Chapter 29: SS-Rank Passive Skill! Tremendous Gains and a Major Breakthrough!

Two skill books, four pieces of equipment, and a monster material resembling a heart.

The moment the treasure chest opened, Li Yao’s attention was instantly captured by one of the skill books. The pages were ancient and yellowed, yet they faintly exuded a deep crimson halo. If he hadn't misread it earlier, this skill book had come from the "Rating +1" completion reward chest.

Rewards for breaking historical completion time records can only be triggered by each professional once every six months. It made sense; if not for this restriction, Li Yao would have definitely slowed his clearing speed on purpose to repeatedly refresh completion times and farm the rewards. Because of this, this chest was arguably the highest-tier one Li Yao had ever obtained.

"It’s definitely more than just S-rank," Li Yao concluded with certainty, turning his gaze toward the skill book.

[Goblin Slayer (SS Passive Skill): Endless Slayer, the root of fear for the goblin race. Increases all damage dealt to goblin-type creatures by 30%; increases all damage dealt to non-goblin-type creatures by 15%.]

"A passive skill?!" Li Yao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He couldn't be blamed for his lack of composure; anyone else in his position would have shouted even louder.

It must be understood that skills are divided into active and passive. Active skills are more like weapons—they amplify one's current strength, allowing one to unleash power manifold. Passive skills, however, are more like a foundation. Once possessed, they are effective at all times. The value of anything that enhances one’s foundation is self-evident, and the drop rate is notoriously, maddeningly low. Never mind an SS-rank passive skill—even A-rank or B-rank ones would be fought over tooth and nail anywhere.

This "Goblin Slayer" book displayed the might of an SS-rank skill to Li Yao with unadorned simplicity. The first attribute didn't really matter, as it could only be triggered in specific scenarios. The crucial part was the latter: a 15% increase in all damage against non-goblin creatures. There were no restrictions; as long as he dealt damage, it was unconditionally increased by 15%. Unlike equipment, which eventually becomes outdated, this attribute would follow Li Yao forever.

"This is the real treasure."
"This is what truly separates top-tier professionals from ordinary ones."
"Something that ordinary professionals could never reach in their entire lives..." Li Yao sighed. Even if someone offered him a full set of [Royal] equipment in exchange for this skill book, he would agree in a heartbeat!

Speaking of the [Royal] set, Li Yao hurriedly looked at the four pieces of equipment lying quietly on the ground.

Two were Gold-rank, and two were Platinum-rank. A Master-difficulty run has a high probability of dropping Silver equipment and a low probability of Gold. A Nightmare-difficulty run has a high probability of dropping Gold equipment and a low probability of Platinum. The fact that the results were split between the two was the reason Li Yao had praised Qin Yue’s luck.

However, what disappointed Li Yao was that while these four pieces had excellent attributes, none of them belonged to the [Royal] set. Among them, only one piece was barely suitable for Li Yao to wear himself.

[Summoning Master Waistband (Waist)]
[Quality: Platinum]
[Level Requirement: 15]
[Attribute 1: Stamina +40, Spirit +40, Agility +40]
[Attribute 2: Summoning Expert (Passive): Summoning-type skills require no chanting time.]
[Durability: 180/180]

Li Yao found it hard to evaluate this item. His summoning spells had been upgraded by the Hex system into Chess Piece Summoning, which didn't require chanting time to begin with. The only reason Li Yao wore it was for the high four-dimensional stat boost, which lived up to the reputation of Platinum-tier equipment.

"I might have to find an opportunity to ask around about what other summoners think of this attribute," Li Yao thought to himself, then turned his attention to the final item.

[Goblin King’s Heart (Boss Material)]
[Crafting Requirements: Level 20, Alchemy LV7, Forging LV4, Spirit Melting LV1]
[Description: Core crafting material for the Great General’s Sword and the King’s Ring. Contains the supreme resentment of the goblin race. Difficult to refine. Has a chance to drop from Goblin Nest (Nightmare), Land of Evil (Master), and Devouring Cavern (Master).]

"It finally showed up," Li Yao smiled with satisfaction. He had heard of the Land of Evil; it was a super-large dungeon on the border of Jindu in the northern part of the Dragon Kingdom, a place one would only encounter after the fourth class advancement. In there, goblins were considered the weakest race, with many other evil entities lurking about.

"But what dungeon is the Devouring Cavern?" Li Yao wondered. He didn't dwell on it, though; the world was vast, and there were plenty of dungeons he hadn't heard of.

After taking inventory of his loot, Li Yao checked his attribute panel.

[Name: Li Yao]
[Class: Teamfight Tactics Chess Player (Hidden Unique)]
[Level: 17 (2.04%)]
[HP: 6580/6580]
[Strength: 70]
[Spirit: 310]
[Agility: 373] (Designated attribute of the King's Scepter)
[Stamina: 155]
[Chess Piece Space: 3/3]
[Equipment: Bloodthirst Pendant, Boots of Speed, King's Cloak, King's Scepter, Summoning Master Waistband, Mask of Darkness (6/8)]
[Skills: Void Mantis·Summon (SSS), Azure Bird·Summon (S), Void Predator·Summon (A), Hedge Fund (Unknown), Practical Training (Unknown), Demon Contract (Unknown), Shackles (S), Goblin Slayer (SS)]
[Equipment Skills: Bloodthirst, King’s Retinue, King’s Might, Sanctuary, Summoning Expert]
[Talents: Hex, Synergy, Armament, Chess Player, Star-Up]
[Title: Abyss Loner (Unique)]

Li Yao was extremely satisfied with his stats. For a summoner, the Strength attribute was meaningless unless you were going to hold a staff and start whacking people with it. And the Stamina attribute, aside from its effect on his chess pieces, was almost useless for him.

Possessing the Chess Player talent was truly luxurious! That was why the equipment Li Yao chose almost entirely focused on boosting his Spirit and Agility. Both had broken the 300-point threshold, equivalent to the free attribute points gained from reaching level 60. Including his equipment, he could definitely go toe-to-toe with an average level 30 professional. This was the terror of Platinum-tier equipment; it had elevated Li Yao’s combat power to an almost invincible state for his current stage.

"The next step is to give the King’s Heart to Qin Yue and the others, and have them help craft the King’s Ring." Li Yao lay on his bed, closing his eyes to meditate. "Then, I need to reach level 20 as soon as possible to complete the second class advancement quest."

Every twenty levels was a hurdle; once broken, one’s strength would undergo a earth-shattering change. By now, getting into the four great martial arts academies was no longer his only goal. His own strength gave him immense confidence. Now, in Li Yao’s eyes, there was only the second class advancement quest. That was an independent task designed specifically for him, with rewards determined by his performance.

"I’ll wait until I’ve collected the full [Royal] set..." Li Yao thought, slowly drifting into a deep sleep. Even for him, the constant dungeon-clearing had taken a heavy toll on his mental state.

...

"Ring-ring-ring!"

About six hours later, the landline in the room suddenly emitted a harsh, piercing sound. It was like the school bell from his student days, feeling incredibly jarring!

"Damn it!" Li Yao picked up the phone.

"Young Master Li, wake up quickly!"
"Something big has happened!"

Qin Yue’s anxious voice came through the phone.