13: Chapter 13: The circuit is complete; going home and the warriors who can't return to the left.

Early the next morning, the morning sun once again arrived at Elwynn Forest, slowly slicing through the mist on the third floor of the Tower of Azora.

When Hu Jinsi climbed off his meditation cushion, he felt the qi in his meridians was thirty percent smoother than last night. He opened his panel and glanced at it; the experience bar had pushed forward a little bit—Deep Meditation combined with the cushion made the experience gain faster than a snail crawling, but slower than a turtle swimming, belonging to that kind of metaphysical progress where it "looks like it hasn't moved, but it actually has."

[Level: 5]

[Experience: 853 / 3200]

"3200..." Hu Jinsi stared at that string of numbers, his mouth twitching. "This experience bar is wide enough for a train to run on, an eight-lane highway in both directions."

He turned his head to look at the other two people in the tower. Lin Rui was leaning against the wall, sleeping upright, his scrapped round shield covering his chest and his short sword resting by his hand, looking just like a Soldier who had just come off the battlefield. Su Wan was curled up in the corner, holding her lyre in her arms. The crack on the body of the instrument, made by a Defias Thief, was particularly glaring in the morning light. Her brows were furrowed; she was probably settling scores with that red-masked bandit in her dream.

"Wake up, wake up." Hu Jinsi tapped the wall with his long staff, the crisp sound of metal hitting stone echoing in the tower. "Last day. Once we finish Stone Cairn Lake, we're going home. Move fast; if you miss the bus, the travel fare won't be reimbursed."

Lin Rui opened his eyes, moving as nimbly as a switchblade. "What time is it?"

"Just past six." Hu Jinsi shouldered his iron-wrapped long staff. "The water is cold in the early morning; maybe the murlocs are cold-blooded animals and won't have any energy either."

Su Wan sat up, dazed. The first thing she did was touch the scar on the lyre, grimacing in pain. "My lyre... I'll have to see if it can be repaired at an instrument shop when we get back. That Defias bandit really had a cruel hand, aiming specifically for the expensive parts."

"That just proves they have good taste." Hu Jinsi handed her a piece of jerky. "Eat up, let's go. Let's try not to get injured today and leave the instance clean."

"You said that yesterday, too." Su Wan rolled her eyes, but still took the jerky and started chewing.

After a quick cleanup, the trio advanced along the forest path toward the northeast. The morning dew soaked their pant legs, and the air was filled with the damp smell of humus. They hadn't even walked half a kilometer when rustling sounds came from the bushes on the left.

"Wolves again." Lin Rui didn't even lift his head. "This is the third wave."

Three gray wolves poked their heads out from behind the birch forest, neither approaching nor retreating, like a pack of hyenas waiting to scavenge. Hu Jinsi threw two throwing knives at them, which stuck into the ground near the feet of the lead wolf. Only then did the beast sullenly lead the pack back into the bushes.

"They've remembered our scent." Lin Rui said in a low voice. "We've killed too many boars and murlocs these past few days. I'm afraid the ecological chain in the forest has already been disrupted by us."

"What ecological chain in an instance?" Hu Jinsi said dismissively. "It resets when we leave the instance. The next time we come in, it won't even remember our scent."

Su Wan plucked the strings, testing the pitch. "All my spell slots are full, and I'm full of fighting spirit. I feel like I can take on another 50 boars."

"There are only fish today, no pigs. In the open area by the lake, your sonic waves will at most stun a few fish."

"Do murlocs count as fish?"

"I guess so..." Hu Jinsi thought for a moment. "Murlocs should be grateful for nature's gift, dying at their place of origin."

...

The trio walked the four-kilometer journey in an hour.

It wasn't that the road was hard to walk, but that the beasts on the edge of the forest had become smarter, trailing them from afar like a group of stalkers. After passing through the last birch forest, the view suddenly opened up.

Stone Cairn Lake.

The lake surface was much wider than Crystal Lake, and the morning mist pressed low over the water like a layer of flowing milk. The lake water was a deep green, with very low visibility. The waters near the shore were overgrown with reeds and water plants. Occasionally, bubbles would rise from the bottom of the lake, popping with a "gurgle" sound and emitting a faint, fishy smell. In the center of the lake was a small island, on which stood several huge stone steles. The surfaces of the steles were covered in moss, with faint, blurry carvings visible.

"That island..." Su Wan squinted. "There's something on it."

"At least it's not in our plan for today." Hu Jinsi said. "Forget the island for now, look at the lakeshore."

In the shallow water area of the lakeshore, dense, greenish figures were swaying. Murlocs. And there were far more of them than at Crystal Lake; a glance showed at least nearly a hundred, "warrr-glar-glar-ing" at each other. Most notably, some of the murlocs were not holding harpoons, but twisted staves—the tops of which were embedded with broken shells or glowing stones.

"Mage monsters?" Lin Rui asked curiously. "Spellcasters among the murlocs?"

"We're in big trouble." Hu Jinsi licked his lips. "Teacher Zhang mentioned that murlocs have their own occupational system, but I didn't expect them to have mages too."

The three of them crouched behind the reeds on the lakeshore, observing for a full five minutes. Those murlocs were clearly a size sturdier than their Crystal Lake counterparts, their scales a deeper dark green, and they were also half a head taller. The ordinary murloc warriors held bone harpoons, while the mage-type murlocs hid in the back row, waving their staves, causing tiny ice crystals to condense on the surface of the lake.

"The good news is, there are plenty of murlocs." Hu Jinsi lowered his voice. "The bad news is... these guys look like they can take on ten of their Crystal Lake counterparts."

"And there are too many of them." Su Wan counted. "There are nearly a hundred on the shore, and who knows how many are hiding in the water."

"Is the campfire tactic still effective?" Lin Rui asked.

"We'll only know if we try." Hu Jinsi took out wood and a lighter from his backpack. "The usual rule: build a fire upwind, keep our backs against a boulder, and lure them ashore."

The three chose a boulder sheltered from the wind and built three campfires on the meadow by the lake. The campfires were five meters apart, forming a semicircle, protecting the three of them in the middle. Hu Jinsi added a few dried pumpkin vines he had swiped from the farm to the fire, and the flames flared up, waves of heat rolling, making their faces dry.

"Lure the monsters." Hu Jinsi nodded.

Su Wan cleared her throat and started singing a segment of noise—

"Ah-see-deh—Ah-see-deh—Ah-see-deh-loh-deh-loh-deh—"

The lake surface immediately exploded.

"Warrr-glar-glar!!!"

Seven or eight murlocs darted out from the shallow water, their dead-gray fish eyes locked onto the source of the sound, charging ashore with harpoons raised. But the heat from the campfires caused the mucus on their bodies to evaporate rapidly, their scales making a "sizzle" sound in the heatwave, and their originally smooth skin began to dry out and crack.

"It's effective!" Lin Rui's eyes lit up.

The first murloc rushed to the campfire, its body mucus already dried out, its scales brittle like a biscuit. Hu Jinsi swung his long staff around and smashed it on top of its head!

"Snap!"

[-9]

The scales shattered, and the murloc screamed, green blood gushing from the cracks. But the damage number from this blow made Hu Jinsi's heart sink—a Crystal Lake murloc in the same state would have taken at least fifteen points of damage from this blow.

"The defense is more than doubled!" Hu Jinsi shouted. "Be careful, these guys have thick HP!"

Lin Rui raised his spear, but didn't thrust. Instead, he switched to the [Rusty One-Handed Hammer] he had looted from the Kobolds! The blunt weapon smashed into the murloc, the brittle scales peeling off one after another, [-13], a great effect, but the murloc didn't die, instead waving its harpoon to counterattack.

Su Wan also learned her lesson and no longer used Thunderwave—she was afraid of scattering the campfires—but instead held the [rixats elegy], using the rhythm of the singing to circle to the murloc's side, and precisely stabbed her short sword into the murloc's eye!

[-11]

[Special Effect Triggered: Remove 25% of the target's current HP!]

The murloc turned into points of light and dissipated.

But more murlocs swarmed up. The three stood in the center of the fire circle, killing one if one came, and killing a pair if two came. These Stone Cairn Lake murloc warriors were indeed much more troublesome than those from Crystal Lake, and it took nearly twice as long to finish off each one. The campfire tactic was still effective, but the efficiency had clearly dropped.

"It's too slow to grind like this!" Lin Rui smashed a murloc down with a hammer, panting. "At this speed, it will take until tomorrow to clear the lakeshore!"

"Try the mage monsters first!" Hu Jinsi pointed into the distance.

A murloc holding a staff was hiding in the back row, and an ice ball the size of a fist condensed at the tip of the staff—Ice Arrow!

"Whoosh!"

The ice ball whistled over and smashed into the grass at Lin Rui's feet, exploding into a cluster of frost, and the grass instantly froze.

"It won't enter the campfire!" Su Wan said anxiously. "It's casting from a distance; the campfire can't roast it!"

Sure enough, the mage-type murloc stood about ten meters outside the range of the campfire, waving its staff, and another fireball condensed!

"I'll go close in!" Hu Jinsi stuck his long staff into the ground and took out a homemade torch from his backpack—the torch was made by wrapping oil-soaked linen around a wooden stick, and once lit, the flame was vigorous.

"You're using a torch in one hand and a long staff in the other?" Su Wan looked at Hu Jinsi's novel posture. "How are you going to fight?"

"Who says a long staff can only be used with two hands!" Hu Jinsi held the torch in his left hand and the long staff in his right, activating Misty Step! (Thanks to the mist by the lake)

Silver mist flashed in the forest, and he teleported into the mist next to the murloc mage, then took off running toward that mage murloc!

The murloc mage saw him rushing over, paused its staff, and a fireball flew out of its hand! Hu Jinsi held the center of the long staff, used one end of the staff to disperse the fireball, then rolled, and thrust the torch in his left hand forward—

"Sizzle!"

The flames of the torch licked the scales of the mage murloc, the murloc let out a piercing scream, and its casting action was interrupted! It instinctively retreated, trying to put some distance between them, but Hu Jinsi's long staff in his right hand was already there!

[-14]

The murloc with the big head and thin legs was tripped to the ground.

The murloc mage frantically used its staff to Block, but its melee ability was extremely poor, and it was beaten to death by Hu Jinsi's wild staff strikes, turning into points of light and dissipating.

"Nice!" Lin Rui shouted from behind.

Hu Jinsi shook the green blood off his long staff and ran back to the campfire: "These mage monsters put all their pitiful talent into spells, and their melee ability is like paper! A mage murloc that has fallen is even dumber than a boar. I also discovered during the fight that their body proportions are so uncoordinated. But they will interrupt us from a distance, so we can't ignore them!"

The three tested by pulling three more mage murlocs over. The conclusion was consistent: these murloc spellcasters generally knew Ice Arrow or Fireball, and their spell power was not small, but each mage murloc could probably only cast two or three spells before its mana was exhausted and it switched to melee. And once they switched to melee, the campfire tactic immediately took effect, and their brittle scales couldn't withstand a few sword strikes.

"The circuit is complete." Hu Jinsi sat down by the campfire and took a drink of water. "Melee murloc warriors are dealt with by campfire + melee + blunt weapons; it's just that their HP bars are a bit longer, costing a bit more time. Mage-type murlocs need someone to close in and interfere; they can't be allowed to cast spells on the periphery."

"But what if there are five or six mage murlocs attacking from a distance at the same time?" Su Wan asked.

"Then someone has to rush out and pull them into the campfire range, or kill them one by one in close quarters." Hu Jinsi grinned. "Anyway, my Misty Step can dash, and Monks run fast, so I'll do this job."

"Too dangerous." Lin Rui frowned.

"Fortune favors the bold." Hu Jinsi stuck the torch into the ground. "And I discovered that these murloc mages have a characteristic—they can't move when they cast spells. As long as you get close, they're sitting ducks."

The three of them ground for another half hour, clearing about one-third of the murlocs on the lakeshore. But the time was already approaching noon.

"The efficiency is low." Lin Rui checked the durability of his one-handed hammer. "These Stone Cairn Lake murlocs are indeed a bit weaker than Defias Thieves individually, but there are too many of them. And murlocs keep crawling up from the water, like leeks, growing back after being cut."

"Be content." Hu Jinsi stuffed a piece of roasted boar meat into his mouth. "At least the campfire tactic is still usable; it's just changed from 'mowing grass' to 'logging'. We can grind, it's just tiring."

...

The final battle was uneventful.

The three lured five melee murlocs into the campfire, Su Wan used a Thunderwave to blow them away, and Lin Rui and Hu Jinsi finished them off. Hu Jinsi also dashed in to kill a murloc mage that was trying to cast spells in the back row. After the battle, a pile of materials was left on the lakeshore.

[Murloc Fin × 17]

[Linen Cloth × 3]

[Murloc Scale × 8]

[Fresh Smooth-Skinned Mackerel × 2]

"Is that it?" Hu Jinsi looked at the drops with disgust. "We ground for so long, and just this? The murlocs of Stone Cairn Lake are notoriously stingy."

"At least the circuit is complete, and we know how to fight them." Lin Rui tucked his one-handed hammer back to his waist. "Next time we come in, we know the campfire tactic is still effective; we just need to continue optimizing this tactic."

"Next time?" Su Wan rolled her eyes. "Next time I'm bringing ten Molotov cocktails and turning the lakeshore into a barbecue stall."

The three finished packing up and looked at the map. Eastvale Logging Camp was to the southeast of Stone Cairn Lake, less than two kilometers away.

"Let's go, use the remaining time to check out the logging camp." Hu Jinsi shouldered his long staff. "If that place can be a resting point, there will be one more option for the next instance."

...

On the way to the Eastvale Logging Camp, the beasts in the forest seemed to have smelled the scent of blood, and wolf howls echoed from afar. The three picked up their pace and finally arrived at their destination around ten o'clock.

The Eastvale Logging Camp was located in an open clearing in the forest, with a few wooden houses scattered beside sawhorse racks and piles of logs. Like Goldshire, it was deserted, with only tools lying alone on the ground—rusty saws, broken axe handles, empty water bottles. The door of the logging cabin was ajar, and there were a few wooden beds covered with hay inside; although crude, they could indeed accommodate people.

"Lodging is no problem." Lin Rui quickly checked around. "A bit more troublesome than keeping watch at the Tower of Azora, but better than being in the wild."

"Alternative for next time." Hu Jinsi noted it down in his little notebook.

Su Wan sat on a log, holding her lyre and gently plucking a soothing scale: "If we come next time, it would be great if we could light a fire and roast meat here. The murlocs by the lake are too smelly; the logging camp at least doesn't have that fishy smell..."

Before Su Wan could finish speaking, Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui looked up at the same time.

The countdown on the panel, the bright red numbers were jumping:

[Remaining Time in Instance: 00:04:59]

"Damn it!" Hu Jinsi jumped up. "Only five minutes left!"

"Everyone, split up and take a look, gather some information!" Lin Rui's expression changed.

The three hurried to explore the Eastvale Logging Camp, watching the world around them gradually become blurry. The three were wrapped in a pale green film of light and sent out of the instance world.

"Next time..." Before Su Wan could finish her sentence, the light swallowed her voice.

Their vision blurred, and when they opened their eyes again, the hustle and bustle rushed toward them.

...

Outside the instance, it was bustling.

Hu Jinsi and the others were teleported to the exit plaza of the Goldshire instance. The afternoon sun made their eyes ache, and it was chaotic in their ears—the cheers of students, the groans of pain, the shouts of paramedics, the sound of bus engines, all mixed together.

"We're out..." Su Wan took a deep breath. "The scent of living people."

Every time they left an instance, this hustle and bustle made them feel exceptionally at ease. Although the world inside the instance was real, there was always an lingering sense of unreality, as if it would dissipate into points of light at any moment. But outside the instance, even the noisiest noise made people feel grounded.

The three looked around, but didn't find any familiar classmates.

"Strange." Lin Rui frowned. "It's rare for students from so many schools to gather together, yet nothing has happened at all."

"Should we find Teacher Fan and report first?" Su Wan asked.

"Wait." Hu Jinsi stopped her. "Look over there."

At the edge of the plaza, several medical personnel in white coats were rushing by with a stretcher. On the stretcher lay a student wrapped in spider silk like a cocoon, with only a pale face exposed. Their mouth was half-open, as if shouting something, but the sound was muffled by the cocoon. Beside them, a girl in a No. 3 High School uniform was crying heart-wrenchingly, clutching the stretcher and refusing to let go.

"Spider cocoon…" Su Wan shivered. "The spiders from the Jade Mine?"

"Not just that." Lin Rui pointed to the other side.

A group of students in No. 2 High School uniforms were gathered together. In the middle, a boy was hugging his severed arm and wailing, with a solemn-looking teacher standing beside him. Further away, two people in white coats were carrying a stretcher into a temporary medical tent. The stretcher was covered with a white sheet, and a stiff hand was exposed from beneath it.

The three of them fell silent for a moment.

"The atmosphere is wrong." Hu Jinsi said in a low voice. "It's too quiet. There's no trash-talking between schools, no one showing off their battle results, and even Teacher Fan isn't waiting for us at the exit."

"Let's find Teacher Zhang." Lin Rui said. "The training teacher should be organizing the venue."

The three passed through the crowd and found Teacher Zhang in the temporary tent area on the west side of the plaza. This training teacher was sitting on a folding chair, clutching an enamel mug in his hand, his gaze fixed in the distance, yet unfocused. The old scar on his left cheek looked exceptionally deep in the afternoon shadows.

"Teacher Zhang." Lin Rui stepped forward and handed over the operation log. "Jack-of-All-Trades Squad, 72-hour survival mission in Goldshire, successfully completed."

Teacher Zhang took the log and nodded. His gaze swept over the three of them, confirming no missing limbs, before he spoke: "How was the harvest?"

"Materials, ingredients, blueprints, and some equipment." Hu Jinsi shared the dropped data with Teacher Zhang. "We plan to sell most of the materials to the life-profession students in our class in exchange for some finished equipment and backpacks. What do you think…"

"That's fine." Teacher Zhang's voice was a bit hoarse. "Handle it yourselves; the school won't interfere."

He paused, then added: "You did the right thing. Life-profession students also need to grind for experience; this is mutually beneficial."

Hu Jinsi noticed that Teacher Zhang's knuckles gripping the enamel mug were white, as if he were struggling to restrain something. Although his gaze was fixed on the three of them, it seemed to pierce through them, looking toward other directions of Wei City.

"Teacher," Su Wan couldn't help but ask, "what about the other students in the class? Nature Squad and the others…"

"The No. 1 High School assembly point is on the east side of the plaza." Teacher Zhang came back to his senses and pointed in a direction. "Go ahead. They should have already arrived."

"Are you… alright?" Hu Jinsi asked tentatively.

Teacher Zhang twitched the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile, but there was no warmth in it. "I'm fine. Just tired. Go on, don't waste time."

The three exchanged glances and didn't press further. The surrounding atmosphere felt like a lump of wet cotton, stifling and suffocating. They hurriedly said goodbye to Teacher Zhang and headed toward the assembly point.

"Teacher Zhang's expression…" Su Wan said in a low voice, "I've never seen him like that."

"It's like something happened." Lin Rui said in a deep voice. "And did you notice? He didn't even ask how many monsters we killed, nor did he comment on our tactics. This isn't normal."

"Let's meet up first and talk later." Hu Jinsi quickened his pace.

The No. 1 High School assembly point was set up under the plane trees on the east side of the plaza.

When the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad arrived, the three members of the Nature Squad were already there. Yi Chun was wiping his short staff with a cloth, Zhen Kai was counting his totems, and Sun Yao was riding a pony—the horse was only two-thirds the height of a normal horse, but its coat was shiny, its tack was complete, and it was leisurely grazing on the grass.

"You're out too?" Yi Chun looked up and revealed a relaxed smile. "How was it? You must have made a fortune on this trip to Goldshire, right?"

"Made a fortune my ass." Hu Jinsi plopped down on a tree root. "We were almost wiped out by a Defias Thief. What about you? Looking at you, things seem pretty cozy?"

"Cozy!" Sun Yao jumped off the pony and patted its neck triumphantly. "See that? A pony, the summoned creature I signed at level 3. A transportation artifact! We didn't have to walk at all in the instance this time; we rode the horse to explore the entire map!"

"And this." Sun Yao released a fist-sized beetle from her summoning book. The beetle's shell was crimson, and its abdomen emitted a dark red light, like a moving lantern. "Fire Beetle, signed at level 4. Put it in the mine, and the whole cave is as bright as day. The Kobolds' darkness tactics are completely useless—it turned the pitch-black mine into a bright hall."

The three members of the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad were speechless.

"What about the eagle?" Su Wan asked. "Didn't you say you were going to sign an eagle at level 5?"

"It's in the sky." Sun Yao whistled.

A loud eagle cry came from the sky. A grayish-brown male eagle swooped down from the clouds, its wingspan reaching two meters. It landed precisely on Sun Yao's shoulder, its sharp eagle eyes scanning the surroundings.

"We relied entirely on it for reconnaissance this time in the instance." Yi Chun laughed. "Sun Yao had the eagle fly over the entire map; we could clearly see where there were many monsters, where there were few, and where it was suitable to rest. We chose the easiest route—grinding Kobolds in the mine and Murlocs by the lake. We didn't touch the boars or the Defias Thief at all."

"You fought Murlocs too?" Lin Rui asked.

"We did." Zhen Kai nodded. "The eagle attracted the Murlocs' attention from the sky, the crows and Dire Rats harassed them from the sides, and Yi Chun and I dealt damage from the front. The Murlocs couldn't reach the eagle in the sky, and they couldn't bend down to hit the Dire Rats on the ground, so we kited them in circles."

Hu Jinsi and Su Wan exchanged a glance, both seeing envy in each other's eyes.

"You guys…" Hu Jinsi opened his mouth. "You paid to win, didn't you?"

"We did!" Sun Yao didn't hide it. "My parents bought me two wristbands that increase the maximum number of Tier 1 summoned creatures by 1, and equipped me with a Fireball wand and an Ice Arrow wand. I can now maintain 3 summoned creatures simultaneously and change my lineup according to our needs."

"Righteous gang-up." Zhen Kai added. "In the mine, 1 Fire Beetle, 2 dogs, plus three Awakened ones surrounding a Kobold that only reached our waists—the scene was…"

"Stop." Su Wan covered her face. "We were being chased by spiders in the mine yesterday, scrambling for our lives, while you guys were having a righteous gang-up?"

"That's why," Yi Chun patted Hu Jinsi's shoulder, "you have to pay to win when you need to. Although our total harvest wasn't as much as yours this time, this was our first clear after all, and our equipment had almost zero wear and tear, and no one was injured. All things considered, the cost-performance ratio was quite high."

Hu Jinsi was silent for two seconds, then nodded heavily.

"You're right." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. "I'm paying to win as soon as I get back. Stamina potions, Molotov cocktails, new equipment—I'm dumping all my savings into it. Next time we come in, we're going to be the righteous side for once."

"By the way," Lin Rui suddenly remembered something. "Are you choosing Goldshire again next time?"

"We are." Yi Chun nodded. "We've figured out the mine and the lakeside this time, so our efficiency will be higher next time. And…"

He lowered his voice. "We also discovered a group of Gnolls on the west side of Goldshire that you didn't mention, but their equipment is clearly superior to that group of Murlocs."

"Information shared." Hu Jinsi gave a thumbs up. "In exchange, we'll tell you a tactic—Tripwire + Fence + Thunderwave, specifically for grinding boars. If you go to fight boars, remember to set up obstacles in advance; it can save you half the effort."

The two squads exchanged their intelligence and tactics, the atmosphere harmonious.

Before getting on the bus, Su Wan found Teacher Zhang and handed over all the drops from this instance, including materials, meat, blueprints, and cloth, packed up for the teacher, along with the squad's list of requirements: six 6-slot small bags, four bundles of arrows, thirty pieces of roasted boar meat, and two sets of white-grade leather armor.

"Please pass this on to the life-profession students, Teacher." Su Wan said with a smile. "As for the price difference between the materials and the finished products, we can settle the balance later."

Teacher Zhang put the materials into his backpack and nodded, but his gaze landed on the lyre that had been slashed by the Defias Thief. "Remember to repair the lyre. A Bard's magic instrument cannot be neglected."

"Thank you, Teacher."

The three boarded the bus and slumped into the seats in the last row. Su Wan hugged her lyre, her head tilted toward the bus window; Lin Rui leaned against the seat back, his eyes unfocused; Hu Jinsi seized the time to meditate.

The bus started, and the green vortex of Goldshire gradually faded into the distance. Snoring began to drift through the carriage; the three of them didn't even have the strength to chat and fell asleep in their seats in seconds.

When the bus stopped at the school gate, it was only the afternoon.

There was no group dinner this time. The school announced a day and a half of rest, with classes resuming on Friday. The three dragged their exhausted bodies back to the residential complex and went to their respective homes.

Hu Jinsi returned to his two-bedroom apartment, leaned his iron-wrapped long staff against the corner, didn't even change his clothes, and sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion.

[Deep Meditation activated]

Qi circulated through his meridians, and the experience numbers on the panel jumped steadily. He did the math: he had reached level 5 within the first 24 hours of the instance. According to the efficiency of Deep Meditation + the cushion, he should be able to accumulate the 1600 experience points for his level 5 specialty before entering the instance next time.

"1600…" he muttered to himself. "What good things can I pull from that?"

Time flew by during meditation.

When Su Wan returned home, her twin sisters, Su Qing and Su Yu, were doing homework in the living room. Mother Su poked her head out from the kitchen and immediately frowned upon seeing the crack on her daughter's lyre: "What happened?"

"It was slashed by a bandit in the instance." Su Wan carefully placed the lyre on the table. "Mom, there's something I need to tell you."

At the dinner table, Su Wan told them everything about asking the World Consciousness in the instance and accepting the "sirens voice collar" quest. Father Su put down his chopsticks and pondered for a moment. "Siren vocal cord tissue… that requires placing a commission at the Adventurers' Guild. Mithril is easy to handle; I'll go buy it tomorrow. But the Siren vocal cords require waiting for someone to go to the instance where this monster appears and bring them back."

"No rush." Mother Su held her daughter's hand. "Before level 10, Mom and Dad will definitely help you gather everything. You just focus on leveling up; don't worry about anything else."

Su Wan's eyes felt a bit warm, and she lowered her head to eat. "Thank you, Mom and Dad."

Lin Rui waited until Lin Jianjun returned home in the evening and spoke after dinner.

"Dad, our squad has decided to pay to win." Lin Rui got straight to the point and explained the plan for Molotov cocktails and grenades. "Before entering the instance next week, I want to buy some throwable lethal weapons to supplement our damage output."

Lin Jianjun put down his gun, neither opposing nor supporting. He just flipped through some old manuals from the cabinet and spread them on the table. "Long-handled grenades have a large blast radius, but the fuse time is fixed, making it easy to cause friendly fire. Molotov cocktails have a small area, deal continuous damage, and are suitable for dealing with downed or gathered enemies, but they are vulnerable to wind. Flashbangs deal no damage but can interrupt spellcasting, which might be useful against Murloc mages. And this—"

He pointed to a yellowed blueprint. "Directional mine, I used it in an instance when I was young. It explodes directionally after being planted, making it suitable for protecting camps or traps. But it's expensive, and the school doesn't allow students to carry them."

"Which one do you suggest I buy?" Lin Rui asked.

"I don't suggest any." Lin Jianjun shook his head. "You make the trade-off yourself. Remember, throwable weapons are consumables; once you throw them, they're gone. You are a Soldier, not an arms dealer; don't let gadgets do your thinking for you."

Lin Rui was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

The rest time was very short.

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday.

The three members of the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad arrived at school again. But as soon as he stepped into the classroom, Hu Jinsi sensed something was wrong—the air was filled with a repressive silence, like the sultry heat before a storm.

Su Wan went straight to the class monitor and retrieved the supplies she had entrusted to the life-profession students earlier. The monitor handed over a package: six brand-new 6-slot small bags, four bundles of light crossbow arrows (250 per bundle), thirty pieces of roasted boar meat (a life-profession product acknowledged by the Water Blue Star consciousness, which can restore health points after leaving combat), and two sets of rough white-grade leather armor.

"One set of leather armor is the female version for you, and one is the male version for Lin Rui." The monitor said in a low voice. "Also, here's 4000 credit points returned to you as the price difference between the materials and the finished products."

Su Wan took the credit points and should have been happy—this meant the squad's little treasury wouldn't run out this time, even counting weapon repairs and supplementing new weapons, it was more than enough. But she noticed that when the monitor handed over the items, their eyes were unfocused and their lips were pressed tightly together. The surrounding life-profession students all seemed to know something, but no one spoke, their expressions as solemn as if they were attending a funeral.

"What happened?" Su Wan grabbed the monitor's wrist.

The monitor shuddered, pulling their hand back as if scalded, and forced a smile. "No… nothing. Class is about to start, go back to your seat."

Su Wan's heart sank.

She found Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui and whispered her findings. The three went to ask the combat-profession students in the class, but everyone was clueless, knowing only that the atmosphere was wrong today, but no one knew what exactly had happened.

"None of the Knight Squad members are here." Lin Rui suddenly said.

Hu Jinsi looked around the classroom, and sure enough. Zhao Lei's seat was empty, Zhang Qiang's seat was empty, and Li Xue's seat was also empty. Even Liu Betti, who had changed class to Rogue, hadn't appeared.

"Are they still in the instance?" Su Wan asked.

"Impossible." Hu Jinsi shook his head. "The 72-hour limit for the Cold Plains is synchronized with ours; they should have come out yesterday."

The class bell rang.

Teacher Fan walked into the classroom. His footsteps were heavy, making almost no sound when they hit the floor, yet it made people's hearts feel heavy. His gaze swept across the classroom, lingering for a moment on the few empty seats before moving away.

There were over fifty people in the classroom, but today it was terrifyingly quiet. No one was whispering, no one was sneaking snacks, and even the few boys who were usually the most boisterous were sitting upright, as if they had sensed something.

Teacher Fan stood on the podium, silent for a long time.

Until Hu Jinsi suspected that his hearing was malfunctioning.

"Before class," Teacher Fan began, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper grinding wood, "I have an announcement."

He paused, his gaze fixed outside the window, not looking at anyone.

"Zhang Qiang, the Warrior of the Knight Squad, and Li Xue, the Priest, encountered the elite monster 'Bishibosh' in the Cold Plains instance and were killed in action."