71: Chapter 71: Back to School Season is Back to Spending Money

The classroom was soon buzzing with excitement.

Some were discussing the terrifying combat power of Abobo in Double Dragon III, others were researching how many energy crystals were needed for the teleportation array in The Cathedral, and some were already recruiting suitable team members for The King of Dragons I.

Over at the Gunpowder Squad, Chen Yu and a few team members huddled together, whispering about something and glancing toward the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad from time to time. Wang Jingshan and Mo Ming from the Pear Garden Squad were scribbling in their notebooks, seemingly drafting a plan.

"Which one should we tackle first?" Lin Rui asked.

Hu Jinsi thought for a moment. "I personally lean toward The King of Dragons I, but there's no need to rush into a decision. School just started today, it's Monday. We won't be heading into the dungeon until the school's unified departure on Sunday. We have a whole week to consider it."

He paused and continued, "Plus, Teacher Fan's class only gave a brief overview of the dungeons. There are bound to be other classes later—analyzing ecological environments, explaining boss skills, and so on. It's not too late to reach a conclusion after we finish listening to this week's classes."

After hearing Hu Jinsi's analysis, Lin Rui calmed down as well. Indeed, it was only Monday, there was no need to be so anxious. Even if they changed their choice right before heading to the dungeon on Sunday, there would still be time.

With their minds settled, the trio stopped fretting over these matters and quietly listened to all the classes that afternoon. Sure enough, besides the standard general education, other teachers used the three dungeons as case studies that afternoon to introduce camping options and safety precautions within the dungeons.

Teacher Wang from the Ecology class specifically talked about the surrounding environment of The Cathedral, emphasizing climate and terrain issues. It was funny to mention that last semester, not only did students catch a fever from sleeping overnight in the Cold Plains, but some also injured their feet in the Stony Field because they wore open-toed sandals. The students in the class originally thought it was a joke, but it wasn't until the teacher pointed out that the people involved were students from their own class that everyone started taking it seriously.

Teacher Li from the Practical Training class used Double Dragon III as a case study to explain how to deal with martial artist-type enemies. "Martial artists are completely different from the monsters you have encountered before," he said. "They have predictions, feints, and combos. If you throw a punch, he might already be preparing a counterattack three moves later."

"When dealing with such enemies, don't think about a direct confrontation. Either be faster than them or be craftier. Don't try to defeat them in their familiar territory; instead, try to lead the battle into areas they are unfamiliar with as much as possible."

Teacher Li drew a few simple tactical diagrams on the blackboard: how to use obstacles in the environment to block positions, how to counterattack during the recovery frames of an enemy's move, and how to judge an enemy's Super Armor state and choose the right time to evade. This content was nothing new to Hu Jinsi, but for most of the students in the class, this knowledge was completely brand new.

Su Wan scribbled furiously in her notebook, recording every piece of advice in detail. Lin Rui, on the other hand, was focusing on the content about team coordination. How to maintain formation while moving, how to provide covering fire, and how to quickly switch between offensive and defensive roles when surrounded by enemies—he noted them down one by one.

After an afternoon of classes, the trio's notebooks were filled with pages of notes. As they walked out of the classroom, the sunset had already dipped below the western mountains, casting long shadows of the school building.

On the way back to the residential complex after school, Hu Jinsi said to Lin Rui and Su Wan with certainty, "I don't know what other squads will choose, but the Gunpowder Squad will 100% choose The Cathedral."

Lin Rui agreed, as this was indeed what he had been thinking.

But Su Wan clearly didn't get the reason, so she asked, "How are you so sure?"

Hu Jinsi looked at Su Wan, then glanced at Lin Rui, and explained helplessly, "Since the dungeon The King of Dragons I doesn't drop equipment for modern classes at all, it's like a tasteless chicken bone to the Gunpowder Squad. Among the three of them, the Mechanic Chen Yu and the firearms expert Zhou Hao cannot gain any equipment benefits from this dungeon."

"The only one who might gain benefits is the Alchemist Li Hao, but this kind of alchemy that leans toward a fantasy world might not be the output he is looking for. From our communication with Li Hao last semester, he is nominally an Alchemist, but in reality, he has already started to lean toward modern chemistry. If you really give him alchemy from a fantasy world that relies purely on idealism to refine, it might not be a good thing for him."

He continued, "Besides, although the Double Dragon III dungeon has decent benefits for them—martial arts are never too much for any class—but think about enemies like Abobo. Do conventional firearms have any effect on him?"

"When the Gunpowder Squad fights, they rely on two points to keep distance from enemies: first, maintaining distance before the battle, and second, the knockback force generated when firearms hit the enemy. You might not have noticed a keyword when listening to Teacher Fan and Teacher Li—Super Armor."

"Super Armor?" Su Wan frowned.

"This is an ability that many martial arts classes acquire after approaching transcendent or becoming transcendent. After activating Super Armor, for a short period, the attack animation will not be deformed by any external force fluctuations," Hu Jinsi explained. "Imagine the Gunpowder Squad attacking Abobo with pistols or machine guns. Once Abobo activates Super Armor and rushes over with full force, the knockback effect of the firearms is completely ineffective. Three people facing a two-and-a-half-meter-tall strong man charging while tanking bullets—how do they fight?"

Su Wan imagined the scene and couldn't help but shiver.

"So, after comprehensive consideration, The Cathedral is most suitable for the Gunpowder Squad," Hu Jinsi concluded. "Not to mention the transformable motorcycle they have already prepared, just looking at the monster types we are familiar with, the weaknesses of the monsters in that dungeon are a perfect match for the Gunpowder Squad. Even if those three boss-level monsters in the Cold Plains made so many students suffer, the Gunpowder Squad could easily defeat them using long-range methods."

"Therefore, The Cathedral is almost a must-choose for the Gunpowder Squad," he said finally. "The only uncertainty now is whether they have all leveled up to 12. If they have, then next week's choice is almost 100% certain."

Su Wan nodded thoughtfully. "I see... I thought Chen Yu and the others bought that Echo Raider just to look cool; I didn't expect there to be so many considerations behind it."

"Looking cool is one of the reasons, too. If a Mechanic doesn't tinker with some high-end machinery to repair and modify, where would they get experience points?" Hu Jinsi smiled.

"But for their configuration, The Cathedral is indeed the choice that maximizes benefits. The skills of melee martial artists are not that urgent for them, and they might look down on Western fantasy alchemy recipes, but the drops from the monsters in The Cathedral, or even the achievements, are the real gold and silver for them."

Lin Rui added, "And The Cathedral has high monster density and stable drops, which is suitable for their playstyle of focusing on farming money. A carload of people sweeping through with a magazine of bullets, and all the materials on the ground can be picked up and sold for money."

"That's why I said the Gunpowder Squad will 100% choose The Cathedral," Hu Jinsi concluded. "Not because The Cathedral is fun, but because, for them, it's stable in terms of rewards and safe."

After returning to the residential complex, the trio did not go back to their respective homes first, but went directly to find Lin Rui's father, Lin Jianguo, to consult about vehicles.

The trio first told Lin's father about the dungeon choices they were facing and the situation where the Gunpowder Squad had already made preparations in advance. Then Lin Rui and Hu Jinsi each explained their own ideas: a sidecar motorcycle and a passenger electric tricycle. Finally, they asked Lin Jianguo to confirm which option was better, or if there was a better choice.

After listening to their explanation, Lin Jianguo pondered for a moment, then pointed out the problem straightforwardly:

"Your respective thoughts make sense, but you both have a common blind spot: you haven't considered the impact of your own class characteristics on the vehicles."

He looked at Lin Rui. "In your current full-load state, your equipment alone weighs 100 kilograms. Unless you put all of this into your backpack when using a vehicle, such heavy equipment is a huge drain on any vehicle. Whether it's a sidecar motorcycle or an electric tricycle, the load capacity hasn't been optimized for this situation. Given your current load, a heavy-duty off-road motorcycle is the best guarantee for mobility. It allows you to maintain a reasonable travel speed without having to take off your equipment."

Lin Rui instantly understood his father's meaning. Indeed, he had only seen the cool vehicle of the Gunpowder Squad, but ignored the reality of his own high load. Conventional vehicles were simply not suitable for him. If he really bought a normal motorcycle or electric tricycle as he had thought, the speed would be agonizingly slow.

Lin's father then turned to Hu Jinsi and Su Wan. "There aren't many restrictions for you two. You don't have heavy equipment yourselves, so buying a light motorcycle or a high-speed electric bicycle is enough. If you want performance, you can also consider an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), which has better off-road capability. After all, the road conditions in The Cathedral dungeon won't be very good."

"As for the backpack space issue," he waved his hand, "don't worry about it at all. The backpack slots that come with you after level 10 are 2m³. An electric vehicle or an ATV can be stuffed in by taking up at most two slots. Unlike the large transformable motorcycle of the Gunpowder Squad, storage is a problem."

"My advice is, if you are not in a hurry to go to The Cathedral next week, you can push this matter back by a week or two. See the actual user experience feedback from other students in the dungeon, and then decide what to buy."

"Based on my years of experience going into dungeons, military off-road motorcycles and off-road jeeps are the most practical in dungeons. The road conditions in dungeons are mostly terrible; higher off-road performance means better passability. Those fancy features, like transformable motorcycles, I haven't experienced, so I can't give advice."

After Hu Jinsi and Su Wan thanked Uncle Lin for the reminder, they returned to their respective homes. The trio temporarily decided to push the vehicle matter back, at least until they had cleared The King of Dragons I.

Over the next few days, as Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui expected, besides the regular general education classes, the teachers took the time to explain the characteristics, features, and boss skills of various enemies in the three dungeons.

This kind of explanation was clearly very valuable. Official explanations were more formal than the information found on forums, without any personal bias or false information. At the same time, these explanations also helped Hu Jinsi combine his own memories to have a more comprehensive understanding of the bosses in the dungeons.

Overall, the difficulty of The King of Dragons I dungeon was indeed the lowest. This low difficulty was not only reflected in the fact that the mobs were silly and didn't have many skills, but also in the fact that the bosses at 100% difficulty were relatively simple. Except for the boss of the third stage, which was a flying fire pterosaur, Hu Jinsi felt that he could solo the subsequent bosses; it was just that some would take a bit more time.

Regarding the fire pterosaur in the third stage, the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad also rehearsed tactical playstyles suitable for their characteristics, believing that they would give Mr. Pterosaur a "surprise." For the other bosses, the three of them had also prepared countermeasures.

Of course, there were also some reckless students who went to ask the teacher why they were warned that it was best not to challenge this dungeon at a difficulty level above 100%.

Teacher Zhang, from the practical training class, pointed at the Orc King in the first stage and said, "Do you see this boss? At 100% difficulty, he only uses his large flail for straight-line attacks; he doesn't know how to do anything else, and he doesn't even know how to sweep with the flail. But at 150% difficulty, bolstered by a template, he might start swinging the flail to perform a whirlwind, and it's an almost zero-cooldown infinite whirlwind. How would you break that?"

Teacher Zhang continued, "For this type of Western fantasy-themed dungeon, adding templates is a very annoying way to increase difficulty. Some of you quietly visited [Burning Village] at the end of last semester or during the break. The method for increasing difficulty in that dungeon was nothing more than thickening the health bars or giving the boss new equipment or skills, but the overall combat style wouldn't undergo massive shifts. The risks were controllable, and the difficulty was predictable."

"But [Dragon King Warrior I] is different. Its way of increasing difficulty is to attach various random templates to the boss. If you're lucky and the template is weak, everyone is happy; if you're unlucky, for example, if this Orc King gets the Berserker template, an Orc Berserker swinging a flail with no pattern—how would you fight that?"

"Or perhaps this Orc King gets the Warrior template, turning from a big dumb oaf who only knows how to do simple swings into a weapons expert specializing in flails—how would you fight that? Even worse, if the Shaman or Orc Ancestor template is attached, you can just exit the dungeon for free in the first stage."

"Therefore, this way of increasing difficulty is like a lottery, which most professionals who seek stability dislike. Of course," he changed the subject, "if your strength is enough to crush them, then it doesn't matter what template they have. For example, if a Mage uses Grease, as long as they are strong enough to guarantee the Orc King falls within the area, then whatever template is attached is useless. After all, for an enemy who can't get up, whatever template they use is meaningless."

"And this kind of boss definitely won't have ranged class templates attached," Teacher Zhang added, "so if your ranged capabilities are strong,"

"then consider appropriately increasing the difficulty. But the subsequent bosses are still a lottery; with 6 bosses in a dungeon, you can't get lucky 6 times."

These words left many students deep in thought. Sun Yao was clearly very interested in this information; her soon-to-be-formed team had money, equipment, and ranged classes, so the extra rewards from 150% or 250% difficulty were quite tempting for them.

But the three members of the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad exchanged a glance, reading the caution in each other's eyes.

"We won't gamble," Hu Jinsi said in a low voice. "A 100% stable clear is better than gambling on luck."

Lin Rui and Su Wan both nodded. They weren't rich kids like Sun Yao who could just "spend money to try again if they lost"; for them, every dungeon run was a significant financial investment, and they couldn't afford to gamble.

When the class ended, Teacher Zhang also assigned a thought question: Assuming the Orc King gains the [Berserker] template, please formulate response strategies for at least three different class combinations. This assignment is to be submitted after entering the dungeon next week and will count towards the regular grade.

The classroom was instantly filled with groans.

"More homework…" someone in the back row complained in a low voice.

"Running dungeons is already exhausting, and we still have to write strategy analyses?"

"Be content," the student next to him patted his shoulder. "At least it's better than doing math problems."

The first week of school passed quickly. On Friday, the Jack-of-All-Trades Squad submitted their choice: [Dragon King Warrior I].

In the class, except for the Gunpowder Squad, everyone seemed to have chosen this dungeon. It looked like the first month of school would once again be a bustling scene at the dungeon entrance.

The day before departure, the two pieces of equipment Hu Jinsi bought this week finally arrived.

Since his income during the break had been quite good, but he hadn't decided what to buy, he gave it serious thought after the new semester started.

For a Monk, the body is the most trusted weapon, so he didn't intend to invest more money into weapons, but instead chose reusable clothing and equipment to enhance his sensory abilities. He spent 11,000 credits to buy a headband and a cloth robe; this was also the most he had ever spent at once.

Whenever the school season starts, it's the season for pay-to-win. No matter which world you are in, this is the truth.

[Tiangang Qi-Refining Robe]

[Type: Magic Equipment / Cloth]

[Embrace Origin, Guard One: Your movement speed increases by 0.5 m/s. Additionally, your Unarmored Movement no longer requires extra stamina consumption.]

[Spirit-Woven Self-Healing: This robe possesses the ability to self-repair. If it sustains physical damage like tearing or puncturing, by consuming Qi, it will fully recover within 1 hour. If the robe is completely destroyed (e.g., by Disintegrate), as long as a fragment larger than a palm is preserved, placed in a safe location, and nourished by consuming no less than 10 points of Qi daily, it will regenerate after 7 days.]

[Item Description: This dark gray training robe is woven from rare "Spirit-Breath Silk" and feels cool to the touch. Its patterns align with the human body's Qi meridians; wearing it long-term can help cultivate inner Qi, and damaged areas will slowly squirm like a living thing to repair themselves.]

---

[blind fighting headband]

[Type: Magic Equipment / Head]

[Superior Darkvision: You gain 40 meters of Darkvision. If you already possess Darkvision, its range increases by an additional 20 meters.]

[Blind Fighting Perception: You gain 3 meters of Blindsight. Within this range, even if you are blinded or in a completely dark environment, you can accurately perceive objects and creatures that are not under total cover (including invisible creatures, unless they successfully hide).]

[Qi-Sense Detection: Once per day, consume 2 points of Qi, lasting for 1 minute. During this time, your Blindsight range expands to 10 meters, and you can automatically perceive the outlines of invisible creatures or creatures on the Ethereal Plane within 10 meters.]

[Item Description: This simple cloth headband has a warm "Night-Eye Stone" embedded in its center. After wearing it, even in absolute darkness, your vision is as clear as day, and you can perceive everything around you through the subtle changes in airflow.]

---

Hu Jinsi spread the two pieces of equipment on the bed, carefully checking their attributes.

The attributes of the [Tiangang Qi-Refining Robe] are actually quite simple. What Hu Jinsi really wanted was the self-repairing ability; because he doesn't wear armor, his clothes wear out way too fast. Instead of buying new clothes every dungeon run, it's better to just buy one that can self-repair, fundamentally reducing consumption. As for the movement speed bonus, it was just an unexpected bonus.

Also, because this piece of clothing has no armor attribute, besides Monks, only classes like Taoists and Mages would choose it. But spellcasting classes usually prefer clothing with triggered magic, such as equipment that comes with Shield or Mage Armor. This type of cloth robe that only adds movement speed isn't their first choice, so the price is relatively reasonable.

The reason for buying the [blind fighting headband] was even more direct; Hu Jinsi was already sick of the combat style of wearing a headlamp and holding a torch every time he went into a dungeon. Every time he fought in a dark catacomb or cave, holding a torch in one hand and a long staff in the other prevented Hu Jinsi from unleashing his maximum strength.

Although in early dungeons, the high-frequency flickering of the headlamp could have unexpected effects on cave creatures, as his level increased, especially after his experience in the Generals Tomb, this tactic was no longer effective against those monsters. He needed a more reliable lighting solution.

After filtering, this piece of equipment came into view. In the tech sector, Darkvision can be achieved with night-vision goggles, which can even have additional functions. Moreover, many students who inherited the bloodlines of other creatures naturally possess some degree of Darkvision; only pure-blooded humans like Hu Jinsi need extra equipment.

But Hu Jinsi didn't care. 3 meters of Blindsight + 40 meters of Darkvision + once-a-day expanded Qi-Sense Detection—this combination allows him to maintain clear perception in any dark environment. He no longer has to hold a torch in one hand and a long staff in the other during combat.

He put on the [Tiangang Qi-Refining Robe] and tied the [blind fighting headband] around his forehead.

The cloth robe felt cool to the touch, as if a thin layer of spiritual energy was slowly flowing against his skin. The dark gray of the robe had a faint sheen under the light, and the patterns aligning with the human body's Qi meridians were faintly visible. He moved his arms; the fabric was light and soft, completely not affecting his kicking and punching movements. This is the kind of clothing a Monk should have, not that raggedy Raccoon City police uniform.

The effect of [Embrace Origin, Guard One] immediately became apparent. He tried walking a few steps in the room; his steps were lighter than usual, and he couldn't feel any extra stamina consumption with each step.

Hu Jinsi, using Unarmored Movement without hesitation, now has a walking speed (3.5 m/s) that is already faster than many people's jogging speed (2.8 m/s). In a jogging state, Hu Jinsi is currently faster than some human-powered bicycles.

The Night-Eye Stone on the headband emitted a faint warmth. He turned off the lights to test it; his vision in the darkness was as clear as day, and he could see the textures on the walls, the patterns on the floor, and even the dust dancing in the moonlight filtering in from outside the window clearly.

The 3-meter Blindsight range is even more magical; closing his eyes, he could perceive any moving objects behind him and to his sides without needing to turn his head. He tried closing his eyes and walking a few steps in the room, relying entirely on Blindsight to perceive the obstacles around him, and he didn't bump into anything at all.

"This is true 'blind fighting'." He touched the headband with satisfaction.

"Not bad." He turned around in front of the mirror and nodded.

"Pay-to-win complete." Hu Jinsi turned off the light, adapting to his new visual abilities in the darkness. "Entering the dungeon tomorrow, hope I can make my money back."

He lay on the bed, the Night-Eye Stone on the headband emitting a faint light in the darkness. The moonlight from outside the window leaked through the gaps in the curtains, casting a streak of silver-white on the floor. In the distance, a few dog barks could be heard, mixed with the sound of a neighbor's television. Everything was very ordinary.

But Hu Jinsi knew that this ordinariness wouldn't last past tonight. Tomorrow, they would step into a brand-new dungeon, the world of The King of Dragons, a Western magical battlefield filled with Orcs, Pterosaurs, Skeleton Soldiers, and Dark Mages.

Six stages, six bosses, countless enemies, and unknown drops. This might be the most systematic dungeon their squad has faced since its formation; every boss has fixed Mechanics and routines, and every stage has a clear rhythm and flow.

"Hope everything goes smoothly when we enter the dungeon tomorrow." He closed his eyes in the darkness and sank into meditation.

---

Su Wan also updated her equipment. She bought a new lyre and put it in her bag, just in case.

As for Lin Rui, he had already spent most of his money during the break. Adding it all up, his little treasury was bottoming out.

"Let's wait for the drops in the new dungeon," Lin Rui said with a bitter smile. "Hope The King of Dragons drops a few pieces of equipment I can use; whether we eat meat or drink porridge in the future all depends on this dungeon."

"There will be," Hu Jinsi patted his shoulder. "As long as there are enough bosses, there will be enough drops."