Chapter 30: Attributes and Domains

[Eternal Night Camp]

 : How come it's an SS rating?! Can't be real!

 : Huh? What's going on?

 : Just now, a newcomer achieved an SS rating!

 : No way! Who's this amazing?

 : It's that newcomer ranked first, named Zhao Yi. Seems like it's his second time entering the instance!

 : I watched his livestream, he's really awesome, achieving an SS rating is completely normal for him. He's completed all the main quests, side quests, and hidden tasks.

 : Wait, why does his world exploration reach 100, but the plot exploration is only at 60?

 : Because he took a shortcut in the side quests, so strictly speaking, he terminated the instance ahead of schedule.

 : You can do that???

 ...

 After Zhao Yi cleared the instance, his name quickly spread, and the thrilling video clips of the "School of Shadows" dungeon were shared on the Bone Zone forum.

 The views and likes for this video grew exponentially, and Zhao Yi's name began to gain popularity.

 Yang Linlin browsed the posts about Zhao Yi in her guild residence, a bitter smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

 It must be said, the gap between people is quite significant.

 As newcomers in the hellish difficulty instance, Zhao Yi seemed at ease, while she was a complete novice. If they didn't have Zhao Yi as their overpowered teammate, they would most likely face annihilation!

 This stark difference pricked at Yang Linlin's heart, and she silently vowed to become as strong as Zhao Yi.

 ...

 The weary light and shadow.

 Zhao Yi opened his eyes once again, greeted by the familiar desolate world.

 Everything around was shrouded in darkness, with a cold twilight, and only the dilapidated building in the distance had light.

 Arriving at the entrance of the guild residence, Zhao Yi found Liu Ruohqing leaning against the door in a thin silk nightgown, holding a glass of red wine, appearing languid.

 Behind her, a crowd had gathered in the small square, peering at something in the middle.

 "Congratulations on successfully completing the instance, Little Brother Zhao Yi."

 "Your livestream has been seen by your sister, and your performance was excellent!"

 She cast a seductive glance at Zhao Yi, causing some newcomers nearby to gulp involuntarily.

 There was no doubt that Liu Ruohqing's looks, figure, and demeanor held immense allure for men!

 Many of the newcomers who came in were captivated by this alluring enchantress.

 They wanted to conquer her.

 But they knew they were worthless, both in strength and in the guild's power structure, merely minor figures. So they could only sneak a peek at her from behind.

 Seeing her actively throwing flirtatious glances at Zhao Yi, many of them felt envious.

 Zhao Yi offered a completely insincere humble smile and waved his hand, saying:

 "Oh, it's nothing, just a simple instance, anyone can do it."

 Liu Ruohqing gave him a disapproving look.

 This little rascal, such a show-off.

 "By the way, Sister Liu, what's happening over there?"

 "Why are so many people gathered around?"

"Li Ruqing took a sip of red wine, the reddish liquid staining her lips seductively in the moonlight. 'Nothing much, just a person died.' 'Died on a world quest...you'll come to realize that this is common,' she said indifferently. The loss of life seemed to leave her unfeeling; they had seen too much of it. As they grew stronger, their circle of friends dwindled. It was the law of the strong, one that left them with little company. 

She stepped aside for Zhao Yi and made way for him to enter the guild headquarters. He headed to the small courtyard and squeezed through the crowd, where he discovered a grotesque male corpse on the ground. All ten fingers had been cut off, and his body twisted like a pretzel. His limbs were knotted together and stretched several meters apart. It was evident that he did not die from natural causes but from some mysterious force.

Zhao Yi squatted down and turned over the man's head. A creepy and eerie smile adorned the face of the corpse, causing many newcomers nearby to shudder and retreat a few steps. Zhao Yi reached out and pinched various parts of his body, his eyes filled with interest. 'There's a silky wound on his back, and all his bones have been removed without a trace...but what's interesting is that the perpetrator kept all the tissues except the bones...' he paused, his expression serious. Turning to a nearby girl, he asked, 'Do you have any carbonated drinks?' The girl nodded and quickly brought one to him. 'It won't work with just the drink...' Zhao Yi's eyes narrowed. 'Bring me a boiled egg, preferably cooked.' Another person volunteered, and they went to their room to boil an egg and brought it to Zhao Yi. Lately, Li Ruqing seemed curious about what Zhao Yi was up to and walked over to observe intently. 

In front of everyone, Zhao Yi opened the carbonated drink and placed it aside. Then, he skillfully peeled the boiled egg in front of him, making sure there were no shell fragments before...he put it in his mouth! He chewed a few times, then gulped down the carbonated drink! Gurgling sounds echoed as he swallowed the egg, and then he stood up and confidently left.

'Damn...we've been eating potatoes for days in the dungeon, and that stupid Yang Linlin can't even fry them properly, she fried them like an armadillo!' 'Boiled eggs are still the best!' 

Everyone: '...' 

Damn!"

"I thought you were solving the case."

"Oh, it turns out you're just here to mooch off of us?" The crowd sighed in sympathy for Zhao Yi's shamelessness.

Back in his room, Zhao Yi locked the door and opened up his system panel.

...

[Character: Zhao Yi]

[Level: 3]

[Experience: 25/100]

[Items: Liu Laohan's property certificate, Pandora's Box (fake), substitute doll, t-202, Annihilator (shotgun)]

[Health: 20/20]

[Strength: 16]

[Spirit: 101 (100+1)]

[Luck: 0]

[Titles: Dreadful, Sharp-edged, Rule-breaker, Mentor]

[Soul Weapon: Blood-stained scalpel (entanglement)]

[Points: 8000]

[Rating: s+, ss, s]

[Domain: Inactive]

"System, I have some questions."

"Why doesn't my strength increase when I level up?"

Zhao Yi was perplexed by his attributes. Every time he leveled up, only his health increased.

"The player's level only affects the opening of different instances, and does not increase strength. The strength attribute includes a combination of the player's physique, self-healing abilities, combat skills, stamina, and speed. If the player wants to increase their strength, there are three ways: first, complete the big world mission to gain talent points and add them to their attributes; second, open the intermediate mall to exchange bloodlines, ghost body parts, abilities, and martial arts; third, obtain special gifts in the instance, such as the t-202 in your hand."

Zhao Yi suddenly understood that level and strength were not directly proportional.

"What about the domain?"

As he leveled up, Zhao Yi noticed a new field under his character information.

"The domain is a specialization used to enhance a player's upper limit in a certain area. The primary domains include spiritual, firearms, elemental, and physical fitness. Domain levels range from f, e, d, c, b, a, s, to z. More advanced branches can be unlocked after reaching d level."