"I... I've never seen this place either..." Dodge gasped for air, looking around at the unfamiliar ruins.
"Aren't you supposed to be a veteran? How can you not recognize this place?"
"Are you kidding me, George?! I quit before I even finished the main campaign! This is clearly one of those high-difficulty hidden zones added in a later update!"
Dodge rambled, his eyes suddenly catching a faint glimmer in the rubble.
He leaned over and picked up a mysterious glowing object.
"Wait, what's this?"
Suddenly, dozens of pairs of crimson eyes snapped open in the darkness.
The Mutant Brutes swarmed from the shadows, intent on slaughtering the intruders.
"Run!!!" George's face paled, issuing the sharpest warning since they met.
"Those are Mutant Brutes!!"
"How do you know that? Aren't you a newbie?"
"Are you stupid? Look at them—they don't look anything like the basic mobs we just fought. MOVE!"
BOOM—!!!
Before he could finish, a wall collapsed behind them, the dust cutting off their retreat.
"Fine! If we can't run, I'll show these bastards the power of {Tiger Soul}!" Dodge roared. His body was instantly encased in blazing orange light as the feral, tiger-shaped armor locked into place.
George remained silent for a moment before initiating his own basic armor link.
The alley was flooded with light. The {Tiger Soul} 's arms deployed three long, razor-sharp alloy claws, dripping with killing intent, while George's fists and feet were wreathed in flickering blue Azure Flames.
"Today is the day you all end!"
The pack of Mutant Brutes charged.
They were larger, their toughened skin etched with savage war tattoos.
To a standard player, they were nightmares, but before an S-Rank Armor, their trophies were meaningless.
[Tiger Soul Exclusive Skill: Sovereign's Intimidation]
{Tiger Soul} let out a wild, deafening roar.
An invisible shockwave of apex-predator pressure swept the field.
The leading Mutants were struck as if by lightning.
Because they were Orc-types, they were forcibly plunged into a "Terrified" state by the aura of a superior predator—their attack and defense stats plummeted to zero in an instant.
"DIE!!!"
{Tiger Soul} pounced.
Six streaks of orange-red light tore through the air like lightning rending the night.
He dove into the pack, his alloy claws weaving a dense web of death.
Every swing brought a spray of blood and severed limbs.
George stayed on the outskirts, precisely delivering lethal blows to any stragglers left with a sliver of health.
"Hey! George! Don't just stand there scavengering! Get in here and fight!"
Dodge shouted while tearing an enemy apart.
"Are you stupid?" George crushed a mob's head with a cold tone.
"Due to the level gap, a starter armor only deals 30% damage to these things. Why would I go up there and just 'scratch' them?"
"Then how did you go toe-to-toe with the Priest earlier?"
"That was the Priest intentionally baiting us deeper. Don't you get it? This was an ambush designed for us."
George continued to farm last-hits calmly while watching his LP skyrocket.
Dodge carved a path of gore straight to the hiding spot of the Brute Priest.
Under the absolute suppression of the Sovereign's aura, the Priest's withered body convulsed.
It let out a desperate hiss, raising its bone staff to summon thorny vines from the earth.
Against the {Tiger Soul}'s claws, the "power of nature" was as brittle as straw.
With a flash of orange, the Priest was caught in a high-speed meat grinder of claws.
Before it could even scream, its body was sliced into neat segments, dissolving into a pool of bubbling black vapor.
As the dust settled, several glowing items lay on the ground.
Dodge de-linked and checked his phone.
[Mission Type: Special Bounty Mission]
[Objective: Hunt and slain the escaped Brute Priest (1/1)]
[Rank: B]
Rewards Granted:
8,000 LP
Power Core B x5
Enhancement Core B x5
{Mage Heart} Armor Blueprint x1
Priest's Scepter x1
Priest's Insight x2
"Jackpot! We're rich!" Dodge stared at his screen, shouting in disbelief.
"Hey, George, look at this. This thin little piece of paper is the real deal."
Dodge pinched the blueprint between two fingers, waving it in front of George's eyes with the smug confidence of a half-veteran player.
"In the standard game, if you wanted to get your hands on a beast like this, you'd have to obediently climb that damn 'Tech Tree' first. You'd have to upgrade every prerequisite armor, meet a bunch of twisted hidden conditions, and then pray the System is in a good enough mood to unlock the next model for you."
He chuckled, flicking the edge of the blueprint with his fingernail, producing a sharp snap.
"But these 'Armor Blueprints'? They're the official legal hacks. With this in our hands, we can kick that tedious upgrade logic right in the teeth. We skip all the prerequisite models and get God-tier gear right here, right now! As long as the materials are sufficient, Lawson can forge this suit for us immediately.
This, my friend, is the joy of 'skipping the grind.' Do you feel it?"
George walked over, scanning the material requirements for the blueprint.
"Based on the ratios, this is a B-Rank Armor."
"B-Rank?" Dodge's excitement cooled slightly.
He scoffed, "Pfft. My {Tiger Soul} is a genuine S-Rank. This thing is trash compared to mine. But... George, if you're interested, maybe we can have Lawson craft it for you later just for fun?"
George didn't answer directly. His gaze drifted past the mountain of corpses to a sliver of light deep in the ruins.
"There," he pointed.
"What? Found a treasure chest?" Dodge went back on high alert.
"The exit," George said flatly.
"It's time to head back to base."
"Exit?" Dodge blinked, looking around the damp, dark chasm.
"How do you know? This place is a maze."
"Use your instincts. Feel the air." George pointed to a crack ahead.
"There's fresh air flowing in, and look... you can see the Tyndall Effect from the sunlight."
"Oh! It really is sunlight!" Dodge slapped his forehead, his gloom vanishing.
Thinking of the heavy rare materials and the mysterious B-Rank blueprint in his pocket, his boastful nature returned.
"Let's go! I can't wait to see Lawson's jaw hit the floor. He's definitely never seen high-tier loot like this before!"
Dodge took off like an unchained tiger, his excited shouting echoing through the tunnel as he sprinted toward the light.
"Phew... The final enhancement is complete!" Lawson wiped the sweat from his brow, working with Forge God No. 1 to place the last leg guard back into the warrior's locker.
As the task finished, the mission interface exploded into golden fireworks.
[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED]
Rewards Granted:
Spatial Smart Band x1
600 LP
In an instant, a stream of azure data snaked around Lawson's wrist, condensing into a futuristic silver smart band.
"Awesome!" Lawson lifted his hand, his eyes shining.
"With this, I can remotely access all the tools and materials in the Forge via the Smart Band's port. I'm basically a mobile supply station now!"
"An Armor Smith should stay in the workshop. Why are you always thinking about running outside?" Katie grumbled from the side, busy balancing the accounts. "You just think that Smart Band looks cool and want to show it off, don't you?"
"It's for emergencies, Katie... Besides, don't you think it goes perfectly with my white coat?"
"Fine, fine. Whatever makes you happy." Katie sighed, but before she could return to her ledger, a thunderous roar erupted from the entrance.
"My dear friends! Look who has returned in glory!"
Dodge's signature boisterous voice shook the ceiling.
He marched into the workshop, followed by the steady-paced, cold-eyed George
"Where did you two go? I've already cleared several rounds of missions!" Katie crossed her arms, complaining.
"Hehe, Katie, we hit the jackpot this time!" Dodge dumped the loot onto the floor.
"We triggered an extra reward for slaying a Brute Priest. Look at this!"
Lawson's eyes instantly locked onto a blueprint glowing with a faint, eerie purple light.
It was a high-value warning triggered by his Armor Smith skill: [Eye of Identification].
"That blueprint... it's {Mage Heart}?" Lawson gasped.
"The system was actually this generous? It gave you the Priest's Scepter, the Insight, and the Power Core B all at once? This is the complete set of materials needed to forge it."
"Our System Master has always been kind to players, brother Lawson."
Ester appeared out of nowhere, sitting on an empty display pod with her "long" legs crossed, tapping away at a glowing tablet.
"Ester? When did you get back?"
"I was the 'Uber driver' who picked these two heroes up, of course. Just a heads-up: after the world merger, the data has been glitching. Expect more of these 'over-leveled' extra missions in the future."
Ester paused, her tone becoming playful. "For instance... that Priest wasn't supposed to show up in the starter zone. Lucky for you, Mr. 'Tiger' here is a total meat-grinder."
"Excuse me, Mr. Lawson." George who had been silent, stepped forward. His eyes held a chilling resolve.
"I want to forge this {Mage Heart}."
"George, are you crazy?" Dodge jumped up. "This armor is for 'glass cannon' mages who hide in the back and chant spells. It doesn't fit your cool style at all!"
"This is the strongest stepping stone available right now," George whispered, clenching his fist.
"I must... get stronger."
Lawson looked at the silver-haired guy, his expression becoming deathly serious.
"Since you've made up your mind, as a veteran who has played this for ten years, I have to give you a warning."
"Everyone, remember to check the Vault for your registration rewards! Bye-bye!" Ester chimed in with a cheeky farewell before vanishing into a streak of light.
Lawson turned his focus back to George speaking slowly and deliberately.
"The {Mage Heart} armor is an isolated branch. First: it doesn't belong to the general tech tree. Choosing it means you forfeit all future mainstream armor upgrades. Second: the difficulty is 'Hell Mode.' You don't just have to memorize every elemental chant; you have to balance elemental attributes in real-time on the battlefield. If your cast is interrupted, you're nothing but a lamb for the slaughter."
Lawson took a step closer, staring into George's eyes.
"Are you sure you want to give up every other option for this power?"