Chapter 31
Chapter 31
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have completed [Trial of the Seven Sins – Sin of Pride] and comprehended the exclusive Flame Demon Lord skill [Demonic Flame Armor]!]
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have completed [Trial of the Seven Sins – Sin of Pride] and unlocked the exclusive Flame Demon Lord ability [Heaven’s Defiance]!]
…
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Killing a Silver boss thirty-two levels above him granted an overwhelming amount of EXP. It filled his bar three times in succession and launched Zhou Ming straight to Level 31.
His level was secondary, however. What truly gratified Zhou Ming was that clearing the first gate of the Trial of the Seven Sins had finally granted him a skill belonging to his exclusive hidden class in the truest sense.
Every previous technique had come from somewhere else. Rending Slash and Blazing Heaven Sword originated from system rewards. Greater Fireball came from a store purchase. Warlord might be closely tied to his class, but it was still a benefit triggered by reaching the required Infamy.
Only the Trial of the Seven Sins was different!
It had appeared on his skill list immediately after his class advancement, clearly telling him that the Flame Demon Lord’s many powers lay within. He simply needed sufficient ability to claim them.
For the moment, however, Zhou Ming had no time to inspect the changes to his skill list. He turned a cold gaze toward the enemy facing Qianying.
That sword energy had arrived at precisely the worst possible time. Its wielder had clearly intended to sever Zhou Ming’s path forward.
Following Qianying’s line of sight, Zhou Ming saw an elder in blue robes.
[Hero of Water ยท Shui Zhanqiu] (God-Tier NPC)
“You old bastard. It’s you again!”
Intense killing intent smoldered inside Zhou Ming.
This man had opposed him again and again. Shui Zhanqiu had long since earned a place on his must-kill list!
“What a pity!”
Seeing how dramatically Zhouyou Shijie’s strength had grown, Shui Zhanqiu looked deeply dissatisfied. “Little bastard, the Divine Ember Queen cannot protect you forever!”
“I won’t need forever to kill you!” Zhou Ming shot back.
“Hmph!”
Shui Zhanqiu snorted and swept his sleeves before leaving.
Further words were pointless!
This time, he had merely acted in passing. The next time, Zhou Ming would not be so fortunate.
Zhou Ming watched him leave with a cold gaze, then collected the spoils.
The man’s reappearance was only a minor interruption. It could not disrupt his rhythm.
“I can’t believe even a mysterious, ultra-powerful NPC attacked Zhouyou Shijie!”
“He skipped too many levels. The company must have finally lost patience and decided to punish him!”
“He can act impressive now, but once Tier 2 cities open and all the experts gather, let’s see how long he stays arrogant!”
…
The spectators watched Zhouyou Shijie collect the boss’s drops with particularly complicated feelings. Some admired him, while others burned with jealousy.
After all, soloing a monster more than thirty levels above himself on the fourth day after launch defied imagination.
Beep! Beep!
Tingfeng Xiyu sent a message. “Boss, you’re incredible! 666!”
“It’s all thanks to you for finding such a slow-moving boss. Otherwise, I might genuinely have failed,” Zhou Ming replied, returning the compliment. “Tomorrow, meet me in a Level 40 to 50 area. We’ll grind together!”
“Hehe. Then I’ll thank you in advance, boss!”
…
After closing the chat window, Zhou Ming started back.
Along the way, he opened his skill list and read with intense anticipation.
[Demonic Flame Armor] (Exclusive S-Rank Skill)
[Description: One of Flame Demon Lord’s exclusive skills. Condenses fire elements to protect and empower the user.]
[Skill Effect: Don Demonic Flame Armor, increasing Toughness by 50% and immediately gaining a shield equal to 30% of maximum HP. May be canceled at any time.]
[Additional Effect: While this skill remains active, damage dealt by all forms of attack increases by 50%.]
[Duration: 2 minutes]
[Cooldown: 5 minutes after the armor state ends.]
[Growth Potential]
…
Powerful!
Absurdly powerful!
Zhou Ming’s heart surged as he read. He nearly laughed aloud.
Demonic Flame Armor perfectly filled the defensive gap in his skill set, bringing his survival ability to another level. And that was before considering its further increase to his damage output.
Its truly outrageous feature, however, was Toughness +50%!
What did that mean?
While wearing Demonic Flame Armor, every Knockup, Stun, Knockback, Immobilize, and other control effect inflicted on Zhou Ming would have its duration cut in half.
The further the game progressed, the greater this ability’s advantage would become.
He then shifted his attention to Trial of the Seven Sins and discovered that it had changed as well.
[Trial of the Seven Sins] (???)
[Description: Only one who endures the cardinal sins at their utmost extreme may become a true Demon Lord.]
[Sin of Pride: Demonic Flame Armor]
[Sin of Envy: Awaiting Activation. Will activate automatically in 48 hours.]
[Sin of Wrath: ???]
[Sin of Sloth: ???]
[Sin of Greed: ???]
[Sin of Gluttony: ???]
[Sin of Lust: ???]
…
“So that’s how it works!”
Zhou Ming pondered the revelation. “Perhaps every trial I clear will let me comprehend a skill and unlock an ability!”
Remembering something, Zhou Ming searched his skill list, but the exclusive ability mentioned by the system was nowhere to be found.
Where had it gone?
He immediately opened his other panels and eventually found the answer on his class panel.
[Heaven’s Defiance] (Exclusive Ability)
[Description: Anything that fails to defeat me will only make me stronger.]
[Ability Effect: After binding, advances one non-exclusive skill into an exclusive skill and greatly increases its power. Exact increase depends on the user’s strength. The bound skill may be changed.]
[Cooldown: 3 days]
…
Zhou Ming fell silent.
He felt he had still underestimated Flame Demon Lord’s true strength.
The Sin of Pride alone had increased his power this dramatically. He could not begin to imagine what outrageous abilities the later trials might offer.
“This road is harder than ascending to the heavens,” Qianying explained, as if she knew what Zhou Ming was thinking. “But every step forward will bring an enormous improvement.”
“Right!”
Zhou Ming nodded in complete agreement.
“At the same time, you can no longer turn back.” After a moment’s hesitation, Qianying still chose to tell him the consequence.
“I know!”
Zhou Ming looked up at the sky. The night was filled with stars, beautiful beyond description.
“But when opportunity lies right before my eyes and the chance to change my fate is within reach, I would look down on myself if I retreated!”
Trial of the Seven Sins could not be disabled.
Even if he refused to activate the next trial, it would begin automatically when the timer ended.
It was as if an invisible hand forced him onward. Even if an abyss of hell waited ahead, he would still have to leap into it.
Unless…
He completed the entire Trial of the Seven Sins!
According to Qianying, many people had possessed the God-Demon Orb before him, including no shortage of breathtaking geniuses. Yet all of them had eventually fallen before its brutal trials.
How far Zhou Ming could go, and whether he could surpass the predecessors from the game’s history, even he did not know.
As the two spoke, a system chime sounded beside his ear.
“Ding!”
[System: A player has reached Level 30. The Rankings system is now open!]
“Ding!”
[System: The Top-Up system is now open!]
The Rankings had opened at a moment he never expected!
Zhou Ming’s heart stirred. He opened the relevant interface and found multiple lists available for inspection.
Level Rankings!
Talent Rankings!
Pet Rankings!
Equipment Rankings!
…
“The arms race is about to begin!”
Zhou Ming was certain wealthy players would spend like mad to put themselves on the rankings.
Without hesitation, he opened the Level Rankings.
…