章節 48: Chapter 48: The Definition of Strength
East of the Sacred Light Necropolis.
In the wilderness, near the City of Death.
Boom!
Boom!
Zhang Yue swung his staff, unleashing a combo of Fireball and Lightning Strike, instantly taking down a Skeleton Warrior.
He glanced at his quest progress.
From midnight until now, 7 AM, after seven hours of non-stop fighting, Zhang Yue had finally completed the first stage of the quest: slaying 300 Skeleton Warriors.
During this period, his experience bar had risen by more than 50%, and he had captured three pet-grade Skeleton Warriors while also looting two pieces of level 25, two-star [Death Set] equipment. Additionally, he increased his tomb's defense by 300 points.
For every monster slain in the Third World, 1 point was added to the tomb's defense value.
Exhausted, Zhang Yue took out a mana potion from his storage space and downed it, restoring more than half of his mana.
His frown deepened as he noticed how low his remaining potions had become.
"The potions are running out too fast. Even though I stocked up fully before coming here, it's still not enough…"
Unfortunately, the storage space had a cap of 200 potions, and returning to restock wasn't an option. If he went back now, he wouldn't be able to return until midnight, which would waste precious daytime leveling time.
As Zhang Yue contemplated his next move, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance to the City of Death.
Her footsteps were light and lively.
It was Su Jinyan.
"I've already sent people to investigate," Su Jinyan said, walking up to Zhang Yue. "If we can help the leader of the Killer Mercenary Group recover his daughter, they won't be under Chen Jun's control anymore."
"They've already become a threat to me," Zhang Yue replied. "I don't mind using force to deal with them."
Su Jinyan glanced around at the desolate surroundings and seemed to understand something. She stared at Zhang Yue with her clear eyes, a bit surprised. "So, you came out here to level up, get stronger, and then go back to counterattack the Killer Mercenary Group?"
Zhang Yue bent down to pick up the copper coins dropped by the Skeleton Warrior. "Exactly."
"But… how can you stay in the Otherworld for so long? Don't you need to rest and eat?" Su Jinyan asked with concern.
"Humans' biological needs are greatly reduced in the Otherworld. Even without food, drink, or rest, we can survive for up to three days."
"But… are you confident that in three days, you'll surpass them?" Su Jinyan still looked worried. "They have many strong level 30 players, all fully equipped in gold gear…"
"If wearing gold equipment is what defines a strong person," Zhang Yue said, glancing at her, "then there are far too many 'strong' people in this world."
Su Jinyan thought for a moment and then smiled. "In that case… let me help you."
Zhang Yue couldn't deny that killing level 25 skeletons on his own had slowed his efficiency. If Su Jinyan, with her Forbidden Mage abilities, could assist with control, he would certainly benefit from the partnership.
"Sure," Zhang Yue agreed. "By the way, do you have any potions?"
"Yes." Su Jinyan opened her storage space and handed him several dozen red and blue potions.
Of course, Zhang Yue didn't take them for free. He paid her 120% of the market price for the potions, with the extra 20% as a delivery fee.
With their transaction complete, the two formed a team and ventured deeper into the City of Death.
After moving past the territory of the level 25 Skeleton Warriors, they arrived at the domain of the level 26 Skeleton Archers.
These skeletal archers, holding bone bows, wandered aimlessly through the ruined city. Compared to the warriors, the archers had much higher attack power: 650 points. Their defense and health were more standard, with 380 defense—just like the warriors—and slightly lower health at 4,200.
Zhang Yue summoned his Silver Armored Scorpion, sending it forward to draw the archers' aggro. He transferred 50 defense points to the scorpion via Doom Guardian.
The Skeleton Archers locked onto the approaching scorpion and began firing arrows.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
With their speed advantage, the archers unleashed a rapid barrage, three arrows in quick succession, each dealing around 250 damage to the scorpion.
Zhang Yue quickly followed up with Ice Spike and Fireball, dealing a total of 640 and 693 damage to the archer.
Just as the archer broke free from the ice and pulled back its bowstring, Su Jinyan seized the opportunity.
Boom! A fireball slammed into the Skeleton Archer, stunning it.
-255! Stunned!
"Your damage has improved." Zhang Yue remarked, surprised.
Su Jinyan stuck out her tongue and smiled. "When I kept fighting with you and couldn't break through the enemies' defenses, I asked my sister to craft me two attack-focused items."
Looking closer, Zhang Yue realized that at least her weapon and ring were now two-star gold-quality gear. As for the rest, it was a mix of purple and orange items, likely with significant intelligence boosts.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but think: Having money really makes a difference.
Of course, wealth only gets you so far in crafting equipment. High-end gear, like three-star items for level 20 players, was much harder to come by.
As Su Jinyan's fireball locked down the Skeleton Archer, Zhang Yue launched another assault with Lightning Strike and Flame Missile, chipping away at the archer's health bar.
Seizing another opening, Su Jinyan cast Starlight Bind, further immobilizing the Skeleton Archer.
Her timing was perfect, only using her skills to disrupt and control the enemy. Otherwise, she stuck to basic attacks to whittle down the archer's health.
With their teamwork, it didn't take long for them to finish off the Skeleton Archer.
They immediately moved on to the next target.
With Su Jinyan's assistance, Zhang Yue's efficiency at killing skeletons increased dramatically.
For Su Jinyan, the partnership was also rewarding. Although her damage had improved, she still struggled to take down level 25 skeletons on her own.
Zhang Yue made up for her lack of raw damage.
Moreover, after hearing Zhang Yue mention the City of Death, Su Jinyan had also picked up the [Against the Reaper] quest.
In their team, each skeleton kill counted toward both of their quest progress.
Where it had taken Zhang Yue seven hours on his own to kill 300 Skeleton Warriors, now, from 7 AM to noon, they cleared 300 Skeleton Archers in just five hours.
As noon arrived, Su Jinyan logged off to eat lunch while Zhang Yue rested in an open area.
Half an hour later, Su Jinyan returned with 200 more potions. Since they were almost exclusively taking no damage, she had only bought mana potions—100 for each of them.
In the afternoon, they ventured further into the territory of the level 27 Skeleton Shieldbearers.
The Shieldbearers had average attack power and moved slowly, but their defense and health were incredibly high.
Even with her two-star gold staff and ring, Su Jinyan could barely scratch them, dealing just double-digit damage.
Zhang Yue's damage output also decreased significantly.
Their pace slowed, but at least they could still kill the Shieldbearers. Completing the quest was only a matter of time.
———
Meanwhile, back in the Second World, the members of the Supreme Guild had spent the entire day leveling up after being forced out of the Third World by the Killer Mercenary Group.
By evening, a level 19 Liu Yao returned to the Necropolis, only to find that the mercenaries were still camping outside. He was on the verge of despair.
"These bastards. Can't they just be human for once?" he cried out.
Li Xiaoyao, adjusting his glasses, remarked, "Once tonight passes, tomorrow at midnight, when Reaper Caesar returns, we'll be finished."
"Damn it!" Liu Yao cursed in frustration. "I can't believe there's something in this world that money can't fix." [T/N: I have a perfect argument against it at the end of the chapter.]
"If it weren't for this cursed [Novice Protection Period], I would have summoned two of our Supreme Guild's level 100+ veterans from the higher worlds to wipe out those Killer Mercenaries."
"With only two days left, I'm going to log off and spend my time with some girls while I still can."
Just as Liu Yao was about to quit the alternate world in frustration, he suddenly received a message from Zhang Yue on Feixin:
"Come to the Third World. I need you to help me with something."
"Wha—?" Liu Yao's energy surged back, more excited than if he'd gotten a date with his crush. "My big brother hasn't given up on me."
[T/N: He could have investigated what Chen Jun held against Killer Mercinary Group by using private investigators. Then after knowing the reason, he could have paid some real life mercinaries to rescue that girl. Then team up with Killer Mercinaries to end Chen Jun. All with the help of money.]
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