What do you mean by "this is a dating game"?

Sieg asked, "Does Lord Oz possess a path to godhood?"

"I don't think we've got her figured out yet. All the students Ms. Oz took in this time in the border region come from families with considerable resources. We need to build a team to work for her."

Grapefruit provided the truth.

"If a teacher has a complete pathway, she won't need so many students."

The beacon has strict entry restrictions.

Those who have surpassed the first rank aspire to godhood, but they can no longer enter the [First-Rank Fire Palace] and can only rely on "recording methods"—

Hire reliable first-tier adventurers and carry stone tablets engraved with their own will.

After successfully completing the speedrun, offer up a stone tablet to record your ranking and embark on the journey.

Oz is doing this right now.

Xiyou looked at Xige and extended an invitation: "Do you want to come and help me? My team isn't even finished yet."

Sieg asked, "To serve Lord Oz?"

"They're working for me!"

Xiyou clearly distinguished between the roles: "I'm the one who serves Mr. Oz. And you, you're my teammate."

It would be good to grant her request.

In the adventure of the Fire Palace, your own abilities are one thing, and the strength of your teammates is another.

Giving grapefruit to Ozden ensures the team's strength.

Without strength, how can one ascend to godhood?

Ranking up isn't like inviting someone to dinner.

Joining a team means, at the very least, that your teammates are supportive and won't hold you back.

Oz took in many students, and there were many "teams" like Grapefruit, with no one caring that Sieg had infiltrated them.

He is too weak now.

It urgently needs nutrients and space to grow.

Sieg looked at the system notification that hadn't yet faded away.

He can gradually regain his past power by deepening his connection with Oz.

If you agree to join the Grapefruit team, you'll most likely unlock the next node reward!

Sieg said, "I'm interested."

"If you're interested, then you're mine!"

clap clap clap!

Grapefruit leaned out from the horse's back and patted Sieg's shoulder hard, its bright red eyes smiling and narrowing into slits.

She added, "Don't worry about the compensation! My family is quite influential in the border region, not much less so than the Wood family of Blackscale City. I'll draft a contract for you later, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Sieg was very polite: "I don't care about the salary, the main thing is that this is a rare opportunity."

"You're very ambitious!"

Hahaha.

Grapefruit was in a good mood, so she whipped her horse and galloped ahead.

Sieg also increased the horse's speed and focused his attention on his surroundings.

You have a reward to claim.

The system notification appeared as he expected.

[You connect with Grapefruit, join her team, and unlock the second node reward:]

Retrieve a valuable item you once possessed.

[During your relationship with the Great Witch Oz, you possessed twelve items of rare (blue) or higher rarity.]

You've stirred up memories, piecing together items from fragments of the past. You've obtained...

Unlike last time.

This time, what was retrieved was not skills, but items.

In the game, equipment and items are divided into six tiers, from highest to lowest.

White is common, green is fine, blue is rare, purple is epic, gold is legendary, and dark gold is unique.

Rare quality is already a very high-quality item.

Look at Pharos.

Pharos carried a long halberd on his back. It was made of fine steel and had a fierce design, clearly a high-end item.

However, in the item classification, this halberd is not even "white ordinary".

That was just ordinary iron.

It is not an extraordinary item, has no special bonuses, and is not eligible for rating.

Sieg quickly tried to recall what items his save file contained.

How did you come up with that?

It's been so many years, it's already quite remarkable that he still remembers Oz.

"I remember... I had a 'Necronomicon' back then, which could summon a 'level 3' skeleton archer. Retrieving it would be a great help to me."

That's all Sieg remembers.

The bright red characters slowly solidified.

[1. Staff of Remains (Blue Rare): A staff crafted from the spine of a powerful sorcerer. Over time, the magic contained within the spine has gradually diminished, significantly reducing its power.]

[Equipping the Staff of Remains increases the level of all your warlock skills by 1.]

2. Necronomicon (Blue Rare): An evil codex that fell into the underworld and was sent back to Earth by the Grim Reaper. It possesses the ability to summon ghost soldiers.

[Summon a skeleton archer of up to tier 3 to assist in combat.]

It's different from the last time.

There are only two options for the props.

Without hesitation, Sieg chose the Necronomicon!

The bonuses from the Bone Staff are quite good.

But Sieg isn't a warlock now, so what use is he?

In contrast, consider the Necronomicon.

The item description states that the Skeleton Archer is "at most Tier 3".

This means that the rank of the Skeleton Archer is also restricted by the level of the Flint Palace.

Summoned in a Tier 1 Fire Palace, the Skeleton Archer's strength is "Tier 1 Peak";

Summoning within a Tier 3 Fire Palace results in a standard Tier 3 summon.

If summoned in a Tier 4 Fissure, the Skeleton Archer will disintegrate, because a Tier 4 Fissure does not allow the existence of "non-Tier 4" life forms; those that are too high or too low are not allowed.

The true value of the Necronomicon does not lie in the Crypt.

In reality...

Sig left the Fire Palace and returned to Blackscale City. All he needed to do was open the Necronomicon to summon a Tier 3 fighter!

What is the concept of third order?

Of the 200,000 people in Blackscale City, no more than 5,000 are adventurers with a strength level of three.

Calling them "top-tier combatants" might be a bit of an exaggeration.

But "above average" is no problem at all.

Skeleton archers are fearless of death, obey orders without question, and follow Sig's lead.

It will never say no to anything you ask it to do. It doesn't ask for anything in return while it's alive, and it doesn't need any compensation when it dies. You can't find such a rare breed even with a lantern.

According to Sieg, the rating of the "Necronomicon" is problematic.

How can it be "blue rare"?

This is clearly a "golden legend"!

You have retrieved the Necronomicon.

The Tier 1 rewards for "Oz the Phantom of the Past" have all been unlocked.

[By forging a deeper connection with Oz, you can unlock the next node reward after advancing to Tier 2.]

There was something extra in the pocket, which was even cleaner than his face.

Sieg quietly reached out and touched it. It was a small, square book, no bigger than the palm of his hand. The "Necronomicon" had arrived!

"grapefruit!"

Just as the Necronomicon was placed in his bag, Pharos suddenly spoke.

He turned his head to look behind him and said, "We think we're in trouble."

"trouble?"

Grapefruit turned its head.

Pharos's golden eyes gleamed as he said, "It's my intuition, a demon's intuition. We may be facing a battle soon."

Pharos is a demon.

The world of Sui is home to a diverse array of intelligent beings, including humans, goblins, elves, and more.

Every race has unique racial talents.

The racial trait of demons is [Premonition of War].

They have an intuition that allows them to accurately sense whether a battle will break out in the near future.

A great demon who has "attained enlightenment" can even see clear images—

They can see the face of their opponent hours in advance.

Grapefruit asked, "Do you know who our opponent is?"

"...How could I possibly have that kind of power? Do I look like a great demon to you?"

Pharos was speechless.

He said, "All I can sense is that it's going to be a tough battle. Should we retreat?"

"This is the Fire Palace, and we're all first-tier adventurers. Why should I back down?"

Xiyou scoffed, "Let them come! You're the runner-up in the border region's monthly martial arts competition, I'm a genius spellcaster from the Morning Star family, and Mr. Dagen is a top expert who defeated seven opponents single-handedly—I witnessed it with my own eyes!"

no……

Why are you including me?

Should I go too?

Sieg opened his mouth, his face full of resistance. Maybe we should just avoid this? There's no need for fighting!

"March Bay is just ahead. No matter how many they come, we'll kill them all! Let's go!"

Grapefruit took the lead and galloped away.