For his second challenge, Ren Suo called upon Zhao Zili for support.

Interestingly, when Merlin saw Zhao Zili, he actually spoke.

"Apostle of Outer Gods, you are much luckier than I am."

Though not controlled by him personally, Zhao Zili still faithfully fulfilled his mission—as the strongest meat shield and healer, he tenaciously clung to Demigod Merlin.

However, after a few strikes, Merlin realized that Zhao Zili, this guy, had almost zero combat power. His only use was to get in front of Merlin and block his view. Moreover, he couldn't even be killed. Three deities had granted Zhao Zili "Undying Protection," "Regeneration Shelter," and "Superhuman Protection," making his endurance almost comparable to that of the Devouring the Spirit of the World.

But after seeing through Zhao Zili's tricks, Merlin ignored him and focused on attacking the other Magicians and Cultivators. Zhao Zili's healing abilities were also extraordinarily terrifying. Wielding the Endless Mercy Gatling, he could almost achieve the effect of 'my shots won't let you die,' but he could only protect a few people.

When Merlin's Health Points dropped to 50%, the Cultivator Troops were wiped out again. Ren Suo quickly activated the "Iron Chain of the Finger" and, together with other Female Mages, launched an attack with Forbidden Techniques, attempting to instantly kill Merlin!

However, even when bound, Merlin quickly sacrificed the Human Skin Book in his hand, summoning Liblom.

Liblom was almost capable of using most of the Offerings Ren Suo had seen before, with a Teleport speed not inferior to Merlin's, and he could also add effects like 'Defense Enhancement' to himself. Even though people like Red Hood could bring themselves to ruthlessly attack their former lover, binding him tightly with the Iron Chain of the Finger, the Magicians soon discovered—Liblom and Merlin shared a life!

In other words, Merlin had effectively gained an extra life!

Soon, when the Magicians had used up all their Forbidden Techniques and could no longer bind Merlin and Liblom, their counterattack came. Even with Zhao Zili there, the Magicians couldn't withstand it!

What was most crucial was that Liblom could also heal himself and Merlin!

If their attacks didn't deal enough damage for an instant kill, they would just heal themselves. That was just too ridiculous!

Ren Suo thought for a few minutes, then tried the other two cheats from the Holy Grail.

Three chances to avoid death and a doubling of full strength.

The effect... well, was even worse than calling Zhao Zili for support.

The three chances to avoid death merely meant dragging things out a bit longer. As for doubling full strength, Ren Suo didn't see any effect from it. This option was actually specifically aimed at the Balanced Stream where Holy Hand was slightly superior to Magic Arm.

3-star+ games really are... either annoying or require a lot of Krypton Gold.

However, it wasn't that Ren Suo couldn't get through it. After several continuous attempts, Ren Suo gradually learned Merlin's and Liblom's patterns, so avoiding their attacks was not difficult. Merlin wouldn't heal himself, while Liblom, when he used a healing offering, could be interrupted by Ren Suo's magic.

Ren Suo could rely on his own operation to slowly grind Merlin and Liblom down, although it would be time-consuming. He would also have to watch his fellow travelers and participating Cultivators die. After all, his skills could improve, but the other Magicians' could not.

Ren Suo suspected that there were certain restrictions on a Magician's actual Teleport. These might result from 'visual impact' and 'loss of balance,' so the frequency of Magicians' Teleporting was limited.

As for the character controlled by Ren Suo, the only limit to Teleportation frequency was Ren Suo's reaction speed and operation.

It would probably take another three or four days for Ren Suo to hone his operation to a level where he could pass 100% unharmed.

Indeed, the Demon Arm Style does have its advantages here… Ren Suo couldn't help but sigh. If he had followed the Demon Arm Style, Ren Suo would have definitely honed his skills well during the first six levels. With high output, soloing bosses would probably be much simpler.

If following the Balanced Stream, choosing to double overall strength from the Holy Grail exchange list would be best. This path might even be easier than the Demon Arm Style, though the Balanced Stream increases the difficulty of ordinary gameplay—as it excels in neither.

The advantage of the Saint Hand Style in the final level, without a doubt, was external support.

In Ren Suo's imagination, if there was a character with high output and fast movement speed, then all Ren Suo had to do was continuously heal him and occasionally interrupt Liblom's healings, and he should be able to pass stably.

But the available list did not have such a character.

Assassin, had enough movement speed, but not enough output—firearms were too weak for Merlin and Liblom.

Zhao Zili, let's not even mention him.

Truth Seeker...

Ren Suo remembered this character he had overlooked and suddenly felt inspired.

Perhaps it was due to wearing the "Seeker of the Dao Correction Hat," Ren Suo quickly recalled a previous idea he had.

Acting on impulse, Ren Suo immediately used the Holy Grail to summon the Truth Seeker, then equipped her with "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One" in the Equipment Interface.

Upon entering the game, Merlin looked at the Truth Seeker and spoke again,

"I've never seen anything like this… If you were here, the Holy Grail certainly wouldn't have chosen me."

This assessment was undoubtedly high, yet the Truth Seeker's performance was not satisfying—

Equipped with "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One," the Truth Seeker, like a Magician, could suspend herself in midair and move, but... her attacks were weak.

Her speed was slightly slower than Teleport but still sufficient. However, her attack mode was punching and kicking, which merely tickled Merlin.

Conversely, although her reaction speed was very fast, the Truth Seeker inevitably got injured in several wide-area attacks.

Or rather, she died.

The Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One enhanced the Truth Seeker's defensive power, but it still didn't match a Magician's defensive offering. According to Ren Suo's understanding of the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records, fully mastering Chapter One would only allow one to reach the level of a minor Superman.

Magicians are non-human after all.

Just relying on the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One couldn't elevate the Truth Seeker to a terrifying level. Ren Suo couldn't do more, as he only had so many Ability slots. Having a few more would have allowed him to further arm the Truth Seeker.

Undeterred, Ren Suo tried again. This time, the Truth Seeker did not perish in the initial battle, but when Liblom appeared and all the Magicians' Forbidden Techniques ran out, she still perished with the rest.

AAAAHHHHHH—

The living room curtains were infused with a warm air as morning approached, and Ren Suo still couldn't think of a way to pass the level.

"Do I really have to rely on improving my own skills?" Ren Suo said with a troubled expression.

He tightly pressed the hat on his head, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down to analyze if there was still a chance in the recent battles.

Assassin...

Zhao Zili...

Truth Seeker...

Wondering if the hat was responsible, Ren Suo suddenly noticed something.

The combat duration of the Truth Seeker… it seems to have exceeded ten minutes, right?

When a Magician uses Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One, they can only maintain the enhanced state for 10 minutes. If it's the Demon Arm Style, the enhancement is substantial. For the Saint Hand Style, the benefit is minimal, so Ren Suo seldom used it.

Ren Suo tried challenging again, but upon reaching the seventh level, he replaced the Truth Seeker's "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One" with "Magic: Garment" in the Equipment Interface.

Returning to the game, Ren Suo then saw visible Gang Qi around the Truth Seeker's body, distorting the air around her, flowing like a current outside the Truth Seeker's body.

BOOM—

The next second, the Truth Seeker's body burst forth with tremendous speed, slamming directly into Merlin's embrace!

Her right hand, wrapped in "Garment," transformed into the most terrifying blade in the world, piercing directly through Merlin's flesh!

And the effects of the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One" on the Truth Seeker remained!

Indeed, the abilities equipped by the Truth Seeker… are as if she had learned them herself!

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