Chapter 57: Shattering the Entire Province’s Record?!
[The system has assigned you a new fierce beast and loaded the complete adaptation map. Do you accept?]
Wang Chen raised an eyebrow. Why not try? Usually, when leveling up on his own, caution was paramount. But now, in this realm where everything felt real yet pain and death were impossible, how could he not fight with abandon?
[Countdown begins.]
[10, 9, 8, 7...]
Wang Chen gripped Forest Gale, ready and alert.
The moment the timer reached zero, the terrain around Wang Chen changed abruptly!
Where once the ground was smooth, it now lay uneven, jagged rocks scattered everywhere. The cool scent of the woods vanished, replaced by a barren mountainside with molten lava flowing, stiflingly hot. The sky, formerly gentle and cloudless, grew dark as night, illuminated only by the glowing streams of lava.
“So this is the complete adaptation map. What kind of beast will appear here? Let’s start by eliminating anything that likes fire.”
Unhurried, Wang Chen scanned the area for signs of the beast.
Suddenly, from the lava at his left, a crimson figure leaped forth, a wave of intense heat rushing toward him!
Wang Chen darted back, widening the gap between himself and the fiery form.
Now he could see the beast clearly. It was humanoid in outline, molten lava streaming slowly over its body. It bore a humanlike face, but lacked eyes, nose, or ears. Instead, flames flickered and black smoke spewed from hollow cavities.
[Flame Rock Fiend, level 20]
[Skill One: Flame Shot. The Flame Rock Fiend spews a jet of fire from its mouth, drawn from deep within, at extremely high temperatures.]
[Skill Two: Fiery Shade. The Fiend manipulates the lava coating its body to create an aggressive flame sprite, which automatically targets the creature with the lowest body temperature in the current combat environment.]
“Oh, this one’s tough. Fire Demon God, huh?”
Wang Chen swung Forest Gale, its tip flaring with a light sheen.
“Power of Swiftness!”
A ripple of distorted air flickered around his body.
Suddenly he felt much lighter.
“Let’s boost my speed first, then strike and dodge to probe its strength.”
He thought to himself.
But then he slapped his forehead, realizing he was falling back into his careful habits. Even in this illusion, he acted as if he were in a real secret realm, farming monsters.
Well, so be it. Might as well play along.
The Flame Rock Fiend gave a thunderous roar, like a fire ignited with oxygen. The flames streaming over its surface exploded in brightness!
It opened its lava-filled mouth, spewing thick smoke. A massive blaze shot out!
“Damn! Fire Demon God’s breath is something else. Who’d want to be hit by your Flame Shot?”
Wang Chen, light on his feet, dodged swiftly.
Landing, he confirmed his target with a quick glance, barely turning his body, and hooked Forest Gale. A heavy wave of light surged toward the ground.
The light flowed rapidly beneath the earth, reaching the Fiend’s feet and erupting!
“Hand of Stone!”
The ground cracked; the soft topsoil was pushed aside as the hard rock beneath bulged upward. In the blink of an eye, a giant hand formed, grasping the Flame Rock Fiend firmly!
Its flame-spewing mouth was clamped shut, instantly silenced.
“First time using this skill—works well enough,” Wang Chen mused.
His hands were busy, Forest Gale’s tip steaming as he prepared a second skill.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred!
The massive stone hand’s shell began to glow with a fiery red spot beneath the tough rock. The spot grew brighter, eventually burning through the stone, melting it into streams like molten iron.
The Flame Rock Fiend broke free from the stone hand’s grip, its blazing form surging with light, roaring furiously at Wang Chen!
The lava flowing over its body transformed into sparks, hovering above and merging into what appeared to be a fiery sprite—a double of itself.
The moment the flame sprite took shape, its blazing eyes fixed on Wang Chen, hurtling down from above!
Wang Chen’s skill, prepared for some time, was ready.
“Totem of Nature!”
A massive column of water coiled from Forest Gale’s tip, barricading Wang Chen from the flame sprite.
The sprite’s scorching aura met the water column, instantly releasing thick steam!
Driven by the hot air, the dense mist rushed toward Wang Chen’s face, burningly oppressive!
“At this rate, even if I don’t get burned, I’ll be steamed alive. I need a solution.”
Wang Chen grimaced, teeth gritted against the heat.
“Though the flame sprite is formidable, it’s merely an extension of your skill. Which means—it's your weakness!”
He shouted,
“Traitor, reverse this skill for me!”
[Reversal effect activated. Please check for yourself. Reversing again will restore the original effect!]
Whoosh!
The flame sprite, once blazing brightly, suddenly twisted. Its burning fire abruptly extinguished, as if doused by the water column.
The Flame Rock Fiend, preparing to ambush, was baffled!
It couldn’t fathom how its powerful skill could be snuffed out so easily by water.
But it would soon learn—the sprite wasn’t extinguished, but reversed!
From the water column, a figure burst forth, similar in shape to the flame sprite but composed entirely of clear water.
Its watery eyes scanned the arena, instantly selecting the Flame Rock Fiend as its target, shooting down from the air!
Caught off guard, the Fiend was struck by the attack!
The sprite’s water evaporated into mist under the fire, and the Fiend’s lava hardened into black-gray rock upon contact with the cool water.
Like twin rivals entwined in mutual destruction, the two drained each other’s vitality!
Wang Chen smiled slightly, guiding the water column toward the Fiend’s back.
Caught in a pincer movement, the Fiend roared in anger, but between the twin veils of water, its momentum faded, its cries bubbling like a boiling kettle.
Soon, the flames within the water curtain faded away, the water sprite dissipated into mist, and Wang Chen withdrew the column.
He beheld the transformed Fiend: once fierce and terrifying, now a statue of black-gray stone blocks, its mouth frozen with a half-formed burst of flame, lifelike in its stillness.
“Thus, art is born.”
Wang Chen laughed, manipulating the broken Hand of Stone nearby to crush the statue into dust.
[Successfully killed Flame Rock Fiend]
[Clear time: Seven minutes, twenty-one seconds]
...
“No, no, impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
Old Zhang, at his computer, stared at the numbers on the screen in disbelief.
“The Silver Peak instance, with full adaptation map loaded, cleared in seven minutes and twenty-one seconds!”
Old Li murmured.
“Yes. If nothing went wrong, this person has broken the record—across the entire Su Province.”
Still stunned, Old Zhang spoke weakly, unable to believe what he saw.