The sewerâs corridors were like a sprawling ant nestâtwisting, branching, endless.
Lin Xun spent nearly an entire day exploring the maze, and finally reached the path to the next floor.
[Ahead of you lies the entrance to the lowest level of the sewer. The steps leading down are covered in pitch-black, foul-smelling slime.]
[You can faintly hear something huge writhing beneath the staircase.]
[Would you like to enter the âLowest Level of the Saint Rance Sewersâ?]
Was this an elite mob or a boss?
Lin Xun didnât rush in. Instead, he returned to the Resting Page.
After resting, all the sewerâs mobs respawned.
Following the routes heâd mapped on his computer, Lin Xun farmed them all again, turning each one into pure EXP. After two full rounds of clearing mobs, his Yellow-Robed Bishop Shell finally leveled up.
[Power surges within the Shell. âCorrupted Yellow-Robed Bishopâ Shell has leveled up. Current Shell Level: 14]
[You are now stronger!]
With this level and his gear, Lin Xun felt confident that unless it was another Sea Dragon-tier boss, he could put up a fight.
After all, his epic-tier weapon provided a massive power boost to the Shell.
Returning to the sewerâs lowest floor, he clicked Enter.
[You descend the staircase and enter the âLowest Level of the Saint Rance Sewers.â]
[This floor seems to be a vast, open space. The glow from your âThunder Dragon Staff-Spearâ only illuminates your immediate surroundings.]
[A massive creature hidden in the darkness senses your presence. You hear a rustling, slithering sound as it begins to close inâŠ]
This must be the floor boss. Probably has a fat loot table, too.
Lin Xun rubbed his hands together as the options popped up.
[What will you do?]
[1. Pull out a âFoul Dungstoneâ and eat it, loudly praising its flavor. Maybe the creature will think youâre one of its own.]
[2. Raise your staff-spear and fire off a âCorrupt Sunlightâ in the darkness, shouting âBurn, you filthy beast!â]
[3. Toss your staff-spear, yell âOver here!â and try to use its glow as a decoy to escape.]
Lin Xun instantly dismissed options 1 and 3âhe was going in headfirst.
He was too strong now to be running. Dodging fights was for the weak.
With overwhelming power on his side, what was there to fear?
[You raise your staff-spear and begin chantingâŠ]
[The massive creature senses danger. It speeds up, rushing toward you through the darkness.]
[Only now do you see its true form: a colossal black worm, thick as several menâs arms combined, slithering across the space, its mucous-covered body filling half the room.]
[Its circular maw opens wide, revealing layers of sharp, hooked fangs. It lunges, ready to devour you wholeâŠ]
[A flash of red lightâŠ]
[You have defeated the âCorrupted Black Giant Worm.â Experience gained: Greatly increased.]
[Power surges within the Shell. âCorrupted Yellow-Robed Bishopâ Shell has leveled up. Current Shell Level: 15]
Now this was the kind of rhythm he liked!
Lin Xunâs confidence soared.
His precious mage Shell had already died once to the Bloodblossom Boss, and again to the Sea Dragon.
After those back-to-back humiliations, heâd started doubting himself.
But now, the powerful bishop finally restored his reputation.
âOne thing though⊠Why didnât the boss drop anything?â That was weird.
[Still basking in the joy of victory, the Apostle fails to realize that due to its unique biological traits, the worm retains some motor function even after death.]
[You are swallowed whole by the âCorrupted Black Giant Worm.â]
[You died!]
�??
âI swear, Iâm going to burn this cursed game to the ground!!â
Lin Xun just barely restrained the urge to smash his phone.
He took a deep breath, trying to lower his blood pressure.
There might not be any Apostles who died from running out of soul strength in this gameâbut he was sure plenty had died from sheer rage.
Thankfully, he still had his Paladin and Engineer Shells unused.
[The feeble soul respawns in the sewer tunnelâŠ]
In a fit of righteous fury, Lin Xun abandoned all thoughts of sustainability and immediately possessed the Engineer Shell.
Down here in the sunless sewers, he didnât need to worry about Blood Sun exposure. It was the perfect setting for the Engineer.
He didnât believe any monster could beat this guy now.
[The feeble soul possesses the âEngineer of the Pyramid Corporationâ Shell.]
[You now control this unfamiliar Shell. Faint memory fragments from the Engineerâs life still lingerâŠ]
[You have not yet entered the corresponding chapter. Memory fragments unavailable.]
Lin Xun curled his lip. No big dealâthe Engineerâs memories belonged to a different apocalyptic chapter and werenât relevant now.
[You focus inward. A surge of raw power rises within the Shell. You feel invincibleâunstoppable.]
The Engineerâs only downside was his gear. His nano-bio armor was still damaged and needed repairs.
Lin Xun suddenly wondered: Could the blacksmith fix high-tech equipment like this?
The thought felt absurd. The blacksmith probably couldnât even read blueprints, let alone mend artificial muscle fiber suits.
Too bad the blacksmith had already bit the dust. Once he had spare soul strength, heâd try reshaping that Shell and find out.
He pushed the thought aside and checked his inventory.
He tried equipping the Yellow-Robed Bishopâs Thunder Dragon Staff-Spear onto the Engineer.
[You have equipped the âThunder Dragon Staff-Spearâ!]
[You are now stronger!]
Not surprising. This game didnât restrict weapons by classâheâd seen thieves wielding greatswords before.
So it made sense that the Engineer could use this hybrid melee-ranged weapon too.
Feeling smug, Lin Xun unequipped all of the Bishopâs gear and outfitted the Engineer with it instead.
[You are now stronger!]
Looking at the character panel showing the Engineerâs massive Level 32, Lin Xun had just one thought.
This is delicious.
He grinned, practically feeling the rush of cheat-code levels of power.
âUp up down down left right left right B A B A?â
âOr maybe⊠whosyourdaddy?â
Time to show this cursed game whoâs boss.
He made his way back down to the sewerâs lowest levelâno enemies along the way, sadly. Heâd already cleared them all.
He wouldâve slapped even a passing dog just to blow off steam.
[You descend the stairs into the âLowest Level of the Saint Rance Sewers.â]
[The area is vast. The glow from your âThunder Dragon Staff-Spearâ lights the way ahead.]
[The Shell of the âCorrupted Black Giant Wormâ has vanished. A few items left behind by the slain creature still remain.]
[You step forward to collect the lootâŠ]