Purgatory Artist
Chapter 554: Design a Battle Team!

Chapter 554: Design a Battle Team!

Liu Ping swirled the wine in his glass absentmindedly.

"No need to inspect it—this is the finest liquor chosen by the dwarves, the best brewers across countless worlds. It has to be top-notch," the tree-man said.

"Naturally. When it comes to selecting wine, you can absolutely trust my taste," the dwarf declared proudly.

Liu Ping took a sip and smiled. "Not bad. You do have good taste."

His gaze drifted back to the window.

The corpse of God held an irresistible fascination for him.

Merely observing the corpse and sensing the power radiating from it deepened his understanding of strength.

Lines of fiery text appeared on his Heroic Spirit interface:

[Based on User #402187’s permissions, the current functional module has been accessed. Retrieved relevant archived records. Display now?]

"Display!" Liu Ping commanded.

A scene unfolded in his mind—

A glimpse into an era so distant it was almost unimaginable.

A highly advanced, mechanized human world.

One day—

The sky split open.

Countless meteors rained down like fire.

The corpse of God descended upon the mortal realm.

Bathed in its power, countless humans began developing strange and unfathomable abilities.

The scene froze abruptly.

A small note appeared at the end:

’[Given my current rank and merit points, I can only access this much. What a pity.]’

Liu Ping stared at the words, momentarily stunned.

The dwarf’s voice snapped him back to reality:

"Don’t bother looking. At our level, we’ll never be able to borrow divine power. Might as well enjoy the drinks."

The tree-man chimed in:

"You’re wrong about that. Once you hit 5,000 merit points, you can vacation in any world, playing any role you want. I’ve been looking forward to my next break."

"Which world are you eyeing?" Liu Ping asked.

"The Emerald Forest World—as the King of Trees."

"Ah, that’s a good one. I’d pick the Underground Kingdom World, but I’m still way short on merits."

"Take your time."

The three clinked glasses.

Liu Ping studied his companions.

These two weren’t particularly strong.

Without their Nightmare’s Embrace armor, they’d be dead meat if tossed into the Eternal Night.

The dwarf suddenly said, "By the way, #408721, weren’t you always keen on checking out those rare professions?"

"Yeah, still need a few more merit points," Liu Ping replied with a smile.

"Too bad money can only buy daily necessities. I heard you’ve been saving up—still funding your own profession designs?" the tree-man asked.

"Designing professions is incredibly rewarding. I stand by that," Liu Ping said.

"Just don’t blow all your cash, or your immortality will lapse, and you’ll be downgraded to slave labor," the tree-man warned.

"Right. Once you’re a slave laborer, you’re just one step away from being converted into a fruit. Game over," the dwarf added.

The three exchanged uneasy glances.

"Enough of that. Drink up!" the dwarf boomed.

Liu Ping raised his glass.

Money is only for living expenses, but merits can do so much more.

That’s valuable intel.

Suddenly—

The ground trembled violently.

Two lines of text popped up simultaneously before them:

’[Emergency Alert:]’

’[Anomalous soul detected in Passage 15. Threat level: C. All non-essential personnel evacuate immediately.]’

Liu Ping stole a glance at the other two. They remained utterly calm, making no move to leave.

Guess this restaurant is safe.

It made sense—they were practically at the summit of this colossal structure, with a direct view of God’s corpse outside.

"Passage 15, huh?" Liu Ping remarked casually.

"Yep. That’s #402250 and his team. Probably already eaten by now," the dwarf said gleefully.

The tree-man raised his glass to Liu Ping. "Thanks for stepping in today. That soul would’ve been a nightmare to send back otherwise."

Liu Ping clinked glasses with him.

Another tremor shook the ground. Fresh notifications appeared:

’[Anomaly contained in alternate dimension.]’

’[Environment secured.]’

’[Casualties: 2.]’

’[Survivors: 1.]’

’[Due to inadequate handling, the survivor’s soul will be cast into the multiverse, memories erased, to become an Elementary-tier fruit.]’

’[Let this serve as a warning to all.]’

The restaurant fell dead silent.

Every diner—aside from Liu Ping’s table—had frozen mid-action.

A chilling tension permeated the air.

Liu Ping scanned the room, sighing inwardly.

These people are just the bottom rung.

Their so-called Nightmare’s Embrace? Just work uniforms.

They live in constant fear, one misstep away from being tossed into the ’orchard’ as food for the higher-ups.

So... what kind of beings are these, feasting on souls like fruit?

As he pondered, a new alert flashed on his interface:

’[#402187, the Profession Design Department is summoning you.]’

’[Prepare for immediate transport.]’

Liu Ping quickly turned to the tree-man and dwarf. "Something’s come up. I’ll have to cut this short."

"Go on. Between scriptwriting and profession design, you’ve got way more on your plate than we do," the tree-man said.

The dwarf nodded in agreement.

Before Liu Ping could respond, he vanished.

When he materialized, the expansive conference room was already packed.

A portly man stood at the podium, clearing his throat.

"Alright, we’ve got an emergency overtime task. Collaborate to design a 500-member combat team. These professions must synergize to push the limits of Elementary-tier Nightmare’s Embrace."

"Get to it."

"Submit drafts by midnight."

"Begin!"

Liu Ping glanced around.

Everyone had their interfaces open, rapidly assembling profession combinations.

His own panel displayed endless rows of profession names.

A 500-person combat team...

"Sir, can we know the mission type?" someone called out.

"No harm in sharing. Several VIPs are planning a hunt. They want prey that puts up a decent fight," the supervisor said.

"Why not just simulate it?" another asked.

"Not an option. The VIPs want fresh professions—something to spice up the chase," the supervisor clarified.

The room fell silent as designers buried themselves in their work.

Liu Ping accessed his design panel, guided by the Heroic Spirit interface’s prompts.

...Five hundred souls.

A single hunt, slaughtering and devouring 500 souls?

And the process needs new professions to make it ’exciting’?

A spark of fury ignited in his chest, blazing into an inferno.

Yet his expression remained perfectly calm.

Professions from his past lives surfaced in his memory—roles he’d embodied, adversaries he’d faced.

If...

If these creatures want to hunt human souls...

Let’s give them a hunt they’ll never forget.

Following the interface’s guidance, Liu Ping began crafting new professions.

To pull this off, his designs had to outshine every other submission.

His fingers flew across the panel, assembling and refining professions at a breakneck pace.

Hours slipped by.

Midnight arrived.

Designs were submitted. The room hummed with nervous energy.

"#402187, how’d yours turn out?" a neighboring designer asked.

"Just threw something together," Liu Ping said mildly.

"You’re the one who designed the Close-Combat Mage. Even if you don’t get picked this time, you’ll score well," the designer said encouragingly.

"Hope so," Liu Ping replied.

The supervisor’s voice boomed from the podium:

"#402187! Your design nearly breaches Elementary-tier Nightmare’s Embrace limits. The higher-ups have selected your proposal!"

Liu Ping remained composed.

He was the only one here who’d truly defeated Elementary-tier Nightmare’s Embrace.

After countless lifetimes of battle, his understanding of professions dwarfed any designer in this room.

No one here could match his expertise!

"#402187, your reward: 100 merit points!"

The room erupted in applause laced with envy.

Some designers’ eyes burned with resentment.

Under their collective gaze, Liu Ping stood and smiled. "I’m honored."

The supervisor nodded approvingly. "Good attitude. Looks like we can assign you more tasks tomorrow. Everyone—dismissed!"

Designers vanished in flashes of light.

Liu Ping reappeared in his quarters—a cramped 10-square-meter room.

He kicked off his shoes, sat on the bed, and leaned against the wall, waiting.

This is an opportunity.

If this is truly the lowest tier, then I need to climb—to get closer to those so-called VIPs.

Step by step, I’ll uncover this place’s secrets.

A line of fiery text blazed across his vision:

[Your design has been approved. Equipping 500 souls now.]

[’Deception’ activated.]