Volume One, Chapter Seven: Skill Delay Technique, Level Up!

"Of course!"

The bunny girl's eyes sparkled, and she said excitedly, "Please, follow me!"

With that, she took the lead and guided Lin Yi to a concealed library. Inside the room, various skill books were laid out, waiting for Lin Yi to choose.

"Magic Ejection," "Earth Spike," "Wind Blade," "Detection," "Slow"...

One after another, they were dazzling. Lin Yi was overwhelmed, wishing he could tuck them all into his pockets.

"Which one should I pick?"

Each book was worth a considerable amount, about 600,000 Chinese yuan each, meaning he had to grit his teeth and choose only one.

"For offense, I already have single-target and area-of-effect skills, and for defense, I have Shield Armor."

"What I lack now is a crowd control skill!"

Thinking of this, Lin Yi’s gaze rested on "Slow." Even at level one, this skill could reduce an enemy's movement speed by 5%, which was truly impressive.

"I’ve decided to buy 'Slow'!"

Lin Yi hesitated no longer. He then spent another 100,000 Chinese yuan to purchase five small health recovery potions.

[Small Health Recovery Potion]
Effect: Restores 300 health points.

Although he might not necessarily need them, it was always good to be prepared.

Finally, the remaining 300,000 Chinese yuan stayed in his black card. Lin Yi didn't continue spending; instead, he turned to leave. He intended to save this money so that if something were to happen to him, his mother's life at least wouldn't be too difficult. Though Lin Yi was full of confidence in himself, it was always necessary to plan for a rainy day.

Meanwhile, outside a room somewhere in the Wanbao Pavilion.

"Huh!"

A beautiful girl with short hair exclaimed in surprise, "Is... is that Lin Yi?"

Lin Yi’s figure flashed by, leaving her a bit uncertain. This girl’s beauty was on par with Liu Wanqing, and her figure was equally stunning. She was Cheng Muqing, the apple of the eye of the Cheng family, one of the four great families in Jiang City.

Cheng Muqing shook her head and muttered, "It shouldn't be him, right?"

"I heard Lin Yi only awakened as an ordinary mage; how could he have come to Wulong Town?"

As Cheng Muqing's thoughts drifted, a middle-aged man walked out of the room with a smile.

"Miss, there is indeed a Black Iron-grade dungeon instance in the Swamp Plains."

"However, the entrance location is not fixed; it will take some time to find."

Some dungeon instances exist stably, while others are generated randomly. They are filled with a large number of mobs, and more importantly, they always contain elite monsters and boss monsters! For the strong, they are true treasure troves!

A glint of joy flashed in Cheng Muqing's eyes; she hadn't expected the Wanbao Pavilion to actually have information.

"If you can clear this dungeon, Miss, your strength will surely make rapid progress."

"It is even possible to reach the Black Iron grade."

"In the trial tournament a week from now, you will be enough to suppress that girl from the Huang family!"

Cheng Muqing nodded and issued a solemn command, "There is no time to lose; organize a team immediately."

"When the time comes, I will lead the expedition into the instance myself!"

On the other side, Lin Yi was, of course, unaware that he had almost been recognized by Cheng Muqing. At this moment, he had already checked into an inn in Wulong Town and was resting quietly.

He tapped the "Slow" skill book in his hand gently, and as the light flowed, "Slow" was directly upgraded to the maximum level! The skill effect could halve an enemy's movement and attack speed, with a duration of three seconds. This was enough for Lin Yi to blast the opponent into dust!

Only by mastering a diverse range of skills could he better cope with future challenges. Lin Yi called his mother to tell her he was safe and, after browsing through the monster encyclopedia for a while, drifted into a deep sleep. After a day of fierce fighting, he was truly exhausted.

The next day, the sun was bright. Wulong Town became bustling once again. Lin Yi packed his bags and stepped out of the town. His target this time was the Swamp Plains. There, even the weakest wild wolves reached level eight, which was perfect for his current leveling needs.

Before long, Lin Yi encountered his first target: a level nine Gale Wolf. For most mages, defeating it one-on-one would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. But Lin Yi clearly did not belong to the ranks of ordinary people.

"Slow, activate!"

As the incantation left his lips, a grayish-white halo instantly enveloped the Gale Wolf. Its speed plummeted, and it began to crawl as slowly as a snail.

Lin Yi curled his lips into a smile. "This move is truly potent!"

Immediately following, a Fireball spell finished it off completely.

-2457!

[Killed level nine Gale Wolf, obtained 135 experience points!]

Lin Yi licked his lips and said excitedly, "I will definitely reach level ten today!"

"As long as I absorb one more Black Iron Orb, I will become a Black Iron-grade professional!"

Although Black Iron Magic Orbs were expensive, they weren't impossible to obtain. First, by purchasing them at his own expense, which cost about two million on the market. Second, by participating in the Professional Guild's trials, where outstanding performance offered a chance at rewards. Therefore, Lin Yi was not in a hurry. As long as he had enough experience points, promoting to Black Iron would be easy.

"Continuing forward!"

Lin Yi leaped and moved across the plains, killing the wolves one by one. The log continued to update, and the numbers climbed steadily.

[Killed level eight Wild Wolf, obtained 97 experience points!]
[Killed level nine Gale Wolf, obtained 126 experience points!]
[Killed level nine Blood-Patterned Wolf, obtained 143 experience points!]
[...]

As the last Blood-Patterned Wolf collapsed under an Ice Arrow, a strong white light suddenly bloomed from Lin Yi.

[Level increased to LV8!]

Suddenly, Lin Yi’s eyes lit up. Behind a massive boulder, three Blood-Patterned Wolves appeared. The light red patterns on their bodies exuded a mysterious aura. One of them was exceptionally sturdy, like a small ox.

[Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf!]
[Level: LV10 Elite Monster]
[Health: 13416]
[Skill: Bloodthirsty Assault]

Lin Yi was overjoyed and laughed, "It seems my luck is really good; I've encountered an elite monster again!"

"Awoo!"

The Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf spotted Lin Yi and immediately let out a deafening roar. The three wolves lunged at Lin Yi with astonishing speed.

Lin Yi smiled leisurely, waving his staff gently, and the grayish-white halo locked onto the Blood-Patterned Wolves.

Slow, activated again!

The swift Blood-Patterned Wolves immediately became sluggish, their speed halved.

"Crackle, crackle, crackle!"

Electric arcs flickered at the tip of his staff, and Lin Yi’s control became increasingly adept.

Arc Shock!

In an instant, they were reduced to nothing.

-2148!
-2371!

A hint of playfulness flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes. "Only you are left."

While the Slow effect was still active, an ice crystal arrow condensed in the air.

"Whoosh!"

The slowed Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf could not dodge in time. The ice arrow exploded on its head, scattering into ice shards and dealing severe damage.

-4163!

With just one strike, nearly a third of the Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf's health was shaved off.

"Awoo!"

In the next moment, the Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf finally broke free from the influence of the Slow spell. Its eyes turned bloodshot as it entered a bloodthirsty state, with both its strength and speed enhanced.

However, Lin Yi’s combat intelligence was more seasoned; after firing the ice crystal arrow, he quickly retreated.

Fireball followed right after!

"Boom!"

The scorching fireball exploded on the Blood-Patterned Wolf, and the smell of burnt flesh even drifted through the air.

-2156!

Injuring the enemy wasn't the final goal; driving the Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf back was key. Lin Yi opened up a safe distance again, and the cooldown for Slow finished just in time. The grayish-white halo enveloped the Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf's feet once more, and its just-recovered speed plummeted again!

"Awooooo!"

The Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf howled at the sky, filled with fury, but it was to no avail. At this moment, it could only be slaughtered!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two ice crystal arrows pierced the giant wolf's eye sockets, and flesh and ice shards flew everywhere.

-3021!
-3149!

The next moment, the Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf's health dropped to zero.

Lin Yi looked at the two items shining beside the corpse of the Giant Blood-Patterned Wolf and smiled as he bent down to pick them up.

Two more pieces of Black Iron equipment were in his hands!