Chapter 357 Chapter356-The Blood Ring of Asura
After exchanging brief pleasantries with Valerie, the ruler of Storm City, and the circle of bishops who were spectating at the church's central plaza, John hastily departed.
The bishops' stunned gazes went unnoticed by him, or so he pretended.
He was acutely aware of the monumental feat he had accomplished.
The Twelve Trials of the Hero, the most enigmatic trial dungeon of the Storm Church, was designed exclusively for papal candidates.
Throughout the countless years of the Storm Church's history, not one pope had ever succeeded in clearing the entire dungeon.
Yet today, John, a foreigner, had achieved just that.
The bishops' astonishment was expected, of course.
But John had no leisure to bask in their adulation.
His primary objective had been met, and he had secured a promise from Xitell, the pope of the Storm Church. From now on, the Storm Church would be John's eternal ally.
His visit to Storm City was a resounding success, having fulfilled his expectations.
As he walked the streets of Storm City, he passed players who all seemed in a hurry.
The sky remained overcast, with ferocious winds whipping through thunder, pressing down heavy clouds that gave the impression they could destroy the city at any moment.
Yet John's heart was buoyed with contentment.
Lying quietly in his backpack was the ring that represented his ultimate goal.
The ultimate reward for completing the Twelve Trials of the Hero.
[The Blood Ring of Asura (Special Item, Grade Undetermined): In ancient times on the Godslayer Continent, there once appeared a peerless powerhouse who defied fate, self-proclaimed as "Asura". He accomplished the heaven-defying act of slaying a deity with a mortal body, for which he was besieged by numerous deities, ultimately falling, his name twisted and obscured... The blood ring he wore became the spoils of war for the god of storm among the besieging deities. For certain reasons, this ring could not be taken into the Divine Realm, so the god of storm left it on the Godslayer Continent, where it became the final reward of the Twelve Trials of the Hero.]
[Exclusive Class: Godslayer]
[Level Requirement: None]
[Attached Skill 1: Wrath of the Asura (Divine Skill), the Blood Ring of Asura incessantly exudes energy, instilling psychic intimidation in every creature that lays eyes upon the ring. Extended exposure to the energy field of the Wrath of the Asura inflicts irreversible damage to the soul. Once equipped, the effect can be toggled off…]
[Attached Skill 2: Gods' Lament (Divine Skill) (Passive), once the Asura mask is equipped, every attack made against a deity directly assaults their divinity, with a 1% chance to shatter their godhood…]
[Attached Skill 3: Bloodburn (Divine Skill), upon release, it burns all the energy within a Godslayer's body in exchange for doubling attack damage, defensive capabilities, speed, and the power to control ORDER for one minute... Health is forcefully reduced to one point…]
…
These were the true attributes of the ring.
Like the fierce Asura mask on John's face and the Asura wrist guard on his arm, it was a relic of the once-mighty Godslayer Asura.
John had gone to great lengths to partake in the Twelve Trials of the Hero of the Storm Church, all for the grim Blood Ring of Asura.
This was an exclusive equipment item for a Godslayer; other players could not utilize it.
Yet in John's possession, it could unleash power comparable to Divine Equipment.
However, as John meticulously reviewed the attributes of the Blood Ring of Asura, his brows subtly furrowed.
He stumbled upon an intriguing anomaly.
The attached skills of the Blood Ring of Asura were identical to those of the Asura mask upon his face.
This was quite perplexing.
In the realm of the game Godslayer, there had never been two pieces of equipment with exactly identical attribute information.
The artifacts left by Asura did not enhance any base attributes, yet solely with their attached skills, they rivaled Divine Equipment.
Now, after all his efforts to obtain the Blood Ring of Asura, to discover that its skills were a carbon copy of the Asura mask's — was it not tantamount to a fruitless endeavor, acquiring a white elephant?
John flipped his right hand, and the Blood Ring of Asura appeared in his palm.
As the effects of Wrath of the Asura unwittingly radiated from the ring, within a 500-yard radius around John, both NPCs and players began to grow irritable.
Their emotions spiraled beyond control.
Some players and NPC characters were engaged in quest turn-ins or item trades.
Under the influence of Wrath of the Asura, they began to erupt in quarrels, with signs of coming to blows over the slightest disagreement.
John sensed the growing tension around him and quickly slipped the ring onto his finger.
With a surge of energy kin to his own coursing through it, John instantly gained complete control over the Blood Ring of Asura.
With a mere thought, the effect of Wrath of the Asura dissipated from the ring.
The agitated crowd around him gradually returned to calm.
Many players looked up in astonishment, meeting the dangerous gaze of the NPCs they had just insulted.
A shiver ran down their spine, and they hurriedly left the scene, forgetting even to complete their quests.
John's fingers gently caressed the Blood Ring of Asura, his mind still swimming with thoughts.
Two items with identical additional skills — could their effects be stacked?
After some serious contemplation, John realized that this hypothesis might be the sensible answer.
It was worth testing on a deity when the chance arose…
…
Returning to Silverglow through the teleport point, although the trip to Storm City hadn't taken long, John felt as if ages had passed.
Mainly because the trial had presented him with too many inconceivable events.
The continuous succession of battles in the trial seemed to have stretched time itself…
As John was musing, his communicator suddenly lit up.
The message was from Isabella.
"Galewind, don't forget tonight's auction, it's at the same auction hall as last time…"
John blinked in mild surprise; the mentioned auction was ready so soon?
It seemed Dawn Breeze Auction House truly had substantial clout now.
To prepare such a large-scale, high-end auction involved an extensive array of elements.
Not only did the number of auction items have to be substantial, but the quality could not diminish in the least.
Moreover, they had to notify all the powerful player factions.
John recalled the last auction, where even players from the chaotic evil camp of the Dark Realm were among the invited.
This time would likely be no exception.
With a casual glance, indeed, the streets of Silverglow were bustling with an increased number of players.
Not only human race players but also those from races like the elves and orcs were making their appearances.
And some, shrouded in black robes emanating a thick aura of malevolence, were likely the evil-aligned players from across Sunset Mountain in the Dark Realm.
Strangely enough, despite the irreconcilable hatred between Godslayer Continent's major native powers and the abyss, the Northern Myst Empire hadn't restricted these chaotic evil camp players' access.
It seemed the system deliberately separated NPCs from players...
After receiving Isabella's message, John promptly replied, "Alright, Isabella, I'll remember. I happen to be free, so I should be able to get there early tonight."
Isabella sent a voice message, her voice gentle and pleasant, brimming with excitement and anticipation: "That would be wonderful, Galewind. Your presence is sure to excite many. Tonight is bound to be a grand affair. We have invited many wealthy and powerful players who have shown great interest in our auction."
John responded with a smile, "Miss Isabella, with your hard work, I'm sure this auction will leave many players satisfied..."
After ending the communication, John glanced at the time.
There were still a few hours before the auction, so he headed to the arena hall to see if any players had come to challenge his position at the top of the arena leaderboard.
Since John had defeated Adam and ascended to the number one spot on the Arena Leaderboard, almost all players had accepted a fact — John was indeed the strongest in the Godslayer game, beyond doubt.
Lately, the competition for the top 10 spots on the Arena Leaderboard had been fierce, yet no player dared to challenge John.
Even those confident in their abilities merely jostled for positions below the second rank on the leaderboard.
Everyone was well aware of the importance of the top rank on the Arena Leaderboard.
All knew that the rewards for being number one were undoubtedly the most lucrative, but John stood before them like an insurmountable mountain, quashing any thoughts of challenge.
Thus, John had comfortably held his position at the apex of the leaderboard for some time now.
He had not received any challenge notifications.
But today, there was an unexpected turn.
The moment John stepped into the arena hall, the system's cold, mechanical voice chimed in his ear.
[System Alert: Player "Loving_Lollipop" has issued a challenge to you. Please enter the arena within three minutes to prepare for the defense...]
John was momentarily stunned, barely believing his ears.
Could someone actually be bold enough to challenge his position at the top of the Arena Leaderboard?
Loving_Lollipop... that name was certainly chosen with a carefree spirit.
John sifted through his memory, certain he had never heard the name before.
This person wasn't one of the big shots in the class player circles.
That left only one possibility — this individual was a newcomer...
A newcomer player daring to challenge him — regardless of anything else, that courage alone piqued John's interest in this person...
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