Chapter 43 The Argo (1) I will find the best way to clear the level...
"Wilderness Mission #63: [Argo], is about to begin!"
"Now?" Xia Ying was surprised and hesitantly patted the cold, hard cage wall. "But we're still locked up in the Tomb Ring, and the Qilin doesn't seem like it'll let us go easily... Wait a minute!"
A sudden inspiration struck her: "The content related to [Circle Realm Internship] all fall under the category of teaching activities, right? According to the Cocytus Law, teaching activities take precedence over other magic and magical artifacts!"
They looked at each other and said at the same time, "We can get away from here!!"
But for some reason, the excitement in Cerberus's eyes lasted only a short time. He quickly lowered his gaze, and his ears and tail seemed to droop down in disappointment.
Seeing the dog's expression, Xia Ying immediately understood what he was thinking.
“Cher, Cher.” She gently squeezed the dog’s paw. “Look at me.”
Xia Ying's touch and body temperature seemed to make Cerberus feel a little better, but he still looked a little listless.
“We may not be able to fight side by side like this anymore, after all, in Wilderness Mission 63, Kerr and I were not partners.”
Xia Ying said to him.
"But this is just a wilderness mission. If things go well, we'll be back together soon."
Cerberus raised his head.
“I will find the best way to pass the level,” she smiled. “Ker, trust me.”
"..." Cerberus said awkwardly, "If I become an enemy, I'll be very difficult to deal with. Are you prepared?"
Xia Ying nodded.
Cerberus seemed to finally perk up. As the teleportation spell began to flicker, he gently released Xia Ying's hand, smiled at her, and said, "See you later, Xia Ying!"
They were each swept up in magical fluctuations, instantly breaking free from the shackles of the Tomb Ring. Xia Ying bid farewell to the abruptly ended chaotic meeting and arrived at a new mission scene.
She saw the sunlight streaming down without obstruction, smelled the cool breeze carrying a salty scent, and felt the ground beneath her feet undulating with the waves. She was standing on the deck of a large ship.
The Argo is currently empty, and Xia Ying seems to be the first challenger to load the mission.
The mission notification had not yet sounded, and the Argo sailed smoothly under the clear blue sky; everything seemed peaceful and serene.
This is probably what's called the standby screen, like the classic Windows desktop with its blue sky and green grass.
In any case, there shouldn't be any danger before all the players enter the mission.
Taking advantage of this break, Xia Ying decided to prepare for some tasks.
She sat down on the deck and summoned the [Abyssal Dangerous Creatures Compendium].
She only checked once when she was trying to stop the dragon and the siren. At that time, the accumulated synchronization value had exceeded two thousand points. Assuming that one skill slot is unlocked for every one hundred accumulated synchronization points, she could equip about 20 skills.
This is all the reward Xia Ying earned by working hard to build up goodwill during her [Internship in the Ring Domain]! In addition, in order to prepare for the final Wilderness Mission No. 63, she tried not to equip skills unless necessary, so that she could choose the most suitable skills according to different situations at critical moments.
The cumulative synchronization value has indeed reached an astonishing 2036 points, and there are indeed 20 unlocked skill slots, but for some time now, a small parenthesis has appeared after that number:
(Remaining available synchronization points: 1636)
What is the available synchronization value? And why are there 400 points missing out for no reason?
Xia Ying was filled with doubt, just like a corporate slave who discovered that their account balance had inexplicably decreased, but since the task was ahead, she decided to complete the skill selection first.
The skill setup is valid for 30 days. Excluding those that have expired, 4 out of the current 20 skill slots are active. The equipped skills are as follows:
The first is the Four Evil Beasts - Hundred Weapons Manual. This skill comes from Miss Qiongqi, who is skilled in melee combat. As a suitable choice for the [Kusanagi Sword], it currently occupies a fixed skill slot.
Second is the Nine-Tailed Fox - Arrow of Destruction. This skill comes from the fox boy Tamamo whom you meet during the Wilderness quest. When used in conjunction with the [Wind God Earring], it can effectively expand the attack range, so occupying a slot is not a waste.
The third is the Eternal Evil Dragon - Destruction Dragon Flame (Primary Stage), and the fourth is the Deep Sea Demon Spirit - Tidal Resonance, which come from Mr. Fafnir, the King of the Crimson Crown, and Mr. Karybdis, the King of the Shadow Scales, respectively.
Although the skills were temporarily equipped to stop the fight between the two, the Destruction Dragon Flame can play a role in group attacks and crowd control, while Tidal Resonance is even more useful in ocean scenes. Xia Ying is quite satisfied with these two choices.
Xia Ying clicked on the details of the Destruction Dragon Flame, and her gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Destruction Dragon Flame - Initial Stage: One of the innate magics of the Evil Dragon race. Its energy purity, spread rate, and burning effect are all outstanding. It also has a mental shock effect. The initial stage is a golden-red flame."
This part looks fine, right? But the problem lies in the content in the parentheses behind it!
(Assembly price: 200 synchronization points)
When did assembly skills become a paid service?! Is this some kind of scam app that secretly offers monthly subscriptions?!
Xia Ying clicked on the details of Tidal Resonance and saw the same price tag.
Perhaps sensing her master's deep dissatisfaction, the [Abyss Dangerous Creatures Encyclopedia] suddenly popped up like a patch in front of Xia Ying's eyes.
The early access period for the synchronized skills bar has ended, and the official feature is now available.
Note: Assembly skills will continuously consume available synchronization points during their active period. These points will be refunded after the skill expires. Please choose carefully, pay attention to assembly prices, and allocate your available synchronization points wisely.
Okay, I'll reluctantly forgive this fraudulent app since the usable sync value can still be returned.
Xia Ying's mood gradually calmed down, and she began to update her understanding of the skill assembly rules.
Unlocking skill slots does not consume synchronization points; the number of slots increases gradually as the accumulated synchronization points increase.
From now on, skill equipping must occupy corresponding synchronization points, thus creating the concept of "available synchronization points"... Xia Ying occupied 200 synchronization points each when equipping the skills of the dragon and the siren, so the original 2036 available synchronization points were reduced according to the price, and now only 1636 points remain.
It's true what they say: you only realize how little synchronization value you have when you need it!
Thinking this, Xia Ying casually checked the synchronization rate of each abyssal creature's entry:
Sort by synchronization rate from highest to lowest, Cerberus remains at the very top with an incredibly stable 99%, currently still the highest value in its class.
Next is the second tier, which is distributed between 70% and 80%, including Fafnir, Charybdis, Fenrir, Qiongqi, and Jormungandr... wait a minute.
Xia Ying's gaze lingered on a certain unexpected name for a moment.
Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but they were irrelevant to the current wilderness mission, so Xia Ying temporarily suppressed them.
Apart from the abyssal creatures with particularly high synchronization rates mentioned above, most monsters fall within the 40% to 60% range, including Tamamo's raid team, other freshmen conducting [Ring Domain Internship] in the Crimson Crown Ring, and other relatively familiar abyssal creatures.
A synchronization rate below 30% falls into the category of acquaintances, and some of the names even appear in the list that Xia Ying doesn't recognize, suggesting they've probably only met once.
This encyclopedia has gotten quite thick without me even realizing it, even though it feels like I just entered Cocytus yesterday.
As Xia Ying sighed, she casually turned to another page, where information about the Lord of Demons appeared before her eyes.
Much of his information, including the synchronization rate, remains a question mark.
Just as mysterious as the demon himself.
Xia Ying thought this should be the last page, but when she lifted the corner of the page, she found that there was still information on the next page.
She opened that page, and a pale blue abyssal creature, its body as smooth as jade, gracefully flew out.
Oh, this is a Qilin.
I wonder how well this King of the Tomb Keepers has cleaned up the mess.
Xia Ying gave a wicked and happy laugh, casually glanced at the Qilin's entry, and then her gaze lingered on the synchronization rate column.
Synchronization rate: -60%
"...This thing can actually be negative?" Xia Ying said incredulously. "And am I really that unreasonable? That's so petty!!"
Xia Ying flipped through the Qilin's illustration page with a sigh: "Forget it, let's get down to business."
After quickly browsing through the encyclopedia entries, Xia Ying seemed to review all the events that had occurred since entering Cocytus. She also formed a general plan in her mind on how to assemble skills and allocate resources, so Xia Ying officially began assembling skills.
Mind Channel: Establish a mental connection with a designated Abyssal creature, enabling long-distance communication. Only one Abyssal creature can be connected at a time, and both share vision during the connection.
This is a purely supportive magic, but Xia Ying believes it has unique tactical value in faction battles and can play an irreplaceable role in helping her grasp the overall situation in real time.
Her next choices are Frost Wolf - Ice Shaping and Earth Colossus - Rock Shield.
They cost 200 and 100 synchronization points respectively, both of which are convenient capabilities that help improve defense levels while also providing a certain degree of flexibility.
Xia Ying thought for a moment, then chose the healing skill worth 300 synchronization points: World Python - Shedding Scales.
Shedding scales: This process regenerates flesh and blood by stimulating bodily activity, which can quickly heal wounds, but the pain is three times that of normal healing.
It looks painful, but it's the most efficient healing magic among Xia Ying's available options, making it perfect for emergencies. Of course, it would be even better if she didn't have to use it.
Xia Ying is now quite confident in her chances of survival!
At this point, Xia Ying only had a little over 500 points of available synchronization value left. In order to deal with other unknown situations, she decided to end the skill assembly and leave herself a little room for maneuver.
Just then, the deck lit up, and other abyssal creatures of Xia Ying's faction were successively teleported onto the Argo.
After the thirtieth intern arrived at the mission scene, the notification sound finally rang.
"Beep! Wilderness Mission #63: [Argo]:"
After the legend of the Argo ended, the souls of Medea, the witch, and Jason, the hero, remained intertwined deep within the River Styx. To prove themselves the true masters of the legend, and to condemn each other to eternal damnation, they each seized half of the Argo, summoning the undead and monsters to wage a war of vengeance in this forgotten sea.
The figurehead of the ship beneath Xia Ying's feet began to change, eventually transforming into a half-body sculpture of a witch.
At the same time, a red lightning bolt suddenly cleaved the clear sky and struck where Xia Ying was.
Xia Ying instinctively wanted to dodge and defend herself, but the force of the mission scenario pinned her to the spot, leaving her only able to watch helplessly as the lightning struck.
The lightning did not harm her. In the bright light, Xia Ying vaguely saw the ghost of the red-robed witch walking towards her, and then a powerful force poured into her body.
"Beep! The faction division is complete. The Spirit of Medea and the Spirit of Jason have each chosen their possessors!"
"When one of the chosen possessors from either faction dies, the other faction is considered to have won. Once one faction wins, the Wilderness quest ends."
Elsewhere in the sky, another bolt of lightning had just struck.
Jason's soul gradually faded from Cerberus's sight, and the hound indifferently turned its gaze away...
It was cast far away to the other side of the vast ocean.
-----------------------
Author's note: Romeo and Juliet are back again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
