54: Abyss Well Instance

“A hidden dungeon?”

Zhang Meng’s breathing quickened.

After the Great Fusion, every dungeon was extremely valuable, as many rare materials needed by human Professionals came from various dungeons.

And these dungeons were initially all hidden dungeons.

Only by clearing a hidden dungeon could it become a regular dungeon.

So, once a hidden dungeon appeared, it was extremely precious to any Base City.

Autumn Wild Blue Cloth City only had two dungeons in total, while Xuanfu Base City didn't even have one.

“Are you sure there are Abyss Scouts in the dungeon?” Although Lin Ling was also happy about the appearance of a dungeon, a guess subtly formed in his mind.

In his previous life, the Abyss Well did indeed have an Abyss Dungeon, and he had spent nearly two years repeatedly clearing that dungeon.

However, according to Lin Ling’s memory, the Abyss Dungeon appeared three years after he successfully changed professions, and the monsters inside seemed to be Abyss Crawlers.

Now, there were only two possibilities: either this dungeon was not publicly known in his previous life and disappeared again after a failed challenge.

Or, this dungeon appeared three years early in Xuanfu Base City because he, this butterfly, flapped his wings.

But none of that mattered.

What was most important was that the dungeon had enough Abyss Scouts for him to complete his quest and get the reward.

“My boss took on a hidden quest to deliver a letter to the bandit leader of Xuanfu Base City.

Who would have thought the bandit leader was killed by someone using a Necromancy Forbidden Spell.

The hidden quest changed because the target disappeared.

My boss obtained a hidden dungeon map; clearing the dungeon on any difficulty would complete the hidden quest.

We followed the map’s guidance and came here to open the Abyss Well Dungeon.

Initially, the three of us teamed up and tried it once. The more people there were, the more monsters appeared. There were thirty Abyss Scouts inside. We killed over twenty, but still failed.

Later, my boss tried it himself. Although he didn’t succeed, when he went in alone, there were only ten Abyss Scouts inside.

When he attempted the Abyss Dungeon for the third time, we heard some commotion here and came over to watch the fun.

We just didn’t expect Xiao Tou Jun to fall into the hands of the Japanese, and now, my boss is probably about to come out too.”

Sheng Jun truthfully recounted all the information about the dungeon.

And Lin Ling, hearing his description, became even more certain that the Abyss Dungeon might have appeared early because of him, and the monsters within had also changed.

As for the cause of this change, it was likely due to the hidden quest he accepted from Alice.

However, according to Lin Ling’s understanding, this Abyss Dungeon was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

He had even specifically written a dungeon guide when he was in the Ya Zi Guild.

However, he described it in a conjectural tone, guessing that the dungeon was the Abyss Dungeon.

This dungeon seemed to become harder to clear the more people participated, but in reality, the best way to clear it was with a five-person team.

Moreover, the team must have a Priest, as the Priest was the key to clearing the dungeon.

Of course, if one was strong enough, they could also just push through, but Lin Ling in his previous life didn't have the capital to do so.

Just as Lin Ling was deep in thought, Zhang Meng’s voice suddenly rang out.

“Lin Ling, once a hidden dungeon appears, it only exists for 24 hours. If it cannot be cleared within 24 hours, the hidden dungeon will disappear.

Once a dungeon disappears, it’s an irreversible loss for the Base City and for the entire Dragon Kingdom, so I must report this to the Dragon Nest!”

Zhang Meng said with some excitement. If it weren't for his desire to curry favor with Lin Ling, he would have already reported to the Dragon Nest.

After all, every dungeon had three difficulty levels.

Normal, Hard, Nightmare.

Only by clearing all levels was the dungeon considered fully cleared.

This required a lot of time to strategize.

“Okay, let’s go over there now, understand this dungeon, and then you can report it to your superiors,” Lin Ling said.

Zhang Meng was overjoyed, slung an arm around Lin Ling’s shoulder, and walked into the forest.

Anyone who didn't know them would have thought they were old friends of many years.

Just then, a cry of sorrow suddenly rang out from not far away, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.

“Shang Biao’s condition isn’t good, he seems to be dying.”

Lin Ling looked back and saw Shang Biao’s face was ashen, his breaths shallow and ragged.

He had been beaten to critical health and knocked unconscious by an Abyss Scout, and then enveloped by the Shikigami’s poisonous mist, becoming poisoned.

Although he was a Warrior with defensive gear, his health was now at rock bottom, and the recovery rate of his healing potions was far slower than his health loss.

If this continued.

If the poison couldn't be cured within a minute, his last bit of health would also be gone.

“Where’s the Priest? Don’t you have a Priest among you?” Zhang Meng roared.

A young man from the Shenfeng Club looked anxiously at Zhang Meng: “My level is too low; my healing skill can only keep him barely alive, it can’t cleanse the poisoned status.”

His name was An Yi, and he was the only healer among the two leveling teams of the Shenfeng Club.

Zhang Meng stepped forward, checked Shang Biao’s status, and shook his head, “I’m afraid it’s too late.”

“Shang Biao? I’ve heard of him, a hooligan from Xuanfu Base City, not much stronger than me. In your good citizens’ words, we’re the dregs of society,” Sheng Jun scoffed.

“No, he’s not! Brother Biao is actually a good person. He’s from a single-parent family and grew up with Feng Zhi and me. He’s always taken care of Feng Ge and me since we were little.

Every time he got into a fight, it was because we were bullied. He deliberately disguised himself as a bad person just so others wouldn’t bully him. You’re not allowed to say that about him…”

The young Priest An Yi’s face gradually filled with sorrow as he roared at Sheng Jun.

“Tsk, it’s just someone dying, is it that big a deal? When you mess around, you’ll pay for it sooner or later. Dying early or late, you’ll die eventually.”

Sheng Jun sneered, speaking in a sarcastic tone. If he weren’t wary of Lin Ling, he would have already taught this young Priest who dared to yell at him a lesson.

“Enough!” Lin Ling suddenly snapped, raising his hand and tossing out a yellow potion bottle, saying, “This is a purification potion; give it to him.”

The young Priest snatched the potion bottle, instantly overjoyed.

He quickly fed Shang Biao the purification potion, and the poisoned status on Shang Biao’s body instantly disappeared.

An Yi quickly cast a healing spell, and Shang Biao’s injuries gradually improved, soon showing signs of waking up.

As healing potions were poured into their mouths, Shang Biao and Feng Zhi soon woke up one after another.

Before long, both of their conditions returned to peak. When Shang Biao and Feng Zhi learned from An Yi about Lin Ling’s previous actions, they were both stunned into silence.

Especially Shang Biao; at this moment, he finally understood how ridiculously futile his earlier attempt to compare strength with Lin Ling was.

At this moment, a thought simultaneously arose in both their minds: if they could stay by Lin Ling’s side…

There’s an old Chinese saying, “When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.” If they followed Lin Ling, they might achieve great success in the future.

Once such a powerful patron was embraced, their future would definitely be much brighter than staying in the Shenfeng Club.

Seeing that they were all fine, Lin Ling said no more and turned to leave.

Shang Biao and the others, recovering from their shock, immediately chased after him into the forest.

“Lin Laoda, take us into the dungeon, please! I, Biao Zi, promise I definitely won’t drag you down. I’ll be your little monster-pulling expert; whoever you point to, I’ll pull, absolutely no mistakes.”

“God Lin, not only are all my attacks area-of-effect, but I can also sing, dance, rap, and play basketball. If you like, I can even cross-dress.”

The voices of the two rang out from the forest, immediately causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“Do you have any Mage skill books?” Lin Ling asked.

“Uh… we really don’t have any, but if we get any skill books, we’ll definitely give them to Lin Laoda immediately,” Feng Zhi, quick-witted, immediately said.

Lin Ling didn't speak, still a little concerned about Black Mountain Bottom Old Demon.

Suddenly, an email notification popped up before his eyes.

“Ji Black Dog got me skill books?” Lin Ling’s heart brightened, and he immediately clicked open the mail system.

[You have received an express mail from ***: Mage Skill Books: 《Thunderblast》 and Wind Retreat have been stored in your inventory space for you.]

[This mail is a complimentary delivery, no payment required.]