"How about letting you crash here tonight to make it up to you?"
Chen Nian said with deadpan seriousness.
"Huh?!!"
"We've only known each other for... no way, no way..."
"Wait, where are you going?"
Qin Yu, who had been blushing furiously while refusing, suddenly froze in confusion upon seeing Chen Nian preparing to leave.
"I'm letting you stay the night because your friends have all left—not because I want to sleep with you."
"I'm heading out to level up. Get some rest."
Qin Yu: ???
So he really just wants me to sleep here? Fine, fine, he has zero interest in me?!
Qin Yu felt a wave of disappointment wash over her, but by then Chen Nian had already left...
[Successfully equipped Epic gear "Turtle Armor"]
Chen Nian swapped his previous Fine gear for the newly acquired Epic item.
His stats saw a significant boost.
[Camel Mountain Demon Turtle Three-Piece Set Activated Successfully]
[Defense +20%]
This defense boost applied directly as a percentage, yielding remarkably potent effects!
Chen Nian immediately checked his stats.
Chen Nian: Word Spirit Sage (Unique)
Gene Level: Tier 1 (Level 60)
Constitution: 112
Agility: 72
Superiority: 67
Attack Bonus: 130
Defense Bonus: 696
Combat Rating: 54 Stars.....
His defense had leaped to an entirely new tier!
His combat rating also skyrocketed by another 10 stars.
This set bonus provided a massive boost!
Chen Nian's next goal was to complete the Epic four-piece set to unlock its full set bonus.
He already possessed the crucial special material, "Camel Mountain Demon Turtle Shell." He only needed to gather the remaining materials in the wild and hand them to the blacksmith for crafting.
By now, many players who had frantically leveled up had surpassed Chen Nian in rank.
But he didn't care. Rank didn't mean everything.
"Oh right, I still have three unused 'Catastrophe Scrolls'. I should find a place to use them all."
Catastrophe Summoning was a new feature unlocked after defeating the world boss.
All players had a very small chance to obtain a "Catastrophe Scroll" after killing monsters.
Using a Catastrophe Scroll summoned an extremely powerful Catastrophe Monster. Defeating it yielded a highly effective "Catastrophe Gem"!
Chen Nian had soloed the world boss, earning three Calamity Scrolls that had been sitting unused in his backpack.
He used the city's teleportation array to reach the outskirts.
Ordinary monsters respawned periodically, roaming the wilderness. He could already see numerous players battling and leveling up.
"Hey, want to join our party?"
"We've got three already—and a pretty girl too!"
"Hey boss, boss! We need a strong DPS! Got a super reliable knight!"
As Chen Nian walked along, many players extended invitations.
But he wasn't interested. He kept moving outward—these low-level monsters were beneath his notice.
Venturing deeper outside the city, Chen Nian soon reached a high-level monster zone.
Level 40-50 monsters!
Only the elite of the elite ventured into this zone—a rare few indeed.
"Seems the game's integration with reality has altered the terrain too..."
Before Chen Nian lay a fractured valley, a gaping fissure stretching hundreds of miles ahead. Mists swirled within the gorge, punctuated by occasional, deep beastly roars.
Without hesitation, Chen Nian leaped down.
Spell of Words, Ethereal Snake of Flight.
Under the spell's protection, Chen Nian plunged roughly two hundred meters before landing steadily.
The moment he touched down, a pair of blood-red pupils flashed within the surrounding mist!
Clatter, clatter...
A figure slowly emerged into Chen Nian's vision—a humanoid monster with eerie, ghostly blue skin, dragging chains behind it and clutching a broken greatsword. It was utterly unsettling.
"A Necromancer Warrior... not low-level."
When it came to leveling up himself, Chen Nian wasn't particularly efficient.
His area-of-effect damage paled in comparison to that of mages like Ye Hongling.
Using the "Judgment Golden Sword" against them would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—utterly inefficient.
A brilliant idea suddenly struck him.
First, gather a massive horde of monsters. Then, summon a powerful Calamity Beast with the Calamity Scroll. Finally, unleash the "Judgment Golden Sword" to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!
This way, he could reap massive experience gains while effortlessly slaying the Calamity Beast—sounds pretty sweet, right?
The plan was named—Ultimate One-Shot Strategy.
Chen Nian had already begun executing it. He casually fired a burst of flames at the undead warrior before continuing deeper into the valley in search of more.
Hope there are plenty of monsters in this area—don't want to waste my ultimate move!
"Roar...."
One by one, monsters lurking in the mist were provoked out by Chen Nian.
Like loyal soldiers, they trailed behind like shadows, chains clanking in a relentless chorus...
After running roughly two kilometers through the valley, Chen Nian glanced back. The horde gathering behind him was already terrifying.
A sea of snarling heads—a feast for those with trypophobia!
"That should be enough."
At that moment, Chen Nian produced the three "Scourge Scrolls" once more.
He bit his finger, letting drops of blood fall onto each scroll.
The activation ritual began!.....
Not far away, on the other side, another group was actually farming monsters.
They too were genuine top-tier players, the elite among the elite!
This twelve-member party, each exceptionally skilled, effortlessly cleared the valley of undead warriors.
But to play it safe, they only took on two or three at a time, never daring to provoke too many.
After all, this wasn't a game—it was real life. One mistake leading to a wipe meant they'd be dead for real.
"Leveled up again! Having a good team makes it so easy!"
"Haha, I'm level 58 now too!"
"Holy shit, guys! I got a Calamity Scroll!"
"What? A Calamity Scroll?!"
Everyone immediately gathered around.
After cautious discussion, they decided to activate the Calamity Scroll.
"Everyone, be careful!"
"Calamity monsters are incredibly powerful. We must give it our all and not let our guard down for a second!"
"Open it!"
As a drop of blood fell onto the scroll, a beam of crimson light shot straight into the sky.
From the eerie crimson pillar, the Calamity Beast descended!
Thus began a brutal battle for the group.
The twelve elite fighters fought with utmost caution and all their might, ultimately defeating the Calamity Beast.
But their team was nearly shattered...
Five suffered severe injuries, two with legs and feet shattered beyond recognition!
Seven sustained minor injuries, yet were essentially incapacitated.
"Damn it... that Calamity Beast was way too powerful!"
"We underestimated it. You really shouldn't open Calamity Scrolls recklessly. If we couldn't defeat it, we'd all have died at that monster's hands!"
"Well, at least we learned our lesson. Thankfully, everyone's still alive..."
"Wh-what's that?!"
Suddenly, one man pointed toward the distant sky, his face ashen and lips trembling.
Following his gaze, the others were equally petrified!
There, three crimson beams of light had abruptly materialized.
Some lunatic had summoned three Calamity Beasts at once?!