Huge thanks to Green KiTea for the Ko-fis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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When Shuixi turned back, all he saw were Jian Xingyi’s two feet wedged outside the doghole.

Shuixi: “…”

This player called Xinghe claimed he wasn’t human-like, but Shuixi thought Xinghe wasn’t much better.

After crawling for quite a while, Jian Xingyi finally reached a wider space.

He stood up and froze.

This was another cave, identical to the previous ones. Lava flowed down the rock walls, faintly illuminating the gloomy surroundings. The cave was filled with… Fire Spirit Divine Flowers!

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at the carpet of flowers.

Were these some commonplace flowers? Wasn’t there a side quest outside to collect five Fire Spirit Divine Flowers?

But when Jian Xingyi crouched down, he noticed the catch.

Though these flowers covered the ground, their pistils lacked crystals—meaning they couldn’t be collected. After all, the quest required gathering crystals.

But to Jian Xingyi, none of that mattered.

He cheerfully activated his skill.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x1】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x2】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x1】

He tapped around the area. These crystal-less flowers yielded very little essence, but it was still better than the ground outside.

Lava volcanoes offered no plants yielding essence points, but thankfully, these dungeon oddities were plentiful!

Jian Xingyi gathered a total of 19 points. Combined with the previous 21 points, he now had 40 points!

The target was 1300 points away… a long road ahead, but progress meant victory!

Just then, Jian Xingyi spotted the most extraordinary flower among his selections.

Its petals curled inward, larger and fuller than the others, radiating a vivid color. It was unmistakably the same special Fire Spirit Divine Flower he’d encountered before—the one containing crystals worth a full 21 points!

Jian Xingyi attempted to click it, but…

【Flower not yet in bloom, cannot be harvested】

Yet Jian Xingyi refused to let this crystal and the flower’s essence slip away. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out to uproot the flower… soil and all.

As Shuixi had said, time flowed faster and faster within these caverns—the further forward one went, the later the timeline. That meant he could try!

Perhaps this flower hadn’t reached its blooming season in this cavern yet, but what if it had already blossomed in the next one?

Just as Jian Xingyi began to act, fiery red warning words appeared on the stone wall beside him.

—The Great Fire God bestowed his divine power, transforming a fragment of his soul—one ten-millionth of his essence—into the Fire Spirit Divine Flower. It blooms upon the earth, watching over believers, nurturing those who revere fire. Emerging from the rock walls, it spreads across the ground.

—The Fire Spirit Flowers are the Fire God’s eyes. To take them is to pluck out his vision, leaving his followers without divine protection.

—All who steal the Fire Spirit Flowers shall face divine retribution.

Jian Xingyi froze. He’d heard that the side quest to gather five flowers came with “side effects” as a price, along with challenges to overcome. Was this the so-called divine retribution?

So these flowers were the prequel and supplement to that side quest! The flowers on the ground flowed out from here.

Jian Xingyi gazed at the many flowers.

Erm…

The world is so vast, I want to take the Fire Spirit out to see it!

Forget divine retribution—Jian Xingyi dug up the flowers with a shovel and stowed them in his backpack. After all, if that were truly the case, then these Fire Spirit Divine Flowers wouldn’t just hold essence value. Perhaps, like the side quest outside, collecting enough could unlock special rewards or even fuse them into a Flower King.

“BOOM———”

Then the entire mountain wall began to shake, accompanied by strange, inhuman screams that reverberated through Jian Xingyi’s eardrums.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

C-could it really be a terrifying divine punishment? That shouldn’t be possible... He hadn’t heard that the side quests outside were particularly difficult!

“Drip.”

Jian Xingyi watched as molten lava began dripping from the rock wall again—increasing in volume and frequency!

…Divine punishment!

Jian Xingyi frantically opened his umbrella to shield his head. The lava drips now fell with even greater ferocity than when he first entered, resembling a torrential lava rain. In an instant, the floor was covered in molten rock.

He couldn’t get out…! He’d crawled in through the doghole, but now the ground was covered in lava. His only escape route was through the cave exit beside him to the next area—but that would mean losing track of Shuixi.

With no other choice, Jian Xingyi rushed to the doghole and shouted, “I can’t get out! I’m leaving through the cave exit at three o’clock!”

“Whoosh!”

Another torrent of molten lava rained down, forcing Jian Xingyi to scramble frantically for cover.

Reaching the next cavern, he found it mirrored the altar scene he and Shuixi had witnessed earlier.

Back then, the priest had been performing a ritual dance atop the high platform while devotees chanted below—a scene both lively and eerie. Now, it lay utterly silent.

The priest lay pale and lifeless on the straw mat of the platform, while devotees knelt in a sea of prostration below.

Several devotees held bowls of molten lava, urging the priest to drink, but he kept refusing. “The time… has not yet come…”

Below, the devotees began to question.

“Why has the priest been infected by demons? He’s mutating! But Fire God devotees don’t mutate!”

“Did he refuse the Fire God’s blessed nectar… Has he betrayed us?!”

Someone noticed Jian Xingyi.

“Who… are you?!”

“You’re not a follower of the Fire God!”

The crowd surged forward, shouting, trying to force him to drink the lava.

Jian Xingyi tried to flee but was held back. Daring not to draw his weapon rashly, he could only deflect: “Why aren’t you drinking yourselves?! Have you truly tasted it?”

“Every one of us has savored the Fire God’s nectar! That’s why we transcended the plague of demons and achieved immortality!”

They pointed upward.

Jian Xingyi looked up, and his sanity plummeted.

The cave walls above were covered in ancient, rotting corpses. The mouths and throats of every corpse were the most severely decayed, as if scorched.

So these people before him…

No, these NPCs weren’t humans—they were spirits!

What about the high priest at the very top? Could he be impersonating a priest, manipulating these souls through his own psychic abilities? But he himself was a human who hadn’t drunk the lava, so why was he infected?

The NPCs before him closed in, surrounding him completely. Jian Xingyi felt goosebumps rise and wanted to flee.

Just then, Jian Xingyi spotted a light point.

He paused, noticing the light hovering beside where the priest lay.

…Hmm.

Such is life’s circumstances.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. The light was on the high platform. Once he reached it, he could distance himself from the worshippers and gain room to maneuver. He decided to play it by ear, his voice trembling as he said, “I… I’ll drink! But I want to drink with the priest.”

“Good! Good!”

“Someone’s about to be baptized!”

The crowd pushed Jian Xingyi up the platform, pinning him beside the priest.

Jian Xingyi glanced around. The platform couldn’t hold many people; only two believers had brought him up.

Without warning, Jian Xingyi drew his pistol and shot both believers dead. He then pulled out a shovel and swiftly smashed the nearby rock wall.

The believers weren’t zombies; headshots weren’t necessary. Jian Xingyi’s B-grade pistol was more than sufficient.

As Jian Xingyi carried out these actions, the crowd below erupted in fury.

“Traitor! He’s a traitor!”

“Execute him in the name of the Fire God!”

The crowd surged forward, causing the platform to sway violently. Jian Xingyi could barely stay upright.

After prying open the rock wall, Jian Xingyi discovered with despair that this was yet another Fire Spirit Flower that hadn’t bloomed.

Well, since I’m already here…

Jian Xingyi tried to dig out the flower. As he moved, not only did the platform shake violently, but the entire mountain wall trembled, echoing with a deep, rumbling roar.

Below, the followers knelt in a sea of submission.

“It’s over… It’s over… The Fire God’s wrath! Divine punishment is upon us!”

“Calm your fury, Fire God! Calm your fury, oh Fire God—!”

Amidst the devotees’ screams, a rain of lava began to fall within the cavern.

If Jian Xingyi’s first encounter with lava rain had been a drizzle, and the second a downpour, then this was… a waterfall cascading down.

Massive chunks of lava poured down as if from some gigantic basin, a truly terrifying sight.

Jian Xingyi shielded himself from the downpour with one hand while frantically digging with the other. The soil here was incredibly hard, making progress difficult.

The elevated platform itself was on the verge of collapsing under the lava. Jian Xingyi felt near despair—until he spotted… Shuixi!?

Shuixi had actually managed to catch up? True to form for a system-provided NPC, he must have some kind of lock-on function!

Shuixi immediately opened his umbrella upon arrival. Before him, lava cascaded down. The priest, who had been forced by the cultists to drink the lava, had vanished in the chaos. Below, the cultists were drenched in molten rock, their screams filling the air as they cried out for the Fire God to relent. Yet even this scalding wouldn’t kill them—they merely scrambled about wildly, attacking anyone in sight. Meanwhile, Jian Xingyi stood on the precarious platform, digging at something.

Shuixi: “…”

Having completed the mission himself and returned several times with his guild, he could roughly gauge Jian Xingyi’s location based on his description. He hadn’t expected his guess to be right.

But this was his first encounter with such a disastrous and chaotic scene. It was truly an eye-opening experience.

Shuixi shouted, “Xinghe, get down!”

Jian Xingyi’s platform was on the verge of collapse, with molten lava steadily pooling overhead.

But Jian Xingyi gritted his teeth. “Just a moment!”

Things had already come to this… He couldn’t possibly give up now, could he? Wouldn’t all his previous efforts have been for nothing?

Jian Xingyi relentlessly pounded the mud and rock surrounding the Fire Spirit Divine Flower with his shovel.

“Crack…”

The platform was on the verge of collapse. The overwhelming lava had pushed Jian Xingyi’s umbrella to its limit, and now it began to crack.

A drop of lava seeped through the umbrella’s cracks, landing on Jian Xingyi’s shoulder. The pain made him wince.

Shuixi advanced step by step toward the platform, sweeping aside charging followers as she went, bellowing once more, “Get down!”

This time, Jian Xingyi detected a faint edge of irritation in Shuixi’s usually unruffled tone.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath, his resolve steeled to claim that flower.

If it were too far out of reach, he might have given up. But now, it was within his grasp! No one could back down at the final moment.

As the platform collapsed with a thunderous crash, Jian Xingyi snatched the flower. Clutching it to his chest, he frantically swept away the lava with his umbrella, his body falling uncontrollably.

Below the platform, a crowd of devotees awaited Jian Xingyi, their hands reaching out as if possessed. “Traitor! Traitor! You’ve angered the Fire God! You… deserve the harshest punishment this world can offer!!”

The devotees seemed poised to tear him apart.

Jian Xingyi closed his eyes, slipped the flower into his backpack amid the chaos, drew his pistol, and braced for the fall and a final battle with the believers below.

At that very moment, Shuixi pulled out the finest rifle from his backpack and unleashed a hail of bullets upon the believers beneath Jian Xingyi.

BOOM!

The rifle’s power and force made Jian Xingyi wonder if Shuixi had pulled out fireworks. Regardless, Shuixi hit every single target, instantly eliminating the followers beneath Jian Xingyi.

The followers piled up into a mountain of corpses. Jian Xingyi landed on top of the mountain, using the flesh as a cushion. After tumbling awkwardly a few times, he landed safely.

The entire sequence… took just five seconds.

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at Shuixi, who had slaughtered the followers in five seconds, his eyes filled with admiration.

Shuixi swept aside the followers charging up behind him again and said, “Let’s go.”

Jian Xingyi snapped back to his senses, braced against the cave wall, and scrambled out through a random opening. Any followers attempting to pursue him were also remotely eliminated by Shuixi.

Jian Xingyi made it to the next cave unscathed, collapsing onto the ground, exhausted.

“Pant… pant…”

Jian Xingyi applied medicine to his shoulder, trying to steady his racing heart.

The cave was dark and quiet, with no one else around. It seemed safe.

Jian Xingyi noticed a figure lying in the center of the cave.

The Priest…?

The Priest lay curled up in a straw mat, barely breathing. His skin had turned purple, his eyes clouded and unfocused.

As Jian Xingyi approached, the Priest trembled and whispered, “No… don’t drink…”

Jian Xingyi paused. “I’m not a believer, but who are you?”

Jian Xingyi noticed the priest’s skin beneath the fabric had become semi-transparent—apparently impossible to kill.

“I… I…” A tear fell from the priest’s eye. “Child, give me a Fire Spirit Flower, and I’ll tell you a story.”

Jian Xingyi frowned in confusion. What?

The priest continued, “Before I die, I wish to glimpse the Fire God’s soul one last time—even if it’s just one ten-thousandth… I know this is asking a lot, and you might not have it… But I don’t want to die in this gloom. I want… fire, light, and the Fire God to mourn and bury me…”

The priest murmured to himself, likely harboring no real hope, merely pouring out his sorrow.

But he never expected that in the next moment, Jian Xingyi would pull two Fire Spirit Divine Flowers from his backpack.

Priest: “?”

After taking out the Fire Spirit Divine Flowers, Jian Xingyi discovered with delight… both flowers had bloomed!

Jian Xingyi happily extracted the crystals.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x25】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x27】

Jian Xingyi was so overjoyed he nearly fainted.

The flowers he’d risked his life to protect hadn’t disappointed him—he now had a total of 92 points!

After extracting the essence, Jian Xingyi handed the flowers to the priest, eager to hear his story and see if he could help complete any quests.

The priest clutched the flowers tenderly, his face radiant with happiness. “Thank you…”

“The faith of the Fire God wasn’t always like this… I was the first priest. The original teachings instructed everyone to burn demons with fire. Back then, there were no guns or bullets. Killing zombies with spears was so dangerous. Lava became the best weapon for the people of the Molten Volcano, and the Fire God became the pillar of their survival. But for some reason, during the transmission of these teachings, it evolved into everyone having to drink the nectar of the gods…”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, It was probably because the power of faith was too strong, leading to such an extreme transformation.

“Later, the people of Lava Volcano gathered in this cave and all drank the nectar together, turning into vengeful spirits… As a fellow child of the Fire God, I had no choice but to use my powers to guide them to the afterlife. Otherwise, the resentment of these vengeful spirits would prevent the Lava Volcano from ever growing good trees or food again, for generations to come.”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, no wonder there were so few plants on the surface outside, and even those were half-withered. Moreover, he couldn’t obtain any essence points from them.

The essence values he had obtained so far all came from earlier timelines, and the Fire Spirit Divine Flower was protected by the Fire God.

To guide these superstitious, vengeful spirits to the afterlife, the priest had merged with them, intending to trick them into drinking the magma once more, so they could be completely obliterated.

Jian Xingyi listened, stunned.

So that’s how it was…

This dungeon holds the story of the Lava Volcano map!

Just like the Heroes’ Tomb on Peace Mountain before, Peace Mountain itself was a mountain of worship. The Lava Volcano was a place built by faith, yet ultimately destroyed by it.

After Jian Xingyi finished listening, the priest smiled. “Child, thank you for hearing my story, allowing the truth to endure and be passed down. And thank you for bringing me the Fire Spirit Divine Flower, granting me the death I deserve. In return, I’ll give you a small gift. Bow your head.”

Jian Xingyi lowered his head warily as the priest placed his hand atop Jian Xingyi’s head.

“This is my blessing as a Fire God priest. By the Fire God above, divine grace bestowed—hereafter, you shall gather the Fire Spirit Divine Flower without curse. You shall touch lava unharmed, for you are one recognized by the Fire God priest.”

Jian Xingyi froze. What?

Meaning no more curses when gathering the Fire Spirit Divine Flower? No side effects for ground-based quests either?

And what about touching lava without harm? Could he actually swim in it?

Jian Xingyi wanted to ask more, but the priest vanished into thin air after speaking. The two Fire Spirit Flowers lost their luster, lying quietly on the ground.

【Congratulations to player 【Xinghe】 for unlocking the Lava Volcano instance quest—【Nectar of the Gods】 special achievement 【Priest’s Blessing】! Rewards will be settled in full upon instance completion!】

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

Awesome… awesome!

After waiting a while, Shuixi returned, having dealt with the pursuing cultists outside.

Shuixi glanced at the Fire Spirit Divine Flowers. Jian Xingyi instinctively explained what had just happened.

Shuixi paused.

A special ending… Who would’ve thought that Jian Xingyi wasn’t just unique in skills and approach, but even unlocked achievements during quests that neither of them had ever unlocked before? After all, their goal was simply to clear obstacles, kill the boss, and finish the dungeon.

Shuixi thought to himself, Looks like he can notify Firelight to have Jian Xingyi update the strategy panel when they return.

But even if updated, it would merely inform everyone of this achievement. These flowers and caves spawned randomly—few could discover the Fire Spirit Divine Flowers tucked away in such obscure corners as Jian Xingyi did.

But…

Shuixi frowned. “Even so, that was far too risky.”

“Huh?” Jian Xingyi blinked.

Shuixi said, “You should only consider other things once you’ve ensured your own safety.”

If he hadn’t been following Jian Xingyi today, and someone else had taken his place, Shuixi couldn’t guarantee Jian Xingyi would emerge unscathed. This was a high-difficulty A-rank instance, after all.

But he wouldn’t be following Jian Xingyi forever, and Jian Xingyi clearly seemed a bit clueless about combat and danger.

Being an NPC, Jian Xingyi found the courage to counter, “But if I don’t take a chance, in this situation where everyone’s struggling to survive, a low-powered player like me would have a hard time staying alive too. So I need to find some advantage for myself, and the proof is that this advantage is worth it! Everything I’m getting here will be incredibly useful once I get out!”

Shuixi: “Then you need to make sure you’re still alive when you get out.”

Jian Xingyi changed the subject, murmuring anxiously to herself, “I wonder if that group will still be here when I get out…”

They probably wouldn’t have been waiting outside for that long, right?

Shuixi’s frown deepened.

Those people wouldn’t listen to reason—they were only focused on proving themselves to their goddess. That’s why he’d already beaten them off. But Jian Xingyi…

Shuixi said, “If they corner you, you can post a public plea for help and argue your case. See if they dare defy the truth the entire channel believes in.”

Jian Xingyi shook his head. “Even if I argue, no one will listen.”

“How can they hear if you don’t speak up? You must fight for yourself in everything. If someone wrongs you by an inch, you must push back three inches. People always pick on the weak. In the apocalypse, there’s no fairness or justice—only survival of the fittest.”

Jian Xingyi murmured, “But aren’t the people on Grapevine Peak striving to defend fairness and justice?”

Shuixi’s lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

“Then do you know why they can defend so-called fairness and justice? If Grapevine Peak lacked sufficient strength and had a weak character, would there even be justice to speak of? Justice is built on others taking you seriously—it’s built on authority.”

Jian Xingyi drifted into thought.

Truthfully, Jian Xingyi understood the logic. Yet sometimes he lacked that final push. Perhaps he really needed to…

Heiye had teased him before—did he truly believe the Grapevine Peak people were genuinely kind?

“Oh, right,” Shuixi reminded him. “The priest’s blessing—do you want to test it?”

Jian Xingyi thought, Oh yeah! If it’s real, wouldn’t this be like a super cheat code for the entire map?!

Jian Xingyi cautiously touched the lava on the mountain wall with his fingertip.

Nothing happened…!

Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at Shuixi.

“Wow, did you see that?!”

Shuixi nodded.

Indeed… miraculous.

Jian Xingyi exclaimed happily, “So if I encounter any more flowers, picking them won’t bring divine retribution! Thank you, Priest!”

Shuixi thought to himself, Actually, it’s more than that. Jian Xingyi probably hasn’t explored the outer map yet. The outer areas are also filled with lava everywhere. If Jian Xingyi gains some resistance to lava, it would be like the Fire God’s followers gaining another powerful weapon.

Jian Xingyi placed his hand on the lava for a while, feeling it grow increasingly scorching and painful. He quickly withdrew it, realizing there were still limitations.

But it was already more than enough.

The two then embarked on an endless journey of exploration.

As Shuixi had said, before becoming infected, the priests roamed as ethereal spirits, making them extremely difficult to kill. After infection, though they gained physical form, they rarely appeared.

It was like pulling gacha cards—you kept pulling and pulling, but the rare drops just wouldn’t come.

They charged through one cave after another, only to encounter groups of other believers also searching for the priest.

Each time, they persistently urged Jian Xingyi to drink more magma, only to be smoothly rebuffed by Shuixi.

Shuixi moved with practiced ease, as if he’d done this ten thousand times. Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder he was an NPC, his actions were so systematic!

Finally, the two reached a cave when the system announcement sounded.

【Congratulations, Player 【Xinghe】, you have reached the end of the instance… one of them! If you successfully defeat the 【Infected Priest】!】

【At this moment, time has returned to the present. Pollution levels have peaked. The infected priest, the remaining untranscended followers, the cave filled with vengeful spirits… In this instant, everything has been corrupted!】

Since Shuixi had already cleared the instance, the system did not include him in this event.

As the system announcement concluded, the two witnessed the cavern before them… transform into a veritable hell on earth.

The infected priest, seemingly captured by the believers, was now imprisoned in a crate atop a high platform. Distorted screams echoed from within, mingled with the shrill scraping of fingernails against metal. Below the platform lay a dense swarm of zombies.

The followers who had earlier chased them, demanding they drink more lava, had all mutated.

Even after drinking the lava, they had now transformed into demons.

If they failed to kill the priest here, the cave’s contamination level would only rise over time, making it increasingly difficult.

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard, glancing at Shuixi beside him to confirm he was still there.

For some reason, despite being an NPC, he had developed a deep sense of trust—even dependence—towards him along the way.

Could it be that being an NPC, not flesh and blood, meant he felt no fear of death? Shuixi’s demeanor suggested nothing in this game could threaten him.

No weaknesses, no fear—thus, unbreakable.

“BOOM—”

“BOOM————”

Earth shook, mountains trembled.

Jian Xingyi’s eardrums throbbed, and only then did he belatedly realize that the sound he’d heard upon entering this instance… had originated from here.

The zombies before him were like sardines crammed into a can—crowded together, shuffling aimlessly, and bellowing without purpose.

Chaos reigned!

But soon, they found their target.

As Jian Xingyi watched the vast sea of corpses surge toward him, his legs grew weak.

Shuixi repeated his command, “Get behind me.”

Shuixi once again pulled out his rifle, whose firepower rivaled firecrackers, shouldered it, and unleashed a barrage of bullets.

He swept the gun with one hand while wielding a long spear with the other to fend off the approaching zombies, forcibly carving a bloody path to the elevated platform for both of them.

Jian Xingyi clung tightly behind Shuixi, gripping his B-grade pistol to deliver finishing blows—a role that proved not merely cosmetic but crucial.

Jian Xingyi and Shuixi pressed close together. In this extreme situation, Jian Xingyi’s initial panic gave way to reckless abandon. His shots grew sharper, his kills faster.

After all, Shuixi was there.

They fought their way to the base of the platform. Shuixi positioned himself at the only staircase entrance and told Jian Xingyi, “Player kills must be completed personally. You go up and take out the priest. I’ll hold them off here.”

Jian Xingyi watched the relentless wave of zombies surging toward the platform. Indeed, without someone holding the line here, these undead would soon tear the platform apart.

Destroying it to make the priest fall and kill him in the melee wasn’t impossible, but it greatly increased the risk of him escaping in the chaos.

Jian Xingyi pressed his lips together.

Was he to go up alone?

But now, he could neither retreat nor shirk the responsibility.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and stepped up, one foot at a time.

He’d survived the sea of corpses—what was there to fear about a single one?!

Reaching the platform, Jian Xingyi fixed his gaze on the metal box.

His task was simple: use the gun to break the chains and kill the priest the instant he burst out.

The platform was cramped. If he missed his shot, a slip could send him tumbling under the priest’s claws—bitten to death or worse.

This was a shot that would decide his fate.

Jian Xingyi asked, “Shuixi… if it wasn’t me doing the killing, but you—what then?”

Another option was to have Shuixi charge up, kill the priest before the zombies caught up, and have the platform collapse. He believed Shuixi had the ability to pull it off.

Shuixi knew what Jian Xingyi was asking. “The instance would still clear, but you wouldn’t receive the instance rewards. Think it through yourself.”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Jian Xingyi hesitated.

“Xinghe.” Shuixi, facing away from Jian Xingyi, fought back the sea of corpses as he said, “Trust me. Nothing will happen.”

He would handle any outcome.

Jian Xingyi: “Got it!”

Jian Xingyi raised his rifle.

Shuixi observed Jian Xingyi from the corner of his eye. “Raise it higher.”

“Move it to the left.”

“When I say fire, pull the trigger. Take a deep breath.”

Jian Xingyi didn’t want fear to affect his performance, so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Fire. Exhale.”

Bang! The chains snapped open. The priest screamed, lunging toward Jian Xingyi. Only three steps separated them, yet the priest’s power as a boss was worlds apart from Jian Xingyi’s.

“Raise your hand. Fire.”

Bang!

When Jian Xingyi opened his eyes, the priest lay motionless before him, his head blown apart.

Another breath, and the scene before him shifted.

When Jian Xingyi regained consciousness and his vision, he found himself standing in a blank void.

Was this… the mission reward page?

【Congratulations to Player 【Xinghe】 for successfully clearing the Lava Volcano instance mission—【Nectar of the Gods】! Rewards are being processed.】

It really was the reward page!

【Player 【Xinghe】 selected 500 Essence Points as the dungeon completion reward. Dungeon cleared. Player 【Xinghe】 obtained 500 Essence Points!】

Jian Xingyi felt light as a feather.

His total Essence Points now stood at 592. It was truly the first time in his life he’d earned so much in a single go!

Woo-hoo! Praise the Fire God! Rounding up, he was practically the Fire God’s chosen one!

【Detected: Player obtained two special Fire Spirit Flower Crystals. Completing the Lava Volcano storyline and uncovering the true tale of the Ancestral Priest grants an additional reward selection opportunity!】

“…??” Jian Xingyi froze. Was there such a thing as free lunch?

Was this the reward for “clearing the priest’s name”?

Woohoo, all that risking his life for Fire Spirit Flowers in the dungeon wasn’t for nothing!

【Option 1: 500,000 Dawn Coins; Option 2: 50 Combat Power Points; Option 3: 500 Essence Points.】

【Player has selected Option 3: 500 Essence Points. Remaining options: 1. 500,000 dawn coin; 2. 50 Combat Power Points. Please make your choice!】

Jian Xingyi: Holy crap.

Folks, this is insane! The system has shown mercy!!

Jian Xingyi began agonizing. Sacrificing the crucial Essence was tough—he needed both Dawn Coins and Combat Power. How should he decide?

After pondering, he realized his current goal was to earn 1.6 million Dawn Coins. Logically, he should choose the Dawn Coins. But then again, 1.6 million was within his reach, and so was 500,000.

But combat power wasn’t something he could earn right now. Combat power didn’t increase by casually killing a zombie; it required focused grinding to be effective, specifically grinding special and higher-level zombies or bosses.

The big shots could grind combat power in the wild, but he’d risk his life the moment he stepped into a dangerous area.

Jian Xingyi paused.

“I choose combat power.”

【Player 【Xinghe】 selected 500 Essence and 50 Combat Power as dungeon clear rewards. Dungeon cleared! Player 【Xinghe】 obtained 500 Essence and 50 Combat Power!】

Jian Xingyi sighed. 6 plus 50 equaled 56—still far from being able to fight effectively, but at least it was a start.

Jian Xingyi didn’t aspire to become a top-tier player—just surviving in the wild was enough! Now at 56 points, he was barely halfway to the most basic threshold—100!

But the system rewards weren’t over yet.

【Detected player unlocking special achievement 【Blessing of the Priest】. Special reward granted!】

【Special Reward—【Priest’s Blessing】: You may make a wish before the Fire God Priest.】

Jian Xingyi paused.

This instance was weird, and the reward was weird too.

But…

It was too tempting!!