Chapter 167: Why Did You Provoke Him?

[Falling in a nightmare. The dungeon instance is being generated.]

[Dungeon instance difficulty is easy. You can enter up to eight times.]

[The current purification progress is 2/10]

[The total erosion rate of the team is 36%. Dungeon instance difficulty increased by 36%. Nightmare mutation probability increased by 36%.]

[This dungeon instance has no checkpoint. The erosion rate is increased by 1% for each death. You will be forced out of the dungeon instance upon death.]

[This dungeon instance provides a plot introduction and no decryption rewards.]

[Dungeon instance clearance reward: Profession (wizard) increased by 1 level]

[Loading completed.]

Annan’s consciousness gradually came back with his strength quickly recovered.

Just as he was about to open his eyes, Annan heard Justin’s whisper, “Enough. I don’t want to remember it anymore… My failure…”

Then, Annan suddenly woke up.

It was like waking up in a shallow dream.

Annan noticed that he was in the carriage at the moment, leaning against the carriage’s side door, and fell asleep.

He yanked “his” hair hard and pulled a handful of it.

“Blond hair…” Annan murmured and began to check the items with him.

Soon, the curse items’ details invaded his vision:

[The Mouth of Deflagration]

[Type: Weapon/orb (Dark blue)]

[Description: Contains a magic orb imbued with explosive power. After activation, it can seek out the enemy and attack by itself. The attack mode can be switched.]

[Effect: Once a day, place it at a spot to become a magic eye (ward). The maximum charge of the ward is 60. The ward recovers 1 charge every second. You may consume 6 charges to activate “Scorching Sight,” consume 18 charges to activate “Fire Orb,” and consume 60 charges to activate “Deflagration Light.”]

[Cost: When the ward is recovered, the user’s erosion rate will increase by 3%.]

[Fervor]

[Description: The armband contains searing power. You will get burned if you hold it.]

[Type: Accessory/armband (Purple)]

[Effect: Permanently increase the damage of all searing elements and flame elements you cause by 30%. For its active use, you may trigger an explosion by expending this item.]

[Cost: All spells related to the searing and flame elements consume an additional 50% mana value.]

[Venom – Pain Amplification] * 3

[Type: Weapon/throwable object/dagger (Light blue)]

[Description: The aquamarine thin-bladed dagger is exceptionally fragile.]

[Effect: The dagger breaks immediately after attacking. The “Pain Amplification” effect will be applied to the target every three seconds. The effect is equivalent to the Destruction spell of the same name.]

[Cost: Using the dagger to parry, deflect, and block attacks will fail for sure.]

“This wizard is kind of rich.” Annan checked on the three curse vessels above blue rarity and sighed in surprise.

In addition, his robe, gloves, boots, and vest were all curse vessels with minor effects and costs. But these curse vessels were standard equipment. The effect had consistently “provided additional mana value,” so there was no point in diving into the details for the time being.

Even his curse vessel, a bronze ring inlaid with ruby, had additional attributes!

The gems inlaid on it seem to be some kind of high-grade curse vessel. Every day when the sun sets, the accessory would apply “heal minor wounds” on the wizard once. The effect was equivalent to the Idol spell of the same name.

Besides that, Annan also found three reagents in his inner pocket. One of them looked like a frozen Black Fire, and the remaining two were utterly unknown to Annan.

For items that did not contain curses, Annan had no attribute hints provided.

So even Annan himself didn’t know what the other two reagents in the wizard’s possessions were used for.

Moreover, in addition to these curse vessels and potions…

Annan also found a money bag on him.

There was a wad of paper money in it. Annan realized the value was more than 40 pounds with a slight fumble. In the other pocket hanging in the carriage, there were 13 silver coins “loose change.”

What the hell? Is this fellow a noble’s son?

“Why did you provoke him?” Annan had mixed feelings for Justin.

Probably what Justin hunted down before were stray Transcended or poor Transcended.

But this wizard is obviously not an average Joe.

Did you see his equipment and that armband with a terrifying effect?

Annan couldn’t help being thankful, but fortunately, Justin’s hunt was unsuccessful.

But speaking of it, why would Annan play the role of the nightmare owner’s enemy this time?

Annan came into deep thoughts.

As he opened the carriage, he saw four big macho men lying on the ground outside the carriage.

Up to now, two of the four players had woken up.

—It was Delicious Wind Goose and Yiyi.

They struggled to stand up. Annan got off the carriage and helped them off the ground one by one.

After the four players gradually came to their senses, the plot introduction of this dungeon instance slowly appeared in front of them:

[Arthur Searing-Fang is Carney Casting’s recent prey.]

[No wizard irritates more quickly than the Destruction Wizard. The never-ending fierce curse flows through them, and they can’t calm down, nor can they see through the conspiracies of others. Therefore, the Destruction Wizard is the easiest to be hunted among all the wizards.]

[Carney originally wanted to use the “hunt notice ritual” to force the young wizard alone out of the city and then intercept the wizard from outside the city. But his plan was self-defeating: Arthur chose to stay, and he hired four guards. This blatant move incited fear in Carney. Carney realized that Arthur wanted to hunt him down in return.]

[In the end, Carney failed the hunt because of timidity and hesitation at the critical moment.]

[It was precisely because of this failed hunt that interrupted the last part of Carney’s “Slayer” advancement ritual: successfully killed a wizard, a swordsman, a priest, a hunter, a lurker, a male elderly over eighty years old, and a girl under eight years old within a month.]

[But Carney had no chance to try again—he had been wanted by Swamp’s Black Tower and Silver Sire Church.]

[This failed hunt completely changed the trajectory of Kani’s destiny.]

[If he had successfully advanced to silver, someone should be willing to recruit him.]

[But he finally gave up his plan to advance into Silver Rank. Instead, he chose to stay incognito.]

[The soon-to-be-advanced “Slayer” Carney Casting was dead. But the curse hunter Justin, who Carney killed, “came to live” again—]

[“The only failed hunt in my life. But even if I do it again, do I have a chance?”]

After these explanations faded away, new lines of text appeared before Annan again:

[Main mission: End this hunt.]

Immediately, two mission requirements emerged below it:

[End this hunt as soon as possible.]

[Arthur Searing-Fang must survive.]