With the Holy Grail + Shattered Thunder, things have indeed gotten much more convenient.
The Holy Grail's mana recovery of 943 points per second is still a bit tight.
When killing monsters, Zhang Yue releases Shattered Thunder on low-health targets, ensuring they're on the brink of death, then finishes them off with other skills.
Instantly restores 10% of max mana: 9,434 points.
Essentially, the mana consumed during battle is completely replenished.
This feeling? Simply unbeatable!
Going forward, running out of mana shouldn't be an issue anymore.
Additionally, with the Thunder Ring, an epic-grade treasure that increases Thunder-type skill damage by 100%, Zhang Yue's damage output has also significantly improved.
The damage of Thunderclap, Thunderstorm, Lightning and Thunder, and Shattered Thunder has noticeably increased.
Especially with the Lightning and Thunder, an SS-grade rare AoE skill added to his arsenal, Zhang Yue's monster-clearing capability has significantly escalated.
Usually, after one Thunderclap, charged up three layers with lightning amplifications, combined with Lightning and Thunder, the two thunder-based AoE skills can cripple dozens of elite monsters in an area.
Then he wraps things up effortlessly with Necromantic Storm + Hell's Judgment!
Unknowingly, the entire night passed.
Although Xu Aiguo wanted to witness this "miracle" firsthand, he ultimately couldn't keep up with the younger generation and gave in to exhaustion.
Rather than staying up all night, it would've been better if he had just gone offline with his secretary last night to book a hotel room, watched some TV, or played poker. How satisfying would that have been?
Of course, Xu Aiguo privately arranged for someone to keep watch near the Gate of Eternity as well.
———
10 a.m.
Concerned that his secretary might've felt cold sleeping alone last night, Xu Aiguo had shared the bed with her, wrapping her in his arms for warmth. However, his sweet dreams were interrupted by a ringing phone.
"Boss, so far, no one has come out of the Gate of Eternity!"
Initially irritated at being woken, Xu Aiguo's mood instantly brightened upon hearing the news.
"Alright, got it. Keep monitoring and report any updates immediately."
Hanging up, Xu Aiguo leaned against the bed, lit a cigarette, and smiled smugly.
"It's been over 24 hours. Looks like it's confirmed—Zero is dead!"
Xu Aiguo couldn't wait to share the good news with Inoue Amano from Eastern Nation and claim credit for his achievement.
———
Meanwhile, on the other side.
In Dragon City, the capital of the Dragon Nation.
At the headquarters of the Empire Guild, inside Chairman Ice Emperor's office.
Chairman Ice Emperor was watching a news report on a projection screen.
"At 11:12 a.m. yesterday, Ling Ao, Chairman of the Tianjing Glory Guild, was found dead in his office. Investigations concluded that his cause of death was suicide via an overdose of sleeping pills…"
Just then, a Guildor knocked and entered to report:
"Chairman Ice, as per your orders, I investigated. Based on eyewitness accounts and the timeline, it's been over 24 hours since Zero entered the Gate of Eternity, and there's still no sign of him coming out."
The Guildor looked sorrowful and regretful:
"It's highly likely that Zero has already fallen…"
Ice Emperor's brows furrowed tightly.
"I've entered the Gate of Eternity myself. With Zero's strength, the gate in the eleventh realm should never have been able to trap him."
"Unless someone tampered with the Gate of Eternity, deliberately increasing its difficulty."
The Guildor continued, "Additionally, Chairman Ice, there's more!"
"As per your instructions, I traced Vice Chairman Xu's movements. After leaving the Guild headquarters yesterday morning, he went to Tianjing. His final confirmed location was the Glory Guild headquarters."
"About half an hour later, Vice Chairman Xu left Glory Guild by car. Shortly after, the news broke of Ling Ao's death."
Pausing, the Guildor pondered aloud, "It's said Ling Ao had been deeply depressed since the death of his daughter, and his wife's subsequent suicide. He hadn't managed Guild affairs at all. His suicide seems understandable. But what I don't get is—why did he choose the exact timeframe after Vice Chairman Xu's visit to kill himself?"
Ice Emperor seemed to have seen through everything.
He casually remarked, "A smokescreen."
"If people found out his death was due to cardiac paralysis, what would they think?"
"Cardiac paralysis…" The Guildor froze. "Anyone who reveals secrets about the Gate of Eternity dies of cardiac paralysis."
Ice Emperor nodded.
"He used sleeping pills to cover up the true cause of his death."
"Looks like I was right. Ling Ao leaked secrets about the Gate of Eternity, which led to someone tampering with the gate to target Zero!"
The Guildor was bewildered.
"But why would Ling Ao target Zero?"
Just as they spoke, another Guildor entered.
"Chairman Ice, my contacts in Tianjing personally saw Vice Chairman Xu near the Gate of Eternity. Furthermore, as per your instructions, during Xu's absence from the Guild, I had his office computer searched. We found a deleted, encrypted document!"
"Although it was deleted, our tech team restored it. It contained correspondence between Vice Chairman Xu and an encrypted contact. While the content couldn't be recovered, we tracked the contact's IP address to Eastern Nation!"
Another Guildor was utterly shocked.
"Vice… Vice Chairman Xu is… a traitor?"
Ice Emperor wasn't surprised at all.
"So, the real rat has been hiding right under my nose all along."
"Xu Aiguo… What an ironic name. And what a deeply hidden traitor you are."
The Guildor asked, "Chairman Ice, should we immediately arrest Xu Aiguo on charges of treason?"
"No rush," Ice Emperor said calmly.
"This is a big fish! Don't startle him. He has immense value."
"Eastern Nation intends to use Xu Aiguo as a wedge to breach our nation's defenses and invade us while we're vulnerable."
"Well, I'll make sure they understand the price of infringing on Dragon Nation's territory."
The killing intent in Ice Emperor's eyes sent chills down the spines of the two Guildors.
The last time they saw Chairman Ice this enraged was years ago.
But the next second, Ice Emperor sighed deeply.
"Poor Zero! If only I'd discovered Xu Aiguo's treachery earlier, he wouldn't have…"
The two Guildors were filled with regret.
"Indeed. Zero had just won great glory for us at the Professional Championship, a hero in the eyes of the nation, and a rare prodigy in decades."
"The hope of our nation's future… yet he was destroyed by one of our own…"
After a long silence, Ice Emperor solemnly instructed:
"Find Zero's family. Offer extra protection to civilians, and prioritize cultivating the professionals among them!"
"Yes, Chairman Ice."
———
11 a.m.
A major news report was broadcast nationwide:
"Our nation's top-ranked player, Zero, entered the eleventh realm of the Gate of Eternity yesterday. As of now, he has not returned. Preliminary conclusions indicate that Zero has died…"
The entire nation mourned.
Then, at around 12 noon, Zhang Yue stepped out of the Gate of Eternity—
Only to discover that a memorial service for him was scheduled for the next morning in Dragon City.
"Damn it! I just went into a dungeon. Who the hell said I died?"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y