Forty attribute points.
A brand-new skill: Phantom Step.
Tony scanned his rewards with a faint grin tugging at his lips. SSS-clear evaluations never failed to impress—this haul was almost as good as a first-clear bonus. The only downside was the full Growth meter glaring back at him, now flashing with a negative effect that made him sigh helplessly.
He understood the reasoning well enough. If the rewards didn't scale down, with his current speed farming these dungeons, he could grind attribute crystals by the dozens, draining bosses dry in mere hours. Not even his Breath Take Makes Me Stronger perk worked as fast as this method.
Shrugging off the minor frustration, his gaze fell on the newly acquired skill.
[Phantom Step]
[Quality: Fine]
[Type: Active Skill]
[Your movements become unpredictable, speed increased by 30%.]
A genuine smile formed. "Another fine-grade skill, huh? Guess this boss wasn't all bad." With Phantom Step, his already terrifying speed would reach another level. Tony knew well that brute stats alone weren't enough to dominate this world. True power came from synergy—skills, weapons, and raw attributes intertwined.
He thought back to the thug boss earlier. Even when Tony's stats had barely outclassed his opponent, that lunatic's sword arts and magic skills had turned the fight into a desperate struggle. It wasn't until his attributes skyrocketed that he could finally crush him.
Now, two excellent skills in a row… that boss had been a generous benefactor.
Absorbing the attribute crystals and learning Phantom Step triggered a rush of foreign memories—countless footwork drills, combat scenarios, evasive maneuvers—flooding his mind in an instant. When the haze cleared, it felt like he had trained this skill for months. His body responded without hesitation, his movements fluid and unpredictable, a phantom gliding through battle.
[Skills: Sword Mastery Lv0, Phantom Step Lv0.]
Unlike Sword Mastery, Phantom Step consumed energy to activate. In this world, there were no health or mana bars displayed—just a brutal truth: take a lethal hit, and you die, no revives unless you had an Immortal and Undying trait. Energy, whether called mana, qi, or magic, was a single shared resource determined entirely by your Spirit stat. The higher it was, the longer you could sustain extraordinary skills.
Tony glanced at his stats. With his current Spirit value, he could probably keep Phantom Step active for one to two hours straight, no cooldowns needed. But now wasn't the time to test it out. He turned toward his four temporary teammates.
"Alright," he said casually, "which dungeon do we hit next?"
The question lit up their faces like fireworks. HighQiang blurted out, "Wait… you mean you're taking us for another first-clear run?"
Tony nodded once.
Excitement rippled through the group. To ride along for an ordinary, clear day was already worth its weight in gold. But first, clear? Those gave unparalleled rewards and bragging rights. The three rich kids exchanged a look, disbelief turning into barely contained glee. RainAfterSun—real name Yuqing—looked equally shocked, though a flicker of hope sparked in her eyes.
"Big bro, seriously," Yu Bowen piped up, "you're charging only fifty grand per person? That's criminally cheap. Take more, I won't sleep right otherwise."
HighQiang and Yan Wu nodded furiously, agreeing at once.
Yuqing, however, bit her lip and stayed quiet, worry clouding her features.
"No need," Tony replied with a dismissive wave. "Fifty's enough."
HighQiang chuckled, finally understanding. "He doesn't care about the credits—he just hates freeloaders."
Tony didn't deny it. "Now, about the next dungeon…" He leaned back slightly. "What do you recommend?"
Yuqing jumped in eagerly, desperate to prove herself useful. She spent all day scouring forums for info; she was the one who'd tipped Tony off about the million-credit crystal market. And since Tony had waived her fee, she wanted to earn her keep.
"There are ten trial dungeons total," she began quickly. "Three have already been cleared—same cheesy survival tactic as Lin Fortress, last-man-standing clears. That leaves seven. Two of those have complicated mechanics that eat up time, even for high-level players. If we want first clears, we've realistically got only five options left: Raid on Blackwind Camp, Goblin Forest, Blood Graveyard, Shogunate Rebellion, and Siege at Sunset Plains."
Tony absorbed the info silently. With normal clears offering him nothing now, the first clears were the only prize worth chasing. And once they reached tier-up dungeons, difficulty would spike hard. The more first clears he could grab now, the better his foundation.
He asked, "Which teams are hitting those five right now?"
Yuqing explained. Different nations on Blue Star were focusing on different dungeons. Great Xian had gone to Lin Fortress and Blackwind Camp, which explained why Tony hadn't faced much competition earlier. Blackwind could wait; if four other clears stacked under his belt first, he'd swoop in last to snatch that one too.
"Fine," he said at last. "Next target: Shogunate Rebellion."
Yuqing blinked, surprised, before nodding rapidly.
"You've got three minutes to prep," Tony added. He was giving them time to dump their crystals on the market while prices were still sky-high.
"Thank you, Tony!" Yuqing said, face bright with relief and excitement.
Once the trading was done, Tony clicked on the dungeon selection again.
[You have selected Trial Dungeon: Shogunate Rebellion. Enter?]
"Enter."
[Entering instance in 10…9…8…]
The world shifted, dropping them onto the second floor of a large, dimly lit pavilion. Armored samurai stood around them, tense and on edge, guarding a richly dressed middle-aged man who looked more terrified than commanding. Outside, shouts, clashing steel, and war cries shook the night air.
The countdown ended.
The man noticed their sudden appearance but didn't react with surprise. Instead, he pointed at them, barking rapid-fire orders in harsh syllables none of them understood.
"What the hell is he saying?" HighQiang scratched his head.
"Anyone here speak Sakura tongue?" Yu Bowen asked hopefully.
Blank stares all around.
"No wonder everyone picks home-country dungeons," Yuqing muttered, frowning. "He's telling us to escort him out."
"So he's the Shogun?" Tony asked, unimpressed.
"Yeah," Yuqing confirmed, then quickly added, "But the mission doesn't say we have to save him."
"Good."
Tony's voice was flat as his figure blurred and vanished, leaving only a sharp, metallic hiss in his wake.
A heartbeat later, a heavy clang rang out. The Shogun's eyes widened, but he never had time to scream before his head spun free from his neck, a geyser of blood painting the tatami floor.
The chaotic clamor outside suddenly felt far quieter.
The Death Squad's second first-clear hunt had just begun.