Chapter 853
Chapter 853 - 839: Not a Loss
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10 min read
The failure of the Trio was not worth mentioning; the cunning Snake King was no easy foe to deal with.
The success of their first kill had given them some inertia, subconsciously leading them to believe that the "Snake King" was nothing special.
The Snake King, having already died twice, was thought to be manageable, provided they were cautious. With the Giant Toad as a temporary ally, killing her a third time seemed not too difficult.
However, once the cunning Snake King recognized the human threat, she endured the brunt of the Giant Toad’s assault and recklessly charged the Trio, playing a game of mutual destruction.
Her flesh turned into a deadly poison pool, and the Trio, who were too close, were completely engulfed by a Rule-level self-destructive toxin... Even they, who had seen many battlefields, had never faced such a scene. An opponent of this tier would actually self-destruct, having also held the ace of "Life as Toxin."
"She probably wasn’t even primarily targeting us; I saw that the toad was severely injured too."
"...For an Abyss Lord dwelling in a high-density Abyssal environment, no matter how severe the injury, as long as it doesn’t die on the spot, given time, it is as good as uninjured."
This statement went against common knowledge for high-order Professionals.
Most of the time, the higher the tier of the professional, the more difficult and time-consuming it is to heal, requiring additional resources... The treatment methods and medical costs for low-level and high-level individuals are not on the same level.
Yet, Kun Ba made no objection to this "new common knowledge."
Because the one who had spoken was that "nun" whose depth he could not fathom.
She claimed herself to be "White Claw," but Kun Ba was certain he had never heard of such a person nor such an obviously fabricated title.
"Meow, I am Black Claw meow!"
Meow raised her hand, trying hard to make her presence felt in front of the Big Boss.
This pair, one large, one small... sisters? They hardly seemed alike.
"We’re not sisters meow, she’s my master meow."
Kun Ba nodded his head; this explanation seemed slightly more credible, but the title felt like a pseudonym.
"...If you’re willing to act, Changping will offer sufficient compensation."
Despite being uncertain of the other’s identity, just by his intuition, Kun Ba was sure that if he could invite this "Black Claw" to take action, all would be well.
He believed she could probably defeat the Snake King easily by herself; the pressure she imposed on Kun Ba was of a completely different magnitude than that of his adversaries.
At that moment, "Black Claw" fell silent...
"Lu Ping’an."
"Ha, I’m very busy... alright, alright, I’ll explain. She’s dead, a ghost, and can’t get out."
As he spoke, the heartless Lu Ping’an even waved his hand through Chris’s body... and then received a fierce glare from Big Cat.
Chris, who currently had no physical form, was a sort of spirit body that could choose to become corporeal within the Courtyard, but outside she would be a dead spirit... if she could get out at all.
In a sense, she was now functioning as the Courtyard’s embedded "AI," turning into bubbles on the water that naturally dissipated with a ripple.
Suddenly remembering a possibility, Kun Ba froze for a moment, nearly losing his composure.
Having heard of the major incident in the Ancient City, he had already guessed which figure it was based on the mere fact of "already deceased."
"...Balance... how is that possible!"
His colleague was even more astounded, retreating a step backward.
The pair, near Rule-level in combat power, were both petrified... At this moment, Lu Ping’an also realized the infamous reputation of Big Cat, well-known even among high levels.
"See, show me some respect."
With her eyes closed and head bowed, Chris’s expression was cool, resembling a devout nun in silent prayer.
But the smugness in her muffled speech was akin to a tail-wagging cat.
...The two foreign Big Bosses were silent, overwhelmed. Was the Balance Disaster Beast truly fallen? And what exactly was her current form of existence?
Kun Ba suppressed the urge to look at the nun, daring not to glance too much.
If indeed it was "It’s" remnant soul, then perhaps the limits of this "Half Plane" had to be reassessed.
"...And what about this one? Can she act?"
Kun Ba looked toward the "Healing Silver Sphere" floating in mid-air, recognizing it as a Great Spirit Awaker/Mechanic who had abandoned her physical form.
Such beings, who took unusual paths and typically operated in gray areas, generally possessed combat power well above their normal tier.
If he encountered such an individual outside, he would have unhesitatingly gathered some old comrades to prepare for an ambush... Ah, they’re legal professionals now? Nevermind then.
"She’s a prisoner, she can’t get out either... And once out, she wouldn’t have much combat power left; she has lost all her dolls and is now just a... err, a free laborer."
Kun Ba was somewhat surprised, not because of the unfortunate Spirit Awaker, but because of Lu Ping’an’s attitude towards the two Big Bosses.
What was outrageous was that the boy, so impolite, was met with calm from the Big Bosses, as if they were accustomed to it.
Strongmen hold their own pride, and if demeaned by the weaker while incapacitated, they bear their own grudges and dissatisfaction; they could not possibly be so calm... This pattern of interaction indicated not only a special relationship between them but likely also that each viewed the other as an equal, of the same tier and level of existence.
"Lu Ping’an, you actually seem to have taken the initiative...."
At this moment, feeling the young man’s "unfathomability," Kun Ba gained more confidence in this mission.
In fact, the difficulty of this mission had already exceeded expectations.
Initially, after the Snake King died once, she should have fallen from the Rule-level... Death, in most cases, is grave, with heavy consequences.
But now, the Snake King had died at least twice, yet she was still at Rule-level, contrary to expected intelligence.
"You underestimated the strength of the Abyss Throne here; what I saw before were ’Abyss Duke’ scales, which simply couldn’t be destroyed."
Lu Ping’an also pointed out the key error in judgment; due to the Throne’s exceptional strength, it also led to the Snake King’s incredible Regeneration and Revival abilities in this area.
"Could the civilian folklore actually be true? Our intelligence system made a mistake instead?" Kun Ba felt somewhat helpless; the intelligence clearly had major issues... But the inside man, Array-Master Wang, who was responsible for gathering and transmitting information, probably had already suffered the consequences of his own actions.
"Why not send a real Rule-level down here?" Lu Ping’an was curious; for such missions, the stronger the better, right?
The two exchanged glances and then subtly shook their heads.
Lu Ping’an instantly understood that, socially within the country, there was a huge gap between the Quasi-rules and the Rule-level; they still maintained an air of "sovereignty" similar to that of independent nations.
Paying them to fight a battle with the wind at their backs was feasible, but sending them to gamble with their lives in the seventh layer of the Abyss? They didn’t find it worthwhile; at their level, they were no longer lacking resources or money.
𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
This was also the fundamental reason why several Rule-levels were needed to handle the Snake King, in addition to hiring an "Assassin"... These Rule-levels, in most cases, were unwilling to stake their lives.
Of course, there was also a more plausible reason; in many Small Worlds, once "overqualified" combat power appeared, it would provoke an excessive response from the Secret Realm and Small World, which wasn’t beneficial for most individuals therein.
"...Doesn’t that mean there’s no solution?"
At this moment, Kun Ba felt somewhat downcast.
He didn’t believe that, after the previous attack, the cunning Snake King had already fallen from Rule-level; her power had declined much slower than calculated.
And it seemed that the giant toad had also been severely injured; perhaps, she had already sounded the retreat.
"....Doesn’t that mean there’s no solution? We need a real Rule-level to ensure a successful hunt, don’t we have one here...."
"Sure we do,"
Lu Ping’an replied with a smile, giving an affirmative answer.
"Who?" The outsiders showed surprise; Changping had invested so much for this, and they simply couldn’t accept failure.
"You guys."
Saying this, Lu Ping’an pointed towards themselves.
Before they could vent their frustration with cries of "Rule-level combat power is not the same as a true Rule-level," Lu Ping’an gestured with his thumb towards the large library behind him.
"Taboo Library, enter now, and in no more than one hour, come out as Rule-level."
"Stop joking..." Another High-order Professional nearly blurted out in disbelief, but Kun Ba glanced at Chris, who still had her eyes cast down, and nodded his head.
"I believe. What do we need to pay?"
"You’ll know once you’re inside... Lady Black Claw, please show these two the way," Lu Ping’an said with a smile, instructing Chris to lead the way.
Dozens of minutes later, even with Time acceleration, Kun Ba and his companion had yet to emerge.
Outside, as Lu Ping’an and Xia Qin passed the time, she raised a question.
"How are you sure they can make a breakthrough? Isn’t it very difficult? The Library doesn’t have the Knowledge they need, is the Lower level knowledge base enough?"
Meow Meow, who was curiously watching from the side, also drew closer, waiting for Lu Ping’an’s answer.
The boy who couldn’t lie, at that moment, spoke so naturally, as if everything was true.
"Rule-level requires ’self’, and the confidence that ’I am the Rule, I am the World’... It wasn’t me who said this, it was her,"
Lu Ping’an shrugged his shoulders, recounting Big Cat’s previous teachings. Big Cat herself seemed surprised at that moment; she had casually uttered a phrase, and Lu Ping’an remembered it so clearly?
Actually, Lu Ping’an remembered most of what Big Cat had said, whether it seemed to be boring chit-chat, complaints about geographical specialties or anything else. For Lu Ping’an, it might all be useful information.
"It’s not that I said they would breakthrough, but the ’Quasi-God’ permits them there to achieve a breakthrough, and indeed that place could make up for some of their shortcomings... If worst comes to worst, they can exchange Battle-profession Knowledge, which should be somewhat useful."
By connecting various pieces of knowledge, they could rapidly improve; in Lu Ping’an’s eyes, perhaps what they lacked was just an opportunity.
"...You really dare to say it, don’t you. You have no idea how hard it is to Breakthrough Rule Level," even Big Cat was somewhat astonished at Lu Ping’an’s bold nonsense.
"Let’s give it a try then, there’s nothing to lose. If they fail, it means they’re not up to it, inferior in skill. But if they succeed..."
Saying this, Lu Ping’an gazed towards the Great Library, his face breaking into a triumphant, mischievous grin.
"...Then they’ll owe me even more."
And at that moment, a pillar of light shone from the Great Library, bright and beautiful, like a rainbow climbing into the sky.
"The light of the Rule.... They really did break through!"
— End of Chapter 853 —