#14Chapter 14 Four years of college!
Your doppelganger made the right bet!
Just as your doppelganger was doing its best to entangle Doranier, and its health was dropping crazily under Doranier's attacks, on the verge of collapse...
Several powerful attacks suddenly shot out from the tunnel behind the doppelganger, fiercely striking the named BOSS Doranier!
Before this, Doranier had seemed unfazed by any attack, as if being tickled, but was immediately struck by these skills, letting out a miserable wail. Its massive body staggered backward under the impact of the skills, until it crashed into the stone wall of the mine, barely stopping.
Immediately afterward, several figures slowly emerged from the mine's passage. There were fully armed warriors, scouts hidden in the shadows, and a priestess in holy attire. But the most eye-catching was a mage wielding a mahogany staff, whose hair seemed to dance like flames in the air!
Zong Heng!
Your doppelganger recognized this influential figure from Donghua University at a glance! The owner of the Star-level talent Flame Lord, capable of ignoring the enemy's magic defense and fire resistance when casting any fire-based magic. Furthermore, he could designate three natal fire-based spells to increase their power by 1000% and reduce their cooldown by 50%! A freak!
Surrounding him were undoubtedly Zong Heng's powerful comrades who had fought alongside him since his freshman year! Without exception, they all possessed Earth-level or even Sky-level talents, and the lowest level among them were Gold-level professionals who had completed three class advancements!
In the first simulation, they were the absolute core of the Iron-Blood Battle Group. Under their leadership, even the extremely powerful wilderness lord couldn't withstand the three-minute siege of the Iron-Blood Battle Group and was killed.
Although Doranier is a level 10 named BOSS, five levels higher than the level 5 lord that the Iron-Blood Battle Group had fought in the previous simulation, Zong Heng and his teammates had not yet grown to the extent they would as the battle group's leader and core members in the future.
However, the gap between a lord and a named BOSS is equally enormous; the two are simply not comparable.
Under the Flame Monarch's fire magic, amplified by a factor of ten, Doranier was practically defenseless. In less than a few minutes, Doranier, who had previously wiped out the entire assessment team, died without resistance, dropping two items that the doppelganger recognized, shining with pure white light.
'Not bad luck, it actually dropped two Star-level equipment pieces. Too bad the level is too low; let's keep them to reward the newbies later.' Your doppelganger heard the warrior who killed Doranier say this, and then the two pure white glowing drops were taken away.
At this moment, Zong Heng turned his gaze to the miserable-looking doppelganger. With a gesture, the priestess in holy attire immediately cast a powerful healing spell on the doppelganger. With just one skill, all the damage your doppelganger had suffered was instantly restored.
And your doppelganger received a reward at this moment: a reverse scale dropped by Doranier, an Earth-level item that could be used as a material for a second class advancement to become a Silver-level warrior, with a market price exceeding 50,000 Federal Credits. However, compared to the value of Star-level equipment, this reward was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.
Your doppelganger didn't haggle because it knew very well that the weak had no right to haggle with the strong. Not to mention Zong Heng, even the members of the Iron-Blood Society's assessment team, who were howling on the ground at this moment, were an unattainable level for it.
The main thing was that the doppelganger had already received 80,000 in reward from Lin Qingyu. This Doranier scale was purely an unexpected surprise.
The self-aware doppelganger quickly put the scale into its backpack and waited for Lin Qingyu to recover before reminding her not to forget the final payment when she returned.
To the doppelganger's surprise, Lin Qingyu, who had always been unreasonable in its impression, didn't seem to have any intention of going back on her word. Although her tone and attitude were still terrible, she didn't deny the 20,000 Federal Credits she had promised the doppelganger.
After this near-death experience, Lin Qingyu seemed to have changed a little.
What kind of change could that bitch have?
Lin Ke sneered, not taking it seriously.
Whenever Lin Ke recalled the mean face Lin Qingyu revealed on the awakening platform when he first transmigrated, Lin Ke knew that this woman was a bit crazy. Her thoughts and values were full of extreme utilitarianism. No matter how much she changed, her nature wouldn't turn her into a good person.
Fortunately, the doppelganger didn't care about Lin Qingyu's change.
For the doppelganger, as long as Lin Qingyu paid as agreed, it was fine. As for what kind of person Lin Qingyu would become in the future, it had nothing to do with it.
Simulations were just simulations. Even if it wanted to avenge the harm Lin Qingyu had done to the original body, that was something the original body needed to consider. This doppelganger only needed to do its best to become stronger in the simulation.
With this in mind, the doppelganger, who had finally returned to normal life, concealed this experience with the Iron-Blood Society's assessment team. Under the doppelganger's cold treatment, those members of the assessment team who had added the doppelganger as a friend gradually stopped contacting the doppelganger. Only the captain of the assessment team, Shen Qin, occasionally sent the doppelganger some greetings.
In the second month after the simulation began, the average level of the Crimson Squad that your doppelganger was in finally broke through to level 8. You began to challenge the level 7 campus dungeon, Resting Cemetery.
In the fourth month after the simulation began, bearing the terrifying experience penalty, your doppelganger's level finally broke through to level 11! The members of the Crimson Squad also began to break through level 9 one after another. The level 7 campus dungeon, Resting Cemetery, could no longer meet the needs of you and the Crimson Squad.
You began to prepare to challenge the level 8 dungeon, Wandering Knight Town, but before officially starting the challenge, something of great significance happened to your doppelganger.
That is, as time passed, your doppelganger's first semester at Donghua University finally came to an end.
Unlike being kicked out by the director of studies in the previous life, the doppelganger in this simulation, although only awakened a Bronze-level talent, could be described as outstanding among ordinary students.
Including the Crimson Squad that your doppelganger was in, it was also one of the leading squads among ordinary students of the same grade. Therefore, this time, not only was your doppelganger not expelled, but it also received a scholarship of 10,000 Federal Credits.
When the news spread back to your village, the villagers were proud of you.
Seeing this, Lin Ke couldn't help but feel a burst of emotion.
It turned out that the villagers' satisfaction was so simple. Fortunately, he had opened the system panel and had the possibility of changing his fate. Otherwise, he really didn't know how to face the fellow villagers who had crowdfunded to send him to Donghua University.
At the same time, Lin Ke finally understood the gap between a professional who awakened a Bronze talent and a professional who awakened a Gold talent.
The Crimson Squad was already considered relatively outstanding among Bronze-level teams, but even so, after a semester, their average level was only barely reaching level 9.
However, Lin Qingyu's level, as the owner of a Gold-level talent, was as high as level 15!
A difference of a full 6 levels! In actual pursuit, it might be more than two semesters of difference.
Because the higher the level, the harder it is to improve. It seems that there is only a difference of 6 levels, but in fact, it is several times the experience gap. The fact that the doppelganger only increased its level by 1 level in a semester is proof of this.
From this point of view, it is excusable that the professional circle almost extremely values talent.
Not being expelled from Donghua University is of great significance to your doppelganger.
This means that your doppelganger no longer needs to venture into the wilderness to train, but can safely stay in school for 4 years and 8 semesters like a normal college student. With the help of the low-risk dungeons in the school, it can safely raise its level to at least level 20.
And things developed as your doppelganger expected.
In the eighth month after the simulation began, all members of the Crimson Squad broke through to level 10. Your doppelganger began a month of busy work, carrying out class advancement quests for the members of the team.
During this period, in order to cope with the increased intensity of the dungeons after the first class advancement, the Crimson Squad recruited two more members, a swordsman and a hunter.
Twelve months later, your doppelganger and the Crimson Squad advanced to the 2nd year. Your doppelganger's level reached level 13, and the levels of the other members of the Crimson Squad also broke through to level 11.
Some people began to call your doppelganger senior, and freshmen would even ask your doppelganger for advice on the campus dungeon's walkthroughs; there were also cute junior girls who sent your doppelganger love letters, but the doppelganger, who had no such interest, rejected them all. Rumors began to spread on campus that your doppelganger had problems with its sexual orientation...
Two years later, the doppelganger, who was already in the 3rd year, reached level 16, and the average level of the Crimson Squad members also broke through level 15.
With the increase in level, your doppelganger's role in the team was no longer as important as it used to be. The doppelganger's premonition had now become a reality. The team members, with the help of their parents, were relatively well-off financially and could equip and purchase more luxurious equipment and skills, and even use some disposable items that could temporarily increase their combat power.
On the other hand, your doppelganger relied almost entirely on the distribution of team loot and had not yet collected a set of Bronze-level equipment above level 10. Not to mention using expensive potions and disposable items at critical moments.
Some people in the team began to complain that your doppelganger was unwilling to invest in itself and could not understand why a student of Donghua University lived so frugally. What was the point of having a first-class Bronze-level front-row talent if they were reluctant to use potions, enchant, or use items? Overall, the ability it exerted might not even be as good as that of an ordinary Bronze-level talent owner.
In the final analysis, the current doppelganger could no longer bear most of the BOSS's firepower by itself, as it did in the beginning. If this continued, in order to ensure the team's strategy efficiency and safety, they would have to add another front-row member to maintain the stability of the front row. Adding members would mean further division of loot. The benefits that were originally distributed to 9 people would need to be divided equally among 10 people, which would undoubtedly reduce the improvement of the Crimson Squad members.
The Crimson Squad members, who had become accustomed to the initial doppelganger's almost escort-like strength, undoubtedly could not accept the doppelganger's current strength. However, under the system of absolute fair distribution, the team members could not deprive the doppelganger of its share of the loot and could only constantly put pressure on the captain, Zhang Jingyi.
Especially the two new members, who had not received the doppelganger's help in the early days, were even more dissatisfied with the doppelganger's overly stingy performance.
Fortunately, Zhang Jingyi strongly suppressed the chaotic voices in the team, so that your doppelganger's position as the main tank in the team was not shaken.
But how long can she suppress it?
Lin Ke sneered, already not optimistic about the doppelganger's situation in the Crimson Squad.
The last semester of Donghua University is also the final sprint semester!
After the end of this semester, Donghua University students who are above level 15 can graduate with qualified grades and choose to join major non-governmental organizations to take up important positions. Excellent people who are above level 20 and have completed the second class advancement can even be directly recruited by the Federal Government to become Federal Police, Bureau of Investigation agents, or army officers! It can be said that their future is limitless.
And teams that can maintain a fixed membership until graduation are of extraordinary value. Even battle groups are willing to open their doors to such teams.
The Crimson Squad's ultimate goal is this! The theoretical highest limit of their Bronze-level talent is the bottom-level officials of the Federation, and it is almost impossible to enter the battle group. But as long as all members can be raised to level 20 or above, with the bundled value of the team, they may be favored by the battle group, thus becoming an independent team under the battle group, with a transcendent status and rights above the grassroots government.
This is not a difficult goal to achieve, because with the end of the seventh semester, the average team of the Crimson Squad has reached an astonishing level 19! The reason why it is so fast is because in the seventh semester, the Crimson Squad is no longer just strategizing dungeons, but has begun to enter some wilderness areas that have been swept by the battle group to train.