[Dark Bloodline · Progenitor Fusion Successful!] [Summon Evolving...] [Dream Demon [Uncommon] -> Nightmare Sovereign [Epic]]

As Gu Chen expected, the Progenitor Bloodline elevated the summon to Epic tier. The original Dream Demon transformed into an eerie black shadow, like a phantom made of smoke and mist, constantly shifting and indistinct. Within the shadow, a pair of icy eyes flashed with cold light, seeming to pierce through souls directly into the hearts of observers.

[Summon: Nightmare Sovereign] [Tier: Epic] [Level: LV.6] [HP: 4560] [Attributes: Strength 68, Agility 76, Constitution 62, Spirit 78] [Talent: Unspeakable Form [Epic]] [Skill I: Phantasmal Kill LV.10 [Epic]] [Skill II: Nightmare Grasp LV.10 [Epic]]

An Epic-tier talent with max-level Epic skills. Gu Chen was thrilled and immediately proceeded with the Bloodline Awakening.

[Dark Bloodline · Descendant Fusion Successful!] [Summon Bloodline Awakening!]

[Level: LV.6] [HP: 6580] [Attributes: Strength 79, Agility 86, Constitution 85, Spirit 90] [Talent: Unspeakable Form [Epic]] [Skill I: Phantasmal Kill LV.10 [Epic]] [Skill II: Nightmare Grasp LV.10 [Epic]] [Skill III: Deep Dream LV.10 [Epic]]

After the Bloodline Awakening, the Nightmare Sovereign's HP rose to 6580, nearly three thousand higher than a typical Level 6 guard. Among its stats, Spirit was the most prominent. Combined with its talents and skills, it was a natural-born magical assassin.

[Unspeakable Form: The Nightmare Sovereign's form is unstable, allowing it to freely traverse between dreams and reality, granting extremely high damage reduction against physical attacks.] [Phantasmal Kill: Uses the dreamscape to approach the target unit and launch a surprise attack, dealing high damage.] [Nightmare Grasp: For every 10 Spirit, summon one Nightmare Minion. Targets afflicted by Nightmare Minions receive multiplied damage.] [Deep Dream: Construct a Deep Dream within an area, dealing high continuous damage to target units trapped within.]

Skill I was single-target burst, Skill II amplified damage. Skill III, Deep Dream, targeted enemy units caught within its area, not indiscriminately hitting friend and foe. Gu Chen calculated that the Nightmare Sovereign could currently summon nine Nightmare Minions (90 Spirit / 10 per minion). If all nine minions attached to a single target, that target would take nine times the damage from the Nightmare Sovereign's attacks. By simply combining its skills, the Nightmare Sovereign could likely instantly kill the Black-Robed Deacon—a Level 7 BOSS! The burst damage potential was terrifyingly strong.

Just then, another notification popped up. [Summon Tier increased from Uncommon to Epic. Received Attribute Feedback. Summoner All Attributes +10.] Gu Chen felt a pleasant warmth spread through him again. The attribute feedback was almost like getting a free level up; the feeling was incredibly satisfying.

But he wasn't finished yet. Gu Chen summoned the Royal Bloodline and fused it into Dracula. Within the Summoning Space, Dracula erupted in crimson light, so intense that brilliant golden rays shone through the blood-red aura.

[Dark Bloodline · Royal Fusion Successful!] [Summon Promoting...] [Dracula [Epic ★] -> Blood Progeny Overlord [Legendary ★]]

[Summon: Blood Progeny Overlord] [Level: LV.6] [HP: 8600] [Attributes: Strength 114, Agility 118, Constitution 116, Spirit 115] [Summon Tier increased from Epic to Legendary. Received Attribute Feedback. Summoner All Attributes +100.] [Talents: Blood Progeny Instinct [Epic], Wrath of the Blood Shadow [Epic], Blood Frenzy [Legendary]] [Skill I: Fatal Shot LV.10 [Epic]] [Skill II: Crimson Feast LV.10 [Epic]] [Skill III: Blood Progeny Legacy LV.10 [Legendary]] [New Talent Added: Blood Frenzy [Legendary]] [New Skill Added: Blood Progeny Legacy LV.10 [Legendary]] [Blood Frenzy: When the Blood Progeny Overlord's HP drops below 30%, triggers Fury bonus, doubling all attributes for 1 minute.] [Blood Progeny Legacy: The Blood Progeny Overlord can expend its own HP to convert deceased units into Blood Progeny Descendants.]

"Incredible!" Looking at the summon's status panel, Gu Chen felt secretly thrilled. This was a Level 6 summon? Unbelievable! All four main attributes broke 100, significantly higher than even the Level 7 Black-Robed Deacon. As for HP, although it was a few hundred lower than the Deacon's, that was mainly because the Deacon was a BOSS with inherent HP bonuses. No matter, the Blood Progeny Overlord was only Level 6 now. By Level 7, it would undoubtedly crush a Level 7 BOSS in every aspect.

Going from Uncommon to Epic gave +10 attribute feedback; going from Epic to Legendary granted a massive +100!

[Level: LV.6 (53/1880)] [Strength: 177] [Agility: 176] [Constitution: 178] [Spirit: 179] [Summons: Blood Progeny Overlord LV.6 [Legendary ★], Nightmare Sovereign LV.6 [Epic]]

His own attributes were now around 178 on average. Gu Chen was slightly surprised; his personal stats alone could now likely overpower the Black-Robed Deacon. If he had a decent set of gear, he could probably solo the Hard Mode Novice Dungeon himself!

Speaking of gear, Gu Chen opened his storage space again. Killing the Deacon had yielded the Black Deacon Emblem and Black Deacon Robe. Adding the Hurricane Warhammer from the chest, he had two pieces of equipment and one accessory.

[Black Deacon Emblem] [Quality: Superior] [Effect: Shields wearer from external probing, preventing others from obtaining the wearer's character information.] [Note: Shielding fails if the level difference is too large.]

[Black Deacon Robe] [Quality: Superior] [Attributes: Spirit +5, Constitution +5] [Effect: Robe provides the user with a magic shield. Shield value equals User's Spirit * 10.]

"All good stuff. The emblem prevents spying, and the robe gives a shield that can absorb 1790 damage (179 Spirit * 10)." "Crucially, the shield's value increases with my Spirit. That's significant." Gu Chen equipped the Black Deacon Robe and pinned the emblem to his collar. Then, he opened the Class Holder trading platform on his phone and listed the Hurricane Warhammer. The weapon had decent stats; besides basic attribute bonuses, it came with a defensive skill, suitable for classes proficient with warhammers like Warriors, Paladins, or Monks. As for the price, being Superior-tier, it wouldn't fetch a huge sum, but listing it for 100,000 coins shouldn't be unreasonable.

Shortly after listing the item, the dormitory door was pushed open from outside. Lin Yuan walked in, carrying a stack of takeout containers. "Old Gu! Come on, eight dishes and a soup for lunch today! Give me a hand..."

Afternoon. At 1:45 PM, Gu Chen and Lin Yuan arrived back at the Novice Dungeon plaza. The area was still teeming with students, most waiting to find or form teams. "Any experts running the dungeon? Monk here with Uncommon gear, guaranteed to follow orders!" "Recruiting Archer or Gunslinger, gear and skills preferred!"

"Look! The Summoner!" "Huh? It's Gu Chen! He just cleared Hard Mode this morning, why is he back already?" "Ah? He's the expert who solo-carried four Actors?"

As Gu Chen approached, countless eyes were drawn to him. The crowd in front of him instinctively parted, clearing a path. "Summoner expert! Carry me please! I have a full Warrior set!" "Expert Gu Chen! Weren't you looking for teammates earlier? Can you take me?" "Chen-ge! We're old classmates! Team up and carry me, okay?" ...

Gu Chen remained impassive, ignoring the chorus of eager requests around him as he walked steadily towards the dungeon entrance. Just then, a voice suddenly called out from behind him. "Gu Chen. Frankly, I looked down on you before. However, since you managed to prove yourself in Hard Mode, I suppose you're at least somewhat useful." "That being the case, my team still has one open spot. Get ready immediately and come run the dungeon with us."