly it had appeared, Su Chen was caught off guard and he was unable to dodge the attack in time.


    Whoosh!


    Another poisonous shot was fired!


    This time, however, the attack came not from the crimson snake, but a different snake with a dark blue shade instead.


    The red and blue snakes were both one-meter thick, and they were lunging at Su Chen one after another!


    Seeing how fast the snakes were lunging at him, Su Chen decided it was best not to engage them. He activated his boots¡¯ skill, ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡± immediately!


    His Agility increased by 8 points!


    After dodging both their strikes, he finally arrived at the path that was as tall as an adult.


    However, right as he was about to leave, he encountered yet another little snake that leaped out of the adult-height path. It blocked Su Chen¡¯s escape route and had managed to sink its fangs into Su Chen¡¯s shoulder.


    99!


    A damage value instantly jumped out.


    Su Chen steadied himself and understood that he had encountered a ¡°family of three¡± snakes!


    In that case, there¡¯s no longer any point in running away.


    After killing the snakes from earlier, Su Chen had gained a massive number of experience points.


    His EXP bar was now 71% filled.


    Seeing how adamant these two Bosses are in making me stay, I might as well turn them into EXP for me to reach level 15!


    Taking advantage of Su Chen¡¯s momentary pause after being struck by the little snake¡¯s venom, the two Bosses then lowered their heads and fired their venom blasts once more!


    After casting [ Lifesteal ] on the little snake, Su Chen then activated ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡± once more!


    Su Chen used his sudden burst of acceleration to propel himself away from the scene.


    Following this, he then chugged down a bottle of [ Greater Fine Wine ] and [ Exquisite Wine ].


    His Elemental Power had temporarily increased from 970 to 1,010!


    Via the effects of [ Lifesteal ] and the wine, Su Chen had managed to recover his 1,000+ HP fully.


    His green rank [ Jade Spirit Necklace ] was activated, and all of his cooldowns had been reduced by 10%!


    Meanwhile [ Blue Cloud Bangle ] had also been activated, and as such, all his Mage class skills would have their cooldowns reduced by another 5%!


    At the same time, he had also activated [ Storm Staff ]¡¯s ability, which would grant him an additional 50 points of damage for each skill cast within a minute!


    Su Chen had activated all the active skills on all his equipment!


    As a result, his [ Fireball ]¡¯s downtime had been reduced to 2.1 seconds!


    [ Fireball ]¡¯s skill damage increased to 1,060 points!


    It was even imbued with the ¡°Melt¡± and ¡°Burn¡± enhancements!


    Su Chen waved his staff and upon spotting an opening, he immediately unleashed his [ Fireball ] to hit all three snakes at the same time!


    961!


    982!


    1,033!


    Owing to their different Defense stats, each snake had taken a different amount of damage!


    The damage that had been inflicted on the little snake had surpassed 1,000!


    The HP of the little snake had been reduced by one-third. It let out a pained cry and immediately retreated back into the cave of the two adult snakes!


    However, since both snake Bosses had only around 7,000 HP, both of them had also taken quite a hit from Su Chen¡¯s attack!


    Moreover, they had also been knocked back by Su Chen¡¯s attack.


    Upon realizing that Su Chen was out of their biting range, they then fired out their venom blasts again!


    199!


    Su Chen only managed to dodge one of the blasts.


    However, that blast alone had cost him one-fifth of his 1,000+ HP!


    After a quick [ Lifesteal ] cast, Su Chen once again returned his health to 900 HP.


    Since [ Lifesteal ] had a 2 second downtime whereas [ Fireball ] had a 2.1 second downtime, Su Chen was able to cast both spells without any interruption!


    After consuming a MP potion¡­


    976!


    192.


    985!


    206.


    199.


    991!


    232.


    1006!


    Su Chen made use of his Agility to maneuver and dodge the two Bosses¡¯ attacks.


    His HP constantly fluctuated between 300 ¨C 700 points.


    However, Su Chen¡¯s damage was gradually increasing. ¡°Melt¡± was taking effect, and once their defenses had been completely eroded, Su Chen would be able to deal ¡°Burn¡± damage to them!


    Despite being struck by the venom blasts several times, Su Chen was not particularly worried, as there was no danger of being poisoned by those projectiles.


    Things were different with the venomous fangs, however, as Su Chen felt that his Spirit would drop below 50 upon getting struck. Should that happen, he would be in deep trouble!


    As he continued to kite the Bosses around, his stamina began depleting at an alarming rate. At some point, it had even reached 52 points. Fortunately for him, he had purchased several bottles of wines before taking on the quest.


    Finally!


    After around 10 minutes of kiting the Bosses around¡­


    The red and blue snakes turned into two streaks of white light and dissipated!


    Su Chen had managed to bring down two level 15 Bosses despite only being level 13!


    Defeating two Bosses at the same time was a much tougher challenge than fighting a single level 20 Boss. Sure, they might have lower HP, but since they were well coordinated and were extremely fast, Su Chen had deemed it a rather troublesome encounter.


    He would even go as far as to claim that it was equivalent to fighting a single level 25 Boss!


    ¡°Congratulations! [ Su Chen ] has successfully leveled up to level 14!¡±


    ¡°HP +100, MP +100¡­¡±


    Just as Su Chen had predicted, he had leveled up from the ordeal. At the same time, the EXP he had received was in excess, and it had managed to fill 14.89% of his level 14 EXP bar!


    A flash of green light could be seen as a large bunch of materials and Gold Coins poured out, as well as a peculiar item that had a silver glow to it.


    Looking from afar, it seemed to be a piece of paper.


    His curiosity piqued, Su Chen temporarily suppressed the though of killing the little snake and slowly walked forward.


    After taking a look at it, Su Chen¡¯s lips curled into a smile.


    It was¡­


    A Guardian Map Fragment!

 Chapter 31 - Twin Snakes Lair

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The silver glow that enveloped the item faded, revealing an ancient looking parchment.


    [ Elite Guardian: Crystal Antler Deer ]


    This is actually a Map Fragment for an Elite Guardian!?


    What an unexpected find.


    Su Chen nodded in satisfaction. After all, it meant that his Greater MP Potions had not gone to waste.


    At the same time, however, Su Chen also learned that his transmigration system was incapable of detecting Guardian Map Fragments that had yet to materialize.


    In other words, it was incapable of detecting Map Fragments from Boss drops.


    [ Pick up 1,568 gold coins? ]


    [ Pick up green rank equipment, ¡°Linquan¡¯s Longbow¡±? ]


    [ Pick up ¡°Blinding Poison¡±?]


    Upon reading the name of the final item, Su Chen¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. He hurriedly brought out his [ Heavenly Craftsman ] tools from his storage bracelet to collect the specimen.


    As expected.


    My guess was on the mark.


    The poison of the snakes in the [ Thousand Snakes Lair ] will cause Blindness, and the effects are especially prominent on the higher level monsters.


    This poison might bring both Qin Muxue as well as my own enchantment skills to brand new heights.


    At the very least, we could bring about a revolution in the field of enchantment.


    After collecting all the items that were dropped by the Bosses. Su Chen then entered the Bosses¡¯ lair to locate the third snake that had scurried off earlier.


    Upon entering the Twin Snakes¡¯ Lair.


    Su Chen was surprised to find a vast open space lying in wait.


    After a quick survey of the area and coming up empty handed, Su Chen decided to forget about the little snake. There was no time to waste, after all.


    Besides, he had already reaped plenty of rewards from his fall into the snake pit. In total, he had gained:


    1 Elite Guardian Map Fragment.


    1 level 15 green rank [ Bowman ] longbow.


    2,676 Gold Coins.


    163 Ordinary Snake Fangs (Each worth 8 Gold Coins).


    63 High-quality Snake Skin (Each worth 20 Gold Coins).


    A level increase from level 13 to 14, and an increase in these stats:


    Level: 14 (89%)


    Elemental Power: 1,020 (+220)


    HP: 1,130 (+180)


    MP: 1,050 (+150)


    Defense: 255 (+165)


    He had truly earned a lot.


    With that, Su Chen left the Twin Snakes¡¯ Lair and headed towards the path that was as tall as a normal adult.


    Since he was in a game, Su Chen believed that there would be an exit path. More likely than not, the adult-sized path that he had entered was a shortcut to the depths of the Thousand Snakes Lair. After all, it was guarded by two level 15 Bosses.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mulong, turn invisible and land a critical hit at its injured spot!¡±


    ¡°Qiao Yi, do your best to endure its attacks!¡±


    ¡°Li Xing, fire as many skills as you can. I¡¯ll send you some MP potions right now!¡±


    At the end of the middle section of the [ Thousand Snakes Lair ] .


    After bringing down his green rank broadsword to deal 540+ damage to the enemy, he was immediately sent flying by the level 20 Thorn Python¡¯s tail. However, as a veteran player, he immediately seized his time off field to recover his HP and to command his party members.


    Fortunately, the [ Thorn Python ]¡¯s HP had officially dropped to 6,000+.


    The level 20 boss in front of him, [ Thorn Python ] , used to have a massive health pool of 15,000 HP. Moreover, its Defense was at least in the 300-350 range!


    If not for the fact that its Attack was only around 250+ , it would definitely not be a level 20 Boss.


    Moreover, since the thorns all over its body could serve as a weapon, it was a pain to deal with, especially since a casual brush against its thorns would deal 100 damage!


    Normally, Xue Feng was capable of dealing close to 850 damage to monsters. However, his efforts so far had only yielded 550 points of damage at most. It was truly a ridiculous scenario.


    He had spent 5,000 Gold Coins to buy information regarding the [ Thousand Snakes Lair ]. Moreover, the mercenary quest listing and the potion reimbursements would also take a large toll on his wallet.


    A single green rank equipment could only be considered a cost-recovery for him, and he would need at least two pieces to make a profit.


    Should he waste too much time fighting the level 20 Boss of the middle section and miss out on the level 25 Boss¡¯s weakened period, all his money would well and truly go to waste.


    Unfortunately for him, with two of his members incapacitated, the likelihood of such a scenario was becoming more and more concrete by the second.


    Among the members he lost, one of them was supposed to stand at the frontlines, a Double Shield Warrior.


    While his thoughts ran wild as he recovered his HP with potions, a voice suddenly rang out.


    ¡°F*ck!¡±


    It was Qiao Yi. Even though he had been repeatedly casting [ Mountain Fortress ] to block out the damage from the Thorn Python¡¯s skills, it had other sources of high-hitting damage as well.


    Namely, the thorns that covered its entire body.


    Upon repelling Qiao Yi¡¯s attack, the Thorn Python contracted and expanded rapidly to unleash several thorns that struck the entire party!


    Massive damage values popped out, and this was especially true for Zhou Pengtai, who wanted to launch additional damage while the Thorn Python¡¯s attention was on Qiao Yi. Unfortunately for him, the python had decided to launch its all out offensive right as he decided to leap forward.


    Upon being by the [ Storm of Thorns ] at point blank, Zhou Pengtai¡¯s health instantly plummeted by three quarters, and he had no choice but to fall back.


    Once it had finished firing the thorns, the Thorn Python then resumed using body slam or biting attacks.


    However, after experiencing the ¡°baptism¡± of the [ Storm of Thorns ] , everyone¡¯s HP had been depleted greatly.


    Moreover, since Zhou Pengtai had retreated, there was no one left to stand at the front lines and attract aggro, as Qiao Yi¡¯s skills were still on cooldown!


    Worse still, everyone was still in the Thorn Python¡¯s aggro zone.


    As a result, the Thorn Python would attack indiscriminately!


    Upon realizing this, a grim expression appeared on everyone¡¯s face. No one wanted to attract its aggro at this moment. After all, only one outcome would await them if they were to do so, they would be instantly killed!


    Xue Feng¡¯s expression became even more unsightly.


    How can everyone be at low health at such a low health at such a critical moment!?


    Had one not known better, they would have assumed that Xue Feng had purchased false information!


    However, in reality, the information that Xue Feng had obtained was not wrong. The party that he had assembled was indeed the perfect match against the final level 25 Boss lying in wait.


    The level 25 boss had high Attack but low Defense. As such, it would be easy for Mu Long the Assassin to inflict high damage with his sneak attacks. Meanwhile, Zhou Pengtai and Xue Feng would take the front, whereas Mu Lin would provide cover fire for them.


    It was indeed the ideal composition for taking on the final Boss,


    However, the same could not be said for the level 20 Boss which had low Attack but high Defense. Both he and Zhou Pengtai, who were level 20+ were unable to inflict much damage, and so too had applied to the level 17 and 18 Mu Long and Mu Lin.


    This was also one of the main reasons why he had hired an additional four-man party.


    Thinking of this, Xue Feng looked at his HP that had just recovered a little, and his expression became more and more conflicted.


    Had this been an ordinary level-grinding quest, Xue Feng would have no grievances about dying and losing his level.


    However, this was a quest which he had paid good money to obtain information about. Should he perish in this fight, the Boss¡¯ weakened period would pass, and he¡¯ll lose his chance to beat it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay an additional 1,000 Gold Coins to whoever that pulls that Boss¡¯ aggro away!¡±


    Xue Feng shouted out his proposition.


    Although these words made some of the party members consider jumping in, alas, it was already too late. The massive frame of the Thorn Python was already in striking range.


    Its huge tail that was filled with thorns suddenly whipped down!


    F*ck!


    Xue Feng cursed mentally. Then, without recovering his HP, he raised his heavy sword to intercept the attack ¡ª


    When suddenly, a damage value popped out from the body of the Thorn Python.


    ¡ª 868!!


    Blue flames seared the spot of the Thorn Python¡¯s body where it had been struck!


    The Thorn Python let out a pained and angry roar. It turned its head and looked directly behind it.


    Xue Feng was overjoyed at the Thorn Python¡¯s retreat.


    ¡°Who? Who¡¯s the big shot that saved us?!¡±

 Chapter 32 - Taking Down the Thorn Python!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This damage is insane!


    Even though I¡¯m level 20, the most damage that I managed to inflict was only 540+. This 868 points of damage must definitely belong to a level 25 player!


    ¡°Careful, don¡¯t let them steal our target from us!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai hurriedly chugged down potions to recover his HP. While doing so, he also made sure to remind Xue Feng of their objective.


    However, upon speaking those words, everyone except Li Xing looked at him with disdain.


    The look of disdain was especially visible from the two brothers, Mu Long and Mu Lin.


    The reason behind their scorn was easy to comprehend. After all, if their savior had really intended on stealing the boss, why would they not let the Thorn Python kill them first before attacking?


    Why would they go so far as to save them?


    Moreover, what would they complain about even if the boss had been stolen from them? After all, the level 20 Thorn Python was not even their true objective.


    Brilliant arcs of flame would illuminate the battlefield from time to time.


    The HP of the Thorn Python was dropping rapidly, and every time it was hit, wisps of burnt smoke could be seen, accompanied by frenzied hisses!


    871!


    888!


    923!


    As the terrifying damage values popped out within their vision, Xue Feng¡¯s party was at such a loss of words that they had even forgotten to consume their potions.


    They stood there in a daze as if they were watching a performance.


    Gradually, Zhou Pengtai¡¯s expression also calmed down.


    Damn.


    Who knew that there would be a level 28 big shot in this dungeon too?


    Forget it, as long as we don¡¯t lose the level 25 Boss as well, it¡¯ll all be fine.


    Although Xue Feng had already recovered half of his HP, he did not intervene.


    He had already given up.


    However, like the others around him, he was extremely curious about who this mystery player was. After all, the python¡¯s massive frame had completely obscured their savior¡¯s figure.


    Moreover, it also seemed like the savior had appeared from behind the Thorn Python. This prompted Xue Feng to wonder whether there were other passageways that he was unaware of.


    While Xue Feng was deep in thought¡­


    Bang.


    A heavy boom rang out.


    The Anaconda¡¯s pool of blood burst into blue flames and turned into nothingness as its massive body slammed into the ground.


    As white light began to dissipate.


    Behind the Anaconda¡¯s body, Xue Feng, Qiao Yi, and Mu Long, who had been rescued, were all looking forward to meeting their savior with great anticipation and gratitude.


    Zhou Pengtai and Li Xing¡¯s gazes were filled with curiosity and wariness.


    As the Anaconda¡¯s body completely dispersed the white specks of light that filled the air, a green and golden ray of light could be seen,


    Once of the curtain of light had faded¡­


    The party finally met eyes with their savior, who was a Mage.


    Xue Feng as well as Zhou Pengtai, trembled violently like an earthquake.


    This kind of shaking even seemed to have affected their voices.


    At this moment, a series of shocked and astonished voices suddenly rang out.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why is it you!¡±


    ¡°L-Little Su?!!¡±


    ¡­


    The moment Su Chen¡¯s figure appeared from behind the curtain of light, Xue Feng¡¯s party, including Qiao Yi were all stunned.


    Qiao Yi, who knew Su Chen¡¯s true identity, was well aware of his strength. After all, he was the first and ever newbie among the hundreds of millions of players who had managed to solo the Wolf Lord.


    He had also experienced his strength firsthand back when they were deterring the Mountain Bandits.


    However, the strength that Su Chen had displayed this time had gone way beyond what he had previously displayed!


    After all, the opponent this time was no Mountain Bandit with low Defense. This was an honest-to-good, level 20 Boss!


    Is he for real!?


    If Qiao Yi was already shocked to such an extent, the others could only be said to be faring even worse.


    ¡°This¡­ This is impossible!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai¡¯s eyes were filled with shock. He could not imagine that the big shot he had acknowledged earlier was only level 13¡­


    Wait a minute!


    Since when did this guy reach level 15? !


    Was this a joke?!


    Xue Feng looked at the figure with his mouth agape.


    In the end, he was too stunned to say anything.


    At the same time, however, a smile was starting to form on his face that was growing wider and wider. After all, this meant that he had made the right decision to accept Su Chen into his party!


    His plan could still proceed as planned!


    Mu long and Mu Lin were even more shocked. They subconsciously looked at their own hands, wondering why they were unable to match Su Chen¡¯s damage, despite being higher level than him.


    Li Xing stuttered, ¡°D-Didn¡¯t you fall into the snake pit with Zhang Ming? H-How are you still¡­¡±


    Li Xing immediately regretted his words.


    As everyone present could clearly observe, Su Chen had more than enough strength to survive the ordeal in the snake pit. Sure, he might not be able to kill the Bosses¡­


    Wait a minute, Su Chen is level 15¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you killed both level 15 Bosses alone!?¡±


    Xue Feng noticed Su Chen¡¯s level and he immediately exclaimed.


    Upon hearing this possibility, Zhou Pengtai¡¯s eyes instantly turned green.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Su Chen, who was still some distance from the party, heard the question and nodded correspondingly.


    Everyone was shocked by how casually he had responded.


    ¡°Regardless, thank you for your assistance, Lit¡­ No, Brother Su!¡±


    Xue Feng exclaimed with a wide grin.


    ¡°Yes, Brother Su is really strong. I already knew that, but this still far surpasses my expectations!¡±


    Qiao Yi grinned as well,


    Mu Lin and Mu Long expressed their thanks too.


    Although dying did not mean game over, the fact of the matter remained that they would lose both levels and potentially equipment too if they had died. It would undoubtedly be a huge loss.


    Especially since it was so difficult to level up within Ark.


    Zhou Pengtai and Li Xing remained silent throughout. In fact, Zhou Pengtai acted as if he was chatting with someone else via the chat feature. In short, he was turning a blind eye to the situation before him.


    ¡°Alright, so regarding the spoils¡­ Huh? This boss is considered to be a party kill?¡±


    Xue Feng was addressing Qiao Yi and the others when suddenly, he noticed that the system was asking him, the party leader, to distribute the rewards for defeating the level 20 Boss!


    This¡­


    Xue Feng clearly recalled Su Chen leaving the party.


    These equipment should belong to Brother Su. After all, I should¡¯ve received a notification had Su Chen killed the Boss while he was still part of the party.


    After checking the system logs, Xue Feng realized that Zhang Ming and Su Chen had ¡°left¡± the party due to different reasons.


    There were several ways to leave a party in [ Ark ].


    The first was for the party leader to disband the party or for the party members to leave voluntarily.


    The second was if a party member had died and was not resurrected by a Grandmaster [ Gourdmaster ].


    The third was when party members were too far apart. In such a scenario, the party member that was away from the party would be considered as having ¡°left¡± the party. However, once they returned within the party leader¡¯s range, they would automatically be re-added into the party.


    Xue Feng finally made sense of the situation. Had he read the system prompt earlier, he would have quickly deducted who their mystery savior¡¯s identity was.


    However, it was normal not to have noticed. After all, he was too caught up in battle to be aware of the system¡¯s happenings.


    Everyone quickly reacted, but other than being pleasantly surprised that they had gained experience, they did not have any other thoughts. The biggest cut to the bounty had definitely belonged to Su Chen after all, and the rest would be up for Xue Feng to decide.


    At this moment, however, Zhou Pengtai who was still pretending to be chatting with someone suddenly leaped forward..

 Chapter 33 - I Have Six Pieces of Such Equipment!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Good, very good!¡±


    ¡°Brother Xue, don¡¯t forget what you previously stated. You told us that you would increase our rewards if the level 20 Boss drops any equipment!¡±


    The money-minded Zhou Pengtai inched closer to Xue Feng and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much. A level 20 green rank equipment could probably be sold for 25,000 Gold Coins. Just give me 5,000 Gold Coins, then!¡±


    As soon as he said that, Xue Feng and the Mu siblings¡¯ expressions turned sour.


    ¡°Brother Zhou, honestly speaking, your asking price is a little too high. There are so many of us here, and even if we split it equally or split it based on our contributions, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a reason for you to be entitled to such a huge reward.¡±


    Xue Feng, who was initially overjoyed that he could finally recover his costs, responded coldly.


    ¡°I bought the information myself and gathered everyone here. I¡¯m a man of my words, and while I indeed stated that I¡¯ll raise the reward if the Boss drops equipment, I never said that it would be split equally.¡±


    ¡°Even if there are really 5,000 Gold Coins remaining once I¡¯ve taken half of the proceedings to cover my costs, I personally think that Su Chen should be the one who receives the gold. Why would I even hand it to you in the first place?¡±


    Hearing this, Zhou Pengtai¡¯s face turned red with


    After all, he was also a level 20 player. Aside from Xue Feng, who was Level 21, he was the highest leveled player here.


    ¡°Have you gone mad!? Sure, this kid has indeed lent us a hand, but all he did was finish off a boss that we¡¯ve already whittled down greatly!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai immediately started arguing with Xue Feng.


    Xue Feng was immediately amused when he heard this, ¡°Are you hearing yourself? You call having 6,000 HP left whittling down greatly?!¡±


    ¡°Finish off a boss, you say? I haven¡¯t even see you dish out a damage value higher than 900 throughout this battle! You¡¯re level 20, and yet, I doubt you¡¯ll put up as much damage as Brother Su here even if you unleash two skills at the same time!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai had been thoroughly shut down. He wanted to rebut, but before he even had a chance to do so, Xue Feng immediately added a line, ¡°Did you forget that you almost caused the party to be wiped out after failing to grab the Boss¡¯ aggro earlier!?¡±


    Having enough of this conversation, Xue Feng then started distributing the rewards for the Mercenary Quest.


    The level 25 Boss was not included as part of the Mercenary Quest. It was an entirely different quest that Xue Feng and the other three higher level players were supposed to take on.


    ¡°With this, the three of you have officially completed the Mercenary Quest. All of you are guaranteed 400 Gold Coins, and as for the reimbursement of the potions, just tell me how much you¡¯ve consumed and I¡¯ll pay you accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Also, since this Boss has dropped some equipment, and since I promised that all of you will additional rewards, I¡¯ll be paying all of you an extra 1,000 Gold Coins. As for Su Chen, he¡¯ll receive a share of 5,000 Gold Coins. Sounds good?¡±


    Everyone except Zhou Pengtai nodded at Xue Feng¡¯s statement.


    In fact, they even mentally praised Xue Feng¡¯s actions. After all, Xue Feng need not reward Brother Su extra all because of his contributions. After all, Xue Feng had only promised to raise the rewards, but he did not specify how much.


    Even 1,000 Gold Coins alone was already considered a notable increase compared to the original 400 Gold Coins/ As such, even if Xue Feng had only paid Su Chen 1,000 Gold Coins, the system would not have punished Xue Feng.


    ¡°Naturally, the [ Demon Worshipping Court ]¡¯s recommendation letter will also be rewarded to Brother Su.¡±


    After paying Su Chen the 5,000 Gold Coins, Xue Feng then handed the letter to Su Chen and explained jokingly, ¡°Just so you know, Brother Su, this letter doesn¡¯t actually have much value. It¡¯s a gimmick.¡±


    Since he now owed Su Chen a favor, Xue Feng decided to reveal the truth of the letter to him.


    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±


    Su Chen nodded silently and took the letter indifferently.


    ¡°Oh right, Qiao Yi and Li Xing, you guys can return now. Go and get a good rest, we¡¯ll handle the later part of this lair ourselves.¡±


    Xue Feng said to the two of them calmly. Logically speaking, he should be panicking since there was a chance that the level 25 Boss¡¯ period of weakness would pass, but for some odd reason, Xue Feng seemed to be in no rush.


    Naturally, the reason behind his confidence was in large part due to Su Chen.


    Just as Su Chen was about to take his leave together with Qiao Yi, Xue Feng suddenly stopped him and asked. ¡°Brother Su, I have a proposal for you, are you interested?¡±


    It was obvious that Xue Feng was trying to recruit Su Chen. After all, Su Chen¡¯s strength was the real deal.


    ¡°Huh?! Xue Feng, what do you need him for? If you let him join us, wouldn¡¯t we have to split our profits even further?!¡±


    The more Zhou Pengtai thought about it, the angrier he felt. He had originally planned to chat with Xue Feng to mend their relationship once Su Chen was gone, but he had never expected Xue Feng to invite Su Chen into their party instead!


    Mu long and Mu Lin were much more agreeable with the idea. Sure, their proceeds would be reduced, but having Brother Su on the team would make their clear much more stable.


    ¡°Heh, you don¡¯t need to worry about your cut being reduced.¡± Xue Feng grinned ominously at Zhou Pengtai.


    ¡°After all, I¡¯m kicking you out.¡±


    Everyone except Su Chen was stunned.


    Mu Lin and Mu long did not expect Xue Feng to outright boot Zhou Pengtai out of the party.


    After all, Zhou Pengtai was level 20. He was at a higher level than themselves.


    ¡°?! What right do you have to kick me? I¡¯m sure [ Ark ]¡¯s quest system will punish you for not fulfilling your end of the bargain!¡± Zhou Pengtai burst out in anger.


    ¡°Punish me? The quest hasn¡¯t even officially started yet! I¡¯m sure I¡¯m allowed to kick my party members out while we¡¯re in the preparing stage, no?¡±


    Xue Feng had planned this out earlier. As such, there was no reason to be afraid.


    Upon hearing this, Zhou Pengtai¡¯s state of mind instantly collapsed.


    His entire body trembled with rage. He no longer cared about appearances as he snapped at Xue Feng, ¡°We¡¯ve already worked together so many times, and here you¡¯re kicking me out all because of this newcomer!?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t overestimating this level 15 newbie¡¯s abilities!? How strong can he possibly be? I¡¯m sure that the only reason he managed to hit such high numbers earlier was due to us bringing down the Thorn Python¡¯s defenses! Otherwise, I¡¯m sure his damage would be laughably low!¡±


    ¡°Plus, he¡¯s only relying on the power of his two green rank equipment! Do you think I don¡¯t own green rank equipment too!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t assume that the one I¡¯m currently wearing is the only one I have! I have three f*cking pieces of green rank equipment!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai immediately called up the system and put on the two pieces of green rank equipment that he had spent a large amount of Gold Coins to rent.


    ¡°You lil¡¯ brat who goes by the surname of Su, I hereby declare that we¡¯re enemies! I will kill you here today and continue hunting you down in the future until you¡¯ve finally returned to the newbie dungeon!¡±


    Since Xue Feng had already turned off party mode after distributing the first round of rewards, Zhou Pengtai seize this chance to attack Su Chen!


    Knowing that the Mu siblings, who had good relationships with Xue Feng, would definitely come to his aid if attacked, Zhou Pengtai decided to place his animosity on Su Chen instead.


    ¡°So what if you have two pieces of green rank equipment! You think I don¡¯t have any!? Fat chance! I have one more piece than you!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai mood instantly lightened up upon noticing the look of shock on Xue Feng¡¯s face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, you needn¡¯t go so far¡­¡±


    Unable to understand how Zhou Pengtai had managed to get his hands on two pieces of green rank equipment, and at a loss at how to deal with his sudden power boost, Xue Feng began to panic.


    Thinking that this was a trouble that he had caused, Su Chen then advised Xue Feng and the others to stay put.


    ¡°No need to worry, I¡¯ll handle him myself.¡±


    Su Chen, who had not spoken throughout the entire argument, suddenly spoke up. After lifting his hands to stop Xue Feng, he then stepped forward to face Zhou Pengtai.


    ¡°You noisy bugger, do you know how hard I¡¯ve been trying to ignore you all this time!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you were the one who ordered Zhang Ming to pushed me down into the snake pit earlier, right!? Honestly speaking, I was going to pick a bone with you once this quest was over.¡±


    The moment Su Chen¡¯s voice subsided, Zhou Pengtai immediately laughed out loud.


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s right, I was the one who gave the order! You stole one of my slots and cost me on some referral earnings! Of course I have a grudge against you!¡±


    ¡°Also, who gave you the illusion of thinking that a trash like you could possibly beat me!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with green rank equipment, you know?¡±


    Under the glow of the Illumination Pearl, Zhou Pengtai¡¯s helmet, wrist guard, and the sharp sword in his hand were all dyed with a faint fluorescent color.


    He was indeed wearing three pieces of green rank equipment!


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll fare in a one-on-one fight against me!¡±


    Xue Feng¡¯s expression became more and more conflicted. He originally wanted to ignore Su Chen¡¯s wishes and interfere, but upon considering how much Zhou Pengtai had spent to obtain those green rank equipment, he was certain that Zhou Pengtai was only here to cause trouble.


    There was no way he could possibly convince Zhou Pengtai out of the fight.


    Sigh.


    Brother Su¡¯s in deep trouble, and there¡¯s nothing I can do to help him.


    Xue Feng, Mu Long, and Mu Lin were at a loss. After all, Brother Su had chosen to accept Zhou Pengtai¡¯s solo battle. There was nothing they could do to butt in.


    However, at this moment.


    Su Chen¡¯s cold voice gradually turned fierce.


    ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Pengtai, what if I told you that ¡­¡±


    ¡°I actually have six pieces of green rank equipment that you¡¯ve been parading over and over again?!¡±


    With a flick of his wrist, Su Chen then turned off the equipment hiding settings in his system menu.


    Under everyone¡¯s surprised gaze¡­


    Four new pieces of equipment that were shimmering with green light suddenly appeared on Su Chen¡¯s body!


    Everyone froze in shock!

 Chapter 34 - Zhou Pengtai, in Shambles!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Six¡­ Six pieces of green rank equipment!?


    Everyone was at a loss of words!


    For a second, Xue Feng even thought that he was hallucinating!


    This young man surnamed Su before him had already brought him too many surprises and shock in one day!


    First, he fell into a snake pit and survived. Then, he managed to kill two level 15 Bosses all by himself at the low level of 13!


    These were Bosses they were talking about, not ordinary monsters!


    Then, as if it was not enough, he had even defeated a level 20 [ Thorn Python ] at level 15!


    This man, no, this monster before him was full of surprises!


    ¡°¡­ Huh?!¡±


    ¡°Impossible! Absolutely impossible!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai, who had been repeatedly one-upped by Su Chen could no longer hold himself back.


    Six pieces?!


    How could this brat possibly have gathered six pieces!?


    Green rank equipment are supposed to be rare and expensive, not to mention that as players, we need to find equipment that are compatible with our classes!


    How did this kid get six pieces despite being only level 13!?


    Even I had to spend 800 Gold Coins just to rent these two additional pieces for a day!


    Since when did green rank equipment become so cheap!?


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you and send you back to the newbie dungeon!¡±


    After a brief moment of shock, Zhou Pengtai roared with anger once more, and without wasting any more words, he charged forward towards Su Chen with his longsword raised!


    Being a level 20 player with his Agility stats, Zhou Pengtai was able to move at breakneck speeds!


    He quickly closed in on Su Chen and lashed out with [ Cloud Cleaving Slash ] !


    Su Chen faced Zhou Pengtai head on. Naturally, he would not fall to such a lowly and disgraceful sneak attack!


    Especially since his opponent had only possessed three pieces of green rank equipment!


    ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡±!


    Su Chen was still equipping the level 10 green rank equipment from before. He had yet to upgrade to the level 15 series just yet.


    There was a simple reason behind this. After all, he deemed the upgrade unnecessary for a foe such as Zhou Pengtai. As such, he¡¯d rather just stick with the old gear to avoid reducing his level 15 gears¡¯ durability.


    Upon activating ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡± and increasing his Agility by 8 points, Su Chen¡¯s speed was clearly higher than Zhou Pengtai¡¯s.


    Zhou Pengtai¡¯s stat spread had likely leaned towards Strength or Defense rather than Agility.


    Despite missing his attack, Zhou Pengtai gritted his teeth and continued going after Su Chen.


    His skill that enhanced normal attack power had not yet run out. Wisps of lightning ran down his longsword, waiting to be unleashed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see how many times you can use your boots¡¯ skill!¡±


    Zhou Pengtai had already planned his moves in advance. Since Su Chen¡¯s skill damage was sky high, all he needed to do was to prevent Su Chen from casting skills. To do so, he would need to constantly interrupt and engage Su Chen in close combat!


    603!


    71!


    After catching up to Su Chen, he finally found an opportunity to hit Su Chen after activating [ Soaring Sword Slash ]


    Zhou Pengtai, who had equipped three pieces of green rank equipment, was very satisfied with his damage!


    Even though his opponent had three more pieces of green rank equipment than him, the fact that he was still capable of dealing such a huge amount of damage left him overjoyed!


    He watched as Su Chen¡¯s HP plunged by half, and he instantly turned giddy with excitement.


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡±


    He activated all the special effects of his equipment and one of his skills that he had yet to activate. A sword aura infused with various elements was launched towards Su Chen!


    Should this attack land, Zhou Pengtai would undoubtedly deal close to 800 points of damage!


    Zhou Pengtai looked excitedly at Su Chen who was about to be hit by the sword aura.


    However, at this moment, Xue Feng, Mu Lin and Mu Long had a strange expression on their faces.


    They had a gut feeling that something was off, but they could not put it into words.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time to end this.¡±


    Su Chen stared straight down at the sword aura. He did not even bother activating his boots¡¯ ability. Since his opponent was firing a projectile this time and not a melee-ranged ability, Su Chen had ample time to demonstrate his skills.


    Su Chen had experienced such attacks several times while fighting Bosses.


    Despite looking as if he was in a perilous situation, in reality, Su Chen¡¯s rich experience in movement techniques had allowed him to easily dodge the attack!


    Miss!


    The next moment.


    Su Chen did not even bother to look at Zhou Pengtai¡¯s sudden change in expression. He instantly rushed towards Zhou Pengtai whilst activating ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡±.


    While doing so, he also started casting [ Fireball ].


    With a wave of his staff, a blue streak of light arced across the air.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Flames instantly engulfed Zhou Pengtai¡¯s entire body!


    986!


    200!


    Half of Zhou Pengtai¡¯s HP Bar, which was as high as 2,100 points, was instantly vaporized!


    At first, Zhou Pengtai was surprised that Su Chen had been able to dodge his skills.


    The next instant, however, he was suddenly engulfed in flames. He collapsed onto the ground in pain. Although the burning sensation was only temporary, the brief moment that he felt it was still agonizing.


    At the same time, upon noticing how much damage he had taken, he finally realized why Su Chen had been able to deal such a high amount of damage against the Thorn Python. There was no other factor aside from Su Chen¡¯s raw power.


    There was no such thing as Defense Reduction taking place!


    His emotions gradually calmed down.


    This was because the possibility of losing had finally dawned on him.


    He was going to lose¡­


    He was going to lose to a mere level 15 Mage!


    Since all his skills were on cooldown. Zhou Pengtai suddenly lunged forward and constantly swung his longsword at Su Chen to prevent him from casting anymore spells.


    ¡°You like to dodge, Huh? Let¡¯s see how you dodge this!¡±


    However, since there was no speed boost granted by skills, Su Chen was able to easily dodge all of his slashes!


    Miss!


    Miss!


    After dodging Zhou Pengtai¡¯s slashes time and time again, Su Chen soon grew tired of toying with him.


    Using the final charge of ¡°Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow¡± to increase the distance between them so that he would not be interrupted by Zhou Pengtai¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    200!


    999!


    Magnificent flames roared out together with an upgraded [ Lifesteal ].


    ¡°!¡±


    Unable to recover his HP in a one-on-one battle, Zhou Pengtai turned into a white light as dispersed into the air, leaving behind a few pieces of Gold Coins ¡­ As well as a piece of green rank equipment.


    Xue Feng looked pleasantly surprised, but at the same time, there was also a complicated expression on his face..


    Ridiculous, simply ridiculous.


    Leveling up in [ Ark ] was extremely difficult. It was for this reason that players with higher levels usually had a clear advantage over lower level players. No normal equipment could ever hope to bridge the gap between levels.


    As such, Su Chen¡¯s ability to kill a player who was 5 levels ahead of him was truly an incredible feat!


    Had Xue Feng been in his shoes, he would think twice before even fighting a level 17 player, let alone a level 20 one.


    ¡°Incredible! Simply incredible, Brother Su!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the two of us siblings are convinced of your ability. Truly.¡±


    After Su Chen had finished picking up the dropped equipment and Gold Coins, Mu Long walked over and said to Su Chen with a smile.


    ¡°Indeed, your dodging skills were incredible. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve learned a dodging skill?¡±


    As a Bowman, Mu Lin was generally frail when it came to melee encounters. As such, having a movement skill would help him greatly against his pursuers in battle.


    ¡°No, but I wish I did.¡±


    Su Chen replied calmly.


    ¡°Alright, with Brother Su on our side, we no longer have to worry about the boss ahead of us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xue Feng led the party deeper into the [ Thousand Snakes Lair ].


    Lying in wait before them was a level 25 Boss that spawned at random timings. Moreover, it had a high item drop rate!


    While Su Chen and the others were walking towards the final section of the lair.


    A million miles away.


    In the Resurrection Temple of Fengwu Town.


    Zhou Pengtai, whose level had dropped to level 19, walked out of the temple with an extremely disgruntled expression on his face..

 Chapter 35 - Boss Stolen!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    He was already close to ascending to level 22. His EXP bar was already 86% filled!


    At such, his death at Su Chen¡¯s hands was equivalent to losing two levels!


    Worse still, and more importantly, since it had only been a while since he equipped the rented equipment, upon his death, he immediately lost the equipment!


    Those equipment did not belong to him, he had merely rented them!


    Now that he had lost the equipment, the only choice left for him was to be killed all the way back to the newbie dungeon, or, he would have to pay the owner of the rental equipment in full.


    Or, he could pawn his current green rank equipment as compensation!


    However, his current green rank equipment was worth over 20,000 Gold Coins!


    It was a piece of equipment that he had obtained after completing several quests and saving his hard-earned money! He could not bear to part ways with it!


    However, he needed to deal with the situation one way or another.


    As such, upon walking out of the Resurrection Temple, Zhou Pengtai began to brainstorm ideas. After some time, he received a flash of inspiration and immediately pulled up the chat interface of the company [ Unstoppable ] that he had rented the equipment from.


    After quickly explaining his circumstances and coming up with a proposal, Zhou Pengtai then revealed Su Chen¡¯s current location, including his coordinates and the details of the mini dungeon he was in.


    At the same time, he also urged the members of [ Unstoppable ] to make their way there via their teleportation talismans, as they would miss their window of opportunity otherwise.


    ¡°Screw you. How dare you kick me out of the party, and you even dropped my level as well as my equipment. Don¡¯t you dare think that I¡¯ll let you get off easily.¡±


    Feeling that he had killed two birds with one stone, a smug grin then appeared on Zhou Pengtai¡¯s face.


    ¡­


    Back in the real world.


    Magic Capital.


    Snow Abyss game company.


    In the office on the second floor of the building, a middle-aged greasy man with dark circles under his eyes was constantly drinking Starbucks to keep himself awake.


    He had already been in the office for several days, going as far as to sleep and eat there.


    The young master of his company had initially told him to investigate the identity of the big shot who had a full compatibility score.


    Then, he was told to look into a player named Su Chen, as well as his whereabouts after entering the [ Ancient Town ] dungeon. He was told to determine which town he had been assigned to.


    He arranged for professional hackers as well as staff from his own company to look into the matter as well, but it was to no avail. As if that was not enough on his plate, he still needed to maintain business operations throughout all his investigations as well.


    Why is my life so hard¡­


    Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The greasy middle-aged man said.


    The next moment, he saw a figure walk in quickly. ¡°Chief Wang, I found it¡­¡±


    ¡°You found it?!¡±


    ¡°You found the newbie with the full compatibility score!?¡±


    ¡°Or did you find out which town Su Chen is in?¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve just barged in if you had such an important piece of information! I can¡¯t believe how polite you youngsters are these days!¡±


    Wang Lei stood up with a wide grin on his face.


    ¡°Erm¡­ It¡¯s neither of them.¡±


    The person holding the laptop in his hands replied awkwardly.


    ¡°Neither¡­ Neither you say?! Then why did you bother coming over!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much, I don¡¯t need you to give me both their information, but you can¡¯t even provide me information of a single one of them? Can¡¯t you see how much I care for all of you? I¡¯m even staying behind with all of you throughout this ordeal!¡±


    Wang Lei lay back on his seat again and said with indignation.


    ¡°Chief Wang, that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to tell you. Both of them are the same person!¡±


    The bald technical staff looked at Wang Lei and explained his findings in an easily digestible and succinct manner.


    ¡°This¡­ !¡±


    ¡°Good job my boy! Splendid work!¡±


    ¡°Employees like you are truly a gem! I¡¯ll see to it that you¡¯ll get a raise this month.¡±


    Wang Lei patted him on the shoulder and told him to go back and rest.


    He finally let out a long sigh of relief. He could relay some proper information to the young masters.


    He picked up his phone and dialed Si Luo¡¯s number excitedly. He could not wait to report the findings!


    ¡­


    [ Ark ].


    [ Thousand Snakes Lair ], final section.


    A massive two-headed serpent that was seven to eight meters tall and covered in colorful scales was facing a burly man who was attacking it. The four-colored serpent head on the left spat out blazing flames and struck the burly man hard!


    479!


    ¡°F*ck, that hurt!¡±


    Xue Feng was the individual who had been struck by the flames. His charge had been interrupted halfway, and he was forced to temporarily retreat.


    At the same time, the three-colored serpent head on the right was attacking Mu Long.


    Using the acceleration that was granted by his [ Assassin ] class stealth ability, Mu Long had managed to avoid the attack by a hair¡¯s breadth!


    After dealing with the Zhou Pengtai situation, Xue Feng and the others had to deal with several monsters and traps along the way to the level 25 Boss. It was for this reason that their timing had been delayed.


    As a result, they only managed to reach the [ Rainbow-scaled Twin-headed Serpent ] when it was nearing the end of its weakened period.


    The intelligence report claimed that the [ Rainbow-scaled Twin-headed Serpent ] possessed high HP, high Attack, but low Defense. It turned out that it was completely true.


    The Boss had a thick HP pool of 22,000 HP, and its consecutive chain of attacks from both heads was indeed rather fearsome.


    Its attacks had caused them a lot of trouble. and the party was constantly forced to drink HP potions.


    Fortunately for them, its Defenses were quite low.


    Xue Feng was able to consistently deal 800+ damage, whereas Mu Long¡¯s daggers (short sword) were capable of dealing somewhere in the ballpark of 700 damage each strike.


    Not to mention¡­


    998!


    +50!


    1,020!


    +50!


    Su Chen, who was at the rear of the party, was constantly consuming MP potions to unleash skills non-stop.


    Since his position at the rear was too far removed from the actual battlefield, Su Chen was unable to using [ Lifesteal ] this time. As such, he had relegated to casting his half-as-efficient [ Gourd Arts ] instead to heal his allies.


    Much to his surprise, it had worked rather well to maintain his allies¡¯ HP.


    The only drawback was that he was losing mana at a staggering rate.


    ¡°Little Lin, come over and pull the aggro. I need to take some HP potions!¡±


    The level 17 [ Assassin ] , Mu Long, who had taken a few blasts of [ Blizzard Tide ] from the tricolored Serpent on the right, was at low HP. As such, he immediately called out for his brother to cover for him.


    Mu Lin, the level 18 [ Crossbowman ] , immediately charged forward to direct the Boss¡¯ aggro towards him.


    ¡°Brother Su, I need some heals, please.¡±


    At the same time, Mu Long also communicated with Su Chen.


    831!


    -453!


    Xue Feng, who had been hit by the serpent¡¯s flame breath again, gritted his teeth. As the [ Heavy Swordsman ] in the party, he was the member with the highest HP, and thus, he needed to maintain the aggro of the four-colored serpent head, which had the higher damage among the two heads.


    ¡°The Boss only has 12,000 hp left. Patience, men, patience! We¡¯ll get through this!¡±


    Xue Feng shouted loudly. At the same time, he used the downtime between the serpent head¡¯s attacks to quickly recover his HP via potions.


    ¡°Brother Su, I know that you must be consuming a lot of MP potions right now. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll cover all your potion costs with the leftover 3,000 Gold Coins!¡±


    Xue Feng assured Su Chen before charging forward once more.


    His decision to invite Su Chen for this fight had been the right move. He had never expected Su Chen¡¯s subclass to be a Gourdmaster, albeit one whose level was clearly quite low.


    Nevertheless, the fact that he could heal whilst dealing IMMENSE damage made him a great addition to the party!


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Su Chen gave a curt reply as he launched his bombardment of Fireballs once more.


    The HP of the level 25[ Rainbow-scaled Twin-headed Serpent ] continued to drop.


    12,000!


    10,000!


    8,000!


    5,000!


    As the Boss¡¯ HP continued to drop, the party¡¯s coordination skills continued to improve. Be it in terms of rotating aggro or laying cover fire for one another, their teamwork was making a definite improvement.


    However, throughout all this, Su Chen had never left his spot at the rear. He had only one main job, which was to serve as the party¡¯s absolute ¡®¡±damage machine¡±!


    4,200!


    3,400!


    Seeing that the Boss¡¯ HP was being whittled away, everyone, including Su Chen, smiled. However, they did not speak out in case jinxing anything.


    Celebrations could be held once the foe was properly defeated.


    However, around the Boss¡¯ 1,300 HP mark¡­


    Suddenly!


    An arrow that shone with a magnificent radiance streaked across the air.


    With a speed that made it barely visible to the naked eye, the arrow went past Xue Feng and the Mu Siblings and landed directly onto the [ Rainbow-scaled Twin-headed Serpent ]!


    1496!


    ¡°[ Rainbow-scaled Twin-headed Serpent ] has been defeated!¡±


    Klink klink klink¡­.


    Large amounts of gold coins gushed out from the corpse of the Boss.


    Following this, three streaks of green light appeared.


    ¡°Who?!¡±


    Upon noticing that the final blow had not been struck by Su Chen¡¯s blue flames, but a glowing arrow instead, Xue Feng¡¯s temper instantly flared!


    ¡°Who the f*ck stole my Boss!¡±


    He angrily looked towards the entrance to the hall behind him.


    Mu long and Mu Lin were stunned for a moment. Upon realizing that they were unable to pick up the loot, they immediately whipped their heads around,


    However, they were greeted with the sight of Su Chen¡¯s HP depleting rapidly!


    1,000 HP had been wiped off of Su Chen¡¯s HP bar.


    ¡°Brother Su!¡±


    After being hit by another crossbow bolt, Su Chen hurriedly activated [ Seeking Plums in the Midst of Snow ] and retreated towards his party¡¯s end!


    While doing so, he also consumed his HP potions and glared coldly at the direction of his assailants!


    Before long, his gaze landed on a spot in front of him, where three figures gradually walked out.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, don¡¯t block us from collecting OUR equipment.¡±


    The leader of the group, a [ Heavy Shield Warrior ]whose ID was Zeng Jiang, stated.


    He was level 25!


    ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t easy for us to defeat this Boss.¡±


    Two more figures walked out from behind Zeng Jiang. One was a [ Crossbowman ] , and the other was a [ Bowman ] .


    They were level 25 and¡­ level 28!!


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Xue Feng, who was standing beside Su Chen, was stunned once he saw their levels. Then, he cursed within his heart.


    Mu Long and Mu Lin were also stunned. They originally planned to kill their attackers as a way to vent their anger.


    However, they had never expected the intruders to be a three-man party with levels above level 25!


    ¡°Do you guys still plan on resisting us?¡±


    Zeng Jiang, who was carrying a giant silver shield on his back, asked them with a threatening smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for that.¡±


    ¡°Cutting straight to the chase, there are two paths available to you right now. Either you all commit suicide and we¡¯ll call it even, OR, we¡¯ll hunt you all until you return to the newbie dungeon. We¡¯ll keep tabs on your accounts, and we¡¯ll be constantly out to get you. You shouldn¡¯t even consider playing on the same accounts anymore if you choose option 2.¡±


    ¡°Take your pick.¡±


    An expression of shock washed over Mu Long and Mu Lin¡¯s face as they went silent.


    On the other hand, the burly Xue Feng was gnashing his teeth non-stop, and both his eyes and face had turned bright red with anger. He looked as if he was ready to lash out at the trio.


    However, before he could take action, someone had already shouted out!


    ¡°KEEP DREAMING!¡±


    It was Suchen!


    After recovering his HP, he then walked past Xue Feng and stood at the forefront.


    As soon as he finished speaking.


    Zeng Jiang and the other two raised their eyebrows in surprise. Then, their expressions changed drastically as they glared coldly down at Su Chen.


    In an instant.


    The atmosphere in the cave became extremely tense.


    The furious Xue Feng, Mu Lin, and Mu Long, who had finally made up their minds, stood beside Su Chen at the same time.


    ¡°Who was the one who took the cheap shot earlier!?¡±


    Su Chen asked.


    Hearing this.


    The level 28 Bowman behind Zeng Jiang heard this and walked forward. In a cold but ridiculing manner, he then answered, ¡°Us.¡±


    ¡°All three of us, What¡¯s wrong? Have a bone to pick with us?¡±


    ¡°You and your merry bunch of level 10 garbage?¡±


    As his voice fell.


    Su Chen, who was stepping on the Gold Coins dropped by the Rainbow-scaled Twin-headed Serpent, consumed his potions silently. Then, with a brilliant flash, six intense rays of green light burst forth from him!


    Su Chen, who had activated all the special effects of his equipment, slowly rubbed the [ Jade Tide Wrist Guard ] on his wrist.


    While looking at Zeng Jiang and the other two, he said in a bone-chilling voice.


    ¡°Nothing much. All I want to say is that¡­¡±


    ¡°You three will die here today.¡±


    ¡°That is all..¡±

 Chapter 36 - [ Unstoppable ]s Assault, A Target on Su Chens Back!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Su Chen¡¯s tone was cold, frigid even.


    As soon as he spoke those words, even Xue Feng, Mu Long, and Mu Lin could feel a chill running down their spines.


    Both sides had their weapons drawn, and while Xue Feng¡¯s party was rightfully mad due to having their Boss and loot stolen¡­


    They were still caught off guard by Su Chen¡¯s bold declaration.


    It sounded as if he was actually capable of such an act.


    To Xue Feng and the Mu siblings, it sounded as if he had impulsively made the declaration in a fit of rage.


    In the end, they were no more than a party composed of a level 17[ Assassin ] , a level 18 [ Crossbowman ] , a level 21 [ Heavy swordsman ] , and a level 15[ Mage ] .


    Even if they had one more player on their side¡­


    Even if the Fire Mage on their side was capable of inflicting damage that way surpassed his levels, the most he could compare to was a level 23 or 24 Mage.


    However, all of the members from [ Unstoppable ]¡¯s side were players above level 25!


    Moreover, the Bowman was even at a staggering level of 28. No matter how they sliced it, he was surely beyond Su Chen¡¯s ability to fight against!


    After all, they had already witnessed his arrow that had inflicted over 1,400 damage earlier!


    Mu Lin and Mu Long¡¯s HP were only around 1,500. There was no way they could handle such a painful hit!


    Although there was a good chance that the skill was still on cooldown¡­


    Once its cooldown had ended, the level 28 [ Bowman ] would be capable of killing any one of the Mu siblings in a single hit!


    Even without the threat of a one-shot skill, there was also a high likelihood of them dying after being ganged up on!


    When all was said and done, the chances of Xue Feng¡¯s party defeating the trio were practically zero, That was just how wide the gap in their abilities were.


    It was impossible for Su Chen not to notice this situation.


    No matter how strong he was now, he was still only level 15.


    At the same time.


    ¡°?¡±


    The level 25 [ Heavy Shield warrior ] Zeng Jiang was staring at Su Chen as if he was an idiot.


    ¡°Not even the level 21 Heavy Swordsman beside you would make such a dumb declaration.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only level 15. Where did you find the courage to spout such nonsense?¡±


    Zeng Jiang shook his head and sighed.


    Then, he took out his massive silver shield.


    ¡°Alright then!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what a level 15 trash like you can do against the three of us.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I doubt that even with the combined efforts of the four of you will make a dent against my shield.¡±


    ¡°Let me give you a lesson on how important levels are in this game.¡±


    Zeng Jiang slammed his shield into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.


    An exquisite emerald pattern began spreading out of his shield.


    There was no doubt.


    It was a level 25 green rank shield!


    ¡°Do you need me to help?¡±


    The level 28 Bowman beside Zeng Jiang, who had a bow that gleamed like mercury, asked in a casual tone.


    ¡°You b*stard, don¡¯t look down on me!¡±


    ¡°You really like to look down on the two of us. Just follow what we¡¯ve discussed.¡±


    ¡°Or do you think actually think that our opponents are strong?¡±


    Hearing the level 28 Bowman¡¯s question, the other level 25 Crossbowman, Fu An, laughed and scolded him.


    ¡°Stop dragging this one then. If the loot isn¡¯t picked up within the next 30 minutes, it will no longer be bound to anyone, and that party of four will swipe it right under our noses.¡±


    Zeng Jiang reminded him.


    With that, Fu An, Zeng Jiang, and the level 28 Bowman, Xu Fenghua, took their positions.


    The rental collection division of [ Unstoppable ] had received a complaint from their customer regarding a loss of items. As such, the trio had been sent over to the lair to retrieve their lost equipment.


    The orders they had received was to hunt Su Chen and the rest all the way back to the newbie dungeon.


    In fact, they had even sent staff to camp the Resurrection Temple in Fengu Town in advance.


    Even if Xue Feng and his party had committed suicide, the fate that awaited them was already set in stone.


    This was especially true for the anonymous brat, who needed to die as many times as possible!


    After all, they¡¯ll be able to farm green rank equipment off of him!

 Chapter 37 - The Director of Dragon Slayers

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zeng Jiang, who had always been fond of PvP battles within [ Ark ], turned giddy upon noticing Su Chen¡¯s green rank equipment.


    Fighting other players was the trio¡¯s main job within their company.


    At the same time, it was also the fastest way for them to earn Gold Coins.


    After all, whenever their opponents dropped green rank equipment upon death, they would be able to earn a large commission.


    A faint green glow could be seen emanating from the silver crossbow that Fu An was carrying in his right arm.


    Instead of positioning himself at the back line a normal Archer, he stood side by side with Zeng Jiang.


    While looking at the four members of the opposing party, he then shouted.


    ¡°Come at us!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you intend on defeating us here!¡±


    At the same time.


    [ Ark ].


    Youchang town.


    Trading Alley.


    Xu Ruoxuan was sitting in a shop located on the western side of the trading alley while she listed her equipment to be sold within Ark¡¯s online marketplace.


    At the same time, she was also trying to look for green rank equipment that she could possibly snag.


    Suddenly, a figure entered the shop.


    It was a level 49 male [ Assassin ] whose ID was Xu Wei.


    The man was not tall, but he was thin and had short hair.


    ¡°Brother? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to catch up to the others¡¯ levels?¡±


    Xu Ruoxuan was a little surprised at the person¡¯s arrival.


    As the director of the [ Dragon Slayer ] studio, her brother, Xu Wei¡¯s level was of great importance.


    After all, in order to maintain a stable foothold in [ Ark ], studios or game companies required figureheads with strong combat prowess, and the easiest way to gain combat power would be by gaining levels.


    By this logic, as someone who needed to spend most of his waking hours grinding his levels, Xu Wei would usually relay any instructions via the chat functionality within the game.


    ¡°Stupid girl.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten about the Guardians?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m currently level 49 with 76% of my experience bar filled. As such, I belong to the level 40-50 bracket. Do you actually want me to compete against those freaks at the 50 and above bracket?¡±


    ¡°The Guardians¡¯ attributes across all brackets are the same anyway.¡±


    Xu Wei smiled as he knocked on Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s head, causing the latter to curl her lips and roll her eyes.


    However, she did not know that her appearance was actually very cute when paired with her good looks.


    ¡°But there¡¯s no news about the Guardian Map Fragments yet.¡±


    ¡°It seems that it¡¯s incredibly difficult to come across.¡±


    Xu Ruoxuan stated while rubbing her head.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ve already sent Big Liu and the others to look for them. Essentially, everyone in our studio has already stopped leveling.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you sent me a message saying that you found Su Chen?¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Xu Wei was just about to message Big Liu about his progress when suddenly, he recalled a matter that his sister had told him about.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him alright!¡±


    ¡°I met him back when he was purchasing equipment. I¡¯ve already confirmed his identity.¡±


    Xu Ruoxuan¡¯s interest was piqued at the mention of Su Chen. She immediately replied.


    ¡°Good heavens, there are quite a number of gaming studios and companies looking for him. What a miraculous coincidence that you managed to stumble upon him this way!¡±


    ¡°This must be the work of fate!¡±


    ¡°Oh right, what are your impressions of him after meeting him? What did he say when you asked him about joining our guild?¡±


    Xu Wei was surprised. He did not expect that Su Chen, an entity that everyone who was someone within Ark was trying to contact, would be in touch with his sister.


    ¡°I only have one word to describe that guy. He¡¯s ridiculous, simply and utterly ridiculous I tell you!¡±


    ¡°Brother, you have no idea how insane he is. He was only level 10 when the system announced his solo clear against the Wolf Lord, but do you know what level he was when I first contacted him? 11! ELEVEN! He had already advanced by an entire level!¡±


    ¡°Although a few days had already passed in Ark time since the announcement, through the system¡¯s log, I determined that it had only been half a day since he entered [ Ancient Town ] when I contacted him! In just half a day, that guy managed to finish his class quest and gain an entire level!¡±


    Xu Ruoxuan recalled the details of her encounter and narrated it to her brother.


    ¡°Then he should be close to level 12 by now. From the way you put it, he¡¯s quite adept at leveling. He¡¯s even better than my leveling speed when I first started, I admit.¡±


    Xu Wei nodded upon hearing his sister¡¯s description. He mentally praised Su Chen¡¯s unique playstyle and his possible understanding of in-game-mechanics.


    ¡°Close to level 12? Hah, I wouldn¡¯t have described him as ridiculous if that were the case.¡±


    ¡°The last I saw him, which was yesterday and only one night since he reached level 11, he was already at level 13!¡±


    Upon hearing Xu Wei¡¯s words, Xu Ruoxuan immediately retorted and exclaimed somewhat proudly.


    ¡°Level 13!? ¡­. He leveled up that much in one night!?¡±

 Chapter 38 - Thats Insane! He Gained 5 Levels Within 3 Days!?

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about one night in the real world, right?¡±


    ¡°Not bad! This kid is really good at leveling¡­¡±


    The level 49 director of the Dragon Slayers studio commented with a wide grin on his face, but before he even had the chance to finish speaking¡­


    Xu Ruoxuan interrupted him, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about one night in the real world! I¡¯m talking about a single in-game night!¡±


    Hearing this, Xu Wei¡¯s jaws dropped upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he asked hesitantly, ¡°Are you being serious with me? One night in Ark?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This is impossible!¡±


    Xu Wei refused to believe his sister¡¯s words.


    ¡°I¡¯m a leveling maniac as well, you know? Why are you trying to pull my leg?¡±


    Xu Wei shook his head.


    ¡°Me, pulling your leg?¡±


    ¡°Why else would I call him ridiculous if this isn¡¯t the case!¡±


    ¡°Fine then, let me prove it to you.¡±


    Xu Ruoxuan saw her brother¡¯s disbelief and smiled in satisfaction.


    This was the response she wanted to see.


    Otherwise, it would look as if she was throwing a tantrum for no reason.


    She projected her friend menu for her brother to see and selected Su Chen¡¯s profile. Without sparing a glance at it, she then turned smugly to the side and waited for her brother¡¯s response.


    However, the moment she showed Su Chen¡¯s profile to Xu Wei.


    Xu Wei immediately shot up from his seat. His face was filled with disbelief!


    ¡°How¡­ How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, brother, you look silly right now.¡±


    ¡°You probably thought that I was making a fuss for no reason, right? Well, this proves you wrong then.¡±


    Xu Ruoxuan seized the opportunity to tease Xu Wei.


    However, Xu Wei ignored her.


    ¡°Ruoxuan, tell me, do you know which city he is in now? I can¡¯t wait anymore, I must meet this man!¡±


    The moment her brother said those words, Xu Ruoxuan subconsciously felt that something was amiss.


    She knew her brother very well. It was extremely rare for him to lose his composure in this manner.


    In addition, she had already told him that Su Chen was level 13. As such, she could not fathom why her brother suddenly got this excited.


    Thus.


    Xu Ruoxuan turned to look at her projected friend menu, and what she saw left her speechless.


    Level 1¡­ 15?!


    That¡¯s insane!


    Wasn¡¯t he only level 13 this morning?


    How did he do it??


    Xu Ruoxuan felt as if her worldview had taken a great hit!


    Back when she first started, it took her almost an entire month in Ark time to bring her level from level 10 to 15.


    Meanwhile, her brother Xu Wei, who was considered a God in gaming, needed 20 days with the help of his subordinates to bring himself to level 15.


    In contrast to the both of them, Su Chen had only used three days to achieve the same feats!


    If there was a list that kept track of the fastest leveling individuals, Su Chen would definitely be at the top of the list, and he would probably make headlines across the internet once again!


    Xu Ruoxuan looked back and forth at the projected menu. No matter how she thought about it, she felt that it was too unreal!


    Had the player not been Su Chen, she would even assume that he had hacked the game somehow!


    Xu Ruoxuan slowly calmed down.


    Fortunately for the studio, her interactions with Su Chen thus far had all been positive.


    Moreover, Su Chen also stated that he would consider joining them once they established their guild in-game.


    She thanked her lucky stars that she had managed to form a good relationship with Su Chen.


    Suddenly, she recalled the 3,000 Gold Coins she had taken from Su Chen as part of maintenance fee. She would need to find a chance to return the money.. After all, Su Chen had only been using the equipment for less than a day and he would likely have put on his level 15 green rank equipment at this point

 Chapter 39 - Taking Action!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    While making his opinions on the matter clear, Su Chen instantly swapped his gear now that he was level 15!


    After equipping all of his level 15 green rank equipment, his attributes skyrocketed!


    Level: 15 (36%)


    Elemental Power: 1,270 (+370)


    HP: 1,210 (+160)


    MP: 1,190 (+190)


    Defense: 330 (+240)


    With the help of his new equipment, Su Chen¡¯s Elemental Power had increased by 150 +points, and his defense had reached an astonishing 330 points!


    His Defensive power was not to be underestimated, especially since [ Bloodwolf Armor ] reflected 15% of physical damage, whereas his [ Crimson Moon Robe ] would increase his Elemental Power by 10% of the skill damage inflicted to him,


    Of course.


    At the same time, Su Chen also believed that his Thunder Staff would trigger its stun effect at least once throughout the ensuing battle.


    Nevertheless, the key upgrade this time was undoubtedly his [ Jade Tide Wrist Guard ] !


    The wrist guard that was capable of constantly stacking up 10 damage points within 3 minutes would be his trump card this time around. He was certain of it.


    As he stared down at the three level 25 enemies in front of him, he silently reminded himself not to show any mercy to them!


    After making such a bold declaration earlier, he refused to take back his words!


    ¡°Xue Feng, Mu Long, Mu Lin.¡±


    ¡°I will be in charge for this ensuing battle. Don¡¯t question my commands, just execute them!¡±


    Due to Su Chen¡¯s identity as a game developer as well as a veteran gamer in his previous life, he knew very well how to push his party to its fullest potential!


    At the same time.


    He also needed to spend some time to ramp up his damage via the [ Jade Tide Wrist Guard ].


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    No one would be stupid enough to refute him at such a crucial moment.


    Furthermore, the three of them were all impressed by Su Chen¡¯s charisma!


    ¡°Looking at the opponent¡¯s formation, it¡¯s obvious that Xu Fenghua doesn¡¯t intend to attack immediately.¡±


    ¡°Remember, our target isn¡¯t the [ Heavy Shield Warrior ] . Throughout this entire battle, our priority is to finish off the Crossbowman to lower their overall DPS!¡±


    ¡°Due to the difference in levels, even though we have more members on our side, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be able to defeat them. As such, our first goal is to reduce their numbers!¡±


    ¡°Later, Xue Feng, I¡¯ll need you to face off against Zeng Jiang. Don¡¯t worry too much about your damage, all you need to do is to restrain his movements. I¡¯ll heal you while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°While Zeng Jiang is being held back, the two of you will use your stealth and crossbow skills to attack the Crossbowman, Fu An, nonstop. I¡¯ll also be firing my skills at him once I see an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°With that¡­¡±


    ¡°We shall now move out!¡±


    As soon as Su Chen¡¯s voice fell.


    Xue Feng unsheathed his massive broadsword and quickly rushed towards Zeng Jiang and brought down his blade on him!


    At the same time, Mu Long turned invisible and immediately headed towards Fu An¡¯s direction!


    Whoosh!


    Mu Lin nocked two crossbow bolts and fire them directly at Fu An.


    Su Chen joined the fray as well and had successfully landed his [ Fireball ] onto Fu An!


    Things seemed to be going smoothly on Su Chen¡¯s end, when suddenly¡­


    Fu An¡¯s figure flashed.


    Roll!


    Fu An used the Crossbowman¡¯s skill ¡ª [ Roll ] to dodge both Mu Lin and Mu Long¡¯s attacks!


    While he was rolling, Fu An fired two bolts at his opponents!


    688!


    679!


    Two damage values popped out!


    Their HP dropped by one-third!


    ¡°Trying to kill me are you? You still have much to learn, brats.¡±


    After getting up, Fu An looked at Mu long and Mu Lin with a mocking smile.


    However, his celebration was cut short when a beautiful sapphire orb of flames smashed into Fu An¡¯s face!


    It hit him hard!


    ¨C 1219!

 Chapter 40 - Zeng Jiangs Defensive Prowess!

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    1219!


    The moment the damage value popped up from Fu An¡¯s body.


    Everyone present, including the level 28 Xu Fenghua, was stunned.


    ¡°What¡­ What is this!?¡±


    Noticing that he had lost nearly half of his health bar, Fu An¡¯s pupils instantly dilated!


    Half of his health bar!


    This sh*tty brat managed to reduce half of my health bar!


    How is that possible?!


    He¡¯s level 15!


    There¡¯s no mistaking it, he¡¯s definitely level 15!


    At this moment, Fu An¡¯s mind raced with with various unbelievable thoughts.


    Sure, Fu An¡¯s stats might have leaned towards having high Attack but low Defense, in the end, Su Chen was only level 15!


    Despite using a starter skill, Su Chen had managed to destroy half of Fu An¡¯s health bar!


    After all, despite all the stat points he had allocated to his Attack, Fu An¡¯s skill damage had only managed to reach about 700 points!


    ¡°Zeng Jiang!¡±


    Fu An shouted frantically as an indication for Zeng Jiang to change tactics!


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Upon hearing his party member¡¯s shout,


    Zeng Jiang understood and immediately activated his [ Shield Tremor ] skill, allowing to inflict 200+ damage to Xue Feng whilst shaking him off at the same time!


    He hurriedly made his way to Fu An¡¯s position and readied himself to bear his ally¡¯s brunt of the damage!


    He did not expect the level 15 brat to be able to inflict such massive damage!


    The strongest person in his opponent¡¯s party was not the level 21 Heavy Swordsman Xue Feng, nor the level 18 Crossbowman Mu Lin, it was the level 15 brat!


    When the three of them arrived at the scene, it was just moments before Xue Feng and the rest of his party would take down the level 25 Boss.


    It was for this reason that they had targeted the Boss first before the players. Otherwise, they would have gone the safer route and killed Xue Feng¡¯s party while they were fighting against the Boss.


    Due to this, however, they were unable to determine who was the actual damage dealer in Xue Feng¡¯s party.


    Zeng Jiang assumed that it was the level 18 [ Crossbowman ], Mu Lin, but it was in fact, the level 15 Mage!


    His full set of green rank equipment had given him a massive power spike. By normal standards, even a level 20 Mage would find it difficult to inflict such a huge amount of damage!


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right, Jiang.¡±


    ¡°That Mage¡¯s damage is even higher than mine!¡±


    The moment the two of them regrouped, Fu An whispered to Zeng Jiang while staring at Su Chen in the distance.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either. Besides, isn¡¯t [ Fireball ] the starter skill of Fire Mages?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with this kid?¡±


    Although Zeng Jiang was now taking the battle a little more seriously,


    He was still considered to be quite lax with the situation, all things considered. After all, they had Xu Fenghua, a level 28 [ Bowman ] standing behind them.


    The only reason why Xu Fenghua was not making a move was because Zeng Jiang and Fu An were practicing their coordination in a 2-man cell. Xu Fennghua¡¯s job was to merely serve as a trump card should any trouble arise.


    ¡°Did you see his equipment?¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know when that anonymous kid reached level 15, but ever since he swapped out his old equipment for four new pieces of level 15 equipment, he received a massive power spike.¡±


    ¡°Plus, I have a feeling that this kid is putting all his skill points into his starter skill Otherwise, he would¡¯ve followed up his [ Fireball ] with the other Mage skills. He probably didn¡¯t invest too much skill points into them, thus, they aren¡¯t really cost-effective, mana-wise.¡±


    Fu An theorized the reason behind his opponent¡¯s high damage.


    ¡°Another troublesome thing is that since starter skills will automatically lock onto their targets, you need to personally intercept the attack for me later.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do against it with my [ Roll ] skill.¡±


    Zeng Jiang quickly nodded, ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    Zeng Jiang was the leader and the core member of the three-man party. With Fu An and Xu Fenghua being responsible for dealing damage, Zeng Jiang¡¯s job was to tank any attacks coming their way!


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±


    The two of them had just finished communicating when they suddenly spotted blue flames hurtling towards them!


    Zeng Jiang shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this!¡±