Book 10: Chapter 62: Temptation

“I’m back…” Qin Lun scanned the desolate Teleportation Hall, feeling a sense of relief. A familiar environment always made people feel more comfortable.

Observing his companions beside him, Qin Lun noticed a trace of joy on their faces, which stirred a thought in his heart.

“Robin, did you gain any Divinity?” Qin Lun turned and asked quietly.

“Oh… um, I think all seven who received the Final Gospel probably did,” Robin hesitated for a moment before replying frankly.

After exchanging information about their physical changes with several companions, Qin Lun discovered that although they were all affected by the Final Gospel, the extent of the impact varied depending on their Apostle rank and Bloodline attributes.

Leaving aside Huobiao, Bowei, and Balin, the three Apostles who hadn’t received the Final Gospel, the four slightly weaker companions—Frank, Bobby, Sawa, and Dean—had not gained any Divinity. Or rather, the level of their Apostle Soul Mark was still too low to serve as a vessel for the Divine Domain.

The four of them only had some of their physical attributes enhanced by the Final Gospel. Among them, Frank had gained the most.

The Final Gospel was more suited to vessels like the Angel Body, which possessed great strength and Constitution. Thus, Frank, who was oriented as an MT, saw the most improvement in his strength and Constitution. Before entering the Final Gospel, he hadn’t undergone his Class Change; now he had fully met the conditions for it.

Aside from them, the other three Second-Order Apostles, including Qin Lun, had also benefitted, with Qin Lun gaining the most. The complete version of the Final Gospel might contain more than four Divine Domains, but the four major domains Qin Lun acquired—Life, Death, Soul, and Creation—were likely his limit.

In comparison, Robin and Loben gained much less. The beautiful Leader received the Life and Creation domains, while Loben only obtained the Life domain.

Qin Lun speculated that this might be related to the Apostle Bloodline. Both Robin and Loben had single Bloodline Apostle professions, leaning toward the Life faction. Qin Lun, however, had a mixed Bloodline—a combination of Elf and Demon, two completely opposing factions—which allowed him to contain the four major Divine Domains.

“Hey, Qin Lun, you’re back!” As Qin Lun and Frank stepped out of the Teleportation Hall, Kelly came walking toward them with a cheerful grin.

“You go ahead back!” Qin Lun tilted his chin toward Frank beside him, then turned to face Kelly.

“I heard you performed really well this time!” Kelly casually slung her arm around Qin Lun’s neck, wearing a buddy-buddy expression.

However, Qin Lun was half a head taller than Kelly, so she had to stand on her tiptoes to manage the gesture, half-hanging onto the young man. Her prominent chest pressed against Qin Lun’s arm, forming full, rounded shapes.

“Vacuum packaging…” Qin Lun’s gaze was unavoidably drawn past the loose collar of her martial arts uniform, catching a glimpse of smooth, pale skin. He felt a wave of helplessness. “Big sis… you’re showing!”

“Hehe, you helped Lost such a huge deal. I don’t mind sacrificing a little!” Kelly shrugged nonchalantly, deliberately pressing her chest closer against him. “How about we find some time to exchange some… insights on that topic?”

“I mind even if you don’t!” Qin Lun inwardly sighed at Kelly’s intense gaze, though he didn’t dare say it out loud.

Kelly wasn’t tall, and her face wasn’t conventionally beautiful, but she had a commanding presence with a unique charm. As a Martial Artist, she had an excellent figure—a slender waist, perky buttocks, and especially a pair of ample, firm, and resilient breasts. Among the women Qin Lun had seen, perhaps only Little Lian, with her youthful face and large bust, could compare.

However, Qin Lun had a strong desire for control and disliked being in a weaker position. When he thought about Kelly’s exceptional combat skills, he felt little “interest.” He wouldn’t mind “devouring” Kelly, but he really didn’t want to be “devoured” by her.

“Fine, whatever. Come with me!” Kelly, adept at reading expressions, quickly noticed that she hadn’t stirred any desire in Qin Lun. She pouted, released his neck, and let him off the hook.

“So… you still need something from me?” After being led by Kelly through numerous twists and turns in the Order Front headquarters into a secluded guest room, Qin Lun grew highly alert and asked cautiously.

“What, you scared I’m gonna eat you?” Kelly threw herself onto the sofa, shooting him an annoyed glare before finally speaking seriously. “I called you here to brief you on some developments, so you won’t be caught off guard later. About half an hour before you returned, your other companions came back first.”

“Oh, how are they doing?” Qin Lun’s eyes flickered as he asked calmly.

“The Disciple and… Firecracker’s team fought Apostle Monument to a draw. They didn’t win, but they indirectly achieved their goal.” Kelly furrowed her elegant brows slightly, a strange gleam in her eyes. “But the other group’s battle outcome was unexpected—they actually killed the High-Rank Apostle leading the Chaos Alliance team.”

“Really?” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow, unconsciously smiling. He felt both surprised and as if it were only natural.

Qin Lun had never underestimated his companions. He had met the requirements for Second-Order Class Change before the “Hell’s Song” Quest World, staying one step ahead of the other Serial Killers. But now, after two more Quest Worlds, Hill and the others had probably also undergone their Class Changes.

He had witnessed the combat prowess of High-Rank Apostles like Gan Luo and Wolf, but Hill’s intelligence was no less than his own. After the last Quest World, Hill had exchanged for “Saint Irene’s Nail” with Joker. For a devout Catholic like Hill, whose combat profession was Prayer Pastor, the power boost from a Christian Relic would be transformative.

The same went for Grant. Joker’s combat talent was the strongest among the five of them. After the last Quest World, he exchanged “Saint Irene’s Nail” for Hill’s Life Holy Fruit, merging his Virus Bloodline with Leo’s White Giant Bloodline. Once he advanced to Second Order, his combat power wouldn’t be much weaker than Qin Lun’s Demon Transformation.

These two were a perfect blend of intelligence and combat talent. With proper preparation, killing a High-Rank Apostle wasn’t impossible. Qin Lun reflected that if, after his one-on-one fights with Wolf and Gan Luo, he had had any one of the other Serial Killers with him, they probably could have taken down those two High-Rank Apostles as well.

“Will they face any trouble?” Qin Lun pondered for a moment before asking cautiously.

“There’ll definitely be some trouble, but even the Chaos Alliance can’t openly admit that a High-Rank Apostle was killed by lower-ranked Apostles. So, they won’t launch a full-scale team war over it.” Kelly chuckled and shook her head. “However, most High-Rank Apostles have a few close companions. There might be some personal retaliation.”

Seeing Qin Lun frown, Kelly tried to reassure him. “As long as you’re alive, Apostles will always have troubles. That’s one reason we form teams. With the protection of a team, personal revenge won’t be a big issue. You should form a complete team as soon as possible. If needed, Lost is willing to offer you an available Silver Team.”

“An available Silver Team? Does such a thing exist?” Qin Lun rubbed his nose, curious.

“Of course. Haven’t I mentioned it before? When Apostle teams reach a certain level, they hit a bottleneck. Especially as their overall strength increases and they advance from Low Magic Worlds to Medium and High-Magic Worlds, they might suffer heavy losses.” Kelly sighed emotionally. “Teams that suffer such setbacks either recruit new members or disband and join new teams. That’s how gaps in teams appear.”

“Silver Teams and above possess team titles and skills. The more powerful the team title and the more skills it has, the more team points are deducted each Quest World.”

“If an available team goes several Quest Worlds without any participants, its rank will degrade, reverting to Bronze or Black Iron, until it disappears entirely. Lost is a large team. Each Quest World, we lose members but also recruit new ones, so we naturally have several available team slots. For example, the temporary Silver Team ‘Fortress’ you once joined.”

“Are you saying you’ll provide us with a Silver Team similar to ‘Fortress’?” Qin Lun stroked his chin, asking thoughtfully. “Is Lost trying to repay us for our assistance this way?”

Qin Lun unintentionally looked up at Kelly and noticed an awkward expression on her face. He chuckled lightly. “Just a guess, but it seems I hit the mark… I must say, you’re being rather stingy for a large team!”

“Ahem, as you know, after the Light Team was wiped out, the Order Front is relying solely on Lost to hold up. We’re… a bit tight on resources!” Kelly’s face reddened momentarily before she realized something and stood up indignantly, hands on her hips. “Hey, I told you before—we wouldn’t pay you for this. The Silver Team slot is being offered for free. Take it or leave it!”

“No deal. It’s just a Silver Team!” Qin Lun refused decisively, a playful glint in his eyes. “I believe my companions would rather have Lost owe them a favor!”

“Really, no?” Kelly puffed out her cheeks, glaring fiercely at Qin Lun. “You think it’s easy for an Apostle team to advance from Black Iron to Silver? Miss this chance, and there won’t be another!”

Qin Lun nonchalantly turned away, sipping his drink as if Kelly weren’t there.

“Fine…” Seeing Qin Lun’s unyielding attitude, Kelly deflated like a leaky balloon. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Lost really isn’t well-off right now. If you have any requests, make them soon. If the Order Front can’t hold on, all your clever schemes will be for nothing.”

“Hehe, I said before that aside from supplies of recovery items and Magic Scrolls, I wouldn’t ask Lost for any other rewards. That promise still stands.” Qin Lun’s eyes gleamed as he raised a finger. “However, any trouble Hill and Grant face next will definitely be on Lost’s account…”

“Fair enough. In the next Quest World, I’ll have them join a sub-team led by a High-Rank Apostle to ensure their safety as much as possible.” Kelly nodded seriously.

“No need. Hill and Grant won’t accept any charity-like protection.” Qin Lun shook his head. “Besides, it’s still uncertain whether they’ll actually face personal retaliation. We’ll handle this ourselves. I just need Lost to provide one thing—specifically, something you have…”