121: Chapter 121 'Secondary Luck Potion'

The three of them gathered downstairs before 11:00 AM. Since they didn't have a leash or a beast-taming bag, Hu Jinsi had to use the backpack Su Wan had improvised last time, strapping the Dire Wolf onto his back. The Dire Wolf's head poked out from the opening of the backpack, looking around curiously.

Looking at Hu Jinsi from the front, it looked as if a wolf's head had sprouted from his neck. Seeing this, Su Wan couldn't help but chuckle. Lin Rui also curled the corners of his mouth, but quickly returned to his usual expression. The Dire Wolf's ears twitched, seemingly confused by their reactions.

Passersby on the road looked over one after another; some pointed and whispered, while others took out their terminals to take photos. Hu Jinsi was already used to this and kept walking forward without looking aside. The Dire Wolf, however, quite enjoyed the attention, turning its head back and forth, full of curiosity about everything around it.

On their way to the shop on foot, Su Wan said, "My mother has finally finished the batch of pre-ordered goods she had. Since she has time now, she can help us make those [Reinforced Woolen Shoulder Guards] we mentioned last time. I wanted to ask what specific attributes you both want to add? Agility or Intelligence?"

"Also, my mom can add a simple magical effect, but it has to be a cantrip. I've sent you the list of cantrips my mom can add. You two should think about it; it's best if you tell me what you want before we head back. I'll have my mom finish it this afternoon, because she has new orders tomorrow and will be busy with those."

Hu Jinsi said directly to Su Wan, "For my shoulder guards, I want one that adds Intelligence. As for the attached cantrip, just add [Prestidigitation] for me; I mainly want it for the cleaning effect. If you can add [Clean] separately, that works too, since it's just for cleaning Xiao Lang's personal hygiene anyway. I'm not using these shoulder guards for combat, so adding Intelligence will be useful for when I read and study."

Su Wan nodded and recorded Hu Jinsi's requirements on her terminal. She then turned to Lin Rui and asked what attributes he wanted. Lin Rui thought for a moment and said he wanted Strength. As for the additional magic, he needed to think about it a bit more, but he would definitely tell Su Wan before lunch ended.

...

On the way to the shop that rented out high-level balls, Hu Jinsi received messages from two more classmates. They also wanted to order a batch of special medicine to treat rabies. Hu Jinsi replied that it was fine, then stuffed his terminal back into his pocket.

He turned his head and complained to Lin Rui and Su Wan, "I don't know what's going on. From this morning until now, students have been ordering this special medicine for rabies from me one after another. They were complaining more fiercely than anyone else outside the dungeon yesterday, but now they're all coming to ask for it today. I'm a bit confused."

Su Wan said, "I think it's because you didn't check the school news this morning. In several of my private group chats, everyone is discussing that after drinking the special rabies medicine you made, they suspect their luck has increased. Because every team that drank this potion has had some gains, more or less. Therefore, some people have secretly started calling this potion a 'lesser luck potion'."

Hu Jinsi waved his hand dismissively, "What's my level of pharmaceutical skill? You two should know. If it really increased luck, the three of us wouldn't be unable to even afford a beast-taming bag for this cub. I reckon it's purely psychological. It's also possible that the Gnolls just drop a lot of things, and since they're farming so many, they naturally look for reasons in metaphysics and end up attributing it to me."

Lin Rui quietly added from the side, "I also drank quite a bit of that special rabies medicine. And Su Wan did indeed get the skill stone she wanted. I feel like there really is some kind of luck bonus component to it."

Su Wan nodded from the side, "I think it's possible that there is luck involved. After all, we fought Gnolls for a whole day last week and didn't see a single skill stone drop. But this time, it didn't even take a whole morning before we got the items we needed. The only difference this time was that we temporarily sacrificed Lin Rui to drink cheap special medicine for the whole morning."

"I think that's the reality of luck; after all, Lin Rui from our team paid the price, so it's only fair that we had gains."

Hu Jinsi rolled his eyes at these two superstitious guys, "Sorry, I'm level 16 now. I just drew a new skill, [Inoculation Therapy], which can increase resistance to diseases that have already been cured. The next time we go to [Lakeside Town], Lin Rui won't have to drink so many bottles of medicine."

"Maybe after the first treatment, his probability of contracting the disease will be greatly reduced for the following week."

Hearing this, Su Wan said in surprise, "That won't do! Why don't you just not treat Lin Rui and let him solve it by drinking medicine? If he drinks enough, maybe next time we're lucky, and when we enter the dungeon, those Gnolls will drop an Arcanist class awakening stone for us. I think that would be pretty good."

"I just don't know how many bottles Lin Rui has to drink before an Arcanist awakening stone drops. If it really doesn't work, I can drink it with him too!"

Hu Jinsi looked at Su Wan, "Can't you grasp the main point when I'm talking? The point is that I reached level 16 and got a new skill!"

Su Wan said, "Isn't it normal for you to be level 16? You went off to level up by yourself during the holidays anyway; at one point, you were even 2 levels ahead of Lin Rui and me. School has been open for two months, so you reaching level 16, isn't that quite normal?"

"Besides, didn't you say those Blackrock Orcs could give you extra experience? So this is a normal event, why should we be surprised?"

Faced with Su Wan's counter-question, Hu Jinsi really had no interest in saying anything more. Only Lin Rui asked, "Jinsi, are there any useful team skills?"

Hu Jinsi said listlessly, "There's a single-target healing skill that can bounce, and then there's the one I mentioned before that can increase your resistance to related diseases. Nothing else is really useful."

...

Amidst the idle chatter, the three finally arrived at the shop outlet where they could rent high-level balls. The storefront wasn't large, but the sign was very eye-catching. There were several display racks at the entrance, holding various colored items and training equipment. There weren't many customers coming in and out, but they all looked like professionals with animal companions.

The inside of the shop looked more spacious than it did from the outside. The shelves were neatly arranged with various items related to beast-taming. Besides spherical containment devices, there was pet food, training tools, cleaning supplies, and all kinds of equipment for animal companions. Hu Jinsi's gaze swept across the shelves, and he was captivated by the dazzling array of goods.

Facing the various beast-taming item rentals in the shop, the three of them were a bit dazzled. This wasn't just a shop for renting items; there were also a large number of animal companions and beast-taming skills available for learning. However, the carrier for the skills wasn't a skill stone, but in the form of a disc.

Hu Jinsi discovered that more than half of the items here seemed to come from the Pokémon-related world. He asked the shop assistant with some confusion, "How come I haven't heard of these items dropping in any domestic dungeons?"

The shop assistant replied, "It's normal that you haven't heard of them. Because this series of dungeons doesn't exist in our country; they are all dungeons in other countries. But since these things don't have much technical content, they were quickly cracked, forming the various items you see now that can be rented and sold."

The assistant continued, "Of course, items dropped from the original dungeons are said to be stronger than these rentals. It's said that inside the original [Luxury Ball], creatures can live inside. It has quite rich living facilities. But that price isn't something that can be rented; it has already been snatched up by many high-level professionals who have animal companions."

Hu Jinsi walked around the shop and saw quite a few interesting things. There was a cleaning brush designed specifically for Dire Wolves that could automatically clean the dirt in their fur. There was also a special shampoo for pets, with a slogan saying it could keep the Dire Wolf smelling fragrant for three days.

Hu Jinsi even saw a replica of an EXP Share inside. After a professional wears this item, they can convert 20% of the career experience they gain into general experience and distribute it to their animal companion. Hu Jinsi picked it up, checked the price, and silently put it back.

Besides coming to the shop to get familiar with the location, the three also briefly asked about the rental procedures and processes. Hu Jinsi booked a rental service for a [Great Ball], paid the deposit, and agreed to come back to complete the paperwork before the holidays. Then they left the shop, mainly because the prices of other things in the shop were a bit too discouraging.

As he walked out, Hu Jinsi looked back at the Great Ball on the display rack. The black and yellow colored sphere shone with a soft luster under the lights, looking exactly like the thing in his memories from his past life. But its function and purpose were completely different, which made an indescribable feeling well up in his heart.

...

And the item [Blackrock Blood Rune Bone] that the three had obtained this week, which could convert one into a Blackrock Orc, was, as expected, not very popular and was not bought by anyone immediately.

After all, if you were converting into a race with powerful traits or high attractiveness, it would be easier to sell, and even if you stopped being human, there would be a justification and reason for it.

This Blackrock Orc bloodline conversion prop makes you stop being human, but it doesn't have very dazzling strength, so it really feels like it's stuck in their hands.

Although several specialties added up to a significant critical hit chance, it was too dependent on weapon types and wasn't suitable. It belonged to the type that the rich look down on and the poor can't afford.

Converting this item into cash at a value that the three of them could accept didn't look like a goal that could be achieved in the short term.

...

The three left the shop, and as soon as they looked up, they saw the phantom of [The Cathedral] not far away. The translucent building was floating at the end of the street, its outline having shrunk by nearly half compared to its peak period. The light at the edges had dimmed significantly, being compressed from within by some force, no longer expanding outward.

Sunlight passed through its translucent walls, casting mottled light spots on the ground. There were still many pedestrians on the street, but compared to the panic when the dungeon first mutated, the atmosphere now was much calmer.

Lin Rui stopped, looked up, and said, "Should we go find a restaurant over there? We can sit and have a meal while getting a closer look at this view. We can take a few photos to keep as a souvenir."

Hu Jinsi and Su Wan exchanged a look.

The phantom of The Cathedral was indeed much more stable than before; although the surrounding restricted area was still there, the alert zone had clearly shrunk.

The risk was no longer that high.

The two did not object, nodded, and followed Lin Rui in that direction.

The straight-line distance between the two locations was not far, at most a little over a kilometer.

However, because the vicinity was still under martial law, the three could not get close.

They went around a few streets, walking along a small alley that was rarely used.

The walls of the old residential buildings on both sides of the alley were covered in cracks eroded by time.

Occasionally, residents would poke their heads out of windows, looking toward the phantom of The Cathedral, their eyes carrying a complex mix of curiosity and unease.

At the end of the alley, they turned onto the main road, where traffic was thinner than usual.

Some drivers, while waiting for the red light, would also cast a glance through the car windows at the phantom.

The three finally stopped in front of a Silver Arch.

The storefront was not large, but the floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the second floor faced the direction of The Cathedral phantom, offering a decent view.

Pushing open the door, a blast of cold air hit them.

The air conditioning inside was set very high, even though the weather outside was not hot.

Behind the cashier counter stood a young female clerk, who was busy organizing trays with her head down.

Hearing the doorbell, she looked up, swept her gaze over the three, and finally stopped on the backpack behind Hu Jinsi.

The head of the Dire Wolf poked out from the opening, curiously examining the environment inside the shop.

The female clerk was stunned for a moment, but quickly resumed a professional smile, appearing accustomed to such things.

The three ordered a set meal each and carried their trays to the second floor.

The seating area on the second floor was more spacious than the first, but there were few customers.

Hu Jinsi chose a window seat and moved the backpack from his back to his side.

The head of the Dire Wolf poked out from the opening, its amber eyes scanning the surrounding environment curiously.

It smelled the aroma of French fries and fried chicken drifting in the air, its nostrils flared violently, and a low, rumbling sound came from its throat.

Hu Jinsi picked up a chicken wing from the tray and handed it to the mouth of the Dire Wolf.

The Direwolf Cub opened its mouth, snatched it, and chewed the bones with a crunching sound.

Its iron-gray tail swayed gently in the backpack, making a rustling sound of fabric rubbing.

At the next table sat a mother and son.

The little boy was about seven or eight years old, his eyes wide open, staring non-stop at the Dire Wolf.

His mother reached out to cover his mouth, but she herself was also secretly observing this rare creature.

To be fair, although there were many cases of adult Dire Wolves growing up to be ugly, the appearance of the Direwolf Cub beside the three was actually quite good.

Opposite their dining table sat a young man in his early twenties.

The man was wearing a plain hoodie and jeans, with a pair of heavily worn sneakers on his feet.

His hair was a bit messy, not having been combed properly for days.

His appearance and attire looked no different from other customers in the fast-food restaurant, but a person of this age appearing at this time and in this location seemed exceptionally abrupt.

Wei City currently had no higher education institutions, but more than a decade ago, the number of universities in Wei City ranked among the top in the entire nation.

For some reason—perhaps Hu Jinsi was too young to remember at the time—he had no memory of this period.

The only thing he remembered was that all the universities suddenly moved away.

Professors took their experimental equipment and student files and left the city in rows of special vehicles.

The official authorities never gave a clear explanation for the reason, and various rumors circulated: some said it was due to changes in underground water veins, others said it was due to predictions of dungeon erosion, and some said it was due to policy adjustments from the higher-ups.

Regardless of the truth, Wei City had lost its function for higher education from then on.

People of appropriate age all went to other places for their studies, so people in their early twenties were as conspicuous as giant pandas in Wei City.

The three, Hu Jinsi, Lin Rui, and Su Wan, rarely saw people of this age group on the streets, unless they were visiting relatives or a small number of people who had given up on themselves.

Therefore, when an outsider who looked to be in his early twenties and dressed casually appeared here, one could guess without much thought that he was related to The Cathedral dungeon.

Su Wan put down her cola cup and observed the young man for a few seconds.

Her gaze shifted from his hoodie to his worn-out soles, and finally landed on the half-finished cup of cola beside his hand.

Then she cautiously asked, "Excuse me, are you a student from Shanxi University here to handle The Cathedral dungeon?"

Hearing Su Wan's question, the man hesitated for a moment.

His fingers paused on the burger wrapper, he took a bite of the burger, finished chewing, and nodded, saying, "I suppose so."

The three exchanged a look.

What did "I suppose so" mean?

Yes is yes, no is no.

Support personnel or those in life professions providing technical support could also directly answer yes.

What kind of situation was "I suppose so"?

Lin Rui frowned, but held back from pressing further.

Hu Jinsi looked down at the Dire Wolf; the Direwolf Cub had already gnawed the chicken wing clean and was licking the residue off the bone with its tongue.

Su Wan asked again, "Then according to your clearing speed, how long will it take for The Cathedral dungeon to return to normal and reopen?"

Eating the burger in his mouth, the man said straightforwardly, "If we're talking about returning to normal, it should be within this week."

"As for when it will continue to be open, that is not a question that we temporary workers should know."

He paused and added, "Anyway, the intensity of the enemies in this dungeon is not low."

"I think it would have been quite difficult for me to solo this dungeon when I was in high school."

"Therefore, I find it a bit hard to understand why your local Bureau of Education would open this dungeon to high school sophomores."

"I don't think even high school seniors could successfully pass this dungeon, let alone a group of high school sophomores who have only just awakened for less than a year."

While they were talking, Hu Jinsi handed the chicken wing in his hand to the Dire Wolf.

The Direwolf Cub chewed with gusto, its iron-gray tail swaying gently in the backpack, making a rustling sound of fabric rubbing.

The little boy next to them finally couldn't help it.

He broke free from his mother's hand, ran to Hu Jinsi's table, and stared into the eyes of the Dire Wolf.

The Dire Wolf tilted its head, locked eyes with the little boy for three seconds, and then let out a yawn, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

The little boy let out a "wah" and ran back into his mother's arms, but his eyes still couldn't help but glance over here.

The young man glanced at the Dire Wolf in front of Hu Jinsi and said, "A very good Dire Wolf. If raised well, it should be able to reach the attribute limit of the Dire Wolf race."

Although the three had always believed that their Xiao Lang was a very intelligent Dire Wolf, receiving affirmation from an outsider still made them very happy.

The Dire Wolf seemed to understand the compliment; its ears perked up, and a low whimper came from its throat, as if responding.

It even poked more of its body out of the backpack, placing its front paws on Hu Jinsi's thigh, looking as if it wanted to show off its style.

Hu Jinsi put down the fries in his hand and asked cautiously, "Then do you have any advice for its cultivation?"

"You should be able to tell that none of us three has mastered the ability of Animal Companion, so we are currently planning to train this Dire Wolf as our teammate."

The man took a sip of cola and nodded, saying, "Regarding the Animal Companion feat, there are indeed many ways to obtain it."

"However, even if many professions obtain the Animal Companion feat, because the profession itself does not provide other relevant feat support, a solitary feat doesn't have much effect and will instead suppress the companion's growth."

He put down the cup, the bottom of the cup making a light sound upon contact with the table, and continued, "On the contrary, if you treat it as a teammate to train, I suggest that while this Dire Wolf has not yet reached adulthood, you prioritize choosing a suitable class awakening stone for it and let it awaken a class as early as possible."

"In this way, it can accumulate some class experience during its growth period and determine its growth direction."

"Although a pure Dire Wolf has no class levels and is very strong with only Dire Wolf levels, such a Dire Wolf won't go far and can at most grow into a gatekeeper of the Extraordinary stage."

He paused, his gaze lingering on the Dire Wolf for a few seconds.

The Dire Wolf felt the gaze and returned a wary look, but its tail was still swaying gently.

The young man smiled and continued, "Think about it, even creatures as legendary as dragons seek class levels."

"Therefore, while you may think the class template is ordinary, it is actually very important; it determines a person's upper limit and future."

"How does that saying go? Start from childhood."

"This saying is not only important for humans like you and me, but also very important for all other kinds of creatures."

"Especially since this Dire Wolf is very smart and has lively eyes, it is even more important to start learning as early as possible."

Su Wan relaxed a little at this moment and asked the stranger, "Then do you have any recommendations for this Dire Wolf's class?"

The man finished the last bite of the burger, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and crumpled the wrapper into a ball, placing it on the tray.

He said, "Due to different origins, the differences between Dire Wolves are not small, so there are quite a few differences in adaptability."

"But generally speaking, many classes are actually quite suitable for Dire Wolves."

"For example, basic classes like Ranger, Barbarian, and Warrior are all good."

"Of course, if you have better niche classes, you can also try them."

"As long as you don't want to push the Dire Wolf towards the direction of a spellcaster, most melee classes are fine for it."

As he spoke, he glanced at Lin Rui and Hu Jinsi, and added, "Soldier or even Monk is feasible."

"A normal Dire Wolf in a large pack of Dire Wolves acts as a Soldier, and for a Dire Wolf with the Monk class, its claws and bite as natural weapons can both benefit from the Monk's unarmed attack bonuses."

After finishing, the man checked the time and said to the three, "Young students, I'm glad to chat with you, but I don't have much time left."

"I still have a mission. If there is a chance, perhaps we will meet again next week."

As soon as his voice fell, he disappeared before their eyes.

No light, no sound, he just dissipated into the air.

The three didn't even notice how he left, as if no one had ever sat in that position just now.

Only the half-full cup of cola and a crumpled burger wrapper left on the table proved that someone had indeed been there.