Chapter 21: The Return

Chu Danqing did not know if Dabao’s decision was the right one. The only thing he was certain of was that Dabao was nowhere near a match for the Falling Flower Lady. If the White Dragon Fish and the Cave Beast Priest were elite mobs, then the Falling Flower Lady was unequivocally a boss. Chu Danqing had witnessed with his own eyes a fair, slender female arm emerge from the sludge and grease, crushing Dabao’s sharp claws with ease. In both strength and agility, she completely overwhelmed him.

Dabao’s health, originally at 100%, plummeted to 65% on the spot. He immediately activated the active ability of his Wolf Tooth Necklace; a wolf soul materialized and let out a howl. This was something Chu Danqing had given him; if he had kept it for himself, a one-second stun wouldn't have been of much use, but for Dabao, it was critical.

The wolf soul's howl formed visible ripples that struck the sludge and grease, causing it to pause only briefly before recovering. It was just a momentary delay—nowhere near a full second—before the enemy moved again. Chu Danqing was not surprised; the Dimensional Paradise had warned him from the start that actual durations would fluctuate based on the enemy’s strength and equipment. It wasn't as if a description saying "one second" would truly last for one second; if it were that powerful, it would be a conceptual-level ability. An old wolf and the teeth of a crippled beast could hardly achieve such a feat.

Using this brief window, Dabao quickly widened the distance, trying to stall for time. Chu Danqing did not see what happened afterward because he had already turned to run. As long as he didn't die, he could always revive Dabao later. In truth, he wasn't just running; he was keeping a constant eye on Dabao’s status panel. About fifteen seconds later, Dabao took another hit, his health dropping directly from 65% to 25%, triggering his Berserk state. If he took one more hit, he would surely die. Fortunately, the long thirty-second countdown finally reached zero.

[The deceased has completed the reserve trials; return initiated...]

Chu Danqing’s vision blurred as the surrounding scene shifted.

[Transmission complete. Reserve Apostle has returned to the personal space.]
[The personal space is an absolute safe zone; other apostles cannot enter without permission.]
[You have unlocked Apostle ID: 9999090919]
[ID registration complete. Commencing settlement of the reserve trial mission.]
[Trial Area: Xianghua Village]
[Trial Difficulty: F (Extremely Easy)]
[Extra compensation applied; Settlement Rating +1]

[Overall Rating: A]
[Rewards received: 5,000 Paradise Coins, +2 Attribute Points]
[Detected permanent summon: Cruel Beast - Child of the Cave. Vital signs unstable. Initiate repairs?]

"Yes, start it immediately!" Chu Danqing watched as Dabao, having lost his sanity due to the Berserk state, lunged toward him. If this had been a moment later, Dabao might have actually bitten him. The Dimensional Paradise acted with sufficient speed; Dabao was instantly restrained by a beam of light in mid-air, and peculiar light particles flowed into his body, repairing his wounds.

"My overall rating is a bit embarrassing. People usually start at least at SSS-rank, and I only got an A," Chu Danqing couldn't help but mock himself. He only reached A-rank thanks to the compensation. However, he wasn't entirely surprised; after all, he hadn't had many standout achievements during the trial. He guessed that to reach A-rank normally, he would have had to kill the White Dragon Fish and its offspring without outside help. Part of that was done before he contracted Dabao, so he had some credit, but not much. Furthermore, he might have needed to kill Dabao as well; had he killed him after he turned into a Cave Beast, it would have likely been a full score, but Chu Danqing had contracted him instead.

[Repair complete. Consumed: 550 Paradise Points.]

Chu Danqing was not surprised by the fee. After becoming a reserve apostle, he had unlocked many new permissions and gained corresponding common knowledge about the Paradise. For example, outside his personal room lay the Paradise Plaza, where apostles could trade. There were also special facilities for allocating attribute points, upgrading skills, and strengthening attributes. He also learned he had a thirty-day rest period before he would be sent into a trial world again.

"I... survived," Dabao looked at his hands, finding it hard to believe. When he returned, his left arm had been severed at the root, half his face was shattered, and he had suffered multiple fractures and flesh wounds. Surviving was entirely thanks to his Blood Rage power and his Constitution stat of 9.

"You take a rest. I'll open the Cave Beast Priest’s treasure chest, and we’ll head to the plaza in a bit." Chu Danqing was curious, but not in a rush.

[You have opened: Treasure Chest (Excellent grade). Received: Grudge of the Kin-Eater, White Velvet Robe, 2,500 Paradise Points.]

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[Grudge of the Kin-Eater]
[Type: Equipment · Long Blade]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Stats]
[Attack Power: 15~20]
[Effect]
[Kin’s Wailing (Passive): Deals an additional 10 damage upon attack.]
[Equipment Requirements: Strength 10, Constitution 10]
-----------------
[White Velvet Robe]
[Type: Equipment · Robe]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Stats]
[Defense: 10]
[Effect]
[Beast Offering (Passive): Energy cap +10]
[Equipment Requirements: None]
-----------------

"Huh?" Chu Danqing looked at the rewards from the Excellent-grade chest and was momentarily at a loss. He had never imagined he would get so many rewards; shouldn't it have just been one green item and 1,000 Paradise Points?

"The Cave Beast Priest was indeed strong, but not enough to justify this much."

"So it must be due to kill contribution or participation, then?" Chu Danqing compared the White Dragon Fish’s chest to the Cave Beast’s. When he killed the White Dragon Fish, Dabao was still a native, and other villagers had helped. But the Cave Beast Priest was effectively killed by him independently, as his summon counted as part of the apostle.

"Can you use this?" Chu Danqing handed the Grudge of the Kin-Eater to Dabao.

Dabao shook his head. "No. Claws are better."

"Then I'll just have to sell it." Chu Danqing didn't mind; he couldn't use it either, as the requirements for this blade were even higher than for his horse lance. "Next, I need to find someone to sew the Cloud-Scale Jade Brocade lining into the White Velvet Robe."

The robe was definitely for his own use; Dabao couldn't equip it, as he could only use specific types of gear. As for who to find, he didn't need to worry. The knowledge provided by the Dimensional Paradise mentioned that alongside apostles, there were "Life Apostles." They excelled in life skills and came from three backgrounds: those with special talents recruited directly, apostles who voluntarily switched their status, or those who failed too many trials, resulting in negative Paradise points or a total five-dimensional attribute sum of less than 10. Life Apostles did not participate in trials and stayed within the Paradise without life-threatening dangers. The price was that they would spend their entire lives providing services to the Dimensional Paradise.