War Instance

Although it was still some way from a stable 10% improvement, this proved the path was viable!

As his understanding of Draconic Runes deepened and his embedding technique grew more practiced, the power of this passive skill would gradually reveal itself!

Su Ran let out a long breath, light flickering in his eyes.

The second opening of the silver chest had given him a truly great gift!

This was not merely a skill. It had opened a door to a more powerful path of spellcasting: a path that combined the ancient dragon language with modern spells!

He put away the newly acquired sapphire as well.

Su Ran stood up and stretched, sensing the subtle changes brought about by the new knowledge of the dragon language within him.

[Draconic Spellcasting] would take extensive practice to master.

The newly acquired sapphire and Puppet Core were important resources.

The three knowledge records obtained from the Blackstone Tower needed to be submitted.

And then there was... the matter of formally joining the Iron Cross Guild.

Su Ran straightened out his equipment and belongings, pushed open the dormitory door, and walked out.

Sunlight fell on him, and the dark purple patterns on his [Mycelial Robe] shimmered faintly in the light. He held the [Mithril Staff] in his hand, the Mithril starlight at its head and the faint gleam of the tiger fang on his [Tiger Might Headband] setting each other off.

Strength, resources, knowledge, the guild... everything was moving in a better direction.

Su Ran's first probationary task had been completed to perfection. Now it was time to turn it in.

With the three knowledge records he had obtained from the [Blackstone Tower]—the Golem Construction Diagram, insights into Arcane Shaping,

and a Dragon Language Runes Basic Interpretation Report submitted through a consciousness imprint—Su Ran arrived at the task handover desk in the Iron Cross Guild headquarters.

The person handling the handover was a bespectacled middle-aged male clerk who looked somewhat scholarly.

When he took the pass and corresponding knowledge records Su Ran handed him, he looked visibly surprised.

"[Blackstone Tower (Trial)]... all three categories of knowledge records are here?"

The clerk pushed up his glasses and carefully checked the authenticity and completeness of each record, especially the Draconic Rune report Su Ran had submitted through a mental power imprint.

"And... it's only been less than a day and a half?"

He looked up and took another measure of Su Ran, his gaze lingering for a moment on Su Ran's impressive equipment before settling on his calm face:

"If I remember correctly, although the entry-level requirement for this trial instance isn't high, its demands on independent combat ability, especially observation and analysis and the fundamentals of spellcasting, are exacting.

The average completion time is usually around two days, and many people can barely collect two records... yet you not only finished early, you collected all three?"

"I was fairly lucky. I was relatively familiar with the test content." Su Ran did not elaborate, merely giving a brief reply.

The clerk nodded and asked no more. Completing the trial in such a short time was proof of strength and potential in itself.

He quickly entered the details in the task record, then swiped Su Ran's temporary identity card through a special device.

"Task completion confirmed. Contribution points have been credited to your account. First probationary task completed. Evaluation: excellent."

The clerk handed the identity card back to Su Ran with a faint, practiced smile. "Congratulations, Mage Su Ran.

You've passed the first independent assessment. Next, as long as you fulfill the basic training and general course requirements in the remaining time, and nothing major goes wrong, becoming a full member after one month should be no problem."

"Thank you."

Su Ran took his identity card, paused, and asked, "May I ask if the guild has any [Blackstone Tower] passes left in stock? Or passes for similar instances focused on acquiring knowledge and testing spells?"

He was very interested in the [Blackstone Tower]'s trial format. In particular, the three fragmentary pages of the dragon-language dictionary and the [Draconic Spellcasting Skill Book] he had obtained at the end had made him realize the enormous value of knowledge-based instances like it.

If he could enter again, even a few more looks at those dictionary pages, or facing more complicated tests, would greatly benefit his growth.

The clerk shook his head. "[Blackstone Tower] passes aren't easy to make. They require special materials and energy to maintain their connection to the ancient mage tower ruins.

The guild's current stock has been exhausted. As usual, a new batch will be supplied at the beginning of next month, but there won't be many—probably... only around three.

Besides, with this kind of trial instance, each person is usually only allowed one entry. Entering again would be far less effective and might even trigger stricter hidden tests."

Next month, three passes. And there were restrictions too.

Su Ran felt a little regretful, but he understood. The guild would surely keep an instance containing such advanced knowledge under strict control.

"I understand," Su Ran said with a nod.

Seeing that Su Ran seemed to want more, the clerk thought for a moment, then took out another pass from beneath the counter. It was entirely different in style.

The pass was dark red all over, with reliefs of swords and shields around its edges. It gave off an air of grim, iron-blooded resolve.

"Since you're interested in challenging tasks, and you seem quite capable..."

The clerk pushed the dark red pass in front of Su Ran. "The guild is currently organizing an activity aimed at practical combat and earning contributions.

This is a [War Instance Pass]."

"A War Instance?"

Su Ran took the pass. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, and he could sense the intense energy fluctuations contained within it.

[War Instance Pass: City Wall Defense Battle (Normal)]

Entry level: Lv.3–Lv.6

Scenario: A segment of an ancient city's defensive battle.

Objective: Work with your teammates to hold the city wall against at least six waves of Demon Beast attacks and protect the City Core Shield Generator from destruction.

Current participants: Iron Cross Guild members 50/50. Once all 50 slots are filled, the next round of matchmaking will begin automatically.

"A war scenario, defending a city wall?" Su Ran looked at the description.

"That's right."

The clerk explained, "This is a large-scale cooperative combat instance, mainly used to train members' coordination, adaptability, and ability to fight for extended periods in a large-scale battlefield environment.

The more waves you hold out against and the better you perform, the more experience you'll earn. Quite a few guild members have already gone in. The first round of fifty is full, so if you use it now, you'll automatically enter the matchmaking queue for the next round."

He looked at Su Ran. "This kind of instance is excellent training for individual strength, teamwork, and tactical awareness, and the contribution point rewards are high.

Of course, it's also stressful and exhausting. You can think it over. If you want to challenge yourself or quickly accumulate contribution points, it's a good choice."

War Instance... a simulated city defense... fifty people working together...

Su Ran weighed the heavy pass in his hand. This was undoubtedly a more advanced, more complex stage.

He could experience the atmosphere of a large-scale battlefield in advance, cooperate with many guild members, and earn a generous reward in contribution points.