SSS Grade Saint Knight - Chapter 111

Chapter 111: White Gear Clearance? What Kind of Monster Is This?!

TL: Etude Translations

“Here it comes, here it comes! The additional stage! That damned Bear Monster Wraith—immune to physical attacks. It utterly crushed us back then!”

“The Nightmare-level Bear Monster Wraith was terrifying enough in the past. The current Abyss-level version must be even scarier!”

“As expected, it’s an Epic-tier Bear Monster Wraith!”

“Heh, Zhou Yi’s in trouble now. This Bear Monster Wraith is even trickier than the Bear Monster Leader from the previous stage!”

The Bear Monster Dungeon was already the hardest among the three rotating dungeons in the New Student Competition.

Back when prodigies from across the country first reported to Suhang University, this very additional stage, guarded by the Bear Monster Wraith, became their first Waterloo.

With its immunity to physical attacks and ten revival chances, it left many at their wit’s end.

At this moment, seeing Zhou Yi step into the additional stage, numerous students’ eyes lit up.

They eagerly anticipated watching this unstoppable Saint Knight, who had bulldozed his way thus far, finally get a taste of the abuse they once suffered.

However, reality turned out to be the complete opposite of their expectations.

When that massive God’s Hand appeared on the dungeon screen, everyone was dumbfounded.

“What… what is that?”

“Is this some skill a first-year can actually use? Are you freaking kidding me??”

“This is outrageous!!”

“Don’t panic! The Bear Monster Wraith can revive!”

But just as a senior-year student uttered those words, the scene belonging to Zhou Yi showed God’s Hand crashing down with a deafening explosion.

A dazzling flash of light erupted, and the entire screen began to tremble violently!

When the shaking subsided, and the intense light faded, all that was left on the screen was a wisp of black mist being scattered by golden lightning.

Then… nothing.

“That’s it?! What about the ten revivals?”

“What just happened? Did the game glitch?”

“Impossible! How could there be a bug in the secret realm dungeon?”

“…”

Staring at the screen showing a clearing time of 1 minute and 12 seconds, the students were utterly stunned.

It was widely understood that…

Though it was an additional stage, by the time most freshmen reached it, their remaining power was already greatly diminished.

Moreover, the Bear Monster Wraith was tougher than the Bear Monster Leader and had the ability to revive ten times.

This stage was a brutal test of a new student’s damage output and sustainability.

Normally…

Even those with exceptional talent would need a significant amount of time to clear it, often exhausting themselves in the process.

Yet Zhou Yi cleared it in just over a minute—utterly unbelievable!

Even more shocking was that, after the Bear Monster Wraith revived once, it never revived a second time…

For a while, debates raged among the students over whether there was some issue with the additional stage.

Of course, a few well-informed seniors…

Upon seeing the Holy Aura saturating the screen, showed faint expressions of astonishment.

…

…

“Hm? To think he completely annihilated all the Evil God Aura. It seems Zhou Yi’s skill isn’t ordinary.”

“An S-Rank skill, God’s Hand. It summons a giant hand imbued with genuine divine power. Though the divine power it carries is quite faint, against these feeble Evil God Auras, it’s naturally overwhelming.”

At the ceremonial platform, a group of experienced instructors immediately discerned the intricacies of the situation.

“It seems Zhou Yi stumbled upon a shortcut.”

“Heh, and just how would you let others take this shortcut? A skill infused with divine power isn’t something easily learned!”

“That’s true. It appears this Saint Knight has a little secret of his own…”

In Zhongxia Country, nearly all B-Rank and above skill books were controlled by top universities.

Some family factions possessed a few, but their collections were typically quite limited.

Among the skill books housed in these elite universities, those rated as A-Rank were tightly guarded.

For an ordinary student to learn such skills, they not only had to spend a substantial number of credits but also submit applications and await approval.

As for S-Rank skill books above A-Rank, they were stored in the deepest vaults of the libraries!

Even if a student wished to study them, they had to pass extraordinarily rigorous screenings and evaluations before receiving permission.

Zhou Yi had only been enrolled for just over a month.

The highest level of skill authorization granted by the school was merely B+ Rank, not even touching A Rank, let alone the higher S Rank.

Thus, the God’s Hand, an S-Rank skill, could only have been learned privately.

Although no one knew how someone from the impoverished northern region of Suhang Province could access an S-Rank skill, the instructors chose not to investigate further.

After all, geniuses were always exceptional.

As long as he wasn’t some foreign creature in disguise, there was no issue.

This had already been confirmed during the enrollment check.

…

…

Though it was unclear why the Bear Monster Wraith in the additional stage did not revive after the descent of the Holy Giant Hand,

The instructors made no comment, and due to their trust in Suhang University, the senior students in the audience also assumed this to be normal.

Of course…

They were still intensely curious about how Zhou Yi had achieved such a result.

“The key to the Bear Monster Wraith’s revival lies in the Evil God Energy. Each time we kill the Wraith, part of the Evil God Energy is consumed.”

“After ten revivals, when all the Evil God Energy is depleted, the Wraith can no longer revive.”

“To achieve this outcome, Zhou Yi must have found some way to completely annihilate all the Evil God Energy.”

“Without a supply of Evil God Energy, the Bear Monster Wraith naturally couldn’t revive.”

A tall, lean man wearing glasses said this.

He came from the Tactical College and had considerable expertise in monster attributes and energy mechanics.

“How is that possible? Evil God Energy may be faint, but it is still divine power. How could Zhou Yi, at his current level, even come into contact with divine power?”

“Don’t forget, he is a Saint Knight, which makes him quite different from regular professionals.”

“Hiss!! That’s right! It’s actually possible!”

Among the many professions on Blue Star, those requiring faith in a god were relatively rare…

The Priest and Saint Knight professions were among the most well-known. Compared to other professions, these two indeed had a greater likelihood of encountering divine power.

“Even so, wielding divine power is no simple matter.”

“That’s true. Zhou Yi is just too powerful. He’s on a completely different level from what we were back in the day…”

As they sighed in admiration, the audience’s understanding of Zhou Yi’s strength deepened even further.

“Now that he’s defeated the Bear Monster Wraith and collected the dungeon rewards, he should be coming out soon.”

This comment, coming out of nowhere, made the students in the audience instinctively look toward the Silver Gate at the back of the field.

Buzz~~~

Before the Silver Gate, the figure everyone had been waiting for reappeared via teleportation.

The figure was tall and muscular, with a massive battle axe, slightly stained with blood, strapped to his back.

Perhaps due to just exiting the dungeon, a cold killing intent lingered around him.

Coupled with his chiseled and resolute facial features, his appearance made several senior female students’ eyes sparkle.

“Seeing him in person, he’s even more imposing than he was on the screen.”

“This equipment setup suits Zhou Yi perfectly! It doesn’t look bulky at all, but rather heroic and awe-inspiring.”

“Quick, take a look at what gear he’s using. I want to get a set for myself later!”

The girls were enthralled by Zhou Yi’s icy charisma.

Meanwhile, a few sharp-eyed male students began using Appraisal Technique to observe Zhou Yi’s equipment.

“Hmm, a Gold-grade Army Breaker Battle Axe.”

“About 1.9 meters long, with a grip forged from Black Iron and engraved with enchanted patterns.”

“The axe blade is distinct from standard battle axes, featuring a unique design.”

“Wow, equipping such an axe truly gives off a dominant vibe.”

Weapons in the massive weapon category always left a striking impression.

Zhou Yi had requested a custom-made battle axe, which was heavier than the standard Army Breaker Battle Axe!

This made it thicker than a normal axe, delivering an even greater visual impact.

Of course, among all the professions, those who wielded battle axes were the minority.

Since the weapon couldn’t be replicated, the crowd instinctively began appraising the rest of Zhou Yi’s gear.

What they discovered shocked them.

“WTF?! What’s going on? Aside from his weapon and ring, Zhou Yi is wearing nothing but White-tier gear?!”

“This is ridiculous! White-tier gear is worse than Bronze-grade equipment, with almost no attribute bonuses!!”

“Wait, wait, are you telling me Zhou Yi cleared the dungeon and broke records wearing this set of White-tier gear?”

“Gasp, clearing an Abyss-level dungeon in White-tier gear—what kind of monster is this?”

For a moment, the entire audience erupted in shocked exclamations and discussions.

Some people even widened their eyes in disbelief, their faces full of astonishment.

…

…