Chapter 51: Ascending to Level 5
The small talk with Quintus didn’t last long.
Asker keenly sensed that although the other party said he “wasn’t suspicious,” there still seemed to be some probing in his subtext.
After all, it was his father, not himself, who had made the judgment that “Azure Longsword couldn’t be a traitor.”
In addition, Quintus also showed great interest in the violent explosion that occurred in the center of the town, but he didn’t ask for some reason.
Since the other party didn’t ask, Asker was naturally happy to play dumb and pretend not to notice his curiosity.
So, after some polite probing, Quintus bid farewell to Asker and left, using the excuse of “going back to host the banquet.”
Asker watched him leave the balcony, recalling the previous events.
It was after he killed the White-Clad Assassin that he woke up in Hood’s room, and then this officer Quintus came in with a group of people, thanking him for saving Olympia.
In fact, according to Rasul, the Ilanian assassins and the city lord’s forces behind Quintus were actually in cahoots.
In other words, he had actually disrupted their plan? So that’s why they started investigating his team?
After he agreed to become an honorary member of the Ilanian Assassin organization, Rasul should have stopped providing intelligence in this regard, which was why Quintus of the city lord’s forces personally came to test him.
As for the theory that Azure Longsword was harmless, it wasn’t necessarily as Quintus said, based solely on a surname. Perhaps Rasul had vouched for them.
Various guesses, deductions, and clues went through his mind, and Asker caught sight of a petite figure standing at the edge of the crowd from the corner of his eye.
It was Thira, wearing a mask.
“What did he say to you?” Thira whispered, quietly walking to the edge of the balcony.
“He’s very interested in our strength.” Asker replied.
“That’s all?” Thira was a little surprised, and seemed relieved.
“The Medea incident was an accident.” Asker said lightly. “She displayed extraordinary strength in the battle, which increased our exposure to the authorities. As the city lord’s son, it’s natural for him to come and personally investigate and confirm.”
“I had a nightmare yesterday.” Thira clutched her forehead in pain, her brows furrowed. “I dreamed that my grandfather fiercely questioned me, asking why I abandoned my responsibilities and chose to become a wandering mercenary.”
“So when I saw him talking to you just now, I thought he had already discovered…”
She trailed off and gradually fell silent. “Maybe I’m just too nervous. I need a drink.”
“I’ll go back with you.” Asker said.
…
After the banquet, the slightly tipsy mages bid farewell to each other and left the palace. The Spartans and mercenaries almost all collapsed on the spot, drunk, and began to snore.
The girls of Azure Longsword were somewhere in between. Sidlipha and Mia were already completely drunk and wanted to cause a scene, but Nuo knocked them both out with a karate chop to the neck. Eleanor and Peggy helped them walk back.
Medea also drank quite a bit, her face flushed with a beautiful blush, but she hadn’t lost her mind. Before leaving, she even stuffed a few unopened bottles of red wine into her clothes.
Back at the barracks, it was already 11 pm. Hood, abandoned by everyone, was snoring loudly in the common sleeping area outside, the floor scattered with various strange mechanical parts, all useless gadgets he had tinkered with.
The girls entered the room, intending to teleport back to Furnace Island.
“Medea.” Asker called out to her. “You’re on watch duty outside tonight.”
“Huh?” Medea asked dizzily. “Is it my turn?”
“Yes.” Asker said.
So Medea found a bed, grabbed a book, and fell fast asleep.
Asker took Nuo and teleported back to Furnace Island.
The mountains of Furnace Island were shrouded in darkness, surrounded by the constantly lapping seawater. The girls slept in the wooden house, while Asker and Nuo quietly walked down the mountain, finding a secluded grove with a lake.
“Here?” Nuo asked.
“Yes.” Asker said calmly. “Do a sound check first?”
Nuo was a little embarrassed, she nervously grabbed the corner of her clothes and carefully began to sing:
“I’m walking alone on the path outside the suburbs~ I’m bringing pastries to my grandma to try~”
This song, “Little Red Riding Hood,” was well-known in his previous life. The original foreign version seemed to be from Brazil and had been transplanted into the game by the development team. Hearing it sung by Nuo, Asker suddenly felt homesick.
Angel spirits materialized from the surrounding air, slowly descending along with Nuo’s childish and clear singing, humming along to the melody:
“When the sun sets~ When the stars ignite~ All things in the world cannot escape eternal sleep and death~”
Although the melody was the same, the lyrics were completely different. Nuo wanted to correct them, but the angel spirits sang louder and louder, their song eventually echoing throughout Furnace Island.
Angel’s Song, 60% reduction in the probability of spiritual loss of control.
Under the buff of Angel’s Song, Asker took out a potion, the Gladiator Sequence’s “Block I.”
He was going to advance to level 5 tonight.
After drinking the potion, his body almost immediately showed signs of losing control, but it was forcibly suppressed by the angels’ singing.
His arms began to thicken, his blood pressure almost tripled its normal value, so much so that the muscle fibers in his arms began to bleed, and the surface of his skin radiated a scorching heat.
His shoulder blades began to twist and deform, and the bones throughout his body screamed and roared, making pleading sounds as if they couldn’t bear the burden.
His heart beat rapidly in his chest, as if it would explode in the next second. His eardrums also vibrated incessantly, accompanied by intense dizziness and a sense of disorientation, making him almost faint.
Nuo’s hand gently rested on his back, her Transcendental power soothing his fluctuating spirituality.
It was like a small boat tossed about in a storm and huge waves, dropping a heavy anchor at a critical moment to avoid capsizing.
This dangerous situation of almost losing control but forcibly maintaining his spirituality lasted for nearly half an hour before gradually subsiding.
Asker, almost collapsing, barely managed to prop himself up. After regaining some strength, he nodded to Nuo:
“Okay.”
He had initially digested “Block I,” and a large amount of knowledge about defense, collision, and force deflection entered his mind.
Now, Asker possessed “Perfect Physique X,” “Sharp Weapon I,” “Blunt Weapon I,” “Dodge I,” and “Block I.”
In terms of physical qualities, he had finally reached the entry threshold for the Celestial Ninefold Strike.
As a Transcendental sword technique, the first three forms of Celestial Ninefold Strike were Sharp Break, Heavy Break, and Grazing Shot.
In addition to proficiency in the sword technique itself, there were also strict requirements for the user’s potion sequences.
The function of Sharp Break was to increase hit rate, requiring the potion sequences “Sharp Weapon I” and “Dodge I”;
The function of Heavy Break was to increase armor penetration rate, requiring the potion sequences “Blunt Weapon I” and “Block I.”
The function of Grazing Shot was to deflect ranged damage, requiring the potion sequence “Projectile I.”
If the potion requirements weren’t met, although the sword technique could still be used, it wouldn’t achieve the desired effect, and higher skills would be needed to compensate.
In the popular terminology of the forums, learning the sword technique first and then taking the potions was the “Sword Sect”; taking the potions first and then learning the sword technique was the “Qi Sect.”
The Qi Sect leveled up step by step, providing a good player experience; the Sword Sect’s strength increased quickly, but the requirements for operation were very high. If your operation wasn’t good, then you were just a noob.
Because he had a deep understanding of the Celestial Ninefold Strike from his previous life, Asker chose the “Sword Sect” path, learning the Celestial Ninefold Strike first, and then slowly completing the corresponding required potion sequences.
Now, four of the five Gladiator potions had been completed. Just like Linghu Chong in “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,” after solving the internal strength problem by learning the Yi Jin Jing, he could truly unleash the power of the Dugu Nine Swords.
Asker stood up from the bed, slowly feeling the abundant spirituality welling up in his body.
At the same time, he also felt a sense of oppression, as if he was breathing on a plateau with insufficient oxygen, feeling a little weak.
Having advanced to level 5, he had reached the current magic tide level’s strength limit and couldn’t continue to advance to level 6.
Even if a level 6 potion was placed in front of him, he would inevitably lose control after drinking it due to insufficient spirituality.
On the other hand, having advanced to level 5, he had reached the current world’s allowed peak strength.
Level 5 physical strength could already withstand the damage from ordinary firearms. His powerful muscle density and self-healing ability meant that as long as he wasn’t hit in vital points such as the eyeballs, heart, or brain, Asker could charge forward while taking bullets.
As long as the bullets were removed in time after the battle.
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