ATPnovel Chapter 9: Advancement to 3 Stars
Chapter 9: Advancement to 3 Stars
"Roar...roar..."
Light surged, and Hellroar let out a suppressed growl, its voice even carrying a human-like ferocity.
His muscles swelled up again, and he grew to over 1.7 meters tall.
Even more astonishingly, the equipment he was wearing had changed.
The stone axe in his hand gradually turned into a black iron axe.
A pair of animal hide shoulder armor appeared out of thin air on his shoulders, with several fangs of ferocious beasts hanging on it, making him look very imposing.
[Advanced Successfully! 'Hellroar's' potential has been increased to Normal ★★★!]
[Attribute boosts gained from this evolution: Strength +6, Spirit +4, Agility +7, Constitution +5]
[Weapon: 'Rough Stone Axe (White)' → 'Orc Iron Axe (Green)']
[Awakening Skill: Swift Step]
...
"Advancing not only improves equipment quality, but it also awakens a new skill!"
Shen Xing's eyes lit up, and he quickly checked the detailed description of the new skill.
【Swift Step: When activated, immediately increases movement speed by 50% and guarantees a critical hit on the next attack.】
Lasts 12 seconds, cooldown 75 seconds.
...
"Very powerful. Hellscream's speed is already astonishing; if he activates [Swift Step], wouldn't he be able to fly?"
Shen Xing was satisfied, then looked at the green-skinned hulking man beside him: "Same as always, show your strength."
"Yes... Boss!"
Hellscream's responses seemed smoother and his movements more agile than before.
He gripped the iron axe in his hand and strode with his strong legs to the black boulder.
The arm muscles bulged high, and the veins protruded, resembling earthworms crawling under the skin.
He raised the stone axe and, with the force of splitting gold and shattering rocks, brought it down fiercely!
"Clang—"
A piercing metallic clang rang out.
The moment the iron axe cleaved into the stone, sparks flew and stone chips scattered everywhere.
When Hellscream sheathed his weapon, a crack appeared on the surface of the several-hundred-pound boulder.
With a loud crash, the entire boulder split open on the spot!
Shen Xing's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he read this, his heart filled with joy.
Compared to its two-star level, Hellroar's strength has once again undergone a qualitative leap.
It's no exaggeration to say that he can now easily take on seven or eight one-star orc infantrymen of the same rank.
With everything ready, we can now officially begin our exploration.
"Line up!"
At Shen Xing's command, ten green-skinned orcs, carrying stone axes, came running over eagerly.
"Now split into five teams of five. Leave five orcs in the camp to guard it. Hellscream, you take the other four orcs and come with me."
He quickly issued the order, and the orcs, with their not-so-bright brains, processed it for a few seconds before splitting into two teams.
The four orcs chosen to follow were clearly more excited than those who stayed behind, and were already eager to try!
At the village entrance, Hellscream and three other orcs stood at the forefront.
As for why there are four, it's because Shen Xing called over another one specifically to push the wheelchair.
After all, this journey takes nearly an hour and a half. If you push it by hand, your hands will get blistered and you'll slow down the team.
"call…"
The lantern was lit, and its orange-red light spread, instantly illuminating an area of ten meters around it.
The gray mist touched by the light retreated in unison, like hair that had been scalded, forming a wall of mist around the edge of the light.
Looking at the swirling thick fog before me, it felt as if I were in the deep sea, giving me a sense of suffocation.
He waved his hand, and the team slowly stepped into the mist.
[You have left the territory. Please note the remaining burning time of the lantern...]
The thick fog dissipated instantly under the light of the lantern, revealing the surrounding terrain.
Just like inside the village, the land outside was pure black, as if it had been scorched by a spreading wildfire.
As we continued forward, we occasionally saw a few scattered withered trees and some strangely shaped, jagged rocks on the edge of our field of vision.
Everything was dilapidated.
"This world is truly desolate."
Shen Xing sighed and continued forward, carrying the lantern.
Four green-skinned orcs walked along the edge of the lamplight, maintaining a leisurely pace as they slowly advanced.
"Rustle... rustle..."
A faint scraping sound came from the mist, accompanied by that familiar, chilling aura.
In the firelight, long, slender figures, their bodies entirely black, gathered from all directions.
There were a total of 16 Lost Ones, even more than the number of the first wave of attacks on the village.
This time, however, he only had five orc infantrymen, putting him at a numerical disadvantage.
However, compared to the first wave of battle, the orc infantry were much stronger.
"Hmm..."
A lost creature leaped out of the thick fog, its charred claws outstretched, ready to drag the orcish infantryman into the mist.
But what it met was the iron axe of Hellroar.
"puff!"
The iron axe slammed down on its charred body, leaving a deep, bone-revealing gash.
That wasn't all. Hellscream stretched out his fan-like hand, grabbed his head, and squeezed it so hard that it twisted and deformed!
"Click—click—"
A series of chilling sounds rang out, and its head was crushed!
Immediately afterwards, he used his legs to propel himself forward and lunged at the second Lost One.
"call……"
A wisp of blue energy swirled between his legs, and his speed increased dramatically once again.
—Swift Step!
With the aid of skills, it approaches the target at a terrifying speed of nearly fifty meters per second!
The axe blade, swirling with azure energy, slashed diagonally down from the Lost One's shoulder, piercing through his entire chest cavity and cleaving him in two.
Crit!
Shen Xing watched the battle from his wheelchair, secretly alarmed.
Hellscream, now at three stars, has already begun to demonstrate the ferocity of the orcs.
"You guys go too."
At Shen Xing's command, the other four level 2 orc infantry immediately picked up stone axes and began hacking wildly at the nearby lost ones.
Despite being outnumbered, with Grom Hellscream as a killing machine, there's basically no suspense.
After several rounds, the sixteen Lost Ones were cut down to pieces, while the Orc infantry only suffered minor injuries.
Just as Hellscream was about to slay the last monster, the mist behind him suddenly surged.
"Whoosh..."
A much larger, darker shadow burst out of the thick fog at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary lost souls!
This monster was nearly two meters tall and had an imposing presence; it was exactly the same as the Lost One we encountered at Chuanxiang Pavilion.
Its target was clear: it pounced directly on Shen Xing, who was carrying the lantern in the center.
Due to the dispersed forces, even the fastest Garrosh Hellscream was unable to return to defend in time.
The Lost Ones
[Level: 3]
[Potential: Average ★★★]
[Attributes: Strength 15, Spirit 16, Agility 14, Constitution 14]
[Skill: Gray Mist Strike (Emerges from the mist, increasing own movement speed by 50%. The next attack will inflict the 'Tear' effect on the enemy.)]
[Talent: None]
【Bond - Lost One (Activated)】
...
"A level 3, three-star Lost One—so that's how Lu Xiang was ambushed and killed?"
Shen Xing thought to himself that the monsters in this world were truly cunning; they all loved to deceive and ambush.
As the enemy drew near, he raised his right hand, his five fingers loosely clenched.
An invisible spiritual hand materialized out of thin air and slammed forward.
"Bang!"
The black image crashed head-on into a transparent wall, its form momentarily halted by the [Hand of the Void], causing it to stagger back several steps.
"Chop it down!"
As soon as Shen Xing finished speaking, Hellroar charged forward, furiously slamming his sword into the back of the Lost One.
The other orcs swarmed forward, and stone axes rained down upon them.
Before long, they had chopped the lost creature into minced meat.
"Clean up the battlefield."
Shen Xing gave the order, and the orcs scattered and began searching the corpses of the lost.
He glanced down at the kerosene lamp.
One-fifth of the dark red lamp oil inside has already burned off, which translates to about an hour of exploration time.
Two minutes later, Hellscream returned with the orcs who had finished looting, carrying a pile of shiny things in his hands.
[Received: Soul Stones * 8]
[Received: 18 Vinar Silver Coins]
[Received: 12 Broken Souls]
[Obtained: 1 Complete Dim Soul]
...
A complete soul was extracted from that three-star Lost One, a considerable gain.
In this way, there is a high probability that the other orc infantry will be promoted to two stars.
"keep going."
Under his command, Grom Hellscream led the charge, with three orcs guarding him on all sides.
Another orc awkwardly pushed the wheelchair, following behind Shen Xing.
Their small exploration team moved slowly through the fog, like a submarine in the deep sea.
As Shen Xing walked, he observed the surrounding terrain.
This place appears to be a wasteland, with only black earth and scattered plants, and occasionally the ruins of some buildings can be seen.
It looks like some camps and small settlements.
There were no roads in the entire wasteland, only potholes, ditches, and gravel everywhere, causing the wheelchair to bounce up and down as it rolled over them.
Shen Xing was nearly thrown off several times; his butt felt like it was going to fall apart.
He simply had an orc lift him up, place him on his shoulders, and hold onto the sides of the wheelchair with both hands.
Anyway, Shen Xing isn't heavy; he probably weighs only about 150 pounds, including his wheelchair.
With the physical abilities of these level 2 orcs, they should be able to hold out for a while without any problem.
The height suddenly increased by nearly two meters, and the field of vision instantly became much wider.
To be honest, although being carried by an orc was a bit comical, it was actually quite comfortable, and walking wasn't bumpy anymore.
Shen Xing lay half-reclined in his wheelchair, looking down at the team with a cheerful expression.
The small map in the upper left corner was shrouded in fog, with a crooked line in the middle, which was the route they had taken.
In addition, you can see a cluster of yellow dots in the center of the map, which is the location of the camp.
"Boss... has... made a discovery."
The first of the three, Hellroar, suddenly stopped and pointed his iron axe forward.
Shen Xing looked in the direction he pointed.
A stone building could be vaguely seen in the swirling fog.
It was a diamond-shaped spire about three meters high, seemingly made of black crystal, with ancient patterns on its surface.
The Black Crystal Tower (now extinguished)
[Effect: It can be relit by touching the lantern, and it periodically produces 'Black Crystals' for the territory]
[Efficiency: 5 hours/1 unit of black crystal]
...