Chapter 10: Opening the Treasure Chest! Evolution of the Void Mantis!

After casually accepting a few tasks, Li Yao left the Adventurers’ Guild and headed to the border checkpoint.

“Li Yao, level 5, Chessmaster?” The gatekeeper held Li Yao’s city exit permit, confirming his information.

“Only level 5? Are you sure you want to leave the city?”

Li Yao said nothing and simply nodded. Though puzzled—just level 5 and already an A-rank professional, how did the academy agree to let him out of the city?

But the permit was genuine, and the gatekeeper quickly verified it.

“There are many monsters outside. Stay safe. If you encounter monsters you can’t handle, seek shelter with an adult.”

“If it’s really bad, come back quickly. You’re still young—losing face doesn’t matter, your life does.”

“Especially at night, monsters get more aggressive and their attributes strengthen considerably. Make sure to find a safe place in advance.”

Li Yao patiently listened to the gatekeeper’s nagging without interruption, then gave a slight bow before stepping out of the city gates.

A cold wind blew in his face, carrying a faint metallic scent.

“No wonder the city and the outside world are two different realms.”

Li Yao took a step forward, his figure quickly disappearing from the gatekeeper’s sight.

“Sigh, an A-rank professional. Hopefully, we’ll see him return.”

...

As he ventured deeper, the metallic scent grew stronger.

Occasionally, distant roars of beasts echoed, and sometimes people could be seen battling monsters nearby.

The environment outside the city differed from Li Yao’s expectations.

Ruins of various buildings surrounded him. This used to be the border—once perhaps a thriving human settlement.

One could only imagine.

Faced with the monster invasion, humans were not “completely victorious” as the news claimed.

Those inside the city could live peacefully only because others bore the burdens in the shadows.

“This should be about right.”

Seeing no one around, Li Yao took from his storage ring the Silver Chest dropped by the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf.

This loot chest was only dropped by boss-level monsters.

When Li Yao had seen the silver chest’s price on the StarNet Exchange, he nearly couldn’t resist selling it immediately.

The chest shimmered with silver light and vanished.

Two pieces of equipment appeared before Li Yao.

—Bloodthirsty Pendant (Pendant)

Quality: Silver

Requirements: Level 5, Agility 30+

Attributes 1: +10 Strength; +15 Agility; +10 Constitution

Attributes 2: Bloodthirsty (Passive), restores 5% of damage dealt as health (also triggers for wearer’s summoned creatures)

Durability: 40/40

...

—Swift Boots (Shoes)

Quality: Bronze

Requirements: Level 5

Attributes: +8 Agility; +5 Constitution

Durability: 25/25

---

Seeing the attributes, Li Yao’s eyes lit up.

The Swift Boots were standard bronze gear with no additional attributes, valued between 2,000 and 5,000 gold.

But the Bloodthirsty Pendant was different.

In this world, equipment value wasn’t just about level—it hinged primarily on quality.

For example, bronze gear—even at levels 50 or 60—rarely exceeded a value of 10,000 gold.

That was because Black Iron and Bronze gear dropped commonly from regular monsters once the required level was reached.

But silver quality and above?

Even low-level equipment at these tiers was unimaginably valuable.

These high-quality items only dropped from bosses or dungeon instances.

Moreover, if the boss level greatly exceeded the character’s, the drop rate was excruciatingly low.

Dungeon instances themselves had level restrictions.

Thus, high-quality gear was extremely scarce and usually very expensive.

This Bloodthirsty Pendant was no exception.

Its added attributes were impressive, and it came with a lifesteal effect.

On Jiangzhou StarNet, a level 30 bracelet with 3% lifesteal had once been auctioned for 16 million gold.

If Li Yao’s memory was correct, the buyer was his father, Li Yang.

Li Yao equipped both items.

His attributes soared dramatically.

The bonuses also applied to the Void Mantis summoned creature.

—Yi Zi · Void Mantis

Level: 5

Rank: S

Bond: Assassin

Stars: 2 (Gold needed for next star: 45/40)

Health: 2450/2450

Strength: 689 (Level +5 / Equipment +4 / Combat Training +285)

Spirit: 27 (Level +5)

Agility: 92 (Level +5 / Li Yao’s full agility points +4 / Equipment +9)

Endurance: 49 (Level +5 / Equipment +6)

Skills: Void Assault, Taste of Fear

Trait: Bloodthirsty (from Bloodthirsty Pendant)

Looking at the Void Mantis’s current stats, Li Yao couldn’t contain his excitement.

Strength was about to break 700...

No, not about to.

After the hedge fund’s level-up, he gained 10 gold coins.

Now, Li Yao had enough gold to upgrade the Void Mantis to three stars!

“Void Mantis, evolve!”

In the shadows, the Void Mantis’s body trembled strongly.

An unknown power descended, and its aura surged rapidly.

Its size doubled.

---

Reaching nearly two meters tall.

All attributes skyrocketed.

[Void Assault: Conceals itself in the void, entering level 5 stealth. The first normal attack after stealth deals 300% → 400% physical damage. Cooldown: 7 seconds.]

[Skill 2: Taste of Fear: Deals 300% → 400% physical damage. If no enemy units are within 2 meters of the target, damage doubles. Cooldown: 3 seconds.]

What excited Li Yao most was that the three-star Void Mantis unlocked a new skill.

[Skill 3: Void Pierce: Fires explosive spikes, dealing 250% physical damage to enemies in a frontal area. Cooldown: 15 seconds.]

“Perfect!”

Area damage was exactly what the Void Mantis had lacked until now.

Having an area skill meant it could mow down monsters in large numbers, maximizing the effect of combat training Hex.

It was like getting a pillow just as one was about to nap.

“I just don’t know how large the area is.”

Li Yao’s mind stirred.

“Void Mantis.”

Upon command, the upgraded Void Mantis deliberately revealed its form.

Under the sunlight, its claws gleamed coldly like two giant scythes, instilling dread.

Li Yao spotted a monster about thirty meters away.

“Use Void Pierce.”

At the same time, Li Yao cast an identification spell.

—Roaming Rat

Level 10

Health: 1150

Strength: 27

Spirit: 16

Agility: 38

Endurance: 23

Skill: Heavy Claw LV1

The level 10 Roaming Rat was a typical agile monster.

But such stats were negligible before the level 5 Void Mantis.

In the blink of an eye, the Void Mantis appeared about ten meters in front of the rat.

“Ten meters, huh? Let’s see the width.”

“Whoosh!”

A row of spikes slashed out from the Void Mantis’s feet, sweeping toward the rat.

[-1643]

The rat was pinned to the ground by the spikes, its terrified eyes filled with confusion.

As expected, it was a one-hit kill.

“So it’s a fan-shaped attack. Average length, but quite wide.”

Li Yao stroked his chin, contemplating the attack range of Void Pierce.

“About 10 by 15 meters, I’d say.”

Happy with the result, Li Yao’s mood brightened.

This area was enough to elevate the Void Mantis’s growth rate by a whole tier!

...