Chapter 10

Since the Goblin Nest opened, there had never been a clear record.

After Li Yao casually accepted a few missions, he left the Adventurer Guild and came to the border checkpoint.

“Li Yao, level 5, Chess Player?”

The gatekeeper took Li Yao’s exit permit and confirmed Li Yao’s information.

“Only level 5, are you sure you want to leave the city?”

Li Yao didn't say much and nodded.

Although he was very puzzled how the school agreed to let an A-rank professional who was only level 5 leave the city,

the exit permit was not fake, so the gatekeeper quickly verified it.

“There are many monsters outside, pay attention to safety. If you encounter monsters you can’t defeat, try to find a lord to protect you.”

“If it really doesn't work, come back quickly. You’re still young; it doesn't matter if you lose face, your life is what’s important.”

“Especially at night, monsters become increasingly irritable, and their attributes will be much stronger. You must, must find a place to hide in advance.”

Facing the gatekeeper’s nagging instructions, Li Yao didn't interrupt and listened patiently.

Then he bowed slightly to him.

Walking out of the city gate,

a cold wind blew toward his face, mixed with a hint of a fishy smell.

“As expected, inside and outside the city are two different worlds.”

Li Yao stepped forward, his figure quickly disappearing from the gatekeeper’s sight.

“Sigh, an A-rank professional... I hope I can see him come back.”

As he ventured deeper,

the fishy smell in the air became heavier.

From time to time, he could hear beast roars from afar, and occasionally he could see people farming monsters nearby.

The environment outside the city was different from what Li Yao had imagined.

All around were ruins of various buildings; the border in the past might have been a city where humans lived.

One could imagine

that in the face of monster invasions, humanity was not ‘winning a complete victory’ as the news reported.

The humans in the city could enjoy a stable life only because someone was secretly carrying the burden forward.

“This should be about right.”

Seeing that there was no one around, Li Yao took out the Silver treasure chest dropped by the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf from his storage ring.

A loot chest that only boss-tier monsters would drop.

When he saw the price of a Silver treasure chest on the Star Network Exchange, Li Yao had almost couldn't resist selling it.

Silver light flickered, and the treasure chest disappeared.

Two pieces of equipment appeared before Li Yao.

[Bloodthirsty Pendant (Pendant)]

[Quality: Silver]

[Equipment Requirement: Level 5, Agility 30 or above]

[Equipment Attribute 1: Strength +10; Agility +15; Constitution +10]

[Equipment Attribute 2: Bloodthirst (Passive), restores 5% of the damage dealt by the wearer as HP (can be triggered by the wearer’s summons)]

[Durability: 40/40]

[Swift Boots (Shoes)]

[Quality: Bronze]

[Equipment Requirement: Level 5]

[Equipment Attribute: Agility +8; Constitution +5]

[Durability: 25/25]

Seeing the equipment attributes, Li Yao’s eyes lit up.

The Swift Boots didn't need to be mentioned; they were standard Bronze equipment with no additional attributes, worth between two thousand and five thousand.

The Bloodthirsty Pendant was different.

One had to know

that for equipment in this world, pricing based on level was only one aspect; the most critical factor was the equipment quality.

For example, Bronze equipment,

even at level 50 or 60, its value wouldn't exceed ten thousand Dragon coins.

Because low-quality equipment like Black Iron and Bronze could be dropped by wild monsters by everyone once they reached the level.

But above Silver grade,

even low-level equipment had an unimaginably high value.

These high-quality pieces of equipment could only be produced by wild bosses or dungeon secret realms.

And once the boss level was exceeded by too much, the drop rate would become disgustingly low.

Not to mention that dungeon secret realms themselves had level entry restrictions.

Therefore, the production of high-quality equipment was extremely low, and most were worth a fortune.

This Bloodthirsty Pendant was even more so.

The added attributes were already high, and it also came with a lifesteal effect.

On the Jiangzhou Star Network, a level 30 bracelet with 3% lifesteal had once been auctioned.

The final transaction price was 16 million.

If his memory wasn't wrong,

the buyer seemed to be his father, Li Yang?

Li Yao put on both pieces of equipment.

His attributes improved significantly.

At the same time, the added attributes also acted on the Void Mantis.

[Chess Piece: Void Mantis]

[Level: 5]

[Grade: S-rank]

[Bond: Assassin]

[Star Level: 2-star] (Gold coins required for star-up: 45/40)

[HP: 2450/2450]

[Strength: 689] (Level +5 / Equipment Attribute +4 / Practical Training +285)

[Spirit: 27] (Level +5)

[Agility: 92] (Level +5 / Li Yao’s full agility spec +4 / Equipment Attribute +9)

[Stamina: 49] (Level +5 / Equipment Attribute +6)

[Skills: Void Assault, Taste Their Fear]

[Trait: Bloodthirst (from Bloodthirsty Pendant)]

Looking at the Void Mantis’s current attributes, Li Yao couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Its strength was about to break the 700 mark.

No,

it wasn't ‘about to’!

The Hedge Fund grants 10 gold coins every five levels.

The gold coins Li Yao currently possessed were already fully sufficient to upgrade the Void Mantis to 3-star!

“Void Mantis, upgrade!”

In the shadows, the Void Mantis’s body suddenly jolted.

An unknown power descended, and the prestige it radiated climbed steadily.

Its body size surged by a full factor!

Reaching a height of nearly two meters,

its various attributes increased crazily.

[Void Assault: Hide in the void, enter a 5-second stealth state. The first normal attack after stealth deals 300% -> 400% physical damage. Cooldown: 7 seconds.]

Little master, there is more to this chapter; please click the next page to continue reading. It gets even more exciting!

[Skill 2: Taste Their Fear, deals 300% -> 400% physical damage to the target. If there are no enemy units within 2 meters of the target, this damage is doubled. Cooldown: 3 seconds.]

What excited Li Yao the most was that the 3-star Void Mantis had actually activated a new skill.

[Skill 3: Void Spike, fires explosive spikes, dealing 250% physical damage to enemies in a range in front. Cooldown: 15 seconds.]

“Perfect!”

Area-of-effect damage was exactly the attribute the Void Mantis lacked.

Possessing an AoE skill meant it could harvest monster lives in large swaths, and the Practical Training Hex effect could be developed to the greatest extent!

It was like being given a pillow just as you were getting sleepy.

“I just don’t know how big the range is.”

Li Yao’s heart stirred.

“Void Mantis.”

Receiving the command,

the upgraded Void Mantis actively exposed its form.

Under the sunlight, its cold-glinting claws were like two giant scythes, making people fearful.

Li Yao looked at a monster thirty meters away.

“Use Void Spike.”

At the same time, Li Yao cast an Appraisal.

[Patrol Rat]

[Level 10]

[HP: 1150]

[Strength: 27]

[Spirit: 16]

[Agility: 38]

[Stamina: 23]

[Skill: Heavy Claw LV1]

A level 10 ordinary monster, the Patrol Rat, was considered an agility-type monster.

But these attributes were like a drop in the bucket in front of a level 5 Void Mantis.

In the blink of an eye,

the Void Mantis had already appeared in front of the Patrol Rat, at a distance of about 10 meters.

“10 meters, huh? I just don’t know how wide it is.”

“Swish!”

A row of spikes was slashed out from the Void Mantis’s claws, sweeping toward the Patrol Rat.

[-1643]

The Patrol Rat was pinned to the ground by the spikes, its terrified pupils reflecting confusion.

A one-shot kill as expected.

“It’s actually a fan-shaped attack. The length is average, but the width is quite good.”

Li Yao touched his chin, pondering the attack range of Void Spike.

“Probably 10 by 15.”

Learning the result, Li Yao was in a pleasant mood.

This kind of range was enough to raise the Void Mantis’s growth speed by a notch!