"Ahhh! Save me! Hurry up and save me!"
Accompanied by desperate shrieks, Baise scrambled out of the Dire Maul North Ogre Court in a panic. Trailing behind her was Boss number two—Guard Fengus.
"Sigh... How many times have I told you that with your current Aura Capacity, you can't control him for long? Why won't you listen? How many times has he broken free halfway now?" Seeing the familiar sight, Allen sighed helplessly, stood up from the ground, drew his bowstring, and applied a massive amount of Nen to the Thorium Arrow. His 'Big Bang Arrow,' an ability stolen from Uvogin and modified, instantly released a terrifying, destructive aura after a few seconds of charging.
The moment it approached its critical point, he finally released his fingers. The next second...
Boom!
Accompanied by a colossal explosion, Guard Fengus instantly exploded into countless pieces, turning into a bloody rain of flesh and gore that drenched Baise completely red.
Clearly, with the increase in his Aura Capacity and the terrifying power of the "Big Bang Arrow," a small five-man dungeon boss like this could be instantly killed with just one hit, shattering its HP ceiling.
This meant that the specific damage value of that arrow had far exceeded 24,000 points. Facing Molten Core bosses, whose HP ranges from roughly 350,000 to a million, this damage output was sufficient, perhaps even slightly excessive.
However, considering his small team only consisted of three people, and Bodoro, the MT (Main Tank), might not last long, Allen had to forcibly kill the bosses in a very short amount of time, or risk a wipe. Most importantly, he wasn't just the sole Damage Dealer (DD); he also had to serve as the Healer, Logistics Supplier, and Debuff remover... The thought alone was exhausting...
No wonder raid leaders would often sigh in the guild channel about "the decline of morality" or "how I would have handled things differently in the old days" whenever they lacked sufficient players or certain classes for a run. He was finally starting to empathize. Even worse, unlike in the game, he couldn't publicly recruit more Nen users to join; he could only slowly search for suitable candidates to expand his small team.
"Ugh, damn it! That's disgusting! Can't you make it less bloody?" Baise shook off a piece of Ogre intestine, gagging while complaining through gritted teeth.
After three days in the real world (and thirty days in the dungeon) of hellish training, supplemented by a few pieces of leather armor, her Aura Capacity had increased severalfold. Moreover, her "Instant Lover" ability was no longer limited to human males but covered all male humanoids.
Whether it was the Ogres in Dire Maul or the Orcs and Trolls in Blackrock Spire, this woman would kiss them without hesitation, utterly shattering Allen's moral compass and bottom line. In a sense, her inner strength truly wasn't ordinary, it was immensely strong.
After gagging for a while, Baise finally suggested: "Can we call it a day? I want to take a shower right now! And brush my teeth properly! These dead fat guys have the most awful breath."
Allen smiled and nodded in agreement, directly leading her through the swirling portal at the dungeon entrance. Instantly, their vision blurred, and they were transported from the dungeon back to their room in the hotel.
Baise, without a word, immediately rushed into the bathroom, stripped off her clothes, turned on the shower, and started frantically lathering up with body wash while relentlessly brushing her teeth. She looked like she had developed severe mysophobia. However, this was understandable...
Players controlling virtual characters through a screen naturally can't smell anything, but upon entering the dungeons personally, Allen had encountered all kinds of indescribable odors. These included the stench of death and decay from places like Stratholme and Scholomance, and the musky, sweaty, and strong body odors mixed together in the Upper and Lower Blackrock Spire.
One thing was certain: places where Ogres, Orcs, Trolls, and Ghouls gathered were absolute sensory disaster zones, where simply being near them was torturous to the nose. Not to mention Baise had to kiss them mouth-to-mouth.
Listening to the constant sound of running water from the bathroom, Allen couldn't help but sigh softly: "I hope she doesn't develop any psychological trauma or mental illness from this."
Just as the words left his mouth, Bodoro suddenly pushed the door open and walked in from next door, reporting straightforwardly: "Cheadle of the Zodiacs just called, saying she wants to meet with you as soon as possible."
"Oh? Time and place?" Allen quickly picked up the phone lying on the nightstand and indeed found a call record from over an hour ago.
"Tonight, at an ordinary restaurant about fifteen minutes' drive from here. Here's the address; I've already checked it for you." Bodoro quickly handed him a slip of paper with the details written on it.
"Got it. You stay here tonight and accompany Baise with basic conditioning. Barring any surprises, we should be able to invade the Molten Core in another day or two." Allen quickly made the necessary adjustments and arrangements.
He was almost certain that the "Dog" Zodiac was personally coming to share her research results on the Essence of Life, and possibly to ask for more samples for further attempts. After all, one portion of Essence of Life was only palm-sized and would be completely consumed after maybe ten to twenty experiments. Compared to the tens or hundreds of thousands of experiments in modern pharmaceutical systems, that amount wasn't even enough to scratch the surface.
"Really? Are we finally going to challenge those powerful leaders?" Bodoro's eyes widened, showing undisguised delight.
"Yes. We have less than four months until the end of the year. I hope to get some equipment support, then go challenge Chairman Netero and personally experience the nearly unavoidable speed of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's attacks." As he spoke, Allen's expression became incredibly serious and earnest. To be precise, everything he had done since getting his Hunter License was preparation for achieving this goal.
"Charging at the strongest Nen user in humanity? The thought alone makes my blood boil! Please allow me to observe the battle when the time comes!" Bodoro excitedly submitted his request, clutching his fists.
But Allen smiled and shook his head: "No. I'm not doing it just to defeat that troublesome old man; it's also to confirm where I stand right now. Furthermore, I have some ideas I need to verify during that fight, which will determine my future path. Compared to simple victory or defeat, these things come first."
"Not for victory?" Bodoro clearly didn't quite understand. In his view, the meaning of combat was to defeat the opponent and win. A duel without a clear winner or loser had no value or significance!
It wasn't just him; this was the creed followed by most martial artists in this world. First, identify an opponent, then find a way to defeat them. Chairman Netero achieved the title of humanity's strongest Nen user by constantly challenging and surpassing others. But once he became the strongest, he soon lost his goal, and his strength stopped growing.
In Allen's opinion, this approach was too extreme and harbored major flaws and hidden dangers; it was like setting a self-imposed ceiling and maximum limit. He didn't need to surpass anyone; constantly achieving self-transcendence was enough.
To be stronger now than I was in the past!
To be stronger in the future than I am now!
Only this way can a person make endless progress!
Because self-transcendence is often the most difficult feat. Thus, every time it is achieved, it is equivalent to a qualitative leap.