Chapter 51 – Ambitions

Chapter 51 – Ambitions

It was clear that the future squadron and team leaders would emerge from this group of people. Whether they could handle the responsibility would depend entirely on their capabilities.

Cheng Yang didn’t immediately appoint anyone. Instead, he had Yu Kai and others select candidates for class change first.

With the sudden influx of new members, each squadron would gain 120 fresh recruits. Combined with the original 42 members, a full squadron would now consist of 162 people – roughly equivalent to the total number of combatants in Phoenix Village before the apocalypse.

Given the current spiritual energy reserves of Phoenix Village, it was impossible to class-change all combatants immediately. This was an unavoidable limitation. Without opening territory donations, spiritual energy couldn’t surge instantly. Even if Cheng Yang wanted to lend spiritual energy to those yet to class-change, it was impossible since they lacked attribute panels before class-changing.

The only solution was to wait – wait for the territory’s spiritual energy to accumulate and for the first batch of class-changed combatants to repay their borrowed energy.

Fortunately, it was already evening. By tomorrow morning, clearing the dungeon would yield over a thousand spiritual energy points.

Cheng Yang delegated the class-changing process and other miscellaneous tasks like purchasing logging tools to others. Li Wanshan could handle class changes while Yu Kai took care of tool procurement.

As Phoenix Village’s strongest combatant, it would be a waste if Cheng Yang didn’t maximize his time earning spiritual energy.

At night, Cheng Yang operated alone. Practicing his Transference skill had to wait until daytime – the jungle wasn’t safe after dark.

After a night of hunting, Cheng Yang not only earned over 1,200 spiritual energy points but also leveled up his Magic Missile skill to Level 2, increasing its damage by 10%. His Wind Binding skill only improved by about 10% though – it would take more time to level up.

The Wind Binding skill proved incredibly useful, especially for a mage like Cheng Yang. Its offensive power could sweep through most current monsters. If he had possessed this skill yesterday during the jackal leader encounter, he wouldn’t have been so passive.

Returning to Phoenix Village, Cheng Yang didn’t see Yu Kai and others – they were probably busy. He resumed his routine: cultivation, dungeon runs…

The next morning, as Cheng Yang exited the dungeon, he ran into Liu Hao.

“Yang… I mean, Lord,” Liu Hao immediately asked, “I remember you saying the daily dungeon entry limit could increase. But after all these days, there’s no sign of it increasing. You should see how the others look at me when I can only bring four people into the dungeon each day. It breaks my heart.”

Cheng Yang sighed, “It’s not just you who’s anxious. I’m in the same boat. But rules are rules – neither of us can change them. Just keep grinding the dungeon. After 50 clears, it’ll level up.”

Liu Hao did some quick calculations, “That’s ridiculous! We’ve only cleared it about 20 times. To reach 50, we’ll need at least six or seven more days.”

“It won’t take that long,” Cheng Yang explained. “You’re forgetting I’m also running the hard mode dungeon – those count too. We should reach it in about five days. Then the daily entry limit will double.”

Liu Hao’s face fell, “Only double? That means just 50 people can enter daily?”

“Be grateful,” Cheng Yang chided. “This is just one dungeon. There are more around us. And this dungeon will continue to improve. Count your blessings.”

Liu Hao had no retort. He knew expecting one dungeon to meet the entire territory’s needs was unrealistic.

Noticing Cheng Yang’s gear, Liu Hao exclaimed, “Lord, did you get a full set of Black Iron equipment?”

Cheng Yang shook his head, “Still missing an off-hand piece. I’ve got nine pieces total – four Bronze and five Black Iron. Off-hand items are ridiculously rare. I’ve run the hard dungeon three times and haven’t even gotten a common off-hand piece.”

Cheng Yang’s stats were impressive now. While the nine pieces didn’t add much defense (since defensive gear only protected specific areas), his offensive gear was another story. A new ring and necklace each added two points to his magic attack, bringing his total attack power to 36 points. With Magic Missile, his damage output reached 44 points – enough to deal over 30 damage even to high-defense late-stage Tier 1 magical beasts.

Cheng Yang then pulled out a shield from his backpack, handing it to Liu Hao, “You’re in luck. I just got this Bronze shield from the dungeon. It’s perfect for you right now.”

Liu Hao’s eyes widened as he examined it, then grinned sheepishly, “Lord, this is too much. Such a good item…”

Before he could finish, Cheng Yang kicked at him, “Get lost. Don’t play coy after getting such a good deal.”

Despite his bulk, Liu Hao nimbly dodged the kick and scampered off happily. Cheng Yang shook his head, amused by Liu Hao’s antics.

Damage reduction was a unique shield attribute, similar to but distinct from defense. For instance, if Liu Hao used this shield against a mid-Tier 1 monster, the damage reduction would halve the monster’s 8-point physical attack. While durability loss remained the same, the remaining 4-point attack wouldn’t be enough to knock him back.

Cheng Yang then proceeded with his daily tasks. Upgrading the Priest Statue’s attributes was mandatory. After that, he visited the Alchemy Room, purchasing forty Mana Potions. He carried half in his robes and stored the rest in his backpack. As a mage with relatively restrained movements, he could manage twenty potions on his person – though he wished for a spatial ring to simplify things.

Despite daily potion brewing, Cheng Yang’s high consumption rate meant he still had to purchase most of his potions. Looking at his bulging robes, he couldn’t help but feel poor. A basic spatial ring cost 10,000 spiritual energy points – an unthinkable luxury at this stage. Even if he had that amount, Cheng Yang would prioritize sixfold cultivation speed over convenience. A spatial ring would have to wait until spiritual energy became more abundant.

After preparations, Cheng Yang led his original team towards Xiangcheng City. He kept this group because they all had family in the city, making them more invested in the mission. Their familiarity with the area, despite the post-earthquake changes, would prove invaluable.

The previous night, Phoenix Village’s five squadrons had appointed some leaders, several of whom were in Cheng Yang’s current team, including Yu Kai, Liu Hao, and Niu Bing. Their respective teams had temporary replacements, ensuring no disruption in their absence.

Cheng Yang left Li Wanshan in charge of Phoenix Village, as the ongoing class changes were the territory’s top priority.

The thirty-five member team entered Xiangcheng City territory again, this time aiming to circle to the city’s east side before heading north. This route would also allow them to scout the eastern passage’s monster situation.

Ever since obtaining the Transference scroll from the southern passage’s monster horde, Cheng Yang had been curious about the other passages. While much about this game-like world remained unknown, certain patterns seemed consistent. Each prefecture-level city had a main city surrounded by trenches. To break through to the outside world, one had to clear the massive monster hordes blocking the passages.

Having found a precious skill scroll in the southern passage, Cheng Yang suspected the other passages might hold similar treasures. While the odds were low, he didn’t mind trying his luck.

However, Cheng Yang’s main interest in clearing the passages wasn’t potential loot, but access. From his previous life’s knowledge, there were three territory altars around Xiangcheng City, representing three potential strongholds. Cheng Yang had already claimed one, leaving two unclaimed – one of which was located east of Xiangcheng City.

PS: Seeking recommendations and collections… Is reaching 500 collections really this difficult?