40: Chapter 40 The predecessors dug the pit, and the successors stumbled.

Night did not bring peace to the Stony Field; it merely donned a strange, indigo filter.

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the haze, spilling onto the exposed gray-white rocks and reflecting a cold, deathly sheen, as if the entire wasteland had been covered in a thick layer of frost. There were no insect chirps, no sound of wind; even the faint noise of moving air was swallowed by the massive rocks, leaving behind only an oppressive, absolute silence. Occasionally, tiny arcs of electricity jumped between stalagmites, making a soft crackling sound like some creature grinding its teeth in the dark.

The Fallen and Dark Rogue visible during the day turned into shadows in the night. They no longer wandered aimlessly but had learned to lie in wait. You might only glimpse a flash of scarlet behind a rock in the corner of your eye the very instant before being struck by an arrow.

Since they hadn't really explored the Stony Field when they came to this dungeon last week, the group wasn't very familiar with the monster distribution in this area. On the way, Liu Betti explained the difference between the Stony Field and the Cold Plains to the three of them—in truth, the difference was limited; it was just that the Stony Field had two more types of monsters than the Cold Plains. One was the "Moon Clan," which could be understood as goat-men, and the other was the "Foul Crow," similar to a crow.

"The goat-men Charge in groups," Liu Betti said, riding her bicycle, her voice drifting over on the night wind, "in groups of three to five, and they will flank you. The crows aren't much of a threat, but they peck at your eyes, which is annoying."

"Got it," Hu Jinsi pedaled the bike, his boot spikes clicking crisply against the gravel ground, "Goat-men equal Boar PLUS, and crows equal a downgraded version of Quill Rats."

"Can you stop comparing everything to Goldshire?" Su Wan scolded with a laugh from behind him.

The four of them hadn't cleared the Stony Field, nor had they wiped out all the monsters in the Cold Plains, so they chose a campsite on the border between the Cold Plains and the Stony Field for the night. There were a few low, ruined walls here, likely an outpost abandoned before it was swallowed by the World Fragment. Lin Rui used his enchanted entrenching tool to dig a shallow trench inside the broken wall, Hu Jinsi moved a few wind-eroded boulders to Block the gap, and Liu Betti and Su Wan set up a perimeter with ropes and warning bells.

It barely qualified as a shelter that could Block the northwest wind.

"Plan for tomorrow," Lin Rui leaned against the broken wall, pulling his wooden shield from his backpack to inspect it, "First, we find the Underground Cave and clear it as a baseline. If it's on the way, we'll find Rakanishu directly and take care of it while we're at it."

"What if it's not on the way?" Su Wan asked, hugging her lyre and curling up in the corner of the wall.

"Then we'll make it be on the way," Hu Jinsi placed his pure wooden staff across his knees and sharpened the tip with a whetstone, "We'll create an opportunity for a chance encounter."

On the third day, the four of them first found the entrance to the Underground Cave.

Spending the better part of the day, they completely cleared the first and second levels of the cave. With the experience from last week, plus the terrifying suppression of undead creatures by Su Wan's [Requiem Chant] in the narrow terrain, their progress was astonishingly fast. Skeletons and Hungry Dead weathered away in droves within the golden sound waves; even Liu Betti saved her arrows.

They didn't waste the remaining time. After coming out of the cave, the four of them rode along the edge of the Stony Field to scout, and quickly determined the activity range of Rakanishu. They easily cleared out the surrounding Skeleton Archers, Moon Clan, and a few stray groups of Fallen, clearing the obstacles in advance for tomorrow morning's battle.

"The surrounding mobs are mostly gone," Lin Rui stood on a towering rock pillar, observing the distance with binoculars, "Rakanishu is still wandering around between those five pillars, with a small group of blue... Hmm? Blue Fallen?"

"Ten Carvers, one Carver Shaman," Liu Betti squinted, counting with the help of her Rogue visual enhancement, "The blue ones are Carvers, the superior form of the Fallen."

"Superior form just means changing skin color?" Hu Jinsi said with a straight face, "Obviously, changing hair color is the ultimate manifestation of increased combat power. These Carvers have gone down the wrong path! This sickness needs to be treated!"

Su Wan rolled her eyes at Hu Jinsi, not knowing who exactly was the one who needed treatment.

On the fourth morning, the four of them slept in for once.

Because the task for this morning was very simple: just clear out Rakanishu and its minions. Now the battlefield was compressed to the area around the stone pillars near Rakanishu, and the surroundings had been cleared.

Before the battle, the familiar gear-swapping process began.

Lin Rui took off his second-hand heavy armor and round shield, and put on a full set of leather armor. The leather armor was sewn from multiple layers of hardened leather; although its defensive power was not as good as metal, it was lightweight and insulated. The shield was changed to the pure wooden round shield he had specially prepared, made of spliced oak, the surface soaked in wax, without any metal rim. The weapon in his hand was changed to a spear; the shaft was a single piece of hardwood, with only the tip embedded with refined steel, the rest completely non-conductive. On his hands, following Hu Jinsi's suggestion, he wore rubber gloves, thick and insulated.

Liu Betti and Su Wan were ranged classes and didn't need to change gear, just checked their quivers and lyre.

Hu Jinsi squatted on the ground, patiently using a small dagger to scrape the iron plating off the ends of his iron-bound hardwood staff. Metal is a lightning rod in the face of lightning; he dared not take the risk. After scraping it clean, the staff became a pure hardwood staff, tough in texture but completely non-conductive. He also wore rubber gloves and took off the [Licker's Ripping Knuckle Dusters] from his right hand—that thing was lined with metal plates on the inside, and wearing it to fight an electric-type boss was equivalent to wearing a shock bracelet.

"Ready," Hu Jinsi waved the pure wooden staff, a dull whistling sound coming from the air, "The insulated version of the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad is online."

The last tactical communication before the battle.

"According to the knowledge of my class heritage, the differently colored Fallen near Rakanishu are, strictly speaking, an evolved form of the Fallen, the Carvers," Liu Betti drew a simple schematic on the ground, "Higher damage, longer health bars. There is only one Carver Shaman near Rakanishu, and there are ten Carver minions."

"The good news is," Lin Rui added, "except for the shaman, there are absolutely no monsters with ranged capabilities. Our back row is very safe."

"The tactical configuration has been swapped a bit compared to when we dealt with Bishibosh," Hu Jinsi pointed at the ground with the tip of his staff, "This time, Lin Rui will be the main tank to tangle with Rakanishu. I am responsible for protecting Liu Betti and Su Wan, taking out all the Carvers that rush over. After Betti finishes sniping the shaman, turn your firepower to the Carvers to speed up the clearing."

"My health will be replenished mainly by Su Wan," Lin Rui looked at Su Wan, "I will cover the difference by drinking health potions myself."

"Understood," Su Wan nodded, "I will keep a close eye on your health bar."

"I don't need to rush to output in the early stage," Hu Jinsi shouldered the pure wooden staff, "Leave the Carvers to Liu Betti's arrows and me. Once the field is cleared, we will focus fire on Rakanishu together."

After confirming the tactics, the final job was to wait for Lin Rui to dig the pit and set up the cover.

Unlike the time they dealt with Blood Raven, since Rakanishu was a melee fighter and extremely fast, Lin Rui only needed to prepare one sufficiently deep pit—one was enough. As for the cover, he only needed to prepare a larger half-body cover near the pit for the back row to dodge potential self-destructs or death throes.

Lin Rui took out his enchanted entrenching tool, activating [Tactical Fortifications (Simple)]. The soil in the Stony Field was harder than in the Cold Plains, mixed with gravel and rock debris, making digging much more difficult. But with Lin Rui's Soldier physique and the bonus from the enchanted shovel, he still managed to dig a cylindrical pit two meters in diameter and three meters deep within five minutes. He specifically packed the pit walls down, making the surface smooth so that even agile monsters would find it difficult to climb out.

Afterwards, he built a large half-body cover ten meters behind the pit, spliced together from a few broken stone slabs and spare tower shields from his backpack, large enough to accommodate three people crouching.

"Done," Lin Rui plunged the entrenching tool into the ground and patted the dirt off his hands, "Wait for it to enter the net."

The battle began in the indigo morning light.

Lin Rui flashed out from behind the cover, not Charge-ing immediately, but firing a shot into the sky first. The sound of the standard-issue rifle exploded in the silent Stony Field, startling a flock of Foul Crows perched on the rock pillars.

"Gwaa—!"

Rakanishu jerked its head up. That short figure was strikingly conspicuous in the shadows of the five ancient stone pillars—its deep blue skin was like the sky on the eve of a rainstorm, and dazzling arcs of electricity frequently darted beneath its rough cuticle. Compared to its panicked red kin, its muscles were taut like steel wires, and the rusty yet exceptionally sharp scimitar in its hand was carving scorched marks into the wasteland, following its rapid, almost invisible footsteps.

It locked onto Lin Rui.

"Here it comes!" Lin Rui gave a low shout, lowering his center of gravity, bracing the pure wooden shield in front of him, and pointing his long spear diagonally toward the ground.

Rakanishu didn't cast any spells; it just rushed over.

Its speed exceeded everyone's expectations. Its legs stepped out a blur of afterimages on the gravel ground, crossing the thirty-meter distance in less than two seconds, the scimitar carrying a blue-white arc of electricity as it slashed down!

"Clang!!!"

The scimitar struck the wooden shield with a dull, thunderous sound. Lin Rui felt a force transfer through the shield face to his left arm, and his whole body was pushed back half a meter, his boot soles carving two shallow marks into the gravel ground. The good news was that the pure defense didn't generate the sparks mentioned in the intelligence.

[-15]

Lin Rui's left arm was a bit numb; Rakanishu's attack carried some lightning damage, but it was very weak. The wooden shield and rubber gloves insulated most of the current, with only a trace of tingling sensation seeping in—it was noticeable, but not serious.

"So fast!" Lin Rui followed the plan, activating [Tactical Roll]! His body, wrapped in dust, rolled four meters to the side-rear, and during the roll, he smoothly tucked his rifle back into his backpack, gripping the spear with one hand.

Rakanishu followed like a shadow, its movement speed completely matching Lin Rui's rolling displacement, sticking to him almost the moment Lin Rui stood up, the scimitar sweeping horizontally again, bringing up a fan-shaped arc of electricity!

Lin Rui raised his shield to take the hit, while simultaneously stabbing out from under the shield with the spear, attempting to Block the opponent's scimitar. But Rakanishu didn't dodge or evade, instead pressing forward, trying to let the spear tip carve a bloody mark on its own ribs. Lin Rui had no choice but to retract the spear he had stabbed out. Rakanishu pressed its advantage, slashing the scimitar continuously against Lin Rui's wooden shield.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three consecutive slashes, fast enough to form a metal storm. Lin Rui's arm was shaken to the point of numbness, three deep knife marks appeared on the surface of the wooden shield, and the shield surface had some charred marks. His health points were dropping, but Su Wan's [Healing Word] arrived just in time.

"Healing Word!"

A warm golden light enveloped Lin Rui, and his life began to recover. But Rakanishu's offensive didn't stop; it was like a never-stopping killing machine, every swing of the scimitar bringing up dazzling electric light, attempting to suppress Lin Rui firmly in place. Lin Rui maintained a fighting-while-retreating posture, not counterattacking, but focusing on Block.

"The Carver Shaman is behind the stone pillar!" Liu Betti's voice came from the north side, her Soul-Sucking Short Bow fully drawn, "My line of sight is blocked, I need to move!"

"I've got it!" Hu Jinsi's voice sounded from the flank.

Two Carvers had broken away from the cluster around Rakanishu, waving short blades and rushing toward Liu Betti and Su Wan. Their speed was much faster than ordinary Fallen, their deep blue skin covered with bulging blood vessels, their eyes blood-red.

Hu Jinsi didn't immediately meet them, but waited for them to enter the optimal distance, fifteen meters. He took a deep breath, sinking his Qi into his dantian, and the True Qi in his leg meridians instantly boiled.

[Chi Torpedo] activated!

His figure turned into a gray shadow speeding close to the ground, tearing through the ten-meter distance in less than a second. The two Carvers only felt a blur before their eyes, and Hu Jinsi had already appeared at their side, the pure wooden staff sweeping out horizontally!

"Bang!"

The first Carver was struck in the face, dark red blood splashing. Hu Jinsi didn't pause; the moment the staff was retracted, his right fist had already blasted out, [Flurry of Blows] activated!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three consecutive strikes landed like a rainstorm on the Carver's chest and throat. The first strike of the pure wooden staff had already broken its defense, and the subsequent punches directly blasted it flying backward, turning it into a corpse that fell to the ground.

The other Carver slashed from the side, Hu Jinsi dodged to the side, and the pure wooden staff struck its wrist from bottom to top, sending the short blade flying. Immediately after, Hu Jinsi's [Combat Reflexes] were triggered, lowering his body to lunge, left knee hitting the abdomen, right elbow smashing the face.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three Carvers flanked from the other side, attempting to sandwich Hu Jinsi. But Hu Jinsi's figure blurred again, [Chi Torpedo] second-layer Charge activated! He lunged fifteen meters toward Liu Betti's direction, his movement speed increasing by 30% the moment he landed, his whole person like a gray lightning bolt flying close to the ground, circling to the flank of the three Carvers.

"Spinning Crane Kick!"

He stood on one leg, his left leg like a crane extending its neck, spinning violently with the supporting foot as the axis! The pure wooden staff was planted on the ground as a fulcrum, his legs turned into two death whirlwinds, sweeping crazily within a two-meter range.

The first circle, the boot spikes slashed across a Carver's throat, sparks flashing. [-12]

The second circle, another Carver attempted to Block with its blade, but was kicked in the wrist, the blade flying and the person falling. [-10]

The third circle, the third Carver snuck an attack from behind, Hu Jinsi noticed while spinning, kicked backward with his right leg, hitting its face squarely. [-11]

The three-second rotation ended, all three Carvers collapsed to the ground, turning into three corpses. Hu Jinsi pulled out the staff, supporting himself with one hand to catch his breath, alleviating some of the dizziness caused by the sudden stop.

Liu Betti didn't waste the time Hu Jinsi had bought.

She stood behind a protruding rock pillar on the north side, her Soul-Sucking Short Bow fully drawn; what condensed on the bowstring was not a fire arrow, but an [Ice Arrow]. Pale blue frost flowers spread along the arrow shaft, and the temperature in the air dropped suddenly. Her target was not those scurrying Carvers, but that deep blue figure hiding in the depths of the five stone pillars, holding a wooden staff and preparing a resurrection spell—the Carver Shaman.

"Whoosh!"

The first Ice Arrow broke through the air, passing through the gap between two Carvers, and precisely nailed into the Carver Shaman's shoulder. Ice crystals spread instantly, the Carver Shaman's casting motion froze in mid-air, and the dark red light at the tip of the wooden staff extinguished like a snuffed candle flame.

"Gwaa—!" The Carver Shaman let out a sharp scream, attempting to hide behind the stone pillar.

But Liu Betti had already calculated the angle.

She crouched and flashed out from the left side of the rock pillar, a second Ice Arrow following closely behind, this time aiming for the throat.

The wizard had just poked half its head out when the Ice Arrow pierced its trachea; the dark red blood didn't even have a chance to spray out before it was frozen into red ice shards by the sub-zero temperatures.

The Fallen Wizard fell to the ground, dissolving into black smoke.

"Fallen Wizard cleared!" Liu Betti shouted, immediately switching targets. Her Ice Arrow aimed at the two Fallen that were besieging Hu Jinsi.

At this moment, Lin Rui had already retreated to a spot not far from the trap.

Rakanishu's attack frequency exceeded everyone's expectations.

Its scimitar carried blue-white electric arcs, and every strike was so fast it only left afterimages. Lin Rui's spear had been severed, and the surface of his pure wooden shield had been slashed with seven or eight deep gouges, sending wood chips flying.

Even more troublesome, it suddenly stopped the melee—no, the rusty scimitar in its hand pointed at Lin Rui from across the air, and a blinding electric arc condensed at the tip of the blade!

"Lightning Bolt!" Lin Rui's expression immediately tensed.

This completely contradicted the pre-battle intelligence!

The information Liu Betti had received from other squads clearly stated that Rakanishu had no active lightning-type skills, only passive reflection!

But there was no time to think.

That Lightning Bolt, like a twisting silver snake, shot out from the tip of the blade and struck straight at Lin Rui's chest!

Lin Rui used [Charge] to forcibly twist his body, dodging the blow.

The force of [Charge] caused Lin Rui to lose his balance for a moment, and he had to stumble a few steps before regaining his defensive stance.

However, his left arm had been grazed by the edge of the Lightning Bolt and was beginning to go numb, the inner layer of his rubber gloves soaked with cold sweat.

Thanks to his full set of insulated gear, the lightning effect couldn't spread; although the muscles in his left arm were numb and aching, his joints could still move, and he didn't fall into that desperate state of paralysis.

"It has a ranged magic skill." Lin Rui shouted through gritted teeth, his voice filled with a hint of irritation. "Do not expose yourselves to its line of sight."

"Copy that! Hang on!" Hu Jinsi punched down the last Fallen, activated [Chi Torpedo], and dashed towards Lin Rui's direction.

But Rakanishu did not give Lin Rui a chance to breathe.

Its figure turned into a bolt of deep blue lightning again, and the scimitar, crackling with electric arcs, slashed horizontally, its speed so fast it almost broke the limits of visual tracking!

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Four consecutive slashes, each one striking the exact same spot on the wooden shield.

The pure wooden round shield finally couldn't take it anymore, emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound as a fissure split it down the middle, revealing the layered wood grain inside.

Lin Rui's HP slid down with each slash.

Su Wan's Healing Word landed on him just in time, and with one arm now free, Lin Rui also took the time to drink a health potion.

"Area cleared!" Liu Betti's voice came over the communication channel, carrying a hint of relief. "All Fallen and Fallen Wizards have been dealt with!"

"Signal received!" Lin Rui took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly changing.

He began to retreat while fighting more aggressively.

He took out the "Demon Happy Water" from his belt and smashed it on the path Rakanishu was forced to take.

Once, twice, three times—Rakanishu was clearly wary of this liquid and didn't want to step directly on it, which in turn bought Lin Rui time to create more space.

Rakanishu was enraged by this rogue fighting style.

It let out a high-frequency screech, the electric arcs on its scimitar surged, and it shot toward Lin Rui like a deep blue meteor in a frenzied Charge!

"Come on then!" Lin Rui turned and ran, activating [Tactical Roll]!

His body rolled four meters to the side and back, kicking up dust.

During the roll, he smoothly stowed the broken wooden shield back into his backpack and pulled out a police riot shield.

The moment he rose, he didn't hesitate and immediately sprinted toward the pit.

Rakanishu followed closely behind, its speed so fast that it left a trail of blue electric arcs in its wake.

Its scimitar constantly unleashed Lightning Bolts, and the silver-snake-like electric flashes exploded right at Lin Rui's heels, scorching charred trenches into the ground.

"Lin Rui! To your left!" Hu Jinsi shouted from afar.

Lin Rui abruptly changed direction, using [Charge] to lunge forward to the left!

His body shot out eight meters like a cannonball, and he rolled the instant he landed.

Rakanishu, however, was moving too fast to change direction and charged straight into the spot where Lin Rui had just been.

That was exactly the location of the cylindrical trap, two meters in diameter and three meters deep!

Rakanishu's deep blue figure traced an arc in mid-air, and then, "Bang!"

It fell in.

The three-meter-deep pit had walls that Lin Rui had packed until they were as smooth as a mirror.

Rakanishu let out an angry roar from the bottom of the pit and attempted to jump up.

Its jumping ability was indeed astonishing; its deep blue figure shot upward, and its hands almost gripped the edge of the pit—

"Get down!"

Hu Jinsi dashed over from five meters away, activated [Parkour], and leaped into the air.

He smashed his pure wooden staff downward with force, the tip hitting Rakanishu squarely on the forehead, poking its leaping body back down to the bottom of the pit!

"Bang!"

Rakanishu crashed back to the bottom of the pit with a dull thud.

A few electric sparks flew from the point of impact, but unfortunately, they were absorbed by the soil of the pit.

It tried to climb again, but the pit walls were too smooth; its claws slipped as soon as it tried to dig in.

The deep blue electric arcs jumped wildly against the pit walls, sizzling against the soil, but it couldn't find any purchase.

"Focus fire with ranged attacks!" Lin Rui scrambled up from the ground, raised his standard-issue rifle, knelt on one knee, and aimed.

Liu Betti stood on the northern high slope, pulling her Soul-Sucking Short Bow to full draw, activating [Fire Arrow].

Several arrows shining with firelight traced arcs as they fell to the bottom of the pit, each one hitting its mark.

Su Wan stood behind cover and began chanting Thunderwave; the impact point for the Thunderwave was right at the pit entrance, further preventing Rakanishu from having any chance to jump out.

At this moment, electric sparks were flying inside the pit, the brilliant light almost obscuring Rakanishu's figure, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of ozone.

Hu Jinsi didn't even bother aiming; he just threw several throwing knives toward the pit at once.

Since they were only worth 1 credit each, he might as well give them all to Rakanishu—even 1 point of damage wasn't a loss.

Rakanishu struggled frantically at the bottom of the pit.

Its scimitar unleashed Lightning Bolts, but the narrow space of the pit limited its line of sight, and the electric flashes could only hit the pit walls, scorching the soil black.

The pungent smell of ozone and burnt earth grew stronger.

Electric arcs continued to splash outward from its body, but the pit walls were dry soil with high insulation, so the arcs could only crackle futilely in the air.

The battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.

Rakanishu's health bar dropped rapidly under the continuous baptism of arrows, bullets, magic, and throwing knives.

Its electric arcs grew weaker and weaker, its deep blue skin soaked with blood, as it let out cries of unwillingness.

Finally, Liu Betti's arrow streaked across the sky and pierced its throat from above.

Rakanishu's body stiffened, the scimitar slipped from its hand, and the electric arcs on the blade extinguished completely.

Its deep blue body slowly collapsed, curling into a ball at the bottom of the pit, and then, as time passed, it dissolved into black smoke.

"No self-destruct!" Su Wan shouted happily. "It didn't have a self-destruct skill upon death!"

"That definitely deserves a good review!" Hu Jinsi gave a thumbs up. "Finally, we met one that died cleanly!"

At the bottom of the pit lay a necklace, resting quietly.

[Berserker's Charging Amulet]

[Type: Necklace / Wonder Item]

[Effect 1: Bullying the Weak. When you attack an enemy with HP below half of their maximum, your damage +1.]

[Effect 2: Overload Counter. When you take melee damage, the attacker takes 1 point of lightning damage.]

[Item Description: A necklace strung together with Fallen teeth and damaged capacitors; touching it gives a slight numbing sensation.]

The four of them squatted by the edge of the pit, passing the necklace around.

"A decent piece of loot," Lin Rui rubbed his chin, "but not amazing."

"Bullying the Weak," Hu Jinsi curled his lip. "An enemy that's already been beaten to half health won't really care about this extra damage. Plus, our squad rarely plays defensive counter-attacks; the 1 point of lightning damage from Overload Counter is... mosquito legs."

"Sell it after we leave the dungeon," Liu Betti handed the necklace back to Lin Rui. "There were quite a few heavy-armor professionals outside the dungeon last week; they should like this. After all, damage reflection upon being hit is suitable for those professions with enough damage-reduction skills."

Lin Rui nodded and put the necklace into his backpack.

However, before the four of them could even breathe a sigh of relief, that teeth-grinding, cold dungeon announcement sound rang in their ears once again.

[System Prompt]

"Congratulations to Lin Rui, Su Wan, Hu Jinsi, and Liu Betti for relying on your own excellent combat proficiency in the Cold Plains to successively quell the thunder symbolizing fury, the flames symbolizing scorched earth, and the undead symbolizing a sorrowful song."

"These three decisive victories mark that the new force has passed its initial tempering."

"Hereby granting the achievement—[Proof of a Rookie]."

"Public announcement hereby made!"

The expressions on the four's faces instantly froze.

Hu Jinsi looked up at the sky, even though there was only that eternally lingering yellow-green haze above.

He took a deep breath and said in a tone bordering on tragic indignation: "I feel like this isn't an announcement, but a death warrant for us."

"I think so too," Su Wan hugged her lyre, her face pale. "The wording of this announcement feels a bit like it's chasing us away. Why is it broadcasting again?"

Lin Rui frowned, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the broken wooden shield. "Could it be that we used too many traps and were targeted by a fragment of this world's consciousness? I feel like every sentence in this announcement is pointing at us. 'Excellent combat proficiency'... 'New force has passed its initial tempering'... Why does it sound to me like the world's consciousness is telling us: Don't come here next week, if you come again, I won't care about you?"

Liu Betti did not join in the trio's complaints.

She stood quietly to the side, her gaze fixed on the panel deep in her consciousness, checking the rewards for [Proof of a Rookie].

A moment later, she looked up, her expression somewhat surprised. "The reward is a random class skill or passive, plus... 10,000 class experience points. First time triggering this achievement reward."

"Ten thousand!" Hu Jinsi nearly jumped off the ground. "The same as last week!"

"It's a pity it's not self-selected," Su Wan sighed. "If it's random, what if it gives something useless..."

"Better than nothing," Lin Rui said in a deep voice. "A cheap skill costs several thousand credits."

Su Wan looked toward Liu Betti and suddenly asked: "So, does this mean we aren't coming here next week? Then, Betti, what are your plans?"

Liu Betti smiled, slung her Soul-Sucking Short Bow behind her back, and said in a relaxed tone: "Don't worry about me. For a freelancer like me, it's easy to find a team. Besides, I don't have any more quests in the Cold Plains. I was originally planning to head to the Goldshire dungeon at the end of this month to get the [Goldshire Protector] achievement. That achievement rewards a Skill Reroll Ticket; combined with the random skill reward from this [Proof of a Rookie], I'll have two chances to get something good."

Lin Rui extended his hand toward Liu Betti, palm up, his tone steady. "Next time, there will be a chance."

Hu Jinsi and Su Wan also stacked their hands on top.

Liu Betti placed her hand on top and gave a gentle squeeze, a sincere smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. "There will definitely be a chance next time. For the dungeons in the second semester of sophomore year, four-to-five-person dungeons are the norm; by then, a fixed squad of three like yours will actually be the minority."

The remaining time was not wasted; the four of them seized the time to clear out the remaining monsters at the junction of the Stony Field and the Cold Plains.

But with Rakanishu's death, the monster density in this area seemed to drop significantly, as if it had lost some kind of core support.

When the time was up, the four of them were teleported out of the dungeon.

What they didn't know was that the students entering this dungeon next week would face ground that was three times harder.

Apparently, the fragment of the world's consciousness in the Cold Plains was a bit petty, and the world's consciousness of Water Blue Star had provided a timely warning.

The predecessor digs a pit, the successor falls in—this could also be considered a kind of alternative legacy.

After leaving the dungeon, the four of them once again encountered a warm reception from Liu Betti's friends.

Since they didn't plan on entering the Cold Plains next week anyway, there was nothing that couldn't be shared regarding strategies, information, and tactics.

Of course, the first priority was clearing their inventory.

The [Berserker's Charging Amulet] was listed for sale right at the dungeon entrance and was quickly bought by a heavy-armor warrior from another school for 5,000 credits.

As for the [Unwilling Belt], Su Wan contacted Sun Yao the moment she exited the dungeon.

The little rich girl Sun Yao didn't even haggle, taking it directly for 8,500 credits.

Although the belt looked ugly and was greasy and sticky, the young Miss Sun could spend money to makeover the equipment, and for this kind of life-saving gear—it was worth it.

The remaining white-tier equipment and miscellaneous materials were sold at a stall at the dungeon entrance, with all items selling for a total of 15,000 credits.

The four split it equally, with each person getting less than 4,000—not much of a harvest, which was one of the considerations for the four deciding to change dungeons.

As for the experience and tactics, the four of them held nothing back.

Hu Jinsi even proactively promoted the [blood-cleansing bottle]—what he called "Demon Happy Water."

"Ten credits a bottle, big quantity and filling," he stood by the stele at the dungeon exit, gesturing to the students from other schools who had gathered around. "To deal with a Fallen leader like Bishibosh who can resurrect minions, one bottle down, and the corpses cannot be resurrected for ten minutes. Two bottles extend it to fifteen minutes. It's thirty times cheaper than holy water, safer than strong acid, and saves more energy than digging pits..."

"Are you doing product placement?" Su Wan muttered from the side, covering her face.

"I am benefiting society," Hu Jinsi said with a straight face. "And by the way, advertising for the blood-cleansing bottle from Moonlit Demon Castle. If we ever go there, we can sell it well and make some friends."

Lin Rui and Liu Betti stood to the side, watching Hu Jinsi get more and more enthusiastic, and the corners of their mouths twitched in unison.