Chapter 36-Deep Forest
36 Chapter36-Deep Forest
[When the countdown reaches zero, instant death effect will be triggered. It cannot be purified, nullified, or avoided by using sacrificial items.] Noticing John's expression, [Deception Apostle]'s smile grew even more smug. "Now do you understand? You can never defy fate, nor can I. You can, of course, choose to refuse my cooperation, but in 712 days, two years from now, you will lose your life forever. Or, join me, and within those two years, I will do my utmost to help you gather all the [Apostles]' Authorities, making you a true [Deity]!" "...What should I do?" "Just wait." As the words fell, a shadow spread instantly from beneath [Deception Apostle]'s feet, engulfing John like a black cocoon! John felt his vision darken, as if he was plunged into a realm of chaos and void, where time ceased to flow, and even his heartbeat seemed to stop! Until the cocoon broke open, John felt as if he was reborn. The character panel unfolded before his eyes, John's dark pupils gradually focused, and the blurred scene before him returned to clarity. Name: [John] Level: [LV40] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Class: [Alchemist: LV99][Trickster: LV1] Trickster? John's pupils trembled, countless thoughts surged in his mind. "Introduce the [Trickster] class." [Trickster: Constructs truth from lies.] [Skills available to learn: Command, Affinity, Deception...] He had actually awakened an entirely new class that John had never heard of before! Looking at the densely packed new skills on the skill tree, John felt his heartbeat accelerating uncontrollably.
"The lies I construct are your truth, Trickster... Heh, how long has it been since I last heard that name? Anyway, my Authority is now entirely yours. As for now, it's time for me to leave." [Deception Apostle] looked up, his gaze seemingly capable of crossing infinite distances to focus on the lofty [Deities]. "[They] seem to have started noticing me. Although I'd love to argue further on your behalf, I believe you'll understand soon enough. The Trickster is a role tailor-made for people like us." With those words, [Deception Apostle] gave John no chance to ask further questions. His figure gradually dissolved into an illusion, and with a breeze, he vanished. Finally, John exited the wandering BOSS dungeon and reunited with Helena, Lily, and the others. "John! Are you okay? You suddenly disappeared just now, you scared us to death." Helena stepped forward, looking John up and down. Seeing that he seemed unhurt, she finally sighed in relief. "John, where did you go just now?" "I accidentally triggered a special scene item and got transported to another hidden dungeon. But the level of that dungeon was too high for me to handle alone, so I had to use an escape scroll to leave." Without batting an eye, John fabricated a lie more smoothly than usual. "As long as you're safe. Let's head back. Didn't you say you were going to leave for a while? You need to prepare." "No need, I don't have to leave anymore." John shook his head and smiled, "I've already gotten what I wanted, and that's enough." "But I haven't! So we came all this way to fight the BOSS, and I'm the only one who got nothing? No new gear or anything?" Exiled Immortal pouted, feeling a bit aggrieved. "Alright, stop complaining. Let's go back first. John, I have some questions about that golem." "I'm all ears." ...
Meanwhile, inside the wandering BOSS dungeon! [Deception Apostle]'s figure reassembled, his pitch-black eyes noticing something as a mocking smile reappeared on his face. "Still not dead, huh? You can deceive the system? You're a cunning human indeed. I might as well help you out." With that, [Deception Apostle] stepped forward, looking at the battered, unrecognizable body of Lawrence lying in a deep pit, and clicked his tongue. "Truly a pitiful sight." [Deception Apostle] extended his hand, a jet-black beam of light emanating from his fingers and slowly merging into Lawrence's forehead. In an instant, Lawrence's twisted, broken body began to heal, and his HP gradually recovered. "A small experiment. Let's hope the [Deities] won't hold a grudge against me for this." The next moment, Lawrence's eyes snapped open, his once sky-blue irises now pitch-black, identical to [Deception Apostle]'s. "I'm... still alive?" Lawrence swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock. He distinctly remembered being crushed into the ground by a meteor, reaching the end of his life. But now, not only was he alive, he was completely unharmed, which astonished him. Looking at his shattered armor, Lawrence struggled to sit up, a chill spreading through his body, confirming he was truly not dead. But why? He even remembered the sensation of impending death, the breath of death itself—was it all just a dream? Then how could he explain being in the crater of a meteor? Lawrence couldn't make sense of it, so he decided to stop trying. To him, it didn't matter whether it was death or rebirth; what mattered was what he would do now that he was alive. Revenge? No, no, that was too shallow and foolish. Besides, with his current strength, even facing John and the others would result in instant death. Instead of courting death, Lawrence had better plans. With that thought, Lawrence climbed out of the pit, collected his first clear reward, and returned to Calia. ...
Meanwhile, at the alchemy materials shop. With a thought, John summoned the golem, but without chant essence as an energy source, the golem was nothing more than a pile of immobile scrap metal. "Whoa... seeing it up close, this is so cool! We were just engaging in close combat, and here you are using high-tech mechas?" "Actually, the golem is far less convenient than you think. Without a large reserve of chant essence, it can't operate for long." "Is chant essence very precious?" Helena asked in confusion. "Why can't it be stored in large quantities?" "Chant essence is just one type of alchemical material, not particularly rare, but storing it is quite troublesome. If the conditions aren't met, the energy stored within the chant essence will gradually dissipate." Hearing this, Helena nodded thoughtfully. "But John, how much longer will we stay in Calia?" "Not much longer, I think. As a transit city, we're not meant to stay long. I estimate there are one or two more hidden dungeons to clear before we can leave. Of course, that's just my guess, and it might not be accurate." John vaguely remembered that in his previous life, he left Calia around the level 30 mark to head to the next big map, [Deep Forest]. There, he would undergo his second class change. However, even now, John hadn't decided which class to choose. Marionette Alchemist or Contract Alchemist? For the former, John already had experience, and he had the golem for research. As for the latter, the god-like ability to create beings kept haunting John's thoughts!
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