75: Chapter 75 Bloodthirsty Dragon Scales, An Infinite Combo from Ants

The wind swept away the clouds; the blood-red setting sun cast long shadows along the lakeshore.

The white light from the Dynasty Guild elite warrior hadn't fully dissipated, and the originally noisy crowd around them was as silent as a choked duck, falling into a deathly stillness. Only the rustling of the wind through the reeds was clear enough to make one's heart palpitate.

Qin Ji's expression was as calm as ever, as if he had just casually swatted an annoying fly. He stepped forward, his retina flashing with the delayed dungeon settlement list.

As the first player in the entire server to clear a Purgatory-level dungeon, the System's generosity far exceeded ordinary imagination.

[Settlement complete. Items have been automatically stored in the backpack.]

[Obtained: Gold Coins +22,000!]

[Obtained: Skill Book (Epic) x4!]

[Obtained: Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Equipment (Set Piece) x2!]

[Obtained: Special Consumable: Abyss Dragon Gall x1!]

A series of golden prompts flowed like a waterfall in the corner of his vision.

Qin Ji walked while carelessly scanning the loot. The equipment requirements were too high, so he threw them into storage to gather dust for now. That fist-sized, purple-black, slightly throbbing [Abyss Dragon Gall] was a good item, however; it was the main ingredient for refining Rank 8 "Dragon Blood Potion," which could fetch the astronomical price of a city in his past life.

His gaze finally rested on a skill book glowing with a blood-red halo.

[Skill Book: Bloodthirsty Dragon Scales (Unique)]

[Source: Black Water Lake - Purgatory First Clear Limited]

[Learning Requirements: Physique > 500 (Original restricted class: Berserker; class restriction removed due to player "Snow Emperor's" first-clear privilege)]

[Effect: Upon activation, the body is covered in Dragon Scale Qi. 10% of all damage taken (including True Damage) will be converted into Health to heal yourself.]

[Current Proficiency: 0/1000 (1 point of proficiency gained for every 1,000 damage absorbed and converted)]

Qin Ji's brow twitched slightly.

This skill is quite interesting.

For average players, this was practically a suicide skill. To recover health, one had to take a beating, but at this stage, most tanks only had twenty or thirty thousand health. Facing a high-level boss's critical damage of over a hundred thousand, they would become a corpse before the healing even took effect.

But for him...

Qin Ji glanced at his health bar, which was so long it had folded over, and a playful arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

This was practically a perpetual motion machine tailored for him. As long as he wasn't killed in one hit, he would be an undying flesh and blood millstone on the battlefield.

"Learn."

With a slight thought, the blood-red skill book in his hand turned into a red light and entered the space between his brows. A faint pattern of dark red scales appeared on his skin's surface before vanishing.

"B... Boss, wait for me!"

Qi Yun's panting voice came from behind. He was like an imp who had just crawled back from Hell, looking at Qin Ji's back as if he were his only life-saving straw.

Qin Ji didn't stop, preparing to head toward the distant teleportation array.

Suddenly.

A faint ripple stirred in the air, like a dragonfly touching the surface of water.

No Killing Intent, no sound, and even the wind direction hadn't changed.

But in Qin Ji's perception network, this ripple was as piercing as a thunderclap.

It was a high-level Stealth skill!

Squelch!

A pitch-black dagger appeared out of thin air at the back of Qin Ji's neck, stabbing straight into the vertebral gaps at an extremely tricky angle.

The attacker's timing was perfect—choosing the exact moment when Qin Ji had just finished checking his panel and his mind was most relaxed.

The dagger hit precisely.

-1 (Forced Damage).

The attacker was clearly a top-tier veteran; undeterred by the failed strike, his body twisted forcefully in the air. Using the recoil, he kicked toward the back of Qin Ji's knees while his dagger turned into a blur, instantly unleashing a dazzling combo.

"Gouge!"

"Backstab!"

"Eviscerate!"

Crisp metallic clangs erupted on Qin Ji's back, sparks flying everywhere.

Qin Ji remained motionless, not even turning his head, only watching the series of "-1", "-1", "-1" floating above him.

"A bit of a scratch," he gave a candid evaluation.

However, in the next second, the ground suddenly exploded.

A Grappler who had been lying in wait underground burst out, his fists wrapped in the brownish-yellow glow of the earth element, striking Qin Ji heavily on the chin.

"Rising Dragon Fist!"

Although the massive impact didn't deal much damage, the physics engine's check mechanism was forced into effect. Qin Ji's body was uncontrollably knocked into the air, entering a "floating hitstun" state.

Immediately after, a blinding firelight lit up in the nearby treetops.

An Elementalist in red robes waved his staff, and three highly compressed flame chains shot out like venomous snakes, precisely binding Qin Ji in mid-air and locking him firmly in the sky.

"Earth Flame Blast!"

Boom!

A crimson pillar of fire erupted from the Void Realm beneath Qin Ji's feet, once again pushing his falling body even higher.

Assassin, Grappler, Mage.

The three coordinated seamlessly, clearly a professional killer team that long frequented the wilds. They knew very well that against an opponent with freakish defense, the only way to win was an "infinite floating combo."

As long as they didn't let the target land, even if they only dealt 1 damage per hit, they could grind him to death!

"Is... Is this the 'Shadow Tower' Hunting Squad?!"

Qi Yun, following behind, had a huge change in expression. He recognized the black skull tattoo on the Assassin's wrist—that was a notorious bounty organization in the gaming world, specializing in contracts to intercept and kill high-value targets to drop top-tier equipment.

Seeing Qin Ji being kicked around in the air like a ball, Qi Yun's blood boiled, and he gritted his teeth and roared, "Let go of my big brother!"

He activated the basic Warrior skill [Savage Charge], throwing himself like a cannonball toward the red-robed Mage who was casting.

The Mage didn't even blink, a mocking sneer hanging on his lips.

"Repelling Fire Ring."

Buzz!

A ripple of golden-red flames radiated from the Mage's body.

The check under level suppression took effect instantly. Qi Yun was like a fly hitting a steel plate, flying backward even faster than he had charged, falling face-first into the dirt.

"Don't get in the way, small fry."

The Mage snorted coldly, his staff glowing brightly as he prepared to chain the next round of burst damage. "This kid's turtle shell is very hard. Third, use Armor-Piercing Arrow! Second, keep him floating, don't let him land!"

"Understood!"

In the shadows of the forest, a Ranger drew his longbow to its limit, the arrowhead flashing with an azure armor-piercing glow.

And in mid-air.

Qin Ji was in a floating state, his body rising and falling with the explosive air currents. He looked down at the group of ants below him with their coordinated teamwork, a hint of boredom flashing in his eyes.

These are the so-called professional killers?

They don't even have the qualification to make him draw his blade.

"Bloodthirsty Dragon Scales, activate."

Qin Ji's thoughts stirred slightly.

The passive skill he just learned was instantly activated.

Attacks that originally only dealt "-1" damage now caused a faint red light to shimmer on his body. That negligible forced damage was instantly converted; not only were there no red numbers above Qin Ji's head, but green "+0.1" symbols began to pop up instead.

Although the numbers were pathetically low, the warm sensation was real.

"Is this all the strength you have?"

Qin Ji's voice rang out in mid-air, flat and without a single ripple.

The Grappler below was about to follow up with a "Whirlwind Kick" to maintain the float, but his movements stiffened upon hearing this. He found to his horror that the combo control he was so proud of seemed like nothing more than a massage to his opponent.

"Have you played enough?"

Qin Ji's right hand gripped the air, and an ancient, heavy green copper block appeared in his palm out of thin air.

This piece of scrap metal he had swiped from the mysterious merchant in Newbie Village now erupted with a weight sufficient to distort the Laws of physics under the enhancement of Qin Ji's terrifying Strength attribute.

"Go down."

Qin Ji flipped his wrist, and the green copper block, like a miniature Primordial Divine Mountain, pressed down lightly with a suffocating wind pressure.

Boom—!!!

The gravity field within a fifty-meter radius instantly collapsed.

The Assassin who was still flying in mid-air, the Archer who was charging his shot, the Mage who was maintaining the fire ring... everyone felt as if a ten-thousand-foot mountain had suddenly pressed down on their shoulders.

There was no room for resistance.

The four professional killers had their screams pressed back into their chests, smashed into the ground like flattened toads.

Crack, crack.

The sound of bones shattering joined together. The hard lakeshore ground instantly collapsed into a deep pit ten meters in diameter, with cobweb-like cracks spreading crazily in all directions.

-28,000!

-31,500!

-29,800!

Three terrifying damage numbers floated up.

Except for the Archer who was a bit further away and lingering on with a sliver of health, the other three instantly turned into white light, dropping a pile of potions and equipment.

The so-called infinite combo was a joke in the face of absolute power.

Qin Ji slowly descended from the air, his boots stepping onto the soft soil with a light sound.

He didn't even look at the loot on the ground, walking straight toward the Archer who was already paralyzed with fear.

"Go back and tell your master."

Qin Ji squatted down and used two fingers to lightly pinch the Archer's trembling arrowhead. "If you want to loot my gear, this many people isn't enough. Next time, remember to bring your coffin money; maybe then you'll make me draw my blade."

"Snap."

He flicked his finger.

The iron-forged arrowhead instantly shattered, along with the Archer's head, exploding into a cloud of light particles.

After dealing with this group of flies who didn't know the meaning of death, Qin Ji brushed the dust off his hands and turned to look at Qi Yun, who had just crawled out of the mud pit.

"Let's go, to the main city."

"Ah? Oh... okay!"

Qi Yun scrambled to his feet, looking at the mess and the bottomless pit, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. Only now did he truly realize just how thick the 'thigh' he was clinging to actually was.

...

Light flowed.

[You have entered the Level 1 Main City: Fengling City.]

The white light of the teleportation array dissipated, and the hustle and bustle of vendors rushed toward them.

Compared to the desolation of the wild, Fengling City appeared prosperous and bustling. Massive red glazed-tile buildings rose and fell, the streets were filled with heavy traffic, and NPC guards on tall horses and hurried players could be seen everywhere.

Qin Ji ignored the curious gazes from around him and directly opened his friend list, entering an ID that had been famous in his past life.

[Richest Under Heaven].

This was the creator of the future God Domain's largest commercial Empire, a business genius with the [God of Wealth] talent. In his past life, this person had relied on his skill in reselling to monopolize 30% of the server's potion market.

Since he wanted to establish his own rules in this world, having martial force alone was not enough.

He needed money. Massive amounts of money.

And an agent who could help him handle those trivial matters.

Less than three seconds after the message was sent, the communicator vibrated.

"Who is this?" a slightly tired but shrewd middle-aged male voice came from the other side.

"Snow Emperor."

Qin Ji only replied with two words.

The other end of the communicator fell into an eerie silence, followed by a flurry of panicked sounds of chairs and tables colliding.

"Snow... Snow Emperor?! The one who cleared the Purgatory dungeon?!" Richest Under Heaven's voice instantly jumped an octave, his previous exhaustion swept away and replaced by an irrepressible frenzy. "Great God! Do you need something from me?"

As a top-tier merchant, Richest Under Heaven's intuition was sharper than a dog's. He knew all too well what the ID "Snow Emperor" meant right now.

It meant traffic, fame, and even more undeveloped top-tier resources!

"Let's talk business."

Qin Ji's tone was flat, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. "I'm in Fengling City, Fenghua Restaurant, Private Room No. 1. Ten minutes."

"No problem! I'll be right there! I've already paid the bill, Great God, order whatever you like!"

Hanging up the communication, Qin Ji looked up at the luxurious restaurant with red lanterns nearby, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly.

Talking to smart people is easy.

He casually pulled his hood down, covering most of his face, and led the still dazed Qi Yun into the bustling crowd.

The sun was setting, dyeing the glazed tiles of Fengling City a golden red. Qin Ji stepped onto the restaurant's rosewood stairs, his black trench coat swaying gently in the evening breeze. A drop of dark red blood on the corner of his coat looked exceptionally eerie under the reflection of the lanterns.