novelODS Chapter 578 Waiting Period
Chapter 578 Waiting Period
He didn't look at the upgrade prompt, but instead looked at the old man.
The old man leaned back in his chair, his gaze passing through the hall window to the darkening sky outside. The last rays of sunset were fading, leaving only a dark purple line on the horizon. His expression was calm, but something was swirling in his eyes, like the complex emotions of a senior watching a junior embark on a journey—a mixture of relief and reluctance.
"A first-tier main city is different from here," the old man said, his voice lower than before, as if afraid of disturbing something.
"Although Starmoon City is a level-two main city, it is located inland and there are no strong hostile forces around it. The most dangerous enemies you will encounter here are magical beasts and wild monsters."
"The first-tier main city is on the border."
The old man's gaze shifted from the window to Lin Tian's face. His eyes reflected the candlelight, and also a profound weight.
"That's the front line. They've been fighting against all races for years. Orcs, elves, abyssal beings, undead—these aren't just wild monsters or magical beasts; they're civilizations. They have their own armies, their own tactics, and their own strategic objectives."
"They have been fighting humans on the border for thousands of years, and every inch of the land is soaked in blood."
"You will no longer have the chance for a one-on-one duel. Your opponent will not play by the rules, will not wait for you to be ready, and will not give you the option of a fair fight."
"Are you ready?"
The old man's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the air and into Lin Tian's ears.
Lin Tian looked at him and nodded calmly.
"I see."
Two words: unhurried and unhurried.
The old man saw the answer in Lin Tian's eyes. It wasn't the impulsiveness of youth, nor the fearlessness of the unknown, but a calm, resolute gaze—a gaze that knew what it had to face yet still chose to move forward. He had seen that kind of gaze before, in the few who truly went very far.
The old man didn't say anything more.
He simply waved his hand, as if shooing away a passing mosquito, or as if saying goodbye.
"Go. I will inform you when the guide arrives."
Lin Tian stood up, the chair shifting slightly on the carpet without making a sound. He then gently pushed the chair back into its place.
He turned and walked toward the entrance of the council chamber.
His boots clicked on the carpet without a sound. The candlelight cast a long shadow on the wall behind him.
As I walked out the door, the old man behind me suddenly said:
"The enemies in a level 1 main city are not wild monsters."
Lin Tian stopped and turned his head.
The old man's voice came from behind, deep and clear: "They are people just like you."
Lin Tian was silent for a second.
"I know."
He stepped out of the council chamber, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the porch.
Behind him, the old man stared at the empty door, sitting quietly for a long time. The candlelight flickered, casting shifting light on his face. He didn't move, nor did he speak again; he simply sat there like a statue.
......
While waiting for the guide, Lin Tian did not sit idle.
He cleared through the maps of the high-level monster areas surrounding Starmoon City, one by one. Those level 70 to 75 elite monsters fell in droves before him, like wheat being harvested.
Experience points are steadily increasing.
The frozen canyon to the northeast of the city spawns level 75 Frost Giants, larger than Ice Armor Rhinoceroses, wielding battle axes formed from condensed ice crystals, each strike capable of cleaving through the frozen ground. But these power-type monsters are utterly outmatched by Lin Tian—they're simply too slow.
The Star Ray pierced the head of the first Frost Giant from a hundred meters away. White icy liquid gushed from the wound, condensing into ice crystals in the air. The giant's body froze in place, still in an axe-wielding posture, before its entire body began to crack from the head, turning into shards of ice scattered all over the ground.
The second giant charged from the side, its battle axe slashing horizontally. Lin Tian dodged to the side, the axe blade grazing his clothes before striking the rock wall behind him, blasting a three-meter-long crack. Without turning around, he flicked his left hand backward, and the compressed energy of [Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Pull] exploded directly inside the giant's chest cavity, tearing its body apart from the inside.
White hovered in the air, its ice dragon breath continuously spewing forth, freezing the other three giants who were trying to flank it in place. Celia moved through the shadows, her Shadow Thorns precisely piercing the joints of the frozen giants, killing them instantly.
In less than half an hour, he had cleared out the giant spawn point in the Frozen Canyon.
The "Wraith Graveyard" in the west of the city. It is inhabited by a large number of level 72 Wraith Mages and Ghost Guardians. Physical attacks are halved in their effectiveness, but Lin Tian's Star Power is exactly what counters undead units.
As he stepped into the cemetery, a grayish-white mist surged in from all directions, and countless eerie blue lights shone within it—the eyes of vengeful spirits. A dozen or so vengeful spirit sorcerers simultaneously raised their bone staffs, unleashing a rain of shadow arrows from every direction.
Lin Tian didn't dodge. He raised his right hand, and the repulsive force of [Shinra Tensei] exploded outwards from him, scattering the shadow arrows in mid-air and turning them into nothingness. The three closest vengeful spirit mages were hit head-on by the repulsive force, their bodies blown away like pieces of paper, crashing into the tombstones and falling apart.
Little White swooped down from the sky, its breath sweeping across the ground, freezing the mist into ice crystals that fell to the ground. The vengeful spirits were corroded by the cold air, frost forming on their bodies, drastically reducing their movement speed.
Celia appeared behind the necromancer. Her succubus talent gave her a certain advantage against the undead—shadow energy dealt increased damage to undead units. She inserted her slender fingers into the back of a necromancer's neck, shadow energy flowing from her fingertips. The necromancer's body trembled violently twice before melting like a candle.
After clearing the graveyard, Lin Tian also cleared a hidden dungeon deep within it. The final boss of the dungeon was a level 75 undead knight with a large health bar and the ability to summon minions, but Lin Tian defeated it with just three skill combinations.
[System Notification: Congratulations on clearing the hidden dungeon "Wraith's Tomb" with an SSS rating. You have gained 11,200,000 experience points and obtained the equipment "Undead Knight's Shoulderpads" (S-rank).]
He tossed the shoulder armor into his backpack and moved on to the next area.
Lin Tian was like a tireless machine, repeating the cycle of "leaving the city - clearing monsters - clearing the dungeon - returning to the city" every day. Celia and Xiaobai followed him, their coordination becoming more and more tacit, forming a perfect battle formation with almost no commands.
......
Lin Tian had just emerged from a level 60 dungeon. The dungeon's level was too low for him, but the rewards at the entrance were decent, so he'd done it without hesitation. The experience points were few, but every little bit helps.
As soon as I stepped out of the instance entrance, the communication light came on.