Chapter 321: Ascention Quest [2]

The second requirement was the most troublesome.

His summoned beasts couldn't block the thunder for him which meant that he couldn't summon Tiamant or the Myriad Beast Chimera and use their enormous bodies as shields. Even using Spirit Exchange wouldn't work. The system required him to personally endure every strike.

"Damn." He gave a bitter smile.

He had spent so much time strengthening his summoned beasts that he had almost forgotten one important point: his greatest advantage was also his greatest disadvantage.

As a Spirit Summoner, most of his combat power came from his summons. Although his physical attributes were superior to those of ordinary players, he was still far behind warriors who invested all their attribute points into strengthening their bodies.

Zich rubbed his forehead. "Relying on brute force definitely won't get me through this."

He forced himself to calm down and examine the quest again.

The system didn't require him to endure them with his bare body. It only forbade his summoned beasts from taking the strikes for him. This left room for defensive equipment, resistance skills, and even special treasures capable of reducing thunder damage.

Of course, finding equipment capable of resisting heavenly thunder was another matter entirely.

"System, how powerful are these seven thunder strikes?"

[The power of the heavenly thunder will increase with each successive strike.]

Zich's expression stiffened. "Increase?"

[Ding! The seventh heavenly thunder possesses the greatest destructive power.]

"..."

For a moment, Zich really wanted to swear.

In other words, surviving the first strike meant very little. Even if he managed to endure the first six, the seventh could still reduce him to ashes.

He leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling.

The excitement of reaching Level 30 was completely gone. He now understood why ascending to the Second Layer was considered such a tremendous achievement. If every player had to face a trial of this difficulty, it was no wonder so many people remained trapped on the First Layer.

'I can't believe it, but now I understand the Failures.'

Zich lowered his head to look at the panel again. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.

"Alright then."

His fingers tightened around the bedsheets.

"Seven thunder strikes, huh?"

He had broken so many records here on the First Layer and had already been through his fair share of trouble. He would absolutely not give up just because the system had thrown another seemingly impossible challenge at him.

But he wouldn't be stupid enough to rush straight to his death either.

Although thirty days seemed very short, it was still enough time to make preparations.

Zich glanced at Frostgrave, which was resting beside the bed, and tightened his grip on the bedsheets.

He needed to become stronger. Strong enough that even when his strongest summoned beast couldn't save him, he could still survive on his own.

Just as he was about to close the panel, another prompt appeared.

[Ding!]

[Special Notice: The Falling Thunder Abyss is a forbidden zone located within the First Layer.]

[Warning: The heavenly thunder within the trial venue will not only inflict severe damage on the physical body but also cause heavy damage to the soul.]

Zich's smile disappeared, and the confidence he had just gathered began to fade.

"It can even damage the soul?"

His expression turned extremely ugly.

Physical injuries could be healed. With sufficient preparation, defensive equipment and potions could increase his chances of survival. But soul damage was an entirely different matter.

As a Spirit Summoner, Zich knew better than anyone how fatal soul injuries could be. A sufficiently powerful attack could even erase his consciousness before his physical body had a chance to recover.

He stared at the warning for a long time before slowly exhaling.

"Arthur..."

It seemed he would have to ask the President for help in advance. After all, if there was anyone on the First Layer who knew anything about the Falling Thunder Abyss, it would definitely be him.

Knock! Knock!

Just then, someone knocked on his door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Zich immediately recognized Nadia's voice coming from the other side.

"Come in," Zich replied.

The beautiful girl pushed the door open and walked inside.

"I heard you're feeling better now," she said. "So I came to check on you."

"Yes, I was just about to leave." Zich began getting out of bed. "I won't be staying on the First Layer for much longer, so we might need to hurry up with the tomb exploration."

Nadia's eyes widened. As a player, it wasn't difficult for her to understand what he meant.

"Your Ascension Quest has appeared?"

"Yes." Zich saw no reason to hide it. Besides, he didn't suspect Nadia of being the mole working for the Failure Network.

The Voss family was too prestigious and wealthy for someone like her to associate with such people. Moreover, she needed his help to enter the tomb, which was another reason he felt comfortable telling her.

Thinking about this, he suddenly remembered something.

"By any chance, do you know of a place on the First Layer called the Falling Thunder Abyss?"

Nadia's eyes flashed when she heard those words, and her expression turned serious.

"That place is a forbidden zone with extremely dangerous weather."

"Yes, that's the place." Zich nodded, his expression still calm. "There's something I need to do there."

"Are you sure about this?" The frown on Nadia's face deepened. "That place is extremely dangerous, and there are constant thunderstorms. Even airships aren't safe there."

"That's precisely why I'm going."

"You don't understand," Nadia said, her voice growing more serious.

Zich finally gave her his full attention, noticing just how serious she looked.

Could things be even worse than he had initially thought?

"To reach the Falling Thunder Abyss, you'll have to pass through the Locke family's territory."

...

I really appreciate it. I'll try to pick up the update pace. A lot has been going on in real life lately.