Chapter 37: The Corpse Golem, Executing Li Renjie

Professional trading platforms for careerists rarely offer instant delivery. The seller of the Gargoyle summoning skill book was not in Lincheng, and since the item had to be shipped from another city, it would not arrive in time.

Gu Chen went on to purchase some consumables he might need for his upcoming trip outside the city, waiting for them to arrive the next day along with the summoning book. Afterwards, he opened a short-video platform. He had expected that clearing a Hell-level dungeon would cause quite a stir in Lincheng, and that information about him would be viral across social media. However, after scrolling through several videos, he found absolutely no mention of him—not even a record of the first-ever Hell-level dungeon clear.

He felt a bit puzzled. It wasn't just the short-video platform; even the major media outlets seemed to have fallen into a state of silence. What was going on? Had the internet been cut off? Gu Chen was confused, but he did not dwell on it. After all, he had already received the rewards for clearing the Hell-level dungeon, and the SSS-grade rating was in his personal records; fame was insignificant. Next, he only needed to wait for the school to finalize his recommendation spot.

The next day, near noon, Gu Chen received the package from the careerist platform. He took out the summoning book and, after verifying it was correct, learned it immediately.

[You have successfully signed a contract with a Gargoyle.]
[Summoned Beast: Gargoyle]
[Potential: Excellent]
[Level: 10]
[HP: 6220]
[Attributes: Strength 85, Agility 90, Physique 94, Spirit 95]
[Talent: Stone Form (Excellent)]
[Skill: Petrify LV.1 (Excellent)]

Next, Gu Chen infused both of his Primeval Dark Bloodlines into the Gargoyle.

[Dark Bloodline: Primeval fusion successful.]
[Summoned Beast Evolved.]
[Gargoyle (Excellent) → Cadaver Golem (Epic)]
[Summoned Beast Star-Up successful.]
[Cadaver Golem (Epic) → Cadaver Golem (Epic★)]
[Level: LV.10]
[HP: 13500]
[Attributes: Strength 145, Agility 140, Physique 157, Spirit 158]
[Talent: Unstoppable (Epic)]
[Skill I: Extreme Exhaustion LV.10 (Epic)]
[Skill II: Black Death Plague LV.10 (Epic)]
[Skill III: Forbidden Domain of Dharma LV.10 (Epic)]

When the Gargoyle evolved into the Epic-tier Cadaver Golem, it initially gained one Epic talent and two Epic skills. The third skill was acquired after the star-up.

[Unstoppable: When the Cadaver Golem is stationary, defense increases, recovery increases, and it becomes immune to all negative effects.]
[Extreme Exhaustion: Applies the Exhausted status to nearby targets, reducing all their attributes by 50% and increasing damage taken by 50%. Cannot be resisted.]
[Black Death Plague: Infects a target with a plague, reducing healing effects received by 90% and causing continuous HP loss. Cannot be resisted.]
[Forbidden Domain of Dharma: The Cadaver Golem marks a forbidden area centered on itself; within this area, all resource consumption for targets increases tenfold.]

Just like with the Nightmare Overlord, the "targets" mentioned in the skills do not refer to allies, only to the hostile enemies being targeted. A full set of debuff skills made Gu Chen’s heart soar. The third skill, [Forbidden Domain of Dharma], which increased enemy consumption by ten times, was terrifyingly powerful. Just imagine: an enemy mage casts a single skill and their Spirit is more than half depleted, or an enemy warrior takes one swing and their legs go soft from exhaustion. Some powerful skills might even become impossible to cast under the 10x consumption penalty, leaving the opponent standing there helplessly. That was truly formidable.

After reviewing the skills and talents one more time, Gu Chen closed the summoner panel, feeling fully confident about his upcoming trip into the wilderness.

Just then, his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw it was his homeroom teacher, Jiang Songhua. Gu Chen’s eyes brightened; since Jiang Songhua was calling, it must be about his recommendation to the Shangjing Academy. After all, he had secured an SSS-grade rating in a Hell-level dungeon, and since Lincheng No. 1 High School only had one recommendation spot, it was bound to be his.

However, as soon as the call connected, Jiang Songhua’s cursing voice filled the receiver. "Gu Chen, your recommendation spot has been frozen. It was those pig-headed bureaucrats at City Hall. Tell me, what are you planning to do?"

The aggressive tone made Gu Chen pause, then laugh. It was his recommendation being canceled; why did it sound like Jiang Songhua was the one suffering? Oh, right—if Gu Chen were recommended to Shangjing Academy, Jiang Songhua’s status, position, and reputation would see a massive boost. In that sense, his teacher was indeed a victim.

Gu Chen asked, "Teacher Jiang, please don't be angry. Why is City Hall blocking my recommendation?"

Jiang Songhua ranted, "They think Summoners lack growth potential and aren't worth the investment! The bastards! They’re all self-righteous pigs! They don't know the first thing about the difficulty of a Hell-level dungeon!"

Lack of potential, not worth the investment? That reason sounded a bit forced. Gu Chen continued, "Since they rejected me, who did they give the spot to? Surely it won't go unused?" It would be ridiculous if it went to waste, as a recommendation spot was a fixed resource distributed from above, and losing it would be a total waste.

"The spot is currently in the hands of the Li family."

"Currently in the hands of the Li family? Are they recommending Li Wenhui? What do you mean by 'currently'?"

"Li Wenhui is just a branch member; this spot is likely being fought over for the heir of the Li family."

"The heir? Who?"

"Li Renjie," Jiang Songhua said after taking a deep breath on the other end of the line. "He was sent to Gubei City at a young age to receive the best resources of the Northern Territory. He awakened the rare profession of Psychic. He’s considered a genius. But Gubei City is the heart of the Northern Territory, packed with geniuses. Li Renjie couldn't secure a recommendation spot there, so the Li family is trying to grab one here in Lincheng."

Gu Chen’s eyes showed a hint of disdain. So, he was just a beggar. Bullied to the point of starvation in Gubei City, he came to a small place like Lincheng to beg for food? And the kicker was, he was begging for his spot.

Gu Chen memorized the name and asked, "Teacher Jiang, you mentioned the spot is only 'currently' with the Li family?"

"Yes, that's what I heard from the principal. Don't spread it around. If Li Renjie can get an SSS-grade rating in a Hell-level dungeon before the academy entrance exams, the spot will go to him. Conversely, there's still a high chance it will come back to you."

A high chance? Gu Chen smiled dismissively. He didn't like "chances." It was his to begin with; why did it feel like he was being forced to accept someone else's charity?

"So, Teacher Jiang, are you calling to tell me my spot is blocked?"

"No, I'm calling to tell you that Li Renjie will likely come to you for a partnership, offering you some benefits to have you help him clear the Hell-level dungeon."

"Understood. I certainly won't agree to that."

"No, you don't understand. You're just a commoner. Why go head-to-head with the nobility? Can you really beat the Li family?" Jiang Songhua sighed. "You must agree to him! I know you feel wronged, but the situation is what it is. If Li Renjie comes to you, demand as many benefits as you can. You know the Li family—the biggest clan in Lincheng, absolutely filthy rich. You must take this opportunity to fleece Li Renjie for everything he's worth."

Fleece Li Renjie? Understood. Gu Chen nodded, keeping his teacher's advice in mind.

Just then, there was a commotion at the door. The dormitory door opened from the outside, opened by Li Wenhui.

"Cousin, this is Gu Chen's room," Li Wenhui said, stepping aside.

A handsome youth in a mage robe appeared at the door. He wore an arrogant expression, exuding an air of superiority that looked down on everything. He crossed the threshold, scanning the room with a lofty attitude, and finally rested his gaze on Gu Chen.

"I am Li Renjie. You must have heard of me, right?"