novelraw Chapter 104: The Charm of Shadows
Chapter 104: The Charm of Shadows
[Defeated the Lost in the Rift, distortion reduced by 25%, gained 3500 spiritual points...]
The spiritual points given by the Rift dungeon were quite generous.
Chen Qi snapped his fingers:
"Ember's Binding, stop."
As the tiny blue flames on his body extinguished, the blood-red glow in his eyes gradually faded.
Chen Qi looked around.
After the recent battle, the entire carriage had turned into a ruin.
He picked up the Black Blade from the ground, then sat down on the wreckage of a chair.
Suddenly, he asked himself:
"Why did I throw away the blade?"Thinking carefully, it seemed to be just a simple reason:
It was more satisfying to fight that way!
As a forbidden creation of the Blade affinity, Ember's Touch not only consumed a huge amount of stamina but also had a massive side effect.
That was, while in Ember's Binding state, it brought about unimaginable rage.
Arrogance, madness, and other states would constantly breed under this furious emotion.
These feelings seriously affected normal combat judgment, leading to irrational behavior.
Berserk mode felt great momentarily but led to a disaster afterward.
If worn longer, he might even attack friend and foe indiscriminately.
Attack anyone, slash anyone!
Although on game forums, this berserk state that allows attacking teammates was very popular, especially near the end of a dungeon.
Slashing teammates and the boss together to death!!
But for Chen Qi, this rage could easily cause serious hidden dangers.
Imagine if the Flower Witch was beside him, healing him.
He would laugh wildly and say, "A mere witch, nothing special. Let me test your limits," then stab her with the Black Blade.
With his current strength,
the consequences were unimaginable...
Chen Qi shivered.
However, compared to the excessive strength provided by Ember's Binding, the cost of just the rage emotion was very small.
Moreover, in Chen Qi's view, rage was not only a side effect; some Blade Release techniques required that furious emotion.
Just like only magic can counter magic, rage could resist some mental-type attacks.
For example, here he successfully resisted the despairing spiritual erosion from the Shadow affinity.
Even more, if combined with some other items, he could build a special unique style.
"Hopefully, I’ll come across an item that cancels the side effects of Blade affinity equipment someday. My shoulders hurt so much..."
Chen Qi rubbed his shoulder, feeling the fatigue transmitted by his body.
His body was overstrained...
Ember's Binding used the body's overstrain as the price, combined with the equipment's own power, to unleash unprecedented agility and strength.
And this overstrain affected every inch below the head.
Just twenty seconds of Ember's Binding pushed his physical fitness to the limit!
Even without Ember's Binding, thanks to Deep Sea Affinity, Ember's Touch still provided agility and strength bonuses, but it continuously exhausted stamina.
"I can't hold on anymore, can't wear it any longer..."
Chen Qi, like a graceful magician, pulled up the clothes clutching his chest.
The clothes in his hand gradually turned into a blue tide, then condensed into a blue gem.
Then, Chen Qi put the blue gem and the corpse of the Lost in the Rift back into the Backpack Card.
As the Lost in the Rift died, the entrance and exit of the carriage opened again.
The high difficulty of the No. 8 Train was due to the distortion.
The condition for clearing was to reach the driver's cabin and pull the train's emergency brake.
That meant, in theory, the No. 8 Train only needed to find differences and could even be cleared without fighting or taking damage.
But the Lost in the Rift changed all that.
The Lost in the Rift was the cause of many hunters’ tragic deaths.
"Hopefully the road ahead is safe, no second Lost in the Rift."
Chen Qi cautiously proceeded to the front carriage according to the guide.
The rest of the journey went very smoothly; three minutes later, he arrived at the train’s driver's cabin.
"Finally here, it should be this..."
Chen Qi found the red emergency brake, gripped it, and with all his strength, pulled it sharply backward.
Rumble! Rumble!
The entire carriage shook violently, lights flickered, and items on the shelves swayed precariously, making a chaotic clattering sound.
With the train’s braking system activated, speed slowly decreased.
[You have stopped the train, Rift distortion reduced by 10%, Rift cleared!]
Chen Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled slightly: "Cleared!"
[Rift settlement in progress...]
[Total Rift distortion reduced by 35%, current distortion at 16%.]
[Stopped me: pulled the emergency brake, reward +40%
Perfect Pathfinder: you did not enter any wrong carriage during progress, reward +40%, increased chance for Lamp affinity rewards.
Embodiment of Fear: you caused the monsters in the carriage that love scaring others to feel fear, reward +20%
Monster Slayer: you defeated the greatest danger of the Rift, the distorted Lost in the Rift, reward +80%]
[Settlement complete, overall rating S!
Received a No. 8 Train exclusive skill card chest and a Lamp affinity skill card chest.]
Perfect!
Chen Qi rubbed his hands excitedly.
To achieve a perfect clear rating in a high-difficulty dungeon would earn him respect as a master even on the game forums!
[Would you like to draw from the Lamp affinity skill card chest? Rare 20%, Epic 80%]
Lamp affinity skill card chest!
Chen Qi was startled inside.
Many Lamp affinity skill cards were boosted by inspiration.
In the past twenty days, Chen Qi had practiced meditation, increasing inspiration by 10 points.
Together with the Pale Potion from before, his inspiration reached an astonishing 60 points!
Even Lamp affinity mage apprentices from the White Tower Federation who practiced meditation since childhood might not surpass him in inspiration.
"Draw!"
Chen Qi said excitedly.
An epic card with a burning candle flame on its back appeared in his hand.
The card’s face showed a lantern traveler walking with a white pigeon through the carriages.
[You have obtained the Lamp affinity skill card "White Pigeon Perception".]
[White Pigeon Perception Lv1
Affinity: Lamp
Usage Requirement: Master basic meditation and have inspiration of 30 or higher.
Effect: You can diffuse spiritual energy outward as an extension of your eyes, greatly enhancing perception and allowing you to sense spiritual energy flow.
Even with eyes closed, you can still detect all surrounding changes.
At the same time, you gain a very small chance of danger foresight.
Note: This skill is boosted by inspiration.]
Finally, a perception skill!
Chen Qi felt joy inside.
Previously, the Hunter's Eye he obtained was also a perception skill, but it mainly enhanced eyesight.
Its perception of blind spots was very weak.
If faced with enemies skilled at hiding their aura and attacking from behind, he was helpless.
This was a pretty good skill!
Chen Qi happily accepted the card.
[Would you like to draw from the No. 8 Train exclusive skill card chest?]
Draw again!
Chen Qi excitedly clicked to draw again, and a card as black as ink appeared in his hand.
The back of the card showed a silhouette of a mouse, while the front showed a dark woman in a carriage, blushing toward a black shadow.
What kind of card was this? Chen Qi looked at the card’s description.
[Charm of Shadows:
Affinity: Flower, Shadow
Usage Requirement: Inspiration 25
Effect: Increases your Shadow affinity while emitting a unique charm that makes shadow-type monsters willing to stay on you.
At the same time, your concealment ability is stronger in the dark!
Note: Turn off the lights, and the night quietly sneaks into your bed.
Don't you think the writhing shadows are cute?]
Another charm card?
Chen Qi was secretly surprised.
Was he fated to get charm skill cards?
Previously, he obtained the Dragon Charm card, but since he didn’t have the Dragon Bloodline, it had been gathering dust in the warehouse.
Now another charm card.
At this rate, he was going to become a Shadow Charm Demon... Chen Qi sighed helplessly.
If this were the Goldenfinch Kingdom with many XP players, these two charm cards would definitely sell for a fortune.
Fortunately, unlike Dragon Charm, this skill card’s usage conditions were not strict.
Moreover, even excluding the ability to attract tempting shadow monsters, the concealment of aura in the dark was quite practical.
Whether sailing the sea or adventuring on islands, darkness was everywhere.
Good stuff!
Chen Qi didn’t hesitate and activated both skill cards.