Chapter 9
Chapter 9
“How is that possible?!”
After the first shock passed, Lin Tao found it impossible to believe. “He’s only Level 10. He barely meets the requirements for class advancement and only just teleported from a tutorial village to a town…”
He left the rest unspoken.
Everyone understood what he meant.
A normal adventurer might not even reach a Class Hall in the time it had taken Zhou Ming to develop a custom-created class!
The old man had nothing to say.
In truth, even he found his own conclusion hard to believe.
“Whether one can develop a custom-created class after touching that treasure has little to do with time,” another expert traveling with them interjected. “The boy was simply lucky and stumbled across the trick to passing the trial.”
“Agreed.”
The other two nodded. That explanation seemed close enough to the truth.
…
Within Gloom Gorge, the raging flames had burned away every trace of mist.
Wrapped in a layer of dazzling, comforting fire, Zhou Ming felt more refreshed than ever before. His entire body seemed to have undergone a thorough cleansing, leaving him exceptionally light.
The violent negative emotions inside him gradually subsided.
After a long while, the flames dispersed. At last, a system chime like music from heaven rang in Zhou Ming’s ears.
“Ding!”
[System: Empowered by an unknown force, you have successfully created an exclusive SSS-Rank hidden class. Rewards: Permanent HP +1,000, Permanent Attack +100, Permanent Defense +100, and Permanent Luck +2!]
“Ding!”
[System: Based on its class traits, this class has been provisionally named [Flame Demon Lord]!]
“Ding!”
[System: As the first player on the server to complete class advancement, you receive the following bonus rewards: Free Attribute Points +10, Fame +1,000, and the rare A-Rank skill [Rending Slash]!]
“Ding!”
[System: Would you like to reveal the legend you have created on the Destiny Continent? (Note: If revealed, it will be visible to all players.)]
…
The flood of messages left Zhou Ming dazzled and deliriously happy.
He could not process all the information at once, but one thing was perfectly clear.
He was about to soar straight into the heavens!
“Congratulations!” Qianying said with a dimpled smile, sincerely delighted for him.
Everything had gone more smoothly than she could have imagined.
She had expected Zhouyou Shijie to spend at least several days slowly feeling his way toward the threshold. Instead, he had succeeded spectacularly on his second attempt.
Of course, a custom-created class was not something completed in a single step. For now, Zhouyou Shijie had merely earned the right to begin walking that path.
“Pure luck!”
Zhou Ming’s grin nearly stretched to his ears.
An exclusive SSS-Rank hidden class was guaranteed to be absurdly powerful.
The enormous permanent stat rewards were also crucial at this early stage. His maximum Attack had only been somewhere in the thirties or forties. The custom-created class rewards had just launched it into an entirely different realm.
He even suspected the developers had never expected any player to obtain rewards this valuable so early in the game.
Developers with souls truly were a treasure!
Rumble!
Before Zhou Ming could examine his rewards, an immense, majestic pressure crashed down from every direction. Stones jumped across the floor of Gloom Gorge, and every beast dropped flat, too terrified even to breathe.
Zhou Ming’s breath caught. It felt as if a mountain had settled on his back. Both his thoughts and the flow of blood through his body slowed under the weight.
A god-tier expert unleashing their full presence created pressure terrifying enough to stop the heart.
Even a powerful hidden class could not bridge the gap between them.
“They’re here!” Qianying’s beautiful face turned grave.
The disturbance created by Zhouyou Shijie’s successful class advancement had been too enormous. Naturally, it had drawn those god-tier experts straight to them.
“Can we get away?” Zhou Ming asked urgently.
Fortune and disaster went hand in hand.
Zhou Ming knew the God-Demon Orb had brought him an opportunity beyond measure, but that opportunity came with danger.
“I have already prepared an escape route for you,” Qianying said gently.
A sudden unease rose in Zhou Ming. “What about you?”
Qianying did not answer.
Her clear eyes lingered on the young man. Then she placed one pale hand on his shoulder. A faint radiance spread from her palm.
“Whatever your reasons were, thank you for saving me,” she whispered.
“You…”
Before Zhou Ming could finish, a powerful spatial force seized his body. The scene before him changed rapidly. The breathtaking “Ancient Succubus” vanished, replaced by a familiar town.
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered [Qingshui Town]!]
He was back…
After a brief moment of confusion, Zhou Ming understood. This was the escape route Qianying had prepared, keeping him from falling into the hands of the god-tier experts and losing his opportunity.
“Did the story really have to go this way?”
Zhou Ming looked down at the God-Demon Orb in his hand. His excitement drained away, leaving a hollow sense of loss.
Everything Qianying had given him was enough to change his destiny.
Yet he still did not understand why she protected him so carefully, even at the cost of placing herself in danger.
Calling it repayment for saving her life did not feel entirely accurate.
“Ding!”
[System: Complete [God or Demon at a Thought] (Difficulty: SS)?]
Zhou Ming paused.
If the quest were truly finished, the system should have awarded him automatically. And the God-Demon Orb was undeniably in his possession.
Could it mean…
“The quest isn’t over yet!” Insight flashed through Zhou Ming’s eyes. “I knew a Difficulty SS quest couldn’t be completed that easily!”
If there was still a chance to turn things around, what was he supposed to do next?
Rescue Qianying in front of a crowd of god-tier experts?
Damn it!
That sounded a little unrealistic!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Faint tremors suddenly rolled through the ground. Even from tens of thousands of miles away, the aftershocks of a battle between god-tier experts reached Qingshui Town. Their strength defied imagination.
“What do I do?”
Zhou Ming’s mind raced as he searched for a plan.
If the system had already revealed all the necessary story information, then something in his experience had to offer a way out of this situation.
Had he overlooked a crucial clue?
A crucial clue…
Inspiration struck.
He had it!
…
Back in Gloom Gorge, surging elemental power had devastated the landscape.
The battle between god-tier experts had reduced the area to shattered ruins in moments.
“These old monsters arrived at exactly the right time,” Lin Tao’s master cursed inwardly.
The region now held far more than the three god-tier experts who had accompanied him. Over a dozen more had converged from every direction.
The disturbance caused by the boy’s class advancement had simply been too great.
Now the Divine Ember Queen had nowhere to run, but any benefits would have to be divided among them all.
“I told you tens of thousands of years ago. Using me to increase your strength is nothing but a fantasy!” Qianying was badly injured. She could not contend with so many experts of her own level alone.
“Little girl, this is not the past. No one can save you now!”
“Even if this old man must refine you into a puppet, I will force your power to serve!”
“Calamity is approaching. Who has the luxury of caring about methods anymore?”
…
They surrounded Qianying and prepared their techniques, intent on ending the battle quickly.
“Wait!”
At the critical moment, a sharp call came from the distance.
Everyone turned.
A young man was hurrying toward them.
When Qianying recognized him, her face grew even paler.
Why had he come back?
…