Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 106 The Allure of Shadows
[Defeat the Rift Lost One, reduce Aberration by 25%, and gain 3500 Spirit Points...]

The Rift dungeon gives a decent amount of Spirit Points.

Chen Qi snapped his fingers:
"Still burning, stop."

As the tiny blue flames on his body died down, the blood-red in his eyes gradually faded.

I looked around when I woke up in the morning.

In the recent battle, the entire train carriage has been reduced to ruins.

He picked up the black knife from the ground and sat down on the ruins of the chair.

Suddenly, he asked himself:
Why should I throw the knife away?

Thinking about it carefully, it seems to be for just one simple reason:

It's more fun to fight like this!

As a forbidden creation of the Blade Phase, the Touch of Ember has a huge side effect in addition to the massive physical exertion.

That is, being consumed by lingering embers can bring about unimaginable rage.

Arrogance, madness, and other states can all be fostered under the influence of rage.

These emotions can severely impair judgment during normal combat, leading to irrational behavior.

A moment of rage may feel exhilarating, but the aftermath will be disastrous.

If he wears it for a longer period of time, he might even attack indiscriminately, regardless of friend or foe.

They beat and slash anyone they see!
Although this berserk state that allows players to attack teammates is very popular in game forums, especially when they are about to complete the game.

Kill both teammates and the boss!

However, for Chen Qi, this outburst of anger could potentially pose significant hidden dangers.

Imagine if the Flower Witch were beside him, healing him.

He laughed wildly and said, "A mere witch, nothing special. Let me test your strength," and then swung his black knife at me.

With his current strength.

The consequences are unimaginable...

Chen Qi shivered.

However, compared to the extra power provided by being engulfed in embers, the cost of rage is already very small.

Moreover, in Chen Qi's view, rage is not only a side effect; the use of some blade-breaking techniques also requires rage.

Just as only magic can counter magic, rage can also resist some mental attacks.

For example, here he successfully resisted the despairing mental erosion from the images.

Furthermore, if combined with other props, a unique style can be created.

"Hopefully I'll come across an item that can counteract the side effects of Blade Phase equipment in the future, my shoulder hurts so much..."

Chen Qi touched his shoulder, feeling the fatigue coming from his body.

My body is completely exhausted...

The lingering flames, combined with the power of the equipment itself, result in an unprecedented burst of agility and strength, even at the cost of overdrawing the body's strength.

This overdraft applies to every inch below the head.

The mere twenty seconds of residual fire had pushed his physical abilities to their limit!
Even when not 'engulfed in embers', Ember Touch still provides agility and strength bonuses due to Deep Sea affinity, but it will still continuously deplete stamina.

"I can't take it anymore, I can't wear it any longer..."

Chen Qi, like an elegant magician, pulled up the clothes he was holding at his chest.

The clothes in my hand gradually turned into a blue tide, and finally condensed into a blue gem.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Qi put the blue gem and the corpse of the Rift Lost back into his backpack card.

With the Rift Lost dead, the carriage's entrance and exit reopened.

The high difficulty of Train No. 8 is due to distortion.

The condition for passing through customs is to reach the driver's cab and pull the stop lever of the train.

In other words, theoretically, Train No. 8 only needs to find the differences, and can even complete the game without taking any damage without fighting.

But the Rift Lost Ones changed everything.

The Rift Losers are the reason why so many hunters have met their tragic ends.

"Hopefully the road ahead will be safe, and there won't be another person who gets lost."

Chen Qi carefully followed the guide and headed towards the carriage ahead.

The rest of the journey went very smoothly, and three minutes later he arrived at the train's driver's cab.

"Finally here, this should be it..."

Chen Qi found the red parking lever, gripped it, and pulled it back with all his might.

Boom! Boom!
The entire carriage shook violently, the lights flickered, and items on the shelves swayed precariously, making a chaotic clattering sound.

As the train's braking system activated, the speed gradually decreased.

[You have stopped the train. Crack distortion has decreased by 10%. Crack cleared!] Chen Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled slightly: "Cleared!"

[Crack settlement in progress...]

The total distortion of the cracks has been reduced by 35%, and the current distortion is 16%.

[Stop! Pull the parking barrier, reward +40%]
Perfect Pathfinder: You have not visited any wrong carriages during your journey, reward 40%, and increase the probability of obtaining light phase rewards.

Fear Incarnation: You instilled fear in the monsters in the carriage who love to scare people; reward increased by 20%.
Monster Slayer: You defeat the greatest danger in the Rift, the Aberrant Rift Lost One, and your reward is increased by 80%.

Settlement complete, overall rating: S!

Obtain one Train No. 8 exclusive skill card chest and one Light Phase skill card chest.

perfect!

Chen Qi excitedly rubbed his hands together.

Achieving a perfect clear rating in high-difficulty dungeons earns you the title of "pro" from newbies even on gaming forums!
[Whether to draw a Lantern Image Skill Card: Rare 20%, Epic 80%]

Lantern Skill Card Treasure Chest!

Chen Qi was startled.

Many of the Light skill cards are enhanced by Inspiration.

In the past twenty days since I started practicing meditation, I have gained 10 more points of inspiration.

Combined with the previous Pain Potion, his inspiration reached an astonishing 60 points!
Even mage apprentices in the White Tower Federation who practice meditation from childhood may not be able to surpass him in terms of inspiration.

"smoke!"

Chen Qi said excitedly.

An epic card with a candle flame on its back appeared in his hand, burning like a flame.

The card depicts a lantern-carrying traveler accompanied by a white dove, passing through a train carriage.

[You have obtained the Lantern Skill Card 'White Dove Perception'.]

White Dove Perception Lv1
Nature and form: lamp
Requirements: Mastery of basic meditation techniques and an inspiration level of 30.

Effect: You can spread your spiritual energy outwards, transforming it into an extension of your eyes, greatly enhancing your perception and enabling you to detect the flow of spiritual energy.

Even with your eyes closed, you can still perceive all the changes around you.

At the same time, you gain a very low probability of anticipating danger.

Note: This skill is boosted by Inspiration.

Finally, I have a perception skill!

Chen Qi felt a surge of joy.

Previously, the Hunter's Eye he obtained, although it was also a perception skill, mainly manifested in the enhancement of eyesight.

However, their ability to perceive blind spots is very weak.

If he encounters an enemy who is good at concealing his presence and attacking from behind, he is completely helpless.

Quite an impressive skill!
Chen Qi excitedly accepted the card.

[Do you want to draw the exclusive skill card for Train No. 8?]

Pump again!

Chen Qi excitedly pressed the draw button again, and a card appeared in his hand like ink.

The back of the card features the reflection of a rat, while the front depicts a shadowy woman in a train carriage, her face flushed as she looks at the dark figure.

What kind of card is this? Chen Qi looked at the hint on the card.

The Allure of Shadows:
Nature: Flower, Shadow
Usage requirements: Inspiration level 25
Effect: Increases your dark affinity while exuding a unique charm that makes shadow monsters willing to stay on you.

At the same time, your ability to hide is even stronger in the dark!

Note: Turn off the lights, and the darkness will quietly slip into your bed.

Don't you think wriggling shadows are cute?

Another charm card?
Chen Qi was secretly startled.

Is he destined to get the Charm skill card?
Previously, the Dragon Charm Card he obtained had been gathering dust in the warehouse because it lacked the Dragon Bloodline.

Now, another charm card has arrived.

"If this continues, he'll turn into a Shadow Succubus..." Chen Qi complained helplessly.

If it were the Kingdom of Golden Flowers and Birds with its many XP characters, these two charm cards of his would definitely fetch an astronomical price.

Fortunately, unlike Dragon's Charm, the conditions for using this skill card are not strict.

Moreover, even excluding the effect of attracting shadow-type monsters, the ability to conceal one's presence in the dark is still a very useful skill.

Whether sailing the seas or adventuring on islands, darkness is ever-present.

nice one!
Without hesitation, Chen Qi used two skill cards.

(End of this chapter)