Chapter 46: Farewell Banquet

"SS-rank? Creation of the Gods?"

My mind went blank for a second. The first-place reward for this regional quest was truly ruthless, actually granting an SS-rank skill! This was almost identical to the highest reward from the Dead Mines in Deep Tide, the "Bio-Electromagnetic Pulse."

Hurriedly opening my extra-dimensional storage space, a golden skill grimoire lay quietly in the corner. When I took it out and held it in my palm, a faint warmth radiated from it. After lingering on it for a moment, its detailed description floated into view.

[Creation of the Gods] (SS-rank Skill Grimoire): Condenses a massive amount of primal force into a wisp of the Midas touch, penetrating the target's body. Deals up to 300% damage while reducing the target's armor by 40%. Furthermore, the armor-break effect increases by 2% per second, lasting for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Consumes 20 points of primal force. Cannot be learned alongside Armor-Breaking Strike. Required Class: Super Warrior. Required Level: 20.

...

"Damn..."

Looking at the skill description, I couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

While the primary function of this skill appeared to be an offensive one, it was actually a powerful debuff skill. That 300% damage value was practically negligible compared to its secondary effect!

A defense-reduction effect lasting for 10 seconds, with the armor-breaking potency growing stronger as those 10 seconds progressed, reaching an astonishing peak of 60%!

In the setting of *Abyssal Abyss*, the damage formula was not as simple as "attack power minus target defense." Instead, it was an extremely complex mathematical function. The higher one's own attack power and the lower the target's defense, the greater the damage that could be dealt!

For instance, 100 attack power striking 10 points of armor versus striking 50 points of armor would result in damage discrepancies that could be geometric, potentially differing by severalfold or more! Therefore, a skill like Creation of the Gods, which could reduce a target's defense by up to 60%, was an absolute divine skill—even in the late stages of the game!

Moreover, the Creation of the Gods skill was a direct replacement for the Super Warrior Tier 2 general skill, "Armor-Breaking Attack." Learning one meant you couldn't learn the other. If I remembered correctly, the effect of Armor-Breaking Attack was to reduce the target's armor by 30% for 7 seconds. How could its power possibly compare to the might of Creation of the Gods?

Indeed, the twenty thousand yuan borrowed from Lu Xiaobei was truly worth every penny. Exchanging ten thousand bullets for a skill like Creation of the Gods was an absolute bargain!

"Hoo..."

Taking a deep breath, I spent 1 skill point to learn Creation of the Gods. Instantly, the skill grimoire transformed into a ray of golden light that sank into my skill panel. The skill icon was a dynamic image of a golden suit of armor slowly cracking apart, matching the description of Creation of the Gods to the letter.

Let's dump some skill experience into it and get it to level 10 first!

In the blink of an eye, the suffix of Creation of the Gods changed to "Lv 10," granting me a total increase of 6 points in Strength along the way.

'Should I test it out?'

I hesitated for a moment, then locked onto the kettle in front of me, triggering the Creation of the Gods skill. Instantly, the 20 points of primal force within my body burned fiercely, transforming into a sliver of golden energy that surged into my right arm, before condensing into a wisp of the Midas touch and striking the kettle.

"Zizizi~~~"

The kettle began to protest, trembling violently, after which nothing happened.

Creation of the Gods was meant for hitting living targets; naturally, it had no effect on a kettle.

I couldn't help but smile. This skill was simply too powerful. If used in conjunction with my current skills—Dragon Blade, Earth Spike Slash, and Blood-Siphoning Frenzy—it would undoubtedly deal a fatal round of strikes to any target!

The drawback was that it consumed too much primal force. Using it once cost 20 points of primal force, which ordinary players might not truly be able to sustain. Fortunately, my SS-rank Primal Force Furnace had an ultra-fast recovery rate; using it once every so often should pose no problem at all.

Now, I could finally go to sleep in peace!

...

Early the next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm and got up to wash up.

Just as I finished washing my face, I saw the door to the adjacent room open. Milo walked out with his eyes squinting in sleep, probably woken up by a pressing need to use the bathroom.

"Up?"

"Yeah."

I nodded.

"How did the regional task turn out yesterday? Did you get first place?"

"What do you think?" I smiled faintly.

He immediately gave me a thumbs-up and chuckled, "As expected of my brother Milo!"

"Do you want breakfast? I can head downstairs and buy some," I asked.

"Nah, not eating, going back to sleep for a bit."

Milo said, "Also, one more thing. I'm leaving Xicheng. My bus is at 10:00 PM tonight. Should we call Lu Xiaobei and grab a meal together as a farewell?"

"Alright, let's set it for the evening. I'll text you the restaurant location."

"Got it!"

Milo pointed at the guitar hanging on the living room wall and said, "I'm leaving this old buddy with you as a keepsake. Whenever you miss your bro, you can strum it and sing a song of *My Good Brother*."

"Alright, stop being so cheesy. It's not like we're parting ways forever."

"Hahahaha~~~"

Early morning, internet cafe.

After the shift change, Zhao Yihang slipped away smoothly, while Lu Xiaobei walked over carrying breakfast, having bought me a few steamed buns and spiced tea eggs.

"Lu Xiaobei, don't leave just yet. I have something to say."

"What is it?" She leaned over the counter and looked at me.

"Milo's bus out of Xicheng is at ten o'clock tonight. He's officially starting his life as a drift in Beijing to pursue his musical dream. Let's treat him to a meal as a farewell?"

"Okay."

Lu Xiaobei said, "So, do you have money now?"

"No, you'll have to pay for the meal."

"..."

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'll pick the restaurant, just wait to pig out on a big meal."

"You got it!"

Not long after, Lu Xiaobei sent me a WeChat message. The dining location was set at a place called "Xicheng Number One," and the time was six o'clock in the evening.

When I forwarded this message to Milo, this guy wasn't even sleeping and replied in surprise, "Damn... such high specifications?"

"I've never been to this restaurant. Are the specifications that high?" I asked.

"Yeah, very high!"

Milo said, "Xicheng Number One mainly serves seafood and Cantonese cuisine. The average consumption per person is probably over 400 yuan. It's considered one of the highest-end restaurants in Xicheng. Did you pick it?"

"Lu Xiaobei picked it. How would I know about such an awesome restaurant? I can't afford to eat there."

"True. Alright, I'm going back to sleep. See you tonight."

"See ya!"

Thus, I stopped messing with my phone and started repairing a machine that had broken down yesterday. There wasn't any major issue; swapping out one component would let it work normally again.

...

Dusk, around 5:00 PM.

Lu Xiaobei and I set out from Feiyang Internet Cafe. She had changed into a woolen coat with a pretty sweater underneath, looking all rosy and adorable. Although she wasn't even wearing makeup, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

We called an electric tricycle to our destination. The middle-aged driver glanced at Lu Xiaobei and then gave me a meaningful look, as if saying, "Such a gorgeous girlfriend, and you let her ride this in such freezing weather?"

I remained silent. A pauper didn't need too much self-esteem. Besides, Lu Xiaobei was my boss, not my girlfriend; there was no need to indulge in wishful thinking about such matters.

Upon arriving at Xicheng Number One, it indeed looked like a rather high-end establishment. We went up to the second floor; the small private room booked by Lu Xiaobei was already occupied by Milo, who had even started ordering dishes.

"Want a drink?" he suggested.

"No."

I shook my head, having zero confidence in my alcohol tolerance: "You guys drink, I'll keep you company with a soft drink."

"You're such a buzzkill."

Milo said, "Based on my observations, your limit is three bottles of beer. How about this: you drink two bottles, and after you finish those, you switch to soda?"

"Fine by me!"

Shortly after, the three of us raised our glasses.

"Milo, I wish you success in Beijing and hope you become an overnight sensation in BH City!"

Lu Xiaobei was in high spirits: "I think the songs you write are really good, and your voice is exceptional. With your talent, you're bound to make it big. By the time we meet again, you might already be a huge star."

"May your words come true!"

Milo raised his glass with a smile and said, "Xiaobei, Ding Han, I also wish you both happiness every single day here in Xicheng. Furthermore, I wish our internet cafe's business booming success. In the future, open branch stores—one turns into two, two into four, four into eight, and after eight, we'll go public! Once we go public, we'll raise capital, trade stocks, and then split into separate public companies. By then, just collecting dividends will make us rolling in wealth!"

I laughed out loud, and Milo shot me a "you know what I mean" look.

Lu Xiaobei was also amused, draining her glass in one go and urging us to hurry up and eat the dishes.

I had to admit, the dishes at Xicheng Number One were truly quite impressive. They used a combination of plated dishes and hot pot, with waiters helping us scald the ingredients, which, combined with the uniquely flavored dipping sauces, tasted absolutely stellar.

Before I knew it, my two bottles of alcohol were gone, and both Milo and Lu Xiaobei had drunk a little extra as well.

"Milo, drink less. You still have to catch a bus in two hours."

"Yeah, alright."

"Ding Han, shall we go together to send him off?" Lu Xiaobei proposed.

"Okay!"

Thus, dinner concluded, and we returned to our living quarters to send Milo off to the bus station.

He was dragging a huge suitcase, carrying a guitar on his back, with his headphones hanging around his neck. Coupled with his slightly long hair and the faint stubble on his face...

Lu Xiaobei said, "Ding Han, look at Milo. He looks just like an artistic youth. Look at you—you can also play the guitar and sing, but you don't have an ounce of that vibe..."

"What vibe does he have..."

I stepped on the raised ridges of the tactile paving for the blind and smiled, "Slapping a guitar on your back and wearing headphones makes you artistic? Don't be fooled by appearances, Xiaobei. It's true that guys like this are popular with women, but in the eyes of us men, this kind of styling is mostly just for picking up girls. We definitely wouldn't call him an artistic youth; we call him a 'pretentious youth'!"

"What does a pretentious youth mean?" Lu Xiaobei asked.

"A pretentious young man full of shallow affectation..."

"Hahahaha~~~"

Ahead of us, Milo couldn't help laughing out loud himself. He turned around and gave me a thumbs-up: "You're awesome, you actually came up with that word."

I laughed heartily as well.

The three of us didn't take a taxi, choosing instead to walk all the way to the bus station. By the time we arrived, it was already 9:30 PM, and Milo's bus was about to start ticket inspection.

He placed his suitcase down, rested his guitar and headphones on top of it, and then turned around and opened his arms: "Bro, give me a hug..."

I nodded and stepped forward to give this pretentious youth a fierce hug.

"Take care... you and Xiaobei both need to take good care of yourselves..."

Milo muttered softly, "To be honest, you guys are my only friends here. From the bottom of my heart, I truly cherish the two of you..."

For no reason, a trace of sorrow washed over us.

"Yeah!"

I let go of him, patted his shoulder firmly, and said, "Go chase your dreams hard. I believe you can definitely do it. You have the talent!"

"Definitely!"

Milo raised his fist in the air and then waved goodbye to Lu Xiaobei: "Xiaobei, goodbye~~~"

Lu Xiaobei waved back blankly, a layer of mist already clouding her eyes. She simply couldn't handle this kind of atmosphere.