57: Chapter 57 The Heart of Stone! Third Job Advancement Quest!

Su Chen opened his backpack to take stock of the drops from the Rock Giant Bear.

Besides a large amount of gold coins, bear fur, and sharp bear claws, there were also two pieces of Dark Gold equipment—the Rock Breastplate and Rock Gauntlets. Their attributes were even more substantial than equipment dropped in dungeons, fully confirming the rule that field BOSS drops are superior.

The most eye-catching item was a dark-gold necklace floating in the backpack slot, radiating heavy earth energy.

[rock heart (Dark Gold Accessory): Wearable at Level 35, Constitution +300, Defense +20%, Active Skill [Earth Resurgence] (Instantly restores 50% of max HP and grants a 50% defense bonus, followed by 10% HP recovery per second for the next 5 seconds, cooldown 60 seconds)]

"I just happened to be missing a necklace." Su Chen directly equipped the rock heart, feeling the heavy sensation flowing through his body. He remarked calmly, "With health recovery and a defense boost, my sustainability is now maxed out."

He was now equipped with a full set of Dark Gold accessories. Looking at the [Earth Resurgence] skill of the rock heart, he thought to himself: Once the Hand of Heaven Stealing's cooldown is over, I'll steal this god-tier recovery skill and master it permanently.

After finishing the inventory of his spoils, Su Chen summoned Xiao Zi and flipped onto the dragon's back. "Let's go to the Assassin Guild to pick up the third job advancement quest."

Xiao Zi let out a dragon roar, spread her wings, and soared into the sky.

Below, Lin Xiyue looked at the figure atop the giant dragon's head, feeling at a loss. She wanted to say goodbye but felt too shy, so she could only stand there, watching Su Chen's figure gradually disappear over the forest.

Su Chen glanced down at the tiny figure on the ground, his lips curling slightly. "How interesting. Despite being a Necromancer who controls the undead, her personality is fragile and shy. What a huge contrast."

With that, he thought no more of it and directed Xiao Zi to speed up, flying toward the Assassin Guild.

Half an hour later, Su Chen arrived at the Assassin Guild. Clad in pitch-black heavy armor and carrying the three-meter-long "flame of joy" on his back, the entire place fell silent the moment he stepped through the door.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, their faces filled with shock—the Assassin Guild had never seen such an assassin. With heavy armor and a greatsword, his aura was more domineering than a knight's.

The receptionist, Chen Le, hurried over to greet him. After clearly seeing Su Chen's level on his status panel, her pupils shrank. "Mr... Mr. Su? You're already level 40? How long has it been? You've already reached the threshold for the third advancement. That speed is simply too fast!"

She clearly remembered that the last time Su Chen came to the guild, he wasn't even level 30. In just a few short days, he had skyrocketed to level 40. This rate of improvement completely redefined her understanding.

"Yeah, here for the third advancement quest," Su Chen said flatly.

"Right! Of course!" Chen Le nodded hurriedly and pulled up the third advancement quest panel. "Third advancement quests are divided into one to five-star difficulty. Five-star is the hardest, but the rewards are the most generous. Which one do you want to choose?"

"Five-star." Su Chen chose the highest difficulty without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Le was shocked once again but didn't dare to ask more. She immediately registered him. "Five-star job advancement quest: Hunt the Shadow Mantis. The target is slumbering in the Ancient Colosseum deep within the Hundred Thousand Snow Mountains. The Shadow Mantis is the last remaining slayer, having evolved through ultimate killing techniques, and its strength is immense. The time limit for the quest is 7 days. Please keep an eye on the time."

Su Chen frowned. "The Hundred Thousand Snow Mountains? The College Entrance Exam is in 6 days. The schedule is a bit tight."

But he soon felt relieved. Xiao Zi's flight speed was extremely fast, making long-distance travel between cities no problem. This was the perfect time to start a time-limit challenge—completing the third advancement quest while making it back before the exam.

Leaving the Assassin Guild, Su Chen headed to the Federal Chamber of Commerce to stock up on supplies for the severe cold of the Hundred Thousand Snow Mountains and the threat of the Shadow Mantis.

As soon as he entered the chamber's hall, he saw a familiar figure—Qin Wanxing. She had changed into a set of brilliant gold heavy armor, standing tall and looking very heroic, currently gesturing at the materials and pet eggs at the counter.

"I'll take this Epic-grade Cold Iron! And this Dark Gold BOSS Icefield Wolf pet egg, pack that up too!" Qin Wanxing said grandly, spending money like water. "Give me one of every material that can boost combat power. Money is no object!"

Su Chen walked up and teased, "Miss Qin, spending so much money just for the College Entrance Exam?"

Qin Wanxing turned and glared at Su Chen, her tone defiant. "What? Is there a problem? I'm going to suppress you in the exam and show you who's really number one! These materials and pet eggs will let me quickly boost my combat power. Even if it's just a transition period, I have to be the best!"

"What a spendthrift," Su Chen chuckled. "Buying so many Epic materials and Dark Gold pet eggs for a transition period is a pure waste of gold."

Qin Wanxing instantly blew up. "You have the nerve to call me that? You spent 500 million gold coins to craft a level 40 Legendary greatsword last time—you're a bigger spendthrift than me! How can you even talk?"

Su Chen's expression stiffened for a moment before he replied calmly, "It's different. Mine was a one-time investment to craft a divine weapon that can be used into the late game. You're just purely stacking combat power; you might not even use those things after the exam."

He selectively ignored his own extravagance in spending 500 million gold coins on a weapon and instead criticized Qin Wanxing with an air of righteousness.