5: Chapter 5 Hidden Dungeon!

"There's more?"

Lu Yin was momentarily stunned, then proceeded to open the wooden box.

Sure enough, besides a silver card, a worn bronze plaque lay quietly at the bottom of the box.

The surface of the bronze plaque was covered in mottled rust, with faint, blurred runic patterns barely visible.

"This is..."

Lu Yin picked up the bronze plaque. It felt cold to the touch, and he could vaguely sense a strange energy contained within.

"This is a hidden item for tomorrow's beginner Dungeon."

A mysterious glint flashed in Qin Chuan's eyes as he explained in a lowered voice.

"Use it after you defeat the regular BOSS in the Dungeon, and it will open a hidden passageway."

"Inside the passage is a hidden BOSS. If you can successfully defeat it, the rewards will be several times greater than those from the regular BOSS."

Hearing this, Lu Yin responded with a serious expression.

"Thank you, Principal. This gift is too precious."

Qin Chuan waved his hand and cautioned with a solemn expression.

"Remember, while the hidden BOSS offers rich rewards, its difficulty is also extremely high."

"Even though you have a Mythic Class, I suggest you wait until you're at least level 5 before attempting the challenge."

Lu Yin clenched the bronze plaque tightly in his hand and replied in a firm voice.

"Don't worry, Principal. I will definitely cherish this opportunity."

"Mm, go ahead. I look forward to your performance tomorrow."

After briefly explaining some precautions for the beginner Dungeon to Lu Yin, Qin Chuan let him leave.

At the school gate, Bai Luer was waiting there, looking lovely.

"Silent One, what did the principal want with you?"

Lu Yin smiled: "The principal gave me some support."

"Oh?" Bai Luer blinked, her face full of curiosity. "Principal Qin is usually so frugal, he actually had star essence to support you?"

Lu Yin said, "Principal Qin is a good man. Without his support, being all alone, I probably couldn't even afford a single piece of beginner equipment."

Hearing the words "all alone," a flicker of imperceptible sadness passed through Bai Luer's eyes.

"Silent One, you're not all alone. Your parents must still be alive somewhere on Blue Star."

"After all, the military hasn't announced the failure of that expedition twelve years ago."

"For such interstellar campaigns, taking several decades is common."

Bai Luer comforted him softly, her face radiating the innocence unique to a young girl.

Lu Yin simply smiled and didn't say more.

Having lived two lives, he had long understood some things clearly.

Their home planet, Blue Star.

In the early days of the era of universal class transition, it had already become a playground for Abyssal Demons and Netherworld Undead.

Now, it was even hailed as the ultimate Dungeon for all of humanity.

His parents were merely two Rare Class professionals. In such a place, they were, at best, cannon fodder.

If they were still alive, it wouldn't make sense for them to suddenly lose contact several years ago.

Seeing Lu Yin fall silent, Bai Luer gently tugged his sleeve, her eyes filled with concern.

"Silent One, don't be sad."

"When we become stronger, maybe we can go to Blue Star to find them."

Lu Yin snapped out of his thoughts. Looking at the girl who always cared for him, warmth filled his heart.

He ruffled Bai Luer's hair and said with a smile,

"Don't worry, I'm not sad."

"What about you? Are you ready? Tomorrow's beginner Dungeon won't be too easy."

"Of course I'm ready!"

Bai Luer proudly lifted her little face: "My family prepared a full set of beginner equipment for me! But you..."

She suddenly lowered her voice, "How much support did the principal give you? Is it enough to buy equipment?"

Lu Yin took the silver card from his pocket and waved it in front of Bai Luer.

"Enough to buy a full set of level 1 beginner equipment. So, want to accompany me to the Professional Association for a look?"

"Yes, yes!" Bai Luer nodded excitedly, then pretended to be serious: "But you have to buy me ice cream!"

"Deal." Lu Yin agreed with a smile.

The two walked side by side, their shadows stretching long under the setting sun.

Looking at the girl chattering nonstop beside him, a faint wave of emotion welled up in Lu Yin's heart.

...

The Professional Association was located in the city center, a futuristic silver-white building.

Giant holographic projections scrolled across the building's exterior wall, displaying various equipment information and Dungeon announcements.

Most of the people coming and going wore professional gear. There were warriors in heavy armor, clanking past with greatswords on their backs.

There were also mages in robes, gliding forward gracefully.

"Wow, it's so lively!"

Bai Luer opened her eyes wide, looking around curiously: "This is my first time at the Professional Association."

As the beloved daughter of the White family, she had naturally never set foot in such a place before.

Although it was also Lu Yin's first visit, his experience of two lifetimes made him appear much calmer.

His gaze swept over the holographic screen in the center of the hall, which scrolled real-time prices and attributes of various equipment.

[Voidwalker's Blade (Weapon - One-handed Sword)]

[Equipment Quality: Dark Gold Grade]

[Equipment Requirement: Lv3]

[Attack Power +158, Agility +335, Strength +325]

[Effect: Penetration: Attacks ignore 5% of the target's physical defense]

[Void Step: Increases user's movement speed by 5% and attack speed by 1%]

[Void Rend: Upon activation, the next attack is guaranteed to hit, dealing physical damage equal to 25% of Attack Power + Strength value. Cooldown: 90 seconds. Mana Cost: 200 points]

[Price: Ten million star essence]

[Immortal Bulwark (Armor - Shield)]

[Equipment Quality: Purple Gold Grade]

[Equipment Requirement: Lv4]

[Defense +200, Strength +400, Stamina +450]

[Effect: Life Resonance: Recovers 0.5% of max HP per second]

[Earthshaker Guardian: Slam the ground, dealing physical damage equal to 30% of Strength value to all surrounding enemies, and forcibly draws aggro for 5 seconds. During this time, all damage you receive is reduced by 25%. Cooldown: 120 seconds. Mana Cost: 150 points]

[Price: Fifteen million star essence]

[...]

One powerful piece of equipment after another scrolled by, leaving behind staggering prices.

These pieces of equipment were still far beyond Lu Yin's current reach. He merely glanced at them before heading straight for the beginner's area.

The beginner equipment area was much quieter, mostly filled with newly transitioned students and their parents.

Various ordinary white-grade equipment were displayed in the counters. Though their attributes were common, their prices were relatively affordable.

Mostly ranging from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands star essence.

"Does your class belong to the magic type or the physical type?"

While selecting equipment, Bai Luer couldn't help but ask.

"Well, the skills lean towards the magic type, but I myself belong to the physical type."

Lu Yin replied after glancing at his status panel.

The Death Monarch class, equipped with sword-type weapons, suggested his personal combat prowess shouldn't be lacking.

But the skills belonged to the summoning category. Whether it was Death Soul Extraction or bestowal, they all required consuming corresponding mana.

After brief consideration, Lu Yin had made up his mind.

For the initial Dungeon clearing phase, individual strength was far less advantageous than group superiority.

His top priority was still to cultivate his army of death first.

And to continuously resurrect Death Soldier, ample mana support was key.

Therefore, prioritizing equipment that boosted mana regeneration was the optimal choice at this stage.

With this in mind, a pitch-black ring came into Lu Yin's view.