The main hall, the temple's core area, boasted the most exquisite architecture and decoration, though it was now a desolate ruin.
The statues and deities enshrined within had long since been completely destroyed, their forms unrecognizable and utterly shabby.
As Gu Chen and the others entered the hall, a faint black mist rose from the surroundings. Then, heavy footsteps echoed from behind the main hall.
Bang! Bang!
The light dimmed, and the ground trembled slightly. An unprecedentedly powerful aura slowly approached.
Lin Yuan instinctively climbed onto a bust, perched on the broken shoulder, and voluntarily withdrew from the battlefield.
Seeing this, the others also climbed higher.
Although the main hall was large, guards could spawn anywhere.
A qualified actor's first duty was to stay away from combat.
Gu Chen wasn't idle either. His attributes had greatly increased, and he easily climbed to the top of a pillar.
From this vantage point, one could overlook the entire scene.
From behind the main hall, a nearly three-meter-tall figure rushed out.
[Alien: Fallen Guard]
[Level: LV.5]
[HP: 2900]
[Attributes: Strength 48, Agility 29, Constitution 48, Spirit 37]
[Skill I: Sword of the Oath]
[Skill II: Final Judgment]
Level 5 Guard, nearly three thousand HP!
The massive figure, wielding a black longsword, charged at Dracula.
Dracula didn't hesitate, raising his gun and firing.
The bullets from his normal attacks were not to be underestimated, hitting the guard's head repeatedly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dracula's Agility had reached 60, surpassing even that of a level 5 assassin.
In a single breath, he emptied two magazines, instantly slashing through a fifth of the guard's health.
Skills flowed in.
[Fatal Shot] fired a high-explosive bullet, whizzing out of the muzzle like a flash of silver lightning, instantly piercing the guard's brow.
It didn't hit the head, but the guard's health was immediately reduced to half.
As before, the high damage hit the head, triggering a stun effect.
The guard's charging figure paused, stopping in place.
Dracula didn't hesitate, unleashing [Crimson Feast]. Blood-colored energy rose from its body, spiraling into the guard's chest.
A burst of damage, followed by a second burst of additional damage.
Bang!
The guard's body trembled violently, his health drained, and he exploded into a pile of black flesh and blood.
[Kill the Fallen Guardian LV.5, +113 XP]
"Awesome!"
Lin Yuan stood on the shoulder of a statue, his face filled with amazement.
This Level 5 Guardian was also mentioned in the strategy guide. The only way to defeat it was to engage it, given its HP was nearly 3,000 and its Strength was close to 50.
Once entangled, the entire team would be wiped out.
However, Dracula's combination of basic attacks and skills easily took it down, without even a chance to unleash a single skill.
At this moment, all the extreme positioning and engaging tactics were worthless in the face of sheer power.
Lin Yuan sighed inwardly. Epic summoned beasts were truly terrifying.
Forget Li Wenhui from the key class; even Lincheng's most talented professional wouldn't be able to achieve this level of power.
At this point, the Level 5 Guardian had been killed, and the lower-level Guardians that were supposed to spawn with it finally appeared.
From all directions, from unexpected corners, corpses cloaked in frosty armor emerged one after another.
Bang!
The first guard who appeared had barely taken a step when he was shot in the head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dracula, twin pistols in hand, stood among dozens of guards, firing relentlessly. No guard could get within three meters of him; the moment they approached, they were shot in the head.
The killing spree was appallingly rapid; it was a bloody feast.
After all the guards were defeated, Gu Chen's level-up notification appeared before his eyes.
[Level Up]
[Level: LV.4 (1/680)]
[Strength: 47]
[Agility: 46]
[Constitution: 48]
[Spirit: 49]
[Summoned Beast: Dracula LV.4 (Epic)]
[Talent - Currently Gain a Dark Bloodline]
Gu Chen's face lit up with excitement. The first wave of monsters had just been cleared, so he didn't hesitate and activated his talent.
[You Have Gained: Dark Bloodline·Royal Blood]
[Dark Bloodline·Royal Blood: Transforms ordinary creatures into dark creatures and also upgrades the bloodline of first-generation dark creatures]
It can upgrade first-generation bloodlines—great stuff!
So, the Royal Bloodline corresponds to Legendary rank, the First-generation Bloodline corresponds to Epic rank, and the Descendant Bloodline corresponds to Rare rank.
Gu Chen was planning to upgrade Dracula to a Legendary summoned beast, but then he thought it might be a bit inappropriate.
If he upgraded to another level, he would have to contract a second summoned beast.
If he used the Royal Bloodline now, what if he received the Descendant Bloodline at level 5? The second summoned beast's aptitude would be greatly reduced.
On the other hand, if he kept the Royal Bloodline for now, even if he really only had the Descendant Bloodline at level 5, he could give the Royal Bloodline to the second summoned beast.
At that point, the first summoned beast would be Epic and the second Legendary, their combat power skyrocketing.
As for the Descendant Bloodline, it could also be used to awaken the summoned beast's bloodline, effectively strengthening it and increasing its combat power.
So, to be on the safe side, Gu Chen decided not to use the Royal Bloodline for the time being.
Even so, this upgrade had brought a significant improvement to Dracula.
[Dracula (Epic★)]
[Level: LV.4 (Based on Summoner Level)]
[Health: 5620]
[Attributes: Strength 70, Agility 74, Constitution 72, Spirit 71]
After Level 3, Dracula has killed a total of 12 Level 1 Guards, 7 Level 2 Guards, 2 Level 3 Guards, and 1 Level 5 Guard.
Therefore, of his 5620 health, 220 is gained from kills.
It's a small amount, but it adds up.
In addition to the increased health, this upgrade also grants 12 points to all attributes.
With these attribute upgrades, basic attacks, skills, attack speed, and more are all boosted.
Now, Dracula can instantly kill a Level 2 Guard with a single shot, and [Deadly Shot] can instantly kill a Level 3 Guard. He's already used Mozambique Marksmanship on a Level 4 Guard.
Combining these two skills, he could kill a level 5 guard in a single breath.
In this instance, Dracula had become the undisputed ceiling of combat power, terrifyingly powerful.
A flicker of fighting spirit flashed in Gu Chen's eyes, and just as he was about to advance, he discovered that Dracula had already withdrawn.
The main hall was deserted; the first wave of monsters had been slain.
At the same time, Lin Yuan, Lin Qingqing, and the others jumped down from the broken statue.
Wu Ziyi stepped forward and said, "The first wave is over. Wait another fifteen minutes, and the second wave of guards will appear along with the boss. Once we kill the boss, we'll clear the level."
Although Wu Ziyi was a bit of a cocky person, it had to be said that he had truly put in the effort to develop his strategy.
Lin Yuan asked casually, "So, now all we have to do is wait here?"
Wu Ziyi ignored Lin Yuan and looked at Gu Chen, asking, "Once we clear this dungeon, we'll unlock difficulty levels. You'll probably choose Hell, right?"
There are four difficulty levels for the novice dungeon: Normal, Hard, Nightmare, and Hell.
These four difficulty levels correspond to A, S, SS, and SSS levels, respectively.
According to the rules, only after achieving an S-level rating can you choose SS and SSS levels.
Gu Chen nodded. "Well, I'm too lazy to bother. Next time I'll choose Hell and get an SSS rating."
Wu Ziyi hummed and asked cautiously, "Then... can you still take me with you next time?"
Gu Chen pondered for a moment and shook his head.
"Not taking you?" Wu Ziyi said, a little disappointed.
"It's hard to say," Gu Chen said calmly.