"Hehehe~~"
Chen Shu stroked his chin, immediately locking onto the third option.
At this moment, he had to admit he was a little tempted.
Having progressed this far in the ruins, he hadn't cheated, and it felt somewhat incomplete.
"Are you having an episode?"
A Liang and the other two pulled back, finding Chen Shu's laughter incredibly eerie.
"What do you mean by having an episode?"
Chen Shu recovered, smiling as he said, "I'm planning to end the final challenge early!"
"Early?"
The three of them stiffened, not quite understanding Chen Shu's words.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you, you bunch of mortals!"
Chen Shu curled his lips and took a step forward, preparing to enter the sea of fire ahead.
"Damn it, are you crazy?!"
The three of them quickly tried to stop him. Forcing their way into the sea of fire would render the ruins' protective mechanisms useless.
"No need to worry!"
Chen Shu tentatively extended his hand. A faint white light instantly appeared, shielding him from the flames' damage.
"As expected, the system's protection is here!"
A smile played on Chen Shu's lips. "I'll be back soon!"
With that, he recalled his Contracted Spirit and stepped into the sea of flames.
"It's ineffective?"
A Liang and the other two looked at each other with suspicion.
He turned to say, "Old Wang, why don't you try?"
"Trying means dying!"
Old Wang shot him a glare. "Just getting close makes the blood in my body burn. Who would dare try?"
Xiao Xing said, "Perhaps he has a special method."
The two nodded, not disagreeing, as Chen Shu had always appeared mysterious.
"He blew up the final challenge, do we get any rewards?"
"We should."
The three of them hoped to snag some rewards and remained obediently in place.
...
"It's quite a distance."
Chen Shu was already engulfed in the sea of fire, but the white light still surrounded him, making him seem invincible.
If the system's protection suddenly failed, he would likely turn to ash in an instant...
"Gotta be quick!"
He picked up his pace, heading straight ahead. He quickly covered several thousand meters.
Finally, he successfully broke through the sea of fire and arrived at an open space.
"Hmm?"
Chen Shu's expression changed, his eyes wide with surprise.
He saw that the surrounding sea of fire was all converging forward, forming a massive head, at least ten meters in size.
The fiery head had no eyes, but Chen Shu could sense being watched.
The being's expression seemed filled with confusion.
Under normal circumstances, the official start wouldn't be for another three days...
"H-hello..."
Chen Shu regained his composure and greeted the head in front of him.
"Roar roar roar!"
The fiery head seemed to be issuing a warning, roaring continuously.
It wasn't trying to scare Chen Shu away, but rather alerting the ruins that someone had intruded!
However, the ruins still showed no reaction, merely continuing to gather flames and condense the creature of the final challenge!
"I'm just here to spectate, no ill intentions."
Chen Shu smiled gently and then moved behind the head.
He could clearly see the surging sea of fire ahead, seemingly connected to the head, aiding in its body formation.
"Don't be nervous, it'll be quick!"
Chen Shu said softly, summoning the husky at the same time.
Roar!
The fiery head roared, its mind still utterly bewildered.
It had come early, not playing by the rules!
Boom boom!
At this moment, two death fire pillars charged over ferociously, but they only managed to disperse a small wisp of flame.
"Damn! So resilient?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. The death fire pillars ended, yet they hadn't inflicted even a minor injury.
"Is this really the boss of the final challenge?"
He began to have doubts. If he were to truly face it, how could he possibly win?
In reality, he was overthinking. The final challenge's assessment was simply for their Contracted Spirits to hold on, with rewards based on the duration of their endurance.
"Damn it, let's see how tough you are!"
He immediately had Husky unleash various skills, stacking up 【Persistent Assault】.
Roar roar roar!
The Fire Lord was enraged, but according to the ruins' rules, it could not move until its body was fully formed.
Its expression was one of utter frustration, crying out in agony.
Why did it have to be controlled by the ruins, while the intruder could move about freely?
"Stop roaring, just accept your death!"
Chen Shu stretched lazily, settling down comfortably, waiting for the rewards to arrive.
Although the Fire Lord's aura was terrifying, even surpassing that of a Golden Lord,
it was clearly unrealistic to withstand Husky's continuous barrage.
...
At this time, the other participants in the ruins were quietly waiting for the challenges to begin!
No one knew that someone had already started a speedrun of the final challenge...
Three days passed in a flash.
"This dog is still a bit difficult to kill!"
Chen Shu appeared relaxed. In front of him, the Fire Lord was left with only a broken arm.
The arm trembled continuously, as if lamenting the unfairness...
"Aoo aoo aoo!"
Husky's expression was also showing fatigue. While using skills didn't have mana consumption issues, prolonged output was still tiring.
Its mouth felt incredibly dry.
Boom boom!
Another massive 【Skyfire Meteorite】 descended!
The fiery arm was on the verge of collapse, about to shatter, but it seemed to be desperately holding on.
It hadn't managed to unleash a single skill, truly dying with unfinished business.
However, reality was often cruel. The final fiery arm instantly shattered, turning into a shower of stardust, like its ashes.
"Finally got you!"
Chen Shu grinned, his eyes filled with excitement. The feeling of cheating had him hooked.
Meanwhile, Claude and the others were already eager to try.
Under normal circumstances, the final challenge offered the greatest rewards. Even those lacking in strength could gain considerable benefits.
"Is it coming?"
Claude muttered to himself. The surrounding sea of fire had become incredibly thin.
He could even faintly see a figure in front, leading him to wonder:
Was that the creature of the final challenge?
Just then, information appeared in Claude's mind:
[Note: The final challenge officially begins!]
"Here it is! Let's proceed with the agreed-upon tactics!"
Claude said. Generally, the final challenge involved a coordinated attack on a super powerful creature.
To achieve a good evaluation, they had discussed various tactics.
"No problem!"
The others nodded, their eyes filled with confidence.
Roar!
Claude, riding a fire lion, had his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
But the next second, a message appeared in his mind:
[Challenge failed! Duration: Zero seconds! Received consolation reward: None]
"???"