"This is..." Yu Zhun stared blankly at the reward details, a look of surprise crossing his face. It was actually a selectable Lv5 Master Level equipment!
Although its equipment level was lower than his current gear, they were in completely different leagues. Lv10 Master Level equipment had a chance to drop as long as one subjugated the three major Bosses of the Newbie Area. While expensive, it could be bought with enough money. However, there was absolutely no conventional way to obtain Lv5 Master Level equipment!
A piece of Master Level equipment that Lv5 players could wear would provide a massive advantage when facing the Newbie Area's three major Bosses. Players who otherwise couldn't obtain a Nether Trial invitation might very well rely on a single piece of Master Level equipment to gain the strength to solo the three major Bosses before reaching Lv10, thereby earning a chance to enter the Nether Trial! If sold, it would inevitably cause quite a stir!
However...
"I'm not selling this." Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Zhun quickly made his decision. He couldn't use it, but Yu Zhuzhu definitely could in the future.
Selecting [Proceed to the Next Layer], Yu Zhun felt his feet touch solid ground once more.
"SWISH!"
The moment he steadied himself, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Was it an archer again on this layer?
This thought had barely crossed his mind when his expression drastically changed. The arrow was so fast! Before he could even use [Sword Dance] to dodge, the projectile slammed into his body. Even though he activated [Phantom] in time, his health still instantly dropped by a sixth.
This damage?!
Stomping his foot, Yu Zhun's figure darted into the darkness like a ghost. He wanted to see just who his opponent on this layer was. Soon, after dodging volley after volley of arrows, he got a clear look at his adversary. It was a Demonized Orc archer, clearly much better equipped than the previous ones and clad in Light Armor.
[Elite Demonized Orc Archer (Lv15)]
[Attributes:
Life: 40,000
Mana: 800
Physical Attack: 1,000
Magic Attack: 0
Physical Defense: 180
Magic Defense: 180]
Yu Zhun was speechless. Alright, alright, alright... It had a long name, so it was badass! So the enemies on the first five layers were just mobs, and this was where the Elite Monsters appeared, right?
Gripping the [Dark Blood-Drinking Dagger], Yu Zhun embodied an Open and Aboveboard Assassin.
"My name is Yu Zhun, remember that..."
***
"Rank 83 on the Talent Leaderboard..." The teacup in Ji Ruoxu's hand trembled slightly, spilling a few drops of tea onto the table. Fortunately, he had long since lost the mood to read. The book that had been wet earlier had already been set aside to be wiped and dried, avoiding further damage.
However, Ji Ruoxu didn't rush to wipe the table. Instead, he looked up at the wall clock. He understood what this meant. "From rank 89, it suddenly jumped to 85, and then jumped again to 83...
"The first jump was for passing the fifth layer, killing five Demonized Orcs of different professions in a 1v5.
"The second jump was for passing the 6th Layer, killing the Elite Demonized Orc Archer..."
There were quite a few people who could achieve this. But...
"He actually cleared the 6th Layer in just five minutes."
One minute per layer?
Having entered the Nether Trial during his newbie phase and obtained the first-stage title himself, Ji Ruoxu knew perfectly well how absurd this speed was. The effect of this new SSS-rank talent, [Open and Aboveboard], was very likely even stronger than he had imagined.
"The Talent Leaderboard not revealing the talent owners is a Double-Edged Sword," Ji Ruoxu sighed.
If it were made public, the Divine Revelation Hall could find the owners of SSS-rank talents much faster, protecting them and allocating maximum resources to them. But this also meant that the SSS-rank talent owners who had yet to grow into their power would immediately fall into the crosshairs of those with malicious intent.
"The burden on us old geezers is heavy, and the pressure is immense." Ji Ruoxu picked up a rag and gently wiped away the spilled tea on the table. "I just hope this junior can grow up as soon as possible and shoulder some of it for us.
"The tragedy of the past must not happen again."
***
[Congratulations on successfully passing the tenth layer of the Nether Trial!]
[Current Stage Rewards: EXP +3,000, Selectable Lv10 Master Level Equipment x1, Equipment Enhancement Stone x30!]
[All stage rewards can be claimed upon leaving.]
[Leave] [Proceed to the Next Layer]
"Expected as much," Yu Zhun shrugged. After clearing the 6th Layer and 7th Layer, he was already certain that the second half of the first ten layers was a repeat of the first five, with the only difference being that the normal mobs had turned into Elite Monsters. The rewards for the 6th Layer through the 9th Layer were all 1,500 EXP, a selectable Lv10 Elite-grade equipment, and 15 Equipment Enhancement Stones. Upon reaching the tenth layer, the other rewards doubled, and the equipment was upgraded to a selectable Lv10 Master Level equipment...
"Not even as good as the Lv5 ones," Yu Zhun curled his lips. Let's see what the next layer will be. Following the sequence of normal mobs to Elite Monsters to Bosses, it should be a Boss's turn next. Directly teleporting to the next layer, Yu Zhun got his answer.
An incredibly bloated Beastman—sitting on a massive Bone Throne made of unknown beast bones, standing over ten meters tall, and looking like a giant green ball of flesh—shot Yu Zhun a contemptuous glance. It slowly stood up and pulled out the giant Wolf Fang Club stuck in the ground beside it.
[Demonized Orc Commander (Lv20)]
[Attributes:
Life: 80,000
Mana: 10,000
Physical Attack: 1,200
Magic Attack: 1,200
Physical Defense: 500
Magic Defense: 500]
[Skill 1 (Sweep): Sweeps with the Wolf Fang Club, dealing physical damage to all targets in a fan-shaped area and knocking them airborne.]
[Skill 2 (Bone Calamity): Summons a bone spike array, dealing magic damage to all targets in the area and rooting them in place.]
[Skill 3 (Troop Calamity): When Life Value falls below 50%, immediately summons 10 Demonized Orcs and 5 Elite Demonized Orcs to assist in combat.]
Yu Zhun was dumbfounded. Wasn't this Boss a bit too ridiculous? It was one thing for Skills 1 and 2 to deal physical and magic damage, respectively, along with two different hard crowd control effects, but what the hell was Skill 3? It could even call for backup when at half health?
Eh? Wait a minute...
He had One-Hit Kill!
Then it was fine.
His smile gradually turning arrogant, Yu Zhun raised the dagger in his hand.
"My name is Yu Zhun..."
[Life -80,000]
Looking at the Demonized Orc Commander collapsing with a loud crash, Yu Zhun stepped forward, walking straight toward the Teleportation Array right behind it.
[Congratulations on successfully passing the eleventh layer of the Nether Trial!]
[Current Stage Rewards: EXP +10,000, Selectable Lv15 Master Level Equipment x3, Equipment Enhancement Stone x100, Equipment Upgrade Stone x10, Lucky Talisman x1, Title: Nether Apostle!]
[Nether Apostle (Purple): Increases three selectable attributes by 20%.]
[All stage rewards can be claimed upon leaving.]
[Leave] [Proceed to the Next Layer]
"Three pieces of selectable Lv15 Master Level equipment." Yu Zhun revealed a look of pleasant surprise. "My equipment for the next stage is complete.
"Equipment Upgrade Stones can increase the level of equipment, allowing useful gear to level up alongside the player without becoming obsolete.
"Lucky Talismans can increase the success rate of enhancement and upgrading.
"They're all good stuff.
"However..."
Yu Zhun looked at his new title, [Nether Apostle], and fell deep into thought. This had to be a hidden title, right? What would come next if he continued downward?