Chapter 6: Sigh, Stats
They soon arrived at the battlefield ruins, swarming with zombies. Yonglan pointed ahead and said, “We need to clear all the zombies in this ruin; any that can move are enemies. Do you have any questions?”
Enesyin gazed at the wandering zombies in the distance, her brows furrowed slightly. “They… look like they’ve been contaminated by Fiends. Which period of history is this Echo recreating?”
Yonglan tilted his head, thinking. “What history? I only know that the Fiend that contaminated them is called [Mad Hunt Heaven].”
[Mad Hunt Heaven]?
The Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden contemplated for a moment. “…The ancient texts do not record any Fiend named [Mad Hunt Heaven]. But since it’s an entity capable of causing such contamination, it must be a considerably powerful Fiend. So, is this history from before the Xuntian Dynasty?”
Enesyin’s deep purple eyes widened slightly. “An echo from ancient times… How is this possible? Echoes of this difficulty are rare. Normally, only powerful individuals at the [Hero] Tier would encounter them. But our Tiers should only be at the First Tier, [Foundation].”
Yonglan tilted his head. “You seem to know a lot. Is this common knowledge?” *I didn’t see this in any of the data!*
Enesyin blinked, then shook her head. “No, regarding the Echo Trial… I learned it from my sister.”
Yonglan noticed the Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden’s slightly odd state. He didn’t pry further into her family matters and instead got back to the point. “Are you saying that the instance we’re tackling is abnormally difficult?”
“You could say that… though I’m not sure about the clear conditions either.”
Enesyin observed Yonglan’s expression. Faced with an inevitable powerful enemy, he showed no signs of distress; instead, he smiled cheerfully. “It doesn’t matter, there are plenty of chances to try again.”
Yonglan shrugged. “Besides, last night I faced a strong enemy and died hundreds of times before finally winning.”
Enesyin was stunned and quickly asked, “Wait, you mean you died but the Echo didn’t end?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
Enesyin: “Normally, if you die in an Echo, it ends immediately. Not only would you lose all your gains, but it would also take a considerable amount of time to recover your spiritual energy. Exploring the Sea of Abyssal Tears has always been an activity with high risk and high reward.”
Yonglan: “Is that so? But for me, there’s no such thing as a one-life clear.”
If Sams forced him to log out every time he died, Yonglan would truly rage at the poorly designed game.
Enesyin’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, “An Echo Trial with infinite retries? What a generous miracle!”
The reason the [Echo Trial] was considered a difficult path to advancement was its extremely low margin for error. If one could die and revive within the Echo, then the [Echo Trial] would hardly be called a ‘trial’—it would be a treasure trove!
It was known that the fastest way to increase spiritual energy was through ‘Echoes’. Being able to repeatedly undertake an [Echo Trial] was something one wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
If this particular Echo hadn’t shown its unusual nature, she wouldn’t have believed such a thing existed.
Enesyin excitedly pressed her chest. “Even I might be able to… Ugh!”
The Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden suddenly remembered something, her brows knitting together, the melancholy sweeping away the excitement from her eyes. The wandering zombies immediately noticed them and let out low growls as they charged over.
“Bring it on!”
Yonglan stepped forward and swung his rusty longsword down, cleaving a zombie in half. True Red Embers then spread from the blade onto the zombie’s body, burning it to ashes in an instant.
After dealing with the scattered attackers, more zombies began to stir in the distance. Yonglan dramatically twirled his sword, then turned and extended his hand to the Dragonborn maiden. “Why the long face? Here, you should forget all your worries from the outside world and enjoy the game to your heart’s content.”
“Actually, I wasn’t…”
Enesyin pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. However, seeing Yonglan’s face, which made her heart flutter, after much deliberation, she gritted her teeth and took his palm. “Since you’re willing to share this treasure, I… will do my best.”
With Enesyin’s participation, Yonglan’s subsequent progress became much smoother. He also personally recognized the advantages of a superior species. According to the Dragonborn maiden, she was still in the First Tier, [Foundation], a beginner on the path to transcending the mundane. At the [Foundation] Tier, Artificers’ spiritual energy hadn’t undergone a breakthrough, and their Artifices were quite rudimentary. Logically, they wouldn’t be much stronger than ordinary people. However, insufficient Tier was compensated by Stats.
Ordinary zombies were no match for Enesyin’s silver sword, falling in a single blow. Her methods were brutal; without any Artifice enhancements, she simply relied on her physical prowess to charge and strike. Although Yonglan wondered why Enesyin hadn’t used her Dragonflame, he didn’t dwell on it. Perhaps she didn’t want to waste energy on mooks, preferring to use basic attacks for enemies that could be dealt with that way—a personal combat style.
“Sigh, Stats.”
After seeing the Dragonborn maiden cleave a zombie warrior in half, armor and all, Yonglan couldn’t help but sigh. Enesyin heard her companion’s sigh and quickly turned to explain, “This isn’t my ability; it’s just the Talent I was born with as a Dragonborn. Any Dragonborn can do this.”
Yonglan was merely making a casual remark, but he was surprised by the Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden’s strong reaction. He couldn’t help but shake his head. “Sigh, Dragon Species.”
Enesyin’s delicate and beautiful face flushed red. She placed her silver sword on her palms. “And… this is a finely forged silver sword blessed by high-grade Steel. Aside from the inheritances of the Xuntian Dynasty, it should be top-tier weaponry. Also… this Echo clearly benefits us.”
“Hahahaha!”
Enesyin’s reactions were too amusing. As if afraid of being seen as arrogant, her desperate explanations made Yonglan burst into laughter. “Humility is a virtue, but excessive humility is not.”
“I’m not being humble…”
Enesyin pursed her lips, her eyes unable to meet Yonglan’s, and murmured in an almost inaudible voice. “But you’re right. To do a good job, one must first have good tools. My equipment is all scavenged from the battlefield; they’re practically consumables.”
Yonglan glanced at the chipped and rusted broadsword in his hand and casually tossed it aside.
Enesyin: “I can give you my weapon…”
“No, no, no, I wasn’t implying that.” Yonglan quickly waved his hands, refusing. “I’ve already found a suitable weapon; I just need your help.”
“???”
Yonglan’s question was soon answered as he led her deeper into the battlefield ruins. On a patch of muddy ground, a tall and burly Ghoul Knight knelt like a statue. He was clad in thick, sturdy armor. Like other Ghoul Knights, his armor was covered in nicks and scratches, but the style of the plate armor was clearly superior to that of the others. Even after countless bloody battles, runes still shone with a subtle glow. A tattered cloak extended from the gaps in the plate armor. Unquenchable embers burned at the edges of the cloak and breathed within the armor’s seams. Dense helmet plumage cascaded like long, gray-white hair over his shoulders. In the Ghoul Knight’s hand was a straight sword, its sharp blade enveloped in fluorescent runes, thrust into the ground, supporting his tall, robust frame.
