Chapter 19: What A Weird Guy, But Also A Little Cute

This was the second time Xia Xue had witnessed such an implausible scene unfold - even the vaunted final boss dispatched in mere instants.

She could only gape numbly, wondering if the Goblin King was perhaps Lin Moyu's own filial son, graciously bestowing experience out of paternal largesse.

Noticing the telltale leveling aura around her companion, Xia Xue exclaimed, "You leveled up again? Already 15?"

Lin Moyu gave a simple nod of confirmation - level 15 indeed.

Xia Xue's expression soured as she checked her own progress, barely 30% into level 13. This run had only widened the yawning gap between them further.

The sense of dismayed resignation was inescapable. "I really can't catch up..."

[Kill the King of Goblins, experience +25000]

[Obtain a bronze-level weapon, the Goblin King's Longsword]

[Obtain a low-level monster crystal nucleus]

Seeing the loot prompts, Xia Xue sighed wistfully, "It's a pity it didn't drop his staff."

"You wanted the staff?" Lin Moyu asked.

"Yeah, the Goblin King's Staff is considered the best mage weapon available before level 20," she confirmed. "I could buy one from the exchange, but I'd have to ask Father for funds...I'd rather not go begging for money if possible."

Without warning, a dark shadow flew through the air towards her. Instinctively, Xia Xue's hands snapped up to catch the mysterious projectile.

[Goblin King's Staff]

It...it was the very item she had just admired! Xia Xue froze in stunned surprise for several long moments before finally managing to stammer, "Th-thank you..."

Confusion quickly replaced her gratitude as suspicion set in. "But why didn't you want to use it yourself?"

Lin Moyu simply retrieved the Goblin King's Spellbook from his inventory. "I'm using this instead."

While both tomes and staves constituted prime mage weaponry, conventional wisdom heavily favored equipping staves. Besides their embellished grandeur, staves offered physical blocking utilities and simple melee bashing that spellbooks lacked.

By all accounts, staves were considered far more practical all-round choices. Xia Xue couldn't fathom his rationale. "But the staff is way more versatile than just a book..."

Lin Moyu simply shook his head dismissively. "I don't like staves, that's all."

...

His curt reason struck Xia Xue utterly speechless, bereft of any counterarguments. If that was his sole basis for preference, however arbitrary, then so be it.

Come to think of it, she hadn't actually witnessed Lin Moyu wielding the spellbook offensively at all throughout their delve so far. Perhaps its bonus effects were too negligible for his playstyle to even bother?

As Xia Xue pondered his inscrutable motivations, Lin Moyu was taking stock of his newly-updated status screen:

[Name: Lin Moyu]

[Class: Necromancer (Unique)]

[Level: 15 (8.00%)]

[Strength: 200]

[Agility: 200]

[Spirit: 800 (+20)]

[Constitution: 200 (+20)]

[Equipment: Goblin King's Spellbook, Robe of Knowledge]

[Summon Capacity: 84/150, Skeleton Warriors (Qty: 84)]

[Talent: Comprehensive Amplification (Lvl 2, Unique)]

[Passive Skill: Damage Transfer]

[Active Skills: Soul Flame (Lvl 15), Summon Skeleton Warrior (Lvl 15), Corpse Burst (Lvl 1)]

[Comprehensive Amplification (Lvl 2): Effects of all skills amplified 20-fold]

[Damage Transfer: All damage taken is shunted onto summoned minions instead]

[Soul Flame (Lvl 15): Burn enemy's soul, inflicting soulfire damage based on caster's Spirit and skill level]

[Summon Skeleton Warrior (Lvl 15): Summon a Bronze-rank Skeleton Warrior]

[Corpse Burst (Lvl 1): Detonate a corpse, dealing 10% max HP burst damage to enemies within 1m radius]

Finally reaching level 15 bolstered Lin Moyu's confidence in gaining Xiajing Academy admission significantly. Hitting the safer level 16 benchmark would be ideal, but 15 should still suffice if he fell short.

Leveling speed slowed again after this milestone, however. Originally he had predicted reaching 12% into level 15, but the actual result was a more modest 8% gain.

Having Xia Xue along as a party member did diminish her split experience share somewhat. But the sluggish pace was still disappointing, despite the synergistic two-person combo.

Lin Moyu calculated their prospects mentally. Xia Xue's Cooldown Talisman would allow them three consecutive dungeon runs without delay. At his blitzing speed, those three clears would likely take only half an hour total.

Then there would be two natural cooldown periods before the talisman refreshed. Enough time to potentially squeeze in two more runs, as long as Xia Xue accompanied him both times - he could not activate the talisman's resets solo.

"Five more two-person clears should be ample to hit level 16," he concluded out loud.

Regarding the fallen Goblin King almost pityingly, Lin Moyu added in a light tone, "Sorry, but I may have to kill you five more times yet."

Xia Xue looked on bemusedly as he seemed to sincerely apologize to the boss corpse. "Why are you talking to it? The boss monster can't possibly understand..."

Lin Moyu's reply was pensive. "It doesn't matter whether it comprehends or not."

His cryptic non-answer only compounded Xia Xue's bemused confusion. "Then why even bother saying anything?"

Lin Moyu didn't deign to explain further. But for some reason, the earnest image of him gravely apologizing to their slain adversary struck Xia Xue as unexpectedly...endearing? Adorable, even?

Just who sincerely said 'sorry' to videogame bosses with such seriousness? Dungeons existed purely to grind experience, the monsters merely disposable skeletons in one's experience closet. While top-tier raid bosses commanded begrudging respect after suffering countless player wipes, even they were essentially just grand loot pinatas awaiting their weekly resets.

There was no need for civilities or remorse, by anyone's typical gamer mentality. Yet here Lin Moyu had behaved so courteously towards their fallen foe, something remarkably unusual.

"What an utter weirdo...but kinda cute about it too," Xia Xue couldn't stifle a sudden giggle at the incongruous thought.

Lin Moyu shot her a perplexed look at the non-sequitur outburst. "Let's just head out and keep going."

"Oh? Uh, sure, let's continue then!" Xia Xue agreed hastily, still grinning over her odd flight of whimsy as they prepared to depart the ravaged mine depths.

As Xia Xue left the instance, she immediately used the Primary Cooling Talisman. Only ten seconds later, she and Lin Moyu entered the nightmare-level Xihai Mine instance again. Coming in for the second time, Xia Xue seemed like a different person. While running with Lin Moyu, she was in a state of excitement, her face beaming with enthusiasm, which made Lin Moyu feel a little perplexed.

Why was she so excited? Wasn't it just a matter of pulling a wave of monsters and defeating them? It was merely a primary dungeon, nothing too challenging.

His strange gaze was noticed by Xia Xue, and the young lady's temper flared up. "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a beautiful woman before?" Lin Moyu had known Xia Xue for several years and had to admit that she was indeed beautiful.

Comparing Xia Xue and Ning Yiyi, both had their own merits, and it was difficult to distinguish between them – one petite and cute, the other tall and arrogant, each special in her own way.

However, Lin Moyu didn't harbor any romantic feelings. Ning Yiyi was his friend, and Xia Xue was his classmate.

Ten minutes later, the mighty nightmare boss, the Goblin King, fell before Lin Moyu once again, its unwilling gaze and agonized demise etched in his memory.

Lin Moyu said softly, "Four more times." The two brushed the dungeon four consecutive times, taking less than an hour in total.

Xia Xue had depleted the number of uses for the talisman, which became dimmed and indistinguishable from ordinary stones, except for the faint runes visible upon close inspection. Xia Xue put away the cooling talisman, "The talisman needs to be recharged."

Cooling Talismans were not disposable items; after the number of uses was exhausted, they required recharging, a complicated process that necessitated an advanced alchemist, though Xia Xue didn't know the exact level of expertise required.

After brushing four dungeons in a row, Xia Xue's level had reached 14, with 20% experience remaining.

One or two more runs would undoubtedly allow her to reach level 15. Lin Moyu, on the other hand, was already at level 15, with 85% experience accumulated.

After reaching level 15, if the two continued to brush dungeons together, their experience gain would only be 26%, significantly slower than before.

With one and a half days remaining before the big exam, they had enough time for two more dungeon runs.

Xia Xue looked excited, "Being able to reach level 15 before the big exam means I'll make it to Xia Jing Academy for sure."

"Lin, you're about to level up too, right?" Lin Moyu nodded, "Soon."

For now, Xia Xue had no intention of comparing herself to Lin Moyu. "At that time, you'll be at level 16, and I'll be at level 15. This year, the two of us from Xihai City will be admitted to Xia Jing Academy. I think Principal Lu will wake up laughing from his dreams."

It was a great honor for any high school principal to have a student admitted to Xia Jing Academy, as everyone knew how difficult the entrance requirements were.

Only the most exceptional talents could be admitted to Xia Jing Academy, which recruited only 1,000 students annually from the entire Shenxia Empire. Moreover, many of those spots were occupied by students from major cities and influential families, making it challenging for those from smaller cities to compete with such talents.

Last year, when Lin Mohan was admitted to Xia Jing Academy, Lu Yun celebrated for several days. A few years ago, Su Qianxing's entrance into Xia Jing Academy and the reputation of being a genius were still talked about by Lu Yun. In short, gaining admission to Xia Jing Academy was a supreme honor.

The two found a place to sit on the ground while waiting for the cooldown time of the copy to end, as the cooling amulet was depleted.

Xia Xue said, "Lin, do you want to try to win the number one prize?" Lin Moyu turned his head and looked at her, "The provincial championship?" "Yes," Xia Xue said.

"If you can become the provincial champion, you can earn a lot of points. In Xia Jing Academy, points are very useful."

"Most importantly, you'll have the opportunity to join the School of Creative Theology."

Lin Moyu recalled what Ning Yiyi had said about points being more valuable than gold coins at Xia Jing Academy.

She had also mentioned the Creation Seminary. "Do you know about the Creation Seminary?" Lin Moyu hoped to gather more information about the Creation Theological Academy from Xia Xue, as Ning Yiyi had only briefly mentioned it, saying he would naturally learn more upon arriving at Xia Jing Academy.

Xia Xue, with her legs curled, said, "I don't know the details; I've only heard my dad mention it."

"The Creation Seminary should be the most powerful academy in our Shenxia Empire." "Xia Jing Academy recruits all the elite talents, while those in the Creation Theological Academy are the top figures among them."

"Dad said it was difficult to get into the Creation Seminary and that I probably wouldn't have a chance."

"But I think you have a chance; you should try for it." "I heard that senior Su Qianxing has been admitted to the Creation Seminary before, and he's the only one from our Xihai City."

Xia Xue looked at Lin Moyu with shining eyes, truly believing he had a chance. Lin Moyu's unprecedented way of handling the nightmare dungeon had completely refreshed her perception; she could no longer compare Lin Moyu's potential to what she had learned.

"If there's a chance, I'll try it," Lin Moyu said softly. He had to go to Xia Jing Academy, where his sister Lin Mohan was.

If an opportunity arose, he would attempt to join the Creation Theological Seminary. Xia Xue's eyes lit up suddenly as she pointed towards the dungeon entrance, "Isn't that Gao Yang?" Indeed, it was Gao Yang, standing at the gate as if searching for a team. Xia Xue cast a detection technique, giggling, "I can't believe this stupid guy is already level 11.

It's a pity he's a knight, so it's hard for him to find a team." Brushing a copy required a knight, and a certain level was necessary.

A level 11 knight couldn't handle the monsters in the dungeon; even for an ordinary copy, at least a level 13 knight was required.

Sure enough, Gao Yang searched around but couldn't find a team, his face full of disappointment. Lin Moyu said, "Take him with us." Xia Xue giggled, "I'm fine."