Tower of Truth, private space.
Mike handed the Heart of the Ocean to Cetus for safekeeping.
Master Fool was still busy forging, with the re-forging of the Force of Nature in its final stages.
Whether it would succeed, Mike had no idea.
This was something that couldn’t be exploited with a bug.
The entire output of the private space had recently been dedicated to forging the SSS-grade equipment.
Even though some by-products could be sold for money, the proceeds were used to buy new materials!
Despite this, money was still tight, and Mike even had to dip into his own pockets to cover the costs.
“Short on cash, so stressful…”
Mike looked at his remaining tens of thousands of Lord merits, feeling the anxiety of poverty.
If only someone could give him a million Lord merits, how great that would be!
But that was just wishful thinking.
Mike took a tour of his territory.
The entire private space was brimming with vitality, a sense of growth and prosperity.
Mike was very satisfied. Seeing Rolling, they chatted for a bit.
“I need a slope.”
Rolling explained, “Every now and then, I need to go up and down a slope, but I can manage on my own.”
Mike: “That’s quite convenient.”
Creating a slope was simple. Mike casually made a ramp with handrails and steps for Rolling.
After walking up the slope, Rolling rolled back down.
He returned to Mike and bowed again, “I have a blessing to offer, if I may have the honor to give it to you.”
“You’re too kind. Since you’re here, let’s see it!”
[Rolling’s Blessing]: +9% gold earned from kills/rewards within the Tower of Truth
Duration: 24 hours
Mike accepted the blessing without hesitation, enthusiastically patting Rolling on the shoulder, “Well done! From today, you’re my best brother!”
Rolling was a bit confused.
He had only made a small contribution.
Why did Thor seem so happy?
Honestly.
For someone as wealthy and powerful as Mike, did 9% more gold really matter? Yes!
Even 0.1% mattered!
Rolling would never understand how important a small blessing was to Mike.
After inspecting his private space, Mike opened his attribute panel:
ID: Thor
Talent: Eye of Truth (SSS-grade)
Level: 300
Job: Stormwalker Magus (Lightning-Wind-Fire-Nature) SSS-grade
Second Job: Tidewalker Magus (Shadow Water) SSS-grade
HP: 7,134,600/7,134,600
MP: 14,458,600/14,458,600
Strength: 81,627 (+15,647)
Intelligence: 145,716 (+12,679)
Spirit: 133,591 (+11,067)
Agility: 62,889 (+12,006)
Constitution: 56,791 (+12,684)
Luck: 17
Equipment: Nightmare’s Breeze, Thunderclap Hammer, etc.
Skills: Mirror Shadow-Kill, etc.
Status: Blessing of Thor’s Sea, Sea God’s Curse, etc.
Besides the usual S-grade equipment, Mike had also eyed an SS-grade shield at the Mystic Market, level 300.
He finally spent 2000 Lord merits to buy it! However, it would take another two hours to
arrive.
“Let me think, what else can I strengthen?”
Mike was preparing for the upcoming battle.
Doing everything possible to make himself stronger!
Once he killed Calderon’s false body, the true Calderon, at his peak strength, would undoubtedly initiate his own plan!
At that point, it would truly be a case of a domino effect!
Mike needed to elevate all his combat capabilities to the maximum to have a chance to participate in the game. Otherwise, he would remain an outsider.
“Vladimir, come here.”
Mike waved, summoning the vampire again.
“Honorable master, what are your orders?”
Vladimir could tell that Thor was in an exceptionally good mood. Maybe something good was
about to happen!
Mike inquired, “How’s that vampire in the dungeon?”
Last time, during his fight with the All-American Boy Calderon, Mike had thrown a nine-tier
prince vampire as a projectile to force Calderon to use armor.
Mentioning that vampire made Vladimir’s neck feel cold, his mental state deteriorating.
The nine-tier prince, even after revival, continued to wail incessantly.
The sound was so pitiful that Vladimir felt it deeply.
“He… revived after being killed, but his realm has dropped significantly. He probably can’t maintain the nine-tier prince level.”
Vladimir said seriously, “But there’s a silver lining. Being shattered by that punch reduced the River of Blood’s corruption on him. In no time, his sanity should recover somewhat.”
Vladimir knew what Thor was concerned about and added, “In the short term, he won’t cause any trouble. The dungeon is enough to hold him.”
“Good.” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
With Vladimir’s assurance, Mike nodded slightly, “This time, I need you to protect someone.
Be mentally prepared.”
Mike instructed, “Even if you die, you must ensure their safety. Understood?”
Vladimir: …
“Once the task is complete, I will allow you to return to prince level.”
Vladimir: “I guarantee the task will be completed!”
With prince-level blood, Vladimir feared nothing!
Having set up one trump card, Mike still felt uneasy.
“Tripod!”
The revived Cerberus appeared before Mike.
“Meow-”
Some beings change the entire world’s atmosphere just by showing up.
“River Styx, here we go-”
Mike took out the previously sealed vial, placing Nightmare’s Breeze on the ground, speaking
in a negotiating tone,
“Drink?”
Nightmare’s Breeze swirled around the vial’s opening, showing some disdain.
Even the dog shook its head.
“Drink!”
The first time was a suggestion, the second was a notification.
Mike used both soft and hard tactics, persuading, “Drink this River Styx water, and you’ll
soon be reborn!”
This River Styx water was hard to come by and very precious.
With good materials, Mike always let Nightmare’s Breeze have them first!
Strictly speaking, Mike’s words weren’t wrong.
Under Mike’s urging, Cerberus’s Phantom reluctantly approached the vial and gulped down
the River Styx water.
After drinking, Cerberus’s Phantom took a few steps, its body swaying.
Then, all three heads collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Mike frowned, puzzled.
“Did it drink fake alcohol?”
Mike shook his head, looking at the Cerberus lying like a dead dog.
Cerberus wouldn’t be reliable for a while.
Mike glanced at the time; it was only 6:08 AM.
“Two more minutes, gotta rush to the Wolf’s Den!”
At his fastest speed, Mike left the private space and arrived at the Core City of Truth, dashing
into the Wolf’s Den.
“Yasuo’s here!”
Even wearing a mask, Mike was clearly the center of attention.
Nyx Valoria took out a storage ring she had prepared in advance and said calmly, “The food
for the dwarves, vampires, werewolves, and miners for the next half month is all here, made
to the highest standard according to your menu.”
“How could I refuse?” Mike took the storage ring and downed the beer in front of him.
Before he could say another word, time was up, and he was forcibly ejected from the Tower of
Truth.
Mike still held the empty beer glass from the Wolf’s Den as he appeared in his dorm room.
“Good morning, Shadow Nine.”
Mike looked down at his shadow, greeting Shadow Nine.
“You smell like you’ve been drinking Calderon’s tea.” Shadow Nine sneered, “You went to the fourteenth floor, didn’t you?”
“You could’ve warned me, knowing Calderon’s true body was waiting for me.”
Mike rolled his eyes, complaining, “If I’d known I’d get beaten up, I wouldn’t have gone!”
“Heh heh heh-”
Clearly, Shadow Nine had anticipated Mike’s visit to the fourteenth floor and deliberately didn’t warn him. Shadow Nine’s only regret might be not recording Thor getting beaten up.
Mike quickly changed the subject, “Shadow Nine, interested in some new gossip about
Morpheus?”
“What scheme are you up to now?”
Shadow Nine was wary, not falling for it immediately.
“Come on, what bad intentions could I have!”
Mike took out a camcorder and placed it on the table, “This one’s on the house!”
Something unusual was definitely up.
Shadow Nine was silent for a moment, then suddenly said,
“Did Calderon knock some sense out of you?”
“Just say if you want it or not.”
Mike originally planned to shout this at Shadow Nine.
But Shadow Nine’s blade was too fast, so the words turned into, “Please accept my heartfelt
gift!” Shadow Nine hesitated for a moment, then black mist rose from the ground, and a withered hand reached for the camcorder.
Mike glanced at the hand nonchalantly, maintaining a calm expression.
In reality, Mike was screaming internally:
“Overload Mode! Overload Mode!”
[Overload Mode, activated!]
After the second awakening, the Eye of Truth gained a new ability called Overload Mode!
In Overload Mode, Mike could analyze information about entities from level 990 to 999!
Cooldown time: 24 hours!
Upon returning to reality, Mike immediately used it to decipher Shadow Nine’s information.
But the Eye of Truth informed him that black mist was blocking the analysis.
Mike had no choice but to throw out bait to lure Shadow Nine.
“Gotcha!”
The hand leaving the black mist became the key for the Eye of Truth to crack the information!
[Deciphering complete!]
Seeing those words, Mike shuddered with excitement, nearly shouting out loud!
[Target level: 999, Name: Shadow Nine]
The smile on Mike’s face froze.
He fell silent.
Did I really need you to tell me Shadow Nine’s name is Shadow Nine?
[This is an official certification from an SSS-grade talent!] Mike resisted the urge to punch the Eye of Truth, waiting silently.
In another 24 hours, he could continue deciphering Shadow Nine’s information.
At least, through the Eye of Truth, Mike confirmed one thing: Shadow Nine was indeed level
999.
But at the same time, a doubt lingered in Mike’s mind.
Calderon was only level 995; how could he contend with Shadow Nine?
From what Mike knew about Calderon, he was infamous for bullying the weak and fearing the
strong. Against any weaker opponent, Calderon would strike with full force. But when facing a stronger opponent, he would behave very submissively. Judging by Calderon’s attitude towards Shadow Nine,
Calderon was very dissatisfied and wanted to fight Shadow Nine to settle the score.
On the other hand, Shadow Nine hadn’t actively sought a fight.
Uh…
Could it be that Shadow Nine was scared?