Will of Transcendence

Upon entering the Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm nest, he saw a straight stone path stretching into the distance.

He followed the stone path to its end, where an enormous breeding ground lay below.

With his Extreme Long-Range Vision, Zhou Heng could clearly see vast numbers of Deepwater Flood Dragon Worms wriggling in the breeding ground.

By his initial estimate, there were at least ten thousand.

Although the excess experience would do little for him, there were enough of them for him to grind up his all-element damage reduction.

He cast Appraisal on a Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm.

Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm

Level: 10

Attack: 37-74

Magic: 21-42

HP: 10,000/10,000

Mana: 2,000/2,000

Armor: 10

Attack speed: 1.3/s

Movement speed: 2.0 m/s

Acid Rain: Unleashes a wave of acid rain, striking once within a 100-meter radius and dealing water damage equal to magic × 1.0.

Spit: Spits a glob of thick phlegm forward, dealing physical damage equal to attack × 2.0.

Level 10 Deepwater Flood Dragon Worms were no weaklings either. For an ordinary new player to solo such creatures just four days in would be extremely difficult.

Even setting aside their area attacks, their movement speed alone was a problem. Without skills or equipment that boosted movement speed, how was anyone supposed to fight them?

Drawing the Sakast Imperial Sword (Holy Sword), Zhou Heng leaped down from the end of the path.

Although there were plenty of Deepwater Flood Dragon Worms, his HP was also over 10,000, and his movement speed coefficient was higher than theirs. Even with the enormous number of Deepwater Flood Dragons, he was not afraid in the slightest.

As Zhou Heng charged into the swarm of Deepwater Flood Dragon Worms, elsewhere, in Sky City, Sea City, Xia Kingdom, on Blue Star.

"Cough, cough..."

"Black Bear Ba, was it? What do you want with me?"

At the Su Family, a Longevity Family, Su Ming sat in a wheelchair, covering his nose and mouth with a handkerchief as he coughed lightly twice. When he lowered it, the handkerchief was covered in blood.

Black Bear Ba knelt on both knees and kowtowed, speaking respectfully.

"Young Master Su, Miss Ling is dead."

Su Ming's hand froze in midair as he lowered the handkerchief. After a long while, he raised it to cover his nose and mouth and began coughing violently again.

"Cough, cough..."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

Su Ming nearly coughed his lungs out.

By the time he finally managed to suppress the urge to cough, the white handkerchief in his hand was soaked in blood.

Without a word, he handed the handkerchief to the maid beside him before slowly speaking.

"How did she die? Is the information reliable? Tell me everything you know."

Not daring to raise his head, Black Bear Ba recounted everything in detail: how he had gone to Little Bird Town, how he had been discarded and fed to the Deepwater Flood Dragon, and how he had encountered Zhou Heng, who had killed Su Ling.

"So my sister was slain by that new player named Zhou Heng?"

"Yes, Young Master Su. I personally saw the quest scroll page Miss Ling left behind after she was killed. As you know, those things only drop when we truly die."

After Black Bear Ba finished speaking, the vast hall was terrifyingly quiet. A falling pin could have been heard.

Su Ming tapped lightly on his wheelchair's armrest. After a long while, he spoke in a low voice.

"I will send people to Little Bird Town immediately. You have only one task: keep Zhou Heng appeased, and do not let him escape."

"Do this well, and you can join the upper ranks of the Black Bear Guild instead of remaining a disposable pawn."

Delight appeared on Black Bear Ba's face as he faced the floor. He repeatedly kowtowed in thanks.

"Thank you, Young Master Su!"

"Rest assured, Young Master Su. I will keep Zhou Heng in Little Bird Town and await your judgment."

Su Ming took a fresh handkerchief and began coughing violently again.

"Cough, cough..."

"Go. Do not disappoint me."

Black Bear Ba dared not linger. Repeatedly voicing his assent, he scrambled out.

Leaning back in his wheelchair, Su Ming gazed absently at the beautiful sky beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He had never imagined that after only four days, his playful, adorable sister, who had followed behind him sweetly calling him "big brother," would be dead-dead in the vast, boundless Boundless Endless World.

"Ling'er, rest in peace. As for Zhou Heng, I will make him unable to live or die."

With that, Su Ming closed his eyes and abruptly vanished from the hall.

[Fate changes at every moment, varying from person to person and shifting with each decision. Your wisdom and composure are certainly essential to stepping toward eternity, but ultimately, you still lack experience, and your handling of matters is one-sided.]

[Fate offers you hints.]

[Fate Hint 1: You thought Black Bear Ba would stand on your side, but you know very little of how terrifying the Longevity Families are. Black Bear Ba chose the safest path: bowing before Longevity and begging to survive. He succeeded, and you were exposed. You must leave Little Bird Town as soon as possible. Otherwise, once members of the Su Family, a Longevity Family, arrive, even your thirteen resurrection opportunities will be of no use.]

[Fate Hint 2: As the saying goes, a setback makes you wiser. Having only just arrived, it is understandable that you would experience such an incident. If you do not wish to flee Little Bird Town, perhaps you could try reaching the depths of the Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm secret realm and playing the "Elegant Ancient Flute" purchased from the level 100 Forgery Master. That will be your only way to face the danger head-on.]

Zhou Heng had just picked up the "First-Turn Certificate" dropped by a slain Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm when his pupils involuntarily contracted.

Fate Hint would not deceive him. This meant that in the brief time since they had parted, Black Bear Ba had returned to reality and visited the Su Family, a Longevity Family.

Clutching the "First-Turn Certificate" in his palm, Zhou Heng remained silent for a full fifteen minutes.

Anyone familiar with Zhou Heng would know that this was his habit when reflecting on himself.

I really did not think this matter through carefully enough. I failed to weigh the pros and cons of the entire incident from Black Bear Ba's perspective.

If I were Black Bear Ba, kneeling before a Longevity Family and trading my life for an escape from being a disposable pawn would indeed be the most suitable choice.

The reason things had reached this point was that Zhou Heng had yet to fully adapt to the rules of the Boundless Endless World, this "online game world."

When interacting with Black Bear Ba, he had brought along his experience from the peaceful era of his previous life. This had led him to think that since Black Bear Ba had already been discarded, he would surely stand with him and plan a way out.

But he had forgotten that this world was not the peaceful era of his previous life. It was the Online Game Era, where people would sacrifice anything for longevity and higher levels.

Zhou Heng took a deep breath, completely settled his emotions, and looked toward the depths of the Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm secret realm.

If Fate Hint said there was a solution in the depths of the Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm secret realm, then it certainly existed. All he needed to do was slaughter every last Deepwater Flood Dragon Worm as quickly as possible, grinding up his all-element damage reduction while heading to the deepest part.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhou Heng looked at the First-Turn Certificate in his hand and crushed it.

[First-Turn Certificate detected.]

[Existing class detected.]

[You have obtained eligibility for your first turn.]

[Please select and complete one of the following achievements. Upon completion, break through level 10 and reach level 11.]

[First-turn achievements]

[Achievement "Powerful Strength": Kill 1,000 level 10 wild monsters.]

[Achievement "Tenacious Will": Kill 100,000 level 10 wild monsters.]

[Achievement "Boundless Wilderness": Kill 1,000,000 level 10 wild monsters.]

[Achievement "Transcendence's Strength": Kill a level 20 player above your level once.]

[Achievement "Transcendence's Might": Kill a level 30 player above your level once.]

[Achievement "Will of Transcendence": Kill a level 40 player above your level once.]