Chapter 158: The Candar Dam

Returning home in the evening, Lu Kuan logged into the game as usual.

At midnight, in the moonlit sparse-tree plain, there was only the rustling sound of grass blades stirred by a gentle breeze. Dimi was sitting faithfully and dutifully at Lu Kuan's feet.

Near Lu Kuan's feet lay the corpse of a player whose blood was still warm, with two feathered arrows piercing straight through the abdomen. Because treatment had not arrived in time, he had bled to death.

If someone had been using dark vision to look into the distance at that moment, they would have spotted a corpse roughly every dozen meters. Some had been shot dead by feathered arrows, while others had their throats mangled and torn open directly by beasts.

These were all corpses of members from the Blue Spear Guild.

Prior to midnight last night, except for a few who had quick reflexes and fled upon sensing danger, all the others had been hunted down by Lu Kuan using guerrilla tactics, leaving their bodies scattered across the wilderness.

Having been toyed with by Lu Kuan alone for half the night and ultimately wiped out, one wondered if some of them had already developed psychological trauma.

"Dimi, go fetch the things dropped by the enemy. Leave the coins alone, only pick up the equipment."

Lu Kuan gave an order to Dimi, and the little wolf immediately darted out at lightning speed, heading straight for the corpse farthest away.

Lu Kuan started from the nearest one and slowly rummaged through the bodies. Because their battle line had been stretched out far too long, it took him a full half-hour just to finish gathering everything, and that was even with Dimi's help.

Fortunately, the rewards were not bad. Aside from a few mediocre blue and green pieces of gear, he actually managed to pick up a rare purple pair of gauntlets.

"Silver Sting (Relic Grade, Single)
Gauntlets
Equipment Requirements: Base Class Monk, Agility 12
Weight: 3
Sharpness: 45
Durability: 66%
Strength +2
Hit Rate +1%
Flash Surge: Upon activation, increases your lightning damage by 30% and attack speed by 15%. The skill effect lasts for 15 seconds, with a 10-minute cooldown.

'Eyes like shooting stars, fists like lightning.'"

Monks possessed a skill called "Thunder Strike," which dealt normal damage to the target with added lightning damage and carried a chance to inflict a paralysis effect.

These gloves were obviously tailor-made for Thunder Strike, especially with the extra attack speed at the end, which could further increase the trigger chance of the paralysis effect. If a Monk managed to get close and beat someone up under such conditions, the target would either be dead or severely crippled.

"This is considered quite good among purple gear."

Lu Kuan showed a satisfied smile, thinking to himself: "If my luck is good, I can sell this for several hundred gold pieces. The only pity is that this piece isn't part of a set..."

After collecting the spoils of war, Lu Kuan took Dimi and found a spot of higher ground nearby to pitch camp and rest.

Over the next two days, thanks to the "contributions" from those Blue Spear members, his supplies were not critically tight. Therefore, Lu Kuan was no longer in such a rush to travel; instead, he cleared out several decent monster gathering spots along the way, completed minor quests, and earned some experience.

When the morning of the third day arrived, Lu Kuan, who had been pouring all his efforts into feeding experience to Dimi, finally ushered in a historic moment: Dimi leveled up once again, reaching level 13 while simultaneously unlocking a new skill.

Shadow Instinct (Inherent Skill): Diyahir can effectively detect nearby stealth units. The effect is equivalent to Perception +4 and Reconnaissance Skill +2. When in an environment with sufficient illumination, the effect is halved. Upgrading the skill level increases the detection effectiveness.

Shadow Instinct had nothing to do with direct combat and belonged to the category of tactical skills, but its effects in actual combat would definitely be outstanding. In Lu Kuan's view, it was at least far better than simply having one more damage-dealing skill.

Now Lu Kuan finally understood why that top expert from his previous life was hailed as the Assassin Killer. Whenever he encountered assassins in PvP, he almost never let the opponent succeed in a sneak attack. It turned out his pet possessed such an overpowered skill!

Along with acquiring the skill, Dimi's appearance also underwent subtle changes.

Its originally brown pupils turned a light green and were unexpectedly pretty. The length of the single horn on its head increased by half directly, and its build grew a size larger, making it look even more majestic.

"Awoo~"

Dimi seemed to sense its own transformation as well and let out a long howl toward the sky. Its fur rippled without any wind, exuding an overwhelming aura of dominance. Lu Kuan could not resist taking a few more screenshots, feeling thoroughly pleased inside.

One hour later, midday arrived. Lu Kuan finally crested a mountain ridge and, upon seeing the magnificent sight in the distance, involuntarily let out a long breath of relief—no matter how many times he looked at this scenery, he would still be genuinely struck with awe.

Roughly a mile ahead was a towering, magnificent waterfall over two hundred meters high. Ordinary language could hardly describe its grandeur, as more than half the mountain ridge was obscured by its silvery-white rushing water. The torrent roared downward, forming a massive lake at the foot of the mountain.

Even from such a distance, Lu Kuan could still feel the faint tremor transmitted through the ground beneath his feet.

The most crucial point was that such a spectacular mega-waterfall was not a natural landscape, but rather constructed by human hands—or more accurately, the dwarves had built this architectural marvel with their own hands.

"Finally here..."

Lu Kuan let out a soft breath, turned his head, and smiled at Dimi: "You foodie, now you can eat your fill. The smoked venison of the Kandal Dam is world-famous, you know~"

...

The Kandal Dam was located upstream of Torrent Port, cutting the Raging River in half. It was precisely because of this dam that the immensely fertile Torrent Plain downstream, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, was able to exist.

Heading straight west past the Kandal Dam would lead to Torrent Port, but Lu Kuan could not go there just yet; he still needed to continue further south, because the Nightfall Crater was situated directly due south of the dam.

Half an hour later, Lu Kuan arrived at the entrance of the dam. The tall gate towers on both sides bore the distinct architectural style of the dwarves—sturdy and majestic. The dam body itself, over two hundred meters wide in the middle, served as the sole passageway into the Ironboot Dwarf City.

There were many players coming and going, all of whom had come from Torrent Port, because certain quests over there could activate the teleportation array between Torrent Port and Ironboot City, though the teleportation array only worked for players who had completed those quests.

Lu Kuan was appreciating the long-missed scenery when the gazes of the surrounding players were firmly drawn toward him... To be precise, they were drawn to Dimi by his side.

The chilling green pupils, the uniquely styled single horn atop its head, and the lustrous, eye-catching fur all told the surrounding people an indisputable fact—this pet, even if not a unique model, was definitely among the super-rare category!

Although this feeling of being the center of attention was not bad, Lu Kuan had no time to stand on the main street posing for looks. He led Dimi and strode quickly toward the gate.

However, it was clear that someone did not care much for Lu Kuan. Before Lu Kuan had walked more than a few steps, a crowd swarmed over from the side with a rustling sound.

"Grr..."

Dimi immediately emitted a threatening, low growl, crouching low as it blocked the path in front of Lu Kuan, murder intent rising in its green eyes.

"Get lost, you stinking dog!"

A female mage in the front was startled at first, then annoyance appeared on her face. She glared at Dimi and made veiled insults, barking, "A dog acting on the prestige of its master."

Hearing this, Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile as he said, "Madam, that's not very nice. Just a few days ago, you were acting all buddy-buddy with my pet. I remember it even pressed against you and nuzzled you for ages. Are you turning your back and refusing to acknowledge it now?"