"You’re not unaware of it, are you?" Wen Yu finally couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked quietly.
"What am I unaware of? I know everything, but I won’t tell you. It’s because your power and privileges..."
"Aren’t enough, I know," Wen Yu interrupted Alcada.
"So, what’s the purpose of this sequence, or what benefits can it bring me?" Wen Yu asked a very straightforward question.
"The so-called sequence is a list created by the Dominator, featuring humans with the most potential. There’s no limit to the number of individuals on the sequence, but one’s power must meet certain standards. Only after being evaluated and endorsed by a Treasure Land Protector can you become part of the sequence." Alcada’s answer was much smoother this time, showing he genuinely knew the answer.
"As for the benefits of the sequence, after becoming a member, you will be visible to all Treasure Land Protectors. In other words, you will receive some degree of help or support from Treasure Land Protectors within large or super treasure lands. How does this benefit sound?" Alcada stared at Wen Yu with his adorable big eyes, full of expectation.
"Good, that’s really good," Wen Yu responded immediately. This is more than just good; it’s like having a cheat code while playing a game.
"Hahaha, there’s a second reward as well! That one is actually the reward you deserve. The previous one was just a little something extra from Big Bro. Hurry up and thank me, hahahaha!"
Alcada was grinning from ear to ear. Wen Yu, for his part, found the kid increasingly adorable and had nothing to complain about.
"The second reward is the ultimate treasure of this treasure land. Here, take it."
After speaking, Alcada pulled out a piece of paper from thin air and handed it to Wen Yu.
"A piece of paper?" Wen Yu accepted it with confusion.
"This isn’t paper, it’s a treasure!" Alcada said with conviction.
Wen Yu looked at the paper-like material in his hand. Indeed, it couldn’t be called paper. This thing was leathery, covered with strange patterns.
Just as Wen Yu was wondering what it was, a notification finally sounded in his mind:
"Ding! Unidentified item detected. Identifying..." f.r(e)e\webn.ovel.co\m
"Identification complete. Rating in progress..."
"Unable to rate. Acquiring abilities..."
"Acquisition complete."
"**Book of Black (Cursed Volume, Fragment)**: Absorbs **Souls**, unleashes the power of darkness. This page is an upper fragment of the Cursed Volume of the **Book of Black**; thus, its power is greatly diminished."
"Current ability: When enough **Soul** energy is absorbed, the **Spell** recorded in the **Book of Black** will take effect. Current effects are:"
"**Suppression**: Reduces the speed of all nearby creatures by 10%."
"**Weakening**: Reduces the power of all nearby creatures by 10%."
"**Damage Amplification**: Lowers the **defensive power** of all nearby creatures."
"Duration: 10 minutes. Effective range: 100 meters around the user. The curse ignores levels. The **Spell** is activated by the user."
Wen Yu reviewed the abilities of the Book of Black and made a quick assessment. The curse abilities it provided were very practical and, importantly, didn’t occupy his skill slots. These three skills were essentially extras, a benefit even more valuable than the curse ignoring levels.
"Very good, I’m satisfied," Wen Yu nodded at Alcada.
"Do you know the whereabouts of the remaining volumes of the Book of Black?" Wen Yu asked tentatively.
Alcada pursed his lips. "Your power and privileges aren’t enough."
This little brat, still trying to save face. Wen Yu hadn’t held out much hope initially. Hearing these words, he couldn’t help but want to leave an impression on the kid before he left.
"By the way, are there any other rewards?" Wen Yu asked.
"Aren’t these enough? Or is it true what they say about you humans? So greedy."
"Then, a final question: can a Treasure Land Protector harm survivors? I mean, in any way?" Wen Yu asked cautiously.
"Hmm, this question..." Alcada once again pulled out the huge book and flipped through it quickly.
"Cannot," he replied, his chubby little face serious as he looked at Wen Yu.
"Phew, that’s good. That’s really good," Wen Yu gave Alcada a cryptic smile.
Alcada looked somewhat baffled.
"So, has the challenge for this treasure land ended now?" Wen Yu asked his final question.
"Yes, this young master is going home now!" Alcada stretched lazily and said, very pleased.
"Big Bro," Wen Yu began, "did you know?"
Hearing Wen Yu call him "Big Bro," Alcada visibly brightened, practically preening. He rose on his tiptoes to look carefully at the serious-faced Wen Yu.
"On Earth, we have a custom," Wen Yu said, slowly approaching Alcada with a sly look.
"For kids like you, we usually..." Wen Yu suddenly lifted Alcada’s little top, glanced at the tiny thing underneath, and with a deft movement...
"...flick their little weenies."
Wen Yu gave Alcada a sly look.
Alcada took a long moment to react. He first looked down at his still-smarting little weenie, then looked up at Wen Yu. He repeated this twice more before his gaze locked onto Wen Yu, hard.
The entire scene plunged into a strange silence.
"WAAAAAAH! How dare you do this to me! WAAAAAAH! I’ll, I’ll..." Alcada shrieked, his voice cracking with indignation, startling Wen Yu.
"You’ll what? I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny!"
"I’ll... I’ll... Boo hoo hoo! I’m going to tell Grandpa you bullied me! Boo hoo hoo!" Alcada wailed, clearly unable to think of how to deal with this human. Then, his face crumpled. He fiercely clutched his little top, covered his eyes, and, still sobbing, vanished strangely.
At the same time, the healing light enveloping the arena slowly dissipated; Wen Yu’s wounds had been completely healed by it.
A loud announcement resounded throughout the treasure land: "The Challenger has successfully completed the final trial! The treasure land will permanently disappear in 30 minutes. Any Challengers remaining inside at that time will be automatically transported out."
Wen Yu was teleported off the stage. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately began to check his gains.
First were the battle saber and protective suit. His original set had been destroyed, but thankfully the treasure land had provided new ones. Needless to say, he equipped them immediately.
Next were the points and magic crystals. Wen Yu placed the magic crystals directly into his space ring. The space ring truly was a treasure. It was an F-Class space ring with only one cubic meter of space inside, but that was more than enough for the magic crystals.
The protective jade and healing potion had both been used up. Only a space teleportation scroll remained.
Wen Yu carefully read its description:
"**Space Teleportation Scroll**: **D-Class** artifact. Upon use, teleports the user 10 meters in any chosen direction (must be within line of sight)."
A great life-saving tool. Not bad, not bad at all, Wen Yu murmured appreciatively.
He carefully examined the Attributes of the Book of Black again. Aside from not knowing how many Souls it needed to Absorb, its other properties were highly satisfactory. This treasure land is really good, despite that little rascal Alcada.
Wen Yu mentally summarized his haul, nodding in satisfaction. He then turned his gaze towards the observing crowd: Guan Tao and his companions.