Chapter 66: Level 25 Stats, DPS Breaks 2 Billion!
Su Chen walked over to the pool of green pus.
The dark golden light appeared exceptionally glaring against the gloomy, bone-covered ground.
Without hesitation, he reached out and scooped up all the loot on the ground.
[Notification: Obtained [Abyssal Knight Battle Axe (Gold Level)].]
[Notification: Obtained [Ruined Bone Chestplate (Gold Level)].]
[Notification: Obtained [Undead Monarch Ring (Dark Gold Level)].]
[Notification: Obtained [Undead Fire (Rare materials)].]
[Notification: Obtained Gold Coins * 86810.]
...
Three pieces of equipment, two Gold and one Dark Gold.
Su Chen first tapped on the stat panels of the two Gold Level pieces of equipment.
[Abyssal Knight Battle Axe (Gold Level)]: Level 25, Strength + 200, Warrior-type class, Strength + 15%, Additional Affix: 5% chance to trigger [Severe Injury] effect upon attacking.
[Ruined Bone Chestplate (Gold Level)]: Level 25, Stamina + 150, No class restriction, Stamina + 15%, Additional Affix: 5% chance to reflect 10% of physical damage when hit.
After reading the attributes of these two pieces of equipment, Su Chen twitched his lips.
As expected.
It is very difficult to drop equipment for one's own class.
The battle axe is naturally for Warriors; Su Chen can't exactly go around hacking people with an axe.
The chestplate doesn't have a class restriction, but he already has the Epic Level robe that dropped earlier, so he naturally doesn't care for a Gold Level chestplate.
Su Chen unceremoniously threw these two pieces of equipment into his storage space.
Subsequently, he turned his gaze to the final ring, which emitted a rich dark golden light.
The ring was crafted entirely from some unknown black metal, and a gray gem that pulsed like ghostly fire was embedded on the ring face.
With a thought, Su Chen opened its attribute panel.
[Undead Monarch Ring (Dark Gold Level)]
[Grade: Epic Level]
[Usage Requirement: Level 25]
[Mental Strength + 300]
[Additional Affix 1: Mental Strength + 10%]
[Additional Affix 2: Immortal Aura (Passive): When any of your summons die, there is a 50% chance they will immediately revive at full status.]
...
"Hiss——"
The moment Su Chen saw the panel clearly, his eyes lit up sharply.
Mental Strength increased by 300 points, plus an additional 10%.
With his current attribute values, the percentage bonus was already very substantial.
But what excited Su Chen the most was that additional passive skill.
50% chance for summons to revive!
"This actually dropped the BOSS's skill."
Su Chen didn't expect to directly drop the BOSS's second skill.
If this equipment were given to those Summoners, they would probably fight tooth and nail for it.
He immediately looked at the two rings on his hands.
On his left hand was the Gold Level [Shadow Dancer Ring].
It came with a life-saving skill that created illusions and forced taunts; this was one of his trump cards when facing high-Level Assassins or sudden crises, so he couldn't replace it yet.
On his right hand was the Black Iron Level [Summoning Ring].
It only increased Mental Strength by a small amount, and a negligible summon HP + 100, which had long since failed to keep up with his current strength.
He didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately pulling off the Black Iron Level [Summoning Ring] from his right hand and tossing it into his backpack.
Then, he put on the [Undead Monarch Ring].
Feeling his Mental Strength fill up by a large margin once again, Su Chen rubbed his hands together.
"Let's test it out."
Su Chen had always been a man of action.
With a thought, he summoned over a dozen [Corrosive Snake Guard] on the open ground a dozen meters ahead.
The dark green Snake Guard broke through the soil, their snake heads at the top staring blankly ahead.
"Alright, let's start the test."
"Target locked, the lonely Snake Guard in front. Fire."
"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!"
More than a dozen Snake Guard mercilessly spat lethal venom at their own kind.
"- 2786"
"- 2774"
"- 2802"
"..."
Su Chen's current Stamina value was pitifully low, and the Snake Guard's HP and defense were negligible.
The HP bar of the Snake Guard being focused fired was instantly emptied.
With a "crack," it shattered and turned into green liquid, seeping into the ground.
Su Chen stared at that pool of green liquid for three seconds.
No reaction.
"It didn't revive."
He curled his lip.
"Is it not working? Or am I just unlucky?"
He ordered the dozen or so Snake Guard nearby to continue focusing fire on one of them.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"
Another dense barrage of venom attacks.
The newly summoned Snake Guard shattered once again.
But this time.
"Hum——"
Just at the moment the stone was about to turn into green liquid, the gray gem on the ring flashed sharply.
A burst of gray energy instantly enveloped the shattered green liquid.
In just half a second, the pool of green liquid rapidly reorganized as if time were rewinding.
"Hiss, hiss——"
A brand new [Corrosive Snake Guard] stood upright in place once again!
Full health!
[Notification: Triggered [Monarch's Will], your summon has revived!]
"Useful!"
Su Chen looked at the revived Snake Guard and smiled with satisfaction.
"A 50% chance is equivalent to indirectly raising the survival rate and quantity of my Snake Guard by a tier."
"When encountering super-large AOE that clears the screen, as long as it isn't multi-stage damage, I have nothing to fear."
"..."
Even if they are all cleared at once, half of the Snake Guardcan still revive on the spot.
Su Chen stroked his chin, looking at the surrounding Corrosive Snake Guard, and couldn't help but sigh.
"But having said that... this combat system is truly becoming more and more chaotic."
Su Chen put on the Abyssal Dragon-Language Robe from his backpack and checked his attributes.
[Su Chen]
[Class: Poison Mage (SSS Level Unique Hidden)]
[Level: 25]
[Strength: 34]
[Agility: 52]
[Stamina: 53]
[Mental Strength: 6926]
[Class Exclusive Traits: Decay of All Things, God of Poison, Doom Siphon, Slowing Poison Miasma]
[Skills: Scouting Spell (Elementary), Corrosive Snake Guard, Light of Concealment, Myriad Poison Explosion]
[Current Poison: 17281 Layers]
[Equipment: burst staff (Black Iron Level), Abyssal Dragon-Language Robe (Epic Level), Bloodthirsty Pigskin Leggings (Bronze Level), Undead Monarch Ring (Dark Gold Level Equipment), Tough Gargoyle Necklace (Silver Level), Shadow Dancer Ring (Gold Level), Abyssal HellhoundGauntlets (Gold Level), Hellhound Skull (Gold Level), perception-blocking badge (Dark Gold Level), Nine-Dragon Purple Gold Medal (Epic Level), Abyssal Day-End Hood (Dark Gold Level)]
...
Hiss!
He didn't know until he looked; Su Chen hadn't expected his attributes to have become so monstrous.
"Now the Poison DOT damage per second... is 119,688,206 points!"
"The duration is 20 seconds, so the damage of Myriad Poison Explosion is 2,393,764,120!"
"Holy crap, two billion?!"
Su Chen was startled by the number he calculated.
This damage... who could withstand it?
Su Chen shook his head and glanced at the empty great hall.
The BOSS had been dealt with, and the loot had been counted.
The clearance teleportation array for the Throne of Wailingwas now slowly lighting up in the center of the plain.
...
Outside the entrance to the Secret Realm, it was still noisy.
The Lean Man selling guides was pulling at a newly arrived squad, spitting as he promoted the parchment in his hand.
"Bosses, I'm not lying to you, the situation inside this [Throne of Wailing] is absolutely tragic."
"A lone wolf who wasn't afraid of death just went in a moment ago; by now, he's probably been chewed into bone fragments by those skeletons."
"Buying a guide is buying your life!"
"..."
Just then, the dilapidated black stone gate suddenly emitted a violent tremor.
"Hum——"
The originally slowly rotating dark red vortex instantly became dim in color.
The surrounding noise instantly quieted down, and everyone turned their heads in unison to look at the portal that was gradually losing its luster.
"White light?! What happened?!"
"Wait, the portal is disappearing!! Could it be... someone cleared it?!"
"Impossible! For decades, no one has ever been able to clear the Throne of Wailing!"
"The teams from the major guilds just went in less than ten minutes ago, how could they have cleared it?!"
"..."
Amidst the incredulous gazes of the crowd.
A figure wearing a black hood walked out slowly from the white screen of light.
The Lean Man was stunned.
It was precisely that "poor guy" from just now who wouldn't even buy a guide.
Su Chen brushed off the non-existent dust from his shoulders and glanced at the air that had instantly frozen around him.
Just then, countless figures were spat out by the portal.
"Ouch! Holy crap, what's going on? We just killed a few skeletons and were forcibly spat out!"
"Someone cleared the Secret Realm?! Whose guild is it from?"
"Could it be that the military elite made a move?"
"..."
The parchment in the Lean Man's hand dropped into the mud with a "pat."
His mouth was open, his eyes were wide as copper bells, and the finger he was pointing at Su Chen was trembling.
"You... you..."
He stuttered for a long time, unable to say a complete sentence.
The major guilds were all confused.
It wasn't them who cleared it.
It couldn't possibly... be this kid who cleared it, right?!
Chapter 67: The Pitiful Branch President Zhang Ze, News of the Master Blacksmith
The armored shuttle returned to Tianhe City steadily. Su Chen did not go home, but instead went to the Professionals Chamber of Commerce headquarters.
Twenty minutes later.
Su Chen pushed open the luxurious crystal glass doors of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce hall and walked straight toward the branch president's office.
However.
As he passed the ordinary item sales counter in Zone C, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
He blinked, and his gaze fell upon the person behind the counter who was listlessly wiping the glass.
The person was wearing a slightly cheap, blue-and-white Elementary salesperson uniform of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce, but that iconic face was one Su Chen knew all too well.
The man behind the counter seemed to sense the gaze and instinctively looked up.
When he clearly saw that the person approaching was Su Chen.
He also fell silent.
Su Chen: "..."
Branch President Zhang Ze: "..."
The two stared at each other, separated only by the one-meter-wide glass counter.
An indescribable awkwardness permeated the air.
After a long while, Branch President Zhang Ze's chubby face instantly collapsed, and his eyes were filled with a look of wanting to cry but having no tears.
Su Chen rested his hands on the counter, leaned forward slightly, and asked curiously: "Branch President Zhang, what's up with this outfit of yours... Is it popular for the upper management of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce to go undercover and experience grassroots life now?"
Hearing the words "Branch President Zhang", Branch President Zhang Ze's face twitched violently, and he almost crushed the rag in his hand.
"Don't even mention it, Student Su Chen. Please, stop making fun of me."
Branch President Zhang Ze poured out his grievances with a bitter face: "I'm no longer any kind of branch president; I'm just a bottom-tier salesperson, all thanks to that Bai Zhi!"
"Bai Zhi?"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow.
Of course, he knew Bai Zhi's true identity.
However, these things were classified as state secrets, so naturally, he wouldn't leak them.
A look of appropriate confusion appeared on his face, "The one who used to always make tea in the reception room?"
"Yes! That's her!"
Branch President Zhang Ze gritted his teeth, his lowered voice tinged with lingering fear, "Who could have guessed that the girl who usually looked so well-behaved was actually a mole for the Demon Race!"
Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and the surprise on his face deepened: "A Demon Race mole? Infiltrating the Professionals Chamber of Commerce as a salesperson?"
Branch President Zhang Ze sighed and continued: "Her identity was exposed yesterday, and all of us were taken away by the military for investigation. I was only released this morning."
"Although she escaped, the upper management of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce is absolutely furious!"
"As the branch president of the Tianhe City branch, I didn't even notice a Demon Race mole hiding right under my nose. This black pot was firmly smashed onto my head."
The fat on Branch President Zhang Ze's face quivered: "With a single transfer order from the higher-ups, I was demoted all the way down, from branch president to a salesperson at this crappy counter, and even this year's bonus was completely deducted. If it weren't for the fact that I've worked hard these past few years, I'd probably have lost my job entirely."
"My condolences."
Su Chen offered a perfunctory consolation before immediately cutting to the chase: "Since you're a salesperson now, you should still be able to handle business, right? How did the sale of those Earth-Gradeequipment pieces I consigned with you go?"
Once business was mentioned, Branch President Zhang Zeimmediately put away his miserable expression and regained his shrewdness as a businessman.
Even though he had hit rock bottom, he didn't want to miss out on Su Chen, this super potential stock.
He tapped rapidly on the console in front of him, brought up a data panel, and pushed it toward Su Chen.
"Because the attributes of the equipment you consigned were good and they arrived just before the college entrance exam, they were snatched up by major guilds and wealthy families."
Branch President Zhang Ze pointed at the numbers on the panel, "They sold for a total of 45 million gold coins, far exceeding the average market price!"
"45 million?"
Su Chen's eyes lit up.
In Tianhe City, an ordinary person's monthly salary is only three or four thousand gold coins.
This 45 million, for him at this stage, was definitely a huge sum of money.
However.
When he saw the final settlement amount, his smile froze.
[Final settlement amount: 36 million gold coins]
Su Chen took a deep breath and couldn't help but curl his lip.
Sure enough, in any world, capitalists belong on the lamppost!
Branch President Zhang Ze explained: "We used the emergency channel before, so the handling fee was a bit expensive, but..."
Branch President Zhang Ze operated the screen again.
"Given the huge transaction volume this time, your Professionals Chamber of Commerce VIP Level has been automatically upgraded to Level 2."
"The handling fee is permanently reduced by 4%!"
Branch President Zhang Ze explained, "When you reach a higher VIP Level in the future, this handling fee will continue to decrease."
"Fine, 36 million it is."
Su Chen couldn't be bothered to argue.
He threw all the materials and equipment he had obtained from the college entrance exam dungeon and this job-transfer Secret Realm onto the counter.
"Help me consign these as well. Calculate it with the Level2 VIP handling fee."
Branch President Zhang Ze's eyes swept over the materials on the table, and his pupils shrank sharply.
"Dark Gold-Level equipment?! These attributes... Damn, and these materials, did you kid really steal the Lin family's warehouse?"
Branch President Zhang Ze gasped.
There aren't many people who take Dark Gold-Levelequipment out to sell.
Most guilds can't even distribute them among their own members.
Also, some of these materials... are things that can only be dropped by Epic-Level bosses, right?
"Get lost!"
Su Chen was angry.
Do I look like someone who relies on others for a living?
Even if I, Su Chen, were to starve to death, die outside, or jump off this building, I would never eat a bite of food provided by someone else!
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, as long as the origin is clean, it's fine."
Branch President Zhang Ze quickly put away the materials.
He looked at Su Chen now as if he were looking at a mobile gold mine.
If he could hold onto this thigh tightly, he might still have a chance to turn things around!
Su Chen tapped the counter and said: "In addition, help me check your Professionals Chamber of Commerce's inventory. I need a Mage weapon around Level 25. It must have [Advanced Splash] or a similar attribute that expands the attack range. The quality should preferably be Dark Gold-Level or higher. Money is no object."
After running several dungeons and not having a single Mage weapon drop, he was ready to give up.
He decided to use his money power and just buy one.
Anyway, he had tons of money in his backpack and didn't know what to buy.
"[Advanced Splash]?"
Branch President Zhang Ze was stunned, "Such attributes are rare, and they aren't favored by Mages."
He immediately began searching frantically in the System.
After a few minutes, he looked up, sweating profusely, and looked at Su Chen apologetically.
"Uh, I'm really sorry."
"After all, Tianhe City is just an ordinary Earth-Grade city, and the Professionals Chamber of Commerce's inventory of top-tier items is limited."
Branch President Zhang Ze wiped his sweat: "Currently, there is nothing you need in the Tianhe City branch."
"Nothing?"
Su Chen frowned.
"Yes, such attributes rarely appear."
Branch President Zhang Ze paused and said: "Perhaps you could try finding someone to forge it?"
"..."
Su Chen was stunned.
That's right.
This world doesn't just have combat classes and support classes.
How could he have forgotten about the lifestyle classes?
During the previous Awakening ceremony, a classmate had awakened as a Blacksmith.
Blacksmiths naturally forge various equipment; those top-tier Blacksmiths can even forge Divine Artifacts.
"Does your Professionals Chamber of Commerce have any Advanced Blacksmiths?"
"Tianhe City doesn't, but... as it happens, our Professionals Chamber of Commerce's master blacksmith, Jiang Buyu, is in the Northern Territory. If you go to Sky Dome Academy, it will be very convenient to find him."
"Okay, send me the contact information."
Su Chen recorded the contact information and turned to leave.
Just as he walked two steps away, Su Chen suddenly stopped.
He turned his head and looked at Branch President Zhang Ze, who was wearing the humiliating salesperson uniform behind the counter.
"Little Zhang."
"..."
Branch President Zhang Ze was stunned: "Huh?"
"Keep up the good work."
Su Chen patted off some non-existent dust and sighed, "Although you're just a salesperson now, as long as you work hard to push the potions, one day you will climb back to that branch president position. I believe in you."
After saying that, Su Chen didn't look at Branch President Zhang Ze's expression, which looked like he had eaten sh*t, and whistled as he walked out of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce door in a great mood.
"..."
Branch President Zhang Ze watched Su Chen's retreating back, his eyes twitching wildly.
Damn it!
This kid's mouth is still so poisonous!
Chapter 68: Early Registration, Departing for Sky Dome Academy
In the early morning, sunlight spilled through the gaps in the curtains onto Su Chen's bedside.
He leaned against the headboard, scrolling through his phone screen.
Messages in the class WeChat group were flashing incessantly, all discussing the graduation banquet.
Many classmates were sending out red envelopes, and the atmosphere was lively.
Wang Xiaoli also asked him out for a meal; he had been accepted into a university in the Southern Frontier Sea region, so the two would be separated north and south, making it hard to meet in the future.
Su Chen was just debating whether to send a message to say goodbye and maybe score a free meal when the doorbell suddenly rang.
"Who could it be? It wouldn't be that girl Lin Shiqing, would it?"
He yawned and opened the door.
Standing outside the door was none other than Song Xin.
She was wearing that dark gray, tight-fitting leather armor with visible signs of repair, and a faint scent of deodorant drifted in.
"Morning, Junior Su."
Song Xin leaned against the doorframe, waving at him, causing the tight, thin braid on her right side to sway.
Su Chen looked at her, not in a hurry to let her in.
"Morning."
Su Chen leaned against the door, saying unhurriedly, "If I recall correctly, someone scammed me out of several high-value corpses a few days ago using information about a Secret Realm that was common knowledge."
How could this profiteer have the nerve to show up?
Does she really think I don't hold grudges?
The smile on Song Xin's face stiffened for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.
"Ah, haha."
She laughed it off, her eyes drifting to the side for a split second: "Oh my, Junior Su, that's not a nice way to put it. Intelligence is something that inherently relies on information asymmetry."
"Besides, even though a lot of people go to that Secret Realm, it really does have good things, right? You didn't lose out, did you?"
"Also, heaven knows what you did, but those corpses turned completely into disgusting pus. It took me a huge effort to get the Bounty Association to confirm their identities."
"..."
As she spoke, she squeezed through the door gap quite naturally and sat down on the living room sofa without a hint of hesitation.
"You don't visit without a reason. Speak, what 'exclusive' intelligence do you want to sell this time?"
Su Chen closed the door and went to sit opposite her.
Song Xin put away her playful demeanor and pulled out a notification letter stamped with Sky Dome Academy.
"This is your admission letter. The academy sent a notice specifically requesting you to report early. But that's not the main point."
She paused, pulled a parchment scroll from the compartment of her tactical belt, and pushed it onto the coffee table.
"The point is, an entrance to an Abyss Dungeon has spawned near Gaofeng City. The Gaofeng City City Defense Force has suffered heavy casualties and had no choice but to request reinforcements from the academy."
"And you, you've been selected."
"As students of Sky Dome Academy, from the moment we enroll, we must shoulder this responsibility. We cannot shirk it."
"..."
Su Chen raised an eyebrow.
Another Abyss Dungeon?
The last Abyss Dungeon... he had encountered a Rift Demon Shadow. Although the process was thrilling, the harvest was quite bountiful.
Moreover.
Su Chen now had three pieces of Abyss gear on him, with the set bonus at 3/4.
If he could get one more drop, even if the stats were trash, he could complete the four-piece set.
He was also very curious about what the set skill for the four-piece Abyss set would be.
Su Chen kept a straight face, however, and asked, "Sky Dome Academy has so many senior students, why call a freshman who hasn't even reported yet?"
Song Xin explained, "The Level requirement for this Abyss Dungeon is below Level 25, so we can only choose from first and second-year students. And those capable of clearing it solo or leading a team under Level 25 are even rarer."
Su Chen leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his chin: "Below Level 25, huh..."
He opened his attribute panel and took a look.
[Level: Level 25 (8%)]
"It's a good thing you came in time."
Su Chen closed the panel, his tone calm, "Otherwise, I would have surpassed Level 25 very soon."
Song Xin was just picking up the water cup on the table to take a drink, but upon hearing this, her movement abruptly stopped.
She slowly turned her head, looking at Su Chen as if he were a monster, her eyes widening slightly and her mouth half-open.
"You... what did you say?"
Song Xin's voice changed pitch, "You're about to surpass Level 25?! No, how many days has it been? You were only Level 10 the last time we met, right? Are you even human?"
Su Chen rolled his eyes.
Making such a fuss.
If it weren't for her arriving early, if he had gone to clear a few more dungeons today, his Level might have actually exceeded 25.
Su Chen stood up and walked toward the bedroom: "Wait five minutes for me."
"No, wait a second..."
Song Xin was still digesting this outrageous information, "Normal people are considered a Genius if they reach Level17 before reporting. Even the assessment for the first semester of freshman year is only Level 22. You..."
Five minutes later, Su Chen came out of the bedroom.
"Let's go."
...
The two did not linger in Tianhe City.
In the class group, Su Chen sent a message to Lin Shiqingsaying, "Something came up, I have to leave early. Everyone enjoy the food and drinks," and then boarded the teleportation array to the provincial capital with Song Xin.
After arriving at the provincial capital, they headed straight for the large teleportation array hub in the city center.
A dazzling flash of white light passed, and a strong sense of weightlessness followed.
When their vision cleared again, they were already standing on the edge of a massive floating island.
This was the transit station to Sky Dome Academy.
"The teleportation array can only take us this far."
Song Xin pointed to a behemoth not far ahead, "Next, we have to take that."
It was a massive wooden flying ship, the hull carved with complex runes that emitted a faint glimmer.
Huge mechanical wings extended from both sides of the flying ship, and some students wearing Sky Dome Academy uniforms stood on the deck.
"The academy's exclusive flying ship; only those holding an admission letter or possessing an academy badge can board." Song Xin explained.
The two followed the flow of people up the boarding ramp.
The guard in charge of inspection glanced at Song Xin's badge, checked the admission letter Su Chen handed over, nodded, and let them pass.
The deck of the flying ship was very spacious, and the wind was strong.
Su Chen walked to the edge of the deck, looking down at the rolling sea of clouds below.
"This flying ship is quite fast."
Su Chen felt the wind blowing in his face, "About how long until we arrive?"
"About half a day."
Song Xin walked to his side, resting her hands on the railing, "After we arrive at the academy, we'll go handle the registration procedures first. Since you're reporting early, school hasn't started yet, and there are no other freshmen, so we'll go directly to the entrance of the Abyss Dungeontomorrow."
She turned her head, looking at Su Chen, her tone becoming serious: "Junior Su, an Abyss Dungeon is not something to play around with. The monster stats inside are much higher than outside, and the mechanics are very disgusting..."
She chattered on and on, explaining the debuff mechanics of the Abyss Dungeon to Su Chen very carefully.
"Oh."
Su Chen nodded and said, "Actually, I have cleared an Abyss Dungeon before."
"..."
Song Xin froze for a moment, the corner of her mouth twitching: "Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier?!"
This guy, he clearly knew the mechanics of the Abyss Dungeon, yet he let her waste her breath talking for so long.
He definitely did it on purpose, right?
Su Chen shrugged: "You didn't ask."
"..."
Song Xin rolled her eyes and asked casually, "It's rare for high school students to clear an Abyss Dungeon. How many of you were there at the time? There must have been casualties, right?"
"I cleared it alone."
"..."
Song Xin's mouth hung open, left in a daze in the wind.
Alone?!
Cleared an Abyss Dungeon?
Are you even human?!
Chapter 69: Arrival at the Academy, Holy Light Knight Lu Qingyan
The flying ship wove through the sea of clouds, emitting a low rumble.
Students on the deck gathered in twos and threes, discussing something.
Su Chen leaned against the railing, listening to the surrounding noise, and closed his eyes to rest.
The flying ship wove steadily through the sea of clouds.
The wind on the deck was strong; apart from a few students responsible for maintaining the operation of the flying ship, it was empty.
Song Xin leaned against the railing, arms crossed over her chest, squinting against the wind.
She turned her head, looking at Su Chen beside her, who was staring blankly at the clouds.
"Junior Su, while we haven't arrived yet, let me give you the lowdown first."
Song Xin raised her voice to drown out the sound of the wind, "Once you enter the gates of Sky Dome Academy, that title of National Top Scholar you had before becomes worthless waste paper. Don't expect teachers or upperclassmen to be polite to you because of your grades."
"..."
Su Chen withdrew his gaze and turned to look at her.
"At Tianqiong, they only recognize one thing."
Song Xin extended her right hand, rubbing her thumb and index finger together in a money-counting gesture, "Credits."
"Yeah, you mentioned that last time."
Su Chen changed to a more comfortable position leaning against the wooden railing and asked casually, "What exactly can these Credits be used for? Buying equipment?"
"Buying equipment? That's the most basic usage."
Song Xin scoffed, "Eating, lodging, learning skills, borrowing Advanced training rooms—everything requires deducting Credits. If you don't have enough Credits, you can only sleep on the streets, and no one will give you a single class. And, most importantly..."
She lowered her voice and leaned in a little closer.
"Tickets for Dungeons."
"The academy controls many exclusive Secret Realms and Dungeons. Want to go in? You have to exchange Credits for tickets."
"Some low-level Dungeons don't charge for tickets, and the System will symbolically give a few Credits upon clearing, but the rewards aren't even enough to get between your teeth."
Su Chen asked thoughtfully, "Then how do you earn Credits?"
"First, instructors will give some Credits during class, but it's usually not enough for most people. Second, you take on tasks issued by the school."
Song Xin paused, "Like me bringing you to report early; the school's Academic Affairs Office notified me yesterday, and there's a Credit reward for it too."
"Also, this Abyss Dungeon is a school task. The Credit rewards for such high-risk tasks are very generous. As long as you can clear that Abyss Dungeon, the rewarded Credits will be enough for you to do as you please in the academy for a month."
Su Chen nodded and didn't speak again.
The points from the college entrance exam bonus round are converted into academy Credits at an equal ratio.
I wonder... are those tens of millions of points I have considered a lot?
Time passed in the sound of the wind.
About three hours later, the flying ship began to slow down, and the surrounding clouds gradually dispersed.
"We're here."
Song Xin straightened up and pointed ahead.
Su Chen looked up.
An extremely massive floating island was suspended in mid-air.
The bottom of the island was inverted cone-shaped rock, covered with dense, giant glowing runes.
Above the island, countless towering buildings were arranged in a well-ordered manner.
At the very center, a dazzling blue pillar of light shot straight into the sky, emitting a heart-palpitating magical fluctuation.
The flying ship slowly approached the port at the edge of the floating island.
"Hum—"
A translucent pale golden barrier blocked the front of the flying ship.
Several figures flew out from within the barrier, landing on the deck of the flying ship.
Leading them was a girl wearing holy, silver-white armor.
Her appearance was beautiful and cold, carrying an inviolable, awe-inspiring aura.
[???]
[Level: 25]
[Class: Holy Light Knight]
Su Chen glanced at her panel.
He couldn't see her name; she must have an item that hides information.
"Routine check."
The girl's voice was cold, her gaze sweeping over Su Chenand Song Xin.
Song Xin immediately put on a familiar smile, took out a black card from her belt, and handed it over, "Senior Sister Lu, I'm Song Xin from the Assassin Academy. I went out to take care of some business, and this is a new student I brought back for early reporting."
The white-robed girl took the card and swiped it against the gem at the top of her staff.
[Beep—Student Card.]
She handed the card back to Song Xin, her gaze falling on Su Chen.
Su Chen handed over his admission letter.
She looked Su Chen up and down for two seconds, her gaze lingering on his admission letter for a moment, and her brows moved slightly.
In the end, she didn't say anything, turned around, and waved her hand.
The pale golden barrier split open a gap.
"Let them pass."
Several patrol members followed her and flew back into the barrier.
The flying ship sailed through the gap into the port and docked steadily at the pier.
The two walked down the gangway and stepped onto the hard stone road.
Song Xin let out a long breath and looked back at Su Chen, "Did you see that Senior Sister just now?"
"I saw her, Level 25, hidden class, Holy Light Knight."
Su Chen answered casually while observing the students rushing to and fro around the port.
"Her name is Lu Qingyan."
Song Xin lowered her voice, "She's the leader of our Abyss Dungeon team tomorrow."
Su Chen nodded.
Holy Light Knight, it should be a frontline class.
"Don't look at her low Level; she's very strong! Her Levelisn't high because she delayed grinding levels to comprehend skills. Moreover, she cleared the Heaven-Reaching Tower a month ago!"
As she spoke, admiration appeared in Song Xin's eyes.
"What's in the Heaven-Reaching Tower?"
Su Chen asked.
A few days ago, Commander Lei Jun had mentioned the Heaven-Reaching Tower to him.
Song Xin said speechlessly, "Oh my, why ask so much? Anyway, you only get the qualification to enter the Heaven-Reaching Tower when you reach your third year."
Only open in the third year?
Su Chen was stunned.
That's still two years away.
He looked at Song Xin suspiciously, "You don't happen to not know, do you?"
"Huh?!"
Song Xin's face immediately flushed red, "How is that possible? Let me tell you, I am the top of the Assassin Academy! I have tasks to do; I don't have time, do you understand? Otherwise, I would have cleared it in minutes!"
Su Chen: "Oh, I get what you mean."
Song Xin: "..."
Song Xin's mouth twitched.
This guy... why is he so annoying?!
Su Chen didn't bicker with her anymore and looked ahead; the interior of Sky Dome Academy was right in front of them.
Among the well-arranged buildings, he vaguely sensed bursts of energy.
Song Xin explained, "Everyone is practicing skills or sparring."
"Skills need practice?"
"Yeah, after the first transfer, skills can be leveled up, right? But leveling up isn't just something you can do by practicing. You'll understand once you have an instructor."
Su Chen remarked, "Everyone is working very hard."
"That's natural. At Sky Dome Academy, if you don't work hard, you'll be left behind quickly. By then, if you can't graduate, you won't have a diploma or a degree."
Song Xin waved her hand, radiating Divine Qi, and said, "Let's go. I'll take you to the Academic Affairs Office to report, and by the way, I'll show you around the school. It's to repay the favor from last time."
"Okay."
Su Chen followed at a leisurely pace.
Chapter 70: Thirty Million Credits, A Collapsing Song Xin
The distance from the port to the Academic Affairs Officewas not short.
The paved road beneath their feet was a dark cyan color, and the architectural style on both sides was sharp and towering.
Song Xin walked half a step ahead, skillfully pointing to several buildings in the distance.
"Do you see that black building complex on the left? That's the teaching and office area; classes and official academy missions are all handled there."
She then pointed to an area on the right that was shimmering with various magical lights.
"That side is the internal exchange. The left is the academy exchange, where only Credits can be used for transactions, and the right is the branch of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce opened at our school, which is affiliated with the Beijiang Province."
Su Chen looked in the direction she pointed.
Outside the exchange stood a huge light screen, with various transaction information scrolling densely across it.
[Wanted: Silver Level Fire-type Staff, price negotiable]
[For Sale: Monster intelligence from the outskirts of the Scorching Plains, 100 Credits]
...
"Almost everything can be traded; there are even people renting out beds."
Song Xin paused for a moment: "However, trading Credits is strictly prohibited. The school turns a blind eye to private transactions, but if you are caught doing it openly, you will be expelled."
Su Chen nodded.
Credits are the underlying operational logic of the school; if buying and selling were allowed, the school would be very difficult to manage.
"That side is the cafeteria. At Sky Dome Academy, if you want to eat well or buy Advanced potions that aren't available on the market, you have to go there. Of course, that's assuming you have enough Credits."
Song Xin continued to introduce things.
"Further ahead are the Dungeon area and the training area."
Song Xin's tone became a bit more serious: "Dungeons are scattered in every corner of the school, but regular Dungeons are concentrated in the Dungeon Hall. It contains Dungeons of various Levels, but quite a few students die there every year."
"As for the training area, the gravity rooms, elemental simulation rooms, combat simulation rooms, and so on, all deduct Credits by the hour—it burns money very fast."
She turned around and walked backward, looking at Su Chen.
"Finally, it's the place we have to return to every day—the dormitory area."
Song Xin held up three fingers.
"Academy dormitories are divided into three Levels: Heaven, Earth, and Human."
"Human Level dormitories are the cheapest, 10 Credits a day, four-person rooms, basic Spirit Gathering Array. Earth Level dormitories are 500 Credits a day, single rooms, Intermediate Spirit Gathering Array, with an attached private meditation room. As for Heaven Level..."
Song Xin smacked her lips, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.
"Heaven Level dormitories, 5000 Credits a day!"
"They have top-tier Spirit Gathering Arrays inside; sleeping for one night is better than grinding monsters outside for a whole day. However, that place is usually only affordable for those seniors in their third or fourth year who dominate the leaderboards."
She stopped and waited for Su Chen to approach, then reached out and patted his shoulder.
"I'm currently living in an Earth Level one. I have to budget carefully for this 500-Credit daily consumption and take on several extra reconnaissance missions just to make up for it."
"Junior Su, your foundation is good. If you can make a profit in the Abyss Dungeon tomorrow, with some effort, you can also live in an Earth Level one."
"500 a day?"
Su Chen repeated it casually.
500 a day, 15,000 a month.
It was indeed unaffordable for the average student.
The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived in front of a white, dome-shaped building.
Academic Affairs Office.
There weren't many people in the hall, only a few senior students on duty at the windows.
Since the new students hadn't officially started school yet, it seemed a bit deserted.
"Go on, hand over your admission letter and college entrance exam ID card to bind your academy student card." Song Xin leaned against a nearby marble pillar and took a sip from her water bottle.
Su Chen walked to the window in the very center.
Inside sat a boy wearing black-rimmed glasses, boredly flipping through a magic book.
"New student reporting early?" The bespectacled boy didn't even look up. "Admission letter."
Su Chen took the items out of his backpack and pushed them over.
"You should know the rules, right? The monster-killing points from the extra qualifiers during the college entrance exam will be automatically converted by the System into the academy's initial Credits at a one-to-one ratio."
As the bespectacled boy spoke, he placed Su Chen's ID card on an instrument flickering with blue light.
"Generally speaking, a provincial top scorer's college entrance exam points are only a few thousand, which converts to a few thousand Credits—enough to live comfortably in the academy..."
Before the bespectacled boy could finish his sentence, the instrument suddenly emitted an extremely harsh, sharp buzzing sound!
[Beep—]
[Detected college entrance exam extra qualifier point information import...]
[Data conversion in progress...]
[Warning! Data is too large! Risk warning automatically triggered, recalculating...]
The few students who had been quietly reading in the hall were all startled by the sound and turned their heads one after another.
Song Xin also put down her water bottle and frowned: "Is the instrument broken?"
The next second.
The projection screen above the instrument instantly popped open, and a row of huge red numbers jumped wildly in mid-air before finally settling.
[Name: Su Chen]
[Grade: Freshman]
[Credit Balance: 33,058,900]
Over thirty-three million!
The entire Academic Affairs Office hall fell into a deathly silence.
The bespectacled boy's mouth was open wide enough to fit an apple; he stared blankly at the numbers in mid-air and reached up to rub his eyes.
"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands, millions..."
He counted the digits mechanically, then suddenly sprang up from his chair.
"Three... thirty million?!"
The bespectacled boy's voice cracked, as if he had seen a ghost.
The pens and books in the hands of the nearby students on duty dropped to the floor with a clatter.
"Holy crap! Thirty million Credits? Even if you slaughtered all the monsters in the entire college entrance exam extra qualifier Dungeon, you couldn't possibly have that much!"
"Is it a bug? The instrument must have a bug! Damn it, I wouldn't have this much even if I attended classes for a lifetime!"
"What kind of freak data is this? It's shameless!"
"..."
Song Xin, who had been leaning against the pillar, went completely rigid.
Her gaze was pinned to the jumping numbers, her mind a complete blank.
Thirty million.
She racked her brains every day for the 500-Credit Earth Level dormitory fee, licking blood from the edge of a blade in the wild.
This number... is it something a human could have?
Su Chen looked at the numbers on the light screen, his expression calm.
"Junior... Junior Su..."
Song Xin turned her head stiffly. "Where did you get these Credits? During the college entrance exam, you were able to grind this much?"
Su Chen took the processed black student card back from the window and casually stuffed it into his pocket.
"Oh, this?"
Su Chen didn't say much, only adding, "During the college entrance exam extra qualifiers, I was lucky and happened to run into an Epic Level BOSS, so I killed it."
"You... killed it?"
Song Xin gasped, feeling as if her vision was going dark.
You killed an Epic Level BOSS just like that?
Is that something a college entrance exam candidate can even touch?
That's something even instructors have to team up to dare to challenge!