Chapter 78 - The Buzzing Limitless City #5 (Part 1)

Captain Doofus was furious. Initially, it had quite the admiration for this blacksmith, but who would have thought that Master Lin would turn out to be just like the others!

Lu Ran sighed. At least Master Lin only needed teeth, not bones.

He looked up and asked, “By the way, Master Lin, how much will this cost in total?”

Master Lin thought for a moment before replying, “Let me calculate. Based on the Cascading Wind Sword, I fused it with Rare-grade Giant Ore, Advanced-grade Cold Iron, Light Stone, Heavy Stone, and various other common mineral resources. Including labor, the total is around 50,000 crystal coins. I’ll waive the odd change for you.”

Even though Lu Ran had braced himself, he still felt a pang of pain upon hearing the cost. Upgrading Captain Doofus’ weapon had set him back 50,000 crystal coins. His expression shifted, now fully understanding the burden of adult expenses.

“Young people, no patience!” Master Lin shook his head before continuing, “Let me give you the full breakdown of the Frosty Sky Greatsword. It has two switchable forms. Besides standard energy conduction and amplification, it comes with three additional abilities: ‘Light as Heavy, Heavy as Light,’ and ‘Tooth Wave.’”

“The dual form switching makes it more adaptable against different opponents. The greatsword form, however, is energy-intensive. But in terms of raw power, it’s undoubtedly top-notch for a Rare weapon.

“It’ll let your familiar bridge the gap across species and growth levels with ease. Also, considering your familiar’s growth, I incorporated Light and Heavy Stones to make the sword’s weight adjustable. In other words, it’s a weight-changing sword.”

“As for ‘Tooth Wave,’ it’s a skill that draws upon all those teeth. This technique is embedded within the sword itself. If your familiar runs out of energy and finds itself in extreme danger, it can sacrifice the internal teeth to unleash a massive burst of sword qi.”

“This technique scatters hundreds of sword qi slashes at once, acting as a trump card. Of course, after using it, the sword will be mostly depleted, and you’ll need to add new teeth to repair it. Overall, this Rare weapon isn’t as simple as it seems. Feeling like it was worth it now?”

After listening, Lu Ran cast a sympathetic look at Captain Doofus, thinking of all the extra teeth that would now be needed.

Captain Doofus was left speechless.

***

Shortly after leaving the forge, heavily indebted, Lu Ran headed to the transport square in Limitless City #3.

Aside from upgrading the sword, he had also purchased an Advanced-grade crossbow for poison application and a dark resistance outfit to endure the magical energy of the Abandoned Laboratory. These additional items cost him 1,288 crystal coins.

“No telling when I’ll be back,” he mused as he stood near the towering portal. If things didn’t go smoothly, he might end up staying there for weeks.

“But it’s necessary.”

Donning his night coat, Lu Ran stepped into the portal area.

[Do you want to spend 100 crystal coins to teleport to Limitless City #5 in Xia?]

“Yes,” he confirmed, and in a flash of light, he disappeared from the transport square.

Moments later, as the light shimmered, he arrived in his private room. Lu Ran opened the door, expecting to step into the usual residential district, but instead, he found himself in a different transport square. This time, he exited through a screen of light from the teleportation gate.

“So, this is Limitless City #5,” he muttered, taking a brief glance outside before retreating back into the teleportation gate. Returning to his private room, he reflected on the teleportation system.

While it was called "beastmaster teleportation," it felt more like his entire private room had been transported with him. The frustrating part was that Lu Ran couldn’t log off here. To return to his original teleportation location in reality, he’d need to teleport back to Limitless City #3, incurring another 100 crystal coins.

Such expenses deterred many beastmasters from visiting other Limitless Cities, forcing them to focus on their own city’s secret realms.

Back in his private room, Lu Ran approached the secret realm system and gazed at the updated screen in front of him. Most of the options were similar to those in Limitless City #3, but there were a few unique secret realms here.

One stood out—the Abandoned Laboratory, exclusive to Limitless City #5.

[Name: Abandoned Laboratory]

[Secret Realm Level: Beginner]

[Difficulty: Hell]

[Entry Fee: 1,000 crystal coins]

Lu Ran hesitated momentarily before dismissing the thought of exploring Limitless City #5 and deciding to jump right into this secret realm for a challenge.

After all, he’d waited a whole week for this! The past week had been spent preparing, not sitting idle.

“Captain Doofus.”

Lu Ran summoned his familiar and tossed the Frosty Sky Greatsword to it.

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus grabbed it in its mouth, its expression turning serious.

It knew there was a tough battle ahead!

...

At this moment, the beastmasters of Limitless City #5 had no idea that Pedestrian A from Limitless City #3 had teleported here to challenge their local Hell-difficulty Beginner-ranked secret realm.

[Teleportation Completed.]

[Current Location: Abandoned Laboratory (Beginner-ranked Secret Realm)]

[Difficulty: Hell]

[Mission: Defeat the Minotaur Boss.]

[Introduction: To prepare for war, the beastmaster empire began secret research on biological weaponry, aiming to create a legion of war beasts skilled in weapon use. However, war broke out prematurely, straining the empire’s finances, and the project was abruptly halted. Many laboratories were abandoned, but some still hold experimental specimens...]

[Tip 1: The maximum stay time for a Beginner-ranked Secret Realm is 8 hours. During this period, challengers can choose to exit at any time. Teleportation requires 10 seconds.]

[Tip 2: ...]

Lu Ran and Captain Doofus stood on the barren ground, dark smoke rising around them, staring at the dilapidated Abandoned Laboratory ahead in stunned silence. The secret realm’s condition was abysmal.

Did war really reach this place?

Lu Ran wondered. Even if abandoned, it shouldn’t be this chaotic.

“Good thing I came prepared,” he muttered, slipping on the Night Coat as advised by Dr. Gu’s guide. The area was steeped in a lingering magical aura from prolonged dark experiments, which significantly affected mental willpower. While transcendent species were largely immune, humans had to take precautions.

Whoosh!

The Night Coat billowed as Lu Ran adjusted it. Beside him, Captain Doofus gripped the Frosty Sky Greatsword in its primal form, its blade gleaming with a frosty sheen. The familiar barked, scanning the surroundings and signaling its readiness for battle.

“Wait,” Lu Ran cautioned, his gaze fixed on the crumbling laboratory. According to the guide, the Minotaur Boss would break free 30 seconds after a challenger entered the realm. An out-of-control experiment, it was said to attack all life indiscriminately.

“Raaahhh!!!”

Right on cue, the decrepit structure of the Abandoned Laboratory exploded with a deafening roar. Rocks flew in all directions as a towering figure emerged from the rubble.

The Minotaur Boss loomed five to six meters tall, its immense form rivaling that of a Giant Minotaur. It had a humanoid body, rippling with muscle, and a bull’s head adorned with curved, menacing horns. Wielding a massive Shadow Axe, it swept away the remaining rubble with a single motion, stepping onto the ruins with deliberate power. Beneath the darkened sky, its glowing red eyes burned with merciless intensity.

“Woof!!!”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Captain Doofus barked sharply, unleashing a burst of sword qi in greeting. The shimmering attack streaked through the air, aimed at the Minotaur Boss. But the creature didn’t flinch, letting the attack strike its massive frame without so much as an attempt to evade.

Bang!

When the dust settled, only a faint white mark appeared on the Minotaur Boss’s chest—a testament to its near-impenetrable defenses.

Just as the guide said, it doesn’t evade attacks. Even when threatened, it only counterattacks using its skills,

Lu Ran thought.

To confirm, he instructed Captain Doofus to attack again. As expected, the guide’s information proved accurate.

“Alright, enough testing. Tenfold Storm Slash!” Lu Ran commanded.

Captain Doofus barked in response, shifting the Frosty Sky Greatsword into its greatsword form. The massive weapon, nearly matching Captain Doofus’s own size, created an imposing sight as he gripped it firmly in its mouth. A fierce aura erupted from the familiar.

Blizzard Sword Momentum!

The devastating technique, powerful enough to suppress the fearsome Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion, seemed to falter against the Minotaur Boss.

“Rahh!!!”

With a guttural roar, the Minotaur Boss raised its Shadow Axe high, bringing it down with terrifying force.

Boom!

A colossal wave of dark energy surged forward like a raging tide, threatening to engulf Lu Ran and Captain Doofus. But in an instant, a brilliant frost-blue slash tore through the wave, splitting it in two.

Only then did the Minotaur Boss instinctively sense danger.

“Woof! Can you withstand the power of these hundreds of teeth!?”

Captain Doofus growled.

Compressing the tenfold sword qi within the Frosty Sky Greatsword, Captain Doofus unleashed a devastating storm slash. The attack shattered the Minotaur Boss’s dark energy wave and struck the towering creature directly.

Blood trickled from Captain Doofus’s mouth as its teeth barely clung in place, yet its gaze burned fiercely. Just as it claimed, how could anything withstand the power of those hundreds of teeth?

Behind Captain Doofus, Lu Ran clutched the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer, channeling its healing energy. In moments, Captain Doofus’ injuries mended, but the single extreme storm slash had drained most of its strength. He was now incapable of unleashing a second strike.

Compressing the tenfold sword qi didn’t merely consume the equivalent of ten sword qi strikes. However, it placed a significant burden on Captain Doofus.

“Woof!”

Captain Doofus snarled, baring its teeth as it glared into the billowing dust. Lu Ran’s expression was equally tense, waiting for a notification, but none came. Lu Ran realized that while this attack was enough to obliterate the Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion, it was not even able to deal a fatal blow to the Minotaur Boss.

Then again, that scorpion was a wild creature, while this Minotaur Boss was a product of the highly advanced beastmaster empire, designed as a war beast. It embodied the distilled intelligence of countless beastmasters, making it no simple opponent.

“Rahh!!!”

As expected, the next instant, Lu Ran and Captain Doofus heard a furious roar. A gust of wind swept away the smoke, revealing a massive creature, its entire body clad in magic energy armor, charging toward them from the ruins.

“Woof!”

Captain Doofus, who was gripping the greatsword, was momentarily stunned.

Thud! Thud!

Each step of the Minotaur Boss shook the ground.

“Captain Doofus, can you manage?” Lu Ran asked as he began to run.

“Perhaps it’s time to consider mastering a twentyfold storm slash?”

“Woof!”

Seeing the Minotaur charging at them, Captain Doofus also turned and sprinted, scooping Lu Ran onto its back.

Twentyfold... forget the teeth. My whole head might not survive that!

For now, both Lu Ran and Captain Doofus were grinding their teeth in frustration. While they had anticipated being unable to take down the opponent in one strike, the real experience was overwhelming.

“

Rahh!!!

”

The Minotaur Boss, cloaked in shattered magic energy armor and leaking black blood, continued charging. One of its black horns was split in half, yet its ferocity remained undiminished. Ax in hand, it bore down on Lu Ran and Captain Doofus.