Chapter 60: Flowing Light and Dense Realm

Outside the shelter, the corpses of exotic beasts were piling up into mounds, staining the very soil red. Sophia stood in shock at the scene before her.

During the first wave of the cataclysm, her family guild had suffered over ninety percent casualties while trying to fend off the beast tide. The scene back then was completely different; the bodies of players far outnumbered those of the exotic beasts.

But now... Sophia found it hard to believe her eyes, especially when she saw the numerous pieces of equipment scattered on the ground.

[Shadow Chase Boots]

[Grade: Advanced Three-Star]

[Description: These boots are made from the hide of a creature known as the Lightning Mink, granting the wearer increased speed and agility, making it easier to navigate through battles...]

[Frost Shield]

[Grade: Advanced Four-Star]

[Description: Crafted from permafrost stones buried underground for a century, the surface is smooth and lustrous. It offers excellent defensive capabilities, effectively resisting significant physical attacks and reflecting some degree of magical attacks, thus protecting the user from fatal harm.]

…

A multitude of equipment lay before Sophia, causing her heart to surge with excitement. She couldn't help but murmur, "Oh my god...Why is there so much equipment dropping? Could it be that the exotic beasts from the second wave of the cataclysm are more ferocious, leading to an increase in equipment drops?"

A quick glance revealed that the lowest-grade equipment was advanced, with even a few rare-grade items among them.

Having survived the first wave of the cataclysm, Sophia found this unbelievable. Her family guild had also killed many exotic beasts previously, but only a dozen pieces of equipment had dropped. Now, with hundreds or even thousands of items before her, she couldn't help but suspect that this had something to do with the man in front of her...

Just as Sophia was about to ask something, she saw Irving helping the partly recovered Vicky to her feet. He said in a deep voice, "Alright, this should mark the end of the second wave of the cataclysm. However, this weather will likely persist for some time."

"Let's clean up the battlefield quickly." Irving suggested as he guided Vicky back into the shelter to rest. He then walked towards the chaotic ruins ahead.

Although the freezing rain had stopped and the clouds overhead showed signs of dispersing, the temperature remained around minus twenty degrees Celsius.

Heaters weren't very effective outdoors, so Irving lit several bonfires for warmth and quickly began to gather the equipment scattered on the ground.

Sophia followed closely behind him, and they busied themselves for nearly an hour.

In total, they collected: Advanced equipment: 372 pieces, Rare equipment: 23 pieces, numerous materials dropped from the exotic beasts, such as [Frost Bear Fur] and [Swift Wolf Teeth]…

These materials had many uses, but they all shared a common trait: they could be used to upgrade equipment.

The higher the grade of the exotic beast, the greater the success rate of upgrading equipment with its materials.

However, these materials weren't of much use to Irving. He casually selected a few suitable and lightweight pieces of armor from the collected equipment, then turned to Sophia and said, "See if there's anything you need among these. Take whatever you like."

"Take anything you'd like…" Sophia hadn't yet recovered from her initial shock. These high-grade and, in some cases, rare-grade pieces of equipment would instantly spark a bidding war if posted in the forum trading section.

Every single piece of equipment they'd just picked up was something most players could only dream of owning. Their value, to the average person, was astronomical!

But the man in front of her seemed to care little for their worth…

"Fine...Thank you." Sophia glanced at Irving, and from the pile, she selected a one-star rare-grade staff and two pieces of three-star advanced lightweight armor.

As a mage, lighter armor was always better. After all, they weren't close-combat classes and mostly relied on ranged attacks in battle.

[Cold Frost Staff]

[Grade: Rare One-Star]

[Description: This staff, carved from crystals buried in the coldest realms, enhances the elemental affinity of ice mages, increasing the power and effects of their skills.]

[Additional Skill: Frost Shield- Basic (In times of crisis, the staff will quickly form a temporary Frost Shield, reducing damage taken by the player. The shield also has certain freezing effects, slowing down enemy attack speed).]

Only an ice mage like Sophia could use the [Cold Frost Staff], which matched her abilities perfectly. She couldn't let go of the staff she had just received. But when her gaze fell on Irving, in addition to gratitude, there was deep confusion in her eyes. She couldn't help asking, "Did something feel off to you about this beast tide?"

"Off?" Irving smiled, "What feels off?"

"The drop rate for these pieces of equipment seems too high…" Sophia continued, "When I was cleaning up the battlefield, I counted. On average, every two exotic beasts would drop a piece of equipment, and they are all at least advanced-grade ones. I remember that the drop rate for equipment should be quite low, right?"

If the system had increased the drop rate, there should have been prompt notifications. The abnormal situation made her suspicious.

"Maybe I'm just lucky." Irving shrugged off with a smile. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He knew better than anyone else that this had a direct relationship with his inherent ability - [Tenfold Drop Rate]. However, this secret was something he would never reveal to anyone.

Sophia was clearly dissatisfied with this answer but couldn't find any grounds for rebuttal at the moment. After all, the more equipment that dropped, the better it was, regardless of the circumstances.

Ding! At this moment, both Irving and Sophia heard a crisp system notification.

[The second wave of the cataclysm has ended, extreme weather will automatically dissipate in 24 hours...]

[Congratulations to the survivors for successfully passing the test!]

Every player in the game received the same system notification at the same time. Many were overjoyed, some knelt on the ground and wailed, while others fainted from the excitement...

By now, the shelters in the game had already turned into a mess, littered with corpses and severed limbs. Among these, besides the exotic beasts, were also the bodies of many players.

"Fantastic, absolutely fantastic! We've finally made it through!"

"The losses this time are heavy, but no matter what, we're still breathing and the shelter is still here!" The cheers of the surviving players echoed in every corner of the game world.

Although most of the players were badly injured, with some even having a ghastly wound slashed open in their abdomen, revealing their writhing intestines, they didn't feel it because of the cold weather. Their faces were plastered with smiles.

To survive was the greatest fortune amidst the disaster!

There were many shelters that didn't even withstand the first wave of attack, being massacred by the powerful exotic beasts in the darkness and extreme cold, not even knowing how they died.

However, just as all the players were celebrating their survival, they received another notification from the Blue Star Will.

[Two rounds of catastrophe have eliminated more than 80% of players! More slots are being issued...]

[For players to have better survival skills, Blue Star Will will open the Flowing Light and Dense Realm after 48 hours!]

[Tips about 'Flowing Light and Dense Realm': A special location temporarily opened in the Other World, where players can obtain a large amount of rare equipment, rare materials, and even treasures! However, opportunities come with challenges. The secret realm is also full of unknown dangers. The players who survive in the end will receive special rewards from Blue Star Will!]

All players received this message. Many became excited, as equipment plays a crucial role in the Other World Game, possibly determining the outcome of a battle, even life and death.

The limited-time open 'Flowing Light and Dense Realm' is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most players.

Blue Star Will did not limit the number of players entering the secret realm, which means that guilds could form teams to enter it, greatly enhancing their combat and survival capabilities.

All the players in the game were stirred up, the joy on their faces even made them forget about the disaster they'd just experienced.

However, the system notification did not end there... The sky, originally shrouded in dark clouds, suddenly lit up with streaks of flowing lights.

"What is that?" Sophia asked in confusion.

Even Irving furrowed his brows, but the next moment he saw those golden flowing lights falling quickly, disappearing into his body.

Immediately, he felt a user interface automatically pop up before his eyes.

[Irving]

[Occupation: Undead Summoner]

[Novice, Lv: 3]

[Talent: Tenfold Drop Rate]

[Equipment: Evil Source Wand - Legendary, Five-star, Ice Crystal Heart Robe - Rare Three-star, Frost Step Cloud Boots - Rare Three-star]

[Hidden Identity: Public Enemy Number One!]

[…]

The content in the introduction was simple, but Irving's heart trembled. His gaze fell on the level column, and his face became complicated.