11-Preparing to Leave the City!
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Su Mo stashed his rewards, slung his Guandao over his back, and reappeared in the Instance Hall.
Right as he exited the instance, he spotted Zhang Chen casually walking past him.
As a silver-tier guardian of the Trial Hall, Su Mo didn't buy for a second that this guy just happened to be diligently stationed at the instance exit.
Clearly, he was waiting for him.
But with his strength now at 125, Su Mo had no fear of him.
Sure, some silver-tier powerhouses might have single stats over 200—or even 500 or 600 at their peak.
But when Su Mo's strength was just 65, one slash had already broken Zhang Chen's defenses.
So Su Mo was certain: this guy was early silver-tier at best, no higher than level 43, with a defense stat below 60.
Maybe he was a high-burst profession, but what good was burst damage against Su Mo's invincible defense?
You could punch a hole in the sky, and he'd still be unscathed.
But if he landed a punch on you? Speed wouldn't save you—he could miss a thousand times, but one hit from him would leave you crippled.
Zhang Chen, though, just gave him a glance and walked off.
Su Mo knew this guy wouldn't dare make a move in the Instance Hall.
One thing was clear, though: Zhang Chen's fixation on him wasn't for anything good.
Sooner or later, they'd clash!
And that Zhang Qi who'd tried recruiting him earlier—both surnamed Zhang. Probably related.
Maybe Zhang Chen had attacked him because he'd sent Zhang Qi flying with a kick.
Whatever. Su Mo didn't care.
Leaving the Instance Hall and crossing the school plaza, students kept pointing and whispering about him.
Not long ago, his portrait had been posted on the school's leaderboard.
Awakened for three days, soloed the Goblin instance, and defeated the Goblin King—news like that had sparked endless chatter the moment it dropped.
Countless underclassmen wanted to approach him for autographs or photos, but they hesitated when they saw the massive Guandao on his back.
Su Mo ignored them, heading straight for Teacher Wang's office.
With six days left until the exams, most students eligible to awaken had already done so, meaning Wang Defa no longer had classes to teach.
**[Knock, knock, knock]**
"Come in!"
Wang Defa's deep voice boomed from inside.
Su Mo pushed the door open. The stern-faced Wang Defa broke into a warm smile the instant he saw him.
"Xiao Mo, back again? Didn't I give you your weapon this morning? Oh, are you here to take back those Goblin King rewards?
I confiscated them in front of all those teachers, but if you want them back, it's not a big deal—just keep it low-key so the others don't notice."
*Erm…*
Su Mo really wanted to say, "Old Wang, as a teacher, don't you have any principles?"
But he kept that to himself, straightening up instead. "Teacher, here's the thing—I've hit level 5. I want to leave the city. Can you write me a permit?"
Wang's eyes widened briefly before calming as realization hit.
Fair enough. If he could solo the Goblin instance yesterday, hitting level 5 today after another run wasn't surprising.
Why hadn't other students leveled up yet? Simple.
They didn't have Su Mo's ability to solo instances. Their experience was split among teams.
And without taking down the Goblin King, they earned even less.
Right now, aside from Su Mo, the top students in the school were only level 3 at best.
"Sure, a permit's no problem. But it's dangerous out there. If you're looking for instances, you're better off sticking to the city's Trial Hall."
Su Mo considered it. The cheapest level 5 instance in the city's Trial Hall cost 10,000 yuan per entry. He wasn't about to waste that kind of cash, so he shook his head firmly.
Wang didn't press further. Grabbing a pen and paper from his desk, he scribbled out the permit and handed it to Su Mo.
"By the way, what'd you get from soloing the Goblin instance again just now?"
Wang's casual question instantly reminded Su Mo of those two infuriating rewards, and his face scrunched up.
Seeing Su Mo's expression, Wang Defa's curiosity spiked.
"Spill it, spill it! It's been years since anyone soloed the Goblin instance. You can't enter it after level 10, or I'd go farm it myself!"
Su Mo grimaced, pulling out the scroll. Before he could speak, Wang cut in excitedly,
"A skill scroll! Awesome—uh… wait, what the heck is this trash skill?! How'd you get something this lousy?!"
Su Mo handed over the scroll. "Teacher, how much do you think this skill scroll could sell for?"
Wang fell silent.
If it were even a mildly useful skill scroll, he'd confidently price it at 100,000 or more.
But this thing? It had a value—lowest-tier scrolls started at 30,000.
But who'd buy it?!
Nobody's money grew on trees. Who'd waste cash on a skill that was all downsides and no upsides?
Wang blinked, handing the scroll back. "Maybe take it to the market and poke around. I can't really price this thing.
If all else fails, keep it as a memento. It's your first skill scroll, after all—might be a cool memory when you're old."
Su Mo was speechless. He was a guy in his 20s, and you're telling him to save it for old-age nostalgia?!
He wanted to retort but held back, pulling out the other item—[Goblin King's Bracers]—and passing it to Wang.
Wang didn't take it, just glanced at it casually. "This one's worth something. Should sell for 30,000, no problem. Decent market for it—should move fast."
Su Mo nodded, thanked him, and left the school with the permit in hand.
This time, his destination was the Great Xia Trading House—the nation's biggest hub for superhuman transactions. First, he'd offload the bracers.
Then, he'd see if he could unload that cursed skill scroll too, and pick up some supplies while he was at it. He was heading out of the city soon, after all.
…
"Hello, sir! How can I assist you today?" A sweet-looking young woman at the Great Xia Trading House counter smiled at Su Mo.
He placed the [Goblin King's Bracers] and [Trajectory Shift Left Skill Scroll] on the counter. "Can you tell me how much these are worth?"
The moment she saw the skill scroll, a flicker of seriousness crossed her face. Clearly, skill scrolls were still a rare find.
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