Chapter 50: Massive Improvement

Across the wilderness, two figures moved one after the other, at a steady and unhurried pace.

Zhou Huai controlled Yasuo like a cold-hearted hunter, turning the scattered exotic beasts encountered along the way entirely into ghosts under his sword.

As for Gandalf, he was like a silent shadow, quietly following behind and sharing a steady stream of experience points.

When a swamp filled with dark green miasma appeared at the end of their vision, a brilliant upgrading golden light suddenly surged from Yasuo's body.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Clone 'Yasuo' has increased to Rank LV15!]

With a thought in Zhou Huai's mind, he immediately took out that set of brand-new equipment from the space ring given by Ou Yezi.

[Wild Set]!

Bracers, longsword, leather armor, battle boots, trousers.

The five components flickered with either deep or dazzling light.

Yasuo put them on one by one.

In an instant, an uninhibited aura gushed out from within his body.

Especially the [Wild Wanderer's Longsword] and [Wild Wanderer's Cuirass], which bloomed with dazzling purple splendor, with starlight flowing across them—they were unexpectedly of Epic quality!

Although it was only a one-star Epic, the attributes had already doubled.

In Zhou Huai's consciousness, a brand-new panel slowly unfolded.

[Clone Panel (Yasuo)]

[Profession: Unique Hidden Profession, S-Class Thunder Sword Master]

[Rank: LV15 (0 / 20000)]

[HP: 3820 / 3820]

[Mana: 2050 / 2050]

[Strength: 321]

[Agility: 654 (+ 205)]

[Stamina: 356]

[Mental: 288]

[Attack Power: 1079]

[Physical Defense: 556]

[Magic Resistance: 305]

"These attributes…" Zhou Huai gasped.

Attack power broke a thousand! Agility was even approaching the nine-hundred mark!

How was this like a level 15 Professional?

If someone said he was a top-tier level 30 assassin, people would probably believe it!

What surprised him even more was that along with the increase in Rank, Yasuo had once again comprehended a brand-new skill.

[Skill 4 (Active / Passive): Thunder Blink Seal LV1]

[Passive: Each of your attacks will attach a layer of [Thunder Mark] to the target, lasting for 10 minutes. The same target can stack up to five layers. When the marks stack to five layers, they will instantly detonate, dealing 200% attack power of lightning damage to the target and adding a 1-second [Paralysis] effect.]

[Active: Consume 100 points of mana to instantly teleport to the side of any target with a [Thunder Mark] within a 100-meter range. Cooldown: 5 seconds.]

"Insane!"

Zhou Huai couldn't help exclaiming in his heart.

Displacement! Burst! Control!

This skill simply raised the mobility and assassination ability of the Thunder Sword Master to an unimaginable height.

If he were to face trash like Zhao Tianming and Zhao Tianqi now,

Zhou Huai had absolute confidence that within ten seconds, he could easily slash them down under his sword!

At the same time, Gandalf, who had been following behind leeching experience, also quietly rose to level 5.

[Clone Panel (Gandalf)]

[Profession: Unique Hidden Profession, SS-Class Forbidden Spell Master]

[Rank: LV5 (0 / 2500)]

[HP: 1100 / 1100]

[Mana: 3200 / 3200]

[Strength: 189]

[Agility: 160]

[Stamina: 218]

[Mental Energy: 588]

[Magic Damage: 679]

[Physical Defense: 101]

[Magic Resistance: 327]

Similarly, he also comprehended a new skill at level 5.

[Forbidden Spell: Thousand Mile Ice Seal LV1]: Channels the power of extreme cold, instantly freezing a large area ahead, dealing massive frost damage to all enemies within the area, applying the [Deep Freeze] effect (greatly reducing movement speed and attack speed), and having a probability of directly freezing the target. Cooldown: 90 seconds.

Another outrageously powerful forbidden spell.

A fire that destroyed the heavens and extinguished the earth.

Ice that froze all things.

Zhou Huai even felt that as the Rank increased, Gandalf's growth potential was even more terrifying than Yasuo's.

Calming down his excited emotions, the two had already arrived at the entrance of the Shadow Swamp Demon Cave.

Unlike the bustling Clear Water Lake, this place appeared somewhat desolate.

Only a sparse few teams were resting near the entrance.

As soon as the two approached, a skinny youth greeted them with a passionate face.

"Two brothers, it looks like you are coming to the Shadow Swamp Demon Cave for the first time, right?"

"Interested in forming a party to clear the normal difficulty together?"

"Our team has a professional healer and a violent fire mage; the output is definitely enough!"

Zhou Huai controlled Yasuo, only glancing at him indifferently, and prepared to bypass him.

Seeing this, the youth quickly followed again, his tone even more earnest.

"Brother, don't rush to leave! Think about it again?"

"Our team composition is really good, we just lack two strong damage dealers!"

Zhou Huai remained unmoved and shook his head.

The youth seemed anxious, gritted his teeth, and lowered his voice: "How about this! As long as you are willing to come, we will pay the entrance fee for you!"

"This is already my greatest sincerity! If I couldn't find a suitable teammate, I wouldn't be begging people so shamelessly!"

Zhou Huai finally stopped his footsteps.

He controlled Yasuo, turned his head, a trace of doubt in his tone.

"Entrance fee?"

"What do you mean?"

In his memory, wilderness dungeons were all randomly formed; since when did they require fees?

The youth was stunned, then understood.

"It looks like the two brothers are really here for the first time."

Zhou Huai nodded.

The youth leaned closer, his voice extremely low, as if telling some earth-shattering secret.

"Brother, then it's normal that you don't know."

"Right now around Donghai City, many lucrative wilderness dungeons have been monopolized by those large guilds."

"Want to enter the dungeon? Sure, bring money!"

"Otherwise, there's not even a door!"

He pointed at the cave entrance emitting an ominous aura not far away.

"This Shadow Swamp Demon Cave is currently occupied by the Sword of Azure Sky guild."

"Want to enter the normal difficulty? One person, one thousand Daxia Coin."

"And this is just the cheapest."

"The higher the difficulty, the more expensive the fee! If you want to go to the Calamity difficulty, not only do you have to pay, but when you come out, you also have to let them take a portion of the Materials from your harvest!"

Zhou Huai raised his eyebrows slightly.

"The guild is so overbearing, you guys don't resist?"

Hearing this, the youth cast a look as if looking at a fool.

"Resist?"

"Brother, what kind of joke are you making?"

"How to resist? Use your head to hard-collide with a guild?"

"The Sword of Azure Sky is a top-tier large guild in Donghai City, backed by the Sun family. How could small fries like us dare to offend them?"

He sighed, his tone full of helplessness.

"This is already considered good; those level twenty or thirty dungeons are completely monopolized by large guilds, leaving not even the chance to pay money to enter the dungeon."

"Moreover, this has long become an unwritten rule."

"The City Lord's Mansion of Donghai City simply doesn't care about this matter."

"In the past, there were also stubborn ones who went to the City Lord's Mansion to complain. Guess what happened?"

"They were directly thrown into the dungeon, and haven't been released until now!"

After listening, Zhou Huai sneered in his heart.

Outside the city was truly a lawless land.

These top-tier guilds had all turned into bandits one by one.

Not only seizing resources, but also sucking the blood of ordinary Professionals.

Others might be afraid, but Zhou Huai was not afraid.

"Thank you for your kind reminder."

Zhou Huai controlled Yasuo and said to the youth.

"But we are still used to being two people."

After speaking, he no longer paid attention to the disappointed youth and led Gandalf straight towards the dungeon entrance.

Sure enough.

Before they even got close, more than a dozen figures swarmed up, blocking the path tightly.

These people all had fierce auras, exquisite equipment, and wore a badge on their chests depicting a sharp sword piercing the azure sky.

The leader was a bald, burly man carrying a huge battle axe, looking up and down at Yasuo and Gandalf.

His bronze-bell-like eyes were filled with undisguised arrogance and contempt.

"Newcomers?"

The burly man knocked on the ground with the handle of his battle axe, producing a muffled sound.

"Do you understand the rules here?"

"Speak, which difficulty are you planning to go to?"

Zhou Huai controlled Yasuo without even lifting his eyelids, just calmly spitting out a few words.

"Is it any of your business?"