130: Chapter 130 The Former Residence of the Drought Demon, A Hellish Start!

The night wind swirled with unburnt ash outside the balcony railing, eventually dissipating into the brilliant but cold sea of neon lights in Jianghai City.

Qin Ji casually closed the balcony's floor-to-ceiling window, shutting out the late-night chill. The air inside was somewhat stifling; the half-smoked cigarette Fatty Zhou left behind was still emitting its last wisp of blue smoke in the ashtray.

"Fa-Qiu Seal..."

Qin Ji sat down on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee. Deep within his purple-gold pupils, an imperceptible glint of sharp light flashed.

In his past life, through ten years of ups and downs in ragnarok, the hidden sub-class Mojin Captain had indeed shone brilliantly in the Late Stage. The first true Divine Artifact was brought out of a hidden burial chamber in the "Qin Emperor's Mausoleum" dungeon by a Mojin Captain. At that time, everyone thought that Mojin Captain was already the Peak of the tomb-robbing genre.

But only a very few players standing at the top of the pyramid knew that above the Mojin Captain, there existed a legendary Rank—the Fa-Qiu Heavenly Official.

With the Fa-Qiu Seal, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings, and nothing is taboo.

Folk rumors said, "When Fa-Qiu does not appear, Mojin is King." This saying was not without merit in the game's setting. Mojin Captains still needed to rely on external items like compasses, candles, and black donkey hooves to avoid risks, whereas a Heavenly Official holding a Fa-Qiu Seal was a rule-breaker themselves.

"Glasses, this guy has really stumbled upon an overwhelming fortune this time."

Qin Ji retracted his thoughts, glanced at the time, and turned to the still dazed Fatty Zhou, saying, "Don't think too much for now. Go to the hospital and bring Qingqing back. As for Glasses, let him lay low for now. I'll confirm his specific situation in a bit."

"Ah? Oh, okay!" Fatty Zhou snapped out of it and hurriedly grabbed the car keys.

...

Jianghai City Central Hospital.

The process of handling the discharge procedures went smoothly. Although Lin Qingqing was still a bit weak, her mental state was much better than before.

Back at their residence, Qin Ji gently carried Lin Qingqing into that brand-new, streamlined gaming pod. Looking at his sister's pale face, which carried a hint of anticipation even in sleep, he whispered:

"Qingqing, add me as a friend as soon as you enter the game. My game ID is 'Snow Emperor'; remember to include a note."

Lin Qingqing's eyelashes fluttered slightly; she seemed to have heard him, or perhaps she had already sunk into the deep-dive state of consciousness connection.

As the pod door slowly closed, the indicator light turned a deep blue, signifying it was running. Qin Ji stood there for a moment until he confirmed that all vital signs were stable, then turned and walked out of the room.

He took out his phone and dialed Glasses' number again.

This time, the ringtone lasted for a long while.

Just as Qin Ji thought it would go unanswered again, a burst of noisy static came from the other end, followed by Glasses' lowered and slightly trembling voice.

"Hao... Brother Hao? What's wrong?"

In the background, there seemed to be the dull sound of stones grinding and a wind-like sound resembling the low panting of a beast.

Qin Ji's gaze sharpened, and he got straight to the point: "Glasses, what's your specific situation right now? Is the surrounding environment safe?"

"Not great... I seem to be trapped in a massive Ancient Tomb labyrinth."

Glasses' voice sounded somewhat hurried. "It's full of those chain-reacting trapdoors that trigger if you don't follow specific footwork, as well as quicksand traps. I'm checking the records; these mechanisms are very similar to those in the Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Art Incomplete Manual. I'm trying to crack them; I should find a way out soon."

"Don't rush, stay steady." Qin Ji's tone was calm, giving the other party a shot of confidence.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Glasses seemed to be hesitating about something before stuttering, "Brother Hao, actually... I also found a Silver Chest in here. But I've tried every method and can't open it."

A treasure chest?

Qin Ji's brow twitched slightly. Treasure chests in special maps usually meant unique rewards.

"Don't worry about whether it can be opened; just bring the chest out first. Treasure chests in these special scenarios usually require a Thief's Advanced lockpicking skill or a specific key. Forcing it open will only destroy the items inside."

"Oh, alright then. Then you go ahead and play, Brother Hao. I have to continue calculating these Bagua positions; the statues over there seem like they're about to move again... We'll talk when I get out!"

The call was hung up hurriedly.

Qin Ji looked at the darkened phone screen, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

An Ancient Tomb where even statues move... It seemed Glasses' situation this time wasn't just a simple class change; he might have directly fallen into the Legacy trial grounds of some ancient powerhouse.

"I should get to work too."

Qin Ji turned and lay down in his own nutrient pod, his consciousness sinking instantly.

...

[Welcome back to ragnarok.]

Familiar light and shadows reconstructed, and the clamor of voices filled his ears once more.

Just as Qin Ji's figure coalesced at the Mad War Territory teleportation array, his communication bar began to flash frantically.

Opening it, he saw it was all messages from Frenzied Blade.

"Great Boss Snow Emperor, are you online?"

"There's an urgent job. Are you interested in taking on a hidden dungeon?"

"Waiting online, it's urgent!"

Qin Ji casually replied: "What hidden dungeon?"

An instant reply.

Frenzied Blade: "Hanba's Former Residence."

Qin Ji's footsteps, which were originally heading toward the Auction House, came to a sudden halt.

Hanba?

The legendary Ancestor of Zombies who causes "A Thousand Miles of Barren Land"?

This game actually opened a dungeon related to Hanba at this stage? This was interesting. One must know that any dungeon associated with a "mythic rank" creature, even if only slightly, contained enough loot to drive any guild crazy.

"Have your people gone in to scout it?" Qin Ji asked.

"We have, and it was a disaster."

Frenzied Blade sent a voice message, his tone filled with deep helplessness. "Forget about fighting the BOSS; we couldn't even overcome the environment. Even on Normal difficulty, everyone gets a 'Heat Poison Attacking the Heart' debuff upon entering, forcibly deducting 100 HP every second."

"And the mobs inside are incredibly fierce, all high-attack, high-defense fire-element undead."

Losing 100 HP per second?

At this stage, the HP of ordinary players was only a few thousand at most. Without even seeing a monster, they would die just by standing still for a few dozen seconds.

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow. He had originally planned to find an opportunity to come into contact with some Advanced undead creatures to see if he could trigger any special quests. He hadn't expected Frenzied Blade to deliver the pillow right to his head.

"A special guild member under me took the quest to clear this dungeon, but she's stuck. Currently, there's really no good way."

Frenzied Blade continued, "Snow Emperor, if it's you taking action, I think even clearing it on Hell difficulty is entirely possible."

"Hard to say."

Qin Ji replied ambiguously, but his footsteps had already turned toward the coordinates sent by Frenzied Blade. "But I can give it a try. Same rules as before: I get first pick of everything obtained in the dungeon."

"No problem! As long as you can help her complete the quest, everything is yours!"

Frenzied Blade agreed exceptionally readily.

A few minutes later, Qin Ji met Frenzied Blade at the territory square, along with the "special guild member" he had mentioned.

Following Frenzied Blade's introduction, a figure stepped forward from behind the crowd.

It was a woman.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was that this woman was a full 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles all over her body, and her arms were a circle thicker than Qin Ji's thighs. She wore the most basic novice cloth armor, the tight fabric looking as if it could be burst at any moment by her terrifyingly ripped physique.

Qin Ji instinctively took half a step back.

For no other reason than the visual impact was simply too strong.

"Hello, Great Boss Snow Emperor!"

The woman spoke, her voice surprisingly... honest?

"I am 'Fierce Snow Drifter'. We both have the word 'Snow' in our names; isn't that fate?"

Fierce Snow Drifter spoke while walking toward Qin Ji with heavy steps; the ground seemed to vibrate slightly with her stride.

Qin Ji's mouth twitched slightly.

Fierce Snow Drifter?

This ID and this physique weren't just unrelated; they were diametrically opposed.

In ragnarok, game character models were generated based on real-life body scans. Although they could be tweaked slightly, the general outline wouldn't change. In his past life, there was a famous player called "The 300-Pound Assassin" whose physique was also a sight to behold.

Clearly, this Fierce Snow Drifter was also a heavyweight contender in reality.

"Is this the quest you took?" Qin Ji quickly adjusted his expression, returning to his cold and aloof "Great Boss" persona.

"Yes, that's right."

Fierce Snow Drifter nodded, a hint of distress appearing on her face. "I was lucky and happened to trigger this hidden quest. It's just that this dungeon is too perverted. You lose HP continuously without even being attacked, and once you take damage, 'Fire Poison' stacks, doubling the rate of HP loss."

"There's nothing I can do with this set of novice gear. I die as soon as I go in, and I'm afraid of my equipment dropping, so I just went in naked."

She was a sensible person.

Qin Ji nodded slightly: "In that case, let's go. I also want to see Hanba's territory."

"Alright!"

Fierce Snow Drifter didn't waste words either. With a flip of her fan-sized hand, a dark red stone appeared in her palm.

The stone's surface was covered in light blue cracks, as if some kind of flowing magma was Sealed inside, emitting a scorching aura.

"Dungeon Mobile Gate?"

A flash of surprise crossed Qin Ji's eyes.

This was a rare item. In his past life, these things usually only appeared frequently after the second class advancement in large-scale guild wars or cross-server expeditions. He hadn't expected someone to have one at this stage. It seemed the level of this hidden quest was indeed not low.

Buzz—!

A blinding light erupted from the dark red stone in Fierce Snow Drifter's hand, quickly coalescing into a swirling portal in the Void Realm ahead. The door frame was composed of illusory flames, radiating a suffocating heat.

"Ding! Player 'Fierce Snow Drifter' has invited you to join the party."

Qin Ji accepted the invitation.

"Which difficulty should we choose?" Fierce Snow Drifter looked at the options appearing on the portal and instinctively reached out to click "Normal".

"Hell difficulty."

Qin Ji calmly uttered two words.

Fierce Snow Drifter's finger froze in mid-air. She snapped her head toward Qin Ji, her bull-like eyes full of disbelief. "He... Hell difficulty? Boss, are you serious? Normal difficulty takes 100 HP per second; Hell difficulty starts with at least a thousand-fold increase!"

Although Frenzied Blade's heart also skipped a beat, he had a nearly blind worship of Qin Ji and immediately said, "Drifter, listen to Snow Emperor. You guys can give it a try. I have absolute confidence in Snow Emperor."

"Al... Alright then."

Fierce Snow Drifter swallowed hard, her Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. Anyway, she was going in to die regardless. Since the boss wanted to play it risky, she would go crazy with him.

She took a deep breath, her finger trembling as she clicked on the blood-red skull icon—[Hell].

The portal instantly turned from red to black, and a thick smell of sulfur wafted toward them.

"Enter."

Qin Ji stepped forward, his figure instantly vanishing into the portal. Fierce Snow Drifter followed closely behind.

...

His vision experienced a moment of darkness, followed by a blinding red.

Hot.

Indescribably scorching.

It was as if his entire being had been thrown into a steel furnace; even the air he breathed in carried sparks.

"Ding! You have entered the hidden dungeon: Hanba's Former Residence (Hell)."

"Ding! Affected by the environmental rule 'Hanba's Fire', you lose 100,000 HP per second!"

The moment the System notification sounded, before Qin Ji could even see the surroundings clearly, a crisp System prompt rang in his ear.

"Ding! Your teammate 'Fierce Snow Drifter' has died."

Qin Ji: "..."

He turned to look, only to see a corpse on the ground behind him; it was Fierce Snow Drifter, who hadn't even had time to take a single look at the world.

A loss rate of 100,000 HP per second was indeed an instant death for players at this stage, whose HP generally didn't exceed 10,000. There wasn't even a chance for rescue.

Meanwhile, at the Mad War Territory resurrection point.

With a flash of white light, Fierce Snow Drifter walked down from the altar with a bewildered expression.

Frenzied Blade, who had been waiting for news nearby, was stunned for a moment and checked the time. "So fast? You were only in there for two seconds, right?"

"Two seconds? Where were there two seconds!"

Fierce Snow Drifter wanted to cry but had no tears. "I died before my heels were even steady! On Hell difficulty, you lose 100,000 HP a second! 100,000, boss! That's simply not for humans!"

"Hiss—"

Frenzied Blade sucked in a breath of cold air, almost failing to hold his greatsword steady. "100,000 a second? Then Snow Emperor..."

He hurriedly looked at his friend list.

There, Snow Emperor's avatar was still lit up, and his status showed: [In Dungeon].

"Fifteen seconds have passed... Snow Emperor hasn't come out yet." Frenzied Blade murmured to himself, the shock in his eyes gradually transforming into a near-fanatical awe.

...

Inside Hanba's Former Residence.

Qin Ji glanced at the red numbers floating above his head: -100,000.

Then he glanced at his own health bar.

[HP: 6,580,000 / 6,680,000]

"100,000 a second, which means I can last 66 seconds."

Qin Ji calculated calmly. "Without counting HP recovery methods, this amount of time is indeed not enough to look at. However..."

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the billowing heatwaves before him.

The terrain here was very similar to the "Snow Corpse Footprints" he had visited before, also a winding downward passage. The difference was that there, it was a deathly silence frozen for ten thousand miles, while here, boiling magma could be seen everywhere flowing through cracks in the black rocks. The road beneath his feet was already cracked, with dark red firelight flickering in the crevices.

"As long as there are monsters, it's an infinite blood bank."

A bloodthirsty smile curled on Qin Ji's lips.

He didn't need to tank it; he only needed to lifesteal.

As long as his attack power was high enough and his lifesteal attribute was strong enough, the HP loss rate here was nothing more than an itch to him.

"Roar—!!"

As if sensing the aura of a living person, the lava pool ahead suddenly exploded, and a giant skeleton dripping with molten iron slowly crawled out of the magma. The bone blade in its hand burned with black flames, its hollow eye sockets locking onto Qin Ji.

[Molten Bone General (Elite)]

[Rank: 35]

[HP: ???]

"Just in time."

Qin Ji didn't retreat in the slightest; instead, he quickened his pace to meet it.

Amidst the dancing sparks and sulfurous smoke, he gripped his longbow with one hand, his figure pulling a series of afterimages through the distorted heatwaves, like a Shura walking through purgatory, coldly gazing at the prey ahead that was about to become his nourishment.