Chapter 21: Uncrowned King
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: Uncrowned King
At the crossroads.
Following the guide's instructions, Xie Bai summoned the first mini-boss.
[Fallen Missionary Lv.85]
[Calamity-grade BOSS]
[HP: ...]
Swish!
-3.023 Billion
-15.7236 Million
-3.039 Billion
[Killed Fallen Missionary Lv.85]
Before the Fallen Missionary’s health bar could even finish rendering, Xie Bai had already sliced its body apart.
After listening to the entity’s dying ramblings, Xie Bai unlocked the first dungeon achievement exactly as expected.
[Achievement Unlocked: Abandoned Village Purifier (1)]
[Rewards: Achievement Point 1, Free Attribute Points 100, Skill Points *10]
Currently, even without using any skills, Xie Bai could deal a terrifying six billion damage.
Against an entity like the Fallen Missionary, which was only level eighty-five, Xie Bai didn't even bother activating Spirit Form. She simply stepped up and slammed Funeral Rites directly into its face.
The battle ended instantly.
Ultimately, in this Calamity-grade dungeon where the level cap was only eighty, the monsters generally didn't exceed level ninety. Their health pools rarely reached a hundred million.
The bosses were no exception.
As for that level ninety-nine Soul Guardian she had encountered earlier, that was an anomaly that didn't belong in this dungeon.
Swish!
Another boss was cut down by Funeral Rites.
[Killed Undead Guard Captain Lv.85]
Under the "No Resurrection" trait of Funeral Rites, the slain undead boss did not rise again. Then came another tedious monologue about the past.
[Achievement Unlocked: Abandoned Village Purifier (2)]
[Rewards: Achievement Point 1, Free Attribute Points 100, Skill Points *10]
It had to be said—Xie Bai had gone out of her way to hunt these two bosses, yet the returns were meager. Each boss dropped only a pittance of experience and gold, along with a few attribute and skill points.
If not for the fact that Xie Bai’s inventory had infinite storage space, the sheer volume of useless materials dropped upon their deaths would have been a massive headache.
The only things worth mentioning were the Spirit Masses harvested from the bosses and the achievement points earned from unlocking the milestones.
On the achievement interface, Xie Bai could see an exchange shop. It contained many treasures that required achievement points to purchase. While browsing, she even spotted several incredibly powerful Divine Artifacts.
The prices, however, were a bit steep.
[Mountains and Rivers]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Type: Greatsword]
[Exchange: 500,000 Achievement Points]
[Ode to Returning Spring]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Type: Longsword]
[Exchange: 500,000 Achievement Points]
[Golden Years]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Type: Greatsword]
[Exchange: 1,000,000 Achievement Points]
[Book of Truth]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Type: Magic Tool]
[Exchange: 500,000 Achievement Points]
...
That was until Xie Bai discovered a very peculiar Divine Artifact.
[Uncrowned King]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Type: Bracelet]
[Requirement: Must have destroyed a Level 300 Dusk-grade dungeon]
[All Attribute Bonus: +100 Million]
[Engrave: Upon killing a unit, "Uncrowned King" can engrave one of the target's talents, or replace an existing engraved talent. Maximum capacity: 10. The wearer can use all engraved talents.]
[Coronation: Upon death, "Uncrowned King" shatters. The wearer permanently gains all engraved talents, resurrects unconditionally, and receives one random Divine Artifact.]
[The king who provoked the gods and went unacknowledged; their name has been erased by time.]
[Exchange: 10 Achievement Points]
It only cost ten achievement points. Xie Bai only needed to grind eight more achievements to redeem it.
In stark contrast to its extremely low price was its utterly absurd usage requirement.
Destroying a dungeon, Level 300, Dusk-grade.
Any one of these conditions taken individually was the stuff of fantasy. Yet, these three ridiculous requirements were bundled together to form a nearly impossible barrier to entry.
But what did that have to do with Xie Bai?
With the support of Pride's Blessing, she could use any equipment unconditionally. This minor drawback of the Uncrowned King could be completely ignored.
"Defeating twenty-eight bosses is a bit of a hassle, but that’s the only downside."
Rather than ending the dungeon quickly, Xie Bai preferred a perfect clear. Even if there were no extra rewards for a perfect clear, it wouldn't stop her from choosing this path.
It wasn't because Xie Bai possessed some noble ideal. It was simply because she could.
And she enjoyed doing it.
"Besides, the reverse psychology in this guide is too obvious. It’s practically looking down on me for even considering a speedrun."
After sheathing Funeral Rites, Xie Bai dashed to the next location.
She planted a red flower in the overgrown garden.
[Corrupted Flower Lv.85]
[Calamity-grade...]
Swish!
[Killed Corrupted Flower Lv.85]
"Three."
Next location: attempting to haggle for a price in the abandoned market.
[Mutated Deformed Skeleton Lv.85]
[Calamity...]
Crack!
[Killed Mutated Deformed Skeleton Lv.85]
"Four."
Next location: burying a gold coin under a tree with a swing.
[Giant Corrupt Hound...]
Swish!
[Killed Giant Corrupt Hound Lv.85]
"Five."
Next location: tasting a cup of tea in the Village Chief’s house.
[Corrupted Undead...]
Swish!
[Killed Corrupted Undead Lord Lv.85]
"Six."
Next location: spilling a drop of blood in the Central Plaza.
[Dark...]
Swish!
[Killed Dark Necromancer Lv.85]
"Seven."
...
Swish!
[Killed Bloodthirsty Executioner Lv.85]
"Twenty-eight."
As Xie Bai finished off the final boss, she obtained the last achievement.
[Achievement Unlocked: Abandoned Village Purifier (28)]
[Rewards: Achievement Point 1, Free Attribute Points 100, Skill Points *10]
After confirming she had twenty-eight achievement points, Xie Bai opened the exchange shop and found the Divine Artifact she had set her sights on.
["Uncrowned King" exchanged successfully!]
[Remaining Achievement Points: 18]
Xie Bai took the Uncrowned King into her hand. It was a pure white bracelet.
The moment she put it on, Pride's Blessing immediately bypassed the usage requirements, allowing the Divine Artifact to take effect.
Xie Bai’s attribute values underwent a massive transformation.
[Xie Bai Lv.96]
[Class: Reaper]
[HP: 53.624 Billion / 53.624 Billion]
[Mana: 1.005 Billion / 1.005 Billion]
[Strength: 200 Million]
[Constitution: 536 Million]
[Intelligence: 100 Million]
[Agility: 373 Million]
[...]
Every attribute had surged by a hundred million. Even her Intelligence, which had previously been a weak point, received a massive boost.
With a billion mana points, if she funneled it all into the Echo skill... even after the Sloth's Curse penalty reduced the effective value to a hundred million, it would still allow Echo to trigger an absurd explosion with a radius of 1.2 billion meters.
Just thinking about it was a bit exhilarating.
Although Xie Bai felt an itch to try out a super-wide-range explosion right now, her rationality told her not to mess around, or things would go south.
Aside from the massive attribute boost, the Uncrowned King's affixes were also incredibly broken.
First, "Engrave" directly provided the ability to steal talents. This gave Xie Bai, who originally had a blank slate for talents, the possibility of acquiring more mechanics. In the future, if she saw someone with a good talent, she could just snatch it. If she didn't like it, she could swap it out—it was all about flexibility.
Then there was the second affix, "Coronation," which was even more ridiculous. Specifically, the unconditional resurrection gave Xie Bai an extra chance to circumvent the Greed's Curse.
Though it was a one-time-use resurrection, it was a massive leap from zero to one. Previously, Xie Bai had acted with extreme caution, terrified of an accidental death. But now that she had a layer of insurance, she could let loose a bit and no longer be confined to her previous timid state.
In other words, she could afford to be a little reckless now.
Overall, the Uncrowned King solved multiple problems for Xie Bai; its effects were excellent.
"Mhm, next I need to go to that Alchemist's grave. I have to play through the story there to clear the mist."
"Then I can round up all those Lost Souls and immediately refine... uh, no... immediately hold a Great Funeral so those souls can find peace."
"Right, that way I can get another Divine Artifact."
With that thought, Xie Bai immediately set off. Following the guide's directions, she began heading toward the cemetery.