Chapter 12: Luo Shen Vs Zhang Ren
The Hollow Crypt's boss chamber reeked of iron and rot. Statues of hooded figures lined the walls, their stone eyes following every movement. At the center, the Armored Wight hung suspended—chains biting into rusted plate, its head drooped lifelessly… but its fingers twitched around a massive war axe. Not awake. Not yet.
Zhang Ren's thunder spear crackled, violet arcs splitting against the stone floor.
"You really thought you could hide it, Luo Shen?" His smirk widened. "E-Rank? Please. I've been watching you since yesterday. You're not fooling anyone."
Luo Shen's dagger glinted, its edge dark as if drenched in shadow. Calm, unbothered.
"One day," he said. "You tailed me for one day. Checked my logs, bribed for my file. All that effort…" He tilted his head slightly, smiling faintly. "…just to die here."
Zhang Ren barked a laugh, loud and sharp. "Die? I'm Peak B-Rank—with A-Rank gear." He lifted the thunder spear, crackling with energy. "I've fought beside A-Ranks in raids and walked out alive. You? You're nothing."
Luo Shen exhaled softly.
<< SYNCHRONIZATION ADJUSTMENT: 40% → 10% >>
<< POWER OUTPUT: Lowered to Mid-Level C-Rank >>
His aura dimmed, restrained—his strength suppressed deliberately. He smiled faintly.
"Then let's make it fair."
Zhang Ren lunged. The spear flashed—a jagged bolt aimed at Luo Shen's chest.
Luo Shen didn't dodge.
The spear pierced his side, tearing through armor and flesh. Blood sprayed. Zhang Ren grinned savagely—
—until Luo Shen laughed.
<< HP: 76% → 62% >>
Even injured, his eyes gleamed sharp, cold.
"Good hit," Luo Shen said, voice low. "Now it's my turn."
He blurred forward.
<< SHADOW STEP ACTIVATED >>
Pain forgotten, dagger flashed. A shallow slash across Zhang Ren's shoulder drew blood before he even reacted.
Zhang Ren spun, spear crackling. "Damn you!"
Luo Shen weaved lazily between strikes. He wasn't going all out—his suppressed strength matched Zhang Ren blow for blow, neither overpowering the other. To Zhang Ren, it felt even. To Luo Shen? It was a game.
"You're fast," Luo Shen teased mid-dodge, a grin curling. "But sloppy."
"Shut up!" Zhang Ren slammed his spear down.
"Thunder Domain: Hundred Spears!"
Lightning spears exploded outwards. Luo Shen danced between them effortlessly, each movement precise, deliberate—just slow enough to keep Zhang Ren hopeful.
A roar split the chamber.
The Armored Wight's head snapped up. Chains groaned, snapping one by one. Crimson fire lit its hollow eyes as it ripped free, war axe shrieking through the air.
Zhang Ren froze. "What the—"
Luo Shen smirked. "Too noisy."
The Wight swung its axe straight at Zhang Ren. He barely rolled aside, panic flashing across his face.
"Good," he hissed, readying his spear. "It'll crush you instead—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Luo Shen's suppressed aura surged.
<< SYNCHRONIZATION ADJUSTMENT: 10% → 40% >>
<< TRUE POWER RESTORED >>
In a single blur, Luo Shen cleaved the boss's head clean off. The Wight collapsed instantly, dissolving into ash.
Zhang Ren's breath hitched. "You… you killed it like it was nothing…"
Luo Shen turned toward him slowly, shadows curling around his blade.
"You thought it would save you?" His voice was soft, deadly. "Wrong."
Zhang Ren panicked, lunging wildly with his spear. Luo Shen sidestepped easily, catching the shaft barehanded.
"Here's the difference," Luo Shen murmured. His dagger thrust forward—brutal, surgical—slamming through the armor gap straight into Zhang Ren's heart.
Zhang Ren gasped, strength leaving him, eyes wide.
"H-how…?"
Luo Shen leaned close, whispering coldly:
"You've been B-Rank for years. I lowered myself to your level just to see how weak you really are."
He twisted the blade.
Zhang Ren convulsed, collapsing lifelessly as his spear clattered against the floor.
<< TARGET ELIMINATED: ZHANG REN (B-RANK PEAK) >>
<< POINTS GAIN: 30 >>
System Panel :
> Name: Luo Shen
Rank: B Rank (Entry)
Health: 60%
Points: 170
Attributes:
— Strength: 37
— Agility: 39
— Vitality: 33
— Perception: 35
— Intelligence: 21
— Luck: 13 (unchanged)
Luo Shen ripped the blade free, wiping it clean on Zhang Ren's coat. Silence filled the chamber.
He glanced once at the ashes of the Wight, then at Zhang Ren's corpse. Both gone. Both meaningless.
Without a word, he sheathed his dagger. Shadows receded, and he walked toward the portal as the dungeon began collapsing.
Zhang Ren had been Peak B-Rank, armed with A-Rank gear—and Luo Shen had slaughtered him while holding back.
Luo Shen's lips curved faintly. This is the gap between us.
The Space Ring
Luo Shen crouched beside Zhang Ren's corpse, sliding the rune-etched silver ring off his finger. A space ring—rare, expensive, and soul-bound.
He rolled it between his fingers.
"Hunters would fight wars over this," he muttered. "But my System's storage is limitless. I don't need the space…"
What mattered was what was inside.
---
Breaking the Lock
Normally, even A-Rank artifact specialists couldn't open a bound space ring. Only S-Rank professionals with multi-million equipment setups could break such seals.
But Luo Shen wasn't most people.
He slipped it on.
> << SYSTEM ALERT: Foreign Storage Detected >>
<< Lock Grade: S-Rank >>
<< Initiating Darksync Override >>
A ripple of shadow energy surged across his hand. The glowing runic seal cracked, fracturing in seconds.
> << Lock Breached >>
<< Access Granted >>
Luo Shen smirked. "An S-Rank seal… broken in seconds. Convenient."
---
Inside the Ring
The storage unfolded before his eyes:
> [Zhang Ren's Space Ring Inventory]:
– Stormbreaker Gauntlets (B-Rank Gear)
– Arcflare Boots (B-Rank Gear)
– 3x [High-Grade Healing Potions]
– 25x [C-Rank Mana Cores]
– [Thunder Fang Guild Badge]
Luo Shen examined the loot briefly.
"B-Rank gear… all sellable."
He transferred everything into his System Storage effortlessly. He didn't need it—but on the market, this was worth a fortune.
---
Looting Zhang Ren
He stripped Zhang Ren's body systematically:
Thunder Spear (A-Rank Weapon) – humming faintly, still sharp enough to pierce steel.
Reinforced Hunter Armor (B-Rank) – dented but valuable.
Utility knives, tools, and miscellaneous gadgets—all tossed into storage.
He smirked. "Hunters would pay millions for this gear. Zhang Ren, you just funded my next few steps."
---
Dungeon Collapse
A chime echoed.
> << DUNGEON CORE STABILIZED >>
<< Instance Closing: 30 Seconds >>
The obsidian chamber fractured in glowing light. Zhang Ren's corpse dissolved into ash—erased along with the dungeon itself.
"No body, no witnesses," Luo Shen murmured.
---
Outside
A flash of light—and Luo Shen emerged from the Hollow Crypt. The portal shimmered once, then vanished.
He flexed his hands, glancing over the loot in his System Storage.
"B-Rank boss spoils, an A-Rank weapon, and gear worth millions… Not a bad haul."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Everything here? Sold off, turned into cash. That'll draw less attention than using it myself."
He turned, walking away from the empty gate. Thunder Fang would notice Zhang Ren's disappearance eventually—but by then, Luo Shen would be richer, stronger, and far out of reach.
The Black-Market Auction
Night draped over the city as Luo Shen made his way into the underbelly of the Hunter district, hood low, steps silent. His destination: Black Spire Auction House—a place where no questions were asked and no identities verified.
He pressed his hand against the hidden door's sigil.
> Scan accepted.
Welcome to Black Spire Auction House.
---
Inside the Auction House
The interior exuded wealth and danger—masked elites seated in shadowed booths, armed guards at every corner, and a faint hum of whispers thick with greed.
Luo Shen approached a masked attendant at the valuation desk.
"Selling," he said simply, placing items down one by one:
Thunder Spear (A-Rank Weapon)
Stormbreaker Gauntlets (B-Rank Gear)
Arcflare Boots (B-Rank Gear)
Reinforced Hunter Armor (B-Rank)
Tempest Claw Gloves (A-Rank Gear)
The attendant froze briefly, her gaze lingering on the spear and gloves before masking her reaction. "Anonymous?"
"Yes."
She nodded and gestured him to a private seller's booth.
---
The Auction
From his booth, Luo Shen watched as the items hit the bidding floor:
Thunder Spear (A-Rank Weapon): Sold for 120 million yuan.
Tempest Claw Gloves (A-Rank Gear): Sold for 90 million yuan.
Stormbreaker Gauntlets (B-Rank Gear): Sold for 40 million yuan.
Arcflare Boots (B-Rank Gear): Sold for 30 million yuan.
Reinforced Hunter Armor (B-Rank): Sold for 20 million yuan.
> Final total after auction fees: 300 million yuan.
Stacks of neatly bundled cash, untraceable and anonymous, were delivered to him in encrypted black cases—though Luo Shen instantly moved them into his System storage.
---
Walking Out
He exited through the rear corridor, the neon-lit streets swallowing him back into obscurity.
He smirked faintly.
> "300 million yuan for things I didn't even need… This will open doors far bigger than any dungeon gate."
No guild oversight. No association questions. Just clean, silent profit.