96: Epic Quest Clues

"Boom—!" As the massive body of the Hydra crashed to the ground, kicking up murky water from the bottom of the Ten Thousand Snakes Pit, the entire space seemed to fall silent. The system's cold yet pleasant notification tone rang out in the ears of every team member like the sound of heaven, announcing the final victory of this grueling battle.

[Server Announcement: Congratulations to the team led by player 'Lin Mo' for successfully achieving the first kill in the country by defeating the Level 45 Field Boss 'Lord of the Ten Thousand Snakes Pit, Hydra'! Team members are rewarded with +5000 Reputation, +100 Gold, and the special title [Hydra Slayer]!]

[World Channel] [Player A]: "Holy crap! It's Great God Lin Mo again! That speed is insane, isn't it? A Level 45 Field Boss! I heard that just the trash mobs in the Ten Thousand Snakes Pit are enough to wipe out several elite groups!"

[World Channel] [Player B]: "What do you know, upstairs? This is called professionalism! Didn't you see it was another first kill? How many times is that now? I bet fifty cents the gear drop this time is Epic grade again!"

[World Channel] [Mad Dragon Overlord]: "Hmph, just a bunch of scattered rabble who got lucky. Just wait, the final ownership of the Temple can only belong to our Mad Dragon Guild!"

The clamor of the World Channel stood in stark contrast to the euphoria within the team. Having gone from near-death to an incredible turnaround, everyone was now breathing heavily, their faces radiating uncontrollable excitement and emotion.

"We won... we really won!" The team's Hunter, "Wind Chaser Arrow," plopped down onto the ground, still finding it hard to believe.

"More than just winning, this was a miracle!" The MT, Immovable as a Mountain, ran his hand over the huge gouge in his shield, saying with lingering fear, "When Brother Lin Mo rushed up and self-destructed just now, my soul nearly flew out of me. Honestly, who else but he would dare to pull a stunt like that?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Lin Mo, filled with respect and gratitude.

Lin Mo smiled calmly and walked toward the Hydra's corpse. His Life had mostly recovered thanks to the full Healer efforts of Summer Rain, but the mental shock from that suicidal [Poison Burst] still left him feeling slightly dazed. However, an unprecedented sense of power was surging through his limbs and body.

"Let's see what dropped first; that's the most important thing." Lin Mo's words instantly drew everyone's attention to the loot.

The Hydra's drops were extremely generous, with gold coins and rare materials piled into a small mountain. But the most eye-catching items were three pieces of gear shimmering with different lights.

The first was a massive tower shield flowing with dark gold luster. Nine spectral serpent heads seemed to slowly swim across its surface, radiating a chilling pressure.

[Hydra's Protection] (Epic Grade · Shield) Equipment Requirement: Level 45, Strength 800, Constitution 1000 Physical Defense: +1250 Magic Defense: +980 Constitution: +200 Strength: +150 Block Rate: +25% Special Effect [Nine-Headed Serpent Soul]: Upon successful block, there is a 30% chance to summon a Nine-Headed Serpent phantom to counterattack the target, dealing 50% of Strength value as mixed damage (Fire, Frost, Deadly Poison). Special Effect [Immovable as a Mountain]: When actively activated, all damage taken is reduced by 30%, and movement speed is reduced by 50%, lasting 15 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

"My heavens... an Epic grade shield!" Immovable as a Mountain's eyes went wide, and his breathing became heavy. The attributes of this shield were far superior to the Gold grade shield he was currently using, especially the [Nine-Headed Serpent Soul] effect, which was practically a tailor-made offense-defense divine skill for a top-tier MT!

"Mountain Brother, this shield belongs to you." Lin Mo unhesitatingly allocated the shield to Immovable as a Mountain. As the absolute core and spiritual leader of the team, no one questioned his decision.

"Th-thank you, brother!" Immovable as a Mountain was so excited he was slightly incoherent. He carefully took the shield, handling it with reverence.

The second item was a skill book engulfed in raging flames, with the image of a roaring nine-headed serpent imprinted on its cover.

[Forbidden Spell · Hydra's Wrath] (legendary grade · Skill Book) Class Requirement: Elemental Mage Skill Effect: After a 3-second incantation, summons the furious will of the Hydra to descend, performing a devastating multi-element strike on the designated area (50 x 50 yards), dealing a total of over 15,000 points of base magic damage. After casting is complete, the caster enters a 30-second "Weakened" state, reducing all attributes by 50%. Learning Requirement: Level 45, Intelligence 1200.

"F-Forbidden Spell?!" The team's Chief Mage, Blazing Red Lips, cried out in astonishment.

A legendary grade skill book, and a Forbidden Spell with area damage! The value of this item might even surpass that Epic grade shield! In future Guild Wars and national conflicts, the presence of a Forbidden Mage would be enough to change the outcome of a localized battle!

"Sister Red Lips, this is yours." Lin Mo smiled and handed her the skill book.

Blazing Red Lips excitedly took it, nodding heavily: "Don't worry, this Forbidden Spell will absolutely be dropped on the most critical spot!"

The third and final item lay quietly beside the BOSS's corpse. It had no dazzling light, just a seemingly ordinary dark gray stone slab. It was precisely the other half of the shattered slab that Lin Mo had previously obtained.

The moment Lin Mo's fingers touched this slab, the other slab in his backpack immediately reacted, flying out automatically. The two slabs met in the air, bursting forth with a soft and mysterious light. Countless ancient runes circulated and pieced together within the light, finally merging into a complete slab.

[Ancient Covenant Slab] (legendary grade · Quest Item) Item Description: A stone slab recording an ancient covenant, seemingly a key to unlocking a certain trial. It is whispering, calling out to worthy heroes to explore the forgotten truth. Current Status: Activated. Quest Direction: Serpent People Temple, Third Floor, Trial of the Gods.

[System Notification: You have successfully activated the second stage of the Epic Grade Quest Chain [Whispers of the Ancient Gods]—[Trial of the Gods]!]

"An Epic Grade Quest Chain... the second stage!"

This notification instantly boosted everyone's spirits. They knew that this slab was the greatest reward from this first kill! It didn't offer immediate combat power like gear and skill books, but it represented a gateway to the game's core storyline, and the hidden rewards were absolutely immeasurable.

"It looks like we have to keep going down." Lin Mo gripped the warm stone slab, his gaze directed toward the dark passage leading to the deeper parts of the Temple.

Just then, he had a thought and opened his attribute panel to view his talent, which had just undergone an Epic grade evolution.

[Endless Poison Source] (God Grade Talent · Epic Grade Enhancement) Talent Effect: Your poison damage can stack infinitely, and your poison will corrode everything... (Original effects omitted)

[New · Passive Ability: Myriad Poison Body]: You possess 80% damage reduction against all poison damage, and 30% of all elemental damage you receive (Fire, Frost, Lightning, etc.) will be converted into bonus damage for your next poison attack.

[New · Active Ability: Wither Domain]: Upon activation, creates a Wither Domain with a 30-meter radius centered on you. All hostile targets within the Domain receive 10% of your Spell Power as poison damage per second, and are afflicted with the [Wither] effect (Healer effects received are reduced by 90%) and the [Corrosion] effect (Armor is reduced by 1% per second). The Domain lasts 30 seconds, Cooldown 10 minutes.

[New · Passive Ability: Poison Mastery]: You can control your poisons with greater finesse. You can choose to have the poison lie dormant inside the target, bursting out after a maximum of 10 seconds; you can also transfer some of the poison from a poisoned target to nearby enemies after killing it.

Looking at the completely refreshed talent description, Lin Mo himself gasped.

Strong! Too strong!

[Myriad Poison Body] made him practically the bane of all Poison Class Bosses, and the ability to convert elemental damage into his own output was simply unreasonable. [Poison Mastery] made his tactics much more flexible, with dormant burst and poison transfer being divine skills in both PVP and PVE.

But what truly shocked him was the [Wither Domain].

"A 30-meter radius... 90% reduction in Healer effects..." Lin Mo muttered to himself.

This was no longer just a simple damage skill; it was the embryonic form of a rule! Within a 30-meter radius Domain, he was the god controlling the Wither of Life! Any Healer class would be completely useless within this Domain. It was easy to imagine how vulnerable the enemy's front line would be when he activated the [Wither Domain] in future team battles!

"Lin Mo, what are you thinking about? You look so absorbed." Summer Rain's clear voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Lin Mo recovered, looked at his teammates' excited faces, smiled slightly, raised his hand, and gently waved it toward an Elite Serpent Guard that had just respawned nearby.

"Wither Domain, activate."

In an instant, a visible gray-green wave of energy blasted out centered on Lin Mo, immediately enveloping the thirty-meter radius. The Elite Serpent Guard, which had just respawned and hadn't had time to show off, instantly stiffened, and a rapid series of damage numbers began to float above its head.

-589! -592! (Corrosion effect triggered, Armor reduced!) -601!

... Even more terrifyingly, a prominent purple skull icon—[Wither]—appeared below its health bar!

Another Healer in the team curiously cast a healing spell on it.

+182!

A powerful healing spell that should have restored nearly 2,000 points of Life only showed an insignificant three-digit number!

"Hiss—!" Everyone present, including the two top Healer Priests, couldn't help but gasp. They finally grasped just how tyrannical and terrifying Lin Mo's new skill truly was!

"A one-man anti-Healer Domain... How are you supposed to fight that?" Summer Rain's beautiful eyes shone with brilliance. She could completely imagine what a spectacular sight this Domain would be when deployed on a national battlefield.

Lin Mo nodded with satisfaction and retracted the Domain. He knew that starting today, his fighting style, and even the entire top-tier PVP landscape of the epoch, would change because of him.

"Alright, everyone take a break and restock your potions." Lin Mo clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Our journey has just begun. Next up is the second stage of the Epic Quest—the Trial of the Gods!"

His voice was soft but full of power and confidence, echoing in the deep Ten Thousand Snakes Pit and igniting the fire in everyone's hearts.

The path ahead might be even more difficult, but at this moment, the morale of this Pioneering Raid Group, composed of the epoch's top players, was at its peak! Their eyes were collectively fixed on the bottomless entrance leading to the third floor of the Temple.