Chapter 38 Bounties are contagious; one comes and one dies.

The Gate of the Abyss closed slowly behind them with a dull, thunderous sound. Before the four of them lay an endless darkness; beneath their feet was the cold ground, and the air was filled with the scent of Decay and death.

"Brother, I'm so scared..." Fatty Wang huddled behind Lin Ye, his voice trembling.

Lin Ye opened his Talent panel and activated the detection effect of [Eye of the Undead]. A circle of pale golden light ignited in the darkness, illuminating a ten-yard radius around them. The ground consisted of black stone slabs carved with eerie runes, and rusty chains hung from the walls. In the distance, the sound of dripping water echoed—drip, drip—like a heartbeat.

"Stay close to me." Lin Ye led the way forward.

The four walked for about five minutes before a massive iron door appeared before them. Carved into the door was a wolf's head relief, its eyes two red gemstones that emitted an eerie glow in the darkness.

[System Notification: You have entered the second floor of the Abyss Dungeon—Corridor of Curses. Monster level on this floor: 45-50. Recommended party size: 20 people. Current party size: 4 people. Good luck.]

Fatty Wang's legs went weak again: "A 20-person dungeon? We're going to clear it with just four people?"

Lin Ye laughed: "What's wrong with a 20-person dungeon? Didn't the three of us clear the 10-person dungeon last time?"

"That's different! That was a beginner dungeon, this is an Abyss Dungeon!"

"Is there a difference?" Lin Ye raised his hand and pushed open the iron door.

Behind the iron door was a long corridor. Every ten steps, a stone pillar stood on either side, hung with chains and skulls. At the end of the corridor, a massive figure could be vaguely seen moving slowly in the darkness.

As soon as the four stepped into the corridor, footsteps sounded from behind them.

Lin Ye turned to look—a large crowd of people was swarming into the corridor entrance. There were at least a hundred of them, wearing various types of equipment; some wore guild badges, while others were solo players. The leader's ID was "Blood Shadow," a level 35 Assassin ranked in the top twenty of the entire server.

"Ye, you can't run anymore." Blood Shadow sneered, holding two daggers that glinted with a bloody light.

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow: "How did you get in?"

"The key to the Gate of the Abyss isn't something only you possess." Blood Shadow shook the black key in his hand. "The Black Market Guild sold the dungeon intel to everyone a long time ago. As soon as you came in, we followed."

His underlings behind him chimed in—

"Ten million in real currency—it's going to be mine today!"

"Ye, be sensible and die once yourself, so we don't have to do it!"

"Why waste words with him? Just attack!"

Lin Ye scanned his surroundings, a wicked smile curling his lips: "Over a hundred people? The Black Market Guild is really willing to invest."

Blood Shadow waved his hand: "Brothers, get him!"

Over a hundred people charged at once, skills raining down like a deluge. But Lin Ye was prepared; he raised his hand and activated [Mass Rebound]—

[System Notification: Mass Rebound has been activated. All malicious attacks within a 50-yard radius will automatically trigger the Decay Rebound effect. Rebound stacks = Attack Damage × 10%.]

The first warrior to rush forward slashed at Lin Ye, and red damage numbers instantly popped up over his own head.

[System Notification: You attacked target [Ye], triggering the Mass Rebound effect. 80 stacks of Decay Debuff have been applied.]

The warrior's health bar dropped by 80% instantly. He let out a miserable scream, and before he could react, the second tick took him out.

"Ding! Player [Ba Tianhu] has died. Level dropped: 32 → 27."

The second, the third, the fourth...

Over a hundred people attacked simultaneously, and over a hundred people were hit simultaneously. The number of debuff stacks wasn't fixed; it was calculated based on the attack damage. Those players who used ultimate skills were instantly hit with over a hundred stacks and died on the spot. Those who used minor skills were hit with twenty or thirty stacks and couldn't last more than a few seconds.

In just thirty seconds, over a hundred people were all dead. Corpses littered the ground, and equipment was scattered everywhere. Blood Shadow was the last to die; he watched helplessly as his health bar hit zero, his level dropped from 35 to 30, and more than half of his epic equipment dropped.

"Ding! Player [Blood Shadow] has died. Level dropped: 35 → 30."

He stood up at the respawn point, his face ashen. He looked at his level, then at the corpses covering the ground, shivering all over.

"This... how is this possible..."

Lin Ye stood in the middle of the corpses, brushed the dust off himself, and spoke to the air: "Who else wants to come? I'm waiting."

The corridor was deathly silent. Those players who had followed them in but hadn't attacked yet were all huddled in the corners, not daring to breathe.

[world channel]

[Player "Blood Shadow": I give up. I'm quitting this bounty. Whoever wants it can take it.]

[Player "Ba Tianhu": I'm quitting too. Over a hundred people all died; that Ye is simply not human.]

[Player "Invincible Sword God": I told you all, Brother Ye is not someone you can fight. You just wouldn't believe it.]

[Player "Yes Little Follower": Hahaha! Another batch dead! Ten million bounty? You're killing me!]

Lin Ye ignored them and turned to continue walking deeper into the corridor.

The four reached the end of the corridor, and that massive figure finally revealed its true form—a giant gargoyle five meters tall, covered in black scales, with wings spanning ten meters wide and eyes blazing with purple flames.

[Abyss Gargoyle (Elite Lord)]

Level: 50

HP: 150000

Skills: Gargoyle Bite, Shadow Storm, Fear Roar, Summon Stone Statue, Death Gaze.

Fatty Wang looked at the boss's stats, his legs going weak: "150,000 HP? Five skills? This is even fiercer than the Abyssal Lord outside!"

Lin Ye laughed: "Fierce is good. If it weren't fierce, how would it drop good loot?"

He raised his hand and applied 500 stacks of Decay Debuff to the gargoyle.

[System Notification: Target [Abyss Gargoyle] has been applied with Decay Debuff, current stacks: 500. Abyss Decay effect triggered, dealing an additional 200% damage.]

The gargoyle's health bar instantly dropped by a quarter. It roared and spread its wings, pouncing toward Lin Ye. But the 500 stacks of Decay Debuff had already cut its attack speed and movement speed in half, and its pouncing speed was as slow as a turtle's.

Lin Ye sidestepped, dodging easily. He applied another 500 stacks of Decay Debuff.

1000 stacks. The gargoyle's health bar dropped by half, and all its stats were reduced by 50%. It panicked and activated "Shadow Storm"—black whirlwinds erupted from its body, spreading in all directions.

"Holy Shield!" Su Qinghan hurriedly cast a shield on Lin Ye.

The Shadow Storm crashed into the shield; the shield shattered, but Lin Ye's HP only dropped by a third. He seized the opportunity to apply another 500 stacks of Decay Debuff.

1500 stacks. The gargoyle's health bar dropped by three-quarters, its stats were reduced by 75%, and it couldn't even flap its wings, collapsing on the ground and panting heavily.

It struggled to activate its final skill—"Death Gaze." Its eyes glowed with purple light, staring at Lin Ye, attempting to turn him to stone.

[System Notification: You have been locked onto by [Death Gaze], triggering the Rebound Decay effect. 200 stacks of Decay Debuff have been applied.]

Red numbers appeared over the gargoyle's own head, and its health bar dropped by another large chunk. It let out a miserable scream and collapsed completely on the ground, unable to move.

[System Notification: Target [Abyss Gargoyle] has entered the "Submission" state. Do you accept its submission?]

Lin Ye clicked "Yes." The Decay Debuff on the gargoyle instantly cleared, and it lay on the ground, wagging its tail like a dog.

Qin Wentian watched this scene, completely impressed. He had previously thought Lin Ye only had a good Talent, but now he knew that this person's operations and tactics were also top-tier. Being able to beat a boss into submission wasn't something that could be done just by relying on Talent.

"Let's go, keep moving." Lin Ye called out to the three of them.

The four continued deeper into the corridor. The monsters along the way became increasingly numerous, from gargoyles to skeleton warriors, from skeleton warriors to ghost knights, from ghost knights to shadow mages. But no matter what the monster was, it couldn't last more than ten seconds before Lin Ye's Decay Debuff.

Fatty Wang followed behind, his hands going numb from picking up equipment all the way. His inventory was full again, and he was still clutching a pile in his arms.

"Brother, I can't fit any more!" he shouted.

Lin Ye tossed him an expanded inventory bag: "I had it ready for you. Keep going."

Su Qinghan followed behind, barely having to do anything. Her shield hadn't been used once because the monsters couldn't even reach Lin Ye. Qin Wentian followed at the very back, watching Lin Ye's operations, his gaze becoming increasingly complex.

"Your Talent is too suppressive against Abyss Monsters," he couldn't help but say.

Lin Ye laughed: "It's not suppression, it's dimensional reduction. The core of Abyss Monsters is corrosive energy, and my Talent specializes in countering energy."

"How do you know?"

"A feeling." Lin Ye pointed to his head. "I've had this feeling since I first fought the Abyss Lizard. My Decay Debuff is three times more effective against Abyss Monsters than against ordinary monsters. Plus, after killing them, I can absorb the abyss energy and convert it into my own stats."

Qin Wentian fell silent. He had previously thought Lin Ye was just lucky to have drawn an SSS-rank Talent. Now he knew that this person's Talent was practically tailor-made for the Abyss Dungeon.

The four reached the end of the corridor, and a second massive door appeared. Carved into the door was a demon's head, its eyes were two black gemstones, and its mouth held a rusty sword.

[System Notification: You have entered the third floor of the Abyss Dungeon—Demon Altar. Monster level on this floor: 50-55. Recommended party size: 30 people. Current party size: 4 people. Good luck.]

Fatty Wang's legs were so weak he couldn't even stand: "A 30-person dungeon? Brother, are we really going to fight it?"

Lin Ye laughed: "Fight. Why wouldn't we?"

He pushed open the door and led the way inside.

Behind the door was a huge circular altar. In the center of the altar stood a black stone pillar carved with runes, and at its top floated a purple crystal emitting an eerie glow. Standing around the altar were four tall demon guards, each three meters high, holding greatswords that burned with flames.

[Demon Guard × 4 (Elite)]

Level: 55

HP: 100000

Skills: Flame Slash, Demon Roar, Hellfire, Summon Imp.

Qin Wentian's expression changed: "Four level 55 Elites? This is even fiercer than a world boss outside!"

Lin Ye didn't waste words; he raised his hand and applied 500 stacks of Decay Debuff to each of the four guards. Their HP bars plummeted, their skills were completely disabled. In less than ten seconds, all four guards were down.

[System Notification: Target [Demon Guard] × 4 has entered the "Submission" state. Do you accept their submission?]

Lin Ye clicked "Yes." The four guards lay on the ground like four guard dogs.

Fatty Wang was dumbfounded: "Brother, you've taken in four more underlings?"

Lin Ye laughed: "Not underlings, but enforcers. In the future, the security for the Commoner Supermarket will depend on them."

Qin Wentian was completely speechless. He had previously thought he was strong enough, but now he realized that compared to Lin Ye, he was lacking by more than just a little.

The four walked to the stone pillar in the center of the altar. Lin Ye looked up at that purple crystal, feeling it looked somewhat familiar.

"This crystal... it seems like I've seen it somewhere before," he said in a low voice.

Su Qinghan also stared at the crystal for a while, then her expression suddenly changed: "This is... the Abyss Core? I've seen it in the game database. It's said that the Abyss Core is the heart of the Abyss Dungeon; destroy it, and the entire Abyss Dungeon will collapse."

"Collapse?" Lin Ye's eyes lit up. "Doesn't that mean everything inside is mine?"

Su Qinghan was speechless: "You're still thinking about picking up equipment?"

Lin Ye laughed: "Why not? Since we're here, we have to take something with us."

He raised his hand and applied 1000 stacks of Decay Debuff to the Abyss Core.

[System Notification: Target [Abyss Core] has been applied with Decay Debuff, current stacks: 1000. Target detected as dungeon core; destroying it will cause the dungeon to close permanently. Confirm?]

Lin Ye clicked "Confirm."

The Abyss Core began to crack, the purple light growing brighter and brighter, and the entire altar was shaking. Cracks appeared on the walls, stones began falling from the ceiling, and the runes on the ground extinguished one by one.

"Brother, the dungeon is collapsing!" Fatty Wang screamed in fear.

Lin Ye, unhurried, put the four demon guards into his pet space and then turned and ran.

"Retreat!"

The four ran frantically outward, with the collapsing passages and chasing purple light behind them.

When they ran out of the Gate of the Abyss, the entire dungeon collapsed thunderously behind them, turning into ruins.

[Server-wide Golden Announcement! Congratulations to players [Ye], [Qinghan], [Fatty Wang], and [Heavenly Temple Qin Wentian] for clearing the Abyss Dungeon for the first time, taking the server-first kill! Rewards: Level +10, Gold +100,000, SSS-rank Treasure Chest × 1! Entering the server-wide Hall of Fame!]

[Server-wide Golden Announcement! The Abyss Dungeon has been permanently closed due to the destruction of the core. Congratulations to player [Ye] for becoming the first player in the server to destroy a dungeon core! Reward: Title [Abyssal Conqueror]!]

The whole server exploded again—

[world channel]

[Player "Wocao Wuqing": Holy crap! Abyss Dungeon first kill?! And cleared by only four people?!]

[Player "Brick-Moving Expert": The dungeon was beaten until it collapsed? Brother Ye is too fierce, right?!]

[Player "Invincible Sword God": Brother Ye is awesome! Even the Abyss Dungeon can be cleared!]

[Player "Yes Little Follower": Ten million bounty? You're killing me. Brother Ye even cleared the Abyss Dungeon, you think he's afraid of you?]

Lin Ye stood before the ruins of the Gate of the Abyss, looking at the loot scattered all over the ground, a wicked smile curling his lips.

"Ten million bounty? Black Market Guild?" he said in a low voice, "Just wait, you're next."