It seemed like a choice of three, but in reality, there was only one option.
150,000 Experience, 500,000 Decayed Silver Coin, Wu Chang simply could not afford it.
The game system kindly offered an installment plan, but the interest rate was even more predatory than a mortgage. Paying in twenty-four installments meant he would ultimately have to pay 400,000 Experience and 1,330,000 Decayed Silver Coin.
Even a mortgage slave wouldn't face this much pressure. Lyman didn't defeat him in the Instance, yet upon exiting, he used one eye to enslave him. What a joke.
Compensation Plan One was immediately ruled out.
Among the remaining selectable drops in the Moonlight Sanatorium, there wasn't even an Item close in value to the Demon-Breaking Crossbow Bolt, let alone the Eye of the Evil God.
Failing to take an advantage that was available was equivalent to suffering a loss. For Wu Chang, Compensation Plan Three was even more unacceptable than Compensation Plan One.
The only remaining option was Compensation Plan Two.
He took out the Erosion Core from his Portable Space and selected Compensation Plan Two.
Under the influence of an invisible force, the Poison of the Mortal passed through the Erosion Core's Shell and entered the deep, black darkness within the Core, which resembled a black hole.
The optimization process took five minutes. As the Erosion Core vanished, the Poison of the Mortal returned to Wu Chang's hand.
The Eye of the Evil God on the Pendant remained tightly shut, but upon careful observation, one could see its eyelid twitching slightly, as if it might open its eyes at any moment.
「Item Name: Poison of the Mortal」
「Item Level: S」
「Item Description: The ultimate masterpiece of the Arcane Knights, integrating both black and white magic, it is the pinnacle creation in the field of magical Items. The designer, Old Anderson, intended to use this Item to reverse-plunder the Origin of the Evil God Leman, using Divine Power to cultivate the Arcane Knights so that the Kingdom would no longer be threatened by any Evil God.」
「Item Description: The repaired Poison of the Mortal; requires sufficient energy source to activate.」
「Energy is accumulated by clearing Dungeons or absorbing Erosion Cores. The amount of accumulated energy fluctuates based on the Instance Difficulty.」
「Current Accumulated Energy: 0/10.」
「Remark: To a God, Mortals are like ants, but even the sting of an ant can make a God bleed.」
After reading the introduction for the Poison of the Mortal, Wu Chang was momentarily speechless.
The Arcane Knights were truly ruthless. Not only did they gouge out Lyman's eye, but they also intended to drain Lyman entirely through that eye.
No wonder Lyman cursed them and targeted their descendants.
Anyone would be furious in that situation.
Besides the grand gesture of the Arcane Knights, what surprised him even more was the Item Rating of the Poison of the Mortal.
Many Veterans had died in the Moonlight Sanatorium, including experts like "Doctor" and "Stalker."
Even for them, the most valuable Items they possessed were only around C Grade.
The D Grade "Silver Dawn" and C Grade "Whisper of the Nameless" already demonstrated formidable Power in the Instance. He couldn't even imagine how strong an S Grade Item would be.
An innocent man is not guilty, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
The more precious it was, the more cautious he needed to be. If this Item were discovered, it would absolutely bring disaster.
The acquisition of the S Grade Item was enough to satisfy him, but the Instance Settlement was not yet over.
Although the Poison of the Mortal was highly valuable, it was merely a reward for achieving an S Grade Instance Rating.
「If the Player Dungeon Rating reaches Perfect Grade, they may select one rare Item from the current Instance Plane as a reward.」
Following the Prompt, three Items appeared out of thin air in front of Wu Chang. They were:
「Detailed Explanation of the Demon Exorcism Formation」.
「Wolf's Pharmaceutical Notes」.
「Arcane Knights Newcomer Guidelines」.
None of the three Items were combat-oriented. Judging only by their names, it was impossible to discern their specific effects.
However, as a reward for a Perfect Grade rating, none of them could be trash.
Wu Chang asked, "Can you display their Item Descriptions?"
「……」
It seemed that was not possible.
Judging by the names alone, the three Items corresponded to knowledge in three different fields.
Formation construction, pharmaceutical preparation, and combat.
The Power of the Magic Array in the Moonlight Sanatorium Plane was immense, but it was too cumbersome and the preparation was too Complicated, making it impractical.
He still vividly remembered Wolf's pharmaceutical preparation process. That method of preparation was too far ahead of its time for Humans, and he had no intention of learning it.
"I choose 「Arcane Knights Newcomer Guidelines」."
The other two Items disappeared, and a small booklet bearing the emblem of the Arcane Knights fell into his hand.
「Item Name: Arcane Knights Newcomer Guidelines.」
「Item Effect: After the Player's Attributes reach Strength: 30; Agility: 20; Stamina: 20; Energy: 30; Inspiration: 20; Will: 20, the Class Change Quest will be unlocked. Upon completion of the quest, the Player can Class Change to the Hidden Profession: Arcane Knight.」
Wu Chang raised an eyebrow, excitement flashing across his face.
As a Player, no one could refuse the "Hidden" prefix before a Profession.
Although he didn't have high expectations for this Knight Order that had played itself into extinction, having managed to defeat an Evil God's Clone using mortal Strength, and being a Hidden Profession, it shouldn't be too weak.
Just as he thought the settlement was over, the electronic voice sounded again.
「If a Player achieves a Perfect Clear in an Uncontrolled Instance where the Dungeon Pollution Value is （＞85）, and the Player Level is greater than or equal to the Character Level, they will receive one Random Title Treasure Chest.」
「The Player will only draw Titles for which they meet the requirements or have no requirements.」
A circular turntable appeared before Wu Chang. The turntable was divided into dozens of small sections, each section flashing a color. The colors were divided into four types: Blue, Green, Red, and Gold.
After Wu Chang clicked to draw, the wheel spun rapidly, slowing down after ten rotations.
A Treasure Chest dropped in front of Wu Chang. After shaking slightly, it suddenly sprang open, spewing out dazzling light.
Wow! A Gold Legendary!
When the light subsided, he noticed a Colored Title had appeared above his head.
「Title: Perfectionist」
「Title Acquisition Requirement: The Player achieves a Perfect Clear on their very first Instance completion.」
「Title Effect: When equipped, the Player gains an additional Hidden Side Quest in the Instance, and the Instance Completion Rate increases by 5% during settlement.」
「Remark: Colored Titles can stack with other Titles.」
This time, the Instance Settlement was truly over.
Accompanied by the familiar transition effect, Wu Chang's vision blurred, and he reappeared in front of Wanghai University.
He glanced at his phone; less than three hours had passed since he entered the Instance.
Everything felt like a Dreamscape, only the Attribute Panel still floating before his eyes proved that everything that happened in the Abyss Game was real.
Player Nickname: Doesn't Eat Beef.
Player Level: 8（500/1900）
（6000/100）——（5900/300）——（5600/500）——（5100/700）——（4400/1000）——（3400/1300）——（2100/1600）——（500/1900）
Title: Perfectionist
Health: 9
Strength: 9
Agility: 9
Stamina: 8
Energy: 0
Inspiration: 84
Will: 62
Free Attribute Points: 35
Decayed Silver Coin: 15000
Skills: Mamba Iron Elbow, Firearms Usage（Proficient）.
Items: Silver Dawn, Goddess of Fortune's Favor, Echo of the Whisperer ×1, Poison of the Mortal, Arcane Knights Newcomer Guidelines.
Talent: Salvation.
The large amount of Experience allowed him to level up 7 times consecutively, granting him 35 Free Attribute Points.
He would decide how to allocate the points later. During his time in the Moonlight Sanatorium, his Spirit had been highly tense, and he hadn't slept soundly. His immediate priority was to return to his dorm and get a good night's sleep.
Walking across campus, he quickly noticed something was wrong.
The campus was too deserted.
He didn't see a single student on the path, and even the basketball court, usually packed, was very quiet.
What's the Situation? Did he get dragged into a new Instance immediately after leaving the Moonlight Sanatorium?