Chapter Forty: The Joint Examination—The Golden Great Wasteland

“What should I do this month?” According to school regulations, the main class is held once every two months, and during the intervening month, although there aren’t many restrictions, entering dungeons is generally not permitted in principle.

The month between major classes is mainly for handling personal affairs and practicing various professional and weapon skills. These skills are closely tied to personal strength and are extremely important; there’s hardly any time to practice them inside dungeons, so after the main class, it’s time to train.

However, the restriction isn’t absolute. The rule is mainly for safety, but if you have a secure channel, you can still enter. For example, if your family has a private dungeon, you can enter under the protection of your elders.

Other than that, it’s best not to enter any public dungeons. Public dungeons belong to the city hall; anyone who hasn’t been admitted to the academy or has graduated can enter, as long as they pay a fee. There are no requirements, so naturally it’s a mixed bag inside.

No one will protect you there. People fight fiercely for boss kills and various benefits, and deaths are common. Students like them have no advantage inside; if a conflict arises, no one will save you if you die.

“Should I practice weapon skills?” Chu Cheng glanced at the panel full of basic skills and scratched his head.

“Let’s practice. If money runs low, I’ll earn more, but I can’t waste time.”

As before, he customized a high-level room for 25 silver a day.

This time, the weapon skills he trained weren’t daggers, one-handed swords, or firearms, but one-handed axes, gauntlets, and throwing weapons.

If, as last month, his growth was as rapid as if cheating, then a month would be just enough to raise these three skills to proficiency.

He replaced his basic weapons, disabled skills, and relied solely on technique to face opponents.

Now, his base strength was much higher than last month, and his basic attack was too strong. This time, he equipped level-one training weapons, plain white-board types with attack power of 1-1, to minimize damage and avoid killing the summoned monsters too quickly.

Days passed, his money dwindled, but his weapon skills improved steadily.

In just twenty-eight days, spending seven gold, all three weapon skills advanced to proficiency.

Additionally, as all three were dual-wielding combat styles, his dual-weapon skill proficiency soared, leaving him just a step away from expert level. A few more days of practice next month should see him promoted.

Thus, altogether, he now had seven weapon skills at proficiency, with only archery still at basic level.

Chu Cheng planned to practice several more weapon skills next month, including shield skills, various dual weapons, polearms, exotic weapons, and so on, aiming for mastery in all weapons and the coveted title of Weapon Master.

This is a legendary title, requiring mastery of all weapon skills at master level.

Its effects are a 50% reduction in all weapon equipment requirements and 100% bonus to damage—extremely powerful.

Only someone with a golden finger, whose skill proficiency grows as if cheating, would dare dream of such a title; others wouldn’t even consider it.

Leaving the training grounds and returning to his dormitory, he received a notice from his homeroom teacher:

“The joint assessment begins the day after tomorrow. If you need to prepare, now’s the time.”

“Understood!”

After a quick wash, Chu Cheng opened the flea market and bought three bottles of advanced healing potion at forty silver each.

This potion instantly restores seven hundred health points, with a two-minute cooldown.

That is, during these two minutes, taking another healing potion—of any type—will have no effect, due to the so-called drug resistance.

Potions plus bandages should be sufficient for recovery.

He then spent two silver to purchase information on the Golden Wasteland dungeon.

Two days later, at the teleportation plaza.

The entire class gathered at the center of the plaza, beneath a portal taller than the others. After Assistant Instructor Liu Weifei announced the basics and precautions of the dungeon, the students queued up to enter.

Soon it was Chu Cheng’s turn. He stepped into the portal and a dizzying sensation enveloped him...

Entering the world of chaos...

Anchoring domain selected...

Beginning assimilation of character and chaos domain rules...

Entering anchored Golden Wasteland domain...

Time: Year 3560 of the Chaos Calendar, April 26.

Location: Golden Great Wasteland, Cross Fortress.

Additional note: This scenario is an anchored order scene; damage between arrivals will be reduced by 50%. Arrivals can check personal attributes at any time via the chaos mark.

Tip: You have gained the temporary skill ‘Insight,’ which allows you to view target status. The scope depends on the difference in perception.

Tip: Your appearance has been adjusted and will automatically revert upon returning to the main world.

.....

White light flashed, and his vision cleared. A towering spire wrapped in colorful light appeared before Chu Cheng.

“A wizard’s tower!” Chu Cheng looked up in awe, murmuring softly.

Cross Fortress lies at the very center of the Golden Great Wasteland, the core hub of the human kingdom’s rule over this land. The kingdom stations several thousand regular troops here, and a powerful extraordinary wizard has built a wizard's tower, its power radiating across most of the wasteland.

According to his collected information, the Golden Great Wasteland is one of the academy’s five medium-sized dungeons, ranking at the bottom in terms of size and power among them.

But it is still a mid-level dungeon.

Within are several extraordinary beings above level fifty, and many level thirty or forty terrifying template bosses.

The final boss of the Black Sail Pirates, the terrifying Black Sail Pirate King, wouldn’t even rank in the top ten here.

“No one wander off.”

“Zhang Ning, come back.”

The assistant instructor’s voice called out from time to time. Once everyone had gathered, Liu Weifei led them off the plaza, down one of the main roads.

Their teleportation point was probably at the fortress’s center, a crossroads, with four main roads extending outward. There were many pedestrians, not only humans but numerous other races as well.

Tall, green-skinned orcs, horned minotaurs, wild boarmen, goblins, halflings, and more.

The students curiously observed these other races, who in turn regarded them with equal curiosity.

“Everyone, stay together. We’re heading to our base.”

Liu Weifei led them down a main road, walking several kilometers in nearly half an hour, until a tall, thick city gate tower came into view.

Beside the gate tower stood a castle surrounded by high walls, designed much like the one in Coastal Town from the Black Sail dungeon; this was Class Five’s gathering point at Cross Fortress.

Though called a fortress, Cross Fortress isn’t purely military—it’s also a city, home to many civilians. It serves as the capital of the human kingdom in the Golden Great Wasteland, overseeing several towns and dozens of villages, with a population of over a hundred thousand.