Chapter 91
Chapter 91
“Come to think of it…”
Lin Zhongshan seemed to recall something important. Uncertainty entered his voice. “With Zhouyou Shijie’s strength rising so quickly, could he already be capable of bringing some of Destiny’s power…”
He left the rest unsaid.
No one present needed him to finish the sentence.
“Surely not,” someone replied. “No matter how strong Zhouyou Shijie is, the upper limit of the combat power he’s demonstrated is only equivalent to two or three Radiant Bosses. Whether he could defeat a War Soul Boss is still unknown.”
“Perhaps I’m overthinking it.” Lin Zhongshan nodded.
Obtaining power from Destiny was no easy feat.
In theory, the peculiar dimensional wall between the game and reality would strip away all power. Only after someone became strong enough would they have a chance of barely bringing a portion of it through.
…
The next day…
Zhou Ming had never cared about the internet’s discussions of Zhouyou Shijie. After eating his fill, he resumed his journey.
Whoosh!
Brilliant white light flashed, and he reappeared in Juyan City.
After a full night of restoration, much of the damage to the city had been repaired. The bones littering its streets had also been cleared away, and the horrifying scene outside the walls was gradually fading.
Zhou Ming opened his inventory and continued inspecting the equipment he had not had time to review yesterday.
[Gloomlight Sword] (Radiant)
[Gloomlight Ring] (Radiant)
[Qingshui Spear] (Radiant)
[Silver Spirit Armor] (Radiant)
…
The equipment dropped by Lin Tao and Lu Pingyong was quite impressive.
Lin Tao’s drops were especially generous. Not only had he delivered a superb weapon, but he had also dropped a rare ring.
“Ying’er.”
Zhou Ming could barely contain his excitement. “Help me enhance this equipment.”
It was long past time to retire the Firecloud Sword!
Now, a new sword and ring would bring a qualitative change to his Attack.
“All right!”
Qianying agreed. White energy flowed from the God-Demon Orb and gradually enhanced the Gloomlight Sword, Gloomlight Ring, and Silver Spirit Armor. All three rose to King tier, granting truly explosive stats.
[Gloomlight Sword] (King)
Attack: 3,500-4,000
Bonus: Base Attack +500
Trait: Attack +80%, Attack Speed +80%
Trait: Armor Pierce, attacks ignore 5% of the target’s Defense.
Effect: Violent, Crit Rate +10%
Special Skill: [Soul-Cleaving Strike]
Required Level: 65
Required Fame: 2,000
Description: A superb sword personally crafted by Undead Archmage · Eric. He bestowed it upon Lin Tao in hopes of giving him a better chance of killing Zhouyou Shijie.
[Soul-Cleaving Strike]: Deals 350% damage to a single enemy and Stuns the target for 1 second.
…
“!!”
Zhou Ming beamed with delight.
An upper Attack limit of 4,000, plus an additional 500. After percentage bonuses were included, this sword alone would grant him 8,100 Attack, directly exceeding his current total panel Attack!
“What a sword! What a sword!”
Zhou Ming could hardly put it down. He equipped it without hesitation, then examined the ring and armor, which had also finished evolving.
[Gloomlight Ring] (King)
Attack: 700-800
HP: 15,000
Bonus: Light Resistance +5%
Trait: Attack +35%, HP +40%
Trait: Explosion, each attack increases damage by 2%, stacking up to 5 times.
Special Skill: [Cruel Combo]
Required Level: 65
Required Fame: 1,800
Description: An expensive ring set with a Gloomlight Gem. The profound runes within can bring its wearer tremendous advantages.
[Cruel Combo] (S Rank): Launches at least 3 consecutive attacks against a single enemy. Every additional 50% Attack Speed grants one extra attack.
…
[Silver Spirit Armor] (King)
Defense: 1,500-1,650
HP: 20,000
Trait: Defense +80%, HP +50%
Effect: Advanced Tenacity, Tenacity +20%
Effect: Battle, all Elemental Resistances +3%
Effect: Robust, chance of receiving a critical hit -15%
Required Level: 60
Required Fame: 1,200
Description: Although its materials are nothing remarkable, this armor remains exceptionally sturdy because it was forged by the dwarf smith Colin.
…
After Qianying’s enhancements, both items could be considered minor masterpieces.
Zhou Ming retired the Wolf King Ring gifted to him by the novice village chief, then replaced his Amethyst Armor with the Silver Spirit Armor. With his entire loadout transformed, his overall strength soared.
[Flame Venerable · Zhouyou Shijie] (Flame Demon Lord)
Level: 65
HP: 319,440
Attack: 18,126-19,769
Defense: 10,933-11,513
Fame: 5,540
Luck: 9
Skills: [Warlord] [Command] [Dawnbringer] [Rending Slash] [Greater Fireball] [Demonic Flame Armor] [Holy Flame Purification] [Flame Dragon Roar] [Flame Soul Art] [Shadowless Step] [Blood Sacrifice]
Description: Growing beneath the watchful eyes of the gods, he advances among a dance of demons. That which he desires lies above the clouds.
Elemental Resistances: Metal 3% / Wood 3% / Water 3% / Fire 100% / Earth 3% / Wind 3% / Lightning 3% / Light 8% / Dark 3%
…
Terrifying!
Zhou Ming’s blood surged with excitement.
Forget his enormous collection of skills. His panel stats alone were now enough to completely overwhelm a Radiant Boss!
If only someone would volunteer to help me test my damage right now…
Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, a notification rang from his friends list.
“Hmm?”
Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow. He had never expected this “friend,” whom he had not contacted in ages, to reach out on their own.
Gaibang Laoer: “You there? You there?”
“What is it?”
“Our boss wants to talk to you in private. He isn’t on your friends list, so he asked me to pass along the message.”
Gaibang Laoda wants to see me?
After thinking it over, Zhou Ming replied, “Tell him to come to Juyan City if he wants to meet.”
He had completely fallen out with the Light Faction. Going into its territory now would be no different from walking into a trap.
“Our boss just sent you a friend request. Accept it!”
“Sure.”
…
Zhou Ming found Gaibang Laoda among his blocked friend notifications and accepted the request.
“Ding!”
[You have successfully added Star Sentinel · Gaibang Laoda as a friend!]
“I’m not here to cause trouble. Give me ten minutes or so!”
“Fine.”
After that brief exchange, Gaibang Laoda arrived in Juyan City as promised.
“What is this about? Why did we have to speak face-to-face?” Zhou Ming asked bluntly.
They were more enemies than friends, after all. Any attempt at small talk would only make things awkward for both of them.
Gaibang Laoda looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice. “My father asked me to pass on a warning. Be careful for the time being. It would be best if you moved to a residential community with stronger security.”
“…”
Zhou Ming frowned. “Is that supposed to be a warning or a threat?”
“A warning, of course!”
Gaibang Laoda hurried to explain. “Let me make one thing clear. No matter how deep the Gaibang Guild’s grudge against you is inside the game, it stays inside the game. We have no intention of taking revenge offline.”
“So you’re saying someone wants to come after me offline?” Zhou Ming’s heart tightened.
In the game, his current strength gave him confidence that almost no player could match him. In reality, however, he was still an ordinary person. If a weapon-wielding attacker caught him by surprise, his life would be in danger.
“That’s right!”
Gaibang Laoda nodded firmly. “The information came from my father, so it should be reliable. The enemy is most likely from the Sakura Region, and the method they plan to use is…”
His voice trailed off, hesitation crossing his face.
…