One SSS Affix per Level: My Novice Club Can Slay Gods!

[Regional Announcement: Congratulations to player "Endbringer" for achieving the world-first clear of the Lv.11 dungeon "Withered Bone Graveyard"!]

[Regional Announcement: Congratulations to player "Endbringer" for achieving the world-first clear of the Lv.12 dungeon "Rotting Swamp"!]

[Regional Announcement: Congratulations to player "Endbringer" for achieving the world-first clear of the Lv.12 dungeon "Abandoned Watchtower"!]

[Regional Announcement: Congratulations to player "Endbringer" for achieving the world-first clear of the Lv.13 dungeon "Bloodstained Mill"!]

At first, the players would stop whatever they were doing and cry out in disbelief.

When the second announcement appeared, some began to suspect that the system was malfunctioning.

Then came the third.

The fourth.

The fifth.

The players of Blackstone gradually became numb.

"Him again?"

"How long did this one take?"

"Twelve minutes."

"Two minutes slower than the last one."

"He probably wasted time picking up loot."

"Let’s go. We’re obviously not playing the same game as him."

Five hours later—

John walked out of the final dungeon.

[Ding! Your level has increased to Lv.13!]

[Current EXP: 3,700/4,000.]

After gaining three consecutive levels, [Supreme Evolution] had also activated three times.

[You have obtained the SSS-Rank Affix: Unbound Projectiles!]

[Unbound Projectiles]

[Type: Weapon-Exclusive]

[Effect: Increases the casting range of projectile-type skills to 200% without increasing their MP cost.]

[You have obtained the SSS-Rank Affix: Double Bind!]

[Double Bind]

[Type: Weapon-Exclusive]

[Effect: Increases the duration of crowd-control skills by 100%.]

[You have obtained the SSS-Rank Affix: Chains of Silence!]

[Chains of Silence]

[Type: Weapon-Exclusive]

[Effect: When a crowd-control skill hits, the target is silenced for the duration of the control effect and cannot use skills.]

Double the range.

Double the control duration.

And an additional Silence effect for the entire duration.

All three affixes were perfectly suited to [Binding Chains].

Without the slightest hesitation, John took out Irene’s Fire Crystal Staff.

[Embed "Unbound Projectiles," "Double Bind," and "Chains of Silence" into Irene’s Fire Crystal Staff?]

"Confirm."

Buzz!

Rainbow-colored golden light flashed three times in succession.

The Fire Crystal at the tip of the staff burned violently.

The current [Binding Chains] not only possessed twice its original range, but its control duration had also increased from 2.5 seconds to 5 seconds.

Any target bound by the chains would also be unable to use skills.

Once it landed, it was practically a death sentence.

John put away the staff and glanced at his Gold Coin balance.

[Current Gold Coins: 1,200.]

One thousand two hundred Gold Coins.

At the public exchange rate, that was equivalent to 1.2 million dollars.

Three days ago, he had needed to cancel his medical insurance just to scrape together the down payment for a gaming helmet.

Now, less than a day after entering the game, he had already become a millionaire.

John glanced at the time in the real world.

Then he logged out.

With 1.2 million dollars in his possession, it was time to purchase a few things offline.

After all, no matter how powerful his game character became, it could not filter the air for his real body.

What was the point of having money if he did not spend it?

Was he supposed to save it so he could keep breathing black snow?

...

John’s consciousness withdrew from the game.

His eyes suddenly opened.

Outside the window, the world remained a lifeless gray-black.

A thick atmospheric membrane obscured the sky, making it impossible to distinguish day from night.

Apocalypse had launched at midnight.

John had spent nearly ten hours inside the game, which meant it should now be daytime.

Strangely, however, he did not feel tired in the slightest.

No dizziness.

No soreness in his eyes.

Not even the stiffness that should have come from lying down for such a long time.

He felt completely refreshed, as though he had enjoyed ten full hours of deep sleep.

John removed the helmet and rolled his shoulders.

"This thing can restore mental energy too?"

No wonder the United Council dared to use Apocalypse as a trial project for its hibernation program.

The fact that remaining logged into the game did not interfere with sleep was enough to make countless people willing to live inside it indefinitely.

John picked up his phone.

The moment the screen lit up, a dense flood of notifications appeared.

Gaming forums.

News platforms.

Short-video apps.

Every single one of them had been completely dominated by Apocalypse.

And the most popular name was always the same.

Endbringer.

[Mysterious Player Claims Multiple World-First Dungeon Clears on Launch Day!]

[One Man Annihilates Gray Ledger’s Unit Three—All Fifty Top Players Killed!]

[What Rank of Talent Did Endbringer Awaken?]

[Insider Claims Endbringer May Be an Official Test Account!]

[Game-Breaking Exploit or Illegal Cheat Software?]

One of the battle recordings had already surpassed ten million views.

In the footage, enormous Fire Serpents tore through the crowd.

Gray Ledger players fell in groups.

The comment section was refreshing almost every second.

Some people believed he was a GM.

Others insisted that he was cheating.

There were even players organizing a joint report demanding that the developers publicly disclose all of Endbringer’s data.

John skimmed through a few posts before turning off his phone.

The tallest tree always caught the most wind.

After claiming multiple world-first dungeon clears and wiping out Gray Ledger in front of thousands of players, there was no chance he could remain unnoticed.

That was also why he had rushed through the remaining dungeons and logged out immediately afterward.

Gray Ledger’s influence in the real world was far more terrifying than anything it possessed inside the game.

Once they traced his login location, it was only a matter of time before they found this run-down apartment.

"I can’t stay here."

John shut down the roaring air purifier and began packing immediately.

Clothing.

Food.

Important documents.

The belongings his parents had left behind.

And several miscellaneous items the original owner of this body had been unable to bring himself to throw away.

By the time John came back to his senses, five full suitcases were lined up across the floor.

He had just finished sealing the final case when—

Ding-dong!

The doorbell suddenly rang in rapid succession.

John froze.

They had found him already?

He immediately switched off every light in the apartment, grabbed a metal baseball bat from the corner, and silently moved behind the door.

Ding-dong!

The bell rang again.

John held his breath and slowly approached the peephole.

Just as he was about to look outside—

A huge eyeball suddenly appeared on the other side.

For an instant, the two of them stared at each other through the peephole.

John jerked backward and tightened his grip around the baseball bat.

The hallway outside quickly fell silent.

Several seconds later—

Beep.

Beep, beep.

A series of electronic tones came from the keypad lock.

Someone was hacking the door!

Before John could react, there was a soft click.

The lock opened.

The door slowly swung inward.

John gripped the bat with both hands and was just about to bring it down.

But the figure standing outside was remarkably petite.

A gray cloak.

Fiery red twin ponytails.

A black pleated skirt, white stockings, and ankle boots.

A gas mask covered her face.

The girl held a phone in one hand, with a data cable running from its port directly into the door lock.

The instant the door opened, she saw John standing behind it with his baseball bat raised.

The two stared at each other.

The girl’s body stiffened.

Just as she was about to scream, John reached out, grabbed her cloak, and yanked her into the apartment.

Bang!

The door slammed shut again.

The baseball bat was now pointed directly at the girl.

"Who are you?"

The girl remained stunned for several seconds before removing her gas mask.

A delicate, fair-skinned face was revealed.

Her skin was so smooth that her pores were almost invisible. Her nose was straight, her lips were a soft pink, and the faint upward curve at the corners of her mouth carried an almost imperceptible hint of mischief.

John studied her for a moment.

The longer he looked, the more familiar she seemed.

Red hair.

A petite figure.

And a pair of foxlike eyes, their outer corners tilted slightly upward. Her pupils were bright and clear, as though she were constantly plotting something.

It did not take long for him to remember.