novellhall Chapter 13 Summary, Unexpected
Chapter 13 Summary, Unexpected
"They went too far..."
Lu Qingfeng gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The Red Moon instance was far more bizarre than expected; the entrance to the secret passage hidden beneath the altar resembled a gaping maw ready to devour its prey.
He was nearly at his limit when he went in; the weakness of his soul made him slow to react and his senses blurred.
The depths of the secret passage were not a smooth path, but rather filled with an even stronger aura of the dead and twisted bone traps.
Although the newly acquired [Iron Body] crushed most of the obstacles.
But once you get inside the core, everything changes.
Just thinking about that eerie underground red moon and that terrifying beam of true damage made Lu Qingfeng shudder.
If he hadn't taken advantage of being severely injured by the Red Moon at the last moment and made the ruthless decision to commit suicide and withdraw, it probably wouldn't have been as simple as just accumulating weakness.
His previous tactics included using Molotov cocktails for quick kills and exploiting bugs to waste time.
While it may be efficient in regular monster battles, it completely ignores the deeper structure of the dungeon.
Red Moon encourages swift kills, but also punishes the neglect of core secrets.
The longer it drags on, the deeper the effects of the Red Moon become, the stronger the monsters' recovery and mutations become, and the more severe the negative effects on the environment become.
The chilling feeling that he experienced at the end, and the vengeful traps in the secret passage, were the manifestation of punishment.
If you're not after the hidden rewards, then it's fine, since the dungeon quests only require you to defeat the monsters.
Red Moon, however, clearly cannot be considered a monster.
But how can you expect a player to give up a potential hidden quest?
"We must explore that secret passage again! And quickly! Before the effects of the Red Moon reach their peak!"
Lu Qingfeng clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from weakness and exertion.
But the current double weakness is an insurmountable obstacle. To force our way through would be suicide.
[Soul Weakness (Stacked): 2 hours 22 minutes remaining]
After lying down for a while, Lu Qingfeng sat up from the rattan chair.
From the front hall came the rustling sound of Jolyne tidying up books, and the occasional off-key tune he hummed.
The familiar and ordinary background music made Lu Qingfeng's tense nerves relax a little.
The bookstore is his anchor point, reminding him that besides dungeons, killing, and skill point allocation, there is a world where he needs to live a "normal" life.
…………
The sound of Jolyne tidying up books could be heard from the front hall.
Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, casting warm dappled patterns on the bookstore's wooden floor.
Dust particles in the air danced slowly within the beam of light.
Jolyne was standing on a low ladder, tiptoeing, trying to stuff several thick art books into the gaps in the top shelf.
The old solid wood bookshelf has questionable load-bearing capacity.
"Snap!"
A piercing sound of wood tearing!
The top beam of the bookshelf cracked under the pressure of Jolyne!
The entire upper half of the bookshelf, carrying hundreds of kilograms of books, crashed forward with a roar, heading straight for Jolyne, who was on the ladder with no way to dodge!
Jolyne's pupils contracted sharply, and the chilling aura of death rushed towards her!
In the blink of an eye, a figure flashed over!
Lu Qingfeng didn't even have time to put down the soy milk cup before his right hand, seemingly casual but as steady as a rock, braced against the center of the overturned bookshelf!
"Bang!"
A dull, loud bang!
The bookshelf, which had crashed down with tremendous force, came to a stop less than half a foot above Jolyne's head!
Wood chips flew everywhere, and the broken edges were clearly visible!
Several marginal books were flung to the ground.
The main body of the bookshelf was steadily supported by that pale hand!
Jolyne slid off the ladder and landed on her stomach, her heart pounding, staring in disbelief at the scene before her:
The boss, dressed in his pajamas, held a wobbly cup of soy milk in his left hand and stretched out his right hand to brace against the collapsing bookshelf!
This scene is extremely jarring!
One hand! Hundreds of kilograms of impact force! Defying the laws of physics!
Lu Qingfeng himself was also taken aback.
Instinctive reactions do not take into account a weakened state.
He could clearly feel the mountain-like weight pressing down on him, but this heaviness...
Based on the "steel body" foundation, it doesn't seem that exaggerated.
The muscles in his arms were slightly bulging, the veins were visible and then subsided, and the floor beneath his feet didn't even creak.
"Boss... Boss?! Are you... are you alright?! This bookshelf... what happened to it...?"
Jolyne's voice trembled, filled with shock.
Lu Qingfeng snapped out of his daze and frowned.
The pressure on my arms wasn't a big deal, but the burst of energy caused mental fatigue and dizziness.
He took a breath and steadily pushed the bookshelf back into place, where it stood upright, albeit tilted.
Although all of his attributes were reduced to 40%, Lu Qingfeng was only weaker than when he was at his peak.
Withdraw your hand, flick your wrist, as if you've done something trivial:
"Be careful next time, you're getting old."
He glanced down at his soy milk cup, took another sip, and said, "Recently... I've been working out at the gym quite often, so my explosive power is pretty good, plus I've used some tricks."
This explanation is so weak it borders on perfunctory.
Jolyne opened her mouth, looked at the broken, heavy beam, and then at the boss's calm, weary back.
All the words in his mouth turned into a bewildered and awe-inspiring look in his eyes.
Gym? A clever trick?
That ghostly speed and rock-solid strength just now... could a human possibly train to achieve that?
"Go to the front of the store to sort the goods."
Lu Qingfeng interrupted his attempt to speak, bent down to pick up a copy of "A Pictorial Guide to the Renaissance" and threw it at him, "The ladder is broken, so don't put any books on the low shelves today."
The boss's figure seemed shrouded in an indescribable mystery.
In the backyard, Lu Qingfeng slumped back into the rattan chair, pulling the blanket over himself.
[Soul Weakness (Stacked): 2 hours 15 minutes remaining]
He closed his eyes, feeling the lingering soreness in his arm:
"My strength control isn't precise enough... I almost knocked the bookshelf apart. I need to be more careful during training when I'm weakened."
The incident just now was merely a trivial test for him, yet it left an indelible mark of shock on Jolyne's mind, a shock that overturned his understanding of the world.
However, other people's opinions never influenced Lu Qingfeng's judgment.
He immersed his consciousness into the network, exploring its new functions.
[Life level increased to lv3]
[Daily instance has changed]
The Multiverse Player Forum is now open.
"Multiverse...player forum?"
A new notification appeared on the panel: "[The Multiverse Player Forum is now open]"
Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, it instantly stirred up ripples in his weary mind.
"Multiverse...player forum?"
The amount of information contained in this term is far greater than his previous understanding of online variety shows.
It's no longer just a cold task publisher and attribute panel, but a...
Social media platforms? Communication centers?
A hub connecting countless players like him, drawn into this game that transcends reality?
Without hesitation, he focused his mind on the panel and selected the newly unlocked, shimmering [Multiverse Player Forum] option.
Establishing a star system connection...
[Adapting to current cosmic coordinates and version characteristics...]
[Link successful! Welcome to the Basic Apprentice Zone (Combat/Dungeons/Currency Trading/Apprentice Only)!]
[Network Notice: Please note that due to the Network's player protection regulations, you are temporarily unable to log in to discussion forums with restricted elements such as opposing factions or alien civilizations. You can apply to change your basic forum after meeting certain conditions.]