Chapter 58: Water of Life, The Sacred Artifact is Mine Alone
Ella clenched her fists tightly.
Initially, she believed that Jeremy would be wary of them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spared her life earlier.
However, Jeremy's recent actions made Ella sense his murderous intent.
This made Ella understand that Jeremy was not really afraid to kill them.
If they provoked him, none of them might leave this place alive.
After all, if everyone were dead, no one would be left to know that Jeremy was behind it.
His strength was more than sufficient to ensure no witnesses.
Understanding their precarious situation, Ella softened her tone and ceased threatening the madman in front of her.
She asked in a somber voice, "Jeremy, what exactly do you want?"
"You catch on quickly." Jeremy glanced at her and chuckled lightly. "As for what I want, didn't I just say it? I want that so-called hero to kneel and apologize to me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned toward Kelvin.
"You!" Kelvin's face flushed with anger, and he couldn't help but take a step forward, ready to confront Jeremy head-on.
But he had barely taken two steps before Ella's sharp voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Do you want everyone to die here?" she scolded.
Her words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, bringing the members of the Black Dragon Squad back to their senses.
They looked at Jeremy's calm expression and were suddenly reminded.
The young man before them was no longer the player they once knew, elevated by Benjamin's support.
He had become a powerful monster capable of trapping them all in this instance!
For a moment, silence enveloped the scene.
Kelvin's body trembled, his face a mixture of anger and inner conflict.
As a former top federal agent and the vice captain of the Black Dragon Squad, the idea of kneeling and apologizing to an eighteen-year-old boy was a fate worse than death.
Seeing Kelvin's hesitation, Jeremy's voice remained calm. "Your time is running out. Make a decision quickly."
At this moment, Rafael had already fainted.
Jeremy loosened his grip slightly, ensuring he didn't accidentally strangle the beautiful woman. After all, he was known for his chivalry and appreciation of beauty.
Ella suddenly stepped forward with a resolute expression. "I will apologize on their behalf!"
"You?" Jeremy was taken aback for a moment, not having expected this.
But before he could refuse, Ella bit her lip, bent her knees, and knelt down on the ground.
A gentle breeze swept across the plain, making her silver hair dance in the wind.
In a solemn tone, Ella said, "Jeremy, as the captain of the Black Dragon Squad, I sincerely apologize for our offenses. Please, spare Rafael."
After speaking, she pressed her lips tightly together, closed her eyes, and bowed her head to the ground in a full kowtow.
"Captain!" Ramone and Tre's eyes reddened at the sight.
As a noble heiress and the captain of the Black Dragon Squad, Ella had never knelt and apologized to anyone before.
Kelvin opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
His eyes flashed with guilt, and the anger in his gaze toward Jeremy grew even more intense.
That bastard!
If it weren't for him, the captain would never have been forced into such a humiliating position!
Jeremy glanced at Ella, somewhat surprised by her unexpected gesture.
He nodded slightly and said, "At least you have some backbone."
Without any intention of tormenting them further, Jeremy released his grip on Rafael's neck. Rafael collapsed to the ground, nearly lifeless.
She was barely clinging to life, on the brink of death.
Ignoring everything else, Ella rushed forward to support Rafael and administered a recovery potion.
Only after Rafael's breathing stabilized did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
When Ella looked up again, Jeremy's figure had already vanished without a trace.
...
Meanwhile, in the inner city of the imperial capital.
Night had fallen, and the city lights were just beginning to shine.
Bodyguards in black suits stood rigidly, surrounding a luxurious hotel and making it impenetrable.
Occasionally, passersby would cast curious glances.
Upon noticing the Lannisters insignia on the bodyguards, they would quickly lower their heads and hasten their steps.
In the opulent hotel lobby, an instance entrance stood quietly.
Suddenly, the intrance shimmered with blue light.
A cold-eyed, blond young man emerged.
Handsome and tall, he wore an imposing suit of silver armor and wielded an ornate golden longsword. His expression was shadowed with a hint of menace, and his entire presence was cloaked in a palpable aura of hostility.
The people in the hotel lobby looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear.
This was the heir of the Lannisters.
Kean!
A middle-aged butler who had been waiting outside stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Mr.Kean, we've found information on Jeremy. He is a senior student at Moonlight City High School, an orphan with no notable background."
At the mention of Jeremy's name, a dark look flashed in Kean's eyes.
Before entering the instance, he had given Jeremy explicit instructions. But not only did Jeremy ignore them, his level had now surpassed Kean's.
This filled Kean with a seething rage.
He despised those who didn't know their place!
With a voice as cold as ice, Kean said, "From now on, I don't want to hear the name 'Jeremy' ever again."
The middle-aged butler immediately understood and bowed his head. "I will arrange for him to be taken care of."
Kean nodded, then asked, "How is the preparation of the other instance coming along?"
As players leveled up, the experience needed for further advancement grew exponentially. If Kean wanted to claim first place in the upcoming event, relying on just one instance wouldn't suffice.
Thus, the Lannister had leveraged its resources to secure another instance for Kean. They even stationed trained players within it to clear monsters, preparing the instance for Kean to harvest experience.
Although this strategy consumed significant resources and risked offending other factions, the reward for the event—a sacred artifact—was worth any cost.
"It's all set, just waiting for you, Mr.Kean." the middle-aged butler replied with a deep bow.
"Good." Kean's eyes gleamed with a cold light.
No matter what, that sacred artifact would be his, and nothing could be allowed to go wrong!
...
Meanwhile, in the Moonlight City.
Jeremy also emerged from the instance entrance.
He looked up at the sky. It was already nearing nightfall, and there was less than a day left until the event ended. It seemed they had spent a long time in the instance.
In the abandoned factory, only a few soldiers were standing guard. Naturally, Benjamin couldn't wait here the whole time, but he had left Dana behind to keep watch.
Seeing Jeremy come out alone, Dana was taken aback.
He asked in confusion, "Why are you the only one coming out? Where are the others?"
"They're still inside farming monsters. I just came out for some fresh air." Jeremy lied casually to brush off the question. He then left the abandoned factory, planning to find a place for his second class change.
He wasn't sure if the area where he originally lived had been cleared of monsters. So he didn't plan on going back there. Instead, he headed straight to the army's encampment, the safest place in the Moonlight City at the moment.
The army's encampment wasn't far from the abandoned factory, and Jeremy arrived shortly after.
This was a residential area that had been cleared, with soldiers patrolling frequently and strict defenses in place.
Most of the high-ranking officers in the army knew Jeremy and were aware of Howard's regard for him. When they heard that Jeremy wanted to rest there, the logistics officer immediately arranged for him to stay in the room next to Howard's.
Jeremy followed a soldier into the room.
The room was clean and tidy, with the bedding neatly folded, saving him a lot of trouble.
After the soldier left, Jeremy sat on the bed and checked the equipment and items he had obtained from the Death Wolf King.
[Equipment]: Ring of Metamorphosis
[Type]: Accessory
[Level]: Platinum
[Quality]: Orange (Rare)
[Attributes]: All Attributes +200, Skill Attack +5%
[Skill]: Metamorphosis (Active)
[Description]: After using the skill, the player can mimic the appearance of any person, with no cooldown time.
...
[Item]: Water of Life
[Rank]: High
[Quality]: Orange (Rare)
[Description]: After use, the player can restore 100% of their state.
...
[Item]: Energy Crystal
[Level]: Tier 7
[Description]: After use, increases 300 random attribute points.
[Tip]: Leapfrogging 1000 meters can gain 300 free attribute points.
...
Both pieces of equipment dropped by the Death Wolf King were orange items. After all, it was the first kill of an instance BOSS. The drop rate and quality were much higher than ordinary monsters. Jeremy wasn't surprised.
The skill of the "Ring of Metamorphosis" was somewhat niche, rarely useful in most situations. But the equipment's attributes were quite good, not only adding 200 points to all attributes but also increasing skill attack power by 5%.
The "Water of Life" was a typical super recovery item. As long as a player still had a breath left, using the "Water of Life" would fully revive them. Though it wasn't as good as a resurrection coin, it was still a precious life-saving item.
Jeremy decided to hold onto the Tier 7 Energy Crystal for now. He might use it to open a treasure chest in the future.
That was, as long as his second class change went smoothly.
Jeremy took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and prepared himself.
A prompt appeared before him.
[Do you want to proceed with your second job change now?]
Without hesitation, Jeremy selected "Confirm."