Chapter 25: A New Round of Enhancement

"Hahaha!" Zhang Jie laughed heartily. "Qian Gu, you kid, you really have what it takes! From now on, this old man will be taking orders from you, eating meat and drinking wine to my heart's content."

"Brother Jie, you make it sound like we're back at Mount Liang."

Qian Gu rubbed his wrists and let out a sigh of relief. "The team’s total haul adds up to one A-rank and two B-rank side quest rewards, not to mention the massive amount of bonus points. I’m feeling much more confident about the next horror movie cycle."

A total of one A-rank and two B-rank side quest rewards for the team. Added to their initial funds, the Zhongzhou Team was now as wealthy as a third-generation team. If they couldn't survive the first battle against the Devil Team in *Resident Evil 2* with these resources, Qian Gu thought to himself, 'I might as well just bang my head against a block of tofu and call it a day!'

He clapped his hands, shaking off his stray thoughts. "Let's rest for now. I'll find an opportunity later to plan out how we should spend this fortune."

"Understood." Zhang Jie scooped Na'er up into his arms. "I'll be off, then."

Zheng Zha followed closely behind, carrying Luo Li toward his room, looking quite impatient. As for Mu Gang, he led his woman, known as "Rong'er," back to their quarters; they carried themselves like an old married couple, possessing a sense of maturity that the previous two lacked.

Finally, only Qian Gu and Zhan Lan were left on the platform.

"Aren't you going to create someone?" Zhan Lan glared at Qian Gu, her cheeks puffed out. "Men are all just heartless beasts!"

"Uh..." Before Qian Gu could respond, Zhan Lan had already hurried off toward her room.

"These people!" Qian Gu couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I might as well spend some time thinking."

[Low-level Draconic Sorcerer Bloodline Enhancement: 89 points. Suitable for most horror movies. You gain access to the Weave. Skills acquired: Dragon Blood. Your magic will be empowered by your corresponding bloodline. Requires two C-rank horror side quests and 4000 bonus points.]

[Mid-level Draconic Sorcerer Bloodline Enhancement: 89 points. Suitable for most horror movies. You gain access to the Weave. Skills acquired: Dragon Breath. You can release a breath attack corresponding to your bloodline. Requires two B-rank horror side quests, 8000 bonus points, and the Low-level Draconic Sorcerer Bloodline Enhancement.]

This was Qian Gu’s chosen path of enhancement. Including the High-level Draconic Sorcerer Bloodline, he would eventually gain the skills Dragon Blood, Dragon Breath, and True Dragon Form, along with a massive increase in physical attributes.

Qian Gu pondered for a moment and connected to the God. "Enhance to Mid-level Draconic Sorcerer."

[Requirements met. Proceed with enhancement?]

As expected! "I can bypass the prerequisites through non-enhancement means!"

Accumulating the path is the only way. The God’s dimension supported self-improvement; for instance, one could exchange for a D-rank Qigong, consume rare treasures to build up strength, and then skip the C-rank enhancement entirely to go straight to B-rank, or even consume items to manifest the internal energy of a B-rank practitioner. Provided, of course, that one's digestion was fast enough.

Qian Gu had previously enhanced his Sorcerer physique and then mutated it by injecting the blood of a Time Dragon. In essence, he had already reached the equivalent of a C-rank Low-level Draconic Sorcerer, even if the "Dragon Blood" skill hadn't been fully excavated yet. Or rather, looking at the skill description, it was likely passive and had perhaps already taken effect.

"Dragon Breath..." Qian Gu’s fingers twitched, and interest piqued in his heart. If it were a chromatic or metallic dragon's breath, he wouldn't be particularly moved, but he hadn't forgotten the origin of his current bloodline.

A legendary dragon—the Time Dragon!

In D&D lore, a Time Dragon’s breath came in two forms: a line of time-stealing energy or a cone of temporal banishment. Given that he already possessed the B-rank Time Star-Gazer class, it was perfectly reasonable for a B-rank Time Dragon Sorcerer to have such a breath attack, wasn't it?

"Enhance!"

This enhancement process was the most comfortable and effortless one yet for Qian Gu. His body felt as if it were soaking in a hot spring; every fiber of his being was being soothed and massaged by unseen hands. New life force was poured into his flesh and blood, bringing about another rebirth.

"Fourfold..." Qian Gu checked his attributes. His physical constitution was now four times that of an average human, though his cellular vitality was slightly lower, at three times the norm. His intelligence was over six times higher, and his mental strength was seven times greater.

"The focus is on intelligence and spirit, but the remaining attributes are quite balanced," Qian Gu said, clenching his fist slightly. "Still, by this calculation, my pure physical combat power is no longer zero."

The increase in intelligence and mental power wasn't obvious to others, but it was significant for a spellcaster like him. His casting speed and even his ability to analyze arcane energy had improved.

Beyond that, there was the draconic power within his mind. At the B-rank, he felt the energy had been nourished and increased significantly—at least several dozen times more than before. It felt like a clump of viscous oil, almost on the verge of crystallization. This growth meant he would no longer have to be stingy with his spellcasting.

As for the Dragon Breath...

"My current draconic power is only enough for two uses?" Qian Gu’s brow twitched. "That’s quite energy-intensive."

He placed his hand cannon on the floor, channeled his draconic power, and felt a sensation in his throat like a mix of fire and ice. Less than two seconds later, he opened his mouth and unleashed the breath.

A colorless cone of energy erupted, causing ripples in the air. It struck the hand cannon. The next instant, the cannon vanished. Three seconds later, the weapon reappeared exactly where it had been, as if it had never left, showing no signs of wear or change.

"The cone of temporal banishment... sends the target or living being into the future..." Qian Gu picked up the hand cannon. "For now, it can only banish things three seconds into the future."

In a critical moment, three seconds would be enough!

"One more trump card." Qian Gu glanced at his remaining balance. "I'll trade with Zheng Zha and the others later; I’ll need spell scrolls anyway."

Time to sleep!

...

He woke up with no idea whether it was day or night. Qian Gu had slept soundly. He opened a bottle of "Fatty Happy Water" (cola), pushed open his room door, and saw the others waiting on the platform with a table full of food and wine.

"Eating?"

"So the kid is finally awake?" Zhang Jie saw him and laughed. "You slept like a pig! We couldn't wake you no matter how hard we knocked!"

"I was a bit tired." He found a seat, grabbed a skewer from the table, and said indistinctly, "No one has performed their enhancements yet, right?"

"We were just waiting for you, Strategist."

"I like that title."

"Strategist" sounded quite grand! Qian Gu chuckled. "Don't worry, I've already got a plan. I’ll make sure everyone’s strength is pushed to the limit!"