Chapter 15: Journey to the Dungeon, the Goblin Lair!
The box opened, and the steam dissipated. What came into view was the skill badge that Li Yao had obtained before, but now the emblem on it had unmistakably changed to an ‘S’. Alongside it were several bottles of unknown potions shimmering with a radiant glow.
“An S-rank!” Li Yao’s confusion suddenly cleared. The Yuwen family’s attack on him was most likely for this very item. Holding the S-rank skill badge, Li Yao couldn’t bear to part with it, constantly turning it over in his hands. A-grade skills were already priceless treasures; an even higher S-grade skill was almost never seen on the market. Even if one appeared at an auction, it would only be exchanged through barter—money alone couldn’t buy it.
It was important to understand that even S-rank professionals only had the chance to grasp S-level skills upon completing their advancement quest every twenty levels. Once mastered, these skills were regarded as ultimate moves or trump cards. With this in mind, Li Yao no longer planned to convert it into a summoning skill book. Possessing the talent for star upgrades, even an S-rank summon beast would cost only a few dozen gold coins. Using the badge for that would be a complete waste.
Li Yao opened the StarNet on the room’s computer. If he remembered correctly, there was one coveted skill among all summoners that belonged to the S-rank category. The only question was whether it was in stock.
He typed the keywords into the search page. A skill book suddenly appeared at the top of the results.
“It’s available!” Li Yao exclaimed in delight and quickly clicked to redeem it.
In an instant, the S-rank skill badge slowly vanished, replaced by an ancient, yellowed book. Li Yao reached out to touch it.
[Shackles (S): The summoner can bind the soul of a designated summon beast through a spiritual shackle, sharing all attributes and skills of that summon for 20 minutes. Cooldown time: 6 hours.]
This skill perfectly suited Li Yao’s situation. Moreover, Li Yao had only one summon beast connected—the Void Mantis. Its infinitely increasing strength attribute, combined with the Chessmaster talent, formed an unbeatable combination. The 20-minute duration was more than enough. After activating attribute sharing, if they still couldn’t defeat the enemy within 20 minutes, Li Yao would have to seriously consider how to escape.
In sum, this S-rank skill was enough to rival those legendary double-S skills for Li Yao.
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After mastering the skill, Li Yao’s gaze shifted to the remaining bottles of potions. Being stored alongside an S-rank skill implied they were no ordinary items.
At the bottom of the box lay a list describing their effects: S-rank Four-Dimensional Potions.
Only now did Li Yao fully realize how generous the Dragon Kingdom’s official institutions were toward geniuses. The Four-Dimensional Potions could be consumed once every twenty levels, and the highest known grade was S, permanently boosting the corresponding attribute.
It was worth noting that every twenty levels, professionals had to complete an advancement quest alone before leveling up further. The degree of completion determined their future growth potential. This meant every professional strived to maximize their immediate combat power during each phase.
The Four-Dimensional Potions were undeniably the most direct way to enhance battle strength, effectively giving one a significant attribute advantage over others. Since Li Yao was a summoner, strength was his least useful attribute, so there was no strength potion among the set. There were two mental potions and one each for agility and endurance. Each potion increased an attribute by 20 points, equivalent to the gain from two professional levels.
These rare items, like S-rank skill books, never appeared on the open market. Most ordinary professionals would never have the chance to touch such divine treasures in their lifetime.
Li Yao took three of the potions. The taste was somewhat like cold medicine—bitter and astringent. One mental potion remained reserved for after reaching level 20.
The Four-Dimensional Potions did not produce instant effects. They required several hours to digest their power, and the body would suffer weakness, dizziness, and discomfort during the process.
Li Yao lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. As long as I fall asleep quickly, hardship won’t catch up to me!
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Night fell. Li Yao rose from the bed, feeling the power filling his body, nodding in satisfaction. He left the city again, heading straight for the Goblin Nest dungeon.
Mounting the Void Mantis’s back, he dashed off in a direction. Soon, a massive vortex appeared before his eyes.
At the same time, a cacophony of voices surged in, as chaotic as a bustling marketplace, harshly flooding his ears.
“Molten Fire Guild, fourth class one, normal difficulty, seeking magic damage dealers above level 15, rank C or higher, fast-run team—no fails!”
“Normal difficulty, healers needed for speed runs! What? You’re only level 7? Why come here instead of refreshing your dungeon runs? Move aside! What? Offering 200,000 dragon coins? Boss invites inside!”
“Silver Wolf Guild, recruiting two level 17 B-rank damage dealers for difficult difficulty raid. Loot distributed by contribution.”
“Yuwen Family Hunting Team, equipped with several level 15 silver gear pieces, sincerely invite level 17 tanks with at least 200 endurance, for master-level difficulty raid. Hiring fighters, price negotiable!”
The Goblin Nest, located at the border of Jiangzhou, was a mandatory path for all professionals leveling up in Jiangzhou. From its opening until now, it had always been crowded with throngs of people.
Li Yao approached the vortex. Looking at the scene before him, it felt like he had returned to the days of playing online games in his previous life.
“Young master!” Someone in the crowd called out to Li Yao.
He glanced over and nodded without speaking.
As Jiangzhou’s largest adventurer guild, the Silver Wolf Guild naturally had dedicated personnel managing dungeons like the Goblin Nest. Not only them, but also the Yuwen and Qin families were present here.
At that moment, a team teleported out of the secret realm. Their equipment was heavily damaged, and each member looked battered and disheveled.
“That must be the Qin family’s team. Looks like another failed raid, forced to use a dungeon exit scroll.”
“A basic exit scroll costs one million dragon coins. Five people, that’s five million, plus high-grade equipment wear. Is it really worth it to challenge master-level difficulty without counting costs?”
“Why not? The final boss of master difficulty is the Goblin General. If you kill him, you might get a golden artifact!”
“A golden artifact? With the Qin family’s wealth, buying one wouldn’t be hard, right?”
“You don’t know, do you? Look over there—that’s Qin Yue, the second young lady of the Qin family, an A-rank profession Thunder Walker.”
“Now the whole Qin family’s focus is on Qin Yue.”
“Besides, even if no golden artifact drops, the general’s exclusive drop—the General’s Heart—is essential for crafting golden-grade equipment, specifically the General’s Ring.”
“See, not just the Qin family—the Yuwen family and Silver Wolf Guild are all preparing to tackle master-level difficulty.”
“The heirs of these three are Jiangzhou’s top geniuses. If one obtains the General’s Ring, it would be a crushing blow to the other two. You think they wouldn’t fight tooth and nail?”
The General’s Ring... Li Yao listened to their conversation. It seemed the mission he had accepted was likely issued by either the Qin or Yuwen family.
“Fourteen million dragon coins—that’s quite an investment.”
Just then, a melodious voice rang out.
“Li Yao?”
A rosy-cheeked girl in a loose sky-blue mage robe ran toward him.
...