​​Chapter 16: First Clear! The Divine Oracle Squad Shocks the World​​

"Holy shit!"

"The Captain's under attack! Tiancheng, why didn't you block it?!"

Without the buff from Divine Inspiration, Lao Hu and the others froze for a split second.

But the Manor Lord and his family didn’t give them time to react, attacking immediately.

In that instant, deprived of Divine Inspiration and Wang Shikong's commands, Lao Hu, Yao Yi, and Jingshan realized the massive gap between them and the Manor Lord's family.

In just one second, their Jadewood Armor shattered.

Two seconds later, their HP was halved.

Three seconds… Death!

Yes. It happened that fast.

Thankfully, as a trial dungeon under Heaven’s Path, players didn’t truly die here; they were simply teleported out.

Tiancheng was stunned by the sudden turn of events, but he had no time to think. The attacks from the Lady of the Manor, her daughter, and youngest son landed on him.

Now, only Wang Shikong remained in the entire party.

Seeing the situation, he gently shook his head and murmured, "Alright. The real fight begins now."

"Kill him!" The Manor Lord’s family locked their blood-red eyes onto him.

Wang Shikong leaned back in his wheelchair and smiled faintly. The Five Elements Fusion Technique rapidly coalesced before him.

"​​Summon Gale!​​"

A terrifying fireball erupted, hurtling straight toward the youngest son.

"Son! Dodge it!" The Manor Lord’s face twisted in horror and rage as the inferno flew towards his boy.

Back when Wang Shikong had only 10 Spirit Power, his Five Elements Fusion could insta-kill Level 4 Hyenas. Now, with 65 Spirit Power? How devastating would this strike be?

Granted, different monsters had varying levels and defenses.

But the youngest son was clearly the high-magic, low-health type. This hit meant certain death.

The young son saw the attack coming and tried desperately to evade.

Sadly, guided by Wang Shikong’s foresight, the fireball was essentially a homing missile. Even with a hasty defense skill thrown up, it was futile.

​​[-1000.]​​

The Manor Lord’s youngest son died instantly, an item dropping beside his vanishing body.

"My son! I’ll kill you! Avenge my boy!" the Manor Lord howled, charging forward. The other family members—wife, daughters, sons—all roared with bestial fury!

"​​Time Stop!​​"

Wang Shikong didn’t hesitate. The instant the Manor Lord’s family entered his Spirit Power’s range, their bodies froze. Everything ceased.

One second later, another fireball engulfed them.

The Manor Lord and his two elder sons, already below half HP, could only watch helplessly as the flames consumed them.

"​​BOOM!​​" Instant death.

Wang Shikong turned his gaze to the distant Lady of the Manor and her daughter.

Light and Shadow converged. Time to finish this.

"Damn it! We were so close to clearing it, and another boss shows up?!"

Right outside the Corrupt Manor dungeon, Lao Hu and the others reappeared, their expressions grim.

"Tiancheng! The Captain told you to block damage! Why didn’t you?" Jingshan glared at the spellcaster Tiancheng, unable to hold back the accusation.

"I… I…" Tiancheng stammered, his face equally ashen.

"Just a bit short. The Captain was right—there was another boss, and one as strong as the Manor Lord himself." Yao Yi glanced at Tiancheng. "Consider this a learning experience. At least when the Captain takes us through the Hard difficulty, it’ll be a breeze. He… he’s just too strong."

Recalling the fight and their dungeon run, her mind still churned with disbelief. His incredible tactics, sharp insight, supreme intellect… and god-like leadership had utterly awed her.

"To think such a person exists in this world," Lao Hu muttered, unable to contain his astonishment.

Though they’d failed the first clear, though he’d wasted two incredibly precious elemental scrolls, though they had zero loot… he felt no resentment.

He could only blame themselves—they’d been dead weight.

​​[Ding! Congratulations! Your squad has achieved the First Clear of the Nightmare difficulty Corrupt Manor Dungeon. As members of the first party to clear the Corrupt Manor Dungeon, you receive the combined rewards for clearing all three difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Nightmare. Reward: Constitution +8, Spirit Power +2.]​​

​​[Ding! Congratulations to Squad ‘Divine Oracle’ for achieving the First Clear of the Nightmare difficulty Corrupt Manor Dungeon. Reward: Reputation +80,000.]​​

The next instant, the Heaven’s Path system announcement boomed. Lao Hu’s pupils constricted, shock washing over his face.

"Holy shit! The Captain… he…?" Jingshan yelled, voice thick with excitement. He’d gotten the message too.

Their eyes met, disbelief written plainly on every face.

After they died… the Captain alone had wiped out the entire Manor Lord’s family?

What kind of monstrous strength was that?

"These stats… it’s like gaining over a level’s worth, without actually leveling up… That means…" Yao Yi gasped, her face lighting up with realization and delight.

A crude analogy: it was the difference between mere talent and true genius. The gap between an ordinary person and a prodigy. This was about building unparalleled fundamentals.

"Holy hell?! What just happened?! Corrupt Manor got its first clear?! And Nightmare difficulty?! Squad ‘Divine Oracle’?"

"What squad is that?! How are they this insane?! Unbelievable!"

"We haven’t even cleared the central courtyard on Normal, and some squad already cleared Nightmare?"

Around them, gasps of shock and cries of disbelief erupted. Players stared at the system broadcast, dumbfounded.

"Bullshit! They must’ve taken sniper rifles, machine guns, and grenades into the dungeon! Probably foreigners breaking our record! Unfair! So damn unfair!" Some shouted immediately, crying foul.

But it wasn’t just Skyblue Town.

The Corrupt Manor was a Heaven’s Path trial dungeon present in every starting town.

Inside another Corrupt Manor dungeon instance, a squad armed to the teeth with miniguns, Barretts, AKs, and high-explosive grenades froze mid-combat upon hearing the system-wide broadcast.

"Divine Oracle… got the first clear? On Nightmare? How…?"

"Even though we’re Level 7, our upgrade path was flawed. Specter-type monsters ignore bullets entirely—only elemental attacks hurt them. Our elemental skills are barely beginner-level… useless against ghosts," their middle-aged, heavily armed squad leader mused grimly.

In that moment, they understood: the mastery of elemental skills was indispensable.

Relying solely on guns for fast leveling these past two weeks was a mistake. Their elemental abilities lagged far behind—casting a simple fireball took them 20 seconds. Immune to bullets, the specters had rendered them helpless. Firepower gave early advantages, but this was a huge detriment long-term.

Back inside his own Corrupt Manor dungeon, Wang Shikong heard the Heaven’s Path announcement. A faint smile touched his lips.

Spirit Power +8. Constitution +2.

The reward seemed modest? Not at all. Such enhancements to his fundamental stats were incredibly rare, profoundly important, and immensely valuable. In a fight against someone of equal skill, a mere 1-point difference in Spirit Power could decide the outcome. After all, with no cooldowns here, extra Spirit Power meant more spells.

"Heaven’s Path rewards aside… the drops from the Manor Lord’s family are equally spectacular."

He examined the items glowing before him:

​​Bronze Equipment:​​ [Shadowlance], [Blood-Eye Jade Pendant]

​​Black Iron Equipment:​​ [Black Scale Armor], [Jadewood Staff], [Zircon Shield]

​​Special Items:​​ [Azure Watershield Schematic], [Prodigy Pavilion Trial Admission Token x 5]

​​Skill Book:​​ [Dark Flame]

Remarks: Equipment monsters use in Heaven’s Path Trial Dungeons may not always drop as loot.