Su Da never expected the slap of reality to come so swiftly. Just moments after thinking the broken golem couldn’t possibly exceed 5 gold coins, the opposing bidder had already raised the price to exactly that.
From 2 gold coins to 5—doubling the bid wasn’t supposed to work like this!
4 gold coins might have been manageable if he scraped together every last bit, but 5? Su Da couldn’t gather that much in such a short time. To collect more, he’d have to seek out smaller traders, but the auction wouldn’t wait—by the time he scrounged up the funds, the opportunity would be long gone.
Su Da was merely one of many heirs to a corporate dynasty within his civilization, not the civilization itself.
Previously, when Ye Bai sold strategies, her clients were entire civilizations—political entities capable of pooling resources to amass vast in-game funds in no time.
At this stage, Su Da, who could muster 4 gold coins, was indeed the wealthiest player in Laen City—until Ye Bai arrived, that is.
"Five gold coins, going once! Five gold coins, going twice! Five gold coins, sold!"
With no further bids, the auctioneer beamed as he brought down the gavel. The final price exceeded his expectations—it was enough to buy an intact discarded golem.
Sitting in the back row, Su Da squirmed like an ant on a hot pan. Every time he raised his bidding paddle, the system taunted him:
[Your current gold balance is insufficient. False bidding may incur unknown consequences. Proceed?]
While the system didn’t specify what those consequences might be, every interstellar player knew better than to ignore warnings from the Multiverse Favor System.
It didn’t take a genius to guess—false bidding would likely result in being hunted down by the auction house guards, and without payment, the golem would remain out of reach.
"Sold!"
With the auctioneer’s final strike of the gavel, the golem’s fate was sealed.
"Congratulations to our esteemed guest, Bidder 233, for securing this rare [Kelin-97] alchemical golem!"
Su Da’s face darkened, his frustration indescribable. For once, the master of wielding financial power found himself on the losing end. Even if he owned multiple planets in reality, here in the Multiverse, he couldn’t afford what a noble NPC could casually purchase.
The auction continued, but Su Da refused to leave early. His gaze burned toward Bidder 233’s direction.
The dim lighting of the auction hall worked against him—his race lacked [Night Vision], leaving him clueless about the buyer’s identity. He’d wait until the end to confirm who had outbid him. It never crossed his mind that someone with 5 gold coins to spare could be another player.
Even with various factions offering real-world currency exchange for in-game gold, transactions happened offline. What player would dare double their bid at an auction?
Little did Su Da know, he was misjudging Ye Bai. Auction items were never cheap, and knowing Su Da was a player with a vested interest in the golem, Ye Bai had simply signaled her intent with a higher bid.
In her estimation, the bidding would have gone back and forth a few more times—she hadn’t expected it to end so abruptly.
She’d overestimated the wealth of current players. After all, she could earn 10 gold coins from a single boss fight, while post-first-ascension players needed an entire raid party to tackle level 20+ bosses.
Sure, she might have overspent by a coin or two, but auctions were unpredictable. Without knowing the opponent’s limit, minor losses were inevitable.
To Ye Bai, securing a key item for her second-ascension quest for just 5 gold coins was a steal.
After the auction, Ye Bai followed the staff to complete payment and collect her purchase.
Noticing two players lingering suspiciously near the exit, she smirked.
"Here is your acquisition, honored guest."
The auction staff led her forward.
"Five gold coins."
Ye Bai handed over the payment, leaving her with 24 gold, 18 silver, and 55 copper. She’d recoup the cost once trade routes opened.
The moment she touched the broken golem, a quest notification flashed:
[You have obtained the historical clue ‘Unexpected Experimental Results.’ +10 Historical EXP. +10,000 EXP.]
This was it!
Ye Bai stored the golem in her inventory and strode out.
As she passed through the corridor, her crimson velvet gown shimmered, transforming into a plain silk dress—far less conspicuous than before.
So inconspicuous, in fact, that she walked right past Su Da and his companion without either recognizing her as one of the potential buyers they’d noted earlier.
Legendary-grade items never disappointed, even when they were just clothing.
……
After leaving the auction, Ye Bai examined the certificates and records accompanying the golem.
Unlike Su Da, who’d have to visit Laen City’s Golem Registry for answers, the documents clearly stated when, where, and why the golem was destroyed.
In the Multiverse, quest clues were never limited to a single source.
Had Su Da been wealthy enough to attend the auction, buy the golem, and hire a historian to study it, he too could have uncovered the ‘Arcane Disintegration’ clue.
The destruction site was listed as ‘Lady Luck’s Alchemy Lab.’
Laen City had countless labs available for rent by alchemists. Following the address, Ye Bai set off.
The golem’s quest could only be completed there.
Had Su Da seen the address, he’d have recognized it instantly—it matched the lab he’d traced through his own investigations.
The ‘Traitor’s Revolution’ questline consisted of three parts, each appearing in one of the three major faction capitals per server.
All three were hidden first-ascension quests, accessible—and completable—by other players.
After first ascension, most players, lacking Ye Bai’s insider knowledge, would naturally pursue their base class’s progression. For example, a Whisperer could follow earlier quest hints to locate Leto’s misguided mentor in the Chaos Faction at level 40, advancing to the stronger ‘Mystic Supplicant’ class.
For someone like Ye Bai, choosing these three hidden classes as consecutive third-tier advancements could form an entirely new and powerful hidden class system.
Since completing all of them requires an extraordinary amount of coincidence and luck, succeeding would undoubtedly make it the strongest profession across all realms.
If not for the fact that the entire multiverse had "merged servers," Ye Bai wouldn’t have chosen this path in the first place.
Just like how Su Da, whom she encountered today in Laen City, had also triggered a quest through a normal yet complex chain of tasks, as more players reached Level 20, even hidden quests—though difficult to activate—would eventually be stumbled upon by a lucky few. Ye Bai had only managed to snatch the quest from Su Da because she leveled up faster and arrived just in time.
Without the "merged servers" feature, if someone else on the Blue Star server had completed the Chaos Main City quest first, Ye Bai would have had no choice but to abandon this route and proceed with a standard class advancement.
But now, with the entire universe merged, even if the Chaos Main City quest on the Blue Star server was taken, she could simply hop to another star sector’s server and find one where the quest remained unclaimed—just a matter of paying a few gold coins for the teleportation fee.
After walking two blocks, Ye Bai arrived at her destination.
"Welcome to the Lucky Goddess Alchemy Lab. How may I assist you?"
This was a unique feature of the alchemy-centric city. Since alchemists spent most of their money on materials, only master alchemists could afford private labs. As a result, Laen City’s inner district was filled with commercial rental labs—more common than restaurants or inns.
"I’d like to rent Lab No. 9. Nine is my lucky number," Ye Bai said, sounding every bit like a true alchemist.
"Of course! Lab No. 9 happens to be available. The daily rental fee is 3 silver coins. It comes with standard lab materials—some are free, while others are priced accordingly. If you wish to proceed, you only need to pay for the first day upfront, with subsequent days billed daily."
The cashier then pulled out a sheet listing several insurance providers. "Would you like to purchase damage coverage? I recommend Cole’s latest policy—just 52 copper coins for up to 30 silver coins in compensation." She winked. "Even with protective enchantments and the Lucky Goddess’s favor, accidents do happen…"
In Laen City, where lab explosions were a daily occurrence, the rental business thrived alongside the construction and insurance industries—both of which had long specialized in offering seamless "repair-and-renovate" services.
"I’ll take it." Ye Bai nodded in agreement. Under the cashier’s slightly bemused gaze, she opted for the priciest 1-silver-coin insurance and handed over 4 silver coins in total.
Holding a keycard-like pass, Ye Bai unlocked the door to Lab No. 9.
The lab’s setup was typical, though the walls and windows bore obvious signs of repeated renovations.
Once inside, Ye Bai placed the damaged alchemy golem into the central reaction furnace and activated the maximum mixed-energy input.
This procedure was documented in the post-investigation records of the runaway mage, who once theorized during a discussion on golems: "What if mixed energy could enhance a golem’s resistance?"
Normally, this would be dismissed as a beginner’s nonsensical idea—like suggesting a robot could handle higher voltage just by increasing its power input.
But due to a minor operational quirk in this lab’s furnace under maximum mixed energy, a rare coincidence occurred.
The golem gained a unique ability—absorbing incoming spell damage and redirecting it.
Had the mage not fled after an accident, he might have discovered the secret himself.
The reaction furnace, though expensive and sturdy, had been repaired and reused after past mishaps—likely preserved by the system’s causal interference as a critical quest element.
As Ye Bai repeated the process, a sudden click echoed—the furnace shut down from overload, and the golem, previously deemed irreparable, now glowed with an eerie blue light.
Its half-destroyed head flickered to life, its remaining eye locking onto Ye Bai with a piercing red beam.
[‘Spellbreaker’ Class Trial Activated]
A system prompt flashed as a lengthy health bar materialized before her. The golem wasn’t just a quest item—it was now her Level 40 class trial boss.
[Disintegration Golem]
Level: 40
HP: 40,000/40,000
Skill: Disintegration Reversal
Weakness: Circuit Anomaly
With so little known about Disintegration Golems, Ye Bai’s [Insight] revealed only the basics.
Compared to other Level 40 bosses, it had far less HP—partly due to its damaged state. Its weakness, [Circuit Anomaly], wasn’t a combat flaw but a built-in time limit: a 10-minute "Imminent Explosion" debuff.
Players who hadn’t triggered other quest chains would face a Level 20 version, already crumbling and losing HP passively. Their trial would involve surviving its attacks for ten minutes to claim [Disintegration Force] and complete the class change.
But for Ye Bai, success meant defeating the golem before it exploded—or failing the trial.
"Tch!"
Dodging the golem’s eye-beam with a roll, Ye Bai slashed at its sluggish frame with her Paleblade.
‘-1’
Such pitiful damage was only possible thanks to the sword’s abysmal physical attack and the golem’s absurd defense.
After triggering a passive effect, she immediately unleashed three [Fireballs], stacking [Burn] debuffs, followed by an [Inferno Blast]—amplified by the stacks.
‘-214’, ‘-215’, ‘-217’, ‘-647’
Fire spells boasted the highest raw damage output. Normally, this combo would deal over 4,000 damage to most enemies. Here, the golem’s magic resistance nullified nearly all of it.
But this was only the beginning.
Not long after Ye Bai's combo attacks dealt damage to the golem, the Disintegration Golem, which had initially only been able to fire energy beams from its single eye, suddenly "looked" at Ye Bai again and unleashed fireballs identical to the ones she had just used.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three consecutive fireballs struck Ye Bai at an incredible speed—no cooldown, no mana cost—followed immediately by a Pyroblast.
‘-184’, ‘-289’
Unlike Ye Bai, whose attacks could be mitigated through physical resistance, the Disintegration Golem's assaults were relentless, a true "spell machine gun." Even though Ye Bai had prepared herself and rolled to evade some of the damage, she still took hits from one fireball and the Pyroblast.
There was no mistake—the ability displayed by this "Class Mentor" was the core feature of Ye Bai’s intended second-class advancement: Spellbreaker’s "Disintegration Reflect."
In simple terms, it was about turning an enemy’s own strength against them.
Spellbreakers were a spell-tank hybrid class with extremely high innate magic resistance, capable of "reflecting" incoming spell attacks—consuming only Spirit Energy and having no cooldown.
Choosing this as a first-class advancement had obvious strengths, but the drawback was that reflection required enduring the spell first, demanding sufficient health and resistance. Additionally, the class was vulnerable to physical attackers.
However, if taken as a second-class advancement after Arcane Whisperer, it underwent an earth-shaking enhancement.
Ye Bai’s offense never let up. The Disintegration Golem had sky-high magic resistance, and aside from its basic energy beams, it acted like a mirror, faithfully replicating every spell Ye Bai cast on it—only without any cooldowns.
Fortunately, while the golem had high magic resistance, Ye Bai was no slouch either. Her dip in the River of Undeath had not only boosted her health pool but also significantly increased her resistances.
Even though the cramped confines of the alchemy lab forced her to take some hits, the overall damage she received was still less than what the Disintegration Golem endured.
After all, players were adaptable. Ye Bai’s attacks combined mastery of various skills—chaining fireballs into Pyroblasts, Frostbolts into Chain Lightning for sustained shock damage, and more.
In contrast, the golem could only repeat the spells Ye Bai used against it. By dodging just one or two key abilities, she minimized the damage she took.
Finally, after continuous level-ups and health potions, a battle of attrition that felt like turn-based combat concluded at the dangerous mark of 9 minutes and 32 seconds—Ye Bai emerged victorious.
Ye Bai has reached Level 40.
6 Health Potions consumed.
This level of resource expenditure was impressively efficient. Without her gains from the Divine Realm, Ye Bai would have needed far more consumables—high-tier spell scrolls and defensive scrolls would have been mandatory.
Click!
As the last of the golem’s health vanished under Ye Bai’s assault, its chest split open once more, releasing a radiant light that merged into her body.
[You have completed the ‘Spellbreaker’ Class Advancement Trial]
[You have successfully advanced to ‘Spellbreaker’]
[You have gained the Class Trait ‘Disintegration Reflect’]
[You have gained 1 Skill Point]
A peculiar sensation surged through Ye Bai’s body.
Unlike her first advancement, which had been utterly uneventful, this second one carried a faint, indescribable strangeness—though it was nothing compared to the intensity of unlocking a new Talent.
She had pondered this discrepancy before but never reached a conclusion. Instinctively, she moved to check her newly upgraded skill panel—until her peripheral vision caught the scattered remains of the golem.
Suddenly, her expression shifted. She swiftly opened the lab door and strode out.
She hadn’t gone far when—
BOOM!
A muffled explosion erupted from Room 9 behind her.
Defensive and alarm systems triggered, sending lab personnel and patrolling golems into well-practiced emergency protocols.
Even though Ye Bai had already completed her trial, the Disintegration Golem’s [Circuit Anomaly] trait remained fully operational—true to its word, exploding precisely at the 10-minute mark.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have splurged on the most expensive insurance earlier…
Thanks to her policy, the bulk of the damages were shouldered by the insurance company. Ye Bai only had to pay 5 silver coins to settle the claim before stepping out of the Lucky Goddess Alchemy Lab—under the scrutinizing gazes of both the cashier and the frowning insurance assessor.
With that matter resolved, Ye Bai finally opened her second-class advancement panel. Her previous Arcane Whisperer class had been overwritten by Spellbreaker:
[Spellbreaker] (Tier 2)
Class Traits: Omni-Disintegration Reflect, Arcane Bloodline
Effects:
- -60% base damage from mastered magic types.
- +1 Reflect Slot per mastered magic type.
- Unlocked Class Skill [Spell Reflect]: Temporarily learns any spell used against you. Limited to one spell per magic type at 80% of its original damage and effects. No cast time. No cooldown.
Description: The most versatile mage has now evolved into the bane of all spellcasters.
Current Class Skills: None
Skill Points: 1
This was the terrifying power of a Spellbreaker advanced from Arcane Whisperer!
Unlike ordinary Spellbreakers, who only had one Reflect slot, Ye Bai gained one slot per mastered magic type from her previous class—allowing her to store eight different spells: Fire, Ice, Earth, Wood, Lightning, Light, Gravity, and Psionic.
A standard first-class Spellbreaker could only reflect one spell at a time, with strict Spirit Energy costs, leaving both their mana and health pools strained. They had to endure before retaliating.
Ye Bai, however, retained her Arcane Bloodline from her first class, letting her cast her original spells normally—without needing to take hits first.
Combined with her absurdly high magic resistance and health pool, Ye Bai was arguably the player least afraid of being swarmed in Boundless Realm.
Moreover, with these eight Reflect slots, she could pre-load devastating spells for the perfect moment—delivering what could only be described as a "Spellbreaker’s Surprise" to unsuspecting foes.
For example… borrowing a few "special moves" from the bosses she’d met in the Divine Realm.
After all, given the current state of player strength, Ye Bai’s level and resource advantage meant her first-class spells were more than enough to dominate.
Finally, Ye Bai allocated her newly acquired skill points to [Supernatural Disintegration Enhancement], directly strengthening her class traits. This adjustment reduced the base magic damage she received from ‘-60%’ to ‘-65%’, while the reflected spell damage and effects increased from 80% to 90%.
Though the reflected damage was slightly diminished, factoring in Ye Bai’s formidable spell potency made it a significant threat. With this upgrade, even if she faced another ambush like the one orchestrated by the Macul syndicate years ago, she was confident she could not only survive unscathed but also eliminate most of her attackers.
Ye Bai shook off her reverie. Now that her second class advancement was complete, it was time to leave Laen City.
Of course, before departing, she made a stop at the Merchant Guild.
Since she was already here, as a responsible lord, Ye Bai couldn’t pass up the opportunity to establish a trade route along the way.
