Divine Judgment

Before long, Lu Qiming had familiarized himself with the general situation in the middle levels of the Dungeon. At his current level, the only thing he needed to watch out for was the floor boss on the seventeenth floor. Even then, he didn't need to worry too much. Worst case, he could activate Musou and kill it by force.

"Then I'll spend my remaining skill points, fuse with Divine Judgment, and set off!"

Lu Qiming opened the status panel that only he could see.

Name: Lu Qiming Lv. 16 (500/7000)

Quest countdown: 363 days 18:00 Quest index: 2500/1000000

Age: 16

Spirit: 16.6

Strength: 16.6

Agility: 21.6

Constitution: 16.6

Class: Assassin

Skill points: 3

After slaughtering 2,500 monsters yesterday, he had reached level 16, faster than he'd expected. That was mainly because some of the monsters he'd killed were elite monsters, which had granted him quite a bit of experience.

He'd also discovered that after reaching level 10, the experience needed for each level doubled. In return, each level-up brought a huge boost. All his attributes had increased by 1.6.

Lu Qiming stopped paying attention to his stats and opened the class skills panel.

He tapped Musou, Godspeed Reaction, and Weakness Insight in turn. In yesterday's battle, Godspeed Reaction and Weakness Insight had helped him adapt to combat quickly, clearly identify his enemies' weaknesses, and kill them with a single strike.

As for Musou, although he hadn't used it yesterday, it was a powerful trump card he needed to unlock. It could turn the tables if he ever found himself in danger. As the skill points disappeared, all three skills rose to level two.

Musou's boost increased from threefold to fivefold. Its mana cost also dropped by 0.1 per second, from 60 mana per minute to 54. Combined with the skill's increased boost, he could now keep Musou active for nearly fifteen minutes.

The upgrades to Godspeed Reaction and Weakness Insight had also further improved his reflexes and killing power.

After getting used to the upgraded skills, Lu Qiming took Divine Judgment from his waist.

"Wield the sword with your heart, and listen to the wind's song. On the road ahead, Divine Judgment, will you come with me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Divine Judgment rang out in his hand. The runes on its blade lit up, and Black Aura coiled around his hand.

"Good!"

Lu Qiming immediately activated Soul Blade. Colorless soul power enveloped Divine Judgment, and the two swords rose into the air before plunging into his chest and merging with his body.

Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Soul Blade Divine Judgment.

Divine Judgment has gained a new attribute: [Autonomous Evolution]. As the host grows stronger, Divine Judgment will evolve automatically. It can also devour other metals to gain their properties.

[Sentience]: As Divine Judgment merges with its host's soul, its innate spirit has grown, giving rise to rudimentary sentience. As it grows stronger, it will develop full sentience.

[Soul Blade]: Each of Divine Judgment's attacks deals additional soul-cutting damage.

Lu Qiming considered the system's update and summoned Divine Judgment again. Its appearance had barely changed, but now it felt alive, as if it possessed a life of its own.

In Lu Qiming's hand, Divine Judgment trembled and rang softly, seemingly yearning for blood and slaughter to celebrate its rebirth.

"Easy. You'll get to kill to your heart's content soon!"

The corners of Lu Qiming's mouth lifted slightly. He ran his hand over the hilt, soothing Divine Judgment's impatience, then put it away again.

"Eina, I'm off! Thanks for the information!"

Lu Qiming stood and called out to Eina, who was working by the counter, then walked straight out of the Adventurer Guild.

First floor of the Dungeon.

Lu Qiming calmly watched the ten Goblins surrounding him. A flash of light, and Divine Judgment appeared in his hand.

"Let the revelry begin!"

A bloodthirsty grin spread across his face. Lu Qiming crouched slightly and vanished from where he stood.

Arc Flash.

A silver-white blade flashed into view. In the blink of an eye, all ten Goblins were reduced to a pile of black ash, leaving behind only ten Magic Stones to prove they had ever existed.

Lu Qiming appeared beside the Magic Stones, picked them up one by one, and tossed them into the Stainless Steel Basin above his head. Divine Judgment floated beside him, trembling as if complaining that he wasn't continuing his slaughter.

"Divine Judgment! These are spoils of war. We can't waste them! I need the money to pay Tia back and buy you rare metals."

Lu Qiming explained earnestly. Divine Judgment had developed sentience, so he needed to teach it properly. Otherwise, what if it grew up wrong? It couldn't just go around chopping people without collecting the spoils!

"?!"

Divine Judgment stared at Lu Qiming, first stunned. But when it heard him say he'd buy it rare metals, it immediately began collecting the dropped Magic Stones and bringing them to him.

"Good! I'll buy you something tasty tonight!"

Lu Qiming picked up the Magic Stones floating in front of him and dropped them into the Stainless Steel Basin. Gripping Divine Judgment's hilt, he continued deeper into the Dungeon.

Eighth floor of the Dungeon.

Arc Flash. Arc Chain Flash.

As silver-white blade flashes appeared, nearly thirty Minotaurs were killed instantly. Lu Qiming deftly picked up the Magic Stones and a small horn they'd dropped.

It was a Minotaur's drop.

"We're already on the eighth floor. Let's try to break through to the twentieth today!"

Lu Qiming raised Divine Judgment, his bloodthirsty gaze fixed on the other monsters approaching in the distance.

Death-Strike Slash!

A huge blade of light shot out with Lu Qiming's swing. All the monsters charging toward him were split in two and turned to black ash!

"Heh heh heh, hahaha!"

As the monsters died, a bloodthirsty, terrifying laugh kept bursting from Lu Qiming's lips. Divine Judgment trembled in his hand at the sound, its desire to slaughter surging higher and higher.

Fifteenth floor of the Dungeon.

A group of adventurers had been chased by monsters and forced to venture here. They were surrounded by a pack of Nightmare Spiders in an open area, with an elite Minotaur pursuing them from behind.

"Captain, are we going to die here?"

A boy of fifteen or sixteen, holding a magic staff, looked at the muscular captain beside him.

"You won't die! Not before I do!"

The captain raised his shield in front of him and began leading his party toward the edge of the plaza. At least there, they could put their backs to a wall and wouldn't have to worry about monsters sneaking up behind them.

But as he looked at the monsters packed in front of them, even the captain felt despair. Were they really going to die here today?

No! At least I have to get those kids out of here!

The captain looked at the trembling boy and the other party members behind him.

"I'll charge out and hold the front. Stay close to me. Once we break through, run for the upper floors. I'll cover the rear!"

"Captain!"

Everyone stared at the captain, who was covered in blood. They froze for a moment, then nodded with difficulty. It was the only option they had!