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Chapter 393：The Second Awakened Companion
Jeremy naturally hoped that Ritchie could complete his awakening as soon as possible because only then would Ritchie be able to offer him real help in critical battles. So, early the next morning, Jeremy and Ritchie headed straight for the nearest instance.
There were no high-difficulty instances left around Moonlight City. As a result, the nearest instance was relatively low-level, which meant that the experience it provided was also quite limited. Because of this, Jeremy didn't play a major role in clearing the instance. His main responsibility was ensuring that Ritchie wouldn't encounter too many threats during the run.
It only took them less than two hours to complete the first instance. At this point, Ritchie was still half a level away from reaching level 50.
"The speed of leveling is way too slow," Ritchie said with a frown. "Maybe we should look for higher-difficulty instances, but the ones around us are all too easy. And traveling to other cities would be way too risky."
Ritchie was clearly frustrated.
Jeremy, unsure of a solution for the moment, could only respond with a calm tone, "Don't worry too much about it for now. If we clear all the nearby instances, you should still be able to reach level 50. Leveling speed isn't the most important thing right now. The key issue is your awakening instance. I think your awakening instance is going to be harder than mine."
Ritchie looked confused at Jeremy's words.
"Why? Aren't you the first one to complete your awakening? Shouldn't your awakening instance be the hardest one of all?"
Ritchie was puzzled by Jeremy's statement. In Ritchie's mind, Jeremy was the first to complete the awakening, and he had also gained a unique talent. Doesn't that mean Jeremy's awakening instance would have been the hardest of all?
It was common knowledge among all
Apocalypse Game
players that the harder the instance, the better the rewards.
Jeremy didn't fault Ritchie for his confusion.
Jeremy knew that Ritchie didn't yet fully understand the mechanics of the awakening instance.
"You're right," Jeremy said, "I was the first to complete my awakening, and the talent I gained is indeed very rare. Normally, this would mean that my awakening instance should have been the hardest. However, the awakening instance mechanism is different from regular instances."
Ritchie listened closely, clearly intrigued.
"The difficulty of the awakening instance actually depends on your condition when you reach level 50," Jeremy continued. "If your condition is excellent, the difficulty of the awakening instance will be very high. On the other hand, if you're in poor condition, the difficulty will be lowered accordingly."
Ritchie thought about this for a moment, then spoke up. "So, if that's the case, I could just make my condition worse before I reach level 50, right? That way, my awakening instance difficulty will drop, and it'll be easier for me to awaken."
Jeremy's expression immediately darkened. He quickly responded, "You can't do that! If your condition worsens, your awakening instance will indeed become easier, but the talent you gain will also be weaker."
Jeremy's tone was firm—he didn't want Ritchie to exploit a loophole in the system. Although
Class Change Goddess
Janna was his ally, and he had saved her before, he knew that Janna would never tolerate players trying to game the system like that.
Ritchie frowned, feeling a little frustrated. "Then what should I do? You're not telling me that my awakening is going to be a huge danger, are you? Didn't you promise me you'd help?"
By this point, Ritchie was beginning to lose his patience. In his mind, Jeremy should be able to ensure that he could awaken safely.
Jeremy felt a little speechless. He had been hoping that Ritchie would be the second member of their team to complete the awakening, significantly boosting their overall strength. Now, he wasn't so sure.
"I can't guarantee that you'll be completely safe during the awakening process," Jeremy admitted. "But what I
can
do is make sure that no one will interfere with your awakening."
Ritchie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
Jeremy's gaze darkened. "Kean will definitely try to prevent your awakening. Once you complete it, the strength we gain will far surpass anything Kean has. Do you think he'll accept that? Do you really believe he'll let us grow stronger than him?"
Upon hearing this, Ritchie's expression shifted dramatically.
Ritchie understood Kean well. In fact, Ritchie's interactions with Kean were far more extensive than Jeremy's. Ritchie knew that Kean was the type of person who would always seek revenge for the smallest grievances. His narrow-mindedness was infamous, and he absolutely would not allow anyone's strength to surpass his own.
Ritchie also knew that, judging by the timing, Kean's level couldn't be very high right now. However, if Ritchie could complete his awakening in the near future, his level would be very close to Kean's, and Kean would definitely take action against him.
"You're right," Ritchie said, his voice firm. "I will need your help to avoid Kean's interference. Since you've already made most of the plans, I'll just follow your instructions. What do you think I should do next to complete my awakening?"
To Ritchie, it was clear that Jeremy wouldn't betray him. Since Jeremy had already worked out the majority of the plan, Ritchie trusted him completely.
Jeremy smiled and nodded. "You're already very close to level 50. In the next two to three days, you should reach it. Once you do, don't rush into your awakening instance right away. First, I'll take you to the space where
Class Change Goddess
Janna resides."
Ritchie raised an eyebrow at that name. He had heard of Janna, but he didn't know much about her.
"Class Change Goddess Janna will provide you with some assistance. After that, you can think carefully about how you want to proceed. I can't offer you too much advice, because my understanding of the current awakening mechanism is not entirely complete."Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Jeremy's words were slightly humble, but it was clear that his understanding of the awakening mechanism was deeper than anyone else's. The only ones who knew more than him were
Class Change Goddess
Janna and a few of the apocalypse game developers.
Ritchie, however, didn't question Jeremy. He trusted him completely and was eager to follow his lead. He planned to spend the next few days working with Jeremy to quickly reach level 50.
While Ritchie and Jeremy were busy exploring instances together, envoys sent by the military headquarters and the Federation high command also arrived in Moonlight City. Their mission was to bring Jeremy back to Capital.
They didn't go directly to Jeremy but first sought out the mayor of Moonlight City, Benjamin.
Upon learning of the envoys' purpose, Benjamin responded bluntly.
"That's not possible! Jeremy will not be going back with you. He has more important things to do. The instances around Moonlight City are not yet fully cleared. Even if they were, he must stay here to ensure the safety of Moonlight City. You've already removed all the soldiers from here—why take Jeremy as well?"
Benjamin wasn't afraid of these envoys. While they held significant power, Benjamin had the backing of his own family forces. The envoys, facing Benjamin's firm stance, could only resort to persuasion, hoping he would help them with their task. Discover more content at empire
However, Benjamin ultimately sent them all away.
"If you truly want to bring Jeremy back to Capital, have Marshal Daniel come and speak to me directly. If he comes in person, I will give him the respect he deserves."
Benjamin had made his position clear. The envoys sent by the Federation and military headquarters had no other option but to leave.
Though they weren't able to bring Jeremy back, the envoys would surely speak ill of Benjamin once they returned. Benjamin was prepared for the backlash.
After his daughter had been kidnapped, Benjamin had become indifferent to most matters. In his view, the only one capable of ensuring his daughter's safety was Jeremy. To ensure his daughter's safety, he couldn't allow Jeremy to be taken back to Capital.
As Benjamin had predicted, when the envoys returned to Capital, the senior officials of the Federation and military headquarters were shocked beyond belief.
They hadn't expected Benjamin to defy their orders.
Marshal Daniel's face turned dark as he said, "If only I can personally bring Jeremy back, then I'll go myself. Jeremy is a very key figure. He must know a lot of important information."
Daniel was furious at this point, but Federation President Edgar remained calm.
Edgar had heard of the ongoing conflict between Jeremy and Kean.
After carefully considering the situation, Edgar spoke decisively.
"Since Benjamin believes that Jeremy should stay in Moonlight City, then let Jeremy remain there. Moonlight City is indeed a very important city, and we need Jeremy there to ensure its safety."
Edgar's position surprised everyone.
However, the officials quickly adjusted their attitudes. Even those who hadn't been paying much attention to Jeremy before began to take notice, realizing that he might be a more significant figure than they had initially thought.