I'm Already Invulnerable, I Want to Play DPS. And Look Badass Doing it

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Su Mo hesitated, then started seriously mulling it over.

Did he really need a God-rank master?

Or any master at all, for that matter?

With his talent, given time, he'd surely hit God-rank—maybe even surpass it.

So what would taking a master get him?

First off, his talent would be exposed. But so what?

Sure, he hadn't been totally upfront about it.

But with how he was now, anyone with half a brain wouldn't buy that his gift was just some high-tier defense ability.

He'd never bothered hiding it either—absolute defense was the root of his unshakable confidence.

As for his ability getting found out and some God-rank powerhouse snatching him up to use as a shield?

Su Mo didn't care. Being a shield meant forced team-ups—he'd still get a cut from any kills, racking up free attribute points. At worst, it'd just slow his growth a bit.

Once he rose up, the fool who dared use him as a shield…

After weighing the downsides, Su Mo turned to the perks of having a master.

Tons of resources, connections, the weapons he wanted, mounts—everything he could ask for…

At that thought, his DNA practically did a jig.

In his mind's eye: golden chainmail armor, a God-tier Azure Dragon Crescent Blade in hand, astride a God-tier mount…

The image flashed by, and Su Mo dropped to his knees in a bow.

"Disciple Su Mo pays respects to Master!"

Tu Hongwu, stroking his blood-red beard, blinked at Su Mo's swift move, then burst into hearty laughter.

"Good, good, good! From today, you're my chief disciple, Tu Hongwu's top student!"

He hauled Su Mo up, then called out to the void:

"Old Gongsun, Old Gongsun, get out here! I've taken a disciple—bring him a welcome gift!"

"What's with all the racket? You're never quiet for a damn day—guarding this world with you is eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

With the grumbling came a chubby old man in a black robe, white hair and beard, stepping out of thin air.

He shot Tu Hongwu a look of pure disdain before turning to Su Mo.

"Peak Level 9, with that kind of grit—reminds me of you when you were young."

The moment Su Mo saw him, his mind pulled up the man's info.

Craftsman God Gongsun Mu—one of Great Xia's rare God-ranks who'd ascended through a lifestyle profession.

His forged weapons drove countless people wild with desire.

Su Mo glanced at his new bargain-bin master, Tu Hongwu.

Tu was winking at him like crazy, his red eyebrows bouncing—almost festive.

Su Mo wasn't big on words, but he caught his master's drift fast.

"Youngster Su Mo greets Senior Craftsman God."

Gongsun Mu's plump face cracked a warm smile:

"Not bad, not bad. Polite kid—not like your master. Alright, old man's got nothing fancy here—pick something you like!"

With a wave of his hand, over a hundred weapons and armors floated in the air.

Swords, spears, halberds, staves, throwing knives, armor, bracers, helmets—all glowing with vibrant colors—dazzled Su Mo's eyes.

He casually eyed a pitch-black staff nearby, wrapped with a purple dragon.

Its stats popped up instantly.

[Purple Dragon Coiling Staff: Boosts strength by 32%, physique by 41% when equipped.

[Attached Skills: Staff Sweep Thousand Troops, Dragon Emerges from the Sea. Equip Requirement: Level 81]]

[Purple Dragon Coiling Staff Description: Forged by Gongsun Mu from an 81-Level Purple Dragon's core and Heartless Wood]

Percentage-based stat boosts—and hefty ones too. Solid gear, but Su Mo couldn't use it.

Level requirement was too high!

[Bloodthirsty Heaven Seal: Can shrink or grow, weighs a thousand tons… Usage Requirement: Level 60 Warlock Profession]

[White Dragon Crescent Blade: … Usage Requirement: Level 95…]

Su Mo's eyes darted across them—most had profession or level restrictions.

But he zeroed in on three items.

First, a Fang Tian Halberd. Double crescent blades at the head, sharp as hell, glinting with a ghostly sheen. The black shaft crackled with arcs of lightning—pure dominance.

[Yue-Breaking Fang Tian Halberd: No level restriction.

Weighs 9.99 million tons. Can adjust weight freely if you can lift it—the heavier, the stronger!

[For every ton of added weight, strength attribute increases by 10]]

[Attached Skill: Yue-Breaker—lower defense attribute, higher strength boost!]

Honestly, Su Mo loved it. Only downside was the skill.

He flat-out couldn't use it!

Next was a tiger-headed longsword.

The hilt bore a lifelike tiger head, fangs bared in a snarl, eyes glowing red.

The blade shimmered white, radiating cold light. Su Mo swore he saw faint cracks in space where it touched.

[Void-Tiger Blade: Growth-type weapon. Forged with a Void-Tiger cub—unmatched sharpness! Every 10 strength points adds 1 critical chance.]

[Attached Skills: Void Slash—cuts through space.

Tiger Roar: On activation, monsters within 300 meters below your level flee; those above go berserk and attack you.]

Another great pick—especially after wielding big weapons for a while.

Lately, he'd been thinking a shorter blade for close quarters might be handy.

That second skill? A textbook group taunt.

He'd always griped about chasing monsters being too slow.

With this, he wouldn't have to move—they'd come to him.

Critical chance wasn't something he'd boosted much, but crits were always nice.

The last item had no attack stats and was a one-time use.

[Forced Awakening Stone: Grants a second awakening to someone who failed their first. Success guaranteed.]

Simple and brutal description. But when Su Mo saw it, he thought of his sister.

Just as he opened his mouth to pick the awakening stone, Tu Hongwu seemed to clock his intent. In a flash, he zipped over and clamped a hand over Su Mo's mouth.

"Hey, Old Gongsun, what's your deal? All these years, and I never pegged you for such a stingy cheapskate!

This is my disciple—my own disciple! Freshly taken! You think one gift settles it?!

Here's the deal—we've worked together ages. I'm not asking much. All this junk you've got out—call it a welcome gift and give it all to my disciple, how about it?"

Gongsun Mu's smiling face darkened instantly:

"Pah! How do you even say that with a straight face?! Why don't you just rob me outright? No—you are robbing me!

Hey, hey, hey! Stop grabbing! Stop it! Hands off!!!"

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