Heart of the Swarm

I nodded. "Ruolin is right, I agree. In short, this is a good thing. Kou Mei, Faye, and Bingzi, once your psionic energy recovers, don't rush to go out of the city to level up. Wait Ruolin and Cai Cai are with you before considering going out. Also, prioritize Zerglings and Alien species, and try to avoid the Chaos Faction. The Chaos Faction has just appeared, so we need to avoid their sharp edge."

"Okay, I understand!"

Several people expressed their agreement.

After that, I continued killing monsters. I had to clear out this large insect nest overnight; I couldn't be stuck here for too long.

It was four o'clock in the morning.

"Drop!"

A message came from Gun Like a Dragon: "Ding Han, I heard you're leveling up outside. You're probably still awake, right?"

"You're not asleep? Is something wrong, Alliance Leader Long?"

"I'm a little annoyed, so I wanted to talk to you about it. Is that okay?"

"Don't bother them, they're only spawning low-level bugs."

"Ding Han, you also experienced the nightmare that entered your dream at midnight four hours ago, right?"

"It was a nightmare."

"They're all the same."

Gun Like a Dragon seemed to light a cigarette, took a drag, and slowly exhaled, saying, "We just gathered information on players in Huaining City. After Nightmare entered the dream, 61 players in Huaining City suddenly disappeared, all of whom had their lives ended by Nightmare's judgment in the dream."

"So much?"

"Um."

The Gun Like a Dragon voice. "Damn it, 61 living, breathing lives..."

Have you discovered a pattern?

"Have."

He said in a deep voice, "All the players who were harvested by the dream have one thing in common: their level was not 30, or their overall combat ability was below 5000 points. The furnace strength couldn't keep up, so they were directly harvested."

"Grass..."

My mood suddenly turned heavy. "So, encouraging players to level up should not be delayed, but it feels a bit too late, as many people will find it difficult to reach their level in a short period of time."

"Yes."

"I'm thinking of a solution to this... After discussing it with the Guide Gun Like a Dragon, I think we can arrange for the Player Black Market to buy low-level Ability Crystal chests, for example, only chests below cyan. These chests have a high chance of yielding Experience Points, making them suitable for players between levels 30 and 40. For players in this level range, opening chests is the fastest and easiest way to escape the next Invade Dream."

The idea is good, the problem is...

I frowned. "Leveling up by opening chests is too costly. Who will pay for buying back the chests? Do you think low-level players will really buy into it?"

"I..."

Gun Like a Dragon a wry smile, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. The consumption is too high, and the Player Black Market definitely won't buy it. Anyway... I'll keep it for now. Do you think this is feasible?"

"Have no idea."

I shook my head. "But Alliance Leader Long, if you decide to do this, I will absolutely support you. All my boxes below cyan can be given away to the Player Black Market for free."

"Ding Han..."

He seemed a little touched. "I really want to give you a warm hug!"

"Get lost!"

Hahaha~~~

After chatting for a few more minutes, Gun Like a Dragon and doesn't bother me any longer, going back to work.

He's a very team-oriented person, which is why he came up with this idea...

However, in today's world, sophisticated egoists abound, so people Gun Like a Dragon are destined to run into obstacles everywhere.

He is the leader of the Crimson Firmament Alliance. If we disregard this fact, his actions will only attract more ridicule and attacks.

The next day.

Around 11 a. m., we arrived at the end of the insect nest.

"Hehehe~~"

At the end of the insect nest, two figures nestled together, looking like two fluffy toys.

They are Tier 7 Insect the Lurker, Gold BOSS, and there are two of them!

The two the Lurker leaned against each other, their compound eyes gazing at each other with a tender, almost gay air.

They almost all stood up at the same time, and then immediately burrowed into the ground.

The spike attack is back again!

Without hesitation, I retreated. I had already paid attention to the terrain on the way here. The insect hive has a complex terrain. One area is an underground stalagmite forest. The ground is composed of mineral rock layers formed over millions of years, which is very hard. That is the most advantageous terrain for dealing with the Lurker.

"Sizzle~~~"

The Lurker were chasing me from behind, and I ran for my life. In less than three minutes, I arrived at the mineral rock layer area. Sure enough, the two the Lurker couldn't burrow underground and jumped up. They didn't seem to be very smart and came after me menacingly.

Turn around and defend yourself!

I'm not arrogant enough to take on two the Lurker at once; I have to deal with them one by one.

So, just as the two sides approached, he raised his hand and unleashed a Dragon Binding Rope that pierced through the rock layer, instantly imprisoning one of the Lurker in place.

Immediately afterward, he activated skills such as Battle Roar and Chaos Blade, and engaged in a fierce battle with the remaining the Lurker.

After a flurry of attacks, seeing that the Dragon Binding Rope's effect was about to wear off, he spun around, and a Chaos Flying Blade in his Left Hand shot through the air!

"Pfft!"

The Lurker was stabbed in the forehead, and as blood gushed out, chaotic lightning from the Chaos Flying Blade surged out, shocking him so much that he trembled all over and curled up into a ball on the rock, looking extremely miserable.

Sure enough, the Chaos Flying Blade, an Energy Blade, is much more useful!

He swiftly drew his throwing knife and waited for the cooldown, while simultaneously focusing his firepower on the other the Lurker.

Just as the paralyzing effect of the Chaos Flying Blade is about to wear off, use it again, consuming 100 Essence Points to Summon Dragon Soul!

"Roar~~~"

A miniature version of a giant dragon descended from the sky, its body brimming with crimson spiritual energy, staring at me with wide, piercing eyes.

"What are you looking at? I'll hit this one, you hit that one!"

"Roar!"

The dragon turned around and slammed the Lurker to the ground with a powerful slap. Then it charged at the Lurker, and the two fought to a standstill!

Very good. Although it is painful torture for the Lurker, it is quite pleasing to the eye for me.

Two minutes later, the Lurker A was hacked to pieces, eventually collapsing into a pool of blood, while the Lurker B screamed and howled, seemingly ferocious, but actually panicking inside.

"Come on, it's your turn!"

The moment the dragon soul disappeared, I immediately threw out the Chaos Flying Blade, stunning the Lurker B once again. Then I unleashed a rapid and brutal beating, hacking at it until it screamed in agony.

Soon after, the Lurker B's health bar also reached zero, and he was about to die.

This SS-rank mission may seem simple, but it's not that simple in reality. I was able to handle the combined attack of two the Lurker because I had many methods and high damage output. It might not have been the same for another team.

Even a team of dozens of people would find it incredibly difficult to eliminate these two the Lurker without scientific tactics and teamwork!

Therefore, Fan Changgui's 20 million was absolutely well worth the money.

This is all technical work.

A few seconds later, the second the Lurker was defeated, and the second Gold Treasure Chest was obtained.

Without saying anything, let's open the box.

In continuous mode, two ringtones sounded in my ear.

[Congratulations! You have successfully opened your [BOSS Ability Crystal], obtaining the following items: [Resurrection Sacred Canon] (S-rank recovery item) and [Storm Core] (S-rank Special Item)!]

[Congratulations! You have successfully opened your [BOSS Ability Crystal] and obtained the item: [Lurker's Blade] (Quality: Cataclysm Tier · S8 · Gold)!]

Lucky me, both of those golden chests yielded great items!

The first chest contained both the Resurrection Sacred Canon and the Storm Core, which is a no-brainer as both are currently the most valuable items in Star Abyss.

The second box contained a golden Monomolecular Sword.

[The Lurker's Blade] (Quality: Cataclysm Tier, S8, Gold)

Rank: Sixth

Base Parameters: Attack 4800-5600, Attack speed 1.3 attacks/second, Durability 5000/5000

Strength: +70

Physical strength: +68

Agility: +65

Length: 1.1M

Weight: 18.2KG

Blessing: Lifesteal +12%

Specialty: Armor Penetration, ignores 37% of the target's armor.

Burst Skill: [Surprise Attack], increases Armor Penetration by 30% for 45 seconds, consumes 10 Essence Points, 2-minute cooldown.

Biography: The Lurker's Blade, Monomolecular Longsword forged from the bone essence of the Lurker, extremely sharp.

Strength required: 1200

Required Agility: 600

This sword is alright!

Its strength lies in its "unexpected" Burst Skill, which increases Armor Penetration by 30% for 45 seconds. The implications of this are self-evident.

The Lurker's Blade has a base Armor Penetration of 37%, which is increased by 30% with Armor Penetration skills, resulting in a total Armor Penetration of 67%. If you then activate Surprise Attack, the target will effectively only have 3% armor left.

This is almost indistinguishable from the "armor-ignoring" characteristic of Power Sword.

Aside from lacking a cutting effect, it is surprisingly equivalent to Power Sword for those 45 seconds, with a very strong killing effect.

In particular, its attack power of 5600 points is quite considerable.

In short, this sword is very powerful and can fetch a lot of money!

So, he posted the Lurker's Blade illustration directly on the local Dark Web, along with the caption "Don't come near me, haters."

Just then, a bell rang in my ear. The two the Lurker had finished their work, and the large insect hive was officially dealt with!

[Congratulations! You have completed the quest "Attack on the Large Insect Hive" (SS-rank)! Rewards: 88 million character experience, 2 Charm Value, 4000 Reputation Value, and an additional reward: "Heart of the Swarm" (Quality: Chaos-rank, S9, Brown)!]

Heart of the Swarm?

S9 Chaos-rank equipment?!

Overjoyed, he hurriedly opened his storage space and saw a necklace with a brownish-red beetle pendant lying there quietly, its entire body shimmering with a chaotic luster.

[Heart of the Swarm] (Quality: Chaos-rank, S9, Brown)

Rank: Sixth

Strength: +80

Agility: +78

Spirit: +76

Blessing: Critical Hit Chance +14%

Blessing: Lifesteal +14%

Specialty: Attack damage +24%

Blessing: Rock-II, increases defense by 1000 points.

Blessing: Divine Power-III, increases attack power by 1500 points.

Burst Skill: [Swarm Outburst], summons a swarm of insects that continuously bombards a 100x100 yard area. Damage is based on the user's attack power. Lasts 12 seconds, consumes 40 Essence Points, cooldown: 1 hour.

Biography: The Heart of the Swarm is a treasure from the Warp, said to have been forged from the heart of the Mother Swarm in the Star Abyss, and contains the powerful ability to summon the Swarm!

Strength required: 1400

Required Agility: 800

Looking at the necklace's attributes, I couldn't help but shudder!

Awesome, those are almost perfect attributes!