Split Mist Town.

Fourth Floor of the Underground Ruins, Lich King World.

GLUG... GLUG...

Deep within the Death Swamp, bubbles of toxic miasma occasionally rose from the murk and burst.

Soul-type Undead drifted through the ghostly mist.

Using Thousand Streams·Gale Step, Zorn the Fighting Master advanced through the swamp, continuously tearing apart one wandering Soul-type Undead after another with his Vigorous Qi Hand.

For other Transcendents,

the Death Swamp was extremely dangerous. Once caught in its mire, it was nearly impossible to escape.

But for Zorn, whose Thousand Streams·Gale Step was already Level 1, walking here was like strolling on solid ground.

As he tore apart the Soul-type Undead, he scanned his surroundings, hoping to find a Level 3 or even a Level 4 elite Evil Spirit Beldam.

He needed to kill an Evil Spirit Beldam and harvest its Banshee Soul.

After offering it to the Banshee Tombstone to summon and defeat the "Banshee’s Tree of the Undead,"

he would be able to enter the next phase and explore the final Chapter of the ancient undead of the Witch Lich King.

For the sake of this ultimate hidden quest on the fourth floor,

Zorn had already been wandering here for several days.

Of course, wandering here wasn’t just a waste of time.

Every day, Zorn accumulated the breakthrough power for both his Fighting Master and Evil Spirit Wizard classes through combat.

Combat!

The key to a Fighting Master’s breakthrough.

Slaughter!

The key to an Evil Spirit Wizard’s breakthrough.

Fighting and killing here effectively enhanced his progress toward a breakthrough in both aspects.

Zorn could feel that he was about to advance to Level 4.

It could happen in the next second, or when he defeated the "Banshee’s Tree of the Undead," or perhaps when he confronted the ancient "Witch Demon King Heroic Spirit."

As Zorn fought in the dark, quiet depths of the undead mist,

the mist stirred silently, as if an invisible figure was approaching.

Just as Zorn tore apart another Level 2 undead banshee,

a Bronze-Color Dagger tapped lightly against his back from an exceedingly tricky angle.

It seemed like a light tap, but if it truly connected, it would have torn right through Zorn’s Gang Qi.

Zorn seemed to anticipate the surprise attack as if he were a Prophet.

He ducked slightly, deftly dodging the blow, then pivoted and whipped his left leg around like a steel chain.

It was just an ordinary Gang Qi sweep, yet it held the explosive power of a Giant Dragon’s tail lash.

The ambushing Assassin extended his right arm, which was wreathed in a faint blue halo.

"Block!"

It was one of the most incredible Skills in the Assassin Sequence.

A skilled Assassin could use it to block many powerful attacks.

The Gang Qi sweep collided with the Block.

BOOM!

A visible ripple of Energy spread outwards.

The ambushing Assassin retreated several steps, dissipating the force of Zorn’s blow.

"Such incredible strength. No wonder you could fight the Rat King Knight for hours."

"Your Gang Qi is also the most powerful I’ve ever seen from a Fighting Master."

The Assassin was completely enveloped in a hooded robe and shrouded in a dense grey mist. His voice was coarse and raspy.

It was none other than the Level 5 Undead Assassin Tutor from the Fog Zone.

Zorn’s Fighting Master Sequence was the SS-Level Star Trace Fighter, so his Star Trace Gang Qi was naturally of the highest caliber.

"There’s more where that came from. Want to see?"

Zorn said with a grin, cracking his knuckles.

"Hmph!"

The Level 5 Undead Assassin Tutor raised an eyebrow.

"Fine by me!"

Zorn rushed forward with Thousand Streams·Gale Step, unleashing Shattering Spirit·Skull-Splitting Fist.

Accompanied by a powerful gust of wind from his fists, the Shattering Spirit·Skull-Splitting Fist rained down like a meteor shower, striking with incredible speed.

But the Level 5 Undead Assassin Tutor was always able to counter Zorn’s attacks by blocking, parrying, and dodging.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

Even though Zorn’s assault was ferocious,

the Undead Assassin Tutor still managed to counter and neutralize his attacks with ease.

For a while, the two were locked in a fierce, almost gleeful, battle in the depths of the grey mist.

Over the past few days, while Zorn was doing the hidden quest in the Lich King World on the fourth floor,

he had encountered this Level 5 Undead Assassin Tutor several times.

Of course, they had never actually met face-to-face.

Every time the Undead Assassin Tutor ran into Zorn the Fighting Master, he would avoid him ahead of time.

This time, since they were in the same area, the Undead Assassin Tutor had crept up to test Zorn’s strength.

It was just a simple exchange of blows, but Zorn already felt an extraordinary change.

As a professional Undead Assassin Tutor, "Rosian," within the game world,

he possessed an extremely special Talent: any Skill in his hands would quickly reach the max Level 3.

He could even break past the original level restrictions, reaching Level 4 or even Level 5.

Coupled with the fact that he had a boss template,

this Undead Assassin Tutor possessed an unfathomable depth of power.

And as a Tutor,

he possessed a very powerful Ability to "teach" and "guide."

He could rapidly increase Players’ proficiency by sparring with them.

He could also use his guidance to help Players break through to the next level. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

’This Tutor must have sensed that I was having trouble breaking through,’ Zorn guessed. ’That’s why he ambushed me, to guide me into a fight and help my Fighting Master class break through in combat.’

’And he is, without a doubt, a very outstanding and qualified Tutor.’

As soon as they began to fight, Zorn faintly felt his level barrier loosening.

The more he fought, the stronger Zorn felt the momentum of his impending breakthrough.

Zorn had already accumulated enough breakthrough power for his Fighting Master class.

Now, with the Tutor’s guidance, that accumulation was undergoing a qualitative change. The breakthrough was imminent.

After they had fought for over ten minutes,

Zorn launched another full-force, powerful attack combo, then suddenly pushed off with his legs.

BOOM!

As a ripple of Energy blossomed outwards,

the release of Thousand Streams·Gale Step allowed Zorn to glide backward like a falling leaf in the wind.

He landed lightly and naturally atop an undead burial mound that stood three or four meters high.

Then he stood there quietly and began to channel his power to break through to the next level.

Meanwhile, the Undead Assassin Tutor, Rosian, stood on the surface of the swamp water from a distance, watching the young Fighting Master’s breakthrough.

To Rosian’s surprise, while guiding the other man’s breakthrough, he felt his own Level 5 barrier, which he had been trying to overcome in this Land of the Undead, show signs of giving way as well.

Guiding other Transcendents to advance also brought him benefits.

And this time, the reward for guiding this Level Three Fighting Master was exceptionally astonishing.

’Then again...’ Rosian thought about the Fighting Master’s identity and felt it made sense.

’This Mr. Fighting Master’s Sequence is probably among the absolute top-tier in all of Ogrande City, or even the entire Autanston Republic.’

’A terrifying guy who can digest the flesh of Egunus is naturally no ordinary person.’

’And the rewards for guiding the breakthrough of such a top-tier Sequence are enormous.’

HSSSSS...

Zorn quietly felt every aspect of his being getting refined and enhanced during the breakthrough.

’So I can also complete a breakthrough through my Fighting Master class,’ Zorn mused.

’The only problem is that it takes more time and effort.’

’Still, being able to break through as a Fighting Master is good enough.’

’This will perfectly solidify my identity as a Fighting Master, and not some latent Evil Spirit.’

After completing his advancement to Level Four,

under the enhancement of his Dual Sequence of Evil Spirit Wizard and Fighting Master,

every aspect of Zorn’s being underwent a powerful transformation and improvement.

One had to remember that "stats" were the very foundation of a World-level boss like the Evil Spirit Wizard.

The roars of Evil Spirits wandering in the distant undead mist.

The scattered bones imbued with Death’s spiritual essence, buried a dozen meters deep in the silt and stagnant water.

The crooked tombstones of the dead scattered throughout the mist.

Everything around him appeared with crystal clarity in Zorn’s Perception.

The level up made the Spiritual Perception of his Level 4 Evil Spirit Wizard class even more astonishing.

Zorn could even faintly detect, in the hidden and obscure depths, an ancient and mysterious Heroic Spirit coldly observing the entire World.

After a long while, the internal and external transformation slowly came to an end.

Feeling the stabilized, powerful strength of Level 4, Zorn let out a breath and looked at the Undead Assassin Tutor, Rosian, in the distance.

"Thank you, Your Excellency Rosian. You are truly a respected Tutor."

"I heard stories and rumors about you in the Fog Zone a long time ago."

"If it weren’t for your guidance, I don’t know when I would have been able to break through."

Rosian let out a coarse laugh.

"Heh heh... The name Zorn Corick, the Fighting Master, is one I’m very familiar with as well!"

"Even without my guidance, it wouldn’t have been long before you naturally accumulated enough power to break through."

In the surging tides of steam, mysterious Extraordinary Sequences were constantly being born.

In the last year or two, he had indeed guided the breakthroughs of quite a few Transcendents.

He had a bit of a reputation in the grey mist.

But as for whose reputation was greater,

it was naturally the household name, Mr. Fighting Master, standing before him.

"I’ll be wandering this floor for a while. If you’re willing, Your Excellency Rosian, we could spar here often!"

Zorn suggested after sizing the other man up for a moment.

’Sparring with this Tutor, whose Skill Levels are so high, is an excellent way to grow,’ he thought.

"I was thinking the same thing," Rosian replied with a slight nod.

For him, he had already faintly found the opportunity to break through to Level Six in this young Fighting Master, and he certainly wouldn’t miss it.

"I noticed you’ve been wandering here for a long time," Rosian said. "Are you looking for something?"

"I am," Zorn replied.

"Need any help?"

"It’s something I can handle just by spending a bit more time on it. I don’t really need help, but thank you!"

"If you do need help, you can come find me. I’ll be over there."

Rosian pointed in a certain direction.

"I’ll remember that. If I need you, I’ll come find you."

Waving goodbye to Zorn, the Undead Assassin Tutor Rosian’s body burst like a bubble and vanished.

Once he confirmed the Tutor was gone,

Zorn went back to searching for the Evil Spirit Beldam while opening his system panel to check the changes from his level up.

Because he had previously used a Skill Potion to master an Exclusive Forbidden Technique of the Upper Rankers,

his Evil Spirit Wizard class didn’t gain a new Magic spell after reaching Level Four.

His Fighting Master class, however, obtained a defensive Vigorous Qi Skill, just as he had hoped.

[Star Trace Fighter]

Level: 4 (4%)

[Talent]

Gangyi Iron Bone (SS-Level)

[Skills]

Shattering Spirit·Skull-Splitting Fist: Level 2 (17%)

Vigorous Qi Mastery (Passive): Level 0 (99%)

Thousand Streams·Gale Step: Level 1 (14%)

Star Trace·Holy Armor: Level 0 (0%)

...

Star Trace·Holy Armor: Level 0 (0%)

This was a defensive Vigorous Qi Skill.

It had both a passive "Vigorous Armor" effect that integrated into his skin and bones,

and an active effect that, when triggered, granted the powerful defensive state of "Vigorous Armor."

This passive defense and active ability, combined with his SS-Level Talent [Gangyi Iron Bone],

meant that a Fighting Master at this stage would reach the peak of their close-quarters combat potential.

If his speed were just a bit faster, he would be perfect.

And Zorn, clearly, did not lack speed.

After all, his World-level boss class, Evil Spirit Wizard, had already consumed two extra pieces of Egunus flesh. He was a bona fide "stat monster."

’Now that I’ve advanced to Level Four, my overall strength has skyrocketed. I’ll have more of an upper hand when I meet with that Miss Grey Mist.’

’At the same time... over in Bo’Er Town, I can probably start slowly preparing for the ritual.’

’Hundreds of Church members, and hundreds, or even thousands, of the town’s Confused residents.’

’This will make the power of this ritual unprecedentedly strong.’