Chapter 13: The Astounding Casting Speed

God loves humanity, and so does Wang Shikong; he is no mindless killer.

Choosing to spare the young couple, he retrieved four insignias of the "Divine Word" squad and handed them to Old Hu. "Join my team temporarily."

"No problem."

Old Hu accepted them with a nod. "Let me introduce you, Brother Shikong. This is my daughter—call her Yao Yi. These two are comrades I met in Sky Azure Town: Tiancheng and Jingshan."

"Greetings!" Wang Shikong acknowledged them with a slight tilt of his head.

"Big shot! Pleased to meet you!" the two young men stammered, visibly flattered.

Yao Yi studied him curiously, questions swirling in her mind, yet she held back from asking directly.

"Prepare to enter."

Wang Shikong announced this as he approached the dungeon entrance.

【Welcome, Divine Word Squad, to the Rotten Manor Trial Dungeon. Select Difficulty: Normal, Hard, Nightmare!】

【Nightmare!】

Wang Shikong confirmed instantly.

"Holy shit! How’s that dude in the wheelchair so powerful? How does he cast spells instantly?"

"Completely ridiculous! With my Apprentice-level proficiency, it takes me a solid six seconds to cast! What even was his first spell? Terrifying!"

"Does sitting down make casting faster?"

Fragments of stunned exclamations reached Wang Shikong’s ears just as the teleportation array activated.

In the next instant, they materialized before the crumbling entrance of a decaying estate.

A crescent moon hung in a murky sky above. Ahead, the rotted gates of the manor entrance hung askew, flickering firelight spilling from the courtyard within, casting everything in a bone-chilling atmosphere.

"Nightmare difficulty?"

The notification sucked the air from the group. Old Hu’s face tightened, his voice hesitant as he turned to Wang Shikong. "Brother Shikong... are you sure?"

"It should be manageable," Wang Shikong replied. Though this was his first time inside the Rotten Manor, he remembered the core strategies from his past life. Combined with the decent strength of Old Hu’s team, success seemed plausible.

"According to intel, Hard mode already has Bronze-tier bosses," Yao Yi chimed in, her eyes fixed on Wang Shikong with open curiosity. "Our group isn’t weak, yet even Normal difficulty pushes us to the limit. To get through this... we’ll likely need you to carry us, Big Shot."

"Don’t call me that."

The title grated on him. His gaze sharpened, locked ahead. "Get ready to fight. You follow my lead now."

"Understood. Then… Captain it is," Yao Yi agreed, nodding.

"Yao Yi, push the Captain for now," Old Hu instructed his daughter, also adopting the title.

Hearing himself called 'Captain' by the future founder of a super guild and top-tier combatants sent a satisfying thrill through Wang Shikong. Still, he waved a dismissive hand. "Not necessary."

Dark, swirling sigils manifested on either side of his wheelchair. Two skeletons clawed their way out of the glyphs and smoothly lifted the chair.

Bathed in the cold moonlight, the image – skeletons, wheelchair, the stern young man, and the pristine white book clasped in his hand – radiated an unsettling aura.

"Close-range fighters, forward guard positions," Wang Shikong commanded Old Hu and the others, the "Book of Divine Word" held ready.

"Got it," Old Hu responded, his eyes lingering on the skeletons before adding, almost involuntarily, "Badass."

"Captain, can I ask a question?" Yao Yi blurted out. "How do you cast spells without chanting or incantations?"

"Proficiency," Wang Shikong answered simply. "Reach the Transcendent level in your skill, and chants become unnecessary."

"Proficiency?" Yao Yi was stunned. "I drill in Sky Azure Town’s spell practice chambers for four hours every day, focusing on lightning affinity. After all that, I’ve only reached Mastery. You’re telling me you’ve hit Transcendent? Is there some... shortcut?"

The Infinite Continent had merged with Earth half a month ago. Basic principles were now common knowledge: Training an element you’re naturally attuned to boosts proficiency faster. Innate aptitude impacts learning speed. Spell chambers amplify training efficiency – though at a steep cost of 100 coins per hour.

Yao Yi knew her lightning affinity was exceptional. She poured resources into daily chamber training. And Mastery was the best she’d achieved.

"The spell chambers are the shortcut," Wang Shikong stated flatly. "People have different aptitudes. Learning rates vary."

Silence hung heavy in the eerie air for a moment.

"Stay sharp," Old Hu growled, breaking the quiet. "The moment we step inside the manor grounds, Corrupted Servants will attack." He motioned for Jingshan to watch their flank.

Wang Shikong focused intently ahead. Shimmering grains of sand seemed to swirl in his irises.

Thwip!

His eyes snapped into focus.

The instant they crossed the threshold, a brilliant light arrow shot from Wang Shikong towards the space to Old Hu’s right.

Thud!

【-400】

A shadowy figure flickered into existence.

<"Corrupted Doorman (Bronze): Level 3

Health: 500/500

Physique: 35

Spirit: 14

Skills: 1. Shadowmeld; 2. Rend">

"Shit! Stealth too? This is Nightmare?" Old Hu gasped, clearly caught off guard. He reacted instantly, his bronze longsword flaring with fire as he brought it down.

Crunch!

【-100】

The Corrupted Doorman crumpled lifelessly.

Wang Shikong gave an almost imperceptible nod. Fast reaction. Expected from a future apex combatant. At level five, Old Hu packed a serious punch.

"Even a doorman is Bronze-tier," Jingshan observed, his expression grim on the other flank. "Its power isn’t far below ours. This is leagues harder than Normal."

"Basic mobs in Nightmare dungeons are Bronze-tier," Wang Shikong explained coolly, approaching the corpse. "Shadow-based stealth eludes sight, but feel the currents of the wind element... sense the subtle distortions of shadow essence nearby."

He paused by the body. "From here on, all loot drops and essence orbs belong to me. Clearing this dungeon will yield rewards far exceeding your expectations."

"No objections here," Old Hu responded instantly. The group readily agreed. If Wang Shikong could secure them a first clear, he could take every single drop and orb. With their current strength, merely clearing Normal was a struggle.

"Move forward."

Wang Shikong gestured. They advanced cautiously.

"Three Corrupted Gardeners ahead!" Old Hu warned.

Sure enough, barely twenty meters in, three twisted forms charged them – Level 3 Bronze mobs.

Three more bolts of pure light streaked forward. Old Hu, Yao Yi, and Jingshan met the charge, blades flashing.

Tiancheng, the mage, barely had time to register the threat before the three Gardeners were reduced to twitching corpses.

"Check the loot," Wang Shikong commanded, spotting glinting items.

Yao Yi strode over with her long legs, retrieved the items, and handed them to him. "Fifty coins. And a torch."

<"Torch: When lit, increases Fire Elemental spell damage by +5%. Duration: 10 minutes.">

Wang Shikong examined the torch, nodded curtly, and stowed it away.

"Fifty coins already? The drops here are insane," Jingshan murmured, impressed.

"With the Captain here, Nightmare feels… almost simple," Tiancheng said, awe coloring his voice. "His casting speed? His damage? One of him is worth ten of me. Easily."

Tiancheng considered himself competent – equipped with a Bronze staff and robes. He estimated his Netherflame spell could deal over 100 damage to a Level 3 Bronze mob.

The Captain? One Light Arrow did nearly triple that.

But the real shocker was the speed. Casting Netherflame took Tiancheng a solid four seconds. In that same time, the Captain unleashed half a dozen Light Arrows.

One of him is worth ten of me. It wasn’t hyperbole.

It was beyond belief.