Chapter 71 -71-Subduing the White Tiger Spirit, Heading to Zone 2
The White Tiger Spirit’s HP dropped to the bottom in an instant.
[You have slain "White Tiger Spirit Lv.60." EXP +1,000,000, Gold Coins +10,000, Fame +100,000!]
The notification rang in John’s ears.
The White Tiger let out a tremendous, mournful cry.
Its massive body rapidly contracted, transforming back into a stark black-and-white stone statue.
"That’s it? Cleared already?"
John glanced around in confusion.
"Where’s the White Tiger Spirit we were promised?"
Judging by the quest rewards listed in the description, he should have received a White Tiger Spirit by now.
Just as John began to suspect he had been played, another notification sounded.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a Spirit Vault!]
[Congratulations! Quest complete. You have received the quest reward: "White Tiger Spirit"!]
[Your "Holy Grail (Small)" has unlocked access to the second layer of space!]
As the notifications rang one after another, a faint ghostly light suddenly lit up inside the White Tiger statue.
Then, with lightning speed, it shot straight into John’s body.
[The White Tiger Spirit has entered your Spirit Vault on its own!]
John froze for a moment.
Then he took out the small Holy Grail and checked its attributes.
[Holy Grail] (Small)
[Type]: Special Item
[Accessible Spaces]: First Layer, Second Layer
[Usage Requirement]: Level 100
...
After reading it, John could not help smacking his lips.
"Tsk, tsk. The next layer already requires Level 100? The usage requirement on this little Holy Grail is insanely high."
Only a cheat-like player like him could make use of it this early.
For anyone else, reaching the second layer would probably be a late-game goal.
John put the small Holy Grail away.
Then he summoned the White Tiger Spirit from the Spirit Vault.
"Master!"
A sweet, delicate voice rang out.
What surprised John was that the White Tiger Spirit he had subdued had turned out to be a white-haired little girl.
From head to toe, she was pure white, while her eyes were large and dark, like deep pools of water gazing at him with quiet affection.
Two adorable beast ears sprouted from the top of her head, swaying gently with her movements.
"You’re the White Tiger Spirit?"
John had never expected that the majestic, imposing White Tiger from before would transform into such a petite and adorable white-haired girl after being subdued.
"Yes, Master."
The White Tiger Spirit bowed slightly, looking utterly obedient.
"You may give me a suitable name."
After thinking for a moment, John shook his head.
"I have no talent for naming. You can keep being called White Tiger."
Even though the name had not changed in the slightest, the White Tiger Spirit looked overjoyed.
Her little tiger ears twitched nonstop, and her eyes curved into happy crescents.
"White Tiger greets Master!"
After the naming was complete, John opened her status panel.
[White Tiger]
[Race]: Tigerfolk
[Level]: 10
[Rank]: Platinum-grade
[Loyalty]: 100%
[HP]: 10,000/10,000
[Attack]: 400
[Defense]: 450
[Skills]: White Tiger Bite, White Tiger Claw Strike, White Tiger True Form...
[Description]: A spirit formed from the White Tiger Spirit, one of the purest-blooded White Tigers in existence!
...
"Only Level 10?"
John was a little surprised.
But he quickly understood.
"So it can level up using EXP from the experience pool."
Just like a pet, White Tiger could use EXP from John’s EXP pool.
Without hesitating, John immediately began leveling her up.
[Consumed 100,000 EXP. White Tiger has advanced to Level 15!]
[Consumed 1,000,000 EXP. White Tiger has advanced to Level 25!]
[Consumed 5,000,000 EXP. White Tiger has advanced to Level 45!]
...
After spending tens of millions of EXP, White Tiger’s level shot straight up to 65.
Any further would have to wait until John raised his own level.
Fortunately, John had accumulated a great deal of EXP on Dragonkin Isle.
Otherwise, he truly might not have been able to afford raising this White Tiger.
After leveling up, White Tiger’s appearance gained a touch of cold elegance.
It created a striking contrast with her petite, adorable looks.
A spirit like this—even if she had no combat power at all—would still be perfectly worthwhile as a pretty decoration.
John was extremely satisfied.
He opened White Tiger’s panel once again.
[White Tiger]
[Race]: Tigerfolk
[Level]: 65
[Rank]: Platinum-grade
[Loyalty]: 100%
[HP]: 12,000,000/12,000,000
[Attack]: 400,000
[Defense]: 450,000
[Skills]: Tiger Devour, Tiger Fiend Claw, White Tiger True Form...
[Description]: A spirit formed from the White Tiger Spirit, one of the purest-blooded White Tigers in existence!
...
After leveling up, White Tiger’s HP had directly soared to a terrifying ten million-plus!
If this stat panel were shown outside, it would look even more outrageous than that of the vast majority of Platinum-grade bosses!
And yet, by John’s side, she was merely a cute, doll-like girl in appearance.
"Not bad."
John gave a casual evaluation.
Then he sent her back into the Spirit Vault and returned to reality.
"I’ve already dealt with Zone 4. Where should I go take a look next?"
Leaning back in his chair, John began considering his next move.
His Pass Permit could still bind to many other main cities.
He had yet to obtain any clues about the next Codex of Classes.
So his priority was naturally to observe—or suppress—the growth pace of the other zones.
"How about... Zone 2?"
Zone 2 was the faction that supported the descent of the game.
In other words, the players of Zone 2 truly treated Apocalypse as a game.
In his previous life, their integration speed had been faster than that of any other zone.
Their overall teamwork was also clearly stronger.
Even now that John had been reborn, Zone 2 was still an enemy that could not be underestimated.
"I’ll go check out their development pace."
With that thought, John put on the [Thousand-Faced Mask]. His body shape and appearance instantly changed into that of a burly blond, blue-eyed man.
He looked like a warrior who trained strength regularly.
No one would ever associate him with the assassin he had been before.
John took out the Pass Permit.
[Binding main city — Zone 2: Highland City!]
[Binding successful!]
Zone 2’s Highland City immediately appeared on his teleportation panel.
With a thought, his body was instantly engulfed in white light.
[Teleportation initiated!]
...
Zone 2.
Highland City.
The teleportation array suddenly lit up.
A burly blond man with blue eyes stepped out from within it.
[Welcome to Highland City!]
The moment John walked out of the teleportation array, he began observing his surroundings.
To his surprise, Zone 2 seemed to be holding some kind of event.
The streets were almost entirely filled with merchants setting up stalls.
Many players wandered among them, browsing and selecting the goods they wanted.
"Is this a Traveling Merchant Fair?"
John recognized the event currently taking place in Highland City.
The Traveling Merchant Fair was a special event in Apocalypse.
It would only trigger when the number of players in a main city reached ten thousand, and the poorest player in the city still had at least 1,000 Gold Coins in their wallet.
Once the event began, merchants from all over would gather in the main city to sell their wares.
It could greatly expand the range of items available for players to purchase.
At the same time, players could also set up their own stalls and sell their items to other players or NPCs.
The event usually lasted three days.
Judging by the scene, it seemed to be just about at its end.