After the three of them read the description, they honestly didn’t feel much of a stir anymore.
It seemed any miracle that happened to Lu Ran was just par for the course now. They were getting used to it.
But the shock—well, that never completely went away.
Lei Tai curled his lip, a bit speechless. “Finally, we get a skill that’s actually a little underwhelming for Lu Ran at his current stage, and then bam—the trait immediately fixes it and turns it into something perfect.”
Ye Hongyi nodded deeply in agreement. “Fixed it? It’s practically a whole new skill!”
Liu Xinxin, meanwhile, was analyzing the changes brought about by the altered data and rules. After a few seconds, she spoke.
“The Bone Throne itself offers direct and permanent control, but it’s limited to dark-attributed non-professional units. It’s useless against other types of non-professional beings. This new skill, now, it’s the perfect complement.”
Sure, you had to kill something first and then use its corpse to control it. But that was hardly an issue. Lu Ran could kill anything with ridiculous ease! The process was a bit more involved than using the Bone Throne, but it allowed for indiscriminate control over any non-professional unit anywhere in the world! Global control! To put it bluntly, aside from people, there was nothing Lu Ran couldn’t control!
“It might seem like it just patches the hole where the Bone Throne couldn’t control non-dark beings, but for Lu Ran, the upgrade is comprehensive. It pushes his control ability to an unprecedented peak!” Liu Xinxin said, her voice filled with excitement.
Ye Hongyi added, “Exactly. And it even removed the ‘non-BOSS’ restriction… It’s just… beyond words.”
They were currently in a party together. Liu Xinxin took a look at Lu Ran’s status panel.
She mused, “Who would have thought? After the dwarf quest, we’d run into that wave of Evil Spirit Griffons and boost Lu Ran’s level so rapidly. I figured his leveling speed would slow down at higher levels, but looking at this… it’s not slow at all!”
Right now, Lu Ran was at Level 47!
“Little brother, do you know how long it took me to go from a newbie to Level 47?” Ye Hongyi asked.
Lu Ran obviously had no idea, so he shook his head.
“Two years. A full two years!” Ye Hongyi said, exasperated.
“Took me a little over a year. Heh heh…” Lei Tai chimed in, sounding pleased.
“About two years for me as well,” Liu Xinxin recalled.
Their leveling speeds were roughly the same. Lei Tai’s might have been slightly faster because while there were plenty of damage dealers, a fully protective Earth Knight was a rare commodity. Everyone valued their own life, so when forming dungeon parties, the top priority was always a tank and a healer. Damage dealers were considered last.
But with Lu Ran? It had only been twenty days! He hadn’t even finished his newcomer period, and he was already Level 47!
“He’s about to hit Level 50. Once he’s there, Lu Ran can summon Abyssal Bone Dragons. I can’t wait to see that sight,” Lei Tai said, his voice full of eager anticipation.
A flash of excitement crossed both Ye Hongyi and Liu Xinxin’s eyes. It was clear they were all looking forward to seeing Lu Ran’s Abyssal Bone Dragons. Just imagining Lu Ran sweeping his hand out and unleashing a sky-darkening horde of Abyssal Bone Dragons… what a terrifyingly magnificent scene that would be!
“Personally, I’m more curious about the reactions and outcomes for other nations when the National War starts. Lu Ran’s performance on the global equipment leaderboard, in the Deathmatch Arena, and the Endless Tower has already put other countries on high alert. Right now, the ones most anxious are probably the Eagle Union and the Sakura Kingdom,” Liu Xinxin said.
“Speaking of which, didn’t Old Yu say that Nanami is in Dragonxia? I wonder where she’s hiding out now,” Lei Tai mentioned, thinking of her.
“Hard to say. But with Lu Ran’s Poseidon’s Trident being reforged, the new attributes are a dead giveaway. Nanami must have noticed. For all we know, she could be lying in wait up ahead,” Ye Hongyi remarked casually.
The speaker might not have meant much by it, but the listener took it seriously.
Liu Xinxin suddenly stopped in her tracks. The others looked at her, puzzled.
She opened her map to check. They were backtracking along their original route, and their position was gradually approaching the edge of the forbidden zone.
“Sister Xinxin, what’s wrong?” Lu Ran asked.
“I haven’t had much contact with Nanami, but I know her type. That woman came to Dragonxia for one reason: to kill you. The easiest way to find you is through the various ranking panels in the Instance Dungeon Hall. Sister Hong is right—the attributes on Poseidon’s Trident clearly show your current location,” Liu Xinxin explained.
Combined with the path Lu Ran’s group had explored and traveled across the Sandsea region on the world map… it couldn’t be more obvious!
“Nanami would definitely notice and wouldn’t pass up this chance. I’m almost certain she’s waiting at the edge of the forbidden zone right now, planning to ambush and kill you the moment you show up!” Liu Xinxin stated with conviction.
She had a point. Trust Liu Xinxin to figure it all out almost instantly and be so sure about it!
“Should we really be worried? Nanami doesn’t have any real skill; she can’t kill Lu Ran anyway,” Lei Tai argued.
This time, Lu Ran caught on quickly. He thought for a moment before speaking. “I might be unkillable, even if Nanami summons the Yamata no Orochi. But you three are a different story. The Yamata no Orochi is still overwhelmingly powerful at this stage. I have strong abilities, but I don’t have any skills to protect my teammates.”
His meaning was clear. If Nanami launched a sudden, wide-range attack with the Yamata no Orochi, Lu Ran could guarantee his own survival. But if Liu Xinxin, Lei Tai, or Ye Hongyi couldn’t withstand it, they could actually die. And if they died, that was it—permanent death, no coming back! Even Lu Ran’s Resurrection of the Dead couldn’t bring back professional units!
Hearing Lu Ran say this, Lei Tai and Ye Hongyi’s expressions tightened slightly. They might not want to admit it, but Nanami, having sold her body and soul for the power of the Yamata no Orochi, possessed a terrifying potential for burst damage!
“I’ll scout ahead. You three wait here. If Nanami really is up there, I’ll deal with her! Wait for my signal!” Lu Ran declared.
“Alright,” the three replied without hesitation, nodding in unison. They promptly plopped down onto a nearby sand dune. Ye Hongyi even cast a Fire Barrier to ward off any Sandworms that might appear.
Then, the three of them just sat there, staring at Lu Ran. They were the picture of calm. At this point, they weren’t worried about Lu Ran’s safety in the slightest.
“Uh…” Lu Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Fine, fine. I’ll go check ahead. You guys be careful here. If anything happens, message me on the communicator immediately. I can fly back; it’s not that far anyway.”
But since this was still the forbidden zone, Lu Ran took some precautions. He first used his Corrosion skill on the three of them, applying a buff for safety. Then, he summoned some Ancient Golems and Skeleton Soldiers to stand guard around them. Even if Sandworms respawned, their initial aggro would be on the golems and skeletons. With the skeletons and golems’ attributes boosted tenfold, the Sandworms posed little threat.
After setting all this up, Lu Ran headed toward the edge of the forbidden zone. He silently prayed that Nanami would actually be there. Having someone lurking in the shadows, ready to strike, was just too damn unnerving!
