“Sorry? Who do you think you are? How much is your apology worth? Yesterday I lost 10% of my experience and a legendary set in the dungeon—do you know how valuable my time is? Do you know how much a legendary set costs? Even if I sold you, you couldn’t pay for it!”

John Carter frowned. “The death penalty in the new dungeon is very light, you only lose 5% experience. As for your equipment, let alone a legendary set, even an epic set won’t drop.” Before entering the new dungeon, John Carter had done a lot of research, so he knew Logan Carter was lying.

“You’re doubting me? Do you believe I can kill you down to level 0, as easily as crushing an ant?” Logan Carter was furious out of embarrassment.

With his strength and wealth, he really could hire people to kill John Carter down to level 0. That’s the tragedy of having no power. John Carter suppressed his anger and asked in a private message, “What do you want?”

“Simple. Whatever you get from this dungeon run, hand it all over to me, and that’s the end of it. Otherwise, get ready to be killed down to level zero!”

“Your demand is too much.”

“Too much? Not at all. You can still get the system’s honor points and attribute points, and if the equipment you hand over satisfies me, I might even reward you with tens of thousands of gold coins. You need to understand your place—people like you, commoners, have no right to cooperate with us. You’re just working for us. Do you know what kind of people work under me in real life? Top graduates from Tsinghua, postdocs returned from the US—they’re just my subordinates. Even my bodyguards are martial arts experts. For someone like you, living at the bottom of society, being able to work for me is a blessing earned in your past life.” At this point in the private chat, Logan Carter lit a cigarette and leisurely blew out a smoke ring. “The key to life is self-awareness. Take only as much as you can handle. You’ve already gotten enough—if you get greedy, it’ll kill you.”

The anger in John Carter’s heart had completely exploded. In real life, he really couldn’t afford to offend these upper-class types, and often had to endure. But this was a virtual game—he played for fun. If he had to act like a doormat everywhere, he might as well not play at all. With a mocking expression, he said, “Fine, just wait. I’ll make sure you’re ‘satisfied’.”

“Hmph, as long as you understand. I’m not heartless—if you follow me in the future, I’ll treat you well. And don’t even think about tattling to the team leader. He can’t help you, and I’m not afraid of him. If I want to kill you down to level 0, no one can stop me.”

John Carter laughed in anger. Threats and bribes—these rich young masters probably only know these two ways to deal with people. “I get it. I won’t rely on anyone else. Just wait—I’ll give you a ‘surprise’.”

“Good. Don’t let me down.” Logan Carter never even considered that John Carter would dare to resist. He was used to being in charge—whether in real life or in online games, no one dared go against his will.

After this conversation, Logan Carter was already on John Carter’s blacklist. A falling out was inevitable in the future, but with his current level and equipment, how could he deal with Logan Carter?

John Carter couldn’t think of a better way for now, so he started considering which skill to learn next.

He currently had only one skill point—he could either learn the Controller’s skill “Mind Pierce” or the Rogue’s skill “Deadly Strike.”

John Carter had already learned five skills.

Rogue basic skill: “Lockpicking”—using the Rogue’s Key, you can open most treasure chests and mechanism doors on the map.

Rogue support skill: “Scout”—using the Rogue’s senses to detect nearby traps, mechanisms, as well as disguised and hidden enemies.

Rogue combat skill: “Stealth”—puts the rogue into an invisible state, allowing movement or use of support skills while stealthed. Any attack action or use of potions or combat skills will break stealth. This skill ignores enemy level, but can be countered by certain skills, such as the Rogue’s “Scout” or a Hunter pet’s “Scent.”

Rogue combat skill: “Backstab”—launches a sneak attack from behind the enemy, adding attack power equal to your Agility stat.

Controller basic skill: “Telekinesis”—uses mental power to control an object weighing no more than ten kilograms, within a range of 50 meters.

Mind Pierce is a Controller combat skill that can stun an enemy target. It’s only useful in player-versus-player situations and is rarely used while leveling up, since its damage is very low.

John Carter’s top priority at this stage was leveling up. If he learned Deadly Strike, it would naturally speed up his leveling. However, after careful consideration, John Carter still put his skill point into Mind Pierce, because the next skill after Mind Pierce is “Light of Temptation,” which allows you to mentally control and summon low-level monsters to serve you—a very practical skill for leveling.

He bought the skill book “Mind Pierce” from the system shop, spending ten thousand gold coins (about one hundred RMB). System prompt: Mind Pierce learned successfully. Current skill level: 0. Attacks the enemy’s mental sea, causing 1 second (2 seconds) of stun and 50 damage. Ineffective against enemies with higher mental power than your own. Mental power cost: 20 points. Upgrades after 1,000 uses.