Chapter 22: Title: Perfectionist

It appeared to be a choice between three options, but in reality, there was only one.

Wu Chang could not possibly come up with 150,000 experience points and 500,000 Corrupted Silver Coins. The game system kindly offered an installment plan, but the interest rates were more predatory than a mortgage; if paid over twenty-four installments, the total would balloon to 400,000 experience points and 1.33 million Corrupted Silver Coins.

Even a debt-ridden homeowner didn't face pressure like this. Lyman hadn't beaten him inside the dungeon, yet upon exiting, he expected to make Wu Chang a slave with a single eye? What a joke.

Compensation Option 1 was immediately discarded.

Among the remaining loot available in Moonlight Sanatorium, there wasn't a single item that matched the value of the Magic-Breaking Crossbow Bolts, let alone the Eye of the Evil God. To Wu Chang, missing out on an advantage was as good as suffering a loss; thus, Compensation Option 3 was even more unacceptable to him than Option 1.

The only remaining choice was Compensation Option 2.

He retrieved the Erosion Core from his inventory and selected the second option. Under the influence of an invisible force, the Poison of the Mortal passed through the shell of the Erosion Core and entered the deep, black hole-like darkness within.

The optimization process lasted five minutes. As the Erosion Core vanished, the Poison of the Mortal returned to Wu Chang’s hand. The Eye of the Evil God on the pendant remained tightly shut, but upon close observation, one could see its eyelids twitching slightly, as if it might open at any moment.

[Item Name: Poison of the Mortal]
[Item Grade: S]
[Item Description: The masterpiece of the Arcane Knights, combining both black and white magic, this is the pinnacle of magical artifacts. Its creator, Old Anderson, intended to use this object to reverse-plunder the essence of the Evil God Lyman, utilizing divine power to cultivate the Arcane Knights so that the kingdom would no longer be threatened by any evil god.]
[Item Description: The restored Poison of the Mortal requires a sufficient energy source to be activated.]
[Energy can be accumulated by clearing dungeons or absorbing Erosion Cores. The amount of energy accumulated varies based on the difficulty of the dungeon.]
[Current Accumulated Energy: 0/10]
[Note: In the eyes of gods, mortals are but ants; yet, the sting of an ant can make a god bleed.]

After reading the description of the Poison of the Mortal, Wu Chang was at a loss for words. The Arcane Knights were truly ruthless—not content with just gouging out Lyman’s eye, they had actually intended to drain Lyman dry through that very eye. No wonder Lyman had cast a curse upon them and continued to hound their descendants. Anyone would be furious in his position.

Beyond the sheer ambition of the Arcane Knights, what surprised him even more was the item's rating. Many veteran players had perished in the Moonlight Sanatorium, including experts like the "Doctor" and the "Stalker." Even for them, their most valuable items were only around C-grade. Given that the D-grade "Silver Dawn" and the C-grade "Whisper of the Nameless" were already powerful enough in the dungeon, he couldn't even imagine the strength of an S-grade item.

*Possessing a treasure is a crime.* The more precious it was, the more cautious he had to be. If this item were discovered, it would undoubtedly invite disaster.

While the S-grade item was satisfying enough, the dungeon rewards were not yet over. Although the Poison of the Mortal was highly valuable, it was merely the reward for an S-grade clearance rating.

[The player’s dungeon rating has reached "Perfect." You may select one rare item from the current dungeon plane as a reward.]

Following the prompt, three items appeared out of thin air before Wu Chang:
"Detailed Guide to Exorcism Arrays."
"Wolf’s Pharmaceutical Notes."
"Arcane Knights’ New Recruit Handbook."

None of these were combat-oriented items, and based on their names alone, their specific effects were unclear. However, as rewards for a Perfect rating, they certainly wouldn't be trash.

Wu Chang asked, "Can you display their item descriptions?"
"..."
It seemed not.

Judging by the names, the three items corresponded to three fields of knowledge: magic array construction, alchemy, and combat. The magic arrays in the Moonlight Sanatorium plane were powerful, but too cumbersome and tedious to prepare, making them impractical. As for Wolf’s pharmaceutical methods, he still remembered them vividly; that process was far too advanced for humans, and he had no intention of learning it.

"I choose the 'Arcane Knights’ New Recruit Handbook'."

The other two items vanished, and a small booklet embossed with the emblem of the Arcane Knights fell into his hand.

[Item Name: Arcane Knights’ New Recruit Handbook]
[Item Effect: Once the player's attributes reach Strength: 30, Agility: 20, Stamina: 20, Energy: 30, Inspiration: 20, and Willpower: 20, they can unlock a promotion quest. Upon completion, the player can change their class to the Hidden Class: Arcane Knight.]

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow, a look of excitement appearing on his face. As a player, no one could refuse the "Hidden" prefix before a class. Although he didn't have high expectations for a group of knights who had managed to drive themselves to extinction, they had at least managed to take down an evil god's avatar with mortal strength, and as a hidden class, it shouldn't be too weak.

Just as he thought the settlement was over, a digital voice rang out again.

[The player has achieved a Perfect clearance in an out-of-control dungeon (Dungeon Contamination > 85) that was at or above the character's level, earning a Random Title Chest.]
[The player will only draw titles for which they have met the requirements or those with no acquisition requirements.]

A circular roulette wheel appeared before Wu Chang, divided into dozens of small sections, each flashing in one of four colors: blue, green, red, or gold. As Wu Chang clicked to draw, the wheel spun rapidly, slowing down after ten rotations.

A chest dropped before Wu Chang, shuddering slightly before popping open, releasing a blinding light.
*Wow! Golden Legendary!*

Once the light subsided, he found a colorful title hovering above his head.

[Title: Perfectionist]
[Title Acquisition Requirement: The player achieved a Perfect resolution on their first-ever dungeon run.]
[Title Effect: While wearing this title, you gain an additional hidden side quest in dungeons, and dungeon completion percentage increases by 5% upon settlement.]
[Note: Colorful titles can be stacked with other titles.]

This time, the dungeon settlement had truly concluded. With the familiar transition effect, Wu Chang felt a blur, and he reappeared in front of Wanghai University. He checked his phone; less than three hours had passed since he entered the dungeon. It all felt like a dream, save for the attribute panel still floating before his eyes, proving that everything in the Abyss Game was real.

Player Nickname: Doesn't Eat Beef
Player Level: 8 (500/1900)
(6000/100) — (5900/300) — (5600/500) — (5100/700) — (4400/1000) — (3400/1300) — (2100/1600) — (500/1900)
Title: Perfectionist
Health: 9
Strength: 9
Agility: 9
Stamina: 8
Energy: 0
Inspiration: 84
Willpower: 62
Free Attribute Points: 35
Corrupted Silver Coins: 15,000
Skills: Mamba Iron Elbow, Firearms Proficiency (Proficient).
Items: Silver Dawn, Goddess of Luck’s Favor, Whisperer’s Echo x1, Poison of the Mortal, Arcane Knights’ New Recruit Handbook.
Talent: Transcendence.

The massive amount of experience had allowed him to level up seven times, granting him 35 free attribute points. How to allocate them could wait for another day; during his time in the Moonlight Sanatorium, his nerves had been stretched to the limit, and he hadn't even been able to sleep soundly. His top priority now was to return to the dormitory and get a good night's sleep.

Walking through the campus, he quickly noticed something unusual. The campus was far too empty. He hadn't seen a single student on the road, and even the basketball courts, usually packed with people, were deserted.

What was going on? Had he been dragged into a new dungeon immediately after exiting the Moonlight Sanatorium?