C2 The First Summon Monster!
Zhang Ze turned towards the sound and saw a towering man alongside a short-haired woman standing at the heart of the altar, gesturing to the crowd.
"We're from the Devil Domain Administration," they announced. "We're here to brief you newcomers on the essentials of the Devil Domain and equip each of you with a weapon."
Upon hearing they would receive weapons, many in the crowd approached.
Amidst the gathering, Zhang Ze listened as the man declared, "Many of you may think the Devil Domain is just a game, but you couldn't be more mistaken!"
"In games, death is but a temporary setback—you respawn. But here in the Devil Domain, death is final. If you die, that's it—you're truly gone."
"And when you die, your bodies will vanish. This is no joke; it's a harsh reality."
"So, I urge each of you to remain on high alert and avoid any missteps, as any error could prove deadly."
"There are two types of monsters here: the common ones and the larger beasts. The smaller ones have basic attacks, but the larger monsters wield skills that are far more dangerous. Be particularly cautious around them!"
"Also, if you wish to exit the Devil Domain, you must make your way back to this altar. Otherwise, no amount of hand-slapping will get you out."
The short-haired woman picked up where he left off, "Besides monsters, be wary of your fellow humans!"
"Within the Devil Domain, the law holds no sway. You'll find liars, murderers, and the like at every turn."
"For your own safety, trust no one lightly—not even your closest kin or friends."
Their words left some faces in the crowd etched with anxiety, while others scoffed, dismissing the pair as mere fearmongers.
"Enough with the lectures. You promised us weapons, didn't you? When are we getting them?" someone called out impatiently.
Without hesitation, the tall man retrieved a large chest from his personal storage, brimming with an array of bladed weapons.
"Form a line, everyone. You'll need to fill out a survey before you can claim a weapon—and remember, it's one per person!"
The crowd lined up to complete the forms, handing them to the short-haired woman. Once done, the man distributed a weapon to each.
It was Zhang Ze's turn. He glanced at the survey form and penned in "Level D" under the Innate Skill section.
Though the pair claimed to be from the Devil Domain Administration, Zhang Ze couldn't be sure of their truthfulness, so he kept his real information close to the vest.
He then pointed to a longbow and stated, "I'd like that bow."
The burly man nodded, remarking, "Long-range weapons may not pack the strongest punch, but their safety is a key advantage. The cautious live longer."
In the Devil Domain, acquiring a weapon meant automatically gaining its associated passive skill.
Zhang Ze took hold of the longbow, and the passive skill, Archery Proficiency, materialized in the skill bar below. At Level 1, it improved accuracy by 20%.
Hardwood Longbow
Quality: D
Damage: 10-20
Special Effect: None
Durability: 100/100
In the Devil Domain, equipment quality ranged from D to SSS, with only items of S grade and above boasting special effects.
Zhang Ze mused, "Figures, the complimentary weapons are subpar. But for now, beggars can't be choosers."
He promptly equipped the bow and arrow, and a two-meter-long longbow materialized in his hands. The arrows were infinite, sparing him considerable hassle.
Once everyone had selected their weapons, they departed, eager to test their newfound armaments against the local monsters.
The man stowed the equipment box and queried the woman beside him, "How many A-level talents do we have this time?"
"Just three," she replied, shaking her head and sighing. "The caliber of participants in these selections is on the decline."
Instead of hunting monsters like the rest, Zhang Ze stood his ground, honing his Archery Proficiency through practice.
After some time, he advanced his Archery Proficiency to level 4, achieving an 80% accuracy rate. Only then did he venture forth with confidence.
The Devil Domain Guide listed three monster varieties on the first level: Violent Rabbit, Hard Armor Turtle, and Iron Tooth Wolf.
The Violent Rabbit was swift, adept at evading a barrage of attacks, though it suffered from low defense.
Conversely, the Hard Armor Turtle boasted high defense but was hindered by its sluggish pace.
The Iron Tooth Wolf, a formidable creature of the first level, was known for its quickness and powerful attacks. Its signature skill, Rend, could unleash a flurry of five strikes, each one causing the target to bleed!
Shortly after Zhang Ze left the sacrificial altar, he spotted two people ganging up on a Violent Rabbit.
This creature, with the head of a rabbit atop a humanoid body, exuded menace, a stark contrast to the typical adorable bunny image.
Standing nearly two meters tall, the Violent Rabbit's physique was impressively muscular, radiating sheer power.
The duo attacking the Violent Rabbit—one wielding a spear, the other a machete—were clearly outclassed despite their two-on-one advantage.
With a single punch, the Violent Rabbit knocked the spear-wielder to the ground, inflicting 35 points of damage.
"This Violent Rabbit is unstoppable!"
"I tried to slash at it, but it dodged!"
"It's so nimble!"
Their battle with the Violent Rabbit dragged on, but their low-level weapons failed to make an impact. Under the relentless assault, their Blood Volume plummeted, forcing them to retreat to the safety of the sacrificial altar.
Magic beams emanated from the surrounding stone pillars, striking the Violent Rabbit with blue rays that dealt 50 points of damage, sending it scrambling away.
Seizing the moment, Zhang Ze nocked an arrow and let it fly, hitting the Violent Rabbit squarely in the back, dealing 25 points of damage.
The creature whirled and charged at Zhang Ze, who remained composed, continuing to fire arrows while retreating.
The system alert chimed in: "The Violent Rabbit's Blood Volume has decreased by 9 points!"
"The Violent Rabbit's Blood Volume has decreased by 11 points!"
"The Violent Rabbit's health has dropped by 26 points!"
Amidst a relentless assault, the fleeing Violent Rabbit suddenly staggered and crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud. It was dead!
Soon after, a faint red orb emerged from the corpse of the Violent Rabbit. Its body slowly vanished not long after.
Zhang Ze quickly approached, and the red orb drifted into his backpack on its own.
A message appeared: "You have obtained a Low-Rank Power Devil Soul Sphere."
In the Devil Domain, monsters typically drop a Devil Soul Sphere upon death, which come in random qualities.
Devil Soul Spheres are categorized into Low, Medium, and Advanced Ranks, each corresponding to different attributes. Red signifies strength, green for physique, blue for spirit, and yellow for agility.
A Devil Soul Sphere's attribute points will increase once it absorbs its respective attribute.
A Low-Rank Devil Soul Sphere can enhance attribute points by 0.01, Medium Rank by 0.1, and Advanced by a full point.
Ten Low-Rank Devil Soul Spheres can be fused into one Medium Rank, and ten Medium Rank can be combined into one Advanced Devil Soul Sphere.
Upon acquiring a Devil Soul Sphere, one can either assimilate it or sell it for cash. The Trading Platform in the Devil Domain sees a significant demand for these spheres, with a perpetual shortage.
"I recall that a Low-Rank Devil Soul Sphere goes for around 1000 yuan on the trading platform," Zhang Ze mused, opting not to assimilate it.
He figured that a mere 0.01 increase in his attributes wouldn't make much of a difference, so he decided to stockpile the spheres for now.
Another prompt appeared: "Having slain a Violent Rabbit, you may now summon a duplicate. Do you wish to proceed with the summoning?"
Without hesitation, Zhang Ze chose to summon.
A verdant array of light materialized on the ground, conjuring the silhouette of a Violent Rabbit within its glow.
Violent Rabbit (Rakshasa)
Level: 1 (MAX 5)
Experience: 1/10
Health: 150
Attack: 40-60
Defense: 20
Skills: None
Upon noticing Zhang Ze, the Violent Rabbit approached him and kneeled on one knee, a gesture of fealty.
Zhang Ze was in high spirits. This was his very first Summon Monster, and with it by his side, battling other monsters would be a breeze.
"Let's go take on some monsters together!"
With the Violent Rabbit in tow, Zhang Ze ventured deeper into the prairie. Along the way, they encountered two people. Their eyes widened in astonishment at the sight of the Violent Rabbit hopping along behind Zhang Ze.
"What's the deal here? Monsters in the Devil Domain usually attack humans on sight. Why isn't this Violent Rabbit attacking him?"
"Could this Violent Rabbit be an exception? Is it possible to tame it?"
"Imagine if we could tame a Violent Rabbit too! Let's go try to tame one ourselves. If we pull it off, we'll make a fortune!"
"Look, there's a Violent Rabbit over there! Let's give it a shot!"
Ten minutes later, the two would-be tamers were sent running, wailing and utterly humiliated by the Violent Rabbit.
Zhang Ze, with his Violent Rabbit companion, arrived at a pond where he spotted a Hard Armor Turtle.
