《RSSG: Reincarnation + Almighty System???》


 Chapter 1 - 1: Back Again

    Jin Hai City, Green Bamboo Upper-Class Area


    "This makes no sense...", exclaimed Shi Feng in a gloomy tone.


    Holding a folder of documents as he sat silently on the leather sofa in the living room of his mansion, Shi Feng was contemplating his whole gaming career up to this point.


    As the Sword Magician and the former captain of [Shadow], he had commanded a guild of tens of thousands of people. But all of that was extinguished in an instant. After Ten Years of gaming. After countless battles & daunting challenges.


    Despite all of that suffering, under his leadership, Shadow had successfully established ten City-States in **God''s Domain**. This gave Shadow, a Second-Rate Guild, the chance to rival First-Rate Guilds. However, before he could fully enjoy the fruits of his labor, a single document had taken everything he had ever worked for.


    Never would Shi Feng have thought that his ten years of effort would just go to waste. "I must have been an idiot to think they placed that much trust in me." Shi Feng said in a grave tone.


    He sacrificed so much just for the game and yet, all he did was pave the way for others to the very end. "Never will I allow others to trample on me like that again!" exclaimed Shi Feng in seething anger.


    All of this culminated because he had opposed the decision for Shadow to be annexed to the Super-Guild, [World Dominators]. Instantly, the Lan Hua Financial Group punished Shi Feng for his actions. He had to delete his Level 200 Sword King account. 10 years of struggle, gone in an instant.


    All he received as compensation was 5 million Credits and a single mansion. When compared to the established ten City-States in the game, it was akin to comparing dust-sized bread crumbs to whole loaves of bread.


    Shi Feng thought about all of his contributions. Yet all of that made him seem like nothing but a piece of trash to be thrown away at a moment''s notice. Shi Feng swore he would take revenge for their actions. He swore to rise to a higher peak this time around. The word ''Mercy'' did no longer exist in his being. As he held the termination contract with a strong grip, with eyes full of overwhelming determination and will, one could faintly see an intangible golden-white aura materializing around Shi Feng. He could not see this.


    Somewhere Far Away


    A being dressed in a white robe with black and gold miniature magic arrays fading in and out of existence all over. The being watched on, as Shi Feng was undergoing his


    "Determination... brought forth through the force of deception..." said the being with a low commanding voice. "Through betrayal and trickery, this child has sworn to rise and decide his own destiny...".


    Suddenly the surroundings fluctuated & warped. The being was now in a recliner, with an insanely large screen in front of him. On his right, a table full of juicy snacks. On his left, all kinds of drinks. Now dressed in tropical clothing, the being was rubbing his hands, with a smile that said ''Oh yeah, it''s time''. "...Well shit, might as well make your life a bit easier eh?." said the being. "Since you''re approaching the reincarnation pathway, I''ll give you a little gift that will make your life so much easier. Be blessed, my child!!!" said the being, still rubbing his hands.


    Back at Shi Feng''s Home


    "I won''t let this go. Do you think this is the end for me?. I will start over and become the strongest. I will pave my own way to the top!"


    Shi Feng''s eyes flashed with confidence and resolution. Grabbing the bottle of wine from the tabletop, he gulped down several mouthfuls. Afterward, he passed out. The golden aura condensed into a 2-cm thick rope and phased through his skull into his brain, wrapping completely around it.


    Out of nowhere, a notification sound went off in Shi Feng''s head. Because he was passed out, he didn''t notice it.


    {DING!}


    ______________________________________________________________


    [Congratulations Host. Due to your unyielding will and determination to become the strongest, you have been blessed by the Almighty, and was chosen as the host of the Almighty System! Time to dominate!]


    Name: Shi Feng


    Age: 20


    Stats: (Strength - 2) (Agility - 1) (Endurance - 2) (Intelligence - 4) (Vitality - 1)


    Martial Standard: None


    Money: 16,000 Credits


    =Skills=


    {Passive}


    [Almighty System Wielder]


    - Level: N/A


    - As the wielder of the almighty system, you will get to pick anything you want from the Almighty Repository to make yourself stronger.


    - The reward system is not bound by quests or any kind of currency. Work hard & you will be rewarded.


    {Active}


    [None]


    _=Almighty Repository=_


    ~Almighty Starter Pack


    ______________________________________________________________

 Chapter 2 - CH2: Onwards To a Higher Peak

    When Shi Feng woke up again, he found himself in a cluttered room. He started looking around. Clothes everywhere, open noodle cups, gaming books everywhere, an old iPhone 6, an old ??ptop, a young Shi Feng in the mirror... Slowly but surely, everything was making less and less sense.


    He reached for his phone. "How the hell is it April 15th, 2129?" said Shi Feng reluctantly. He didn''t know what to do until suddenly the notification sound went off again.


    {DING!}


    [Say ''Status'']


    "what... status?"


    {DING!}


    ______________________________________________________________


    Name: Shi Feng


    Age: 20


    HP: 100/100


    Stats: (Strength - 2) (Agility - 1) (Endurance - 2) (Intelligence - 4) (Vitality - 1)


    Martial Realm: None


    Money: 16,000 Credits


    =Skills=


    [Almighty System Wielder]


    - Level: N/A


    - As the wielder of the almighty system, you will get to pick anything you want from the Almighty Repository to make yourself stronger.


    - The reward system is not bound by quests or a certain system currency.


    - Warning! Host is affected by the Law of Universal Balance, which no being can oppose.


    {Active}


    [None]


    _=Almighty Repository=_


    ~Almighty Starter Pack


    [Hey Host, about time you woke up. I know you think this doesn''t make sense. But there''s no time to dwell on that. What matters is that because of your determination to become the strongest, you were chosen as the host of the Almighty System. I don''t think I need to explain what a system is, seeing as you have your fair share of knowledge regarding this. You can control the system through your mind. What I can tell you is that this system is extremely generous, compared to other systems, as you can see in the Skills Section of the system. But remember, benefits never come without consequences. I won''t be taking too much of your time now, seeing as you have your work cut out for you. Get your starter pack and embark on the path of the Almighty. One piece of advice, from this point on, try not to be too surprised at what you get from the system, the system didn''t get it''s name for no reason...]


    "uhh... right..." still reeling, and trying to gather his thoughts, Shi Feng was thinking. After a while, he started grinning. "Everything is gonna be different this time around huh?. I definitely have to do something about improving these stats though.". With a thought; ''Select Starter Pack''.


    {DING!}


    ______________________________________________________________


    Opening Almighty Starter Pack...


    Received:


    - 550 million Credits


    - S-Rank Nutrient Fluids x200


    - Almighty Gaming Pod


    "Oh shit..." said Shi Feng surprised, completely forgetting the previous words of the system. Out of nowhere, a big container materialized in front of him. Fortunately, he took the advice of the system and tried not to be too surprised. He placed his hand on the container and it disappeared. Now in front of him were 4 huge tungsten boxes, a white card, and a gaming pod decorated with orange and black patterns.


    "This system is amazing, I might even be able to build the strongest force in God''s Domain with this, no matter where I go." Shi Feng was excited and immediately got to work. First order of business: his parents. In his past life, he failed at taking proper care of his parents. Even after making millions, he forgot them, resulting in it becoming a plague that ate away at his heart. No matter how strong he got, nothing could fix the damage done. This time around, he decided to give them a call and had a long conversation with them. He explained to them that he had finally established himself, and got a job as a gamer. Being the supportive and loving parents they are, they were just glad that he was okay and healthy. In the end, Shi Feng transferred 50,016,000 Credits to his parents, making sure they could live a life of leisure and free of struggle. Moving on, Shi Feng now had 500 million Credits to his name.


    Next, Shi Feng went ahead and contacted Blackie and set up a meeting with him to explain the plans he had. Blackie was surprised and thought Shi Feng was joking at first, as he could not believe Shi Feng planned to set up his own workshop. But being the brother he is, Blackie chose to trust Shi Feng. After that, Shi Feng filled out the form to drop out of University and sent it to the Admissions Office, since most of his time will be dedicated to gaming and training. He told Blackie to do the same.


    Now Shi Feng needed to sort out his living situation. He decided to make a variety of purchases. Two of the latest-model Quantum Watches, one for him and one for Blackie; He purchased a contemporary home for his own use. Finally, he consulted with a real estate agent for a building in a good location and selected the best one on the market. With the purchase of the building, as a bonus, he received a contemporary motorcycle along with a helmet and a full-body nano-suit. All in all, this came out to a whopping 450 million credits. He pretty much spent all day taking care of these matters, which left him with 50 million Credits left.


    April 16th, 2129


    Morning the next day, up bright and early, Shi Feng got to work once again. He contacted a moving company to move most of his belongings to his home and some to his new 75-story skyscraper. In the afternoon, everything was done. The bike, along with all accessories was delivered to him immediately. He equipped his nano-suit, put his helmet on, and off he went, towards his new home. Although the home was a bit far, the motorcycle was extremely quick and agile. Along the way, he picked up a few essentials, not too much since he was on a bike after all. He arrived in about 5 minutes. He proceeded to take the rest of the day to familiarize himself with his new home. After roughly 30 minutes, he decided to start training, for the purpose of building a more solid foundation before the start of God''s Domain. He drank a bottle of S-Rank fluids and started his training. When he was finished, he was beyond shocked by the results of the S-Rank Fluids. He showered, and before he went to bed, ''Status'' thought Shi Feng.


    {DING!}


    ______________________________________________________________


    Name: Shi Feng


    HP: 120/120


    Stats:


    (Strength - 2¡ú4)


    (Agility - 1¡ú3)


    (Endurance - 2¡ú4)


    (Intelligence - 4¡ú6)


    (Vitality - 1¡ú3)


    Martial Realm: None


    Money: 49m Credits


    "It''s great to see how my stats improve as I train. This is quite the motivator. So apparently S-Rank Fluids increase my talent. But it''s effects will diminish the more I consume them. It''s better to fully utilize its effects on a bottle-by-bottle basis, and continuous training." said Shi Feng grinning. He then went off to bed, feeling content with his progress.


    6:00 AM, April 17th, 2129


    8 days until the release of God''s Domain


    Shi Feng did his morning routine, fixed up a light breakfast, and sent Blackie the address of his new home. After about 15 minutes, Shi Feng heard the doorbell go off. When he opened the door, he saw a skeptical-looking youth at the door; "Brother Feng, don''t tell me you murdered whoever lived here and took their house. I know for a fact you never had this kind of money. What have you done?. Should I start calling you Young Master Shi now?..." Blackie bombarded Shi Feng with questions. Shi Feng only smiled and calmly told him to come in and sit in the living room. Shi Feng offered Blackie a bottle of S-Rank Fluids. Once again, he looked at Shi Feng like he was a monster. "Alright, I need an explanation. Who are you exactly?. You can''t be a clone of Brother Feng can you?" said Blackie with a suspicious stare.


    "It''s a bit difficult to explain, but I came across a fortuitous encounter a few days ago and obtained quite a bit of money. I used it to buy this home, the fluids, and of course, a building for our workshop. Take this Quantum Watch and set up your banking account. We''re going to start setting up our workshop so we can hit the ground running for the release of God''s Domain. Contact a few of our classmates back from university to see if they want to join up with us. If not, we''ll recruit more people as we go along."


    Blackie had a bit of trouble believing what was happening, but at this point, he had thrown all logic out the window and chose to place all his trust in his Brother. He readily took the Quantum Watch and set up his banking account. "Alright Brother Feng, all done"


    "Great. Take these Credits and use them to overall enhance the workshop. We''ll be setting up in a 75-story building but since we''re a bit short on funds, for now, we''ll only be using floors 11-16. Floors 10 and below have pretty much everything we need in terms of essential living necessities. As we get more funds and more people, we will be outfitting the upper floors as well. Meaning more gaming pods, living quarters for all of our members, training equipment, office spaces, etc..."


    "Sounds good, Brother Feng" said Blackie with overwhelming excitement. They were finally going to start their plan and become professional gamers. Shi Feng told Blackie to start heading to the Gym and to train so he can have a bit of an easier time in God''s Domain. He sent Blackie off with an effective training regimen specific to his needs and 25 bottles of S-Rank Nutrient Fluids. Now 9 AM, Shi Feng wasted no time and went to his state-of-the-art training room to train as well. A few days passed, and in addition to his physique; be it internal or external parts, he trained reflexes, overall mental capabilities, and martial arts techniques.


    Shi Feng did not slack off in his training at all. If one could see him now, one would see a young man with an incredibly well-toned body, exuding an aura that commanded nothing but respect. Shi Feng had awakened his internal force energy. This made his overall strength and training speed skyrocket. The same could be said about Blackie. Shi Feng got some people to set up the gaming pods and the training equipment in the building, ?ssuring everything went smoothly.


    God''s Domain; live in 1 hour


    "Blackie, are you ready?" said Shi Feng to Blackie through his Quantum Watch.


    "All ready to go, Brother Feng" replied Blackie excitedly.


    Shi Feng took this opportunity to check his status before the launch. ''Status''


    {DING!}


    ______________________________________________________________


    Name: Shi Feng


    Age: 20


    HP: 330/330


    Stats:


    (Strength - 4¡ú32)


    (Agility - 3¡ú27)


    (Endurance - 4¡ú25)


    (Intelligence - 6¡ú28)


    (Vitality - 3¡ú33)


    Martial Realm: Internal Force


    Money: 2m Credits


    ______________________________________________________________


    [Looking good Host. Keep it up. This is only the start on your path to the absolute apex.] the system suddenly said.


    "How come you''re never around?. I could''ve made greater progress if I had your help" asked Shi Feng politely.


    [Don''t misunderstand Host, you need to forge your own path. Build mental fortitude and temper your will through countless trials. When you reach the top, none will dare take your spot away from you. You, more than anyone should know this; a shaky foundation is never the way to go. A strong and firm foundation will reward you with unconscious competence that will take you far. Don''t get me wrong, the system will offer you tools and upgrades that will make your journey to the top as smooth as possible, but that won''t be of any use if you get blindsided. Take that how you want it] - lectured the system in an inspiring tone.


    "...i see" replied Shi Feng in astonishment and contemplation.. "Well, it''s time. Here i come God''s Domain"

 Chapter 3 - CH3: New Beginnings Of A Sword King

    Shi Feng passed through the all-familiar multi-colored tunnel and arrived at a golden temple. The palm-sized angel Gabriel started talking to him.


    "Hello Adventurer, welcome to God''s Domain. I am the Navigation Angel, Gabriel. I will be introducing to you the--"


    Suddenly Gabriel''s voice was cut off and everything froze. Out of nowhere...


    {DING!}


    {Almighty System has detected a higher intelligence system!}


    {Would Host like to bind the Almighty System to the Main God System?}


    "..." Shi Feng''s jaw nearly went through the floor when he heard this. "Yes" he exclaimed hurriedly.


    {Binding...}


    {Binding Complete}


    {Warning! Due to certain restrictions on the Main God System, some limitations have been set through the binding process of the Almighty System.}


    [Hey Host, You did great by binding the system to the Main God System. With this, you''ll have fewer problems and will get stronger faster.]


    Shi Feng was still in a state of shock and couldn''t even move. He didn''t notice a trace of drool dripped to the floor in the temple. Hopefully, Gabriel won''t mind. Time then resumed and Shi Feng regained his composure.


    "...four main categories and twelve main jobs. Please choose the job that you like most." finished Gabriel.


    These twelve jobs were categorized into four main classes.


    Warrior: Shield Warrior, Guardian Knight, Berserker.


    Healer: Cleric, Druid, Oracle.


    Mage: Elementalist, Summoner, Cursemancer.


    Warriors specialized in defending against monsters; weapons specialists focused on physical damage output; healers focused on healing; mages focused on magical damage output. Every job had its own style of battle, which was one of the main selling points of God''s Domain.


    Shi Feng did not hesitate and chose the Swordsman class.


    "Job selection complete. Please designate a name for your character."


    "Ye Feng."


    Shi Feng chose the same name he had in his previous life.


    "Naming successful. Do you wish to adjust your appearance? Adjustment rate limited to 100%."


    "Wait what?. Isn''t it 15%?" asked Shi Feng to nobody in particular.


    "Alrighty then¡­ I guess I have to stop acting so surprised every time something like this happens, or I might die of a heart attack one day" Shi Feng facepalmed with a grin on his face.


    He adjusted his appearance completely so no one would recognize him. This would ensure his safety in the long run.


    "Please select your birthplace."


    "No constraints here either eh?. I can literally choose one of the strongest Empires in the game and develop faster, but what would be the point of me reincarnating then?. I''m still familiar with the Star-Moon Kingdom so ill just choose White River City. There will come a point when I''ll be able to branch out to numerous Kingdoms and Empires."


    "City confirmed. Player will arrive in Red Leaf Town of White River City in three seconds. We wish you happy gaming."


    Everything then blurred and suddenly Shi Feng found himself surrounded by gray and white buildings, neatly spaced out. The Players and NPCs were rushing about, giving one the impression of a successful hub of commerce. Before Shi Feng did anything, he pulled up his Attribute Panel, but what he saw surprised him.


    Character: Ye Feng


    Race: Human


    Affiliation: Star-Moon Kingdom


    Almighty System Wielder: The system will regularly make adjustments in an effort to help the host grow.


    Job: Swordsman


    Tier: 0


    Level: 0


    HP: 100/100


    Physical Attack Power: 13


    Defense: 4


    Attack Speed: 3


    Movement Speed: 4


    Strength 5, Agility 3, Endurance 4, Intelligence 2, Vitality 2,


    Concentration: N/A, Stamina: N/A, Fortitude: N/A, Physique: N/A, Luck: N/A


    Free Attribute Points: 4


    Realms of Refinement: None


    Realms of Truth: None


    Weapon Mastery:


    One-handed Sword Mastery + 5 (Apprentice Rank - Increases One-handed Sword Damage by 5%)


    Two-handed Sword Mastery + 5 (Apprentice Rank - Increases Two-handed Sword Damage by 5%)


    Free Mastery Points: 0


    Swordsman Talent 1: Sword-related Mastery + 5


    Swordsman Talent 2: Obtain 8 Free Mastery Points every 5 Levels.


    Swordsman Talent 3: Sword-related skills proficiency increased by 50%.


    Equipment:


    [Swordsman''s Leather Shirt] (Gray Trash)


    Level 0


    Defense +2


    Durability 10/10


    [Novice Sword] (Gray Trash, One-handed Sword)


    Equipment Requirement: Strength 3


    Attack Power +3


    Durability 15/15


    Skills:


    {Active}


    Chop | Requirement: Sword | Additional 8 points of Damage | Cooldown: 5 Seconds


    Level: 1 | Proficiency (0/300)


    {Passive}


    None


    _= Almighty System Repository=_


    {Teleportation Skill(The host can teleport himself and/or anyone, to any previously visited location, at any time, at no cost)}


    {Inventory Skill(Storage for the host. Infinite. Completely private. Nothing will drop upon death.)}


    {Class Refinement(will refine the host''s class to aid in the host''s development. Will not break game balance...for now)}


    {Item Refinement(will refine the host''s equipment to aid in the host''s development. Will not break game balance...for now)}


    {Almighty Training Space(will provide the host with a training space. Capabilities include Widely adjustable gravity, a wide variety of monster simulations, simulations for sparring, and many more features. Every second in God''s Domain is equal to 1 hour in this training space).}


    At this point, Shi Feng wasn''t even fazed by what happened in front of him. He finally came to terms with the fact that he was now destined to reach the top no matter what stood in his way. "So I guess with these rewards, most of my future problems are solved for good. I don''t even need the game''s inventory anymore, since I have infinite inventory. Teleportation¡­ Refinements¡­ and holy ****, the training space..."; Shi Feng was over the moon when he saw all these otherworldly rewards. He wasted no time and accepted everything the system offered him. ''Accept all rewards''


    {DING!}


    Acquired new skills:


    [Teleportation]


    [Inventory]


    [Almighty Training Space]


    Acquired modifications:


    Class Refinement x1


    Item Refinement x¡Þ


    Shi Feng walked for a bit and found an alley. He walked in and went into the training space. He instantly disappeared. In the training space, Shi Feng was surrounded by a vast expanse of green plains, a dark blue sea in the distance, and the sun hanging above him. The sun wasn''t scorching hot but felt warm and comfortable. facing a panel that showed all kinds of information.


    \Gravity: 1x


    \Opponent: None


    \Environment: Plains #1


    "Begin Refinements.." spoke Shi Feng in a calm voice.


    {DING!}


    [Beginning both Refinements]


    What he did not expect was the destructive pain that ?ssaulted his mind, body, and soul. After 5 minutes of non-stop screaming and thrashing, he lost consciousness.


    6 hours later¡­


    Shi Feng woke up and immediately felt like he had been run over by a train many times over. He lay sprawled out on the ground like a starfish, unable to move. ''...ugh I really hope this was worth it.'' Reluctantly, He pulled up his attribute panel.


    Character: Ye Feng


    Race: Human


    Affiliation: Star-Moon Kingdom


    Title: None(Almighty System Wielder) [This is a sub-title Host]


    Almighty System Wielder: The system will regularly make adjustments in an effort to help the host grow.


    Job: Swordsman


    Tier: 0


    Level: 0


    HP: 1000/1000


    Physical Attack Power: 63


    Defense: 24


    Attack Speed: 9


    Movement Speed: 11


    Attributes:


    Strength 35, Agility 25, Endurance 30, Intelligence 20, Vitality 20,


    Concentration: N/A, Stamina: N/A, Fortitude: N/A, Physique: N/A, Luck: N/A


    Free Attribute Points: 48


    Realms of Refinement: None


    Realms of Truth: None


    Weapon Mastery:


    One-handed Sword Mastery + 100 (Advanced Rank - Increases One-handed Sword Damage by 30%)


    Two-handed Sword Mastery + 100 (Advanced Rank - Increases Two-handed Sword Damage by 30%)


    Free Mastery Points: 0


    Job Talent:


    Swordsman Talent 1: Sword-related Mastery + 100


    Swordsman Talent 2: Obtain 40 Free Mastery Points every 5 Levels.


    Swordsman Talent 3: Sword-related skills proficiency gain increased by 100%.


    Swordsman Talent 4: Obtain Sword Intent


    Equipment:


    [Swordsman''s Leather Shirt] (Bronze)


    Level 0


    All Attributes +5


    Defense +6


    Durability 10/10


    [Novice Sword] (Bronze, One-handed Sword)


    Level 0


    Equipment Requirement: Strength 7


    All Attributes + 5


    Attack Power +14


    Ignore Levels +2


    Ignores Defense


    Durability 15/15


    Skills:


    {Active}


    Chop | Requirement: Sword | Additional 25 points of Damage | Cooldown: 2 Seconds


    Level: 1 | Proficiency (0/300)


    Sword Intent || Requirement: Swordsman Class || Can manifest into physical form and be used to hinder your foes. Opponent''s attributes -15%, Sword Skill Damage +50%, Induces Fear. || Cooldown: None


    Level 1 | Proficiency (0/1000)


    {Passive}


    [Teleportation]


    [Inventory]


    [Almighty Training Space]


    _= Almighty System Repository=_


    None


    "..." if Shi Feng could move, he would be laughing and jumping around in jubilation. To say that he was the strongest Level 0 at this point in the game was an understatement. Considering not that much time has passed since the start of the game, Shi Feng could be suspected of hacking the game itself. The refinement boosted all of his attributes and granted him another free 48 attribute points. He wouldn''t be surprised if he started getting reported for cheating.


    ''I''ll rest for a bit before testing out my strength. The new fluids should help me recover quickly'' With that, he closed his eyes and dozed off.


    30 minutes later...


    "Alright, let''s give this a shot" Shi Feng tinkered with some parameters in the training space so he can test out his strength. In front of Shi Feng, appeared another swordsman in a red cloak and a black mask.


    [Doppelganger]


    Level 15


    HP 2550/2550


    Without warning, the swordsman rushed at Shi Feng. With his new heightened Attributes, Shi Feng could follow the movements of the swordsman clearly. With a Sidestep, he dodged the swordsman''s slash and quickly closed in behind him. Simultaneously, he aimed Chop at the swordsman''s neck. His sword started glowing with a light blue hue and struck the swordsman.


    -350


    He slashed at the swordsman in quick succession, dealing quite a substantial amount of damage.


    -145


    -145


    -300(Critical!)


    -305(Critical!)


    Chop!


    -740(Critical)


    In 3 seconds, Shi Feng had taken almost 2000 HP off of the swordsman''s HP. The swordsman tried to counterattack by suddenly thrusting his sword at Shi Feng''s neck. With a grin, Shi Feng dodged and used Chop on the swordsman''s neck once again.


    Chop!


    -780(Critical)


    With that, the swordsman disintegrated into nothing."Nope, no surprises here heheh, this system is too damn good!" exclaimed Shi Feng with a mysterious smile. He then left the training space and found himself back in the alleyway. He walked out, allocated his attribute points, and took a look at his attribute panel.


    Character: Ye Feng


    Race: Human


    Affiliation: Star-Moon Kingdom


    Title: None(Almighty System Wielder) [This is a sub-title Host]


    Job: Swordsman


    Tier: 0


    Level: 0


    HP: 1950/1950


    Physical Attack Power: 69


    Defense: 24


    Attack Speed: 12


    Movement Speed: 14


    Attributes:


    Strength 44, Agility 37, Endurance 39, Intelligence 29, Vitality 29,


    Concentration: N/A, Stamina: N/A, Fortitude: N/A, Physique: N/A, Luck: N/A


    Free Attribute Points: 0


    Realms of Refinement: None


    Realms of Truth: None


    Weapon Mastery:


    One-handed Sword Mastery + 100 (Apprentice Rank - Increases One-handed Sword Damage by 30%)


    Two-handed Sword Mastery + 100 (Apprentice Rank - Increases Two-handed Sword Damage by 30%)


    Free Mastery Points: 0


    Job Talent:


    Swordsman Talent 1: Sword-related Mastery + 100


    Swordsman Talent 2: Obtain 40 Free Mastery Points every 5 Levels.


    Swordsman Talent 3: Sword-related skills proficiency gain increased by 100%.


    Swordsman Talent 4: Obtain Sword Intent


    Equipment:


    [Swordsman''s Leather Shirt] (Bronze)


    Level 0-10


    All Attributes +5


    Defense +6


    Durability 10/10


    [Novice Sword] (Bronze, One-handed Sword)


    Level 0-10


    Equipment Requirement: Strength 7


    All Attributes + 5


    Attack Power +14


    Ignore Levels +2


    Ignores Defense


    Durability 15/15


    Skills:


    {Active}


    Chop | Requirement: Sword | Additional 25 points of Damage | Cooldown: 2 Seconds


    Level: 1 | Proficiency (0/300)


    Sword Intent || Requirement: Swordsman Class || Can manifest into physical form and be used to hinder your foes. Opponent''s attributes -15%, Sword Skill Damage +50%, Induces Fear. || Cooldown: None


    Level 1 | Proficiency (0/1000)


    {Passive}


    None


    [Teleportation]


    [Inventory]


    [Omniscient Map]


    [Almighty Training Space]


    _= Almighty System Repository=_


    None


    Blackie picked up immediately. "Brother Feng, where are you?. I was sent to Falling Moon Town. I picked the Cursemancer class"


    "Oh I''m in Red Leaf Town, I''ll go ahead and bring you here since Falling Moon Town isn''t that far from here." Shi Feng said matter-of-factly.


    "Wait, bring me there?. What are you talking about?. Isn''t Red Leaf Town quite a ways away from Falling Moon Town?. If you''re telling me to go there, you''re asking me to waste time, allowing other players to leave us in the dust. Wouldn''t be better for us to level up on our own and meet up once we reach level 10?" explained Blackie with veins and wrinkles covering his forehead. He was raging extremely hard right now.


    "Don''t worry, ill bring you here in a little..." he cut off the call. Shi Feng added Blackie''s name, Black Cloud then pulled up his Map. On it, were all kinds of dots moving around, as well as stationary. He zoomed out and saw a plethora of dots and symbols. Dark Red dots symbolized enemies. Yellow dots symbolized unaffiliated NPCs. Green dots symbolized players, he also saw various ?h?st symbols, fire symbols, and an overwhelming amount of symbols that looked like their respective items. Be it weapons, materials, treasure ?h?sts, amazing items¡­ the map showed it all. Shi Feng scrolled the map over to Falling Moon Town and found a blue dot that was flickering between blue and gold. He took the dot and chose to teleport it next to him. 3 seconds later, a dumbfounded Cursemancer appeared out of thin air next to Shi Feng. "..." Blackie looked like he saw a ghost. The first thing he saw when he literally blinked and appeared in front of Shi Feng. But he didn''t know that Shi Feng had completely changed his appearance. "Who the hell are you?!. Did you just teleport me?!!" he thought this guy was an NPC that wanted him dead for some reason. "Brother Blackie, I think you should stop that now..." said Shi Feng, trying to calm an agitated Blackie down. The surrounding players were starting to notice Blackie''s odd behavior.


    "Wait¡­ Brother Feng? You can--"


    "Okay stop there, don''t talk too much. Can''t have you giving us away now." Shi Feng went ahead and transported Blackie into his training space in an instant. The surrounding players thought they just logged out so they paid them no mind. "Okay, now we can talk. What was your question?. The fact that I can teleport?. The fact that I have my own personal training space?"


    "...ehm yes¡­?"


    "Yeah, it would be better if you don''t question it too much. From this point forward, know that I''m in possession of abilities that shouldn''t even exist in this game. You will experience many things that b?r?ly make sense. Try not to be too surprised, and it''ll just make things easier. As we encounter more allies and start growing, I''ll repeat this explanation process for them so they aren''t as surprised as you are." explained Shi Feng in a serious tone.


    "If you say so, Brother Feng. So what can this space actually do?" asked Blackie with renewed interest and excitement.


    "So far, I can adjust the scenery as I like, I can increase the gravity, I can spawn monsters or doppelgangers to train against, but they don''t grant any exp or proficiency. I can''t spawn anything now, as the system doesn''t have any information on them. That''s about it so far. As the game progresses, so will the capabilities of this place. Oh yeah, and one second out in God''s Domain is equal to 1 hour in here. I have a few things to take care of before we start leveling up, so wait for me by the town entrance. We''ll go hunting after I''m finished"


    "I see, I''ll be waiting."


    Both Shi Feng and Blackie exited the training space and appeared back on their previous spots. Blackie immediately went off to the town entrance meanwhile Shi Feng walked towards a familiar dark alley and ignored all of the beggars asking him for money. He now stood in front of a specific man.


    "Can I help you, Sir?"


    "Please, I need some food. I haven''t eaten in a while..."


    "I can''t give you any food, but if you are willing to pay the appropriate price, I can give you what you want"


    With a glint in his eyes, the beggar responded to Shi Feng. "I may not have any money to pay you, but if you''re willing to help me with a certain request, i will pay you. Do you agree?"


    "What do I have to do?"


    "Help me kill the Mayor of Red Leaf Town, Cross."


    "Understood. I accept"


    System: Unique Quest "Sherlock''s Request" accepted.


    Quest Details: Kill Cross, the Mayor of Red Leaf Town, and bring the [Mayor''s Insignia] back to Sherlock. Players must not exceed Level 10.


    Shi Feng then walked off towards the town hall. On the way, he stopped by a fruit stall and bought 5 tomatoes. He continued on and suddenly arrived at the town hall. He was surprised to see such a long line of people. Apparently, everyone had the same collective thought: The Mayor will offer great quests, so we go there first.


    "Excuse me, newcomer. Do you mind getting in line if you want to get a quest here?. You wouldn''t want to piss off all of these people, now would you?." said a kind-looking Berserker.


    "Hey, come on man. He might not be here for a quest. Just leave him be and let him take care of his business." said a calm Assassin behind him. They seemed to be good friends.


    "Your Assassin friend here is correct. I''m not really here for a quest. Do you two really think I''d waste my time waiting here pointlessly?" Said Shi Feng with a raised eyebrow


    "What do you mean?" asked the both of them at the same time, frowning slightly.


    "I like you two. So I can tell you this. It would be better to go out and kill mobs in the field at this point in the game, rather than spending time waiting here for a Quest that might not even be that good. And I don''t mean going to places filled with players. I''m talking about a good starting location manageable enough for you two to handle. This area gives a good amount of money and has a great monster respawn rate. I''ll give you both this information for 50 Coppers"


    The Berserker looked at the Assassin for confirmation, the ?ssassin was as eager as he was.


    "You''re not joking about this, are you?" asked the Berserker cautiously.


    "It might seem too good to be true, but he''s right. Rather than spend an hour waiting here or spend time looking for a quest, we might as well go to an area where we can get more money and equipment." the Assassin spoke.


    "Alright fine. We''ll give you 50 Coppers for this grinding spot." said the Berserker with a resolute tone.


    "A wise choice indeed" Shi Feng happily received the 50 Coppers. "So here is the location. This place might be a little far, but there will be a mage-type Level 0 Green Gnome. They have low defense and spawn in quick succession. As I said before, money drops are quite frequent there as well." explained Shi Feng


    Both the Berserker and the Assassin were dumbstruck at the amount of detail this expert had to provide them. They were now intrigued and wanted to collaborate more with this Expert Swordsman.


    "Sounds great Brother Expert. Do you think I can contact you if I, or my friend here, need information on skills for Berserkers and Assassins?" asked the Berserker, acting a bit more friendly towards Shi Feng.


    "I do, but that''ll cost you about 2 Silver per piece of information. How about this?. Why don''t we add each other as friends. You can contact me when you have enough saved up. My name is Ye Feng." said Shi Feng


    "Of course, that would work perfectly. I''m Lonely Snow, nice to meet you."


    "I''m Dark Prominence. Nice to meet you as well."


    Lonely Snow and Dark Prominence readily accepted with ear-to-ear smiles on their faces. And with that, they were off to grind mobs. Shi Feng turned his attention to the Mayor, as he had a quest to complete.


    [Cross] (Elite, Friendly)


    Level 15


    HP 2400/2400


    MP 1500/1500


    It was pretty much impossible for any player to beat Cross at this point in the game but with the insane boost of the Almighty System Shi Feng received, he can at least deal some damage before the guards take the kill. Shi Feng unleashed his Sword Intent and focused it solely on the Mayor. The Mayor suddenly felt the weight of a sharp sword bearing down on him, part of his strength leaving him instantly. He looked around and found the perpetrator. ''Why the hell is up with this kid?''. Before he turned around, he saw the kid pull out a tomato. He turned back around and left the kid to his own business.


    Shi Feng rapidly chucked all the tomatoes at Cross. "Hey, you fat sack of garbage! You''re a waste of space! Hypocrite! Leech! Your Mother..." Shi Feng went off on the Mayor. Hell, he even cursed his ancestors, while throwing the tomatoes.


    System: Cross''s favorability towards you has decreased sharply.


    System: Cross is now deemed ''Hostile'' towards you


    Every player around Shi Feng was staring at him like he was tired of living. They all felt nothing but pity towards him. Without warning, Cross rushed at Shi Feng, with the intent of slaughtering this damnable brat. His level was now question marks, along with a red name.


    Everyone thought that Shi Feng was about to die when Cross punched out with immense force.


    "... He''s Dead"


    "What the hell?. There''s no way he can survive that."


    "I sure am glad that''s not me over there."


    All of the players thought Shi Feng was already dead the second they saw the force behind this punch. But Shi Feng was calm. To him, the wielder of the Almighty System, this punch wasn''t as deadly. With a speed too fast for anyone to follow, Shi Feng jumped away from Cross. Cross, though, was slowly succumbing to rage. How could he fail to kill this bug?. After 4 more failed punches, Cross had enough and transformed into a werewolf. Cross rushed at Shi Feng once again. Shi Feng used his sword to redirect the claw attack since he had no time to dodge. The force behind the claw still managed to hit him though.


    -452


    Shi Feng wasn''t too worried since he had 1950 HP. Before Cross could slash at Shi Feng once again, two Level 25 Guards came out of nowhere and hit Cross with Charge attacks.


    -350


    -350


    In an instant, Cross lost 700 HP. Bringing his HP down to 1340 HP. Due to Shi Feng''s Sword Intent suppression, Cross was overall weaker than he had been in his previous life. Guards were the town protectors. They were specialized in protecting the town''s civilians and resisting against the invasion of evil beings. At this moment, the mayor had transformed into a Werewolf; proof that he was not a human, but a spy for the evil beings. The guards would naturally kill him on the spot.


    One of the Guards used [Bone Crusher], while the other used [Thundering Strike], causing Cross'' Movement Speed to plummet. Just like that, Cross''s HP was nearly depleted. When the other players saw Cross dying, all of them were ready to swoop in for the kill; they wanted to land the last strike on the mayor. They did not understand why the Guards were attacking Cross instead of Shi Feng but a Town Mayor who was also a Level 15 Elite. If he died, he would definitely drop a good amount of loot. Soon enough, Cross was crippled, with 50 HP left. Shi Feng rushed out before the Guards struck again, or anyone else rushed out to try and get the last hit and used Chop on Cross.


    -72(Critical!)


    System: Level 15 Mayor of Red Leaf Town, Cross killed. Level difference of 15.. EXP obtained increased by 1500%.

 Chapter 4 - CH4: Insanity Unfolds

    Insane!


    That was the only word running through the minds of the players that witnessed what transpired in front of them. Even the Guards were a bit surprised at the fact that such a weak player could actually deal damage to an Elite opponent. Nobody at this point in the game was supposed to be dealing damage to monsters like Cross. Yet Shi Feng actually managed to deal damage, albeit a little, to Cross.


    System: Level 15 Mayor of Red Leaf Town, Cross killed. Level difference of 15. EXP obtained increased by 1500%. Obtained 2700 EXP


    Instantly, Shi Feng was 300 EXP away from Level 2. "Wait¡­ I didn''t expect to really deal the last hit..." mumbled Shi Feng helplessly. In front of him were a few items that could only cause envy and jealousy among the surrounding players.


    [Fine Reaver Sword](Bronze, One-Handed Sword)


    Level: 0-5


    Equipment Requirement: Strength 9


    Strength +4


    Attack Power +18


    Durability 40/40


    Attacks Have:


    10% Chance to lower the opponent Attributes by 5% for 10 seconds


    [Steadfast Boots](Bronze)


    Level: 0-5


    Requirement: Agility 14


    Agility +4


    Durability 30/30


    [Ethereal Strike](Rare)


    Active Skill


    Requirement: Sword


    Level: 1


    Proficiency(0/500)


    Stacks 2 slashes into one attack, deals 100% Damage per slash stacked


    Cooldown: 2 Minutes


    These three items, as well as the mayor''s insignia, dropped from Cross''s body. Shi Feng wasted no time and snatched all of the items, chucking them into his inventory. Instantly, Shi Feng was out of sight and heading back towards Sherlock.


    "Seriously, that''s what you''re worried about?. Did you see those items?"


    "Ahh damn it, it even dropped a skill book. He''s quite the lucky one"


    The players started discussing what just happened in front of them. Even the forums were buzzing with activity. The matter of a Level 0 taking down a Level 15 Elite was too shocking to ignore. Everyone was so focused on Shi Feng that they ignored the fact that the Mayor was actually a werewolf in disguise.


    2 minutes later, Shi Feng arrived at the dark alley. "Mister Sherlock, here is the Mayor'' Insignia." Shi Feng passed the silver-colored Mayor''s Insignia to Sherlock. In Shi Feng''s mind, ''heh, guess no one''s getting a quest from the mayor now, since he''s dead. Everyone must be cursing me, but I could care less.''


    "Thank you, Young Adventurer. My revenge has finally been realized. Thank you for everything. Your reward as promised" said Sherlock with a relieved look.


    System: Unique Quest "Sherlock''s Request" completed. Rewarding 2000 EXP, 20 Free Mastery Points, 1 [Luxurious Ornament Box].


    [DING!]


    [Almighty Boost Activated!]


    {Received x5 EXP!}


    {Received +1 Luxurious Ornament Box!}


    "Almighty what now?" through multiple flashes and rewards, Shi Feng stood in the alley dumbfounded at what just happened to him. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw that he was now about 40.6% to Level 5.


    Appearing once again in the all-familiar grassy plains, the clouds drifting, and the sun hanging above him, Shi Feng was determined to get some answers from the system. Before he did, he pulled up his Character Panel. But what he saw, just made the determination to question the system even stronger. Normally, one would gain 4 Free Attribute points per level reached. By that logic, Shi Feng should have 12 points, since he leveled up 3 times. Instead, he had 24 points. Once again, he might think the developers could be secretly watching his every move. ''System, I need to talk to you.'' said Shi Feng in his mind, steeling himself for the system''s explanation.


    [Yes Host?]


    "What exactly is your purpose for helping me like this?. Who, or rather, what are you?. It seems to me you have your own agenda for offering this many advantages to me. At this point, you''re bound to me, yet I know nothing of you. For all I know, you could be planning to make me as strong as possible, then invade my body for your own plans. So, System, I will ask this once again: Why are you helping me?"


    [Sorry about that, Host. I suppose I was wrong about keeping you in the dark about me. I am a system that was created from the will of a God from another world far away from your own. This God has achieved the pinnacle of existence and resides in a realm he himself created. As time passed, he realized how easy it was to exert control over countless universes, how easy it was to influence races, to take away, to give; to create & to destroy. After billions of years of a never-ending cycle, he decided to create one universe, the perfect universe.


    The inhabitants of this universe never suffered, they were blessed to live perfect lives. Regardless of this, the inhabitants started cursing the God for not believing in his own creation, for not believing they could advance without his help. The God, in turn, responded to these curses by taking most of the inhabitants'' blessings away, inciting all kinds of apocalyptic events. The inhabitants, once again, cursed the God for abandoning them, for not believing in them once again, for abandoning his creation. At this point, even the God could not escape the double bind and was at a loss.


    He asked himself: ''Why?. I do what you ask of me, I try and try, yet you never seem to be satisfied. I do all of this for you, I respond to your prayers, I bless you all, I give you the perfect life¡­ Yet¡­ Why?''. The God decided to stop influencing his creations to such a degree. He decided to "retire", as Humans would say. He expended nearly all of his power and created a myriad of universes everywhere, all of them had the perfect balance of blessings and curses. He decided to let life run its course in every universe. If a universe flourished, great. If not, that won''t be his problem. He gave them all the tools to prosper, but also the setbacks to help them grow.


    In the end, he found you. An individual with unwavering determination, with a near-perfect balance of good & bad karma. Someone who, instead of being consumed by thoughts of vengeance, was enveloped in thoughts of progressing, wishing to become stronger through his own efforts. With this, The God took an interest in you and "slightly went back on his word", thus deciding to aid you in your quest for unparalleled strength. Thus, I was created. Normally, I would require you to undertake quests in exchange for rewards, but I''m a bit different. Since I''m now fused to the Main God System, I can modify the rewards and everything you obtain, further increasing your overall strength. Keep in mind, it is not all given.


    As I said before, a balance is needed; therefore, there will be times when your will and determination will be tested to the extreme. There will be times where everything in your life will be at risk of destruction, even your own life. If everything I said bothers you in any way, or you feel threatens your future, I can unbind myself from you, disappear for good, and you will go back to a normal life. All you have to say is "Unbind Now!". And of course, I have no intentions of taking over your body & soul.] lectured the System in a strangely solemn and human tone.


    Shi Feng created a memory-foam recliner and sat down, flabbergasted at what the System just explained to him. Up until now, the system has been giving him benefits and rewards. Still contemplating the words of the system, Shi Feng decided to accept the help of the system. After all, the potential of his growth was now unlimited.


    [By the way, Host, you probably have questions about why you received 8 Attribute Points, instead of 4. This was the result of the class refinement. The system heightened the growth of your class, simple as that. The refinements will be done multiple times on your way to the top, Host. So please be ready for them.] reminded the system nonchalantly.


    "Right¡­ Thanks for reminding me." Although it wasnt even that long ago, the haunting memory of the painful class refinement haunted Shi Feng. Now, reaching Tier 6 was no longer a dream, and he was inching closer to realizing his goals. Without further ado, Shi Feng ?ssigned his attributes accordingly. Since his attributes were way ahead of other players, he ?ssigned them in a balanced manner. He also put the 100 mastery points into One-Handed Sword Mastery, increasing his sword damage to 40%. He went ahead and replaced his trash sword with the new reaver sword. "Hey System, are the refinements available?" asked Shi Feng curiously.


    [The class refinement is limited. The item refinement is now always available. Skills can be refined as well.]


    "Perfect. Refine the sword, the boots, and the new skill."


    After 5 minutes, the refinement was done.


    {DING!}


    {Item Refinement Complete!}


    "Thank you, System.". Shi Feng checked the refined items and made a mental note to never forget to refine every item he got.


    Level: 0-5


    Equipment Requirement: Strength 9


    All Attributes +7


    Attack Power +20


    Ignore Levels +2


    Ignores Defense


    Durability 60/60


    Attacks Have:


    30% Chance to lower the opponent Attributes by 12% for 20 seconds


    Level: 0-5


    Requirement: Agility 14


    All Attributes +6


    Defense +8


    Durability 45/45


    [Ethereal Cross Strike](Rare)


    Active Skill


    Requirement: Sword


    Level: 1


    Proficiency(0/450)


    Stacks 3 slashes into an X-Shaped attack, deals 120% Damage per slash stacked, at a distance of 20 x 2 yards. The opponent is struck 3 times instantly.


    Cooldown: 90 Seconds


    "Hmm nice nice, let''s continue getting stronger, shall we?." said Shi Feng with a wry smile. He immediately equipped the new items and learned the skill. "Hey System, I never asked, but I noticed the gaming pod I received from you was different from all of the gaming pods on the market now. Can you tell me about that?" asked Shi Feng with anticipation in his eyes.


    [Oh that?. The Almighty Gaming Pod is several times better than the ones you''ve seen. This Cabin doesn''t require you to keep refilling the nutrient tank, doubles your mana sensitivity, gradually strengthens your body and mind, and many more benefits.] explained the System.


    "Double?. The only cabin I know of that increases mana sensitivity is the Fearless Cabin, and that''s apparently only 20%. I have to be more careful about who I reveal this to. If anything, I might as well take this secret to the grave" with dark lines on his forehead, and a sly grin on his face, Shi Feng pulled out the two Luxurious Ornament Boxes and opened them. As the multi-colored light flashed and faded, Shi Feng saw the Ring of Gravity and another mysterious white-gold colored thumb-sized gemstone. He didn''t expect that this gemstone would make his path to the top even easier.


    [Heavenly Judgement](Unknown Rank)


    Key to use the Codex of Light


    "I''ve never heard of this Codex of Light, even in my previous life. I''ll leave this in the inventory for now." Shi Feng said, while putting the stone into his inventory, but not before trying to refine it. The system could not refine it, which was a bit surprising. Speaking of refining, the Ring of Gravity went through it as well; the effects were amazing as always.


    [Ring of Gravity] (Secret-Silver Rank)


    Equipment Level: 0


    All Attributes +20


    Additional Skill: ''Gravity Influence''. Removes 90% of the gravity acting upon the user. Duration 1 Minute. Cooldown 3 minutes.


    Shi Feng immediately put his hands together and started praying to the luck gods, that the developers didn''t find out about his gains. A Level 4 with a piece of Secret-Silver Equipment?. Outrageous!


    With that, Shi Feng equipped the ring and went out of the space. Next up, Shi Feng started making his way to the Red Leaf Town''s Trade Area. He remembered there being a way to obtain a Skill Book for swordsmen. He already had the Ethereal Cross Strike, but having another skill to use was paramount to Shi Feng, an expert in the way of the Sword.


    On his way to the Trade Area, Shi Feng checked the Almighty Repository.


    _= Almighty System Repository=_


    10 Gold


    Realms of Refinement: Refinement Realm Trial


    Realms of Truth: Truth Realm Trial


    Parameter Change: All kills now add +100% EXP Bonus


    Parameter Change: Always receive the 200% Chance Proficiency Point Bonus


    1-Star Sword Intent Refinement Manual(Limit: Level 2)


    ''System, Accept all rewards.'' thought Shi Feng in elation. The Realms were what separated true apex experts from ordinary experts.


    {DING!}


    {Parameters Modified!}


    ''Heheh, I guess I''m not playing the same game as the other players, now am I?'' The players around stared at Shi Feng as if he was crazy, due to the nefarious wide smile he had on his face.. A few minutes later, he arrived at the Trade Area.

 Chapter 5 - CH5: The Alliance || Leveling Time

    Red Leaf Town, Trade Area


    Multitudes of shops decorated both sides of the streets; from smithies, and bars, to clothing shops and pharmacies. But, it hasn''t been long since the launch of God''s Domain, so the current trade area wasn''t as lively as it should be. Most players were busy leveling up instead of enjoying what God''s Domain had to offer. As a result, there was only the minority of Lifestyle players staying here. They were here to learn Auxiliary Jobs such as Enchanter, Forger, Pharmacist, Chef, Engineer, Alchemist, etc.


    "Buying herbs at a high price, contact me directly if you have any."


    "Buying ores; rip-offs can stay away."


    "Willing to buy high ranking equipment. Price is negotiable. Willing to pay with Credits."


    "Selling Common equipment, replace your Trash Equipment heeereeee!!!"


    "HEY! YOU SAID THIS WAS A BRONZE RANK PIECE OF BREAD! WHAT IS THIS?!!!"


    All kinds of voices spoke out everywhere. Somewhere in the distance, they were fighting over a bottle of juice. Somewhere else, a fight broke out and a Trash Rank boot flew by Shi Feng at breakneck speed. ''I guess they don''t fear the Guards much huh?'' thought Shi Feng, laughing. After that, Shi Feng walked to the ''Black Market'' building, in the shady part of the Trade Area, right to the Gnome''s Auction House. In there, Shi Feng will be partaking in the Challenge Race. But of course, as Shi Feng was a walking cheat, this will be just him claiming the Skill Book and leaving.


    At the moment, several players were standing in front of the field. They were receiving the Gnomes'' challenge.


    "Good luck! You have to succeed this time!"


    "You got this! Teach em'' a lesson!"


    "Good luck! Stomp those Gnomes!"


    A few players were currently cheering with all their might for an Assassin player that stood on the field. Their reddened eyes made them look like addicted gamblers.


    Normally, the Challenge Race would restrict a player''s Attributes to 10, but he had a master plan in mind. Such a plan is only possible for the walking abomination that is Shi Feng. As he was watching the Assassin run the race, the Assassin was struck at the 20-yard mark and failed.


    "Damn it all! Just a little bit more and I would''ve cleared it. Do you guys still have money? I''ll definitely clear it the next time." The male Assassin said resolutely after reviving from the field.


    A male Cleric shook his head saying, "Boss Stabbing Heart, the five of us have already given you all our money. We don''t have anymore."


    With a raised eyebrow, Shi Feng shifted his sight towards the Assassin. He was shocked after hearing the two words ''Stabbing Heart''. With a short and skinny stature, just like a monkey, Shi Feng could hardly believe that the ''monkey'' in front of him was Stabbing Heart, the #10 ranked Assassin on Star-Moon Kingdom''s Assassin Leaderboard.


    Stabbing Heart was sure that using his Guild''s name would shock and awe Shi Feng into lending him 5 Coppers. But he could not be more wrong.


    "5 Coppers huh?"


    Shi Feng could be said to be the richest player in the game right now, so 5 Coppers weren''t really much for him. But he needed to establish himself as an expert so as to not appear as a pushover. Shi Feng answered flatly: "I can lend you the 5 Coppers, but you''ll have to pay back 50 Coppers tomorrow."


    "...fine. I''ll borrow" said Stabbing Heart after a few seconds of shock and contemplation.


    "Great Choice. Here, let''s add each other. Remember to pay back those 50 Coppers, will you?". With that, Shi Feng walked away and left a downcast Stabbing Heart standing there. ''Ye Feng huh?''


    Shi Feng reached the Administrator Counter and chose to challenge the Gold Prize Race. "That''ll be 5 Gold, Esteemed Sir" said the greedy Gnome with a not so kind smile on his face. Shi Feng was then led to the start of the race.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new challenger on the field. Please let us welcome this brave Swordsman." The gnome loudly announced. A short distance away, Stabbing Heart was baffled as to why this kid chose to challenge the race.


    "I''ll be damned. I don''t know if this kid''s either brave or foolish." said Stabbing Heart with an arrogant smirk.


    "I''d say neither, Boss Stabbing Heart. The kid''s pure dumb, through and through. You reached 20 yards. At most, this kid''s going to reach 8 yards before he''s out; and that''s just me being generous heheh." commented the Cleric next to him.


    Total time spent: 2 seconds. Estimated record time of 40 seconds for Gold Prize broken.


    The surrounding area was silent. The Gnomes had ugly expressions on their faces. All of the Assassin''s Alliance members, including Stabbing Heart, who were jovially discussing Shi Feng''s failure at the Challenge Race, now looked pale.


    "Uhh..."


    "No no, thats not right..."


    "No way he''s a player, is he some monster disguised as a player?"


    "Did he just teleport?"


    Stabbing Heart felt a chill go down his spine. He thought about cheating this kid out of his 5 Copper and not paying him back, when he realized this kid, no; expert, could kill him in an instant and he would never notice. At this moment, along with Stabbing Heart, the Assassin''s Alliance members had the intention to befriend this mysteriously strong expert. All of the arrogance they held before was long gone as the result of such an eye-opening event.


    System: Player was the First to pass the Gold Challenge and break the record. Rewarding Player with 100 Gold Coin, Swordsman Skill [Sundering Barrage], Assassin Skill [Vicarious Haze], and Cursemancer Weapon: Sinister Apostle.


    {DING!}


    {Received x3 Gold}


    "Sundering Barrage?. It sounds like the super-rare skill, Thundering Flash." mumbled Shi Feng. With joy in his eyes, Shi Feng checked out the new skills and weapon he received.


    [Sundering Barrage]


    Active Skill


    Requirement: Sword


    Rapidly send out ten sword lights at a distance of 30 x 4 yards. Each hit will cause 150% damage and also grant the Damage Amplification effect, amplifying the damage of your following attacks by 40% for 20 seconds.


    Cooldown: 1 Minute


    [Vicarious Haze]


    Active Skill


    Surround yourself in a layer of gray smoke. Increases Agility by 25%, and grants a 30% chance to nullify attacks.


    Cooldown: 1 Minute


    ''''Sure enough, it''s many times better than Thundering Flash. And this Assassin Skill seems pretty good too. I''ll save it for now'' Shi Feng was already plotting for the growth of his Guild.


    The staff was a Bronze Rank Level 1 item. Shi Feng instantly thought to replace Blackie''s Trash-Rank Staff. This would make his strength skyrocket, placing him among the top in terms of Cursemancers. After inspecting everything, Shi Feng learned Sundering Barrage and kept the other two items in his inventory. Of course, he planned to refine them after taking care of matters here. In an instant, Stabbing Heart walked towards Shi Feng to attempt befriending him


    "Excuse me, Sir Expert, here are the 5 Coppers you lent me before. I don''t think I''ll be challenging the race anymore. Would you like to join our Alliance?." said Stabbing Heart sincerely, handing Shi Feng his money back.


    "Sir Expert? Just call me Ye Feng. I''m still too far from being called an expert. As for joining your Alliance, allow me to decline. I already have a plan for creating a Guild. But, since we have a way of contact, let me know if you ever need help. If that''s all, I''ll be leaving now." Shi Feng said kindly, as he walked out of the building.


    Stabbing Heart, rooted on the spot, could only mindlessly nod his head. After a few seconds, he finally composed himself and decided to inform the Guild Leader of the Assassin''s Alliance about this mysterious swordsman. Stabbing Heart said in his mind: ''Not an expert huh?. You''re not fooling anyone, Ye Feng''. Oh, but how wrong he was.


    Outside of the building, Shi Feng used the ''item refinement''. If Sundering Barrage wasn''t broken before, it was getting out of hand now; the same could be said for the other two items.


    Sundering Barrage now sent out 12 sword lights, the distance increased to 25 x 8 Yards, the damage increased to 175%, and the damage amplification increased to 50% for 30 seconds.


    The Staff''s overall strength increased by a staggering 35%. Not even Shi Feng who had come into contact with Legendary Items in the past could not believe this was still a Bronze Rank Staff. With that, Shi Feng pulled up his Map and found Blackie''s dot. He instantly disappeared and appeared next to Blackie.


    "Alright Blackie, time to grind"


    "Perfect, Brother Feng. Let''s see if we can reach Level 10 before anyone else"


    "That''s the plan. Before we go, I''ll be picking up a treasure ?h?st and a skill book. Initially, I was planning for us to grind in a level 5 Area, but since I have a few skills and a high enough level, we can grind in a level 9 or 10 Area."


    "That''s okay Brother Feng. I trust you; I know what you say might sound crazy to others, but I''ve chosen to believe in you no matter what" said Blackie proudly.


    "I appreciate that. But remember; the fact that I can teleport to previous locations without limit has to remain a secret among us. Under no circumstances should you reveal this to others. I see you as a Brother, but I still need you to swear to me you won''t reveal this."


    "Yes, Brother. I, Blackie, do solemnly swear to take this secret to the grave." Blackie was immensely serious about this. This would allow them to grow at a tremendous rate. With that, Shi Feng was satisfied, formed a party with Blackie, and set off to Red Leaf Forest. Surprisingly, when he arrived at the forest, the whole forest registered on the map for teleportation. He scrolled over to the Red Leaf Forest Central Region and found a few small red dots. He clicked on one of them and he found out these were the rock giants. A short distance away was a slightly bigger red dot with a white outline. This was Shrews, a rock-giant boss.


    "Alright Blackie, Are you ready?"


    "Ready when you are, Brother Feng" Blackie gave him a thumbs-up


    [Rock Giant] (Common Monster)


    Level 5


    HP 550


    Shi Feng focused his sword intent and directed it at the rock giant, suppressing it. It''s HP decreased to a total of 467. Blackie immediately cast Dark Arrow on the Rock Giant.


    -2


    Shi Feng isn''t one to waste time so he immediately activated ''Gravity Influence'', and cast Chop and Ethereal Cross Strike on the Rock Giant. Within 1 second, Shi Feng disappeared from his position and appeared by the rock giant.


    -407


    -480


    Two monstrous strikes immediately disintegrated the rock giant.


    System: Level 5 Rock Giant killed. Level difference of 1. EXP obtained increased by 100%. Obtained 30 EXP.


    {+100% EXP Bonus!} (AN: System bonus here!)


    To Shi Feng, this wasn''t such a notable exp gain. But to Blackie, who was still Level 0, it was outstanding. Shi Feng found 1 [Bronze Ore] and 1 [Hard Stone] by the remains of the rock giant. What was great for Shi Feng was the rate at which he received Proficiency Points. Since he accepted the Parameter Change of permanent 200% Proficiency Bonus Chance, he would always receive at least 2 Points for the respective skill. In this case, he received 5 points for Chop and 2 points for Ethereal Cross Strike.


    "Brother Feng, what kind of damage is that?!" Blackie was about to collapse on the spot. He couldn''t believe it. He said he would trust Shi Feng wholeheartedly, but this shook him to the core. Could a player actually do this kind of damage this early in the game?.


    "Uh, let''s just say my stats aren''t as normal as a player of the same level. It has to do with how I got the teleportation skill. Anyway, let''s continue on; we have a boss to kill, and a ?h?st to open" Shi Feng said nothing more and waved off Blackie''s near descent into madness. Afterward, Shi Feng and Blackie started making their way to the boss, while effortlessly dealing with all the rock giants who stood in their way. About 30 Rock-Giants later, Shi Feng was about 1500 EXP away from Level 5. He had also obtained 23 [Hard Stones] and 21 [Bronze Ore]. Along the way, he had found 2 Hundred Souls Flowers. Unfortunately, no equipment dropped but Shi Feng was not worried. As for Blackie, he had reached Level 1, approaching Level 2, he equipped the Sinister Apostle staff. Now, Blackie could have an easier time dealing damage.


    After a few minutes, they arrived upon Shrews'' Cave. Suddenly, Shi Feng had an idea to help Blackie increase his Skill Proficiency. "Hey Blackie, get ready to start bombarding the Boss with Dark Arrow. Since it has a low cooldown, you''ll be able to raise proficiency quite a bit." suggested Shi Feng.


    "But how will we do that?. Do you have a way to contain the Boss?" Blackie was wondering what Shi Feng was up to. Shi Feng didn''t respond but just smiled lightly. Next, they went into the cave and saw the silver-colored rock giant sleeping.


    [Shrews] (Special Elite)


    Level 6


    HP 900


    Before Shi Feng attacked, he focused his sword intent on Shrews. It''s HP instantly dropped to 765. Shrews immediately noticed the suppression and woke up, intending to slaughter whoever woke him up. When he saw the two people facing him, he started raging and charged at them, but before he got to them, the Fear Effect from Sword Intent took effect. That resulted in Shrews stopping dead in his tracks, looking mortified.


    Shi Feng wasted no time and disappeared from his spot. With one swift slash, he sliced off both of Shrews'' legs, and reappeared next to Blackie.


    -294


    With that, Shrews could no longer move. Blackie, on the side, was grinning and started casting Dark Arrow; further boosting his Skill Proficiency. After 20 minutes, the boss collapsed and 2 items popped out of it: a shield and a skill book. Shi Feng picked up both items, learned the skill [Parry], and refined the shield without a second thought.


    [Sentinel Armament](Mysterious-Iron Rank)


    Equipment Requirement: Strength 14


    Equipment Level: 0-6


    Defense +30


    Defense Rate +37%


    Strength +5, Endurance +7


    HP +100


    Satisfied with his gains, Shi Feng and Blackie started climbing. But after 5 minutes of climbing, they noticed a few blurry shadows in the distance. Thinking they were about to get attacked by strong Assassin-like monsters, Shi Feng quickly teleported Blackie back to the Red Leaf Town. But what he saw next, surprised and irked him at the same time.


    System: Player has discovered The Lost Lands. Activated Hidden Quest "Past Glory". Temporarily disabled player''s communications to the outside world. Unable to leave the map until Quest is completed.


    "Of course, the ?ssassins lied; not that I mind.." Shi Feng mumbled with anticipation.

 Chapter 6 - CH6: Abyssal Blade || Even More Gains

    "Oh?. Those people actually fabricated the rumor of a Secret-Silver Treasure Chest?. Jokes on them; this is even better than a treasure ?h?st." Shi Feng had never heard of the ''Past Glory'' Hidden Quest, but nonetheless, he remained calm and optimistic. He teleported back and continued through the mist¡­


    After a few minutes, the mist cleared, and what stood before him was a ruined city. Remnants of what used to be an immensely prosperous city decorated Shi Feng''s view. He hurriedly checked his map before he entered the city. Strikingly, the map showed nothing else around but the city. Inside the city, there were only two indicators, a book-shaped indicator and a question mark in the center of the city. They were close to each other, so Shi Feng immediately entered the city and started walking towards the book indicator.


    Looking around, Shi Feng noticed all of the dilapidated buildings and houses and thought about searching them. But he was by himself, meaning it would potentially take hours upon hours to search through a city. Why would Shi Feng waste hours searching around aimlessly while others were grinding and leveling up?. Absolutely not!


    After 10 minutes, he arrived in front of the Book indicator; it was inside a 3 story building, which looked slightly better than the others. The glossy white paint still held a tinge of shine to it. Shi Feng wasted no time and went inside. The inside was spotless, but it was empty. It was as if someone was planning to use this building. Still checking the map, the book had an arrow pointing up. Meaning the book was potentially on the second floor. With that, he went to the second floor. On the second floor, it was the same, except for a round red oak wood table, with a gray book laying in the center. Shi Feng was slowly approaching the book, keeping his senses on high alert for any trap or enemy that struck. But it was all for nothing, as the building was as quiet as ever. Shi Feng grabbed the book and inspected it.


    [Battle Maniac Aura]


    Passive Skill


    Requirement: None


    Become one with the aura of a battle maniac.


    For every 50 Aura Points you acquire, all Attributes will increase by 10%


    Max: 250 Aura Points.


    After 1 minute of inactivity, the Aura Points will reset.


    Shi Feng used to be the Captain of Shadow, had seen items that defied common sense, had seen armies decimated by single players, cities erased from existence, battles that shattered space itself, he had seen so much; yet this skill¡­ This was a skill that would remain useful no matter how strong he gets. For every 2 hours of continuous battle, his Attributes will be boosted. At higher tiers, the battles will surely become a notch easier due to this. With anticipation, Shi Feng learned the skill. Instinctively, he refined the passive skill. The refinement was not too striking, but it was obviously better than it was originally. Now, the skill requires 40 Aura Points per Attribute boost. The maximum increased from 250 to 280, totaling out to a 70% increase, instead of 50%.


    Sure enough, not all was sunshine and rainbows. Due to it being such a strong skill, it required 15,000 Proficiency Points to level up. This did not dishearten him, on the contrary, this just motivated him even more. After a minute, he left the building towards the central tower. He opened the map and located the central tower. He then teleported to the central tower, but when he got there, he noticed what was supposed to be a Magic Tower, but the Magic Crystal that was situated at the top of the tower was completely destroyed. Shi Feng promptly made his way to the observatory. The view of the city was stunning, to say the least. He started to imagine what this city would have looked like in its prime.


    As he was admiring the view, A white-bearded, old man suddenly appeared. The old man''s voice was profound and filled with wisdom.


    ''No way¡­ The City In The Sky?.''


    Shi Feng felt like a bomb went off in his head when he thought of this well-known city of God''s Domain.


    City In The Sky, the name of this city had once shaken the entire continent of God''s Domain. There were countless legendary Jobs in this city. There was even the famous Demigod ranked Sword Saint, Ultear. It was a city even feared by Gods themselves. Unfortunately, the city had fallen during the Third God''s War, becoming a regret of God''s Domain.


    "Help?" The white-bearded elder shook his head. With a mysterious smile, he continued: "No, I don''t need any help, Young One. I imagine you wish to become stronger. I can help you with that, but are you willing to accept a little test of mine?"


    "Of course, I''m willing to receive your test." Shi Feng was glad that he didn''t have to waste time searching, now that he could continue the quest here.


    The elder nodded his head in satisfaction, gravely saying, "I''ll give you four choices for this test. The first one is Normal difficulty. After you pass it you''ll get a Mysterious-Iron Treasure Chest. The second one is the Hard difficulty, where you''ll get a Secret-Silver Treasure Chest. In addition, you can get additional rewards depending on your rate of completion. The third option is the Hell difficulty, where you''ll be rewarded a Fine-Gold Treasure Chest. You''ll also receive additional rewards depending on your rate of completion. And finally, the fourth option is the Asura Difficulty, awarding you a Dark-Gold Treasure Chest and additional rewards depending on your rate of completion. So, Young One, what is your choice?" The elder had a hint of anticipation in his eyes, considering this was the first time an adventurer had visited the City in The Sky, this adventurer in front of him was surely special.


    "I will gladly challenge the Asura Difficulty Test.". Ever since Shi Feng reincarnated, he swore to forge ahead no matter what the challenge. The fact that he possessed such an otherworldly system further solidified this claim.


    "Are you sure Young One?. The Asura Test can permanently harm you if you fail." advised the elder in a kind tone.


    "Yes Esteemed Elder. I swore to myself to become the strongest. How can I do that if I shrink back in the face of a challenge." said Shi Feng with a fierce glint in his eyes.


    "HAHAHA!!! INDEED! The strongest get to where they are through countless trials. I bid you good luck, Young One" the elder was intrigued by this young man. He immediately disappeared and Shi Feng received a system notification.


    System: Quest "Past Glory" accepted. Face off against 1000 Special Elites of the same level. Considered Passed after killing 500 monsters. Time limit of 2 hours. Quest failure penalty - all Attributes permanently reduced by 50 points.


    "This shouldn''t take too long. Time to put these new skills to good use". Shi Feng was already at it with the master plans. In an instant, the tower was surrounded by Scepter Captains and the countdown started.


    Level 4


    HP 740


    When the countdown ended, the Scepter Captains started rushing the tower. Shi Feng, on the other hand, leaped off the tower onto the street below. He immediately activated ''Gravity Influence'' and started casually running, while the Captains started chasing him. After a minute of running, Shi Feng turned around and cast ''Sundering Barrage''. Multiple Captains were struck and were immediately near death.


    -645


    -645


    Through one cast of ''Sundering Barrage'', it leveled up to Level 2, the distance increased to 30 x 8 yards, and damage increased to 185%. With Damage Amplification and ''Gravity Influence'', Shi Feng went on a rampage.


    After a barrage of normal attacks and 3 more casts of ''Sundering Barrage'', all 1000 enemies were slaughtered. "This skill''s broken¡­ System, is it supposed to be like this?". A Level 4 effortlessly massacres a horde of 1000 Special Elites would make anyone question their own existence.


    {Hey Host, if you ever happen to experience moments like these, where you believed your strength to be unbelievable, just remember the name of the system} the system was slightly arrogant and said nothing more.


    "Yeah but still...". Shi Feng was slowly inching closer, not only to the apex but to lunacy. ''Sundering Barrage'' was now Level 3.


    System: Quest "Past Glory" completed. Rewarding 1 Dark-Gold Treasure Chest, 1 Magic Weapon (Job-related), 1 [Holy Fruit], and 1 [???]. Obtained title "Grand Force".


    [Grand Force] (Title)


    When this title is in use, allies in a 100-yard radius will receive an attribute increase of 30%. Simultaneously, title user will obtain an additional effect of Strength +20 and Endurance +20.


    Afterwards, Shi Feng was teleported out of the City and back to Red Leaf Town. He immediately equipped the title and contacted Blackie. "Blackie, I just arrived back at Red Leaf Town. It turns out those ripples we saw weren''t enemies. It was just a Quest." Shi Feng could''ve had Blackie attempt the Challenge as well, but better safe than sorry.


    "That''s fine Brother Feng. What do you think about heading to a high-level area to grind for EXP?. It''d be nice if we got to Level 10 and arrive at the City before the other players. "


    "Sounds good. Let''s meet at the central plaza. We won''t be teleporting for the sake of keeping that skill on the down-low."


    After ending the call, Shi Feng went into a nearby alley and entered his training space. He had a Dark-Gold Treasure Chest and a Magic Weapon. Such valued treasures would attract attention from powers he could not afford to deal with right now. Although he could teleport if he needed to run away, it would be for nothing if he kept getting chased endlessly. He took out the ?h?st and opened it. The ?h?st started giving off a white-golden light which kept intensifying by the second. After a few moments, it stopped and 4 items laid in the ?h?st. Two ancient-looking books, a piece of armor, and a metallic-grey seed. The armor was a Fine-Gold piece of plate armor. By instinct, Shi Feng refined it and inspected it.


    [Empyrean Eminence] (Fine-Gold Rank)


    Plate Armor


    Defense +80, Strength +20, Endurance +16, Agility +10, Vitality +12


    Durability 250/250


    Additional Attribute: Empyrean Weakening. Reduce physical damage received by 25% after equipping.


    Additional Attribute: Empyrean Revolve. 25% Chance to reflect attacks for 50% of Damage received.


    "Wouldn''t this equipment be comparable to Level 20?. I guess I''m set for Level 10." Shi Feng placed the armor in his inventory and took a look at the seed next. When Shi Feng picked up the seed, it was weightless and looked to be worthless, yet after inspecting it, Shi Feng almost logged out to make sure the security system in his house was on.


    [Limit-Fracture Seed](??? Rank)


    ??????????????


    ????????????


    "System, what do you think about this seed?". Since he couldn''t make heads or tails about this item, he decided to ask the system.


    Shi Feng was ecstatic when he heard that. The Almighty System might have something to do with how he obtained the seed, but he decided to embrace it and move on. Although you had to be Nobility in order to recruit Personal Guards, Shi Feng will get there pretty soon. With a smirk, he said: "I see. We''ll find out soon enough then.". Finally, There were the two books.


    [Book Of Forging] and [Records Of Potions]. These two were both extremely rare treasured books that could nurture a Forging and Potion Master.


    "Oh yeah, that reminds me about a Hidden Quest in Dark Moon Valley. Not only would it teach Forging for free, but it would also reward a Forging Talent. If I have both the Forging Talent and Book Of Forging, I could quickly become an Advanced Forging Apprentice. I can make items, refine them, and build quite a bit of wealth. I''ll go with Blackie for and get to leveling afterward"


    He stored the two books and went off to get Blackie in the Central Plaza. A few moments later, Shi Feng and Blackie were walking through Red Leaf Town. "Blackie, before we go leveling, we''ll stop by a certain smithy for a Hidden Quest. Are you okay with that?"


    Blackie had a sly look on his face. With a smirk, he said: "Not much of a hidden quest if you already know about it, Brother Feng. Sure, let''s go."


    "Alright. Let''s find a secluded place and teleport there."


    A few minutes later, they teleported out of Red Leaf Town and appeared 20 yards away from the smithy in Dark Moon Valley. Before they started approaching the smithy, Shi Feng thought to warn Blackie for safe measure. "Alright Blackie, remember, you need to be patient for this. Unless we wait for a bit, he won''t give us the quest."


    "Oh really?. This quest should be quite the rewarding one.". Blackie nodded


    Without further ado, they approached the smithy and saw the middle-aged man vigorously hammering away at a piece of red ore. He paid the two newcomers no mind at first. After 1 hour, Blackie was about to ask how much longer they needed to wait, but the middle-aged man suddenly stopped hammering and turned towards Shi Feng and Blackie.


    "Oi, you two have been watching for quite a while. Do you two have an interest in Forging?"


    "Indeed, sir. Since young, Forging has been something we''ve been drawn to."


    The middle-aged blacksmith nodded his head, saying in a satisfied tone, "I see. Since you love Forging, I can teach it to you. But first, could you help me retrieve 100 pieces of Meteorite Ore? They can be found on the West side of Crimson Star Mine."


    "Of course. We accept!." Shi Feng respectfully answered.


    System: Hidden Quest ''Road Of Forging'' accepted. Player is requested by Forging Master Jack to obtain 100 pieces of Meteorite Ore from Crimson Star Mine.


    In a few moments, Blackie and Shi Feng walked out of the smithy and went off to the Crimson Star Mine. In the mine, one could see a multitude of Kobolds.


    [Kobold](Common)


    Level 4


    HP 420


    Shi Feng remembered he had acquired a [Holy Fruit]. This fruit could permanently increase a Player''s Attributes. He won''t use it himself since his Attributes were already boosted beyond belief. "Blackie, eat this fruit. It''ll increase your Attributes a bit.". Shi Feng passed the fruit over to Blackie.


    But upon eating the fruit, Blackie had a look of confusion and amazement. "Brother Feng, where did you even find this fruit. I thought you said ''a bit''. This is like gaining a few levels.".


    "Enough of that, Brother. The fruit''s amazing and all, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. You''d be surprised at what God''s Domain has to offer." Shi Feng said nonchalantly as he thought about the future.


    They both went to the entrance and found a group of 15 Kobolds. From that point on, they started their attack. Blackie, of course, wasted no time and started chanting Dark Arrow after Dark Arrow. With Shi Feng there, no Kobold got within a 20-yard range. After the group of 15 was killed, Shi Feng found 4 pieces of Meteorite Ore and 6 Copper Coins. "Alright Blackie, let''s go in."


    2 hours later, two figures emerged from the Mine. In total, they had to kill a multitude of Kobolds to gather all of the Ore. Surprisingly, when Blackie killed the last Kobold, it dropped a skillbook. They also got a total of 3 Silver and 80 Copper. Anyone with this amount of money at this stage in the game could be deemed as exceptionally wealthy. Shi Feng let Blackie keep this for his own expenses since he already had quite a bit of Gold on him. Blackie also reached Level 3. Shi Feng had reached Level 5 and was ? of the way to Level 6. After refining, Shi Feng checked the skillbook.


    [Wind Blade] (Action-type)


    Requires: Sword


    Level 1


    Proficiency 0/500


    Ambush an enemy outside 8 yards and within 42 yards. Movement Speed will be increased by 50% when rushing towards the target and Attack Speed increased by 40% for 8 seconds.


    Cooldown: 30 seconds


    "Brother Feng, that skill book will make you even faster. I guess I''ve used up all my luck..." Blackie was surprised at how high his Luck was. Shi Feng shook his head helplessly and learned the skill


    As they were walking out of the Mine, Shi Feng received a contact request from Lonely Snow. "Hello, Brother Expert. This is Lonely Snow. We met before at the Town Hall, and you''ve even pointed me to a grinding spot. That place was just too great. There wasn''t anybody stealing mobs from me, and I could also easily handle them. Dark Prominence and I are already Level 2. As promised, I''ve already mailed you the 10 Coppers. I wonder if you''ve received it." Up until now, Lonely Snow and Dark Prominence were grinding in the area where Shi Feng pointed them out to.


    Previously, they were worried that they had been tricked by him. But the wealth and EXP they had received was leaps and bounds above what they would normally get if they were to grind in places infested with other players. When Shi Feng heard how overjoyed Lonely Snow was, he was a bit surprised since all he did was give a few pointers. "Ah yes, I''ve received the Copper. Thank you." Shi Feng said in a carefree manner.


    "Great. By the way Brother Expert, the Level 2 Dungeon [Deathly Forest] is now open. so I wanted to invite you to dive into the Dungeon. What do you think?."


    "Sure, I can join. But, I have a condition of my own. I will be bringing a Cursemancer, so all Cursemancer and Swordsman equipment will belong to me. Also, I want all materials and design papers that the Boss drops. If you all are willing to agree to this condition then I can go with you." Shi Feng didn''t think anything of this; asking for almost all of the profits.


    Lonely Snow was reluctant, but considering this expert had the knowledge of a Beta Tester, he was definitely strong. He ended up agreeing: "Alright, I''ll agree, Brother Expert. See you at the dungeon entrance"


    "Got it. See you then." Shi Feng ended the call. On Lonely Snow''s side, the players in his party were fuming at Shi Feng''s demands. Why would a newcomer ask for so much?. A Beta Tester only had a bit more experience than regular players, and God''s Domain had changed since then. They could just get two damage dealers and enter the Dungeon. But Lonely Snow was adamant and chose to trust in Shi Feng regardless, much to everyone''s dismay.


    On Shi Feng''s side. "Alright, Blackie. Let''s head back to the Smithy"


    A few moments later, they went back and spoke to Master Jack.


    "Master Jack, I have collected the Meteorite Ore you asked for." Shi Feng handed over all of the Meteorite Ore.


    "Not bad, young man. However, if you wish to become an outstanding Forger, you still need to have enough strength to obtain precious ore. There is a powerful Kobold Chieftain. Go kill it to prove your strength." Master Jack said eloquently as he stored away the Meteorite Ore.


    System: Hidden Quest ''Road Of Forging''. Kill the Kobold Chieftain inside Crimson Star Mine. Time limit of 1 hour.


    Shi Feng was over the moon when he heard this. He had never heard about a second stage to the Road of Forging Quest.


    "Let''s go Brother Feng, we have no time to waste." Blackie was way ahead of Shi Feng and was already walking away.


    Back in the mine, Shi Feng and Blackie killed their way through the mine and headed deeper in. Normally, they would be struggling with the Kobolds since they were spawning faster, and were Level 5 instead of Level 4, but they could easily keep up. After 10 minutes, they reached an empty piece of land, saw Kobolds all around mining ore, and a larger-than-normal Kobold clad in armor, barking orders at other Kobolds.


    "Blackie, start casting whenever you''re ready." With this, Shi Feng focused his sword intent on the Kobold Chieftain. ''Heheh, this is as good a time as any to try out that new Abyssal Blade I got from the City in The Sky''. Shi Feng was already rubbing his hands, scheming and planning the utter death of the Kobold Chieftain. Shi Feng took out the Abyssal Blade and chose to bind it. The backlash shouldn''t be too difficult to take care of.


    [Abyssal Blade] (Magic Weapon, One-handed Sword)


    Attack Power 24


    All Attributes +10


    Attack Speed +3


    Ignore monster''s Level by 5. Attacks have a 15% chance to cause 2 x damage, 10% chance to induce Doom Curse, reducing all stats by 30%, lasting 20 seconds.


    If wielder belongs to any Swordsman Job, all Skill Levels +2. Increase Free Ability Points received by 2 points for every increase in Level.


    Equipment Level 0. Can be leveled up. (Devour ten Level 5 Bronze Equipment and one Level 5 Mysterious-Iron Equipment to level up to Level 5). Can be evolved (Unknown).


    Additional Skill 1: Phantom Kill. Instantly creates a doppelganger. You can control this doppelganger. Doppelganger will have 50% of the original body''s Attributes and all Skills. At the same time, Doppelganger and the original body can be swapped. Duration of 30 seconds.


    Cooldown: 5 minutes


    Additional Skill 2: Abyssal Bind. Binds enemies and prevents movement, reducing Defense by 100%. Duration of 3 seconds.


    Cooldown: 1 minute


    Additional Skill 3: Nine Dragons Slash. Instantly create nine phantoms of the Abyssal Blade for the wielder to use, each phantom sword is capable of dealing up to 30% damage. Duration of 20 seconds.


    Cooldown: 5 minutes.


    The Abyssal Blade was personally created by Master Smith Olysses, using the Black Dragon King''s fangs as material. It is one of thirty-six famed swords, and it is ranked 31st. However, this sword has been cursed by the Black Dragon King. Aside from being able to provide the wielder with immense strength, there would be a Backlash after a certain period of time. If the wielder is unable to suppress the Backlash, the wielder will receive the curse of the Black Dragon King, permanently reducing All Attributes by 50%.


    Unable to be dropped.


    Unable to be traded.


    Instantly, Shi Feng dropped back to level 0. Seeing this, Blackie was instantly terrified that Shi Feng would undoubtedly die at the hands of the Kobold Chieftain. But Shi Feng explained that it was all fine. He allocated the Free 10 Attribute Points accordingly. Speaking of, he had almost forgotten to activate the hidden passives granted by his Attributes. After activating them, he felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of him, further increasing his degree of freedom.


    [Kobold Chieftain] (Chieftain-rank)


    Level 5


    HP 1785/1785


    Immediately, the Kobold Chieftain felt a faint sharp aura bearing down on him, weakening him. Shi Feng activated Wind Blade and became a blur, as he rushed at the Kobold Chieftain. The Chieftain slashed at Shi Feng, but with Shi Feng''s speed, it was impossible to hit him. He dodged the slash with a sidestep, and attacked twice, slicing at the Kobold''s unprotected side. Instantly, he followed that attack with a [Chop] to the neck.


    As a result, The Kobold Chieftain was already approaching death''s door and it never even realized how it happened. Shi Feng decided to end the fight with Ethereal Cross Strike. Normally, the skill would strike three times instantly, but the Kobold''s HP was low enough for it to die by being struck only twice. In the back, Blackie shot a Dark Arrow but since the boss was already dead, the Dark Arrow zoomed by and hit nothing but air.


    System: Level 5 Kobold Chieftain killed. Level difference of 5. EXP obtained increased by 500%. Obtained 2350 EXP.


    {DING! +100% EXP Boost Activated!}


    Shi Feng obtained double what he would''ve gotten for slaying the chieftain. His Level increased to nearly 55% of Level 2


    System: Congratulations on becoming the first player to kill a Chieftain monster. Kobold Chieftain''s item drop increased by 200%. Reputation in Star-Moon Kingdom increased by 10 points.


    Suddenly, the Kobold Chieftain''s body started expanding. Its size continued increasing until its body exploded, items dropped everywhere.


    "Whoa..." Blackie was slack-jawed. Was this still the Brother Feng he knew?. Did he get possessed?. Blackie knew he was strong, but he knew that his strength stretched far beneath the surface of what he truly showed. With a sheepish smile, Blackie said: "Brother Feng, do you think you could teach me to be a better Cursemancer?. If I keep tagging along, i might get left behind."


    "Of course. Who would I be if I refused to help my sworn Brother?. What you can do is after you reach 20 Points of Intelligence, start putting half of the Attribute Points you get, into Agility. That''ll help you, not only move more efficiently but cast your curses even faster. As a Cursemancer, you need more time than an Elementalist, to dish out damage. So that''s the best way to go for now." Shi Feng never tried the Cursemancer Class, but as someone who reincarnated, he had been in contact with many strong experts of all types of classes.


    "I see. I''ll do just that." Blackie gave a thumbs-up.


    A few moments later, Shi Feng went to inspect everything that dropped. Due to obtaining the first kill, the Chieftain dropped multiple goodies for Shi Feng and Blackie.


    It had dropped a total of 8 pieces of Bronze Equipment and a Star Crystal; 1 Gray Giant Axe, 2 Plate Armor, 2 Leather Armor, 3 Cloth Armor. Aside from those, there were also 273 Coppers and 3 skill books. There was [Mock] for Shield Warriors, [Silent Steps] for Assassins, and [Evil Whip] for Cursemancers.


    Shi Feng refined two of the Cloth Armor pieces and handed them to Blackie. He also refined [Evil Whip], making it even stronger than before.


    [Evil Whip]


    Cast time 2 seconds.


    Use 7 thorns to bind a target in a fixed area. As long as the target exits the area and breaks the thorns, every thorn will cause a base damage of 35 points, with an additional 40% Spell Damage. The last thorn to break will release spikes that will deal 20% of the total damage dealt over the duration of the bind.


    Cooldown: 18 seconds.


    Blackie immediately learned the skill with a toothy grin on his face. After equipping the armor as well, his strength had reached a new level, far beyond those of the same level.


    Shi Feng focused on the Plate Armor next. Since he already had a better ?h?st-piece, the [Recruit''s Heavy Armor] will be sold, and he will equip the [Black Steel Armguard]. After refining¡­


    [Black Steel Armguard] (Bronze Rank, Plate Armor)


    Level 3


    Equipment Requirements: Strength 12


    Defense +26


    All Attributes +5


    Durability 60/60


    "As always, it''s stronger than it''s rarity, but even better for me, heheh." Shi Feng shifted his focus to the Gray Giant Ax. He was about to refine it, but the Ax was plenty strong as it was. He was already planning on selling the Fine Reaver Sword. He wouldn''t plan on making others advance in strength too quickly. A few moments later, Shi Feng placed the items in his inventory and, along with Blackie, headed back to Master Jack''s Smithy and handed him the Kobold''s Skull


    "Master Jack, your task is complete. Here is the Kobold''s Skull."


    "Outstanding, young man. It seems I worried for nothing. You are indeed qualified to inherit my forging skills."


    System: Hidden Quest ''Road Of Forging'' completed. Player has learned Forging. Player has become a Basic Forging Apprentice. Player has obtained the Forging Talent, ''Forging Genius''. Rewarding 10 pieces of [Hundred Refinement Steel].


    {DING! X5 Rewards}


    [Forging Genius]


    After a successful forging, there is a fixed chance to increase 2 Proficiency Points.


    By the system''s multiplier, Shi Feng received 50 [Hundred Refinement Steel] instead of 10. Advancing through the ranks of forging wouldn''t be as difficult due to the talent. But before he could turn around to leave, Master Jack made an interesting request.


    "Say, young man, that''s an interesting Magic Weapon you have there. May I take a look at it?."


    Shi Feng was caught off-guard at first, but he remembered this was a Master Forger. He would definitely have some good insights that could help him down the road. "By all means Master Jack." said Shi Feng as he handed the Abyssal Blade to Master Jack.


    After a few minutes, Master Jack''s eyes narrowed. "This weapon is mighty and holds an infinite amount of potential. But this curse¡­ The curse will grow deadlier as the weapon grows stronger."


    "Do you have a way to weaken the curse, Master Jack?"


    "There is indeed a way. To counteract a curse, the power of luck is required. That being said, you would need to obtain Lucky Stones. But it would be a long time before you actually manage to...to..." while Master Jack was explaining, he noticed what Shi Feng had in his hand, his mind instantly got scrambled and he started making some odd mumbling grunting noises. This young swordsman actually had a Lucky Stone this whole time?.


    "...yes, that''s a Lucky Stone..."


    "So can the curse be weakened then?" said Shi Feng while handing Master Jack the Star Crystal.


    "Yes. I''ll have it done in 30 minutes."


    With that, Master Jack started working and Shi Feng walked out of the smithy. "Well, better now than never." Shi Feng disappeared into his training space.. He checked the Almighty Repository since he hasn''t checked it in a bit.

 Chapter 7 - CH7: Almighty System Strikes Again || Fusion

    _= Almighty System Repository=_


    1000 Gold


    Parameter Change: All EXP gains now add +120% EXP Bonus, instead of +100%


    Realms of Refinement: Flowing Water Realm Trial


    Realms of Truth: Ascension Realm Trial


    Permanent Training Space Gravity Increase: 1X ¡ú 3X


    Almighty Gaming Pod Fluid Quality Enhancement: S-Rank Fluids ¡ú Life Potion ¡ú Origin Elixir


    "Interesting." Shi Feng pretended to be calm, but he couldn''t fool anyone. He couldn''t think properly for about 10 minutes. He had heard about Life Potions before, but he had never heard of Origin Elixir. Judging by how the system improved the fluid, it could be a version many times better than Life Potions, but the Green God Company hasn''t even started selling Life Potions. Even S-Rank Fluids were heavily regulated and b?r?ly available to the public. ''How was this possible?...'' Shi Feng absentmindedly asked no one in particular, but the system immediately answered.


    [Actually Host, it''s not possible. My existence isn''t possible. Then again, your reincarnation should not have been possible either. The second the Almighty System activated, less of what you encounter will make sense. One does not go from the possible to the real, but from the impossible to the truth.] the system explained.


    [It''s simple really. Every increase in gravity will divide your attributes proportionate to every level of gravity increased. I''ll give you an example. Since you are experiencing 3 times Gravity now, your attributes were first divided by 2, for the transition from 1 time to 2 times gravity. Then they were divided by three, for the transition from 2 times to 3 times gravity.] said the system


    "I see..." Shi Feng wanted to try fighting under the effects of this environment, without relying on any of his Attribute Boosts provided by his equipment. Shi Feng unequipped everything, instead outfitted himself in a comfortable black and purple set, and equipped a silver sword with a red outline along the edge. The set and the sword did not offer any boosts, for the sake of maximizing his training effects. With that, he summoned a chieftain doppelganger of the same level, and changed up the environment to a Desert, making his training even more gruesome. Training on the sand was many times more difficult than training in grasslands.


    [Doppelganger] (Chieftain-rank)


    Level 2


    HP 2200/2200


    Of course, the doppelganger was unhindered by the gravity and the sand, since it was integrated into the training space itself. The doppelganger only had 1 task: go all out and defeat the Swordsman in front of him.


    15 minutes later...


    Shi Feng spent about 25 days training in the space while taking some rests in between. Getting out of the pod and stretching for a bit. All in all, as insane as it may sound, 15 minutes in God''s Domain equates to roughly 37.5 Days in the Training Space. Overall, only 15 minutes had passed in God''s Domain and the real world. On the first day, Shi Feng felt the effects of the new fluid in his gaming pod. It was as if he had seen the world in a new light. Everything seemed clear. For the next few weeks, his brain and body had been undergoing outstanding improvements, and finally, he had defeated his doppelganger. It could be said he was at the Half-Step Refinement Realm. Currently, Shi Feng was no longer affected by the increased gravity and desert sand. Now, under normal gravity, his Attributes were slightly higher than before, despite not gaining any levels.


    "I have 15 minutes left before Master Jack finishes with the sword. I''ll rest for a bit before taking the Refinement Realm Trial." Shi Feng decided and went out of the game.


    {DING!}


    {Realms of Refinement: Refinement Realm Trial: Start!}


    Like that, 12 more days passed. Shi Feng had not expected the trial to be so in-depth. The trial encompassed the true meaning of the Refinement Realm, integrating every detail. In the first 4 days, Shi Feng couldn''t pass the trial, but once he figured it out, it only took him 3 days to fully comprehend the Refinement Realm. For the last 5 days, Shi Feng got accustomed to his new strength and successfully incorporated it into his overall strength.


    "No wonder I couldn''t even reach the Refinement Realm in my past life. My body control wasn''t as refined as it is now. Then there''s the Origin Elixir, which I seem to be the only one that uses it. I still need to do quite a bit of research into the next stages of the Realms of Refinement and ways to fully utilize the effects of the Origin Elixir. " Shi Feng was ecstatic at his achievement. A Refinement Realm expert at this stage in the game could be deemed as extremely valuable. With that, Shi Feng left the space and went back to the Smithy, Blackie was there too.


    Shi Feng received his sword. Right after inspecting it once more, he noticed that the description had changed. Now, a new sentence read: ...After being remodeled by Master Forger Jack using a Star Crystal, the strength of the Backlash has been greatly reduced¡­. "Great. With this, the backlash should be even less problematic in the foreseeable future."


    After walking out of the smithy, Shi Feng noticed his inbox was filled with messages from Lonely Snow. ''Oops, I forgot about the raid.'' Shi Feng immediately responded saying he''d be there in a minute.


    "Hey, Blackie, you up for Dungeon-Diving?"


    "Sure, I can''t wait to try out these new skills"


    Next, Shi Feng and Blackie arrived at the Dungeon Area and walked over to Lonely Snow and Dark Prominence. Behind them, he saw the other group of players sending him looks of disapproval and disdain.


    "Why are we even going into the dungeon if he''s taking all Swordsman and Mage equipment."


    "Yeah! This is bullshit! Kick him out quick!" said a Level 0 Oracle in the back. He wasn''t even in the party.


    The party leader immediately shut everyone up, "Alright people, let''s hurry this up. We might get the First Kill if we go in now."


    But some people were still adamant. "No! Why should we party up with someone who just wants to take almost all of the equipment away!"


    "Boss, either you kick him out or we leave"


    "Hmph! Greedy one, aren''t ya?!"


    The party leader was in a dilemma. Was this kid really an expert?. He already knew the party members so he chose not to take the risk. Besides, this shameless Swordsman who they had never met actually wanted so much out of the Dungeon. "Sorry, but I''m going to have to ask you to leave." said the party leader with no expression.


    Shi Feng shrugged, "Fine by me. Blackie, let''s go. Lonely, come with me. You don''t need these people. Prominence, you can join if you want." he said as he walked away. Lonely Snow did not hesitate and left the party to join Shi Feng''s party. Everyone was shocked at Lonely Snow''s decisive nature. The party leader almost started raging at Shi Feng''s remark but he grit his teeth and kept his composure. After a moment, the Assassin started grinning. With a carefree tone, as he started walking towards Shi Feng, he said: "Geez, you people b?r?ly know anything about the guy yet here you are trashing him. God''s Domain is huge; who knows, he might clear this Dungeon before you all".


    "No one asked you, punk!" the party leader was on the verge of raging once again, each time more difficult to compose himself.


    10 minutes later¡­


    "Brother Feng, these people don''t get it, do they?. Being arrogant won''t get them anywhere.". This whole time, Blackie had witnessed Shi Feng trying to recruit two more players to form a team of 6. But whoever came over and heard Shi Feng''s requirements, immediately resorted to cursing and roasting Shi Feng and his party for asking too much.


    Out of nowhere, people started shouting, cheering, and converging around a group of three women. Blackie was already at attention and ready to bolt towards the group when he saw who they were. Among them was the Snow Goddess, Gentle Snow; the Flame Witch, Zhao Yueru; and the Priestess, Xiao Yue''er.


    Had this been 10 years ago, Shi Feng would be among the horde of rabid men attempting to curry favor with Gentle Snow, but he was past that. He might consider getting into that kind of thing in the future once he achieves most, if not all, of his goals.


    Suddenly, Shi Feng and Gentle Snow locked eyes. For a moment, Gentle Snow felt something akin to a chained ancient dragon bearing down on her, threatening to erase her from existence. Shi Feng looked away and resumed trying to recruit players while being roasted mercilessly in the process. With a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk, ''Hmm, that guy''s interesting. I''ll have to keep an eye on him.''. Zhao Yueru, of course, noticed this and reprimanded her, with an expression of disgust.


    "Of course, I expected a bunch of nobodies would do anything to grab our attention. Let''s go, Snow, those people make me sick."


    "Uh-huh¡­ Let''s start recruiting for the Dungeon."


    After Gentle Snow''s arrival, it was even worse for Shi Feng''s attempts to recruit people. At this point he lowered his standards a little and started checking Level 1 players as well, garnering even fiercer hateful comments and crispy roasts from the nearby crowd.


    After checking a few players, a Guardian Knight named Cola, and an Oracle, named Drowsy Sloth requested Shi Feng for an invite. "Big brother, could you invite me to your party?. I might be just a Level 1 Guardian Knight, I have a piece of Level 0 Common Equipment. Also, all 8 of my Attribute Points are still available. I can add them based on your requirements.". Shi Feng, having gone back in time, was momentarily stunned. In his previous life, Cola was known as Tyrant Bear, ranked fifteenth on the Guardian Knight Leaderboard of Star-Moon Kingdom. Of course, as always, Shi Feng was at it once again. He was scheming, devising a way to bring Cola over to his team, to make sure he becomes a part of his future Guild.


    Cola and Drowsy Sloth hesitated. But they knew Shi Feng was right. Blackie, seeing the hesitation in their eyes, shook his head a bit and, with the airs of a wise elder, said: "The future has many names. For the weak, it is the unreachable. For the fearful, it is the unknown. For the brave, it is an opportunity. We have absolved ourselves of our fear towards the unknown, and decided to embrace it instead." Shi Feng was slightly stunned once again. He knew Blackie was always a goofy fellow, but it was rare for him to speak in such a tone. But that surprise was immediately extinguished when Blackie slapped him on the back and said: "With this guy, we''re destined for greatness. Be it women, money, whatever, it will all be within arm''s reach. Take it from me, who''s known him for years." Shi Feng might have lost 0.04 HP from that hit.


    With that said, Cola and Drowsy Sloth''s worries washed away, and decided to join, putting their trust in Shi Feng. Dark Prominence was quite interested in this Swordsman, so he decided to follow along. Now they were ready to dive into the Dungeon, but once they partied up, the hateful comments were flying at them from every direction. Shi Feng hearing this had an evil grin on his face: ''You people better not regret it when I get the First-Clear on this Dungeon. Bunch of ignorant bastards.''


    They walked to the entrance of the Dungeon, and Shi Feng immediately chose ''Hell Mode''. After they entered, the crowd went silent, after 3 seconds of silence, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of wheezy laughs, sputtery laughs, and even some snorts.


    "Ahahaha!, I can''t believe this. He actually chose Hell Mode!"


    "I''ll bet 25 Coppers they won''t last more than 30 seconds!"


    "25 Copper?. Quite the generous bastard aren''t ya?. Might as well pass that cheese over here. They won''t last more than 10 seconds!"


    Even the Flame Witch started flaming and criticizing Shi Feng for his choices.


    In the Dungeon, Shi Feng and his party received the notification:


    System: You have chosen Hell Mode of Deathly Forest. Death penalty increased by 100%.


    The environment of a Hell Mode Dungeon exuded a type of pressure that could cause inexperienced players to freeze up, and that''s exactly what''s happening to everyone now. Except for Shi Feng, nobody was moving. They knew that one wrong move could mean instant death. With a facepalm, Shi Feng decided to talk to the frozen party members: "Come on people, seriously?. Why would I go into Hell Mode if I wasn''t confident in clearing it?. Blackie, I thought you said the future is an opportunity for the brave. Don''t tell me all of you are thinking of giving up now. Compared to what we''ll face in the future, this is nothing."


    It seemed to work, as everyone was back to their motivated selves. "We trust you, Brother Expert." said Cola with newfound confidence, earning the approval of everyone in the party.


    "Good. Now listen up. I''ll be explaining the rules shortly. This is a good chance to get you all some fighting experience. Only through trials and hardships will you grow stronger."


    Out of nowhere, a monstrous roar shook the whole dungeon.


    "First things first, watch out for that roar, as it''s not as simple as you all think. In a moment, we''ll start advancing. Make sure to follow my instructions to the T. One mistake, and you''re gone. Do I make myself clear?!" the drill sergeant¡­ ahem¡­ Shi Feng lectured in an authoritative tone.


    Everyone nodded. "Here''s what we''ll do; Cola and I at the front. Cola, add your Attribute points to Endurance. Lonely Snow, walk in the middle and support Drowsy Sloth. Blackie and Prominence, at the back. Remember, you must not break formation regardless of any activities. And for fu?k''s sake, do not attack unless I say so."


    "Oh, before we go, I have a few goodies for you all." He started taking out items and handing them out in accordance with the classes each party member had. Dark Prominence received the [Vicarious Haze] and [Silent Steps] Skills.


    [Vicarious Haze]


    Active Skill


    Requirement: Assassin Class


    Surround yourself in a layer of gray smoke. Increases Agility by 35%, and grants 45% chance to nullify attacks.


    Cooldown: 1 Minute


    Drowsy Sloth received the Cloth Armor, Cola received the Recruit''s Heavy Armor and the [Mock] Skill, and Lonely Snow received the Gray Giant Axe. To give out such items, instead of hogging them and selling them for his own benefit, was extremely rare. Anyone would rather choose money than them. But this just proved that Shi Feng thinks long-term, as an expert should.


    Everyone followed Shi Feng through the correct pathway through the forest. Then they encountered their first monster.


    [Night Rabbit](Elite)


    Level 2


    HP 700/700


    "Cola, lure"


    Cola immediately dashed over and caught the aggro of the Night Rabbit. He retreated while blocking, and after a while, was at 40% HP. When the Night Rabbit was within range, Shi Feng noticed an arrow zoom by and hit Drowsy Sloth. Instantly, Shi Feng shouted, "Sloth, Life Payment on Cola. Blackie, keep the Night Rabbit busy while Cola recovers. Everyone else Attack!!". Prominence activated both the new skills he received from Shi Feng and turned into a blur, shocking even Shi Feng. ''Who exactly is this Assassin?. I''ve never heard of him but he might be a potential future powerhouse.'' He looked at the dark figure preparing to run away. With a malicious grin, "Where do you think you''re going?".


    Wind Blade!


    Gravity Influence!


    Shi Feng disappeared from his spot and sprinted towards the dark figure. He focused his sword intent on the Night Ranger, promptly weakening it in every aspect. Shi Feng and Dark Prominence arrived at the Night Ranger''s side almost at the same time.


    [Night Ranger](Special Elite)


    Level 2


    HP 1275/1275


    "Abhorrent Humans!!! I''ll slaughter you all!" The Night Ranger, with anger, took out two daggers and prepared to fight these two humans. But what it did not expect was¡­


    Abyssal Bind!


    Nothing could save it now. He got hit with a [Backstab], -81 appearing over it''s head. Shi Feng, through a torrent of slashes and stabs, sliced up the Night Ranger and picked up the items it dropped. As a Refinement Realm expert, Shi Feng had already figured out how to further utilize his body to a higher degree. While this could be a great opportunity for Dark Prominence to get used to fighting monsters of higher intelligence, it proved to be a bit useless for Shi Feng.


    Thinking of this, he suddenly had a thought. Why was he still fighting such low-level monsters?. ''Should I start going around raiding higher level Dungeons by myself when they open?. Maybe even killing higher-leveled monsters?. With the advantages provided by the System, I can advance many times faster than everyone else. I could start giving them S-Rank nutrients and let them train in my training space, allowing them to reach their potential that much faster; but that would mean I have to divulge multiple of my secrets to people I just met. Hmm¡­ decisions, decisions¡­ I might go grinding at a better location and reach the City before anyone... I''ll think of that later; let''s finish up here.''


    Those that were running to Shi Feng for support, once more terrified and in awe of Shi Feng''s combat standards. After that, everyone turned back to the Night Rabbit; this time, Shi Feng decided to let his party members gain fighting experience. They knew he could slaughter the monster any time he wanted, but they also knew this was for their own good. Instead of fighting, Shi Feng taught everyone the correct methods to fight. Teaching the MT to dodge, instead of always blocking; teaching everyone to aim their attacks properly, instead of randomly, so on so forth.


    With time, the positive changes were apparent; not only in the techniques and fighting styles but also in their opinion towards Shi Feng. They thought nothing of this expert at first and thought he was arrogant. Yet he had been unrestrained in sharing his knowledge with them in the hopes of helping them improve. After distributing the items and the skill book, [Whirlwind Slash] for Lonely Snow, the party''s strength increased by a considerable amount.


    The party continued on and occasionally encountered a few Night Rabbits. Coincidentally, one of the Night Rabbits dropped another skill book: [Restore] for Drowsy Sloth. They continued on, obtaining more and more pieces of Bronze Equipment, increasing their strength even more¡­


    After a few moments, they arrived at the Boss Area, and there he was...


    [Willie](Chieftain-Rank)


    Level 3


    HP 6000


    Nearby, there was a group of 10 Night Rabbits, grouped up together. Seeing this, everyone tensed up. Blackie, with a helpless smile, said: "Brother Feng, how exactly are we supposed to fight against that?. We can''t separate them; either we leave them alone or we face them all at once. It would be the same as meeting Death with a smile on our faces".


    "I''ll take care of this. Wait here. I''ll be guiding you all through the Boss Battle.". While everyone was looking at Shi Feng like he was crazy, he activated Wind Blade and Gravity Influence and disappeared from his spot. He reappeared near the group of Night Rabbits and did something that should be impossible at this stage in the game. His sword started glowing with a light blue hue, and they heard a faint hum.


    Sundering Barrage!


    A multitude of sword lights started flying at the cluster of Night Rabbits, giving them no chance to retaliate. They all disintegrated, and he picked up everything they dropped with lightning speed and returned to the group. Shi Feng received 200 EXP since it got distributed to everyone in the party, but no one was worried about that. They were looking at this scene with eyes brimming with excitement. Willie, on the other hand, finally noticed what happened and started feeling traces of Fear, not through an effect, but through instinct. He felt that this human wasn''t really human at all, but a monster in disguise.


    Shamelessly, as if nothing happened, Shi Feng gave out items to everyone, catering to their classes, as well as the party''s Strength. He also got a skill [Double Chop], he refined it and learned it immediately. But suddenly, a sound only he could hear, went off in his head. This notification almost


    {DING!}


    {New Skill Detected: Skill Fusion!}


    {Skill Fusion will scan Skills and determine the possibility for Fusion with the goal of creating an even stronger skill.}


    {Would you like to fuse [Chop] and [Double Chop]?}

 Chapter 8 - CH8: Dungeon Complete || Arcus Maddox

    {DING!}


    {New Skill Unlocked: Skill Fusion!}


    {Skill Fusion will scan Skills and determine the possibility of Fusion with the goal of creating an even stronger skill.}


    {Would you like to fuse [Chop] and [Double Chop]?}


    ''Hell Yeah!''. Shi Feng accepted.


    [Chop] and [Double Chop] disappeared from his skill section, and in it appeared a new, more formidable skill.


    [Absolving Chop](Action-Type)


    Requires: Sword


    Level 1


    Three slashes combine into one almighty slash


    Deals 50 + 350% Damage


    Cause Bleeding for 2% of Damage Dealt per second. Duration: 10 Seconds


    Cooldown: 20 Seconds


    "Alright everyone, this shouldn''t take too long, let''s go". He was so serious, it was unbelievable. Take too long? Who the hell are you fooling? This damn showoff!. But everyone was even more motivated and wanted to get stronger faster, in hopes of, one day, being able to display such a level of power. Deep down, Shi Feng wanted to try out this new skill on the Boss. Unknowingly, his Sword Intent was being focused solely on the Boss.


    Willie felt the faint sharp aura of an almighty sword threatening to cut him out of existence, and he was still dazed. Slowly, the Sword Intent has been ingraining itself into Shi Feng''s character, giving him the temperament and appearance of a grandmaster swordsman; he had not noticed this. Only when he unlocked more and more of his strength, and the Sword Intent became more powerful, will he become a true dragon among humans.


    In this period of time, Shi Feng explained the strategy to defeat Willie. When Shi Feng saw Willie regain his usual bloodthirsty disposition, ready to charge, he shouted: "Cola, start it up; remember to pay attention to the attack patterns and dodge. Lonely, Prominence, Blackie, focus on DPS, remember to attack the weak points. Drowsy, get your heals ready. Everyone, do not forget your positions. Go!."


    Cola went off and got within Willie''s detection range. Willie lunged at Cola with speed too fast for him to follow. He managed to dodge while blocking and managed to receive only 50% of the total damage dealt by the attack. But he wasn''t quick enough to dodge the next one. He received a bit of HP back from heals, but not enough to bring him back to full HP. From then on, Shi Feng decided to get involved a bit. After Lonely Snow struck Willie with [Whirlwind Slash], Shi Feng said: "Lonely, switch!". Lonely Snow nodded and went back, near Drowsy Sloth.


    Shi Feng lunged at Willie and sent an air-splitting slash at it''s neck. A horrendous -466 appeared above Willie''s head. After that, it was smooth sailing. Shi Feng decided to take a passive role in the raid and would correct his party members whenever needed since if he decided to attack, the battle would be over in an instant. When Willie reached 30% HP, everyone stepped back and let Shi Feng handle it. Of course, with minimal movements, Shi Feng would either dodge or redirect Willie''s attacks. Surprisingly, Shi Feng got grazed by one of Willie''s attacks and lost 20 HP, but was healed immediately. With a frown: ''Huh, I guess I still need more training.''


    This battle would grant them quite a bit of fighting experience that could come in handy in the future. Despite no one gaining any levels yet, they were vastly stronger and more efficient under Shi Feng''s guidance. Seeing this everyone had finally understood what Blackie meant. They resolved themselves to join Shi Feng on his path to the top, no matter what.


    [Werewolf Felt] (Lord-rank)


    Level 3


    HP 12000/12000


    "Well, what do we have here?. Remind me why we''re fighting a Lord Ranked monster at this stage in the game again?. This is Grade-A bull****" Not only Blackie, but everyone had mean, annoyed expressions right now.


    "Don''t panic-" before Shi Feng was about to explain, the Werewolf''s eyes turned to a deep shade of red and was about to roar. Shi Feng immediately bolted at the Werewolf, with a tinge of killing intent.


    Abyssal Bind!


    "Let me speak, you little mutt¡­ As I was saying, don''t panic, I have a plan for this. First things first, do not let Felt roar. This monster might be too much for you all to handle at the moment. So; Sloth, focus your heals on me. Lonely, be ready to use [Charge] on my command..." Shi Feng started delegating tasks in a calm manner, while explaining the nature and attacks of Werewolf Felt.


    ''I''ve rarely gotten a chance to go explore the extents of my strength thus far¡­ heheh, this should be fun.''.


    Shi Feng wanted to try not to focus his Sword Intent on his opponent and instead kept it contained. Shi Feng saw that Abyssal Bind was undone, and Felt was now free. They stared at each other with fierce gazes¡­


    Like two arrows, they bolted at each other and started their fight. Felt kept brandishing his claws, trying to kill Shi Feng but he couldn''t. Whenever it thought it was about to strike him, Shi Feng would move ever-so-slightly, and the attack would not touch him. Felt''s HP kept dropping at a visible pace. 92%...86%...70%... and downward it went.


    The party members were dumbfounded, and amazement decorated their faces. But did not dare even try to get involved unless told to do so. They thought that at this moment, they were fortunate enough to even get to watch such a battle.


    Suddenly, a faint ringing sound was going off, Shi Feng struck at Felt with a slice that could be said to bend the air around it.


    Absolving Chop!


    -2015


    Felt was sent flying, and a Bleeding effect was active, taking 40 HP per second. It''s HP was now under 30%. With fuming rage in its eyes, it cast it''s party wipe skill. They effortlessly dealt with it, due to Shi Feng''s HP being a few times higher than Cola''s HP. Shi Feng resumed his onslaught, and after a few minutes, Felt''s HP was below 10%, causing it to enter its Berserk State. With its overall strength now doubled, afterimages of claws and a sword could be seen. Shi Feng did not intend to drag this on though¡­


    Abyssal Bind!


    Absolving Slash!


    That was all it took for Felt to meet its end.


    System: Cleared Hell Mode of Deathly Forest. Rewarding 8000 EXP.


    {DING! +120% Bonus. Total: 2933 EXP}[Only host''s exp will receive the bonus.]


    A multitude of items lay sprawled across the floor. ''Nice, the crimson blade actually dropped''. Shi Feng''s attention was on a dark red sword, which could be deemed outstanding for it''s level. He decided to store the sword in his inventory for now, and will equip it after he reaches Level 5 and activates the Dual-Wielding Talent. He started collecting all the items under the rush and scrutiny of everyone. As expected, he found the [Garrison Armor Forging Design], which would serve as a great starting wealth generator, as well as a way to outfit MTs.


    In total, There were 15 pieces of equipment and 4 other items. Amongst them, there was only the Secret-Silver, Crimson Blade, 5 pieces of Mysterious-Iron Equipment, and 9 pieces of Bronze Equipment. The Bronze Equipment dropped by the Bosses of Hell Mode were all of the highest quality. Not only was the Bronze Equipment of the highest quality, but Blackie''s luck was as well. He received two pieces of the five Mysterious-Iron Equipment items. These two items were part of the Dark Color Set, igniting within him an urge to come back here to complete the set.


    The other three Mysterious-Iron pieces were part of sets for a Guardian Knight, and an Assassin. Two went to Cola, and the last went to Dark Prominence. Shi Feng distributed the remaining Bronze Equipment. He refined and replaced some of his own equipment as well. He also equipped the Black Steel Armguard. On to the next 4 items, they were a Forging Design, a Potion Recipe, a rare skill for Cursemancers, and a notebook. Of course, Blackie was already hawking the skill book. It was [Hell Flame]. AoE skills were paramount in the early stages of the game for grinding efficiency. Blackie immediately learned it.


    Shi Feng stored the Design, the Recipe, and¡­ he took another look at the notebook. It was odd; this item was definitely something of great importance, so he''ll consult the library. With that, he stored the notebook as well.


    Afterwards, they left the dungeon, and the surroundings immediately quieted down. All sorts of thoughts were running through everyone''s minds; did they actually clear the dungeon?. Did they just stand at the entrance until now?. Did they actually think they could clear Hell Mode?. Shi Feng did not expect so many people would be standing around when his group came out of the Dungeon.


    A few moments later, he was approached by Gentle Snow and Xiao Yue''er. Of course, Zhao Yueru was badmouthing Shi Feng non-stop, even though Gentle Snow advised her to stop. But Shi Feng was not having any of it; he skillfully ignored all the flames and derogatory comments that came his way. Afterwards, the group went off to a more secluded place to talk. This incited multiple discussions, a few praised Shi Feng, most cursed him intensely, some even wanted to torture him for his ways of attracting the Snow Goddess.


    Gentle Snow took a better look at him and thought that this man was odd. He always kept calm and had a steady, unshakeable aura around him. At first, she thought he was nothing but a noob wanting to garner her attention, but this all changed. He was definitely an expert that knew how to hide his aura. It hasn''t changed much for Zhao Yueru, since she still wasn''t done talking smack about Shi Feng, but she didn''t care much about that. Snow wanted to obtain the strategy for the Deathly Forest, but was surprised when he offered the strategy to her as an offer of goodwill and future cooperation.


    "That works with me. Make sure to leave a few spots open. But I''d like priority over all forging designs and Swordsman equipment. Contact me a few hours before the raid. We''ll be there on time."


    "Understood. Let''s add each other as friends then. We''ll be in touch."


    With that, the group separated. Gentle Snow left, and Shi Feng''s group headed towards the core of the Dark Moon Valley. After about 1.5 hours of grinding, everyone had gained a level, and Shi Feng was just 1000 EXP away from Level 5. A few moments later, they encountered a Hazard Gnome, someone even more dangerous than Werewolf Felt, despite being a few ranks lower.


    [Hazard Gnome] (Special Elite)


    Level 5


    HP 1600/1600


    It might have low HP, but its danger lies in its broken defense, which reduces damage received by 80%.


    ''Might as well give it a try.'' Shi Feng laid out the strategy to fight the gnome. Before anyone moved, Shi Feng decided to test the waters, and sent a quick attack at the gnome. In less than a second, Shi Feng silently disappeared and appeared in the same spot. Above the gnome''s head¡­


    -98


    The abnormality that is Shi Feng focused his Sword Intent on the Gnome and made it weaker altogether. With that, the team went to work on the Gnome, cautiously of course. They couldn''t deal big damage like Blackie''s Evil Whip or Shi Feng. After the Gnome''s HP reached 10%, the Gnome abandoned the robot and tried to activate it''s Rocket Boots by tapping the bu??on on his belt. Everyone would have expected the Gnome to blast off into the distance. Right before the Rocket Boots activated, he was bound by strands of darkness. Nearby¡­ "So you thought you could just leave the party?. Oh no no, can''t have that, now can we?".


    Shi Feng noticed that the boss'' name changed.


    [Arcus Maddox] (Lord-rank)


    Level 5


    HP 510/510


    Shi Feng instantly knew who this was. But he had no time to think about it as the time of Abyssal Bind was dwindling. Arcus did not have the heightened defense anymore. In an instant¡­


    Absolving Chop!


    -1930


    With one overbearing slash, Arcus Maddox was no more. A few moments later, only 3 items dropped. A bit anticlimactic, but that was until Shi Feng inspected the items.


    The first one was a white notebook. On the cover, it read: [Elemental Imbuement Device Designs](1/16). Shi Feng might have reincarnated, but he had never heard about something as versatile as this. This notebook''s pages were missing, but the missing fragments were pages that held designs for devices that could imbue items, both weapons and armor, with 8 different elements. Wind, Earth, Lightning, Water, Ice, Fire, Light and Darkness.


    For weapons, it gave them the ability to deal Elemental Damage, and for armor, it gave them the ability to grant Elemental Resistance. What was surprising was that the cost of producing each device depended on the rarity of the Elemental Source used; with the cost exponentially increasing as the Elemental Source''s rarity increased. Of course, along with cost increase, came overall strength increase. An example would be comparing a Dark-Gold Fire Imbuement Device and an Epic Lightning Imbuement Device. The Dark-Gold Device would allow the weapon to deal an additional 300% Fire Damage with every attack, while the Epic Device would allow the weapon to deal an additional 375% Lightning Damage with every attack.


    ''I don''t think this would ever become obsolete. Even though I only have the fire imbuement method for weapons, it has the potential to become the foundation of a Guild & elevate it straight to the top.''. Shi Feng was over the moon with this new acquisition.. Maybe because no one ever succeeded in killing Arcus Maddox in his previous life, this item never appeared.

 Chapter 9 - Not a chapter: Notice!

    Hey everyone, just wanted to give you all a quick heads up. College classes have started up once again, meaning writing periods will become abysmal, as will chapter releases.


    And of course, I wont be dropping the fanfic. I''ll just be placing most of my focus on my schoolwork to get it over with, since it''s my last semester.


    Thank you everyone for your support & suggestions!


    - Ya boi: ¡ã~¡ãRedTauros¡ã~¡ã

 Chapter 10 - CH9: Refinement || More Refinement

    After a few moments, Shi Feng stored the notebook and inspected the next two items. A metallic box that contained a map. The map lead to the [Philosopher''s Stone]. ''Hmm, pretty good'' Shi Feng faked a nonchalant attitude towards the map. The last item shouldn''t have dropped at this stage in the game. It was the blueprint for a flying fortress, almost identical to the one created by Arcus Maddox. Shi Feng didn''t even look at the requirements and stored it, as the game had just launched. He decided to put this in the back of his mind for now.


    "Alright everyone, continue grinding here. I have a few matters to take care of." Shi Feng advised the group.


    Everyone nodded and off they went to continue leveling. Shi Feng walked towards a secluded area and took out the map that pointed towards the Philosopher''s Stone. ''Hmm, running there and sneaking my way through shouldn''t be too much of an issue''. Shi Feng headed to the Scarlet Lake.


    After 30 minutes of close calls and countless turns, Shi Feng encounterd a human shaped ghost.


    [Brave One, Floyd]. (High Lord)


    Level 25


    HP 360,000/360,000


    With widened eyes and a slight frown, Shi Feng did not move. When he saw that the ghost did not attack, he breathed a sigh of relief. ''Absolutely no way in hell I can beat that.''. Shi Feng found a spiral staircase heading downward. At the bottom, there was a bright light. Shi Feng walked down the stairs and arrived at the entrance of a majestic hall.


    System: Player has discovered the Sun Temple.


    ''I''ve never heard of the Sun Temple. Maybe it was never activated before.'' Shi Feng went into the golden hall and saw an altar, with two white and gold statues holding greatswords standing at each side. On the altar, sat a golden ?h?st. When he stepped onto the altar, the statues suddenly moved and stared at Shi Feng. As Shi Feng met their gaze, he felt a chilling sensation running down his spine. He paid no mind to this, went and opened the ?h?st. After the golden glow subsided, Shi Feng saw three items inside the ?h?st. A thumb-sized red stone, the [Golden Greatsword], a Level 10 Fine-Gold weapon, and a palm-sized glass cube with a golden miniature sun hovering in the middle.


    [Philosopher''s Stone] (Damaged)


    Epic-rank Special Item (Dropped after death)


    Active Effect: Due to being damaged, the Philosopher''s Stone possesses less than a tenth of its original strength. It is only possible to use it for Alchemy Conversion and Elemental Refinement.


    ''What a shame. Nonetheless, this is great for now. I''ll look into locating the other four pieces after I get stronger. The sword is outstanding for its level. I might give it to Lonely Snow when he reaches Level 10. But what in the world is this cube?.'' Shi Feng was elated with the first two items, but the last one...


    [Seraphic Flare](Unknown)


    Key to use the Codex of Light


    ''The codex of light again?'' Shi Feng was dumbfounded at this. Suddenly, he remembered a certain white-gold gemstone he had in his inventory. He took it out.


    [Heavenly Judgement](Unknown)


    Key to use the Codex of Light


    When he did, the gemstone flew out of his hand and moved next to the cube. The two items started hovering next to each other. A few seconds later, Shi Feng felt the temple start to shake, and he sensed a monstrous surge of Divine Might madly rushing towards him, along with extremely faint Divine Might starting to radiate from the items. ''Nope nope nope.'' In a panic, Shi Feng stored both items in his inventory and everything went back to normal. ''That confirms it. Definitely not normal.''. When Shi Feng was done, the Golden Statues'' eyes turned red and they readied their greatswords.


    [Sol Conscript](Great-Lord Rank)


    HP 1,200,000


    ''This damn game wants to cripple my account, doesn''t it?. Nope, i''m outta here!''


    Shi Feng hastily teleported back towards Floyd. ''Hmm, now that i think about it, I haven''t taken a look at that Sword Intent Refinement Manual''. Shi Feng went into his training space, and modified the environment to a vibrant plateau decorated by the orange glow of a setting sun.


    He took out the manual, and as he did, he felt the air around him change.


    {DING! Activate 1-Star Sword Intent Refinement!}


    The manual flew off into the clouds. After a few moments, a resounding explosion shook the surroundings and ground where Shi Feng stood. A red beam of light descended and crashed onto the ground, whipping up a dense cloud of dust.


    Seconds later, the dust cleared, and in the middle stood a silver-haired man, clad in dark red armor. The sword at his waist was an orange longsword shrouded in a golden-red tint. He focused his heavy gaze on Shi Feng, making him retreat a few steps.


    [Merrick, Sword of Bravery](Sealed)(???)


    (Virtuous Sword Emperor)


    "Calm down kid, I''m not here to harm you. More importantly, I was tasked with helping you refine that Sword Intent of yours." Merrick said matter-of-factly.


    Shi Feng stood rooted on the spot, afraid of moving even an inch. This did not escape Merrick''s eyes. Akin to a thunder cloud, Merrick''s voice turned deep and profound. "Who I am, you do not need to understand. What you need to understand is what I represent. My Sword Intent embodies the concept of bravery. All you show is fear, distress, and trepidation in the face of adversity. Your Sword Intent is shackled, immature, and holds no meaning. That which holds no meaning is weak in nature!." he paused for a moment, and veered even deeper into Shi Feng''s being.


    The next chain of events lasted about 5 days in the training space.


    "Now tell me, what does bravery mean to you?"


    "...does it mean standing tall no matter how impossible a task may seem?" Shi Feng answered in an unsure tone.


    "You only see the surface of the concept¡­ Wrong!" Merrick started lecturing Shi Feng, all the while slowly focusing his sword intent on him. With gritted teeth and a contorted face, Shi Feng could not move and could only listen. Merrick''s Sword Intent carried the aura and weight of an Emperor; although it was sealed, it was still multiple Tiers above that which Shi Feng could handle.


    "Bravery is a human virtue, which can be defined as the will power that a person can possess to carry out an action despite the impediments. Moral courage allows you to act correctly despite receiving discredit, shame, dishonor or social reprisals."


    Shi Feng stayed silent, deep in thought. He felt as if something was awakening within him. Through his experience as a Swordsman, his past 10 years of life, and the teachings of Merrick, his Sword Intent was reshaping itself.


    "Fear is a challenge. Instead of letting fear and uncertainty control you, learn to control it. If you really want something, but are afraid of all risks or mistakes that you might face along the way, fear has already won you over!"


    "Never let an opponent make you feel weak enough for doubt to consume you. Most of the fears you have are imaginary and do not represent real risk. Open yourself up to fear, let it settle within you, and then become rational again. Once you are in control, use it as your motivator to overcome difficult situations, and purge that fear!!"


    Shi Feng''s being was in a state of change, and reshape. At an incresing rate, his Sword Intent was becoming more and more fearless and unrestrained. Now in a low tone, he said: "fear is motivation, not a setback..."


    Merrick, seeing this, decided it was time to make a final push. He unleashed more of his Sword Intent and shrouded Shi Feng. One would expect Shi Feng to completely cave in under pressure, but¡­


    Shi Feng slowly opened his eyes: "The Brave. He who acts with courage and determination in risky or difficult situations."


    Merrick''s Sword Intent, now fully unrestrained, was bearing down on Shi Feng. In turn, Shi Feng said: "To be brave is to have the courage to overcome what is in front of us!"


    Shi Feng, albeit slowly, under pressure, had begun standing up, and his Sword Intent started pushing back Merrick''s Sword Intent. "Bravery is a challenge to which we expose ourselves in order to grow, learn and improve". The pressure started to lessen, but it was not because Merrick started pulling back. Rather, it was because it started to match that of Merrick''s.


    "Do not suppress fear! Confront it and let it drive you to greatness!"


    In an instant, Shi Feng''s eyes widened, his Sword Intent now matching that of Merrick''s, and along with Merrick, he spoke: "To be brave, is to recognize fear! To be brave is not to ignore fear!". Now at the breakthrough point, Shi Feng seemed to completely grasp the concept of Bravery, further cementing it into his Sword Intent.


    With a monstrous explosion, the sky was dyed dark orange, and the clouds started swirling. With an earth-shaking roar, they said: "TO BE BRAVE¡­ IS TO EMBRACE FEAR AND BE FREE!!!"


    {DING!}


    {Sword Intent Proficiency +999!}


    Before he could register what happened, he blacked out. The storm disappeared, as if it had never happened, and the sky returned to it''s warm sunset glow. Merrick retracted his Sword Intent, and with a slight smile, he said: "My work is done. It is up to you now. Trust in yourself, even if the road is fraught with calamity, remember that there is always a way out, and remember your final goal. Be brave kid". Merrick turned into a red streak of light and shot into the sky, disappearing from sight.


    After another day in the training space, Shi Feng woke up. His mind was still in a daze at what had just taken place. Normally, he would need to leave his Gaming Pod to stretch and rest for a bit before continuing, but the Pod and the Origin Elixir allowed him to stay inside without compromising his health. How was he supposed to know he would encounter a Tier 4 NPC, albeit sealed, and receive in-depth guidance from him?. After a few moments, the surroundings turned dark. Night suddenly descended and a dark-red moon appeared in the sky.


    {DING!}


    {1-Star Sword Intent Refinement Trial has begun!}


    {If you fail, you will ultimately lose your Sword Intent! Good Luck, Host!}


    As an ominous breeze started blowing, a figure clad in shimmering black armor, covered in a purple miasma appeared in the distance and strode menacingly towards Shi Feng. The figure gave off an aura of nightmare and despair. When he was within 20 yards away from Shi Feng, he could see his name.


    {Hadeon, Sword of Fear}(Sealed)(???)


    HP ???


    Shi Feng was immediately on alert, and did not want to attack. "...hahaha..." Hadeon started chuckling in a raspy voice. "You''re not strong... Why do you keep trying?. Your bravery is nothing but a joke." The dark miasma started extending towards Shi Feng. "you speak of embracing fear, confronting it."


    Shi Feng squinted his eyes a bit, and recalled Merrick''s Teachings.


    "The light of bravery is nothing before the gloom of fear. You. Will. Fail!!" Hadeon unsheathed his sword and was about to rush at Shi Feng, who was now standing in the miasma. The last words seemed to strike a chord in his mind.


    "... the brave, acts with courage and determination..."


    His Sword Intent flowed out and started pushing back the Miasma.


    "...the brave, overcomes the impossible..."


    "...the brave..."


    Shi Feng abruptly opened his eyes, and a faint orange aura started spreading, consuming the miasma.


    "EMBRACES FEAR!!!"


    Wasting no time, with all his might, he focused his Sword Intent on Hadeon, and his stats immediately changed.


    {Hadeon, Sword of Fear(Sealed)(Projection)}(Elite-Rank)


    Level 10


    HP 8500


    Hadeon was not willing to concede, and started pushing back. With a serious tone, Shi Feng spoke: "You''re in my way. I''ll make you one of the stepping stones for my success."


    "Keep deluding yourself!"


    With that, the two Swordsmen rushed at each other and started clashing at high speed. At the beginning, Shi Feng was on the losing side, despite having higher combat standards than Hadeon. He noticed that he was fighting with caution, not letting Hadeon strike him. Yet Hadeon was always aiming for the kill, taking advantage of the fear still holding Shi Feng back.


    He still had a tinge of fear holding him back, fear of failure. ''No more. I''ve already failed once. Everything was taken away from me once already. Never again!''. With that, the fear plaguing Shi Feng slowly extinguished, and he became more and more attuned to his Sword Intent.


    2 hours later, Shi Feng had finally defeated Hadeon, and he got a notification that he had leveled up his Sword Intent. He sat down to catch his breath a bit, and checked the Skill.


    [Sword Intent] (Passive)


    Requirement: Swordsman Class


    Upon Release, will manifest on your weapon when attacking, as well as a radius around you.


    Decreases opponent''s attributes by 15%, within an area of 50-Yards.


    Increases Sword Damage by 50%


    **Special Trait 1: Untethered Resolve


    Reduces all incoming damage by 10%


    Immune to the Fear Status effect


    **Trait Factor: Unyielding Spirit


    If HP reaches 0, you will become immortal for 5 seconds


    HP will rise to 50%, after immortality period ends.


    Cooldown: 7 Days


    Level 2 | Proficiency (0/5000)


    "Well, would you look at that. A Domain Skill already. How flippin'' nice. Still though, I''ve heard of multiple Tier 4 NPCs in the past, but I''ve never heard of Merrick."


    Putting that thought to rest, Shi Feng left his space and teleported back to Red Leaf Town, into a nearby alleyway. ''I guess now''s as good a time as any to start practicing forging.''. He made his way to the Trade Area, set up a stall, and started purchasing materials left and right. Every player that had Magic Essence or Stones, made quite a bit of money, much to Shi Feng''s fortune. About an hour and a half later, he had acquired an insane amount of materials. After spending a bit of Coins, he acquired 1000 stacks of Magic Essence and 1500 Stacks of Stone. It was odd that none of the players noticed how one player had managed to keep buying and storing what they sold to him. How did he pay for it all?. How did he store it?. Was that a player?. A generous NPC?. No one cared about that, all they cared about was the Coins they made from this tycoon.


    After making numerous purchases, Shi Feng walked to the Forging Association and rented an Intermediate Forging Room for 3 hours. After strategically dodging gold diggers, bootlickers, and ?sskissers, he walked upstairs and entered the room. ''Now that i think about it, this might take longer than I thought if I were to refine the Stones one by one. System, do you think you could apply the system refinement to the Elemental Refinement Skill, making it into Mass Refinement?. That way I could refine multiple pieces of Ore at once.''


    ''Elemental Refinement. Will extract the Metal Element of up to 1000 pieces of Ore at a time.


    Awesome. Instead of 1 by 1, I can refine 10 stacks of Ore at a time. Heheh, perfect''


    Immediately, Shi Feng took out 10 stacks of Stone, covering up a sizeable chunk of the room.


    System: Do you wish to use the Philosopher''s Stone for Elemental Refinement?


    After he clicked yes, the Philosopher''s Stone started glowing, and sent multiple threads of red light to the Stones.


    Ssssshhhhh!!!


    Now, a small mountain of sand lay sprawled in front of Shi Feng. He used the ''Clean'' feature of the room, and now, on the floor, was a multitude of metals. A few exuded a brown color, and most had an orange-reddish ?uster. Shi Feng''s attention was caught on 1 palm-sized dark purple piece of Metal. After storing them, he now had a tiny bit more than two stacks of Copper Ore, and 13 more pieces of Bronze Ore. He put the dark-purple Metal aside, and continued refining.


    1 hour later¡­


    As tedious as the process seemed to be, Shi Feng managed to refine everything. In the end, he obtained multiple stacks of copper and bronze respectively. As for the mysterious dark-purple metal, he obtained a stack of 100.. When he inspected it, he was shocked to find out it was actually a lightning-type metal ore.