Chapter 12: Frenzied Leveling
After Song Qi and Wang Zihao cleared the instance, they found themselves once again standing in the replica plaza.
“Woohoo!”
“One dungeon and I’m already level three!”
“Even if I don’t run any other instances today, this was worth it.”
The moment Wang Zihao landed, he leapt up in excitement.
But soon, disappointment crept onto his face.
“It’s a shame, though. For this kind of special instance, I can only run it once a week.”
Song Qi ignored him and instead opened his panel.
[Triple Experience Card: 01:08:36]
“There’s about an hour left on the triple experience card…”
Song Qi pondered for a moment.
“The first time, Lu Bu’s level was too low, so clearing was slow. Next, it should be much faster.”
“After clearing most of the zombies, I’ll just go straight for the boss and finish the instance. I should be able to keep each run within half an hour.”
“If everything goes as planned, I can make full use of the triple experience card for the last two runs today.”
He nodded, satisfied with his plan, and brought up the instance selection interface again.
“Wait up, Song! I’m out of runs for this one, so I’ll head out first,” Wang Zihao quickly interjected.
But before he’d even finished speaking—
Whoosh!
The two of them vanished from the plaza as quickly as they’d appeared.
When Wang Zihao blinked and found himself back in the Corpse Tide instance, he froze in confusion.
“I… I’m in again?”
“I thought only those with Ultra S-Class talent could run special instances more than once a week.”
“Did they change the rules?”
Song Qi gave him a look, as if regarding a fool.
“If there’s an Ultra S-Class talent holder in the team, teammates share their permissions.”
“Didn’t you listen in class?”
“Huh? Really?” Wang Zihao scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well, you know me, Song. Besides the mage class, I don’t really care about anything else.”
Song Qi shook his head, unconcerned.
They looked outside—the familiar zombie-infested street stretched before them.
But unlike last time, their starting position wasn’t on the rooftop, but in an abandoned convenience store at the side of the street.
Snap!
Song Qi snapped his fingers.
The mighty figure of Lu Bu appeared before them.
“Continue wiping out the zombies, but this time move a bit faster.”
“Your servant obeys!” Lu Bu clapped a fist to his chest and, without another word, charged out.
“Unbridled Fury—Activate!!!”
As soon as he stepped outside, Lu Bu’s gaze turned bloodred and wild.
He’d triggered the [Unbridled Fury] skill!
Rumble!
A heart-stopping aura erupted from Lu Bu, his frame swelling with power!
His presence surged to the heavens!
Even though Wang Zihao knew Lu Bu wasn’t an enemy, he still felt his scalp tingle and a primal fear gnaw at his heart, as if confronted by a natural predator.
“That’s your summoned spirit, Song?”
“This is insane!”
Wang Zihao’s mouth went dry, and he instinctively ducked behind the shelves—only emerging after realizing what he was doing.
He still couldn’t help swallowing nervously.
Song Qi, as Lu Bu’s summoner, felt nothing unusual.
But the moment he glanced at the panel, even he was startled.
Now that Song Qi had reached level five, Lu Bu’s level had also risen to five.
With fifty points to all attributes per level, Lu Bu’s stats were already brushing against the three-hundred mark in each dimension!
And with the skill’s 500% attribute boost, Lu Bu’s panel now read:
Summoned Spirit: Divine Lu Bu
Level: 5
Quality: Mythic
Strength: 299 + 1495 (Berserk)
Constitution: 299 + 1495 (Berserk)
Agility: 299 + 1495 (Berserk)
Spirit: 299 + 1495 (Berserk)
…
Sensing the presence of the living, the countless zombies wandering the street all turned toward them.
Driven by nothing but a vestigial urge to devour, the mindless creatures had no inkling of what they were facing.
They simply howled and charged at Lu Bu.
“Graaaah—”
“Graaaaah—”
Thud!
The halberd appeared in Lu Bu’s hand, slamming heavily to the ground.
And then—
Lu Bu moved.
Whoosh!
The air currents whipped into a gale as he lunged forward!
Song Qi and Wang Zihao nearly lost their footing from the blast.
Buzz!
The halberd hummed, the vibration reaching their ears even as Lu Bu was already nearly a hundred meters away!
Zombies along his path were sent flying—some, half their bodies lofted into the air!
And then came the rapid-fire chime of experience notifications.
[Experience +102]
[Experience +108]
[Experience +104]
[Experience +110]
…
The experience bars on their panels climbed at a pace visible to the naked eye!
The barrage of experience notifications flashed incessantly.
“Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!”
“My vocabulary’s failing me—all I can say is ‘holy crap’!”
Wang Zihao’s eyes were wide, the words tumbling out nonstop.
With this leveling speed, if it weren’t for being in a replica, he’d have suspected Song Qi was cheating.
Usually, leveling up as a rookie professional was a grueling process.
First, because their attributes were low.
Second, because they only had a few skills, giving them limited options in combat.
Third, because they lacked battle experience and were prone to mistakes.
But now, Song Qi had completely overturned that notion.
Who said rookie professionals had it tough?
He was literally standing there watching a show while his experience soared!
“So this is a summoner?”
“No, more accurately… this is what it means to be a summoner with Ultra S-Class talent?”
Wang Zihao turned, gazing at Song Qi, his look growing soft and admiring.
As Song Qi was scanning the surroundings for the boss’s nest, a chill ran down his spine—he was suddenly creeped out by being stared at so intently.
“What’s with that look?”
“Song~” Wang Zihao even changed his tone, drawing out the syllable.
“I’m not into guys!” Song Qi refused righteously.
“What do you mean? I’m a bona fide straight man!” Wang Zihao grinned, sidling closer.
“I’m serious, Song. Take me with you for the next run, would you?”
“I remember Ultra S-Class talents get three runs a day for special instances, right?”
“There’s still one left—why not use them all at once?”
Song Qi spread his hands, pretending to be helpless.
“Well, since you put it that way, sure.”
A 5% captain’s experience bonus wasn’t much, but it was still something.
More importantly, when Song Qi had been struggling with life, Wang Zihao had often found excuses to treat him to meals.
He’d never forgotten those favors.
Taking someone through an instance was no trouble at all.
At this, Wang Zihao beamed with joy.
“I knew you wouldn’t abandon your brother, Song!”
“After we clear the instance, let me buy you a good meal!”
“Let’s leave it for next time—I’ve got to get home. Rain check.”
“Alright, next time then.”
…
Low-level instance maps were generally small.
Their area rarely exceeded a hundred thousand square meters.
The Corpse Tide instance was only about thirty or forty thousand square meters—roughly the size of two streets.
Lu Bu’s clearing speed exceeded even Song Qi’s expectations; in less than half an hour, he’d wiped out nearly all the zombies.
Song Qi checked the time.
[Triple Experience Card: 00:36:20]
“That’s about right.”
“I need to leave some time for the next run.”
He nodded, then looked toward a tall building nearby.
“Head to the high rise on the right—the boss is on the top floor. Take care of it.”
“At your command!”
Receiving the order, Lu Bu immediately abandoned hunting any remaining zombies and veered toward the tall building.
He didn’t seem interested in taking the stairs; instead, he crouched by the wall, his thigh muscles bulging so violently they warped his armor.
Boom!
He shot upward like a cannonball, smashing through the top floor’s wall and bursting inside.
Moments later—
A familiar voice sounded in Song Qi’s ear.
[Congratulations on clearing the instance!]
[Calculating your instance rewards…]
[Congratulations! This run, you eliminated more than 85% of the monsters! Your completion time surpassed 95% of challengers. Your comprehensive rating for this instance is… Grade A!]
[Congratulations! According to your rating, you have received: 200 credit points!]
[Credit points will be automatically deposited to your account within three working days. Should any issues arise, please consult the Professional’s Hall.]
[Keep up the good work and strive for even more outstanding results.]