198: Chapter 198 Active Preparations!

[Ding! You have killed the Athena Projection. Experience points increased by 1.2 billion (-2%)!]

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 73!]

[Death Space capacity increased: 367/23,470!]

[Ding! Obtained loot: stone of god ×1!]

As the familiar system notification arrived, Lu Yin knew his tactics had succeeded.

In terms of completion time at least, he was over an hour faster than yesterday.

This was progress, and this progress would grow larger and larger as the days went by.

Checking the experience required for the next level, Lu Yin made a rough estimate.

In ten days, he could likely reach Level 80.

If he could find more time to grind the Dungeon, reaching Level 81 or 82 would certainly be no problem.

However, gaining those two minor levels wouldn't be of much help to him.

Level 80 was a threshold where he could obtain new skills and a new Legion Commander.

So, to avoid excessive fatigue and unnecessary accidents...

He decided it was safer to honestly grind this one Dungeon.

In his remaining time, staying in the Gods Dormitory would also grant him significant experience.

Thus, to prepare for Di Gulov's impending arrival, Lu Yin actively prepared for war.

Aside from challenging the wrath of athena, he spent the rest of his time in the dormitory recuperating.

Occasionally, he would meet with Bai Luer.

After all, with the great battle imminent, even he couldn't be certain of victory this time.

"Yo, Mr. Busy Man, it's rare that you'd actually remember me."

In the Academy Cafeteria, Bai Luer couldn't help but sound resentful as soon as she sat down.

Though her tone was teasing, there was an unmistakable look of concern deep in her eyes.

Lu Yin looked at that innocent face, pushed a food tray over, and smiled.

"Eat. Replenishing your strength is also part of leveling up."

Bai Luer saw the tray was filled with her favorite foods and curled her lip, but ultimately stopped complaining.

However, throughout the meal, the usually lively Bai Luer became somewhat silent.

Lu Yin naturally noticed this, but he didn't press her.

Given Bai Luer's family background—her grandfather being a big shot in the Alliance...

It was normal for her to have heard rumors about Di Gulov.

But since there were no public reports about this matter yet, she obviously couldn't say much.

Under the soft lights, the aroma of food wafted through the air, yet it couldn't dispel the silent weight between the two.

Lu Yin ate quietly, without rushing her or deliberately seeking a topic of conversation.

This silence itself was a form of unspoken understanding.

They both knew that disasters didn't fall upon everyone's head...

Only because someone was moving forward in silence.

Finally, Bai Luer looked up. Those eyes, usually full of spirit and cunning, were now clouded with a worry unbefitting her age.

"Silent One, if—and I mean if—one day you had to leave for a long time... would you tell me?"

Her voice was very soft, her chopsticks unconsciously poking at the rice in her bowl.

Lu Yin paused his movements and looked up at her.

Bai Luer didn't avoid his gaze. In those eyes that usually held a smile...

His reflection was clearly mirrored now, along with a deep-seated unease.

"I would," Lu Yin said, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"When?"

"When I leave."

Bai Luer glared at him, seemingly wanting to scold him for being perfunctory, but in the end, she just lowered her head and muttered softly.

"At least... come back alive."

Lu Yin didn't speak; he simply took a piece of her favorite sweet and sour pork rib from his tray and placed it in her bowl.

Bai Luer looked at the rib, her eyes suddenly stinging.

She sniffled hard, took a fierce bite, and said indistinctly:

"Don't think you can bribe me like this!"

"When you come back, if you're missing even a single hair, I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?"

"I'll have Grandpa dock all your Mission Points! I'll make you grind Dungeons for the rest of your life and you still won't be able to pay it back!"

The corner of Lu Yin's mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

"Okay."

"What do you mean 'okay'! Did you hear me?!"

"I heard you."

The soft lights of the cafeteria fell upon the two of them, quietly freezing this brief and precious moment of peace.

But Lu Yin knew that such peace was the final gift before the storm.

He had to seize every minute and every second to become stronger.

The days that followed were like a wound-up clock, precise and repetitive.

Every morning, with his status fully restored, he entered the wrath of athena Dungeon.

From the initial fourteen hours, to ten hours, then to eight hours...

Lu Yin became intimately familiar with the Athena Projection's skill rhythms, hand movements, and even the subtle changes in her divine power fluctuations.

Every link in his crowd-control chain became more precise, like machinery polished a thousand times.

The scale of the Death Legion grew steadily by 1,500 Meidou Shi every day.

Although his leveling speed slowed as he reached higher levels, the experience gain remained as stable as ever.

Before Di Gulov's arrival, reaching Level 80 would absolutely be no problem.

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 74!]

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 75!]

...

The system notification sounds became the only background music in this monotonous yet intense period.

The "Absolute Damage" of the blade of eternal silence played a crucial role during several key burst windows.

It often directly shaved off nearly a tenth of the Athena Projection's health, laying the foundation for faster victories.

As for Lu Yin himself, through countless confrontations with the Divine Pressure...

His Mental Barriers became increasingly resilient, and his control over his power climbed to new heights.

He was no longer just a caster of skills, but more like a conductor controlling the entire situation.

He precisely allocated every ounce of power, as if performing a lethal dance on the edge of a blade.

Time flew by in the cycle of daily cultivation and fierce battles.

Lu Yin's life was compressed into a straight line between two points: the third floor of the Gods Dormitory and the life-and-death battles in the wrath of athena Dungeon.

It was monotonous, yet efficient to a terrifying degree.

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 78!]

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 79!]

[Death Space capacity increased: 1,417/24,070!]

...

The system notifications rang out punctually every day or two, like beating war drums, urging him constantly forward.

The battles against the Athena Projection evolved from a struggle for survival and subtle calculations into a hunt that was almost an art form.

Lu Yin's timing for the control of Momentary Eternity had reached its peak.

He was no longer satisfied with simply interrupting Oracle: Heavenly Punishment, but began trying to act at even more extreme moments.

Just a moment before the divine power fluctuations of the spear of victory reached their zenith, the silver power of time-stop would crash down.

It would forcefully extinguish the Athena Projection's strongest attack in its budding state.

This required not only unparalleled courage but also an almost instinctive anticipation of divine power flow.

Although this approach came with risks, the rewards were equally massive.

His combat instincts, crisis response, and perception of high-level energy fluctuations...

Were honed to an even sharper edge through these repeated trials on the brink of life and death.