Death Notice

“You seem very confident!” Qin Lun held his arm and laughed.

Novice Apostles were different from High-Rank Apostles. High-Rank Apostles had thick blood and high defense, with endless ways to stay alive. They were very hard to kill suddenly. But Novice Apostles didn’t have much health. Fights were very dangerous for them. Even if one job countered another, there was still a chance to be beaten. That was why most Novice Apostles would rather die than surrender. They preferred to fight desperately.

The power of the Summoner across from them wasn’t weak. Under these conditions, the Summoner clearly thought Qin Lun couldn’t possibly win. He tried to talk Qin Lun into surrendering only to reduce the loss of his summons.

Dead summons could be revived by spending Shattered Crystals. But that took time. Now it was the final round of selections. After the selections, the formal Metropolis Domination War would start. No wonder he worried about losing his summons.

“Hmph! The Black Scale Beast is only third tier, but its scales aren’t something ordinary bullets can pierce. The black and white guns in your hands broke through the Black Scale Beast’s defense. They must be Dark Gold Firearms at least. I hear bullets for Dark Gold Firearms cost many Shattered Crystals. Why waste them fighting me to the end?”

Odo leaned against a stone pillar, casually playing with his staff. “If they were ordinary low-level summons, you might kill them all. Sadly, the Black Scale Beast isn’t really a beast. It’s an insect. Know that insects have very strong life force. The Black Scale Beasts have surrounded you now. I’ve never seen any Novice Apostle break through their block and reach me.”

“Then you can see it today!” The pointers in Qin Lun’s clock-like eyes shifted slightly as he looked around.

The Apostle opposite didn’t lie. The orange-red shapes spread around earlier had completely encircled him now. They just hid behind stone pillars, waiting for their master’s order.

“Haha, don’t regret this! I look forward to your screams!” A flash of anger crossed Odo’s eyes. He raised his staff high. A faint ripple of law moved across the arena.

“Hiss!” Following Odo’s action, over twenty Black Scale Beasts hidden around Qin Lun stepped out. They crawled quickly on their short, thick limbs, charging towards him. Qin Lun’s face tightened. Cold light flared in his eyes. His thoughts raced. He had ways to kill all twenty-plus Black Scale Beasts. But he also had to think about cost.

He feared their corrosive blood. But Cerberus, the Inferno Hound from hell, did not fear it. The trouble was the number of Black Scale Beasts. Even Cerberus couldn’t block them all. If he got badly hurt, breaking the circle might not matter. He would likely lose this fight. That Summoner surely kept more than just the Black Scale Beasts as his last trick.

Of course, Qin Lun could use a Magic Scroll. He had not only an earth defense Magic Scroll but also a mighty Wood Prison Totem as high as seventh tier. Trapping the Black Scale Beasts briefly and getting near the Summoner would be easy.

But for him to use several Magic Scrolls before the Metropolis Domination War even started? That felt bad. Besides, he had Magic Scrolls. The Summoner across might have them too. That wasn’t a good plan either.

At this thought, Qin Lun hesitated no more. He flipped his hands. He put Burial of Light and Darkness back in its holsters and pulled out a claw-tipped chain from his chest. He threw it towards the top of a stone pillar behind him.

Clang! The hook at the chain’s front buried deep into the pillar’s top. Qin Lun grabbed the chain and climbed swiftly to the pillar’s peak. This Claw Chain was blue-ranked equipment Qin Lun had bought at a Demiplane trading market.

This gear gave no body boosts. It had no built-in skills. It was just very sharp, made from Iron Thorn Bird claws. The linked silver Yin steel chain was very tough and hard to break.

The Metropolis Domination War took place in Atlantis Sacred City. A claw chain that could climb walls naturally helped Qin Lun greatly. So, even when the seller demanded all three of his fusion crystals, Qin Lun gritted his teeth and bought it.

He just didn’t expect to use this Blue Claw Chain during the internal selection at Devil’s Horn.

“Hah, nice item!” Odo, resting his eyes against his pillar, let out a soft cry, looking slightly surprised. He tapped his staff lightly. The Black Scale Beasts charging the pillar halted at once, silently surrounding it.

His spirit and magic power were extremely strong. His Perception was weaker by comparison. But as a professional Summoner, Perception wasn’t very important. He could share vision with his summons. What the Black Scale Beasts felt, he could see too.

Odo was proud and arrogant. That didn’t mean he was a fool. The moment Qin Lun pulled out the claw chain, Odo saw how useful it would be in Atlantis Sacred City.

“Friend, let’s make a deal! If you lose, I can give back half the Shattered Crystals in your Invitation Letter, or let you buy back your gear at half price. But you can’t go to Atlantis anyway. Just give me this Blue Claw Chain. How about it?” Odo yelled towards Qin Lun.

“He wants my Blue Claw Chain? Not completely dumb, this guy!” Qin Lun’s eyes flickered. He smiled to himself. “It seems that item is destined to be mine!”

Novice Apostles holding wild cards and lasting this long had nearly fifty thousand Shattered Crystals collected in their Invitation Letters. Those with internal card invitations also had to pledge either fifty thousand Shattered Crystals or gear worth that much inside their letters before entering the selection ground.

Of course, Shattered Crystals in the Invitation Letter couldn’t be taken back out. Odo could only trade extra to Qin Lun through a Soul Contract. Half totaled twenty-five thousand Shattered Crystals. In normal times, that much could buy five or six claw chains like this one. Now, even if claw chains existed in the markets, Odo had no time to search.

Taking the claw chain off Qin Lun was the fastest path. By comparison, twenty-five thousand Shattered Crystals meant little. Besides, when Qin Lun bought this claw chain, he paid three fusion crystals. That cost hadn’t been much less than twenty-five thousand Shattered Crystals.

“You want my claw chain? Trade for your staff. Whoever wins takes the Invitation Letter and the gear listed in the Soul Contract. Fair?” Qin Lun sneered back.

“My staff?” Odo frowned slightly, then spoke flatly, “My staff is Dark Gold Quality. This offer can’t work!”

“What if I add this gear too?” Qin Lun gave a small smile. He took off his Earth Drake Leather Armor and showed it to the Black Scale Beasts at the pillar’s base.

“Dark Gold leather armor!” Odo blurted out. He looked down at the Dark Gold Staff in his hands, his expression shifting. “Dark Gold leather armor plus the Dark Gold Firearm in his hands… that’s two pieces of Dark Gold Equipment! This Apostle likely doesn’t lack Shattered Crystals. He must have at least one or two Magic Scrolls. Relying only on Black Scale Beasts… I might not win!”

Qin Lun’s act brought great pressure on the Summoner. He suddenly realized the shooter before him might not have been exaggerating earlier. It was possible he had a way to break the Black Scale Beast circle and get close.

Was that shooter just stubborn? Or did he truly understand the value of my Dark Gold Staff! Odo’s face darkened. This Dark Gold Staff was very special. For him, it was like a second life.

But the Summoner quickly shook his head. The Leader of the Sky Float newcomer team had bought him this staff. The original owner was the Leader of a medium team also under Apostle Monument.

That Leader once said this Dark Gold Staff was a World Treasure. From the time he got it to selling it took less than two months. He never got to use it truly. Very few had even seen this staff. The Apostle opposite clearly wasn’t part of that medium team. The chance he had seen this staff before was almost zero.

“Heh, gone quiet now? Didn’t you scream for my surrender? Want me to take off this armor? Give you a handicap?” His summons’ shared vision brought the challenge. Qin Lun waved the Earth Drake Leather Armor at the Black Scale Beasts, his face full of mockery. The sight was downright infuriating.

“Fine! Words alone aren’t binding. Let’s sign a Soul Contract!” Odo’s eyes flashed with malice. He shouted fiercely.

Next, both contacted Shattered Starry Sky through their Apostle Soul Marks. They sent each other a Soul Contract. It said the winner of this duel got not just the loser’s Invitation Letter. They also took the gear and items listed in the Soul Contract.

If Qin Lun won, Odo lost his Dark Gold Staff. If Odo won, he got the Blue Claw Chain and Earth Drake Leather Armor.

He actually signed! Qin Lun sighed inwardly, knowing the Summoner likely hadn’t been through many Quest Worlds. His spirit was high, but great setbacks were things he hadn’t faced before.

That he could still afford to return the Shattered Crystals? That meant he and Qin Lun were different. This Summoner was probably a talented newcomer backed by a large team. Sadly, adaptability hadn’t been trained in him. Only by plucking his splendid feathers would he learn: a plucked phoenix is not even as good as a chicken!

Thinking this, Qin Lun glanced down at Black Scale Beasts starting to climb the pillar. His figure flickered and vanished from the pillar top. When he appeared again, he stood atop another pillar nearby.

Far away, Odo started slightly. Over twenty Black Scale Beasts swiveled instantly, rushing towards this new pillar.

“Heh.” Qin Lun smiled faintly and vanished again. His target now was the tallest pillar at the center.

This pillar was very high, though. The Swift Wind Step couldn’t jump him that high. He reappeared halfway up. Qin Lun’s eyes blazed bright. His right hand snapped the Claw Chain deeply into the pillar. He pulled himself up onto the peak.

Odo slowly darkened his face. Though he could shift hiding spots anytime, though pillars filled the arena and blocked sight. Still, it was a small place. If Qin Lun kept searching like this, exposure was just a matter of time.

“So close combat can’t be avoided!” Cold light flashed in Odo’s eyes. He bit his lip. Lifting his staff, a tall and sleek figure slowly formed before him.

The creature had a glossy black exoskeleton. Its head was strangely long, the skull streamlined back towards its spine. Standing crouched on two legs, it still towered over Odo. Its spine protruded out its back, dragging a huge exoskeleton tail three meters long. The end tapered to a cone, sharp as a knife.

If Qin Lun had been there, he could recognize this creature. It matched a fighting beast Earth Federation once encountered beyond the stars.

It was an adult alien.