46: Chapter 46 is a new dungeon, but it features familiar old friends.

It wasn't until the restaurant closed that the group finally emerged. It was a late November afternoon, and it was no longer warm outside—though, of course, for everyone present with a Constitution of at least 15, it didn't really matter. The six of them said their goodbyes at the restaurant entrance. The three members of the Gunpowder Squad headed toward the subway station, with Chen Yu and Zhou Hao still arguing endlessly about the new upgrade path for their firearms, while Li Hao, stuck in the middle, helplessly pushed them forward.

"See you tomorrow." Chen Yu turned back and waved.

"See you at school tomorrow." Hu Jinsi replied.

Lin Rui and Su Wan turned toward the shopping mall. Su Wan had promised to buy gifts for Su Qing and Su Yu the last time she exited an instance, and the matter had been dragging on, so today was the perfect time to make up for it. As she walked, she counted on her fingers: "Su Qing has recently become obsessed with puzzles, and Su Yu wants a set of watercolor pens... I also have to buy something they can both play with, otherwise they'll start fighting again."

"What about that two-player strategy board game we bought last time?" Lin Rui asked.

"They played with it for three days, and half the pieces are already lost." Su Wan sighed. "I finally understand why my mom always says raising kids is more tiring than clearing instances."

The two turned into the toy section on the third floor of the mall. The lights were bright, and the colorful packaging on the shelves was dazzling. Su Wan squatted in front of the puzzle shelf, her fingers sliding across a row of boxes. She sifted through everything from 500-piece landscape pictures to 100-piece cartoon animals, finally picking up a double-sided box—the front was a starry sky, and the back was the ocean. The difficulty was moderate, enough to keep seven-year-olds engaged without causing a breakdown.

"This one is for Su Qing." She held the box up to show Lin Rui.

Lin Rui nodded, his gaze falling on the shelf next to them. There sat a set of wooden track blocks that could be assembled into a roller coaster model for a toy train. He crouched down to read the instructions; it was suitable for six to eight-year-olds, with few parts but an intricate structure.

"Su Yu's watercolor pens are too generic." He picked up the box of track blocks. "How about this? The two of them can build it together, and they can run the toy train after they finish."

Su Wan's eyes lit up. She placed the puzzle and the track blocks side by side, imagining the two little ones lying on the living room floor, one responsible for assembling the tracks and the other for building the supports. Although they would likely end up fighting over it eventually, at least... it was better than fighting over other things.

"Let's buy some snacks too." Su Wan hugged the two items and walked toward the food section. She picked up a bag of strawberry-flavored gummy candies and two boxes of chocolate sticks. After thinking for a moment, she grabbed a pack of savory seaweed crisps for herself.

When it came time to pay, Lin Rui rushed to swipe his credits. Su Wan glanced at him, her lips moving, but in the end, she didn't say anything, just shifted the shopping bag onto her shoulder.

"Is it heavy?" Lin Rui asked.

"Not heavy." Su Wan shook her head, paused, and then her voice lowered slightly, "...Thank you."

Lin Rui hummed in acknowledgement, and the two walked side by side toward the mall exit. The wind was a bit strong on this winter night. Su Wan tucked her chin into her collar, and Lin Rui moved a step closer to her side without a word, blocking most of the cold wind. The distance was a bit close, close enough for Su Wan to smell the faint scent of soap on his school uniform—the kind of clean smell that only comes after many washes.

"Don't rush to pay next time." Su Wan said suddenly.

"Oh." Lin Rui replied, but his tone indicated he had no intention of changing his ways.

The two parted ways at the entrance of the residential complex. Su Wan carried the shopping bag home. She looked down at the box of track blocks in the bag, and the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.

Hu Jinsi, however, didn't go shopping. He let Su Wan greet Mother Su first, then went straight back to the complex and knocked on Su Wan's door.

Mother Su still had a hair clip in her hair. She let Hu Jinsi in, her gaze falling on the Licker's Leg Bind he was holding, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"Is this the one?" She took the leg bind, her fingers brushing over the dark gray, scaly-textured surface. "...It's indeed not very suitable to wear directly."

"They said it was made from the skin of a Licker." Hu Jinsi scratched his head. "It's not that I'm afraid of it being gross, it's just that it feels weird to wear."

"I understand." Mother Su nodded and turned to rummage through her sewing basket, pulling out a roll of dark blue elastic fabric. "I'll sew an inner lining for you, wrapping that material completely inside so it won't be visible from the outside."

She sat in front of the sewing machine, expertly placing the leg bind over a mold, and began to cut the fabric. The sewing machine emitted a rhythmic clacking sound. Hu Jinsi sat on a small stool nearby, counting the stitches in boredom.

"How are the instances going lately?" Mother Su asked without looking up.

"They're okay, just a bit tiring." Hu Jinsi said.

"I heard from Su Wan that the things you fought last week were very dangerous." Mother Su's tone was flat, as if she were talking about the weather. "Her throat was hoarse for several days; I had to boil pear soup for her before she recovered."

Hu Jinsi fell silent for a moment: "...We'll be careful in the future."

Mother Su didn't say anything more. She just finished the last seam, cut the thread with scissors, and handed the processed leg bind to him.

"Try it." She said.

Hu Jinsi took it and pulled it onto his lower leg. The dark blue elastic fabric completely covered the original scaly texture. It felt like standard sports protective gear, and it was completely invisible when worn inside his pants.

"Perfect." He flexed his ankle. "Thank you, Mother Su."

"Don't mention it." Mother Su put away the sewing machine. "Staying for dinner?"

"No, I have things to do back home." Hu Jinsi put the leg bind into his backpack and stood up to say goodbye.

The next day was Friday, the day to return to school for classes.

Hu Jinsi walked into the classroom just as the bell rang, his head still feeling dizzy from meditating too long last night; he had almost overslept. He had just stuffed his backpack into the drawer when the front door was pushed open. Teacher Fan walked in first, holding a stack of documents, his expression more serious than usual. Behind him followed two people from the Academic Affairs Office, carrying a portable projection device.

"Students, please put down what you are holding." Teacher Fan placed the documents on the podium. "There are two things to announce today."

The classroom quieted down.

"The first matter concerns the latest regulations for the Raccoon City instance." Teacher Fan's gaze swept across the classroom. "In view of the fact that some students encountered unexpectedly dangerous enemies in the Raccoon City instance last week—specifically the so-called 'Tyrant'-type zombies—the school, after a comprehensive assessment, has decided not to prohibit entry into this instance; it will remain open as usual."

A murmur of whispers broke out in the classroom. Some people breathed a sigh of relief, while others looked blank, obviously having not yet encountered a Tyrant.

"However," Teacher Fan's tone deepened. "For safety reasons, the school does not recommend that strong squads continue to farm monsters in the Raccoon City instance. You can probably guess the reason: the higher the kill count, the more dangerous the triggered Tyrants become. Students without a Forced Teleportation Talisman are advised not to take risks. As for squads like yours that have already killed over ten thousand and triggered a Tyrant, the school is more worried that you won't be able to control the scale of your clearing, which will in turn cause more powerful Tyrants to appear. If you have a Forced Teleportation Talisman on you, it's fine, but if not, then you are truly risking your lives."

He paused, his gaze landing precisely on the area where the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad and the Gunpowder Squad were sitting: "As for the squads that killed over ten thousand and triggered a Tyrant last week—Hu Jinsi, Lin Rui, Su Wan, Chen Yu, Zhou Hao, Li Hao—you few, come to my office after class."

Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui exchanged a look. Sure enough, it was coming.

The first class was Teacher Fan's general knowledge class. He turned on the projection device and brought up a map of Raccoon City. This was the school's internal intelligence summary map, marking areas where Tyrants might appear, recommended response tactics, and retreat routes.

"Alright, the second matter." Teacher Fan flipped the projection to the next page, which showed several photos of a Tyrant, likely video records brought out of the instance by other squads. "To give the whole class an intuitive understanding of the Tyrant, we have invited the students who actually encountered a Tyrant last week to come up and share their experience. Hu Jinsi, Lin Rui, Su Wan, you three come up."

They had been press-ganged.

Hu Jinsi sighed in his heart and walked up to the podium with Lin Rui and Su Wan. The three of them stood in a tacit formation: Lin Rui in the middle, Hu Jinsi on the left, and Su Wan on the right. The gazes from below shot over in unison—some curious, some gloating, and a few students had already taken out notebooks to prepare for notes.

"Who wants to go first?" Teacher Fan handed the microphone to Lin Rui.

"I'll go first." Lin Rui took the microphone, his voice steady. "The Tyrant is a humanoid enemy over 2.4 meters tall, wearing a dark brown bulletproof trench coat, with a bullet-shaped head and no facial features. The standard version of the Tyrant relies mainly on melee attacks, and its double fists have immense power, capable of crushing concrete directly. We killed two last week. The core tactic is to use the terrain to limit its movement, and then have ranged classes maintain non-physical damage. Ranged output from firearms has limited effect on it."

He paused and added: "The Tyrant's biggest weakness is that it turns slowly. Its massive size makes its mobility in narrow spaces extremely poor. Using obstacles like bookshelves, pillars, and counters to repeatedly circle behind it can effectively buy time."

Hu Jinsi took the microphone: "Adding one point. The third Tyrant we encountered last week carried a heavy rocket launcher—yes, that kind of weapon that can one-shot everyone with a single blast. Anything under 300 HP is killed instantly upon a direct hit. If it weren't for the fact that we were in the police station at the time and there was a sturdy front desk blocking the first shot, we would likely be recuperating in the hospital right now."

There was a burst of laughter in the classroom.

"So," Hu Jinsi's expression was rarely serious. "If you see your kill count approaching 15,000 while farming monsters in Raccoon City, stop pulling monsters immediately, hold your position, and wait for the instance time to end before exiting. Don't be greedy."

Su Wan added at the end: "If you have special skills targeting the undead, they are also effective against the Tyrant."

After the three finished speaking, Teacher Fan took back the microphone, added some precautions summarized by the school, and then announced the end of class.

After class, the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad and the Gunpowder Squad went to Teacher Fan's office together. Besides them, there were representatives from several other squads in the class—a total of about a dozen students, all of whom were among the top-ranked in their respective classes.

Teacher Fan closed the door, his expression changing from the seriousness in class to a private gravity.

"I won't say these things publicly in class, but you must know them." He lowered his voice. "The school does not prohibit anyone from entering Raccoon City; this is a decision from above, and we cannot change it. But privately, I suggest that you, especially those squads whose kill counts have already exceeded 15,000, do not enter again."

He paused: "The reason is simple. Next time you trigger a Tyrant, you might not have the ability to dodge the surprise attack. If you don't have a Forced Teleportation Talisman on you, you are risking your lives."

"Then can't we go farm other instances?" Zhou Hao asked.

"This is the reason I called you here." Teacher Fan took several documents out of the drawer and placed them on the table. "The school has opened several new instances specifically for squads with your level of strength. I originally intended to recommend them when you reached Level 10, but you are already Level 9, so the difference is not significant—there is only a specialization difference between Level 10 and Level 9, not a qualitative change yet."

Hu Jinsi reached out, picked up the documents, and flipped through them.

"The information on these instances has not been shared with other students yet," Teacher Fan added. "It might be next month or next semester before it is announced after more students reach the threshold. You are being specially approved for entry now."

Teacher Fan looked at the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad and the Gunpowder Squad, his eyes filled with a trace of apology. "These instances might be a bit further away than the ones you are currently going to; you should consider this yourselves."

He stood up: "Read the materials here, and you can leave directly after reading. Don't talk about it after you go out, and give me an answer by tomorrow. Alright."

Hu Jinsi, Lin Rui, and Su Wan found an unoccupied desk and spread the three documents on it.

The first one:

[Instance: Goblin Forest]

[Access Level: 9-16]

[Recommended Number of People: 1-4]

The picture in the document showed no sun; only a few beams of pale light shone through the gaps in the thick canopy onto the damp ground and moss, making it look cold rather than warm. In the lower-left corner of the picture were several small green creatures holding wooden clubs or stones, baring their teeth, their eyes glowing red, peeking around. Some were throwing stones, others were hitting wooden barrels. In the lower-right corner was a black feline creature half a person tall, crouching on a rotten tree trunk, with a strange purple halo on the tip of its tail. In the center of the picture was a brown Tauren significantly larger than the Goblins, holding a huge bone hammer, standing on a dilapidated stone bridge, looking powerful and sturdy.

Boss Monster Introduction: A white Goblin that can summon lightning, a fast-moving cat demon leader with potent poison, and a Minotaur that holds a giant axe and can charge.

"This introduction is too simple." Hu Jinsi frowned and slapped the document on the table. "What does 'a white Goblin that can summon lightning' mean? Is this white Goblin a melee fighter or a mage? How does it summon lightning? Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, or Lightning Strike? Or does it summon Ball Lightning? There has to be some explanation, right?"

Teacher Fan glanced at him and replied, "Don't ask me; I don't know either. As a teacher, this is all the information I have. I'll only know the more detailed rules once you've entered the dungeon and reported back to me. Instead of complaining to me, you'd be better off preparing more and analyzing the relevant information yourself."

"……Fine." Hu Jinsi deflated.

"Oh, right," Teacher Fan said, as if suddenly remembering something. "I forgot to tell you. Starting with these dungeons, the dungeon time is no longer a mandatory 72 hours. As long as you clear all the marked boss monsters in the dungeon, you can leave at any time. Because these dungeons were originally prepared for students at level 10 and above, who have already passed the novice period, they aren't required to stay for 72 hours. Although you are a special case and received early access qualifications, you must still follow the new rules."

Seeing that complaining was useless, Hu Jinsi could only continue reading.

The second one: [Dungeon: Ragefire Chasm] [Entry Level: 8-18] [Recommended Party Size: 1-5 people]

The image in the file had no sky, only a low, oppressive volcanic rock cave ceiling. The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur. The ground was not soil, but cracked, scorching rock and slowly flowing magma rivers, bathing the entire cave in a dark red glow. The light came from the faint glimmer of lava seeping through cracks in the ground, hitting the damp rock walls and steam, making it feel stifling and suffocating.

In the bottom-left corner of the image were several hunched, grey-skinned troglodytes. Holding crude pickaxes or wooden clubs, they were baring their teeth and peering around a small magma pool. Some were trying to throw scorching stones into the distance, while others were banging on a broken wooden barrel, making an irritating noise.

In the bottom-right corner of the image was a half-human-sized lava worm. It was curled up on a rock at the edge of the magma, its body displaying a hardened lava texture of alternating dark red and black. The tip of its tail glowed with an eerie orange-red halo due to the high temperature, and it was spitting scorching breath into the air, ready to burrow back into the ground at any moment.

In the center of the image was an Orc Warlock, noticeably larger than the surrounding Orcs. He was draped in dusty black robes, holding a staff burning with fel flames, and stood on a dilapidated lava rock bridge. Beneath his feet was churning magma, and faint fel runes could be seen behind him, making him appear evil and powerful.

Boss Monster Introduction: An Orc spellcaster hiding deep in the cave summoning fire elementals, a giant lava worm that burrows through magma and spits flames, and a twisted Orc Berserker wielding a giant axe who goes on wild charges.

The third one: [Dungeon: Burning Village] [Entry Level: 8-16] [Recommended Party Size: 1-3 people]

The image in the file showed a tragic sunset and thick clouds blackened by the flames of war, squeezing the sky into a deathly leaden gray. The ground was cracked and parched, with broken weapons and rusted armor scattered across the exposed yellow earth, appearing desolate and grim.

In the bottom-left corner of the image was a burly elite Soldier. He wore a menacing horned helmet and held a short sword, one foot planted on a wooden barrel, snarling and roaring at the outside of the frame; he was clearly the first tough opponent on the path into the village.

In the bottom-right corner of the image was an elite swordsman. His armor was heavier than that of a regular swordsman, and the greatsword in his hand dragged on the ground. His eyes glowed red through the slits of his visor as he guarded the ruins of a burning house, as if waiting for a challenger.

In the center of the image was a burly Royal Guard, cloaked in a tattered red cape, holding a heavy tower shield and a halberd. He stood before the ruins of the collapsed city gate like a moving wall, appearing impenetrable.

Boss Monster Introduction: A Royal Guard guarding the pass, and two powerful enemies supporting him from the side who add variables to the battle: a Shadow Wizard hiding behind a stone pillar chanting necromantic spells, and a Berserker Warlord wielding a giant hammer, currently smashing frantically against the final barrier.

Lin Rui placed the three files side by side, his gaze falling on the "Recommended Party Size" column. He noticed that previously, the dungeons were labeled with "Max Entry Limit," but now it had changed to "Recommended Party Size."

"Teacher Fan," he asked, looking up. "Does this 'Recommended Party Size' mean the same thing as the previous 'Max Entry Limit'? Or has it changed?"

Teacher Fan, who was sitting in his seat, turned around and explained, "It's good that you noticed. 'Recommended Party Size' means that within the recommended range, the dungeon's difficulty will not change at all. However, once you exceed the recommended party size, the added difficulty increases significantly. The first additional person increases the dungeon difficulty by 50%, the second additional person adds another 100%, and so on. Adding a third person means an additional 150% on top of the 50% and 100%."

He paused. "Of course, while the difficulty increases, for most classes, the rewards will not increase as a result. In short, this flexible entry number gives fixed-size squads more flexibility in their choices. Of course, after you clear it once, you can also voluntarily request to increase the difficulty."

"People can voluntarily request to increase the difficulty?" Hu Jinsi asked. "Is there anyone who actually does thankless tasks like that?"

Teacher Fan glared at Hu Jinsi and said, "The increase in difficulty isn't just about increased attack, defense, and HP; it's even possible for new monsters to appear, or for the monsters themselves to carry more powerful equipment into battle. Those people are gambling on the chance that those powerful pieces of equipment will drop. As a member of Water Blue Star, I would encourage you to increase the intensity, as that would consume the dungeon's energy faster. But as your teacher, I do not encourage you to increase the intensity. You are still students; there is no need to take additional risks. Just follow the standard procedures."

"Understood." Lin Rui nodded and put the files away.

--- Leaving the teacher, Hu Jinsi wanted to pull the Gunpowder Squad to analyze the pros and cons of the new dungeons, but Chen Yu waved him off. "Did you forget? We plan to go to the Cold Plains this week to grind for the [Proof of a Rookie] achievement. We aren't going to the new dungeons this week; we'll choose after we get the news from you guys next week."

Hu Jinsi froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly and slapped his own forehead. Of course, this idea was one they had proposed themselves at the dinner table. They had been so animated when talking about it then, and now it had become a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

"Fine, fine, see you later." He laughed and scolded them as he shooed the three of them away.

Hu Jinsi, Lin Rui, and Su Wan found a corner by the window and sat down to start their team discussion.

Actually, when seeing the first and second dungeons, Hu Jinsi already knew their origins; the characteristics were just too obvious. The dark, damp forest of the Goblin Forest, the green little dwarves holding wooden clubs, the electrified cat demons, and the Tauren with bone hammers—wasn't that just that pay-to-win game where you open cans? Ragefire Chasm didn't even change its name; Orcs, giant insects, troglodytes—it was all authentic.

The third dungeon, Burning Village... Hu Jinsi was a bit unsure. That combination of a medieval-style village, horned-helmet Soldiers, Royal Guards, Shadow Wizards, and Berserker Warlords—there were too many memories that fit these characteristics, and Hu Jinsi could list ten possible options. In short, he wasn't sure. Of course, it was also possible that this world fragment was one Hu Jinsi didn't recognize.

He didn't voice these speculations. Because no one knew what changes would occur after it became a dungeon, it was better not to say anything. If there really were problems, he could just adapt and improvise when the time came.

"Speak up, everyone share your thoughts." Lin Rui opened the floor. "Although Raccoon City doesn't completely block us from entering, it is true, as the teacher suggested, that the next time we trigger the Tyrant, we might not have the ability to dodge the surprise attack. If that leads to someone having to use their forced teleportation talisman, it would be a loss that outweighs the gain."

"And," he looked at Su Wan, "you just experienced such intense overuse of your voice a few days ago. From the perspective of protecting your throat, I also suggest pausing the development of Raccoon City for a week. Anyway, after all the inquiries we made yesterday, I suspect many schools have realized that there is a problem underground in Raccoon City; they should be willing to pave the way for us. We can sit back and wait for news for a week before considering whether to continue exploring Raccoon City."

Su Wan nodded and took over. "If it were up to me, I definitely wouldn't choose the second one. It's all caves and fire; I feel like the environment would be terrible as soon as we enter. But purely from an elemental resistance standpoint, Jinsi's fire resistance gear would really be able to maximize its effect in there, so... I don't know what opinion I should express."

Hu Jinsi said, "Since Su Wan's opinion has temporarily ruled out Option 2, let's not consider Option 2 for now. That leaves Option 1 and Option 3. Option 1 involves fighting Western fantasy-style monsters; according to the introduction in the picture, it's Goblins, cat demons, and Tauren. Option 3 is fighting humanoid monsters; I basically didn't see any non-humanoid creatures. If we infer based on the fact that monster drops are generally related to their type, Option 3 might drop more equipment suitable for us. But I suspect that just from looking at the images, the difficulty of Option 3 is not on the same level as 1 and 2; I'm afraid there might be a catch. Therefore, I will reserve my opinion for now."

"Since neither of you has any clear opinions, let me state my thoughts." Lin Rui began. "I actually lean towards the third dungeon. The reason is somewhat similar to the opinion Jinsi mentioned earlier; mainly, the third dungeon should clearly allow us to obtain some equipment from humanoid monsters. Since we are close to level 10, we can start updating some of our gear through monster drops. Secondly, only the third dungeon has a recommended party size of 3 people. For the other two dungeons, we would need to go find more people, and counting today, we only have 2 days to call people last minute, which is a bit rushed."

The two of them thought about it. No one raised any objections.

Lin Rui said, "Since there are no objections, let's tentatively decide on the third dungeon for next week. We'll figure out the rest once we enter the dungeon; if it really doesn't work out, we can just wait out the time in the dungeon and come out."

"Done." Hu Jinsi nodded.

"Mhm." Su Wan also agreed.

The three of them found Teacher Fan, reported the dungeon they planned to enter this week, and then returned to the classroom to continue their general knowledge class.

--- Time arrived at Sunday once again.

This week there was no bus, only a minibus, carrying the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad and another squad to the [Burning Village] dungeon. It was a bit further than the usual 1-hour drive, taking 1 and a half hours.

But the entrance to the dungeon was not as deserted as Hu Jinsi had imagined; on the contrary, there were quite a few people. Over a dozen adults were lined up at the entrance, registering their information. They were wearing all kinds of equipment; some carried longswords on their backs, some had crossbows slung over their shoulders, and others had bottles of various colored potions tucked into their belts. They looked experienced but had indifferent expressions.

The minibus driver was a middle-aged man in his forties. Seeing Hu Jinsi and the others peeking around, he couldn't help but tease, "You guys don't think this dungeon is open exclusively for students like you, do you? Actually, all dungeons are public and are managed uniformly by the state. It's just that the few dungeons you've entered in the last 3 months were temporarily closed to the public and only allowed students to enter. The dungeon you are at now is still open to the public normally because you were specially approved to enter."

He took a sip of tea and leaned against the door of the bus. "Most of the people who enter these dungeons have chosen an Awakening Stone for a new class; after their class is reset, they come here to re-accumulate class experience. Of course, there are also some people who have used skills with a cost for casting, causing their level to drop, so they have to return to low-level dungeons to transition back up."

Hu Jinsi got off the bus and stood in front of the dungeon entrance, his gaze sweeping over the adults. Unlike the dungeon entrances he was used to, which were filled with peers, this time he felt something different, something he couldn't quite put into words. Some people were clearly smiling, but that smile felt cold; others were organizing their equipment with expressionless faces, their movements as mechanical as if they were working on an assembly line. There was no noise or excitement like in the student groups, only a silent, weary focus.

This was perhaps the feeling among adults. As a former adult, Hu Jinsi rarely understood the meaning behind it.

After a simple registration, the three team members stood before the gray-white vortex.

"This is the fourth dungeon." Hu Jinsi said.

"Let's go." Lin Rui stepped in first.

Su Wan followed close behind. Hu Jinsi took a deep breath and followed.

The gray-white light swallowed everything.