Book 6: Chapter 15: Battle Began
The last selection match for the Metropolis Domination War was mostly over. Of the more than one hundred seventy Novice Apostles in the tiered hall, fewer than a hundred remained. The losers had either died or left the hall.
At that moment, one of the teleporter light gates on the hall’s front platform rippled. A young man wearing a Demon Mask and a Leather Trench Coat stepped out. He seemed to have just gone through a fierce fight; his wound on the left arm was so deep you could see bone. As soon as he exited the light gate, he took out a Healing Bandage from his Storage Space and wrapped his arm.
However, what surprised some Apostles who noticed him was that this injured young man was actually a winner. This wasn’t surprising at all. Because after dealing with his injury, he didn’t leave the tiered hall. Instead, he found a seat and sat back down.
Winning the selection match meant only about half a day remained before the official Metropolis Domination War began. Staying at the Chaos Alliance headquarters to wait was the best choice, avoiding other Apostles spying on him once he went outside.
Leaning back in his seat, Qin Lun slowly chewed some recovery food while his thoughts reviewed his past battle. His fight with Odo hadn’t been easy — Clock Eye, Pentagram Crystal Mirror, Swift Wind Step, Detection Aura… He had used almost all his core skills, except the Inferno Hound and his spare Magic Scrolls.
Compared to Odo, this fight also benefited Qin Lun immensely. It was his first real combat after gaining several new skills. What pleased him most was the Detection Aura, a core ability of his hunter profession. Since he could detect an invisible shapeshifter using a High Rank invisibility scroll, he believed no Novice Apostle specialized as Assassins or Rogues in Atlantis could evade his senses now.
Thinking this, Qin Lun took out the recently acquired Adis Short Staff and Walnut Wine to examine.
[Walnut Wine: This item is brewed by Elves of the Manro World using walnut flower nectar. One ounce of Walnut Wine can restore 100 Health Points and 500 Stamina Points within thirty seconds, while also speeding up Stamina recovery.]
Recovery foods from Shattered Starry Sky couldn’t compare to World Treasure-class recovery items. Not only did they take longer to restore, but they also offered much less Health and Stamina recovery.
The Walnut Wine didn’t restore much Health, leaning more towards restoring Stamina. It was a top-tier recovery treasure for Mages. This jug held over ten ounces. For Qin Lun, whose Stamina was only 810 points, it was enough for seven or eight uses. [Adis Short Staff (Short Staff)
Quality: Dark Gold (Medium)
Material: Pair of Adis King Snakes
Weight: 210g
Length: 480mm
Attributes: +5 points Mental Will; +3 points Perception;
Equipment Law Abilities: Virtual Spirit, Fast Casting, Light, Fireball Spell
Light: This staff provides an illumination spell. No cooldown. Costs 3 Stamina Points per minute.
Fireball Spell: This staff enables a level one small fireball spell. Cooldown 10 seconds. Each small fireball costs 20 Stamina Points.
Fast Casting: This staff keeps spellcasters’ minds clear, shortening casting time by a quarter. Passive Equipment ability.
Virtual Spirit: Actively use the Adis staff to summon a contracted creature. The pair of Adis King Snakes simulate the summon’s Soul, creating a clone of the summoned creature. The clone lacks the original’s intelligence, obeying only the master’s mental commands. This skill doubles the Stamina cost required for the summoning spell. Cooldown ten minutes.
Equipment Requirement: Apostle must possess a spell core similar to a Magic Web. Base Mana Value must exceed 500 points. Mental Will must exceed 30 points.]
Generally, staff equipment came with basic spells like Light or Fireball Spell for a Magician’s survival needs outdoors. The true value of the Adis Short Staff lay in its latter two abilities.
Fast Casting wasn’t unique; most staves at Dark Gold Quality shortened spell times. But Virtual Spirit was priceless. For a Summoner, it was practically a divine skill.
Though Virtual Spirit doubled Stamina cost, the summoned clone required no increase to Mental Will. In other words, it bypassed the Mental Will restriction for summons, allowing twice the summoned creatures using the same Mental Will limit.
For example, summoning Cerberus cost Qin Lun 385 Stamina Points. His current Stamina cap of 810 points allowed him to summon two. Yet, with only 30 points in Mental Will, he couldn’t summon a second Inferno Hound.
The Adis Staff bypassed that requirement, letting Qin Lun summon Cerberus and create an Inferno Hound clone simultaneously. Though the clone needed his mental control and consumed double Stamina for summoning and upkeep, Qin Lun temporarily doubled his battle power using two Inferno Hounds.
This explained why Qin Lun meticulously acted irritating towards Odo, even using the Earth Drake Leather Armor to trick him into signing a Soul Contract during the fight. Even if Qin Lun couldn’t sustain two Inferno Hounds long-term, in special tournament conditions like the Metropolis Domination War, the Adis Short Staff was a perfect ace card.
Half a day passed quickly. The last selection match ended long ago. Around eighty Novice Apostles sat in the hall. Some briefly left but quickly returned, likely doing final preparations at a Demiplane market square.
Some Apostles lost their final battles. Probably, they’d sell gear or recovery treasures now to recover some losses from their Invitation Letter collateral. Too bad Qin Lun had no extra Shattered Crystals left; he could’ve bought more recovery treasures otherwise.
This Metropolis Domination War was like a higher-stakes poker game. Only at the end, could the big winner emerge. Now, groups of Apostles huddled whispering in the hall. They were likely large teams or old friends.
Internal selections ended. It made sense for them to coordinate quickly, arranging signals to gather fast once inside the war zones. They were allies — for now.
Qin Lun stood in an unnoticeable corner, observing the others. No one approached him, nor did he feel like approaching anyone. Alliances were for show. Without true life-and-death bonds, nobody dared fully trust others.
As time elapsed, every Apostle in the hall suddenly shuddered. They instinctively turned to the front platform.
After the selection matches, the dozen light gates vanished. Now, however, a new teleporter light gate — over three meters tall and two meters wide — glowing turquoise, reappeared center stage.
Right then, Qin Lun’s Death Notice received fitting notification:
“Apostle 70053, the Metropolis Domination War officially begins! Apostles must enter the dimensional gate within ten minutes. Latecomers forfeit eligibility. Specific rules and content for this Domination War can be viewed in your Apostle Soul Mark.”
Qin Lun slowly rose. Instead of rushing toward the gate, he unwrapped his bandage, checking his wound.
An Apostle’s Law Body was extraordinary! With just a Healing Bandage and ordinary recovery food, his once bone-deep left arm wound had mostly healed in half a day. Only a pink-red scar remained.
Tossing the bloodied bandage aside, Qin Lun followed the crowd to the light gate. Stepping through the turquoise light, his form became a miniature human silhouette shooting forward inside a galaxy-streamed tunnel.
Soon, a bright dot of light appeared ahead. Surging through it, his Law Body began reforming within an eggshell-shaped shield.
Star Void teleportation dizziness faded. Qin Lun opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings.
He stood inside a long-abandoned apartment — three-bedroom, one living room. Furniture lay toppled everywhere, thick with dust. Its owner had clearly left in haste; a bedroom wardrobe hung open, clothes spilling out.
Qin Lun checked the apartment, his eyes catching on one item: a ragged doll. He stepped forward, picked it up, and studied it. A complicated expression crossed his face. He’d never owned a doll as a child!
Just as he raised his arm to toss it aside, he paused. Remembering something, he lowered his arm carefully and tucked the doll away inside his coat.
The apartment curtains were drawn. Qin Lun lifted a corner slightly, peeking outside. The building faced an overgrown alley flanked by seven or eight-story residential blocks. He was in some sort of housing complex.
Most buildings were overrun with moss and vines. Some walls were crumbling, exposing forgotten rooms, creating a desolate, post-apocalyptic scene.
Qin Lun’s pupils instantly shifted into miniature clock faces, dials spinning subtly. He scanned the area with Heavenly Insight Eye combined with Detection Aura. Only one Apostle registered nearby — himself.
“Looks like a random teleport,” he murmured quietly. Lowering the curtain, he dusted off a nearby sofa and sat down, opening his Death Notice to examine the detailed rules and content for this Metropolis Domination War.