Chapter 27: Clearing the Blood-Stained Forbidden Zone, the Scroll is Secured!

The difficulty level escalated to the maximum: Purgatory.

The vampires in the dungeon remained at level 10, but their total attribute bonus had reached 200%. This was equivalent to having triple their base stats; it was no exaggeration to say that their overall strength was comparable to level 15 monsters. Expecting a group of level 10 players to confront level 15 monsters while simultaneously tracking down ten forbidden items was a Herculean task. It was no wonder that for the past hundred years, no country other than America had ever cleared the Purgatory-level Blood-Soaked Forbidden Zone.

With their attributes tripled, the vampires now boasted over 300 attack power, 150+ armor, 120+ speed, and 2,000+ health! A single "Soul Shatter" skill from a Necrotic Warrior could no longer one-shot them. Of course, that was not a major problem. It simply meant adding one more basic attack. After all, the Necrotic Warrior’s 1,240 attack power, combined with a 464-point damage bonus, was nothing to sneeze at.

Under the overwhelming force of the Necrotic Warriors, it took less than three minutes to secure the first forbidden item. The items picked up by the Necrotic Warriors were sent directly to Lu Ming’s inventory. Lu Ming opened his bag, took out the forbidden item "Forbidden Fruit," and chose to use it. The next moment, the fruit, which resembled a snake apple, transformed into a golden radiance that drifted upward.

[Ding! Task progress 1/10!]

Under the effect of the level 2 skill enhancement, which provided a 20-fold boost, the effective range of Lu Ming’s "War Stomp" and "Fortress of Life" had expanded from an already impressive 500-yard radius to a heaven-defying 1,000 yards! A circle with a 1,000-yard radius and a 2,000-yard diameter—do you know what that means? It was equivalent to the size of more than 400 school playgrounds combined!

The "War Stomp," with its 200% plus 1,000-point attack bonus, bestowed upon the Necrotic Warriors an indomitable, heroic physique. The "Fortress of Life," with its 20% health and 760-point shield bonus, granted them an immortal, rock-solid constitution. Facing Necrotic Warriors who generated 992 points of shielding per second, the vampires' bite of 300 damage was like an ant stinging an elephant—completely negligible.

Although both skills consumed 5 mana points per second at level 10, the combined cost of 10 mana per second was insignificant compared to the 60 points of mana regeneration per second provided by the "Mana Recovery" skill of the Moon Demon set after its 20-fold enhancement. Thus, even in this Purgatory-level dungeon, Lu Ming’s Necrotic Legion remained invincible.

Two hundred Necrotic Warriors spread across the old city, killing every vampire they encountered. The vast old district had effectively become a slaughterhouse for the legion. By killing vampires, searching hidden areas, and completing special conditions such as "killing a vampire in 1 second" and "killing 100 vampires in ten minutes," Lu Ming collected all ten forbidden items in less than forty minutes.

As he used the items one by one, endless golden light descended from the heavens, enveloping the entire old city. Bathed in this golden rain, the quest was complete.

***

A melodic system notification reached Qing Yan’s ears.

[Ding! Congratulations on clearing the Purgatory-level Blood-Soaked Forbidden Zone dungeon alongside players Dawn, Chen Emperor, Luo, and Sunset!]

[Ding! Because your teammates Chen Emperor, Luo, and Sunset have perished, and teammate Dawn is offline, you have obtained the sole first-clear reward for the Purgatory-level Blood-Soaked Forbidden Zone as the party leader: Infinite Growth Skill Scroll +1!]

When the dungeon mission was marked complete but no system reward notification appeared, Lu Ming realized something was amiss. Just as he turned toward Qing Yan with killing intent in his eyes, he saw her holding the skill scroll out toward him with both hands.

"Here, here! Please don't kill me!"

Had she attempted to swallow the scroll he had worked so hard to obtain, Lu Ming would never have let her leave the dungeon alive.

"You're sensible enough," Lu Ming said, taking the scroll.

At that moment, Qing Yan tentatively asked, "But, could you let me trigger the server-wide announcement as the party leader?"

Lu Ming had no desire for fame; his goal was the scroll. He was more than happy to oblige. "Whatever," he replied nonchalantly.

"Thank you so much!" Qing Yan cheered.

The next second, three loud system announcements echoed throughout the Great Xia server of the Heavenly Abyss world:

[System Announcement] (Great Xia Server): "Ding! Congratulations to player [Qing Yan] from Moonfall Town, Newbie Area 1947, for clearing the Purgatory-level 8-10 dungeon, Blood-Soaked Forbidden Zone!"

The announcement shocked the entire nation. Every player in the Heavenly Abyss world was stunned.

"Holy cow! Is that announcement real? Someone in our Great Xia actually cleared the Purgatory-level Blood-Soaked Forbidden Zone?"

"That’s a dungeon no one in Great Xia has been able to pass for over a century!"

"Who on earth is this Qing Yan?!"

"Moonfall Town, Newbie Area 1947? Damn! The legendary player is right here in our tiny Linhai City!"

The world was in an uproar, a fervor that rivaled the time when the Heavenly Abyss first descended upon the world a hundred years ago. Seeing Qing Yan’s smug expression, Lu Ming thought to himself, "Still too young. You’ll soon realize how much trouble such excessive fame brings when you lack the strength to back it up."

He didn't care to manage her affairs. With the scroll in hand, he prepared to leave the dungeon through the newly opened portal. Just then, Qing Yan called out to him, "Wait!"

"Would you like to join our Heaven-Mystic Guild?"

Heaven-Mystic? Lu Ming turned around. As he met Qing Yan’s gaze, he looked into eyes that had felt familiar, and suddenly, it clicked.

"What is your relationship with Heaven-Mystic Eternal?" Lu Ming asked.

Qing Yan answered without hesitation, "He’s my brother! My twin! He was born eight seconds before me!"

So, the mystery was solved. No wonder she had seemed familiar; she was related to Heaven-Mystic Eternal. Lu Ming realized then that Qing Yan had approached him with an agenda from the very beginning. She wanted to recruit him for Heaven-Mystic, just as her brother had likely intended.

"You really are siblings," Lu Ming said coldly. "No thanks, I prefer my freedom."

As he turned to leave, her voice came again. "The Chen Emperor you killed was a member of the God-Slaying Guild! If they find out, they will stop at nothing to take revenge on you!"

A flash of killing intent crossed Lu Ming’s eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

"Absolutely not!" Qing Yan hurried to explain. "I’m just warning you. God-Slaying is a top-tier guild ranked seventh in our Great Xia. You are undeniably talented, but you are only level 10. If they send a few level-hundred players to assassinate you before you can develop, how will you cope?"

"Join us at Heaven-Mystic, and we can protect you!"

Seeing Lu Ming hesitate, she continued, "It’s not just for you. Our guild has a history with them. We’ve been fighting for decades. My parents died at the hands of the God-Slaying Guild." Her eyes welled with tears. "We are destined to fight them to the end! So... would you consider joining us? I guarantee we won't interfere with your freedom! Join us, and you can continue doing exactly what you want and going where you please."

"I just hope that if someone asks, you’ll say you’re with Heaven-Mystic. Is that okay?"

Lu Ming knew they wanted to use his presence to bolster their reputation, or perhaps they feared he would be snatched up by God-Slaying or another elite guild. In the world of Heavenly Abyss, a talent like Lu Ming was a hot commodity.

Lu Ming pondered. "She’s right. My level is too low. If I’m targeted by high-level players, even with my ten-star account potential, I’ll be in constant danger. It might be wise to use Heaven-Mystic as a shield to ensure stable development, then leave once my level is high enough."

With that thought, he turned back. "Fine. I’ll join."