Chapter 500

"You're injured, and you still dare to drink like this!"

"Yes, I was injured, but it got worse because of the beating you gave me..." Seeing his wife's eyes widen, Zhan Shuai chuckled and quickly got up, pressing down on his wife's shoulders.

"I was wrong, thank you for your concern, Madam. I'm still healthy. How about we have another baby boy?"

Elfi is just over 1.8 meters tall, which is quite impressive for a woman, but she looks petite next to Dias is almost 3 meters tall.

Smack

She slapped away the hands that were wandering off her body, her expression turning serious. "Seriously, do you think there's something wrong with that Crown? I've been feeling uneasy lately, like something bad is going to happen."

"That's for sure. Every time they come, the situation on the mainland changes dramatically, the only difference being the scale." Dias also regained his seriousness, leaning on the windowsill and gazing at the tranquil city, a hint of worry flashing across his face.

There were already signs. For example, he hadn't received Oracle the God of the Ocean for ten years. Even if the God of the Ocean wasn't in power, a direct subordinate like Abyss Fortress would have received some information. Without Oracle, he wouldn't know what was happening in the Abyss Grade or among the Dragon Clan.

"Don't worry, at least that person is a hero, at least a strong person with principles. I treat him with sincerity, he won't do anything reckless."

"We were just lucky. There are plenty of records of them causing trouble." Elfi crossed his arms and shook his head slightly. "Besides, what makes you think that way? Just because he drank with you?"

Yeah, why should they?

The warlord was also confused, watching a figure wandering aimlessly through the city. He didn't try to gather military intelligence, but instead lingered in various small shops, savoring the seafood.

After a long while, he raised his thick finger and pointed to the scar on his cheek.

"Intuition. This thing has saved me several times; it can't be wrong."

It's a peaceful, united, and simple city, which at least fills normal people with goodwill.

Yuki wiped his mouth, tossing down a few seashell-like copper coins, the delicious taste of the fish soup still lingering between his lips and teeth.

He is certainly not an antisocial personality; if Hero Kingdom hadn't schemed against him, Yuki wouldn't have used him so ruthlessly.

Abyss Fortress is simple and honest, but not stupid. The reason it makes people feel comfortable is simple: there are not many tests or annoying trials. They treat you with kindness directly, and there is no conflict of interest between the two sides, Yuki naturally has no bad intentions.

Enjoy the journey; even dungeons can be a relaxing experience—that's what Mona taught him. But Yuki ultimately couldn't settle down; he ate and played, but he still had business to attend to.

"You've been assigned to the city-state of Lantern City of the God of Civilization?"

This instance does not prohibit player communication, Yuki can contact Mebius. He also recalled the location of Lantern City, which is roughly tens of thousands of kilometers away in the north of the continent.

"The Reincarnation Game finally had a change of heart and dumped me in a pretty good place. There's a lot of knowledge waiting to be explored here. Ah, I'm really interested in energy bio-modification technology."

Mebius was somewhat excited; she didn't like navigating through dungeons and usually preferred to stay behind the scenes.

I invited you here to help, not to conduct scientific research.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, Yuki glanced at the grilled shrimp in his hand and swallowed them back. He really had no right to criticize Mebius.

Why didn't Kalpas join the channel?

"Maybe I was assigned to some strange faction where it's inconvenient to communicate. Even my tools can be eavesdropped on. But the natives here are all engrossed in their own research, and nobody cares about me." In a hall that shimmered with the light of a six-pointed star, Mebius reclined in his chair, flipping through a thick book.

With just a thought, the desired book will automatically float out from a giant bookshelf a kilometer away.

"Don't worry about him. That guy may be impulsive, but he's still a formidable fighter. If a fight breaks out, it'll cause a huge uproar. It's not too late to rescue him then."

Since both were heroes, Mebius didn't care, Yuki naturally didn't bother to say anything more.

"You two are on the same side, so what's the deal with assigning you to different factions?"

"Who says people from the same faction have to be in the same team? Occasionally, people from the same faction but different factions can be added to the same instance."

"You've never teamed up with him?"

"We've been in a group before, but we can cancel, otherwise there'll be internal strife. Are we supposed to do quests together then?" Mebius waved his hand, recalling some unpleasant memories, and changed the subject. "As for my identity, don't worry. As fellow Epic-level players, it won't be that easy for them to see through me."

Do you have special items?

"A prop? Who would use something so inefficient?" Mebius chuckled, then said slowly, "Snakes can shed their skin, or they can wear it."

It sounded sinister, and Yuki didn't want to delve into it further. He thought about it for a moment, and realized that it was the calm before the storm, and it was a good thing for Mebius to stay in Lighthouse City.

There's a Grand Library there with a vast amount of information. If she were in a similar position to me, she could find quite a few hidden secrets.

"Read through the myths, records, and various historical materials; you might find some clues between the lines. Focus on the history of the Great War, or look for prehistoric materials."

"Stop, I'm a science and engineering student, I'm not really interested in sociology or history." Mebius yawned; she was engrossed in looking at anatomical diagrams.

Yuki gritted his teeth, finally realizing how precious Hiyori was. She was the expert in this area, so he had no choice but to bribe her, promising her a vial of blood if she found a clue. Only then did she happily go off to do her work.

They plotted against me, but I only mentioned blood, not that it was my blood.

Yuki snorted. This Mebius is nowhere near Hiyori useful as Hiyori; he's completely disobedient and far too willful.

But Hiyori isn't here, so we can only rely on her.

Yuki reluctantly believed him, cut off the communication, and focused on eating his braised prawns. Actually, he wasn't in a hurry; this instance had no time limit, and he could do it for several years without any problem.

With the senior student there, there's no need to worry about the backyard.

The fax machine relayed the latest information: the conquest of the 'Golden City' was progressing smoothly. The Judge were now everywhere and too busy to keep an eye on them, and their strength had reached the point where they could make contact with epic-level players. They might even be able to make some friends.

No rush. If one dungeon isn't enough for an epic achievement, try two. The frequency is high anyway, and everyone is used to the routine of taking a week off before moving on to the next dungeon.

Time was on his side, and he wished he had a hundred years to develop properly. All he had to do was make great strides forward in each dungeon run and never thought about slacking off.

'Take your time finding clues. Abyss Fortress is quite powerful, so your safety is guaranteed. Just grind more reputation, and you'll find clues eventually.'

Yuki decided to remain unchanged in the face of all changes. This place was good; he was just wasting his time hunting everywhere. There would always be players who couldn't resist and would push the wheel of Destiny forward. It would be better to stand on the same side as Abyss Fortress; their enemies are my enemies.

Ding ding ding--

The clear sound of bells echoed. Yuki spat out the shrimp shell and looked up. He saw that the common people on the street were hurrying home, the ships were docking one after another, the huge gate was slowly closing, and the golden-armored soldiers on the wall were rushing to their positions.

Despite the apparent tension, everything remained orderly and efficient. Those on guard were on high alert, and those evacuated were being dispersed; the drills had been rehearsed countless times.

Sea Demon are attacking?

Yuki wasn't surprised; the Reincarnation Game wasn't a vacation for him, and there was no point in watching a dungeon with no excitement.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly disappeared from the shop, leaving a few shell-like copper coins bouncing on the table.

Crossing the inland sea to the city wall takes only a moment. As the Yuki bursts into view, dozens of spears point at it simultaneously, and a battle formation is already in place.

Once they saw who it was, the soldiers lowered their spears and went about their business, no one scolded them or paid them any attention, leaving Yuki quite embarrassed.

The soldiers ignored him and went about their own business. Fortunately, Yuki saw a familiar face walking up the city wall; it was the black-haired youth who had been by the war commander's side before.

"Hey, you..."

"My name is Coles, Mr. Crown," the young man introduced himself, smiling as he asked, "Are you here to help, or just to watch the show?"

"Of course I'll help. I feel bad for receiving such preferential treatment from Abyss Fortress Keep without contributing anything."

Without questioning the veracity of the claim, Coles nodded slightly and, with the decisiveness of a soldier, explained, "A Sea Demon has broken free of its seal and been detected by the detection matrix. Just in case, we'll seal the city gates first."

As he spoke, he pulled out a triangular device, this time not a mainland map, but a more detailed military map. The Abyss Grade rift was hundreds of kilometers away from here, right at the edge of the square earth, leaving no escape but to land.

Abyss Fortress is a protrusion on the continent, like a sword plunged into the ocean, making it difficult to bypass even if one wanted to.

Yuki could see a point of light in the ocean, approaching him.

"Ambush midway?"

"Yes, but the matrix can only detect quantity, not strength. I plan to send a hundred-man team to wait for it on the shore first, and if that doesn't work, I'll gradually increase the force."

The enemy is unknown. If it's just a small fry like Karami, the whole army would be exhausted if they rushed in. But Yuki is more concerned about something else.

Are these kinds of people who slip through the net common?

"It wasn't common before, but things have been getting more and more complicated in recent years. I wonder what the dragons are up to," Coles muttered to himself. Seeing that their target was getting closer, he asked, "Since you want to help, why don't you go with the hundred-man team?"

"I can manage on my own. Having more people would be inconvenient. You can point out the destination for me."

Yuki looked around, took a spear from a soldier, and jumped onto the city wall. He saw a pale white halo spreading from the top of the wall, just like a band of light converging on a certain spot on the sea. The sea was calm. Once he activated his Devil's Vision, he could see a phantom gliding in the deep sea.

I was trying to go around it, huh? There's a feeling someone's watching from behind. Is it another player?

Yuki immediately thought of the players who were assigned to the Dragon or Sea Demon. These must be epic-level players who were hiding far away and secretly observing with some kind of item. He didn't care and jumped off the city wall, landing on the sea, where the sea was frozen.

Epic Metamorphosis. Soul Mimicry.

His soul energy was transformed into unique magic, freezing the sea into ice with each step. According to intelligence, the 'Hermit' Crown skilled in both magic and martial arts, but no one knew the specifics of his abilities. He couldn't believe his luck was so bad that he would just happen to run into an acquaintance.

The "demon" refers to the power of magic, and the "martial arts" refers to a level 9 physique. That should be correct, right?

Thump thump thump...

The exhilarating sound of war drums made Yuki pause slightly. He smiled; with such a formidable fortress as his backing, any player who dared to venture out would surely not return. Meanwhile, those observing from afar...

What will you see next?

The shadow entered, Yuki happened to be stuck in its path of landing. The closer it got to the mainland, the shallower the water became. At a depth of only two or three hundred meters, the Devil's Vision could already see the enormous shadow.

Monster IV? That makes sense; it's too weak for scouting.

Yuki stopped, bent down, and unleashed his full-power Soul Mimicry.

Where are you going?

Energy poured directly into the seabed, and the ice-based energy in the ocean became even more powerful, freezing the sea within a radius of several kilometers. It was like a giant hand grabbing at the shadows. The Sea Demon was not stupid; even being trapped for a few minutes would mean certain death. Only by breaking through the blockade and escaping into the mountains could it have a glimmer of hope.

Click.

A crack several meters wide stretched from the seabed to the surface. Then, black tentacles covered in blades Yuki leaped into the air and saw the tentacles push off the ice, releasing a monster about five or six meters in size from the sea.

It had a shark's head, a humanoid body, and a disc on its back with twelve retractable tentacles that swung back and forth. The shark's head had bloodshot eyes and looked like it had gone mad with rage.

"This is the Sea Demon?" Yuki's eyes widened as he heard the war drums suddenly intensify and the golden-armored soldiers stirring, clearly seeing the enemy's strength and cheering Yuki.

The trapped beast has broken free of its net, and this is its most frenzied moment. Its tentacles expand rapidly, like twelve giant pillars covered in sharp teeth crashing down. Yuki glances at them and grips his spear tightly.

"This is so ugly."

Concept Enhancement: God of War.

Legendary level, instantly enhanced in all aspects. Not only is the spear dozens of times harder, but speed and strength also increase by 10%, further boosted by level 9 physique and the Orc King's passive ability.

Crush.

With a tremor of his forearm, his sheer physical strength acted like a powerful blender, shredding the twelve tentacles to pieces. Even the splattered blood froze into ice, causing the tentacles to retract instantly. The shark's head suddenly opened, and a deep blue vortex gathered in its mouth.

Shattered Wave Vortex Cannon!

This thing looks a lot like a super-sized Rasengan. Yuki glanced at it, and the frequency of his Soul Mimicry suddenly changed, with the Roar embers igniting on the spear.

Swish--

No special moves are needed; Yuki simply uses his unparalleled physical strength to throw spear-shaped explosives.

With a deafening boom, a large amount of water vapor evaporated, and the shattered Rasengan split into thousands of water jets that spread outwards.

The once calm sea suddenly erupted with thousands of waves, and the thick fog formed by steam obscured everything on the wall. Coles stood on tiptoe, the energy burst interfering with the detection array, and couldn't help but look back, signaling whether to rush to provide support.

Zhan Shuai appeared on the wall at some point, chuckling and waving his hand. "Even though it's a Sea Demon, if I can't even take down this kind of trash, I won't be drinking with him."

"Uh, the Sea Demon isn't just a small fry; it's equivalent to one of our thousand generals," the young man corrected. The war commander's eyes lit up, and he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

He turned around and saw a man standing on the wall, with gray hair, a monocle, and a black tuxedo that was spotless, yet he was holding a huge shark head in one hand.

The thick fog hadn't dissipated, and embers still burned. The man picked up the shark head in his hand and shook it, as if it were a heavy weight.

Would you like some shark fin soup?

Chapter Three: Don't Forget, I Am a God-Ascensionist

On the first day, in an encounter battle, the difference in strength was too great; Yuki was able to obliterate the Sea Demon with only half his power.

This not only tested the Sea Demon's abilities but also dramatically elevated Yuki's status, since true prestige is only revealed through actual combat.

The Sea Demon, which required a hundred-man squad to stop, was killed by him single-handedly in less than two minutes. More importantly, in addition to his identity as an ascended god, he also gained the relationship of 'comrades-in-arms'. The people of Abyss Fortress gave Yuki a good taste of what enthusiasm is.

In addition, he experimented with a fourth Epic Metamorphosis.

The War God Plunder steals one of the enemy's abilities. The energy frequency and even the power are similar, but it's like making soup; you have to continuously invest a small amount of energy to maintain it.

"That Dias, he always uses me as an excuse to drink."

In the luxurious bedroom, Yuki got up from the large bed that could comfortably accommodate five people and gently covered his head.

It was just eliminating a 'small fry', yet the War General held a bonfire banquet. The hundred-man team that was supposed to be sent to stop them, along with their families, went around toasting them. The reason was simple: if it weren't for Yuki, most of them would have been killed or wounded. He had saved their lives, so of course they had to thank him.

As a Yuki became slightly tipsy after drinking for a while.