Eternal Night Guild, third floor.

Zhou Huai sat on the edge of the bed.

He slowly raised his right hand.

An ancient scroll, glowing with golden radiance, quietly floated above his palm.

The scroll's material was neither metal nor jade, warm to the touch, yet exuded an unparalleled sharp and formidable aura.

This was the S-Class Second Advancement Scroll that the System rewarded Yasuo after he completed his advancement challenge.

In the bottom right corner of the scroll, a line of golden characters, written in a flowing Dragon and Phoenix style, was branded.

“Yasuo Exclusive.”

“Use before LV35.”

No trace of joy from acquiring a treasure could be seen on Zhou Huai's face.

His gaze was calm, but a hint of caution lay deep within his eyes.

Possessing this scroll did not mean Yasuo could immediately complete his advancement.

It was more like a key.

A key to unlock a higher difficulty challenge.

Once used, the scroll would drag Yasuo into an exclusive advancement dungeon.

Only by passing the trials within the dungeon could he truly complete the promotion.

At that time, Yasuo's Profession grade would have the opportunity to leap from S-Class to SS-Class.

His strength would undergo an earth-shattering transformation.

High rewards also meant high risks.

Zhou Huai had specifically looked up information regarding Second Advancement scrolls.

On the official forums, countless Professionals, through lessons learned with blood and tears, had compiled a success rate statistic.

The most common C-Class Second Advancement Scroll had a success rate of about thirty percent.

By B-Class, this number plummeted to twenty percent.

For A-Class, it was a pitiful ten percent.

As for the success rate of S-Class Second Advancement Scrolls, there was no data.

A blank slate.

There were two reasons.

Firstly, the number of S-Class Second Advancement Scrolls was simply too rare.

Looking across the entire world, perhaps only a few could be found.

Secondly, S-Class Professionals already stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid, an existence countless people looked up to.

No one would be foolish enough to gamble their life on such a vague possibility.

After all, the price of failing a Second Advancement was death.

Therefore, if Yasuo could succeed in this challenge.

He would become the first S-Class Professional in this world to complete a Second Advancement in history.

This also explained why Gandalf and Moria, also SS-Class, did not trigger advancement challenge quests.

Their starting point was too high.

The difficulty of their Second Advancement would likely reach an inconceivable level.

The System would not issue a sure-death quest at this stage.

Their advancement challenges would very likely only activate after Level 50, or even Level 60.

So, the question was.

Would Yasuo use this scroll?

The answer was yes.

The greatest advantage of a Clone was not fearing death.

Death was merely a twenty-four-hour cooldown period.

However, the opportunity for an S-Class Second Advancement was only once.

Once it failed, this scroll would completely disappear.

Yasuo would also permanently lose the possibility of advancing to SS-Class.

Therefore, full preparations had to be made.

Since the scroll stated it must be used before Level 35.

Then, the challenge should be activated # Nоvеlight # at Level 34.

Utilize this time to enhance Yasuo's strength as much as possible.

It would be best if he could forge more legendary equipment suitable for Yasuo.

Having figured this out, Zhou Huai retrieved the golden scroll into his storage space.

To be used later.

Now, he had another, more important matter to attend to.

Zhou Huai slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the scene before him was no longer the familiar bedroom.

His consciousness had already descended into Moria's body.

...

Eternal Night Guild, basement.

The air was filled with a damp, mixed scent of blood and rust.

A dim, yellow incandescent lamp hung in the center of the ceiling, emitting a “sizzling” electrical sound, making the entire space flicker between light and dark.

Dark red, dried bloodstains still remained on the cold stone walls.

This was no longer the room where Nakamura Shin'ichirō was interrogated.

Instead, it was the “VIP room” specially prepared for Luo Ming.

At this moment, this Prodigy of the Tianyu Guild, lay sprawled like a dead dog on the damp, cold ground.

His two arms, which had once cast countless malicious curses, were twisted outwards at a strange angle, clearly indicating that all the bones were shattered.

Zhou Huai, controlling Moria, walked expressionlessly to the corner.

He picked up a bucket of ice water that had been prepared long ago, and without hesitation, fiercely splashed it onto Luo Ming's face.

“Splash—!”

The biting ice water instantly jolted the unconscious Luo Ming awake.

He shivered violently, his consciousness clearing a bit.

Immediately after, a piercing, bone-deep pain shot through his arms, making him gasp for air.

“Hiss... that really f*cking hurts...”

He struggled to move his eyeballs, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where the hell... is this again?”

Finally, his gaze fell upon the chair not far away.

The tall, silver-haired man, whose face was shrouded in shadow, sat quietly there, his silver eyes watching him without any emotion.

Seeing this face, Luo Ming's expression showed no panic.

He even grinned, revealing an ugly smile mixed with blood foam.

“You... you didn't kill me.”

“Do you have some purpose?”

He gasped, and continued in a mocking tone.

“You're not trying to kidnap me, are you?”

“I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, I don't have any money, but I do have a million or so in gambling debts outside.”

At this point, Luo Ming actually burst into “hahaha” laughter.

The laughter was wild and unrestrained, echoing in the empty basement, sounding particularly grating.

As he laughed, he started coughing violently, and more blood foam gushed from his mouth.

He took a few deep breaths, finally managing to steady his breathing, and then looked up at Moria again.

“So, if you want to kill me, to avenge your parents or siblings, please do it quickly.”

“If I could have a couple of drinks before I die, that would be even better.”

“I would be eternally grateful.”

Zhou Huai calmly watched his stubborn demeanor, and slowly spoke.

His voice was cold, without a hint of emotion.

“Don't worry.”

“Until I figure some things out, I won't let you die.”

Upon hearing this, a subtle glint flashed in Luo Ming's eyes.

He struggled to move his body, leaning his back against the cold wall, forcing himself to sit up.

“Oh?”

“Then tell me, what do you want to know?”

Zhou Huai was silent for two seconds, seemingly organizing his words.

Then, he spoke directly.

“Five years ago, the Zhou Family suffered an attack.”

“Zhou Feng's wife died tragically, and his son became a crippled invalid.”

Moria's silver eyes locked onto Luo Ming's face, not missing any subtle change in his expression.

“Were you involved in that attack?”

“Was the Sun Family behind you?”

Upon hearing this question, Luo Ming was first stunned.

Immediately after, his expression became extremely strange.

That strangeness was a mixture of shock, absurdity, and an indescribable mockery.

Finally, all expressions turned into an even more frantic burst of laughter.

“Haha... Hahahahaha!”

“After all this... you're actually here for this!”

He laughed so hard he swayed back and forth, his body trembling constantly from the violent movements, pulling at the wounds on his arms, making him grimace in pain.

But he continued to laugh.

After laughing for a long time, he finally stopped, raised his blood-stained face, and looked at Moria with eyes that seemed to be looking at an idiot.

“I think you've definitely got the wrong person.”

“Because I wasn't involved in that matter at all.”