Chương 19: Absurd Efficiency

Getting the kids to Level 50 left Xiao Chen in a good mood. Months of fighting side by side. Hard not to feel attached.

"You're all 50 now. What's the plan going forward?" They all had powerful families or strong mentors guiding their path. The road ahead was already mapped out.

"Brother Xiao, I'm actually from the Wang family of Tiannan City. I've arranged for an elder to carry us through ten Tier-6 dungeon runs. You're more than welcome to join us." Honestly, Xiao Chen didn't know much about the Wang family of Tiannan City. But he knew exactly what Tier-6 dungeons represented. Tier-6 Normal had Level 55 mobs. He hadn't even cleared a Tier-5 dungeon yet.

"Then I'll ask my father to help too. Ten runs from him as well."

"My family doesn't have anyone who can carry Tier-5."

"You don't need to bring a person. Just bring your aura. That's enough." Xiao Chen hadn't expected to get a shot at Tier-6 dungeon runs. Even just ten carries was a gift.

"Wang Hai, I'll take ten runs with you."

"Brother Xiao, don't stop at ten! Keep going!"

"No, no. I'm not like you guys. I'm not in a rush to level. I'll do a few runs, then head back to guild territory to power-level more people. If possible, I want to carry a few more waves to 50. Everyone has their role. You go on ahead. I'll catch up eventually." The kids' eyes shone with renewed respect.

"Brother Xiao, you're a true role model."

"Role model is a stretch. Everyone contributes in their own way." Xiao Chen's stats were already formidable, and he wanted to widen that advantage further before pushing levels hard. He still wanted to try Tier-5 dungeons. If he could solo them, the rewards would be incredible. He'd assumed Wang Hai's family was just well-off. That assumption shattered the moment a new player joined their party.

"Wang Haoran has joined the party!" The instant this person joined, the entire party went dead silent. Xiao Chen froze on the spot.

"Wang Haoran, Gunslinger, Level 101!" What the actual hell. With a powerhouse like this in the family, why did they even need him to power-level anyone? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Little Hai, you've done well. Reached 50 without leaning on family resources." Judging by his level, Wang Haoran had to be at least a hundred years old. But he looked middle-aged, almost youthful. High-level strength slowed aging to a crawl.

"Greetings, Senior!" Everyone bowed respectfully.

"No need for formalities. Ten runs, then I'm back to the front lines outside the city."

"Once we're inside, stand still and do nothing."

"Little Hai, you handle loot distribution."

"Alright, let's go." Tier-6 dungeons were so far above Xiao Chen that he'd never even researched them. Level 55 mobs. Each one had 160, 000 HP. The moment Xiao Chen entered the dungeon, he spotted a Crimson Bat in the distance. Before he could examine its stats, gunshots rang out. BANG! BANG BANG! Five or six rapid-fire shots. Xiao Chen couldn't even see the damage numbers. All he heard was the notification:"Killed Blood Bat King. EXP +20, 000. Gold +10." Standing at the entrance and sniping the Boss from there?

That attack range had to be at least a thousand meters. BANG BANG! Two more shots.

"Killed Crimson Wing Bat. EXP +20, 000. Gold +10." Just a few seconds, and both Bosses were dead.

"Done. Next run." The hell? This was the most soulless dungeon experience imaginable. Xiao Chen exited, re-entered, and repeated. Ten runs total. Combined runtime? Under ten minutes.

"Alright, emergency at the front lines. I'm out." Without waiting for thanks, the big shot left the party and vanished. The remaining members stared at each other inside the dungeon. That was... something else. Wang Hai didn't see what the big deal was.

"Everyone, twenty pieces of loot total. Three each, and I get five since I'm organizing." Nobody argued. The loot might as well have fallen from the sky.

"You have received Starfall Battle Armor. You have received a Mithril Longbow!" Two Silver-grade items, and one was a weapon! Okay, Xiao Chen was regretting not running more. But then again, nobody else had access to this kind of efficiency. Tiannan City only had a handful of Level 100-plus powerhouses.

"Thanks, Brother Wang Hai!" The two pieces were worth two thousand gold minimum. Serious value.

"Brother Xiao, you're too polite. Two pieces of gear? That's nothing."

"Yeah, Brother Xiao, you earned this."

"We're gonna keep grinding dungeons. See you, Brother Xiao!" One by one, the five left the party. Xiao Chen remained alone in the instance. He was about to leave when he noticed a sea of red mob indicators.

"The Bosses are dead. Why not clear the trash mobs before heading out?" Level 55 Bosses would flatten him without trying. But the trash mobs? Those he could handle. Twenty Boss kills at 20, 000 EXP each -- 400, 000 total. He was close to Level 54. Xiao Chen had a touch of OCD. Even if the returns were mediocre, he hated leaving mobs alive. 【Blood Bat: LV55 | HP: 160, 000 | ATK: 3, 000 | DEF: 1, 300】 At fresh Level 50, he wouldn't have stood a chance.

Now, with over two thousand extra stats and a new Silver ring, kiting was absolutely doable. 【Xiao Chen: LV53 | Total Stats: 6, 736 | ATK: 7, 606 | HP: 18, 000 | DEF: 1, 025 ATK Range: 110m | ATK SPD: 0. 76 | Movement Speed: 17 Skill 1: Sevenfold Shot Skill 2: Armor-Pierce Arrow Lv. 2 (Damage +20%) Power Strike: 10% chance to deal double damage. 】 【Undead Skeleton: LV53 | Bronze Grade HP: 28, 000 | ATK: 2, 100 | DEF: 652 Skill: Summon (Lv. 3) -- Each phantom inherits 30% of base stats.

Ascension Requirement: Undeath Flame (Bronze) x2】"One at a time, definitely fine." Xiao Chen wanted to check the returns on these mobs. If it was worth it, he'd clear everything.

"Clear ten mobs first for space, then pull seven at once and kite." Little Strong summoned ten phantoms. Xiao Chen opened fire. One hundred and ten meters of range. Perfect output conditions. Swoosh!

"-6, 109""-6, 203""Power Strike! -12, 356" Xiao Chen stood near the teleportation point with nowhere to retreat. The frontline mobs would have to be tanked head-on. But only for a few hits. The Blood Bats never reached him -- the skeleton phantoms intercepted them.

"-600""-612" The little skeletons couldn't pierce the bats' defenses. But they didn't need to. They just needed to absorb a few hits.

"Killed Blood Bat. EXP +1, 669. Silver +50. Blood Fang +1." Solid returns. Blood Fangs were Bronze-grade crafting material, worth a dozen silver each. No hesitation. He kept grinding. Two hours later, every mob was dead, and he'd hit Level 54. One dungeon clear netted him over ten gold. Not bad at all.