#4Chapter 4: I am the one who cheated
Although your clone still wanted to continue fighting the bandit village to the death, until killing the chief.
Unfortunately, his end-of-term grades were not up to par, and he was ultimately kicked out by the Dean of Students.
As he left, your clone saw Lin Qingyu, the 'true love' for whom you had sacrificed everything. She had already become a formal mage, reaching level 15. In her eyes, you no longer existed. At that moment, she was nestled in the arms of a strong man, smiling charmingly.
Your clone, like a stray dog, dejectedly left Donghua University, a symbol of glory, under the mocking, pitying, and disdainful gazes of countless people.
Although your clone's fighting spirit was not diminished by this.
However, having lost the stable dungeon of Donghua University, your clone could only venture into the wilderness to confront wild monsters of unpredictable levels.
Wild monsters generally refer to monsters entrenched in the real world.
These monsters are not bound by dungeons and are scattered everywhere, some in the water, some in the mountains, and some even soaring above the ozone layer. Moreover, they are inexhaustible; no matter how many times they are cleared, they will make a comeback after a certain period.
Unlike the dungeon monsters within dungeons, which have fixed routines, fixed abilities, and fixed types, and whose specific health points can even be seen by professionals.
The levels, skills, attributes, and abilities of wild monsters are unknown. Unless one possesses extremely powerful appraisal skills, it is difficult to explore the full capabilities of a wild monster until the battle ends if it has not been recorded by humans.
In addition, monster lords with strength far exceeding dungeon bosses will spawn irregularly in the wilderness. Their attributes are often dozens or even hundreds of times higher than those of ordinary players. They are terrifying monsters that require the mobilization of armies or warbands to contend with. Furthermore, the real world is not a dungeon; there is no way to escape at any time. Ordinary people or even small teams will almost certainly die if they encounter a lord in the wilderness.
Of course, wild monsters are not without their advantages.
In addition to the fact that the experience and rewards are significantly higher than those of dungeon monsters of the same level, their greatest advantage is that wild monsters are located in the real world. Therefore, unlike entering a dungeon, there is no need to wait for the protection value to recover before continuing to challenge. As long as stamina and energy can keep up, one can endlessly launch campaigns against wild monsters.
However, because campaigning against wild monsters is too dangerous.
Apart from civilian professionals like Link's clone, who have no dungeons to enter, only powerful warbands and armies will carry out the task of reclaiming the wilderness under the command of the Federation.
Thus, reclaiming the wilderness has given rise to a professional term in the professional circle, which is—frontier exploration!
For professionals, the words 'frontier exploration' often represent tragic sacrifices and generous income.
Awakening Era, June 17th. After countless life-and-death struggles in the wilderness, your clone, who narrowly escaped death, finally managed to raise his level to 10.
However, as a lone wolf without the money to hire thugs, your clone was simply unable to complete the class advancement quest.
He could only drift aimlessly in some safer wilderness areas, constantly hunting low-level wild monsters to earn money.
Until May 5th of the Awakening Era, 18th year, the city radio where you were located suddenly announced that the Ironblood Warband was going to explore the monster area where you were located.
Countless civilian professionals like you were ecstatic. Warband exploration meant that an entire monster area was about to be swept away by the warband. Powerful monster lords would become the warband's primary targets, and a large number of elite monsters, which were insignificant to the warband but considered mobile treasuries to civilian professionals, would flee the battlefield after the monster lords were defeated, becoming stragglers.
If one could pick up an elite monster, even if it didn't drop any equipment, its rich kill experience would be enough to withstand the results of a civilian professional for dozens of days! Although the risk was equally great, none of the civilian professionals who could hang around in the wilderness were timid.
Your clone was also one of these crazy civilian professionals. Seven years of hopeless struggle had filled your clone with the courage to risk his life. Therefore, after hearing the news of the warband's exploration, your clone did not hesitate to join the ranks of picking up stragglers, becoming one of the countless civilian professionals who wanted money more than life.
The goddess of luck finally rewarded your valor at this moment! On the third night of joining the straggler picking team, the Ironblood Warband successfully surrounded and hunted a level 5 monster lord. As the monster lord fell, a large number of elite monsters guarding the lord scattered. The members of the Ironblood Warband, whose levels were generally above level 15, looked down on these elite monsters whose average level was only level 5 and did not pursue them. You, who had been waiting for a long time, seized the opportunity and frantically followed an elite monster that had been attacked several times and was obviously on the verge of collapse.
The power of the wilderness elite monster exceeded your imagination. Even though it was at the end of its rope, even though its level was only 5 levels lower than yours, your clone was still severely injured under its dying counterattack and almost lost his life.
Fortunately, years of wilderness experience had trained your clone's powerful fighting will and combat experience. At the critical moment, your only talent, Enhanced Charge, played a huge role in reversing the battle! Relying on the suppression of level and strength, your Enhanced Charge successfully had an effect on the elite monster, interrupting the elite monster's last skill release!
As the elite monster crashed to the ground, you, whose whole body was in bad shape and whose health had plummeted, excitedly saw a bright white light appear on the elite monster's corpse.
An item dropped!
This was the only thought in your clone's mind at this moment! Dragging your almost exhausted body, you tried your best to grab the item flashing with white light. Finally, in the professional panel, you saw the true face of this item!
Ring of Light: Level 5, Earth-grade. Equipment requirements: 35 Magic Power. Attributes: Magic Power +10, Constitution +10, Strength +10. Special ability: Light Healing, can be cast 2 times a day, instantly restores 15% of maximum health and purifies Earth-grade and below negative status, cooldown time 90s.
An Earth-grade accessory that restores maximum health proportionally! Even though its basic stats aren't that high due to its level being only 5, the attached skill is just too overpowered. Even Sky-grade powerhouses would find it useful.
Your clone was overjoyed and initially wanted to keep it for himself, but after calming down, your clone ultimately made a rational decision.
He entrusted the Ring of Light to the renowned Tianyu Auction House, where it eventually fetched a high price of 12 million.
With the money, your clone hired the most professional power-leveling team, successfully changed his class to Bronze-grade Warrior, and purchased a powerful set of Silver-grade equipment: the Blood Knight Set.
Although your clone is nearly thirty years old, his fighting spirit remains undiminished. With his powerful equipment, the clone quickly gained the approval of a civilian professional team and became a freelance professional venturing into the wilderness.
Just when your clone thought his life was about to make a comeback, he unexpectedly encountered a Level 10 Wilderness Lord, the Minotaur Lord, that suddenly spawned in the plains of the Third District!
Faced with the Minotaur Lord's unparalleled power, you and your civilian professional team were all wiped out. In just one exchange, you were all killed.
Your clone's life has ended.
Time of Death: Awakening Era, January 11, Year 19.
This simulation is over. You can retain the following rewards for your clone:
1: Talent: Enhanced Charge
2: The clone's Level 10 stats
3: Blood Knight Set
Note: You can only choose one of these for free as a reward for the clone's simulation. If you want more rewards, you will need to pay extra simulation energy.
"What? I just prepared for a comeback and then I'm gone?"
Lin Ke was speechless.
After taking a little time to adjust his mentality, Lin Ke looked at the rewards from this simulation.
Because he didn't have any simulation energy, he couldn't choose all the rewards and could only choose one for free, so he had to make a rational choice.
Forget about the talent Enhanced Charge. It's a trash-tier ability. Only a moron would choose that reward.
Between the Blood Knight Set and the clone's Level 10 stats, there's no question that the Blood Knight Set is more valuable.
You have to know, this is a Silver-grade set that the clone spent a full five million to buy during the simulation! Such expensive equipment must have extremely powerful stats.
But...
After looking at the Blood Knight Set's requirements: Level 10, Class: Knight or Warrior, Strength: 35 or higher...
And recalling the clone's tragic experience of spending six full years to level up to Level 10 in the simulation...
Lin Ke decisively chose the clone's Level 10 stats.
He didn't have the leisure to exchange for a set of Silver equipment that he could only look at but not use.
[Ding! Your clone has accepted your gift, and your clone's stats have changed.]
[Bound Object: Lin Ke's Clone
Level: 10
Experience: 0 / 2000
Class: Warrior (Bronze-grade)
Innate Talent: None
Strength: 75
Constitution: 25
Agility: 15
Magic: 5
Equipment: None
Overall Rating: None
Remaining Simulation Energy: 0 (Simulation energy can be used to increase the main body's talent level, copy the clone's talent, and exchange for clone simulation times or simulation rewards. Simulation energy can be obtained by recycling equipment and items from reality.)
Remaining Simulation Times: 0 (Simulation times are automatically restored once per year, and simulation times can also be exchanged for simulation energy)]
"Is this the legendary naked warrior?"
Seeing the clone's new stats,
Lin Ke's eyelids twitched, with both joy and helplessness in his heart.
The helplessness was that the stats were indeed just stats. The skills the clone learned in the simulation and the equipment he obtained were not inherited.
The joy was that even as a naked warrior, the high Level 10 and the stats brought by a class change were explosively powerful! I'm afraid even a newbie who has awakened an Earth-grade talent can't compete with Lin Ke's clone.
As for lower-level talents?
Perhaps they can surpass the clone with the blessing of their talents before long, but at least in the short term, wanting to reverse the stat gap brought about by a class change is purely wishful thinking.
"I suddenly sit up in shock while dying of illness, the cheat is actually myself?!"
"You don't want to play with me? I'll solo a dungeon for you to see!"
Grinning, Lin Ke strode into the dungeon plaza, not even looking at the dungeon portals shining with various colors, and went straight to the void vortex of the Bandit Village.
"Enter Level 1 dungeon, Bandit Village!"
---
"Boom~!" A loud noise.
Lin Ke, who was browsing the school forum on his smart watch, didn't even glance at the patrolling bandit flying out in front of him, and casually allocated the 5 stat points he gained from leveling up to Level 3 evenly between Constitution and Magic.
Although he hasn't mastered any magic yet, Lin Ke has already very carefully chosen his future class, which is to exist as the team's darling, always positioned in the safest spot on the battlefield, a support-type class.
As for fighting?
Lin Ke said that he doesn't need to take action at all!
As a Level 10 Bronze Warrior, the clone is simply a god of slaughter in a Level 1 dungeon like the Bandit Village.
Even the patrolling bandits who are 'elite monsters' only have a mere 100 health points, at most able to withstand two punches from the clone.
The clone falling into the Bandit Village can only be described with one word...
That is - overwhelming!
But this is not the most overpowered thing.
The most overpowered thing is that because the clone is a derivative of Lin Ke's talent ability in the professional system, he is not recognized as an independent professional by the professional panel.
The experience gained by the clone from killing monsters not only is not affected by the experience penalty mechanism when bullying weak monsters, but instead enjoys an additional experience bonus when killing monsters exceeding Lin Ke's main body level due to Lin Ke's main body level being too low!
It's simply blatantly exploiting the loopholes in the professional panel!