Chapter 121

[Red Lotus Blade: converges the red lotus’ fire on the blade for an attack, dealing dual damage to physique and spells. This skill uses both physical and mental power. Comprehensive damage rating F+]

That was the skill the virtual character was executing at that moment. Compared to the previous skills that had enhanced effects but lower damage, it was—without a doubt—a purely offensive skill, and Xiao Lin did not hesitate to replicate it.

At the same time, a crimson red light began glowing on the blade of his sword. In an instant, Xiao Lin’s body trembled violently and he felt his physical and mental strength drain completely. That sword skill was more exhausting than he had imagined.

The virtual character, who was unaffected by the influence of gravity, approached quickly. The red glow began intensifying on its raised scythe, and with the hot wind blowing toward Xiao Lin’s face, a burst of sparks flew in all directions like a red lotus in full bloom.

The two red flames overlapped and burst out in less than a second. In that low explosion, the turbulent air wave slammed Xiao Lin into the metal wall. Hot air then sealed the entire room, making Xiao Lin feel as though he was soaking in boiling water. His skin felt astonishingly hot, and the sword’s attack—coupled with the impact of the double-gravity environment—made it impossible for him to get up.

The virtual character had disappeared, and when he looked up again, Xiao Lin was slightly surprised to find that the hit rate had somehow disappeared from the metal wall. He was unable to judge who won the battle earlier, and what left him befuddled was a thick black smoke coming out of the room, like the aftermath of something that had burned.

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Startled, Xiao Lin immediately put the anti-gravity accessory back on and rushed out of the training room. The black smoke was coming from the device where the energy stone was, and the stone had shattered into pieces all over the ground.

What puzzled him further was that the door of the room was open. He clearly remembered that it had been locked after Dickens left. The screen displaying the attribute settings was also quite strange. He walked over and looked at it, only to find that the screen was on the historical character parameter option. His attempt to find the information of the virtual character he fought against proved futile, for there were no records at all.

…

Outside, Lilith had long left the place. She had an unexpectedly peculiar expression on her face, along with some surprise and amazement. Dickens had been constantly keeping an eye on her behavior, and when she was finally ready to leave, he hurriedly sent her off like she was the plague.

“Oh, yes. The energy device in room three-two-eight is probably broken again. Don’t ask that Xiao…whatever his name is…to pay for it. Charge it to my account. I believe there’s still a lot of New Dollars in the card I left with you last time,” Lilith curtly remarked, suddenly turning around.

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“What? The energy device is broken? Impossible. The simulation system is well maintained. It can’t be broken for no reason… And why should it be credited to your account?” Dickens muttered suspiciously. His expression then collapsed all of a sudden and he clutched his metaphorical pearls in anger. “You! Did you use your Creation skill again? This is why I don’t want you using any simulation devices. You know that the actual damage is much higher than the system’s rating because there isn’t any data or parameter records. This is the third device! My goodness!”

“Oh, come on. I compensated for everything, didn’t I! Plus, I wasn’t the one who used it.” Lilith felt a little embarrassed, but she was even more impatient. “That Xiao something, what’s his name again? Chinese names are really hard to remember.”

“Xiao Lin. Are you seriously looking for him when you don’t even remember his full name?”

“Xiao Lin? Xiao Lin! Well, he’s a very interesting person,” Lilith repeated several times and made sure that she had etched in her memory. She then clapped her hands and left with satisfaction.

Soon after Lilith left, Xiao Lin found Dickens again. He was a little worried about the damage to the energy device and the broken energy stone. His concern was that the other party would make him pay for it, but what surprised him was that Dickens said nothing about it. In fact, Dickens even apologized to him repeatedly and was willing to reduce that day’s fee by half as compensation to Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin was confused, but reducing the fee by half would mean that he would only need to pay a total of 90 New Dollars for two hours that day. That was not a deal he could pass on.

However, Dickens asked Xiao Lin a very strange question. “Do you know Miss Lilith?”

“Lilith? I can’t say I know her.” Xiao Lin recalled the woman who singled him out for a challenge when they met and instinctively blurted out that he had nothing to do with her.

Dickens felt relieved, but he felt that something was fishy. In general, Lilith’s designation of a person as interesting was a sign that she recognized their strength. Be that as it may, Dickens was unable to discern any such ability on Xiao Lin, who had not even reached Black Iron-rank. He advised solemnly, “As a friend, I suggest you not to get too close to that woman. Nothing good will come out of it!”

“I wholeheartedly agree!”

Because of the excessive physical exertion, Xiao Lin’s training lasted only half a morning before he was done. If he continued, it was entirely possible that his body would be worn down just as Song Junlang said. Training under double gravity was much harder than expected, and the key was whether or not his body could adapt under the pressure. In any case, such a physical reaction was difficult to compensate through sheer willpower.

Song Junlang repeatedly emphasized against conducting such dangerous gravity training, and it was no wonder that Lilith seems to be the only one who trained like that.

The simulated battle earlier gave him a few new ideas. Before that, he had never thought that battles could be fought like that. The amplification effects of various skills could be used to strengthen himself before bursting out quickly with a strong combative strength that far exceeded his own.

It sounded simple in theory, but with careful thought, there were still many problems with it. After returning to the inn at noon, Xiao Lin exchanged that idea with Song Junlang, but did not mention who the virtual character was. After all, Xiao Lin had no idea which historical figure the system’s data parameter referenced during the simulated battle.

After listening to Xiao Lin, Song Junlang suddenly burst with laughter and shook his head. “Do you think this is a game! That simulated battle system is actually set according to the idea of Earth’s online games, but do you really think this can be done in an actual battle? First of all, weapons in virtual battles are formed by extracting energy. Weapons can be changed any time based on the set parameters. How are you going to change weapons that quickly in actual combat? Will the opponent even give you the luxury of time?”

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Xiao Lin remained unconvinced and retorted, “It’s not impossible to carry more weapons with you. I remember that the T-rex—ahem—I mean the tutor who taught us Basic Swordsmanship could retrieve her weapons by plucking them through a tear in space. I’ve never seen her carry a sword.”

“You mean Cheng Na, that T-rex? Tsk, tsk!” Song Junlang used Xiao Lin’s nickname for her and shook his head, saying, “The weapons she uses are spatial ones. You can only encounter them by chance instead of getting them, and spatial weapons also require you to study the courses about the system of space and time. Even Cheng Na has very limited mastery over space; the most she can do is store her Lightning Sword.”