031 The Dark Rhino Warrior!

Leveling up at night, Chen Feng felt no pressure at all; he was leveling up alone at a very fast pace. Data Emperor also followed Chen Feng to gain experience, taking on the roles of sweeping the floor and protecting the lower-level troops. Chen Feng had two little bats that had already advanced to the fifth tier, which was considered very powerful at this stage. Coupled with the damage bonuses from troop equipment, their attributes were exceptionally strong.

The Dark Bat Fiend: a fifth-tier troop. Military Power: 40, Attack: 59, Defense: 23, Speed: 102, Health Points: 1400. Passive effect: 24% lifesteal. Advancement path: Dark Bat King.

The Vampiric Bat Fiend: a fifth-tier troop. Military Power: 40, Attack: 47, Defense: 28, Speed: 89, Health Points: 1650. Passive effect: 32% lifesteal. Advancement path: Vampiric Bat King.

Chen Feng’s sixth-tier troop equipment, the "Blade Claw," added 175 attack and 23 assault, greatly enhancing the damage output of both the Dark Bat Fiend and the Vampiric Bat Fiend. Additionally, the second-tier troop equipment, "Iron Shield," provided 18 defense and 1 morale point, significantly boosting the bats’ survivability. Combined with their lifesteal effect, as long as they weren’t focused down, they were nearly impossible to kill.

Originally, Chen Feng should have had four fifth-tier troops. He had started by training the initial four little bats. When two of these bats advanced from the fourth to the fifth tier, they had to devour a fellow troop of the same kind, leaving Chen Feng with only one fifth-tier troop of each bat type. High-tier troops were extremely difficult to train; given Chen Feng’s fierce monster slaying, it was impressive he managed to train even two.

These two bat fiends now resembled dwarfs, with hands and feet, and a pair of wings on their backs. However, they still looked somewhat fragile. Taking them out onto the world map to clash with tribal patrols would be challenging unless Chen Feng could cultivate these two high-tier troops into a sizeable force.

“Fifth-tier troops, Chen Feng, you’re really impressive. I’ve only trained two third-tier troops so far,” Data Emperor said, having trained two Black-Striped Fierce Tigermen—offensive-type monsters. However, their attributes were similar to those of the fifth-tier bat fiends, just lacking flight and lifesteal capabilities. Thanks to Chen Feng, Data Emperor could train troops so quickly. With troops and pets, he could level up on his own. But for now, he dared not venture into the world map—it was too dangerous.

Pets were similar to troops but different. Pets could be revived for free, while troops required a significant cost and were very troublesome to revive. Pets could learn skills, with attributes much stronger than troops. Troops, on the other hand, had the advantage of being able to be brought in large numbers and could significantly enhance their attributes through troop equipment. Pets coordinated with the player in combat, while troops worked with the player strategically—two completely different concepts.

Chen Feng wasn’t fond of bringing troops along; he rarely did so before, mostly using strong offensive troops for harassment tactics. Now, with his role changing, he had to get used to managing troops. Otherwise, when entering the world map, if others brought out hundreds of high-tier troops and Chen Feng was alone, the outcome would be obvious without even fighting.

The Dark Barrier: a barrier scroll that grants a pet the power of the dark barrier, enhancing its attributes and potentially granting a special skill depending on the pet.

During a break, Chen Feng took out the Dark Barrier scroll that Time Sand had given him last time and showed it to Data Emperor, asking if he wanted to strengthen the Ghost Rhinoceros. Although the Ghost Rhinoceros was powerful, it was not yet the strongest. It would struggle against the Ring Bearer, so Chen Feng wanted to enhance it.

“Can give it a try, but whether it will gain a skill is uncertain,” Data Emperor said; he had never used such a scroll and didn’t know the outcome. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have let them try, but Chen Feng was a player who stood at the forefront of the game—he was definitely capable of attempting it.

“I’ve never tried either. I’m just worried the Ghost Rhinoceros might become useless!” Chen Feng’s double-mutant Ghost Rhinoceros was rarer than a divine beast. Its attributes could rival a two-headed dragon, and it had spatial movement abilities, making it very convenient for surprise attacks.

“Why worry so much? Knowing you, you’ll try it anyway. I don’t believe you won’t strengthen the Ghost Rhinoceros,” Data Emperor added, eager to see the effect of the barrier scroll.

The Ghost Rhinoceros was extremely rare, and Chen Feng cherished it deeply—he didn’t want to fail. After much deliberation, he decided to give it a try. As Data Emperor said, sooner or later was the same. Chen Feng aimed to stand at the game’s forefront, facing more challenges, strengthening his spirit, and better utilizing his supernatural powers.

Once activated, the Dark Barrier scroll enveloped the Ghost Rhinoceros in a dark six-pointed star barrier, surrounding it with swirling black mist that covered the creature before pulling it down to the ground. Chen Feng and Data Emperor watched in stunned silence for a full five minutes before black mist began to emerge from the barrier.

As the mist cleared, a humanoid figure nearly two meters tall stood atop the dark barrier, clad entirely in dark gray rhinoceros armor, with a layer of ghostly aura over it. The original Ghost Rhinoceros had transformed into the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior. This warrior was even stronger than Chen Feng himself, sporting a single horn atop its rhinoceros head, wielding a black longsword in its right hand and a shield in its left.

Dark Rhinoceros Warrior: Combat pet. Attack aptitude: 1750; Defense aptitude: 1750; Stamina aptitude: 7250; Mana aptitude: 2553; Speed aptitude: 1655. Special skills: Phantom Body, Rhinoceros Blood. Passive skills: Advanced Penetration, Advanced Assault, Advanced Tempering, Advanced Lifesteal, Advanced Divine Protection. Level: 36; HP: 12,500; Damage: 1,250; Defense: 1,400; Rage: 0 (max 100). Possesses some warrior skills. (Bound to owner, non-tradable.)

Seeing the stats of this pet, Chen Feng and Data Emperor exchanged glances—they were utterly amazed. Data Emperor immediately searched the official website for information and discovered Chen Feng had already pushed this pet’s enhancement to its peak. The Ghost Rhinoceros was already rare and mutated once before; now, with the Dark Barrier enhancement, it had reached the limit, transforming into a warrior form. Enhancement didn’t always guarantee such powerful results; sometimes, it could make things worse. This time, the Ghost Rhinoceros had extraordinary luck, becoming even stronger.

In terms of stats, the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior surpassed Chen Feng significantly, especially in health and defense. Moreover, it had the Phantom Body skill, granting 40% immunity to physical damage, and Rhinoceros Blood, which doubled its health. All previously learned passive skills remained intact. The warrior skills it possessed were basic moves like Momentum Strike, Dark Blow, and Shield Bash—nothing extraordinary.

What slightly disappointed Chen Feng was that Phantom Body no longer allowed the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior to move through space, losing its surprise attack capability. Nonetheless, with the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior, Chen Feng could now level up without even needing to act directly. This creature was both a pet and a troop hero, capable of training troops in a secluded area—though if disturbed by others, it would be disastrous.

Dark Rhinoceros Warrior Divine Artifact: a bound divine artifact required to enter the Dimensional Space Battle.

Chen Feng also obtained an egg-shaped item—a divine artifact. He could use this divine artifact to participate in the Dimensional Space Battle, where he would directly take on the form of the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior. Chen Feng hadn’t expected to get such a rare item. He had previously competed in a ten-thousand-player Dimensional Space Battle and even won. That event was extremely dangerous, with only one winner surviving among ten thousand experts. In that battle, only the power of the divine artifact mattered; in-game equipment and skills were nullified.

In such Dimensional Space Battles, if Chen Feng’s divine artifact represented a mage, then inside the space, he would be a mage—no matter his usual class or bonuses. The battle was thus very fair, with everyone starting on equal footing. Victory depended on both skill and luck.

By the time the world map was accessible, some players had already acquired divine artifacts, though their numbers were still limited. When enough were obtained, the selection and competition would begin. Chen Feng’s previous victory earned him a broken artifact, which caused a sensation. Even after three years of the game’s operation, no one else had gotten one, but Chen Feng did—making him incredibly formidable. However, he had sold the broken artifact through his guild and never used it personally.

Exceptional records in the Dimensional Space Battles could even earn one a divine artifact. However, the highest scores typically only earned legendary equipment. Chen Feng’s broken artifact was the highest achievement ever, thanks to a surprising move he made during that battle.

Testing the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior’s strength, Chen Feng felt a twinge of jealousy. This pet was so powerful it overshadowed its master. Its damage output was weaker than Chen Feng’s, but its defense was terrifyingly strong—murlocs couldn’t even scratch it. With lifesteal, it didn’t need Data Emperor’s healing and could keep slaying endlessly. Chen Feng was fast at pulling monsters and killing them quickly, but he was human—not a data entity—and grew tired over long battles. In contrast, the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior seemed tireless, growing more valiant the longer it fought.

“Chen Feng, you basically have a tank clone now. With the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior in front, who could possibly kill you?” Data Emperor envied him deeply. How did Chen Feng come by such a perfect pet? He knew the risk Chen Feng took with this enhancement was huge. Now, with a super-strong pet, success was overwhelming. Failure would have meant losing the Ghost Rhinoceros. Data Emperor lacked the mental fortitude for such daring attempts and chose to observe from the sidelines.

Not only did Chen Feng have the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior, but he also held a divine artifact. If the Dimensional Space Battle happened again, Chen Feng would have a massive advantage—after all, the Dark Rhinoceros Warrior’s attributes were undeniably powerful.