Chapter 236-1: Duel of the White Gloves, The Mask of Diabolos (1)

“So, let’s make this quick.”

The short boy, still with a hint of youthful innocence on his face, looked serious as he spoke in a solemn tone.

He didn’t give the impression of an arrogant child prodigy who looked down on everyone. Rather, he was simply stating a fact, he intended to claim command of the Thunder Tribulation Squad as soon as possible.

Whether it was Lin Xun, Wang Zong, or Lu Caiyi, they were just minor obstacles in his path.

Once he stepped over these obstructing stones, he could reach the finish line without hindrance.

The female colleagues began whispering among themselves…

“This little brother is quite proud.”

“Of course. If I’d graduated from Yun Capital University at sixteen, I’d be even prouder. Unfortunately, at sixteen, I was still reading romance novels…”

“A sixteen-year-old special Apostle from headquarters, and a prodigy at that, Xiaoqi lost in just one move. Could Lin Xun really lose too?”

“No big deal. Just judging by looks alone, Lin Xun definitely wins. Even if Lin Xun can’t beat Lu Yiming, I’m still on his side.”

“Take your creepy preferences elsewhere!”

“Hey, don’t say that. Lin Xun is our Intelligence Division’s ace. Even against a special Apostle from headquarters, he might not lose.”

All the women’s eyes turned to Lin Xun.

Lin Xun frowned slightly.

This kid really didn’t know how to appreciate kindness, he’d just helped him out a moment ago.

Yet Lu Yiming immediately turned around and challenged him to a duel.

Lin Xun didn’t know exactly what level Yun Capital’s special Apostles were at, but since Ye Xiaoqi hadn’t lasted even a single move, he was probably no pushover.

Still, Lin Xun neither overestimated himself nor underestimated the opponent. Although he was much stronger than ordinary Apostles, and counted among the top combatants in Wen City, he understood perfectly well that there was always someone stronger.

But whether he could win or not was one thing, whether he dared to fight was another.

Now that the boy had named him outright, how could he disappoint a guest who had come all this way?

Lin Xun didn’t refuse but instead asked, “So you and Ye Xiaoqi made a bet just now?”

“That’s right. Just a little warm-up match.”

“If you want me to fight, that’s fine, but the stakes can’t be low.”

Lin Xun raised two fingers.

“Two thousand Spirit Essence? No problem.” Lu Yiming didn’t even blink.

‘No.’

“Oh? Twenty thousand Spirit Essence, then. Looks like you’re a bit more generous than Ye Xiaoqi.” Lu Yiming looked slightly interested.

Lin Xun sighed. “I said two hundred thousand Spirit Essence. One price. Take it or leave it.”

At these words, the second floor of the Intelligence Division erupted in an uproar.

An Apostle who fully cleared a third-difficulty chapter usually only earned around twenty thousand Spirit Essence.

Most Apostles in the Intelligence Division hovered around third-difficulty chapters. Because of frequent setbacks, any Spirit Essence they earned mostly went into strengthening themselves, and it took ages to save up twenty thousand.

Only upon reaching fourth-difficulty chapters did the rewards from a full clear reach one hundred thousand.

But with higher difficulty, the prices of enhancement items also soared. As a result, Apostles lived paycheck to paycheck, their savings nearly nonexistent.

For Lin Xun to so casually name two hundred thousand Spirit Essence was nothing short of astronomical.

Some even suspected he was deliberately raising the bet so high because he was afraid of losing to Lu Yiming and wanted to force the boy to back down.

The boy adjusted his glasses, a faint smile in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

Clearly, he also thought Lin Xun was just bluffing.

Lin Xun couldn’t be bothered to waste words. A hazy white glow appeared in his hand.

[Large Chunk Spirit Essence of Sanctity (Item): A large chunk of sacred, pure Spirit Essence remaining on a Shell. Using it grants 200,000 Spirit Essence.]

“Wow! So much money!”

“Don’t call him rich, call him husband!”

“You’re all so shallow. I’m different. I’d call him daddy.”

Many colleagues had never seen so much Spirit Essence in one place and immediately started teasing him.

Lu Yiming studied the chunk of Spirit Essence worth two hundred thousand, then smiled faintly. “It seems I underestimated you. I didn’t expect you were also a fifth-difficulty Apostle.”

“This little Wen City really hides dragons among the weeds.”

“With such an opponent, a simple duel in the game’s Arena feels childish.”

As he spoke, a white glove materialized in his hand.

[Advanced Duel Glove (Special Item): A pure white glove. Throwing it at the enemy’s feet signifies the start of a duel.]

[When used, you can pull the target into a private duel Arena. The loser will not die but is guaranteed to drop one piece of equipment.]

[This item only works on Apostles.]

“If we’re going to gamble big, then two hundred thousand Spirit Essence isn’t enough. Let’s add an item drop, much more thrilling.”

This glove was a premium reward exchanged from Arena victories.

An ordinary Duel Glove only forced the loser to drop a random item. But this high-grade glove guaranteed the drop of an equipped item.

Lu Yiming looked at Lin Xun. Seeing no objection, he flicked the glove.

The pure white color spread outward from Lin Xun’s feet, instantly enveloping them both in a vast white space.

Inside the white duel space, only the two of them remained. No outsider could set foot within.

Unless someone used brute force to shatter the space, not even spectators could watch the fight.

Lu Yiming focused his mind and possessed his Shell.

[You have possessed the Shell of the Forgotten Blade Ranger!]

A demonic mask appeared on his face. A deep blue cloak wrapped around his body, concealing the rune-marked claws brimming with menace.

In the blink of an eye, the sixteen-year-old boy had transformed into a short, sinister figure exuding a cold aura.

And across from him, the so-called fifth-difficulty Apostle Lin Xun also manifested his Shell.

It was a tall, thin silhouette. A pitch-black cloak draped over the figure, the cowl pulled low to conceal the face from view.

However, from the two staves in his hands, one long, one short, it was easy to tell he was a fragile glass-cannon mage.

One of the wooden staves was only as long as a forearm, its grain mottled and aged. At the tip, a pure white crystal gleamed brilliantly, within which countless tiny runic characters surged like a restless tide.

Thanks to the special heightened sensitivity of Lu Yiming’s Shell, he could clearly sense the subtle fluctuations emanating from the short staff.

With his rich experience, he immediately recognized it as some kind of ‘Spell Penetration’ effect.

As the name suggested, ’Spell Penetration’ allowed the wielder to ignore part of the target’s magic resistance, dealing massive spell damage, a rare and powerful weapon attribute.

Judging by its quality, it was at least Epic-grade, an invaluable mage’s tool.

The other staff was no less impressive. It was extremely long, even longer than the mage’s Shell itself. A massive dragon coiled around its shaft, radiating golden brilliance, and its sharp horns formed a spear tip.

This weapon wasn’t just a staff, it was also a spear!

A rare dual-purpose weapon, perfect for Shells trained in both magic and melee combat!

Lu Yiming was taken aback. For an ordinary mage, acquiring a single high-quality staff was already remarkable, yet this Apostle actually had two.

Was this guy some kind of pay-to-win whale?

If either of these weapons dropped, whether auctioned or handed over to the organization, the profit would exceed two hundred thousand Spirit Essence!

A mage Shell facing his high-grade assassin Shell was basically out of luck.

Unless the mage was an Apostle from an even higher difficulty, Lu Yiming was confident he could take him down.