Ares didn't feel tired at all.
He had cleared every instance he could.
Over the course of the night, he had run through 21 instances, breaking 42 records and collecting 42 record-breaking reward packages.
By the end, he was so accustomed to the process that he didn't even bother checking the contents of the packages, simply tossing them into his inventory.
His inventory was now filled to 658 slots, with smelting stones taking up more than half.
Ares returned to the first instance: [Nether Swamp]. He hadn't forgotten about his collection quest.
[Collection Task: Gather the complete set of Human General Armor for a chance to synthesize SSS-grade equipment "Armor of Glory." Current Progress: 2/10].
Despite running the instance three more times, he only managed to obtain another shoulder guard, and that was from Hell Mode.
Through his numerous runs, Ares had discerned a pattern: Hell Mode had a threefold higher chance of dropping good equipment compared to Normal Mode. To quickly complete the armor set, the best strategy was to repeatedly run Hell Mode.
Each run took less than ten minutes, and he gained experience and evolution points, so Ares didn't find it tedious.
Compared to when he started, his attribute panel had changed significantly after a night of instance grinding.
[Name: Ares]
[Race: Human]
[Status: Skeleton]
[Identity: NPC]
[Faction Hunt: Human Players: 100]
[Reputation: Human Faction -1000, Undead Faction +1000, Demon Faction +0, Divine Faction +0, Dragon Faction -100000000]
[Note: Killing a player from a faction decreases reputation by 10. Helping a faction's players with various tasks can earn reputation points. The lower the reputation, the higher the hostility from that faction, reducing the chance of gaining experience and loot. Conversely, higher reputation increases loot chances.]
Attributes:
[Level: 7]
[Attack: 3221]
[Strength: 6442]
[Defense: 3221+20]
[Agility: 6442]
[Magic: 3221]
[Attack Speed: 201+40]
[Movement Speed: 582]
[Intelligence: 30]
[Health: ∞]
[Inventory: Available Space 658/10000]
Body Evolution:
[Crystal Bone Sword: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
[Crystal Bone Right Arm: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
[Crystal Bone Left Arm: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
[Crystal Bone Right Leg: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
[Crystal Bone Left Leg: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
[Crystal Bone Skull: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
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[Crystal Bone Spine: Tier 8, 10,000,000 evolution points needed for next tier]
Traits:
[Talent 1: Infinite Evolution (UR Grade)]
[Infinite Evolution: Leveling efficiency decreased by 99.99%, but defeating enemies grants evolution points to enhance personal strength.]
[Talent 2: Invincible (GR Grade)]
[Invincible: Personal strength receives a boost equal to 2 raised to the power of the level.]
Ares had swapped out his helmet for a new A-grade one, boosting his Intelligence to 30.
However, he hadn't changed his cloak—not because there weren't better options, but because they didn't fit his aesthetic. They were too ornate, clashing with his current style.
The new shoulder guard he equipped had a "Health +40" attribute, which was meaningless given his infinite health. He wore it purely for symmetry.
His level hadn't increased, but his experience was at 95%, close to leveling up.
Ares set the instance to Hell Mode and re-entered [Nether Swamp].
Five minutes later, players heard a new server announcement.
[Server Announcement: [Nether Swamp] instance Hell Mode clear record refreshed, latest clear time: 00"06"17", cleared by: Human Ares!]
All players: Holy Fuck!
But that was the last time. They didn't see any more record-breaking announcements from Ares.
After running Hell Mode ten times, Ares noticed a change in the instance.
More specifically, the boss [Ancient Battlefield Human General: Titus] had changed.
He spoke!
On the eleventh run, just as Ares was about to reach him, [Ancient Battlefield Human General: Titus] spoke.
"Young one, aren't you tired?"
Ares was startled, looking up to see the towering boss speaking to him.
"You... speak?"
Ares' speech had improved, but he still struggled with full sentences. The boss understood.
He smiled kindly, "Young one, you are human, and so am I. If you can speak, why wouldn't I?"
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Titus, once a general of the Hurricane Legion of Hope City."
Ares remained silent, pausing his attack to listen.
"Young one, are you not afraid of me?"
Ares shook his head. It was just a ghost; what was there to fear? Though the boss kept respawning, in this place, Titus couldn't defeat him.
Titus chuckled warmly. "It's rare to see. Little one, are you here for the 'Armor of Glory'?"
Ares nodded, "You... know?"
Titus sighed, "You're not the first to seek the 'Armor of Glory,' but I can assure you, you'll never complete the set."
Ares was genuinely surprised, his speech more fluid, "Why?"
If it was impossible to complete, why issue the quest? A game bug?
Titus gazed into the depths of the instance, "Because the final piece, the heart mirror, is lost. Lost within this secret realm."
"Secret realm?"
Ares felt a twinge of recognition. The term sounded familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before.
"Long ago, Hope City was invaded. We originally had powerful guardians, but they vanished without explanation. We fought valiantly, leading to the near-total annihilation of our forces. The battlefield was fragmented into hundreds of pieces, one of which is this small secret realm. This smallest piece bore the brunt of the assault, nearly collapsing. To prevent my subordinates' souls from scattering, I fused my heart mirror with the battlefield fragment, creating this small secret realm."
"Alas, my power was exhausted, and I fell into slumber. Until yesterday, when you awakened me."
Ares pointed at himself, bewildered. He hadn't done anything, had he?
Titus saw Ares' confusion and patiently explained, "Each time you entered, the realm's suppression on my power weakened. And since you mostly ran Hell Mode, the suppression weakened significantly. Upon awakening, I sensed it was you who absorbed it all."
The flames in Ares' eye sockets flickered.
Titus leaned forward slightly, "Young one, I have a favor to ask. If you agree, I will gift you the complete 'Armor of Glory.'"