Chapter 86: Powerful Void Skill, Toying with the Boss
Accompanied by the System's urgent warning.
A sudden mutation occurred in over a hundred centaurs.
Their skin rapidly turned purple-black, purple-black Abyss flames spewed from their eyes, and their already massive bodies grew even taller.
Su Chen used Scouting Spell.
[Scarlet Centaur (Abyss-Corrupted · Elite Monster)]
[Level: 23]
[Strength: 760]
[Agility: 660]
[Constitution: 1100]
[Spirit: 420]
[Skills: Charge Trample, Armor-Piercing Strike, Bloodlust]
...
All attributes had indeed doubled.
Not only that, but their aura became extremely violent, as if they had gone insane, wildly swinging their spears in all directions.
"Is this the effect of the Abyss Curse?"
Su Chen rubbed his chin.
He had originally thought that Abyss-Corruption was just a random mutation of a single monster.
But now it seemed it wasn't just a single one, but a massive, collective Abyss-Corruption!
If it were any other team, right in the middle of fighting, the monsters suddenly transformed into Super Saiyans.
Who could withstand that?
Su Chen finally understood.
No wonder everyone said that once the Abyss Curse hit, no one dared to form a party.
With this kind of absurd mass mutation mechanic, whoever formed a party would die.
However.
"In others' hands, this is a danger capable of causing a total party wipe, but for me..."
Su Chen chuckled, "It's completely just free experience!"
He waved his staff.
"Corrosive Snake Guard."
Hiss, hiss, hiss—!
A thousand Corrosive Snake Guards instantly burst from the ground, tightly surrounding the hundred-plus Abyss-Corrupted centaurs.
A dense barrage of Poison instantly poured out.
Abyss-Corruption doubled the Constitution of these centaurs, greatly increasing their HP.
But before the Poison, they still melted instantly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Over a hundred Abyss centaurs exploded into pus simultaneously.
[System Prompt: Killed Scarlet Centaur (Abyss-Corrupted), gained 4400 Experience points!]
[System Prompt: Triggered trait [Doom Siphon], maximum Poison stack count permanently +1.]
[...]
The crisp System notification sounds flooded the screen.
"The experience is barely acceptable now."
Su Chen closed the panel with satisfaction.
The experience points were similar to running an Abyss Dungeon.
"It's a pity the probability of Abyss-Corruption is still a bit low. If it were 100%, that would be great."
Su Chen said shamelessly, stepping over the pus and flesh covering the ground, and continued deeper into the dungeon.
He swept through everything.
Ten minutes later.
After killing over three hundred centaurs, Su Chen arrived at the deepest part of the Crimson Monastery.
A massive altar stained dark red with blood.
In the center of the altar.
Stood a terrifying figure twice the size of a normal centaur.
It was clad in heavy dark gold armor and held a three-meter-long bone-cleaving greatsword.
With every breath, a thick smell of blood spewed from its nostrils.
Su Chen cast Scouting Spell.
[Centaur Warlord Carlos (Gold-Level BOSS)]
[Level: 25]
[Strength: 800]
[Agility: 760]
[Constitution: 900]
[Spirit: 600]
[Skills: War Trample, Fatal Execution, Bloodlust, Centaur's Honor]
[Centaur's Honor (Passive): When HP is below 30%, Lifesteal effect increases to 50%, Strength attribute increases by 50%.]
...
Seeing the data panel, Su Chen felt no ripples in his heart.
That's it?
"It can't even compare to the Death Knight in the class advancement Secret Realm."
Su Chen curled his lip.
A Gold-Level BOSS of the same level was no longer a threat to him.
If there was anything strong, it was only that passive skill.
When HP is below 30%, Strength increases by 50%, Lifesteal increases to 50%... A normal team would indeed find it a headache.
They would struggle to get this BOSS down to low health.
And then.
Relying on its 50% Lifesteal, the BOSS would heal back to full HP in a few strikes.
Wouldn't that make them so angry they'd vomit blood on the spot?
"Intruder... die!"
Just as Su Chen was silently grumbling, Carlos let out a deafening roar.
Its massive body charged over like a truck.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Every step left a deep crater in the hard stone floor, with gravel flying everywhere.
The bone-cleaving greatsword, carrying a gale that tore through the air, slashed down at his head!
Su Chen stood where he was, not even intending to dodge, and calmly spat out two words:
"Void."
Boom—!
Dirt flew everywhere!
The bone-cleaving greatsword slashed heavily through Su Chen's body and slammed fiercely into the ground.
The ground was instantly smashed into a huge crater with a radius of over two meters.
And Su Chen... was looking at his own body with novelty.
After using Void, his body turned a faint, transparent color.
He didn't attack, but let Carlos attack frantically.
Soon.
Su Chen walked into a wall.
"Roar—!"
Carlos was completely enraged by Su Chen and slashed down with its sword.
Boom—!
The thick wall collapsed with a crash.
"This feeling is really not bad."
"Movement speed hasn't changed, and I can still attack and cast spells normally."
Su Chen looked calmly at the collapsed wall.
Facing physical-type enemies, Void is basically invincibility.
Of course.
Facing mage-type enemies, using Void is just asking for death.
"I'm done playing with you."
The duration of Void was only 120 seconds. After Su Chenhad explored enough, he tossed out a basic attack.
Suddenly.
The dark gold heavy armor on Carlos made a teeth-grinding "hissing" sound and emitted puffs of white smoke.
"-124762008!"
Boom—!!!
That indestructible dark gold heavy armor didn't even last a second before being instantly corroded into a puddle of pus.
Carlos's movements were frozen forever.
In its scarlet eyes, there wasn't even time for fear to emerge.
It didn't even have a chance to trigger its passive skill.
Its massive body collapsed with a crash.
Bang!
Like a mountain of flesh smashing the altar's stone steps, it turned into a puddle of pus on the ground.
[System Prompt: Killed Centaur Warlord Carlos (Gold-Level BOSS), gained 5,000,000 Experience points!]
[System Prompt: Successfully cleared [Crimson Monastery (Hard Difficulty)], gained 10,000 Credits!]
...
Five million experience points could only be called not much.
Su Chen was not satisfied.
"There are credit rewards for clearing the dungeon?"
Su Chen saw the second prompt.
Song Xin had indeed said before that clearing dungeons was the main way for students to grind for credits.
But for a Hard Difficulty dungeon, and Su Chen had soloed it, there were only 10,000 points.
If it were a full party of five, wouldn't that mean each person only got 2,000 points?
The value of credits was evident.
"However, why does it feel a bit boring?"
Su Chen curled his lip.
The whole dungeon run, whether it was mobs or the BOSS, they all just died once infected with Poison.
If this were a novel, it would be called filler.
"Unfortunately, this is reality. Is it really because I'm too strong?"
Su Chen walked forward and began to loot the BOSS's corpse.
[System Prompt: Obtained [Bloody Greatsword (Gold-Level)].]
[System Prompt: Obtained [Bloodlust Battle Armor (Gold-Level)].]
[System Prompt: Obtained Carlos's Skull (Rare materials).]
[System Prompt: Obtained Gold Coins * 42580.]
...
Two Gold-Level pieces of equipment dropped.
Both were for Warrior-type classes.
A Gold-Level greatsword, and the other was armor.
Su Chen casually tossed them into his inventory, preparing to sell them for money or exchange them for some credits.
Finally.
There was a massive head that still had its eyes open.
"Job done, going back to turn in the quest."
Su Chen tossed the head into his inventory and walked toward the dungeon portal.
"I wonder, what exactly is inside the legendary Heaven-Reaching Tower?"
Chapter 87: Breaking Records, My Strength Doesn't Allow Me to Keep a Low Profile!
Sky Dome Academy's back mountain.
The originally spacious plaza was now packed with people.
Several Student Council Medical Department members wearing white cross uniforms were carrying medical kits, anxiously staring at the glowing red portal.
"Senior Chu, what's going on? Why is the Medical Department fully armed?"
A sophomore student who had just come out from a Normal-grade dungeon walked over and inquired out of curiosity.
The Student Council officer named Chu Fei furrowed his brow tightly, staring fixedly at the portal.
"A freshman who reported early has only been at school for a few days, yet he plunged headfirst into the Difficult-grade [Crimson Monastery] all by himself."
As soon as those words were said,
the students sitting around resting instantly blew up in uproar.
"Holy crap! Difficult-grade Crimson Monastery? Inside are a bunch of centaur elite monsters with innate lifesteal passives! Is this the kind of place a freshman can enter?"
"Isn't this purely marching to their death? Against those lifesteal monsters, even a standard full team of five has to pool their money to buy gear with grievous wound effects before they dare go in."
"A freshman going to solo a Difficult-grade? Does he think he's fighting Goblins in a Novice Dungeon?"
"Freshmen nowadays are getting more and more ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. With so many people fully armed and waiting to rescue him, isn't this purely wasting the school's medical resources?"
"Later, if he gets carried out, they probably won't even be able to piece together a complete corpse."
"..."
The students shook their heads one after another.
As a popular dungeon in the school, the Crimson Monastery had detailed guides among all major teams.
The monster data was extremely transparent.
The universally acknowledged fact by everyone was that this dungeon was extremely difficult, and strictly required grievous wound gear or skills.
As for soloing it by oneself?
It was completely courting death!
"Senior Chu, why don't we just shut down the dungeon?"
The senior female student who had spoken to Su Chenearlier said anxiously, "Force him to clear out, lest he actually die inside."
Chu Fei's expression was tangled.
Shutting down the dungeon was indeed a viable plan.
It would directly eject all students currently raiding that dungeon.
But.
This was not without a cost.
Every time the dungeon was shut down and opened, it consumed a significant amount of resources.
In the end, he still shook his head,
"No, there are other squads inside farming the Normal-grade. Forcing a shutdown will delay their progress and might also cause them harm."
"We can only wait for him to escape on his own. Medical Department, get ready; the moment he comes out, start rescue operations immediately!"
"..."
Just as the plaza was buzzing with discussion and everyone had concluded that Su Chen was doomed,
Hum—
The portal suddenly rippled with a circle of waves.
A figure leisurely walked out from the portal.
"He's out! Quick! Prepare the stretchers! Priests, cast Recovery!"
Chu Fei roared loudly.
Several Medical Department students acted as if facing a formidable enemy, rushing forward carrying stretchers and medical kits.
A priest girl didn't hesitate at all; waving her staff, a barrage of healing spells smashed over.
Su Chen had just stepped out of the portal and hadn't even had time to take a breath of fresh air outside the dungeon when he saw a group of people pouncing over like wolves and tigers.
Green healing spells smashed onto his body head-on.
He was stunned.
What happened?
No.
Why was the atmosphere outside always so strange every time he ran a dungeon and came out?
"Uh… Senior Sister, I'm fine."
Su Chen looked at the priest girl whose staff was almost shoved into his face, and stepped back half a step somewhat helplessly, "There's no need to check."
The priest girl stared at Su Chen for a moment.
There was not the slightest sign of injury.
Even his mana bar was full.
"Senior Chu… He seems to really be fine."
The priest girl turned her head, looking at Chu Fei somewhat dazedly.
"Fine?"
Chu Fei looked Su Chen up and down.
His clothes were clean and undamaged.
There wasn't even a drop of blood on his body.
His complexion was rosy and his breathing steady.
How was this anywhere like someone who had just barely escaped death from a Difficult-grade dungeon?
"Consider yourself lucky that you ran fast, kid!"
Chu Fei put on a stern face and said severely, "Do you know how dangerous the Difficult-grade Crimson Monastery is? A single charge from those centaurs there can trample a level 20 warrior into meat paste! As a freshman, how dare you rush inside? Are you crazy?!"
"Good thing you didn't go deep, and retreated as soon as you found something wrong right at the entrance!"
"If you had really run into that group of monsters, you wouldn't even have had the chance to escape through the portal!"
"Don't be so reckless in the future; many sophomore seniors have to make full preparations before entering!"
"..."
Su Chen listened to this rapid-fire lecture and couldn't react for a moment.
Ran fast?
Didn't go deep?
"Um…"
Su Chen opened his mouth, preparing to explain.
"Ah!"
Suddenly,
the priest girl standing nearby let out an extremely sharp exclamation.
"Why are you making such a fuss!"
Chu Fei was startled, turned around with a frown, "Didn't you see I was teaching rules to a freshman?"
"S-Senior…"
The priest girl's voice was trembling.
She tremblingly reached out, grabbed his sleeve tightly, and pointed at the giant screen, "Y-You… take a look at the records…"
"What's so interesting about the records, isn't it just…"
Chu Fei impatiently looked in the direction her finger was pointing.
The next moment,
his voice stopped abruptly.
Above the plaza,
on that giant screen used to broadcast real-time clearance scores for various dungeons, the section for Crimson Monastery (Difficult-grade) was frantically flashing with dazzling golden light.
A brand-new piece of data abruptly appeared at the very top of all the records.
[ Crimson Monastery (Difficult-grade) ]
[ Clearer: Su Chen (Solo) ]
[ Clearance Time: 22 minutes 45 seconds ]
[ Ranking: 1 ]
Dead silence.
The entire plaza plunged into absolute dead silence at this instant.
Even the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves could be heard clearly.
Those sophomore and junior students who had been complaining about Su Chen not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth earlier now widened their eyes one by one, their eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
The stern expression on Chu Fei's face completely froze, his mouth slightly agape, enough to swallow an egg.
"T-Twenty-two minutes and forty-five seconds…"
A sophomore student swallowed hard, his throat rolling, "This record… was set by senior students more than ten years ago. They raided it when they were seniors, and it still took them over an hour…"
This record had hung in Sky Dome Academy's System for a full ten-plus years, and no one had been able to break it at all!
Moreover, the most terrifying thing was the word inside those parentheses.
Solo.
A freshman not only didn't die inside, but also soloed the Difficult-grade Crimson Monastery, and even abruptly broke a clearance record that had been maintained for over ten years?!
Everyone's necks stiffly turned, their gazes gathering squarely on Su Chen.
"You…"
Chu Fei held it in for a long time before squeezing out a few words, "Y-You… you cleared it?!"
Su Chen calmly nodded: "Yes."
"..."
Everyone was left standing in the wind in utter disorder.
Everyone had an expression of doubting life itself.
"Um…"
Su Chen pointed toward the exit of the plaza: "The check is done, can I leave now?"
"Ah… Ah?"
Chu Fei acted like an idiot, stammering: "Y-Yes… of course you can."
"Then many thanks to everyone."
Su Chen politely thanked them and walked outward.
He sighed helplessly.
No.
Who invented the giant screen announcement anyway?
He also wanted to keep a low profile, but his strength didn't allow it!
Chapter 88: Shocked Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian, Preparing to Purchase Weapons
Ding——
The elevator doors slid open.
Su Chen familiarly walked through the corridor, heading towards Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian's office.
Inside the office.
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian and Zhao Hongtao were surrounding a holographic projection sandbox.
Real-time data waveforms of a certain dungeon flickered on the sandbox.
"The underlying logic of the dungeon is running normally. The monster respawn rates and aggro ranges of all areas have been debugged. We are just waiting for the freshmen to report..." Zhao Hongtao pointed at a few blue light dots as he reported.
"Bang, bang, bang."
The knocking interrupted their conversation.
The two turned back at the same time.
Seeing clearly that it was Su Chen, the brows of both men knitted into the shape of the character 'chuan'.
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian glanced at the electronic clock on the wall.
From the time Su Chen left this office and went to the back mountain dungeon, to now returning.
All things considered, fifty minutes.
Subtracting the twenty minutes of traveling back and forth from the administrative district to the back mountain.
This kid had definitely stayed in the dungeon for no more than thirty minutes!
A trace of expectation on Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian's faceinstantly vanished without a trace.
He let out a cold snort, turned around, and picked up the purple clay teacup on his desk.
"The Hard-Level Crimson Monastery has centaurs with high physical lifesteal built-in. It cannot be compared to those ordinary dungeons outside."
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian took a sip of tea and said in a stern tone: "However, you were able to recognize your own limits without stubbornly holding on inside for the sake of so-called face, and retreated in time. You still have a bit of self-awareness."
"As for you participating in the National Olympiad and entering the Heaven-Reaching Tower early, don't mention it again."
"Honestly get lost to the Normal-Level dungeon and spend half a year grinding your Level up first."
"..."
Zhao Hongtao, who was at the side, saw that the atmosphere was rigid and hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"Su Chen, don't be discouraged. The monsters in that dungeon are very disgusting. Many sophomore students cannot withstand the centaurs' charge. For you, a freshman, to solo it is simply too forced."
"Carlos is an even more powerful BOSS. Besides lifesteal, he also interacts with the surrounding environment. After dropping to half health, he will drink from the blood spring, continuously recovering his health!"
"Don't feel pressured. Being able to form a reliable team to clear it in half a year would already be considered very outstanding."
"We will definitely focus on nurturing the person recommended by Elder Zhan..."
"..."
Su Chen listened to their lecturing and was stunned.
Ah?
So the BOSS actually interacts with the surrounding environment?
Sorry, he was killed instantly, so he really didn't notice.
Without explaining much, he pulled out an item from his backpack and casually smashed it onto the coffee table.
"Bang."
A muffled, loud sound rang out.
A strong bloody stench instantly burst open.
That was a huge and hideous head.
The eyes of the head were still wide open in anger, dying with unfulfilled grievances.
[Carlos's Skull].
Zhao Hongtao's voice came to an abrupt halt.
The document in his hand dropped to the ground with a 'clatter'.
On the other side.
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian's hand holding the purple clay cup suddenly shook violently.
The scalding tea directly splashed out, but he was completely unaware of it.
He stared fixedly at the bloody head on the coffee table, his pupils shrinking to the size of needle tips.
Dead silence.
In the office, only the 'drip, drip' sound of residual blood dripping onto the carpet remained.
After a full dozen seconds.
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian suddenly raised his head and asked in a deep voice: "You... killed Carlos?!"
"Just good luck."
Su Chen shrugged, "Vice Principal Lin, can the task be considered completed? Can you give me the Heaven-Reaching Tower permission card now?"
"..."
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian did not speak and fell into deep thought.
"You..."
Zhao Hongtao swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked: "How long... did it take you to clear it?"
"Didn't look carefully."
Su Chen recalled the settlement panel, "Seems to be a bit over twenty-two minutes?"
"..."
Zhao Hongtao felt his heartbeat stop for a beat.
Twenty-two minutes?!
"It... it's broken!"
He said tremblingly: "The clear record that hasn't moved for over a decade has been broken!"
Moreover, the time was shortened by threefold.
Is this fucking a freshman?
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the emotions in his heart.
He had long heard of Su Chen's perverted output.
But he always believed that seeing is believing, thinking the students were exaggerating.
Now it seems... this kid's strength is even more terrifying than he imagined.
No wonder General Zhan Wuji held a junior in such high regard!
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian didn't talk nonsense anymore; that bloody head was absolute ironclad proof.
He strode over to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a black-and-gold magnetic card from it.
On the front of the magnetic card, dark gold lines outlined a mysterious tall tower piercing straight into the clouds and submerging into the clouds.
"Heaven-Reaching Tower access permission."
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian handed the card to Su Chen, "Entry is limited to once a week, and you can only enter the Normal difficulty for now. As long as you can survive, climb however you want."
Su Chen took the card.
[Obtained Heaven-Reaching Tower Pass.]
"Thank you, Vice Principal Lin."
After speaking, Su Chen prepared to turn and walk towards the elevator.
"Su Chen."
Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian called him back again, "The Heaven-Reaching Tower is not like ordinary dungeons; the monster mechanics are special, and you still have the Abyss Curse on you, making the raiding difficulty even greater. Before going in, you'd better go to the central trading area to prepare more potions, and by the way, go to the cafeteria to find Master Miao to eat a cat meal."
"Alright."
Su Chen casually agreed and stepped into the elevator.
Cat meal?
It seemed he had heard someone mention before that a high-tier chef at Sky Dome Academy made dishes with special effects that could provide all kinds of powerful bonuses.
...
Coming out of the teaching area and passing through two tree-lined paths, Su Chen headed straight for the academy trading area.
The trading area covered an extremely vast area, and the square was divided into two by a wide central avenue.
On the left side was a resplendent six-story building.
Hanging at the entrance was the sign of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce.
[Professionals Chamber of Commerce Tianqiong Branch]
"The decoration styles of the Professionals Chamber of Commerce are all similar."
Su Chen looked at the extremely familiar building and complained.
In his mind, he couldn't help thinking of the tragic Branch President Zhang Ze. He didn't know how he was doing now.
On the right side of the avenue was a completely different painting style.
[Sky Dome Academy Exchange]
Looking out, it was a sea of people.
The square was densely packed with stalls everywhere.
All kinds of noisy hawking and bargaining soared straight into the clouds.
"Clearance sale! Level 15 Cyan Wolf Gauntlets for only 800 credits! Adds 15 points of strength. Melee warriors, look over here! Miss it and wait a year!"
"Mass purchasing materials dropped by the Golden Lion! Supporting dual-track settlement of credits and gold coins. Those who have them, state your price and chat privately! Scammers detour!"
"Carrying runs for Normal-Level [Frozen Fortress]! One boss slot, you can just lie down and get carried or bid on equipment. Ten thousand credits to get on board!"
"Freshly baked Silver-Level staff, Spirit +100, top-grade for mages! State your price, credits only for transaction, poor ghosts don't ask!"
"..."
Compared to the Professionals Chamber of Commerce, the academy exchange was much livelier.
After all.
In the academy, gold coins instead became a secondary currency; credits were the hard currency.
"Branch President Zhang Ze hasn't sent any news, and that big blacksmith probably doesn't have time. Let's buy a weapon first to make do."
Su Chen looked at his thirty-plus million credits and prepared to buy a weapon as a transition first.
Wondering.
If there were any weapons suitable for him?
Chapter 89: Touch of Thunder, Chain Lightning Bounce, Bounce, Bounce!
Su Chen followed the flow of people, moving slowly in the open-air exchange market.
As he walked, he quickly established a price model for Sky Dome Academy in his mind.
The price system here was very clear.
Bronze-Level equipment cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand credits, belonging to the category of public transition gear.
Silver-Level equipment skyrocketed in price to twenty or thirty thousand credits, which ordinary students had to save for several months to afford.
As for gold-Level equipment...
Su Chen had just passed by a stall displaying a [Gold-Level · Earth Bear Breastplate], priced at a full one hundred thousand credits!
It was surrounded by a circle of warriors swallowing hard, not even daring to haggle.
Dark gold-Level gear was even rarer; when one occasionally appeared, it was priced at over one million credits, and it was often labeled with "Negotiable, must meet in person."
As for epic-Level?
Not even a shadow of one could be seen in the entire trading area.
"Similar to the outside world, epic-Level and above are very difficult to circulate in the market. Either people use them themselves, or they get snatched up by major guilds the moment they appear."
Su Chen muttered inwardly to himself.
He withdrew his gaze and stopped in front of a stall filled with colorful glass bottles.
The stall owner was a boy wearing heavy goggles with hair as messy as a bird's nest, and a badge of the Alchemist Academy pinned to his chest.
"Junior, buying potions? Come take a look at my freshly baked goods."
Seeing a customer approach, the boy immediately promoted enthusiastically, "Produced by the Alchemist Academy, quality is absolutely guaranteed!"
Su Chen glanced at the stall.
[Rapid Life Recovery Potion]
[Effect: After drinking, immediately restores 600 Health points, and restores 50 Health points per second for the next 10 seconds.]
[Price: 200 credits / bottle]
...
[Intermediate Anti-Poison Potion]
[Effect: After drinking, Poison-attribute resistance +30%, lasting for 30 minutes.]
[Price: 500 credits / bottle]
...
"Why does this health potion have a... indescribable weird smell?"
Su Chen picked up a red potion, pulled out the cork, and smelled it.
Immediately, he caught a stench of rotten eggs.
The boy chuckled and rubbed his hands together.
"Junior, you don't understand this, do you? This is my great invention!"
The boy pointed at the potion and popularized it: "Ordinary health potions and rapid recovery potions only restore 500 Health points. I added special materials, and it restores 600!"
"..."
Su Chen's mouth twitched slightly.
God knows what kind of ingredients were added.
However.
The effect was indeed good; if traded at the Professionals Chamber of Commerce, the effect would be equivalent to a Black Iron-Level potion.
"Give me a hundred bottles of health potions, fifty bottles of mana recovery potions, and ten bottles each of anti-Poison, anti-fire, and anti-ice potions."
Su Chen waved his hand grandly.
"Alrighty! A total of sixty thousand credits!"
The boy's eyes lit up, and he immediately and efficiently packed them up.
Su Chen swiped his campus card, looking at the credits deducted from his account without even blinking an eye.
After buying the potions, he continued strolling around the exchange market.
The stalls here were simply bizarre.
Besides those selling equipment and potions, there were also those selling fashion clothing, similar to academy uniforms, without any attribute bonuses, purely for looks.
There were also people selling intelligence, selling novels, selling pets... whatever you could think of, they sold everything.
Su Chen was speechless for a moment and walked quickly past these eccentric stalls.
His core goal today was still to buy a powerful staff.
He wandered for nearly an hour.
He looked at countless staves, among which were some Silver-Level top-tier items with extremely high Spirit bonuses, but none caught his eye.
The skills of these staves were either single-target burst or had too long a cooldown, neither of which fit his Poison Mage class traits.
Until he stopped in front of a massive stall.
The owner of this stall was a senior in his fourth year, wearing a dazzling set of silver equipment and wearing a certain team's badge on his chest.
In the center of the stall, three staves exuding golden light were carefully offered on velvet cushions.
The surrounding area was crowded with students who only looked and didn't buy, their eyes full of desire.
"Junior, which one caught your eye?"
Seeing Su Chen staring at the three gold staves, the fourth-year senior asked with a smile, "These are top-tier items dropped when my group cleared [Forgotten Tower]. If you put them in the Professionals Chamber of Commerce next door, pulling out any one of them could go on the auction house."
Su Chen didn't talk nonsense and directly threw out Scouting Spell to check the panels of the three staves.
The first staff was entirely crimson, with a burning gem embedded at the top.
[Wrath of the Flame Fiend (Gold-Level)]
[Level: Gold-Level]
[Usage Requirement: Level 25]
[Spirit +250]
[Additional Affix 1: Spirit +100]
[Additional Affix 2: Flame Burst (Active): Consumes 500 Mana, condenses a huge fireball to bombard the target area, dealing (Spirit * 3) Fire-attribute magic damage to all enemies within a 10-meter radius. Cooldown: 3 minutes.]
[Price: 120,000 credits]
The second staff's material looked like it was carved from millenary black ice, exuding a piercing chill.
[Sigh of Winter (Gold-Level)]
[Level: Gold-Level]
[Usage Requirement: Level 25]
[Spirit +230]
[Additional Affix 1: Spirit +90]
[Additional Affix 2: Frigid Freeze (Active): Consumes 300 Mana, instantly freezes the target and all enemies within 5 meters around it, dealing Spirit * 1 damage value, lasting for 2.5 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.]
[Price: 110,000 credits]
...
The attributes of the first two staves were very good, and the surrounding mages all wore drooling expressions.
"Holy shit, the multiplier of this Flame Burst is too exaggerated, right? AoE damage of Spirit multiplied by 3, if this smashes into a pile of monsters, it clears the screen instantly!"
"Sigh of Winter is what you call top-tier, alright! Group hard crowd control for 2.5 seconds, this is a life-saving divine skill when running high-difficulty dungeons!"
"Ahhh, I want it so bad, but one costs over one hundred thousand credits, I can't afford it, wuwuwu..."
"..."
Hearing the exclamations around him, the fourth-year senior showed a smug look on his face.
He looked at Su Chen and recommended heartily: "Junior, if you pursue output, brainlessly take this [Wrath of the Flame Fiend]."
"If it's focused on control, then this [Sigh of Winter] is definitely suitable!"
"Both of these weapons are top-tier, buying them is definitely not a loss!"
"..."
Su Chen didn't reply, his gaze falling on the third staff.
That was a staff with a somewhat bizarre shape. The staff body was forged from some kind of twisted purple-black metal, and a thunder bead pulsing with tiny electric arcs floated at the top.
[Touch of Thunder (Gold-Level)]
[Level: Gold-Level]
[Usage Requirement: Level 25]
[Spirit +150, Agility +50]
[Additional Affix 1: Attack Speed +10%]
[Additional Affix 2: Chain Lightning (Passive): Normal attacks will carry a chain lightning effect. After hitting the first target, the chain lightning will automatically bounce to a maximum of 9 hostile targets within 3 meters around it. Each bounce decreases the dealt magic damage by 10%.]
[Price: 100,000 credits]
...
After reading the panel of this staff.
Su Chen's eyes suddenly lit up.
This is the one!
The Spirit bonus of this staff was the lowest of the three.
The attributes could only be described as somewhat nondescript.
Clearly gear for a mage, yet it increased a certain amount of Agility and Attack Speed.
For ordinary mages, these were completely useless attributes.
Moreover, the skill was passive, with no active burst, and the bounce damage would even decrease. For regular mages, it was simply the chicken rib among chicken ribs.
Which mage relies on basic attacks for output?
But to Su Chen, it was extremely practical.
If he held this [Touch of Thunder].
A single basic attack goes out, triggering Chain Lightning, instantly bouncing to 10 targets.
This meant that with a single normal attack, he could simultaneously cover 10 monsters with [Poison]!
At that time...
As long as they brushed against the chain lightning, even if it was just 1 point of damage, the toxin would be applied instantly!
This monster-clearing efficiency, although incomparable to the burst affix, was countless times better than Flame Burst, Frost Nova, or whatever!
"Senior."
Su Chen raised his head, pointing at the purple-black staff, "What is the lowest price for this [Touch of Thunder]?"
Hearing this.
The surrounding students panicked.
"Junior, are you crazy? This staff has been sitting here for a month, nobody wants it at all!"
"Exactly, adding Agility and Attack Speed can't be said to be useless, it can only be said to be completely useless!"
"Although the skill of this staff looks fancy, which mage uses basic attacks? And the damage reduction is too severe, not to mention it's completely useless for single bosses, even if you want to AOE... isn't the damage a bit too low?"
"The most fatal part is that the skill cannot be turned off, and every attack has a probability of randomly aggroing monsters. If the party leader sees this, they'll probably kick you straight out of the team."
"..."
"Get lost, get lost, get lost, what do you guys know?"
The fourth-year senior suddenly panicked, huffing a breath of air at the people around him.
He looked at Su Chen and smiled: "Junior, don't listen to their nonsense, this staff is super powerful. Lowest price... friendship price 98,000 credits!"
"80,000."
"Deal!"
"..."
Damn!
Did he call out too high?
Su Chen had a feeling of losing 100 million.
...
After buying the staff, Su Chen immediately put it into his equipment slot.
He checked his attributes.
[Su Chen]
[Class: Poison Mage (SSS-Level Unique Hidden)]
[Level: 25]
[Strength: 34]
[Agility: 252]
[Stamina: 13]
[Spirit: 7266]
[Class Exclusive Traits: Decay of All Things, God of Poison, Doom Siphon, Slow Poison Miasma]
[Skills: Scouting Spell (Elementary), Corrosive Snake Guard, Light of Concealment, Myriad Poison Explosion]
[Current Toxin Layers: 17392]
[Equipment: Touch of Thunder (Gold-Level), Abyss Dragon Language Robe (Epic-Level), Abyss Phantom Leggings (Dark Gold-Level), Undead Monarch Ring (Dark Gold-Level), Resilient Gargoyle Necklace (Silver-Level), shadow dancer ring (Gold-Level), Abyss HellhoundGauntlets (Gold-Level), Hellhound Skull (Gold-Level), perception-blocking badge (Dark Gold-Level), nine dragon purple gold medal (Epic-Level), Abyss Eternal Hood (Dark Gold-Level)]
Chapter 90: Master Meow's Protection, Entering the Heaven-Reaching Tower!
"This panel... should be considered pretty decent, right?"
Su Chen's equipment was almost completely maxed out now, and even the lowest-tier pieces were already Silver Level.
It could definitely be called luxurious.
He glanced at the time on his communicator; it was already past noon.
Following the directional signs, he walked into the central cafeteria of Sky Dome Academy.
This was his first time coming here since enrolling.
The first to third floors were all ordinary windows, packed with fresh students who had just finished class.
The food sold here was just ordinary meals.
Although the portions were large enough to fill you up and the taste wasn't bad, they didn't provide any attribute bonuses, and a meal only cost a few credits.
Su Chen didn't linger on the first floor; he directly took the magic elevator up to the top floor.
The style and atmosphere of the top floor were completely different from below.
There were no noisy human voices here, and the air was filled with a strange fragrance of Advanced ingredients mixed with spices.
In the center of the hall, there were no ordinary dining tables, but rather a bar counter surrounding a huge oven.
In front of the oven stood several creatures wearing tall white hats and red scarves around their necks.
They weren't humans, but rather humanoid cat beastmen walking upright, about the size of half-grown children.
Holding spatulas and skimmers taller than themselves, they frantically stir-fried in front of huge iron pots as flames shot into the sky.
A huge wooden sign hung on the wall, with bold characters written on it: [Master Meow's Culinary House].
Su Chen walked over to the bar counter and sat down.
An orange-furred cat beastman with a scar across his face immediately sidled up to him.
He pushed a heavy menu in front of Su Chen: "Meow~ Respected guest, what would you like to eat, meow? The ingredients here are absolutely fresh, flown straight back from the [Thunderflame Mountains], meow!"
Su Chen opened the menu.
The first page.
[Dish: Stir-Fried Red Lotus Fiery Bull Tenderloin]
[Effect: Within 24 hours after consumption, Strength + 50, Fire Attribute Resistance + 20%.]
[Price: 50,000 credits]
...
[Dish: Steamed Deep-Sea Spirit Turtle Brain]
[Effect: Within 24 hours after consumption, Spirit + 80, Mana recovery speed increased by 50%.]
[Price: 80,000 credits]
...
A single meal required tens of thousands of credits, something ordinary students simply couldn't afford to eat.
It was completely a temporary powerful buff prepared for students getting ready to pioneer high-difficulty dungeons.
Su Chen asked: "Can I eat all of them once?"
"No can do, meow! It will overwrite the previous effects, meow!"
"Fine."
Su Chen directly flipped to the very last page of the menu.
There was only a solitary dish there.
The picture showed a luxurious feast emanating dazzling golden light with extremely complex ingredients.
[Dish: Master Meow's Ultimate Feast]
[Ingredients: Gold-Level Dragon Heart's Blood, Millennium Snow Lotus, Abyss Behemoth Bone Marrow...]
[Effect: After consumption, gain the special buff [Master Meow's Protection]: Within the next 48 hours, when you suffer fatal damage, immunize that damage and lock your Health Points at 1 point. The buff disappears after triggering.]
[Price: 100,000 credits]
...
"Holy crap!"
Seeing the price, Su Chen couldn't help but curse inwardly.
A single meal cost one hundred thousand credits.
This price could buy a Gold-Level weapon in the trading zone.
No matter how frugally ordinary students lived, they wouldn't have the blessing to enjoy this.
Su Chen stared unblinkingly at that HP-locking buff.
Although he had absolute confidence in his current damage output, no one dared to guarantee whether they would encounter those unreasonable instant-kill mechanisms.
One hundred thousand credits to buy a life.
It was worth it.
"This is it."
Su Chen pointed at the last page of the menu, "Give me one [Master Meow's Ultimate Feast]."
The scar-faced cat chef widened his eyes, and the white hat on top of his head shuddered.
"Meow! Is the guest sure, meow? This is our signature dish, and its preparation is extremely tedious, meow!"
"Sure, swipe the card."
Su Chen slapped his campus card onto the bar counter.
"Alright then, meow! Little ones, get to work, meow!"
The scar-faced cat chef roared excitedly.
The cat chefs behind the bar immediately got busy, their movements so fast that only afterimages remained, and the flames almost shot up to the ceiling.
Ten minutes later.
A dish served in a huge golden plate was brought in front of Su Chen.
Its appearance was extremely exaggerated, the steak was still sizzling with oil, and it was surrounded by glowing strange plants.
Su Chen picked up the knife and fork and started eating directly.
There wasn't that indescribable weird taste he had imagined; instead, it was surprisingly delicious.
The huge chunks of meat entered his stomach, turning into streams of warm currents surging toward his limbs and bones.
[Prompt: Consumed [Master Meow's Ultimate Feast].]
[Prompt: Gained status [Master Meow's Protection].]
Su Chen wiped his mouth, looked at the extra status in his status bar, and nodded with satisfaction.
Life-saving measures can never be too many!
...
After finishing his meal, Su Chen no longer dawdled and headed straight for the Heaven-Reaching Tower.
The Heaven-Reaching Tower wasn't in the back mountain, but to the north of Sky Dome Academy, requiring a flying boat to get there.
One hour later.
The outline of the Heaven-Reaching Tower could be faintly seen on the horizon.
That was a pure white tall tower that soared into the clouds, completely obscuring its top.
Golden runes flowed across the surface of the tower body, exuding a suffocating coercion.
There was none of the vegetable-market-like commotion of the academy's back mountain square here; the surroundings were unusually quiet.
Su Chen walked up to the tower gate.
Placed beside the door was an old rocking chair, on which lay a woman wearing a gray robe.
The woman looked to be in her thirties or forties, holding a paper book from an unknown era, reading it with great relish.
Su Chen cast an Scouting Spell skill over.
[Tower Auntie]
[Level:???]
[Class:???]
...
Tower Auntie?
How could anyone be called such a name? She probably had a special item that hid her identity.
He stepped forward and handed over the black and gold pass.
"Hello, I'm here to raid the Heaven-Reaching Tower."
Su Chen said.
Tower Auntie didn't even lift her eyelids, reaching out to take the pass.
The moment her fingers touched the card, her movements paused for a split second.
She finally moved her gaze away from the book, glanced at the card in her hand, then raised her head and looked Su Chen up and down.
"Black-gold pass?"
Her voice was somewhat lazy, carrying a hint of surprise, "That old fogey, Vice Principal Lin Xiaotian, actually giving this thing to a freshman who hasn't even officially enrolled—this is the very first time."
She straightened her body and looked at Su Chen's information.
"No wonder."
Tower Auntie chuckled lightly, "So it's you. You little fellow, your connections are quite extensive; even General Zhan Wuji and Xiao Lei personally put in a word for you."
Su Chen: "..."
He knew Elder Zhan, but who was Xiao Lei?
Could it possibly... be Commander Lei Jun?
No way.
Commander Lei Jun, that scar-faced, awe-inspiring Wild Thunder Warrior, was actually called Xiao Lei in front of this person?
It seemed this gatekeeper auntie was a hidden big shot.
Sky Dome Academy truly had crouching tigers and hidden dragons!