The Versatile Witch emphasised her role, saying, "I also have an aging curse, which can weaken monsters."
Aging Curse: Sacrifice ten percent of the caster's HP, weaken monsters in range. Their movement speed, damage, and armor are reduced by 15%
Their eyes brightened, and Ditzy Dumbo said, "Big sis, you don't have to worry about your HP. Besides the Healing Totem, I can also cast healing spells."
"In that case, our chances are even greater." With this, they slaughtered monsters while searching for advantageous terrain.
However, after searching for half an hour, they found nothing satisfactory. Li Yao frowned slightly and said, "I know of a mountain cave. The only problem is that going into the cave leaves us with no way out. Are you willing to give it a try?"
"Sure, we could try luring only a few monsters to start with." Ditzy Dumbo was eager to get started.
The three arrived at the cave. Looking at it, it seemed quite deep, at least sixty or seventy yards.
"This will do perfectly!" Ditzy Dumbo placed two totems at the entrance of the cave and a Healing Totem deep inside.
"This is an Explosive Totem; it creates a Flame Explosion for area damage. Combined with my Lightning Chain, our area damage will be very strong. Place your Arrow Towers after the Grounding Totem and Big Sister's aging curse slow down those stupid frogs!" Dumbo started directing Li Yao.
Li Yao didn't mind. He placed the three Arrow Towers and also set two Spike Traps at the entrance, while the Versatile Witch summoned her Bronze Skull.
"Wait here; I'll lure the monsters."
Li Yao ran out of the cave and started luring monsters. For their first attempt, he lured five elite monsters and several smaller Poisonous Frogs, which was just enough for area sweeps.
Seeing the nine monsters following Li Yao, the Versatile Witch was shocked. When she had been leveling up the past few days, she mainly killed ordinary monsters. Anyone else would probably think that any player leading so many monsters was simply courting death.
Li Yao jumped over the totems and Arrow Towers while the Poisonous Frogs swiftly fell into the range of the totems and Arrow Towers.
Aging Curse!
A circle of light fell upon the masses of monsters, drastically slowing their movements.
Pop!
The Explosive Totem emitted flame shockwaves, and the Spike Traps also exploded.
Zap!
Ditzy Dumbo's Lightning Chain was fired into the mass of monsters.
Numerous damage values floated above the heads of the Poisonous Frogs.
The barrage of fire damage, bleeding damage, Arrow Tower damage, Lightning Chain damage, and Bone Spear damage filled the visible damage numbers area. Thanks to the Grounding Totem, the monsters seemed to have entered swampy terrain.
Li Yao also intensified his output; he didn't dare to be careless. If the monsters broke through their blockade, they would be surrounded and have nowhere to run.
When the monsters drew near the totems and Arrow Towers, all normal monsters had already fallen, leaving only a few elite ones.
Li Yao squatted down to place an Exploding Sheep, which dashed to the cave entrance.
A few elite monsters squeezed into the entrance when the Exploding Sheep exploded.
The area damage of over a hundred points surprised the other two, making their eyes nearly pop out. The two elite monsters at the front, which had initially received the most firepower, collapsed under the force of the Exploding Sheep.
"Wow, that was thrilling! What was that?" Ditzy Dumbo exclaimed.
Although the Versatile Witch didn't ask outright, she looked at Li Yao, clearly wanting to know as well.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a product of Engineering, an Exploding Sheep," Li Yao replied.
"So Engineering is this exciting! I'll try it when I get back!" Ditzy Dumbo's eyes sparkled.
Li Yao just chuckled. Without the bonus from the Eye of the Creator, an Engineer's items wouldn't have been so powerful.
When the last elite monster fell, the Versatile Witch sighed, "This is really incredible. If I told anyone about this, they would probably think I'm crazy."
"Hehe, it's mainly because the three of us are just too powerful. If Big Brother and Big Sister knew area attacks, it would be perfect." Ditzy Dumbo joyfully continued, "I heard that the so-called professional teams struggle to kill a Level 4 elite, which is just pathetic."
"It's not that they're weak, but rather you two are too abnormal, especially you, Prairie Fire." The Versatile Witch directed this towards Li Yao's calm face.
Li Yao's heart skipped a beat. It was obvious that both of them had connections with professional clubs, and could even contact the higher-ups. Ditzy Dumbo might be a Shaman participating in the Divine Enthronement, and the Versatile Witch, who had a Bronze Skeleton at this point, wasn't a pushover either. But thinking about the 2 billion players, many experts preferred to stay behind the scenes; he decided not to dwell on it.
The three sat on the ground, chatting and regaining their energy and HP.
After a while, Ditzy Dumbo was on her feet again. Slapping Li Yao's shoulder, she said, "Alright, it's time to get to work. Big Brother, the task of saving the world is up to you."
Li Yao was speechless. He stood up and went out to lure monsters again. The second wave included seven elite monsters and a few normal ones. This time their hands were full. After exterminating this wave, the three of them were left in poor shape.
"That was too dangerous. Five to six elite monsters would suffice; bringing in more normal ones doesn't matter The AoE damage will wipe them out," the Versatile Witch suggested.
"Alright." On the third wave, Li Yao lured out six elite monsters: it was slightly tough to deal with them, but at least there was no significant danger.
That's how it went; Li Yao kept luring waves of elite and normal monsters to the cave, wiping them out wave by wave. Thanks to the support from his teammates, he leveled up much faster than when he was solo.
Even Li Yao felt it was fast, let alone the Chameleon Witch and Dumbbell Pupil. After several hours, they leveled up to level four one after the other.
The two women found it almost addictive, and the trio fought fervently for eleven hours, only stopping when it got dark and Li Yao got into a risky situation while luring monsters.
"That was so exhilarating I don't want to stop." Despite being exhausted, Dumbbell Pupil's eyes were filled with excitement.
"It took me three days just to reach level three, but leveled up to four and a half in just one day. It's just too surreal." The Chameleon Witch was eager for more.
Li Yao was just short of level five, but he had to stop.
"We'll call it a day. We'll get back to this later."
"Okay, Big Brother, you can't leave me behind. Otherwise, I'm going to complain about you on the forum." Dumbbell Pupil said, reluctant to leave.
"Of course not. Dumbbell Pupil, you are such a hard hitter, even better than me." Li Yao patted Dumbbell Pupil's head.
"Keep in touch." The Chameleon Witch also started using her Hearthstone.
Seeing the other two returning home using Hearthstone, Li Yao instead tiptoed to Freyr to complete his task.
When Freyr saw the over one thousand elite toxic glands and several hundred standard ones that Li Yao presented, he was almost popping his eyes out.
"My friend, you have truly surprised me, your combat prowess far exceeded my expectations." Freyr brought out a long bow and a cape and said, "These are your rewards. As a friend, you can pick one."
Li Yao was slightly startled. He knew the guide he read offered Blue Equipment, but clearly there was no weapon. The attributes also weren't as prime, so obviously the toxic glands he gathered really exceeded Freyr's expectations.
Now he had a choice of a bow, which Li Yao didn't need, but the cloak seemed pretty good.
Shadow Cloak
Quality: Blue
Strength: 7
Agility: 5
Interpretation: Easier to hide when standing still
"My friend, you have a keen eye. This cloak was my favorite when I was young. I hope you can put it to good use." Freyr gently stroked the cloak before handing it over to Li Yao.
A dazzling golden light illuminated and Li Yao advanced to level five.
Li Yao put on the cloak. His attributes significantly increased. The massive cloak made him look like a wizard. If he were to flip the hood on, he would look just like the Chameleon Witch in her cloak. Others could hardly see his face.
"Anything else I can help with?"
Freyr waved his hand and said, "It's late. Come find me here tomorrow."
"Alright." Li Yao bowed in response and started using his Hearthstone.
Li Yao logged off. The sun was already high up in the sky. He missed breakfast. After staying over for one night, he managed to get some instant noodles for breakfast.
Just as Li Yao was considering going out for exercise, his communicator suddenly rang.
"Does our committee member still remember me?" The holographic screen showed a somewhat androgynous woman in a professional dress, appearing very efficient.
"How could I forget our esteemed class president?" Li Yao responded with a slight smile. The woman speaking was the vice-president and life committee officer during their college years. Li Yao served as the academic committee member, though he never deemed this position important.
"I must correct you once again, I'm the vice-president."
Li Yao smirked. Of course, he knew the actual class president was Li Haitao, a flamboyant second-generation rich kid, "Alright, alright, he's always entitled but when trouble arises, he's nowhere to be found. By the way, why did our honorable class president remember this nobody like me?"
It wasn't that Li Yao bore a grudge against the rich, but Li Haitao's position was a bit underhanded. His father donated a hundreds-story experimental building to the school, everyone knew the story well.
"Ehem, I almost forgot what I was here for. Do you remember the reunion we discussed a while ago?" Wang Xiaolei asked.
"Uh, yeah, I remember. So, you've set the date and location?" Li Yao asked.
"Yes, since everyone is here in Mingzhu City for the carnival, we thought it would be a good opportunity as many people would be coming. So, we decided to have a get-together. It's at 10 a.m. today, at the Mingzhu Grand Hotel. You're available, right?"
"Sure, I'll be there on time." After hanging up, Li Yao's memory of the upcoming reunion became clearer.
To increase its publicity, The Ancient God World coordinated a promotional carnival across all the administrative stars in the Solar System and all major administrative districts.
The location for the China region was in Mingzhu City. It was a grand occasion. After the carnival, it signified the demise of all the struggling old games and the arrival of The Ancient God World's era of domination.
Many of Li Yao's classmates had tickets. These people came to Mingzhu in advance to reconnect with old classmates a year after graduation. Of course, the most active one was the nominal class president.
Li Haitao's father also saw the potential of The Ancient God World's market and entrusted the gaming business to Li Haitao, who wanted to rally most of his classmates under his command and establish a guild. After all, classmates were close-knit and the attractive conditions were indeed enticing.
However, Li Haitao and Li Yao were simply incompatible. They had had lots of arguments in school. Last lifetime, the reunion led to a very humiliating incident for Li Yao, causing him to lose face and become the laughingstock of the event.
"After a reincarnation..." Li Yao chuckled and walked into the bathroom...
Li Yao freshened up and checked the time—it was already a quarter past eight in the morning, with plenty of time before ten o'clock.
Modern hovercars were fast, and as long as he got in one, it would take Li Yao only ten minutes to reach Dao Ming Pearl Hotel from where he lived. So, he wasn't in a hurry and fortunately decided to log into the game.
After a day of training with Tongtong, his backpack's supply of Exploding Sheep and Spike Traps had nearly run out, so Li Yao made his way to the workbench, paid the rental fee to the trainer, and began to craft.
Such items were essential; having too few was problematic, but too many would also be an issue. Plus, they were incredibly costly. Tongtong and the Shape-shifting Sorceress had only seen the sharpness and high damage of Li Yao's Mechanical Hunter, but they had no idea that he was spending Gold Coins to level up each day. On the fourth day of the game, while most players had generally reached level three, their daily income was barely four or five silver coins.
Initially, the trainer didn't pay much attention to Li Yao renting the workbench, but after watching Exploding Sheep after Exploding Sheep smoothly crafted by Li Yao—who evidently wasn't a novice—at this point, he hadn't seen Li Yao fail even once.
An hour later, Li Yao had already crafted over a hundred sheep.
"You're not bad, kid, quite a talent. Next time, even if I'm not here, you can use the workbench; just leave the rental fee," the trainer said when he saw Li Yao was about to leave.
"Thanks," Li Yao nodded and chose to log out.
"It seems I'll need to train two players interested in engineering in the future; making them myself is too time-consuming," thought Li Yao, and then he changed into clean clothes and left the house.
The public hoverbus had a dedicated aerial lane, and the bus service was frequent. After waiting for just two minutes, Li Yao boarded one.
While observing the floating screen advertisement of "The Ancient God World" projected from the roof of the public hoverbus, Li Yao couldn't help but crack a smile. With the national endorsement, the ad campaigns for "The Ancient God World" were absolutely overwhelming.
It was almost impossible not to notice, as the large buildings outside the window were adorned with massive promotional screens, and these relentless advertisements only dwindled when it truly became the second world.
Pearl Hotel was one of the iconic buildings in Mingzhu City; from afar, it looked like a Blue Giant Dragon soaring into the sky.
This was a structure designed by a new generation of Chinese architects, using cutting-edge building materials, modeled after the Eastern Azure Dragon.
"Li Yao, you finally made it."
As soon as he arrived, Li Yao was greeted by a beautiful and capable-looking woman.
"It's been too long, squad leader; you've become even more beautiful," Li Yao said with a smile.
"You're just sweet-talking me again. I'm old now, there's no more beauty to speak of," Wang Xiaolei said with a bright smile, leading him into the hotel, "Hurry up and head upstairs. Everyone who could come has already arrived; you're the last one."
"Sorry, I didn't expect everyone to arrive so early," Li Yao said, feeling a flush of embarrassment. He lived in the city yet was the last to arrive, which made him feel slightly apologetic, "It was my oversight."
"It's fine; it's only nine-thirty," Wang Xiaolei reassured him as they entered the elevator and she pressed the button for the 105th floor. Once she saw they were alone in the elevator, she quietly added, "Today, Li Haitao is footing the bill. It's rare for classmates to gather like this, so keep it low-key and don't act rashly."
"Don't worry, I'm fully aware," Li Yao understood what Wang Xiaolei meant; he knew very well that Li Haitao was his old nemesis. Putting aside the four years of grudges, even those who wished to curry favor with Li Haitao wouldn't let an opportunity to target someone as low-profile as him slide by, as proven by Li Yao's past experience.
When they first started university, the two couldn't stand each other. Li Yao couldn't stand Li Haitao's snobbish ways, relying on his father even for being a class leader, while Li Haitao couldn't bear Li Yao's poor and down-to-earth appearance, despite being shrouded in various honors.
The real conflict between the two was essentially over a woman, Feng Yi, an extraordinary and elegant girl.
It was said that Feng Yi came from a mysterious background with a distinguished status, but she was humble and polite, without an ounce of pretentiousness. She became the dream goddess of countless students at the university as soon as she arrived at the school.
No other school beauty could shake her position ever since she topped the list of beauties; logically, such a girl would be the enemy of all other girls, but quite the opposite happened. A bunch of girls flocked around her, following her lead.
Even with Li Yao's qualities, he and Feng Yi were worlds apart—while he had his honors, he was at best mildly handsome, not even a school hunk, and he came from an ordinary family. In terms of social standing, one was a phoenix in the sky, and the other, a common chicken on the ground.
This wasn't meant as an insult, but an undeniable reality. With the emergence of the interstellar program, although the law deemed everyone equal, in reality, the social hierarchy was incredibly rigid.
It should have been impossible for two such different people, albeit in the same class, to develop anything more than a simple friendship.
However, during a school-organized trip to a primitive forest, their equipment malfunctioned, and Li Yao and Feng Yi found themselves in the same group, lost in the forest.
While the other classmates panicked, it was their cooperation that safely guided everyone back to the assembly point. From then on, they grew close and even became a couple a year later.
Li Haitao believed he was the most qualified to be Feng Yi's boyfriend, but he couldn't tolerate seeing her constantly close with his rival.
Thus, he began opposing Li Yao at every turn, even scheming to sabotage their relationship. But both Li Yao and Feng Yi were sensible and intelligent, and instead of drifting apart, their relationship only grew stronger through the adversities.
By their senior year, although Li Haitao had already given up hope, his perception shifted when he saw Feng Yi, the star of any gathering, at a high-class event he attended with his father; he finally learned of her true status.
Later, Li Haitao stirred trouble that reached Feng Yi's family and only then did Li Yao realize how noble her background was. Furthermore, Li Yao found it troubling that Feng Yi had been betrothed from a young age.
To make matters worse, without his knowledge, and with the interference of Feng Yi's fiancé's family, they had even used Li Yao's family to threaten him.
Under immense pressure from all sides, an argument over differing opinions had escalated between the two, ending in separation and the onset of a cold war.
Both of them were proud and headstrong by nature. In their past lives, they never reconciled until their rebirth.
Reborn into this life, Li Yao had not seen Feng Yi for ten years. Seeing her again stirred a complex mix of emotions within him.
The two quietly met each other's gaze for a few seconds before Li Yao gave a slight smile and walked over to his close friends, not even he knew what he was thinking at the moment.
Was that deep, unforgettable love still there? Li Yao was uncertain. Ten years of trials and tribulations can fade even the most sincere feelings.
Love enduring through rocks shattering and seas running dry may only exist in fairy tales. Such bewildering complexity was indescribable.
"Back in school you acted all high and mighty; I didn't expect you to still put on airs after graduation," Wang Qiang complained next to Li Haitao.
Zhang Ming added sarcastically from the other side, "If you ask me, it's disdain for us old classmates. He lives the closest, yet he's the last to arrive."
Knowing Feng Yi's family background, even a nouveau riche family like Li Haitao had ceased pursuit, but his grudge against Li Yao had never been dropped.
A female classmate said with a smile, "He's dressed so casually; it's clear he's looking down on us. But in my opinion, he must be doing poorly wearing street market clothes. I've always said doing well in school doesn't guarantee success later."
Before Li Yao could respond, his close friend Zhao Lei suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Enough from you all, is this still a class reunion?"
Zhang Ming laughed boisterously, "Zhao Lei is right. It's not like Li Yao did it on purpose. I heard he's not doing too well and has never been to such an upscale place. It's normal for him to get lost coming here for the first time."
Some roared with laughter, while others showed displeasure. The once harmonious atmosphere froze instantly upon Li Yao's arrival, dividing into two factions. It was well known that Li Yao's supporters were no fewer than Li Haitao's.
Zhao Lei was about to slam the table in anger when Li Yao pulled him back and sat down calmly, not even glancing at the others.
"Yaozi, can you really tolerate this?" Zhao Lei said furiously.
Li Yao pulled Zhao Lei back down to his seat and spoke indifferently, "Stay calm. Why bother stooping to the level of someone's dog, degrading ourselves to that level?"
Now it was the turn for Li Yao's side to burst into laughter. Even Feng Yi, who had been studying her drink with her head lowered, looked up at Li Yao in surprise, as if seeing him in a new light.
Having lived together for over two years, she knew him exceptionally well. In just a few words, she could tell that Li Yao seemed different from before, though she couldn't quite pinpoint how.
It was Wang Qiang's turn to be furious now. Pointing at the laughing classmates, he shouted, "You need to understand, if it weren't for Haitao's face, could we gather at such a venue? Do you even have a conscience?"
Pearl Hotel wasn't just for anyone with money; one had to have a certain social status. Upon hearing Wang Qiang's words, everyone's expressions shifted.
Li Yao simply smiled and said, "There's one thing I'd like to clarify. Is today a class reunion, or are we being treated to a meal?"
Zhang Ming scoffed, "Are you stupid? Of course, it's a class reunion."
Li Yao's smile brightened, "Then I'm even more puzzled. If it's a class reunion, aren't we all the main characters? I admit I can't shoulder such a huge expense, but I can at least afford my own share. When the bill comes, I'll settle my own part to avoid any gossip."
Zhao Lei laughed, "I'll also clear my own share. It's better than using it as an excuse to belittle a classmate."
"I'll pay for myself too."
Instantly, at least half of the several dozen people wanted to pay their own bills.
Li Haitao gave Li Yao a piercing look before standing up and saying loudly, "Quiet down, everyone. Please trust that I, Li Haitao, have never thought this way. This hall was lent to me by my father after his meeting, and the bill is already paid. How could we let such a small issue hurt our camaraderie after so many years?"
After speaking, Li Haitao gave a fierce stare to his lackeys, then he lifted a glass of wine towards Li Yao, "Don't take the misunderstanding to heart, Yaozi. I'll drink this one as self-punishment, and you do as you wish."
Li Yao also stood up, beaming, "Naturally, I won't hold a grudge against my classmates. I'll drink to that too."
After finishing his drink, Li Yao sat down with a smile. The classmates applauded his magnanimity.
Watching Li Haitao still holding his glass looking somewhat dazed, Li Yao sighed to himself, everyone can put on a show, but Haitao, with ten years of social experience, was no match for him in playacting.
And indeed, Li Haitao was confused because Li Yao had always been fiercely proud and easy to provoke, often putting people in an awkward position, especially him. Li Haitao had wrecked the relationship between Feng Yi and Li Yao, and in the past, Li Yao had treated him like a mortal enemy, never appearing so nonchalant.
His plan today was to undermine Li Yao's prestige, and even if his underlings failed, he wanted to show his own superiority and pressurize the entire room, making everyone see who was the prodigy.
All for paving the way for his own objectives, yet the first step of the plan had already changed...
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