Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Mighty Rule-Level Skill

In less than a month, Xiao Zi had made several moves, and now the entire Desert Nation trembled at the mere mention of his legend.

During this time, a few lucid individuals attempted to expose Xiao Zi’s schemes. However, the grass on their graves now grew taller than the surrounding weeds.

At last, the long-awaited notification sounded.

[Congratulations, Host, you have completed Task 2. Reward: Three Rule-level skills. Note: Rule-level skills consume immense energy—please use with caution.]

[Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked the Time Rule skill: Time Stop LV0.]

[Time Stop: Time Rule skill. Upon activation, time halts; only the user’s time continues to flow. Effects vary by skill level.]

[Time Stop LV0 upgrade condition: 100,000 Terror Points. Upgrade now?]

“Yes!”

[Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked the Space Rule skill: Space Jump LV0.]

[Space Jump: Grants instant teleportation, enabling travel between any spaces.]

[Space Jump LV0 upgrade condition: 100,000 Terror Points. Upgrade now?]

“Yes!”

[Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked the Light Rule skill: Absolute Darkness LV0.]

[Absolute Darkness: Amplifies all darkness within the area of effect. Effects vary by skill level.]

[Absolute Darkness LV0 upgrade condition: 100,000 Terror Points. Upgrade now?]

“Yes!”

After upgrading three Rule-level skills in a row, he spent a total of 300,000 Terror Points. The requirements for upgrading these three abilities to LV2 were then revealed.

[Time Stop LV1 upgrade condition: Reach Grade A + 300,000 Terror Points.]

[Space Jump LV1 upgrade condition: Reach Grade A + 3,000,000 Terror Points.]

[Absolute Darkness LV1 upgrade condition: Reach Grade A + 300,000 Terror Points.]

Well, these Rule-level skills no longer required those odd materials for advancement; instead, they simply demanded an A-grade level.

Putting aside the matter of leveling up, even the 300,000 Terror Points stung a little.

But these three skills were truly powerful—well worth the cost.

Leaving aside the first two, whose abilities were clear at a glance, the third—Absolute Darkness—was particularly enigmatic. What did it mean to “amplify all darkness within the range”? What exactly counted as “darkness”?

Clearly, he would only learn the answer through use.

His personal status panel now read:

[Host Personal Information:
Host: Xiao Zi
Strength: B
Skills: Soul Parasite LV3, Soul Wind Blade LV3, Ghost Shadow Step LV3, Wailing of Hell LV3, Blood Fury LV3, Shadow Spirit LV3, Super Sensory LV3, Void Inferno LV3, Demon Seed LV2, Blood Demon Eye LV3, Time Stop LV1, Space Jump LV1, Absolute Darkness LV1
Terror Points: 798,800
Forbidden Domain: Eerie Territory
Influence in Current Plane: 3,117,866]

Now that this task was done, there was still no hint for Task 1. For now, the only thing to do was to investigate the so-called Desert Temple.

Before setting out, he glanced in a certain direction—the way toward the Beacon Nation.

The Beacon Nation lay a hundred thousand miles away, but he had an informant there, one who was thriving in that land.

That person was none other than the first host he encountered upon entering this world: Ruan Qing.

In truth, Xiao Zi had always underestimated Ruan Qing’s background; his father was even more formidable than Xiao Zi had imagined.

To begin with, Ruan Qing’s father was indeed a paranormal biology researcher, but that alone was nothing noteworthy.

According to the intelligence Xiao Zi had gathered, almost every country cultivated some researchers to better understand paranormal beings.

Moreover, being a researcher in a minor country like Visage Nation was no big deal.

But here lay the crux—Ruan Changhong was no ordinary researcher. He was a key agent cultivated by the Beacon Nation, planted in the Visage Nation as an undercover operative.

And that wasn’t all. After the incident in Visage Nation, he was recruited by the Grand Xia to serve as a double agent.

A bona fide double agent—a true man of two faces.

The Beacon Nation: “Ha! There’s no way the Grand Xia would ever suspect we sent such a talented researcher undercover.”

The Grand Xia: “Hmph, there’s no way the Beacon Nation could imagine we’d deploy such a promising researcher as a mole.”

Damn, everyone was playing dirty.

The outcome, however, was that neither side truly profited—all the advantage went to Xiao Zi.

Through Ruan Qing, he could monitor Ruan Changhong and thus gather intelligence from both of humanity’s greatest powers.

Such intelligence gave Xiao Zi deeper insight into this world, and offered new clues regarding the Heart of the Ocean.

Within a Beacon Nation document titled “Plan to Prevent the Awakening of the Deep,” Xiao Zi found mention of the Heart of the Ocean.

Humanity fears many things, but there is one terror that has haunted them since the dawn of their existence, even before their minds awoke.

That terror is nature itself.

Nature’s power is boundless; in its presence, mankind is as insignificant as ants—how could they not be afraid?

According to an ancient prophecy from the Grand Xia, after the resurgence of the paranormal, forces of nature would manifest as paranormal entities to punish humanity in place of natural disasters. The ocean was among these forces, and the first to awaken.

This was a matter no one could ignore.

The Grand Xia understood its significance well, which is why they deliberately leaked the information to the Beacon Nation.

Now, three powers in the world knew of this secret: the Grand Xia, the Beacon Nation, and Xiao Zi himself.

But with his current strength, competing with these two titans was a fool’s errand—yet leveling up required him to do just that.

For now, he would keep a close eye on developments and devise a plan when the time was right.

After all, he still had his system’s notifications to rely on; surely, the system wouldn’t intentionally lead him into disaster.

Unfolding the yellowed map in his hand, Xiao Zi nodded. “Interesting.”

Meanwhile, three Westerners arrived in the Desert Nation.

“Gundam, are you sure this is the place?”

“Dehua, I swear on the honor of the Montague family, it’s definitely this desert.”

“Still, why does this place feel so strange? Especially the people…”

The three stood in the main street. The atmosphere was peaceful—so peaceful it was eerie, sending chills down their spines.

Everyone here seemed to have maxed out their morality, always wearing a smile. Even walking a few steps, they would stoop to pick up litter and toss it in a bin.

If an elderly person stumbled, those nearby would rush to help, as though it were their own mother who had fallen.

The infamous gun culture said to flourish in this country was nowhere to be seen. You’d never guess these people were rumored to draw guns at the slightest provocation.

Faced with the scene, the trio could only put away their own firearms, exchanging baffled looks.

“There’s always a gap between rumor and reality. Let’s focus on our objective.”

“Right, right. The King takes this matter very seriously—we can’t let him down.”

“By the way, this map is supposed to be a thousand years old. Are you sure it’s still useful?”

“Ordinary people can’t enter this place. The resurgence of the paranormal only began decades ago, so it must still be valid.”

“Then why was the map drawn a thousand years ago?”

“Idiot. Do you think the ancestors of the Sunset Kingdom’s royal family were ordinary people?”

“…"

With that, one of them took out a piece of parchment—the contents were identical to Xiao Zi’s map.