Chapter Sixty-One: The Mutated Instance

In truth, the moment the great boss of Dongyuan City’s level 10 standard dungeon was first defeated, the system issued a public announcement, stating that someone had successfully toppled the boss. Of course, Zhao Nan chose to conceal his identity, but there were many within the labyrinth who knew exactly who that “someone” was.

Thus, "Purgatory" and "Guardian Knights" shifted from competing on the fourth floor to cooperating on the fifth, especially with the mark left behind by "World’s End." The two guilds felt as though they were being led by the nose, and despite their unwillingness, they couldn’t resist the fate of following the clues. The benefits had already been enjoyed by others, leaving them with nothing but leftovers, a stifling sensation indeed. When "Purgatory" and "Guardian Knights" finally reached the end of the maze and defeated Teletubby once more, they found no trace of "World’s End" upon exiting.

Ximen Yu and Nanyang Sheng seemed to have little time to hunt them down—the dungeon had been cleared, and now they needed to bring those who had yet to enter through it. This was a necessary step, a guild benefit, and neither leader could shirk it.

Upon exiting the dungeon, they heard that some members of "Blood Shadow" had chosen to leave the guild. With the guild leader slain in the dungeon, "Blood Shadow" had erupted in a power struggle for leadership. Some left, while others banded together, camping at the dungeon entrance, seeking revenge.

The problem was, those seeking vengeance never found anyone from "World’s End," and it wasn’t until they saw "Purgatory" and "Guardian Knights" emerge that they realized their own foolishness. Three days after the two guilds exited, no one in Dongyuan City had seen "World’s End."

"Blood Shadow" members dwindled, while the other two guilds vied for dominance. Within these three days, rumors spread of a fifth and sixth guild emerging. More would surely appear in the future, yet aside from the eight-member "World’s End," the strongest guilds in Dongyuan City remained "Purgatory" and "Guardian Knights."

However, with the completion of the first level 10 dungeon, the system began to display more transparent information.

Dongyuan City’s character level ranking. Dongyuan City’s guild ranking.

Individuals could hide their names and professions, leaving some room for speculation. Guilds could also hide their names, but there was little doubt about the identity of the top guild—the only intermediate guild, impossibly so, yet undeniably "World’s End."

After the rankings were published, a handful of people regretted their decisions deeply.

...

The outskirts map of Dongyuan City had expanded thanks to the dungeon’s completion, with wild monsters now reaching up to level 20.

Every ten levels, a new standard dungeon would open. The next, at level 20, required Dongyuan City to have more than 1,000 players at level 20.

The first level 10 dungeon only needed one person at level 15 to unlock it, but the level 20 dungeon required 1,000 level 20 players—a gulf as vast as heaven and earth.

The difficulty would leap every ten levels. Zhao Nan had no intention of attempting the level 20 dungeon with just two people.

Reaching 1,000 level 20 players would take, under normal circumstances, at least two or three months. As more people leveled up, whether grinding dungeons or hunting the same wild monsters, the experience required for each level from 10 to 20 also increased.

Thus, progress began to slow.

Now, Zhao Nan found himself in a nameless village, a small distance from Dongyuan City’s original borders, sitting in a tiny restaurant. At present, only the eight members of "World’s End" occupied this village.

Zhao Nan was racking his brain over the profession issue for Gao Mingyang and the others. Unique hidden professions, or even just hidden professions, were rare and precious, but not entirely uncommon. This village alone had two storylines involving hidden profession quests.

Swordsman’s Honor—Sword Hero
Mad Thief—King of Thieves

In three days, Gao Mingyang had already completed his Sword Hero hidden quest, and had quietly traveled back and forth between Dongyuan City and here, now holding the Iron-tier Sword Hero profession.

Incidentally, this swift travel was thanks to the level 10 dungeon’s completion reward—the Teleport Crystal. It could record five coordinates, allowing free teleportation via Dongyuan City’s teleport point. After the dungeon was cleared, Dongyuan City’s teleport point officially opened. Even without a Teleport Crystal, one could teleport by paying a fee.

“The Explorer sub-profession is truly amazing!”

Gao Mingyang had just returned, showing off his new abilities to the group, asking if he might also become an Explorer.

Zhao Nan sipped the local fruit wine, half-closing his eyes, cheeks slightly flushed, like someone a third drunk. Amid laughter, he smiled in reply, though his mind was filled with unspoken thoughts.

He glanced at the bracelet on his left wrist, which showed the time: Monster Calendar, Year 0, Month 1, Day 10.

Ten days left. The first update was imminent.

The monsters would attack the city.

...

Xu Feng’s King of Thieves hidden quest was relatively simple in terms of route, though the workload was immense. He needed to collect enough quest items from a certain level 15 monster in a single day, then shuttle between two villages three times.

It would have been difficult, but with the convenience of the Teleport Crystal, time was not an issue, allowing them to rest briefly in the restaurant.

Gao Mingyang, Xu Fei, Gao Xiang, and Xu Feng had been together from the start. Before the catastrophe, they had a fifth close friend, but they preferred not to speak of him. Zhao Nan did not ask—at the start of the game-like phase, there were always memories people would rather forget.

Jiang Lun was an orphan, young but already seasoned by society, highly independent, and naturally drawn to strength. Zhao Nan thought he’d read too many novels, a bit too hot-blooded, but his quick thinking surpassed Gao Mingyang’s group. Reading many novels had trained him in setting assumptions.

Xu Yang, formerly an educator with an open personality, had grown more silent lately. She seemed to prefer acting quietly now, for reasons unknown, remaining with the guild.

...

She never spoke of her students or her previous group. Yet Zhao Nan could sense her desire to grow stronger was no less than anyone else’s.

Her gaze toward Zhao Nan was growing calmer and more detached.

He rather liked this feeling; so long as nothing was spoken aloud, they remained friends. She stirred the heart, but only insofar as humanity’s innate yearning for beauty.

She was like a painting, to be admired, quietly hanging in a dim corner, beginning to settle into its own beauty.

Ding-ling-ling!

The restaurant door was suddenly pushed open, the bell chiming crisply, as Xu Feng rushed in, covered in dust. There was only one table operating in the restaurant; he quickly walked over.

“Exhausted!”

“Rest for a bit,” Xu Fei smiled, pulling out a chair. Xu Feng’s lunch awaited him.

“We probably won’t have time to rest,” Xu Feng said, gulping down water, nearly choking but forcing himself to breathe, “I’ve picked up some news—someone discovered a mutated dungeon! The two major guilds have already mobilized; they seem intent on conquering it.”

Zhao Nan’s heart stirred, recalling information about mutated dungeons, and he frowned, asking, “Where?”

“In the depths of Locke Forest!”

“Mutated dungeon…what exactly is it?”

There was much in this world that remained inscrutable; many eyes turned to Zhao Nan, expecting he would know something.

Zhao Nan frowned—sometimes, the Explorer identity he’d fabricated proved useful. While pondering the depths of Locke Forest, he explained, “Mutated dungeons are also called one-time dungeons. Once cleared, the area returns to normal.”

“Shall we go?”

“We go,” Zhao Nan said to the group in a low voice.