“Huh?” A-Xing was stunned when he heard Yuchi Xi, and before Jiang Ye could answer, he was already shaking his head. “No, no way, this absolutely won’t do.”
“Why not?” Yuchi Xi asked.
A-Xing dragged Yuchi Xi into a Private Chat.
“I’m grinding for the clothes because I want to surprise her. If we do this, what’s left of the surprise?”
“Isn’t it more important for the expert to get the clothes to actually wear, rather than a surprise?” Yuchi Xi replied calmly. “Given our current level, the two of us might have a hard time clearing it.”
“But, but!” A-Xing hesitated for ages, unable to get the words out.
Half a sentence stuck in his throat, making him anxious and conflicted.
Yuchi Xi made a good point, but with Jiang Ye’s current situation, there was no way she could come out to run a dungeon!
A-Xing worried that if they pressed on, Yuchi Xi would discover Jiang Ye’s condition and something might seem off.
He grew even more uneasy, as if there was fire burning inside.
In the team chat, Jiang Ye watched as both went silent. She arched an eyebrow and, imitating Yuchi Xi's earlier tone, teased, “The two of you, are you Private Chatting behind my back?”
“Ahem.” A-Xing coughed suddenly. “Xiao Ye, do you think you can make it to this dungeon?”
“Might as well give it a try.” Jiang Ye was honestly quite curious herself.
She’d looked for any way to get herself teleported out while teaming with A-Xing before, but it was obvious that, in regular team mode, the game didn’t offer a “teleport to teammate” option.
After looking high and low with no luck, Jiang Ye gave up on that glitching-out-of-the-map idea.
But neither she nor A-Xing had ever tried running a dungeon together before.
Maybe it’d work?
Jiang Ye’s brain spun quickly, but her mouth didn’t stop either, as she prompted A-Xing, “Get the dungeon started.”
“Right, do we have the dungeon info? Send it to me,” Jiang Ye asked.
“There’s nothing online. Nobody in the First Server seems to have cleared this dungeon either, it’s probably an undiscovered hidden quest,” A-Xing answered honestly. “I tried to solo it before, but failed. The first wave of mobs start at level 5 and there’s a bunch of them, they all aggro at once and I can’t tank that.”
“Yuchi and I tried earlier, but we still failed, got stuck on stage two,” A-Xing complained. “Never seen such an inhumane dungeon before!”
Jiang Ye glanced at the progress bar on her interface. It clearly showed the buffer time for entering the dungeon’s Time Gate.
She recalled Fan Xiaoche and He Xiaoshang, who were bickering, and waited patiently for the bar to fill.
“Xiao Ye, you’re really sure you’re up for this?” The dungeon was about to start and A-Xing still worried.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yuchi Xi didn’t understand his hesitation at all.
“I think it’s fine,” Jiang Ye said, satisfied as she watched the pop-up window appear.
[System: Please select whether to teleport into the dungeon quest.]
She pressed the confirmation button and instantly felt as if her whole body became weightless, a flash of light passing before her eyes.
That very first moment entering the game, drifting through the sea of stars, wandering the boundless and broken Time Gate and Space Gate—she felt it again.
Her body was light, almost unreal.
Only once Jiang Ye regained her senses and felt her feet solidly touch the ground, everything around her became tangible instead of scattered points of light. That’s when she realized she had arrived in the dungeon.
She looked around.
They stood in a lush forest. Countless towering, ancient trees rose all about, deep green canopies spread out like a multitude of silent umbrellas, shielding everything beneath. Between the umbrellas, sunlight peeked in fine strands, breaking into tiny bits of golden light, with shadows drifting among them.
This was no longer the Island.
This was somewhere entirely different.
A sense of delight welled up in Jiang Ye’s heart.
She looked at A-Xing, who was thoroughly stunned.
That guy was like a dumb little puppy hit by a huge bone from the sky—he needed some time to recover, then started wagging his tail and pounced at Jiang Ye, trying to give her a bear hug.
Jiang Ye dodged without a word, letting A-Xing grab at empty air.
A-Xing stumbled, but quickly tried his hardest to steady himself and pretended nothing happened, turning around, and in an affectedly casual manner, ran a hand through his hair. “Long time no see, Xiao Ye.”
“You’ve seriously cranked up the beauty filter,” Jiang Ye commented bluntly, scrutinizing A-Xing from head to toe.
Unlike the blurry version she’d seen in Yuchi Xi’s stream room, this A-Xing’s face was clear and all his features looked much more real. It only made it more obvious how much effort he’d put into his appearance.
His barely 170 cm in reality had become 180 cm tall in the game.
His straw-like, malnourished-looking hair had been transformed into sleek, shiny gold locks.
Tsk.
“Didn’t notice before, you’re pretty narcissistic, huh?” Jiang Ye commented.
“What?!” A-Xing protested, “I’m just beautifying myself a little, just a little!”
“You two haven’t met in game before?” Another low male voice drifted over, and Jiang Ye turned toward a tree.
“Yuchi Xi?” she asked.
“It’s me.” The man stood under a tree holding a bow, still masked, and nodded politely at her, then looked Jiang Ye up and down. “You’re A Leaf Boat?”
“Why, don’t I look it?”
“You’re pretty different from how I imagined,” Yuchi Xi admitted.
He’d pictured someone who could dominate the Level Board all alone as a pretty eccentric or at least intimidating player.
But now, facing A Leaf Boat in person...
Even A-Xing had switched up his gear.
Yet A Leaf Boat still wore the default outfit the system issued at the very beginning, simple to the point of poverty.
Black-haired, black-eyed, she spoke with a smile, coming off like an easygoing friend—none of the game expert airs Yuchi Xi had expected.
Double black.
“Are you the same player that got wanted in a forum post when the server opened?” Yuchi Xi couldn’t help but think of that post.
“That’s me.”
“I remember that player’s ID was something about hair...”
“Lots of Hair!” A-Xing butted in on the conversation, seeing that Yuchi Xi seemed to be puzzling something out, so he cut in, “The one who was trying to buy Tuna from me before.”
Now Yuchi Xi understood.
The player he kept raving about wanting to arrest in the Game Forum was not only Level Board number one, but also the one selling him fish every day.
For a brief moment, he felt a pang of sympathy for that poor player being toyed around by these two.
Of all people to antagonize, why antagonize A Leaf Boat and Young Master With Money?
Yuchi Xi was now deeply grateful he’d been on the same side as these two from the very start.
“Let’s start the dungeon,” Jiang Ye said, noticing Yuchi Xi’s expression and giving a smile, not planning to discuss it further. “Why isn’t the dungeon starting?”
“Yeah, normally once everyone’s here, the countdown should begin,” A-Xing wondered aloud.
“Oh no.” Yuchi Xi looked awkward as could be—tall and brawny, yet now raising his hand meekly like some pupil confessing a mistake. “I think I forgot to turn off team matching.”
“Turn it off! Hurry!” A-Xing urged.
But it was too late.
A flash of light, and another player appeared in front of them.
ID: Ji Shanshui, level 6, male.
“Hey, good afternoon, everyone!” Ji Shanshui greeted them energetically as he entered. “What dungeon is this? Never seen it before! Hidden dungeon? How do we split the loot? Roll, or just split it evenly?”
A-Xing bit his lip, not saying a word, and sent Yuchi Xi a Private Chat: can we kick this guy out?
Yuchi Xi replied with a sad emoji. Due to newbie protection, the leader couldn’t remove him. Yuchi Xi facepalmed, inwardly beating himself up for this mistake.
Jiang Ye quickly cast her gaze downward, trying to reduce her sense of presence.
But that clearly didn’t work.
“Holy crap! Level 11!” Ji Shanshui rubbed his eyes, not believing the Level icon in the team info.
“An expert!!!” Ji Shanshui was over the moon, staring at Jiang Ye, wringing his hands in excitement just like a fly. “You’re the anonymous pro on the Level Board, right? You’re number one!”
“So your ID is A Leaf Boat! Ah, you’re a female player!”
“Heh.” She smiled perfunctorily.
“Even the pro’s laugh is so melodious!” Ji Shanshui flattered.
His eyes darted slyly as he got an idea. He sneakily edged over beside Jiang Ye, ready to switch on recording mode and snap a photo to brag about, only for Yuchi Xi to grab him by the collar and pull him back.
Ji Shanshui felt the force at his back. He wanted to snap back—Who dares touch your grandpa—but turned to see Yuchi Xi’s Level and instantly zipped his mouth shut.
But he simply couldn’t keep his hands idle.
Ji Shanshui stealthily sent a message in his friends’ game group chat.
[Group·Ji Shanshui: Guess who I matched into this dungeon with?]
[Group·Meteor Moon: Don’t care no matter who.]
[Group·Ji Shanshui: The highest level player on the whole server! Now I know her ID! After this dungeon, I’ll add her as a friend and begin my rise to glory.]
[Group·Meteor Moon: Damn! You got lucky, didn’t you?]
[Group·Ji Shanshui: Not bad, huh? Just wait for me to lock in this pro as my friend. When I set up my Guild, she’ll back me up.]
[Group·Meteor Moon: Daydreaming is an illness. Get treatment.]
[Group·Ji Shanshui: Get lost! What do you know!]
Ji Shanshui was all scheming inside, but on the surface he clung tight to Jiang Ye’s thigh, never stopping for a second, and started chattering away again.
“Pro, pro, can I follow you through the dungeon and learn a thing or two? Want to add me as a friend? I’ll help however I can anytime.”
Jiang Ye, who’d already found A-Xing chatty enough, now felt A-Xing was downright mute by comparison.
Ji Shanshui had more he wanted to say, but before he could, a chime sounded—the dungeon countdown had ended, and everything formally began!
In the team chat, Yuchi Xi and A-Xing posted at the exact same time.
—Don’t talk after we enter! Aggroing monsters!
A creepy black wind blew through. Daylight dimmed.
The warm, sunny, welcoming forest instantly became something out of a horror flick.
A half-shrouded moon hung high, with the clouds covering it like a gnawed yolk.
Crows cawed, leaves rustled.
In the darkness, the sound of birds scattering and the scrape of wolf packs slipping through grass happened all at once.
“What the heck, is this a horror dungeon?” Ji Shanshui couldn’t handle it, ignoring the team chat warnings from Yuchi Xi and A-Xing. He quietly moved next to Jiang Ye, trying to cozy up to her. “Pro, keep me safe, yeah?”
“Shut up!” Yuchi Xi barked without mercy.
“I’m just supposed to shut up because you say so? What am I—a total pusho—ah!!”
Ji Shanshui shrieked, and in a flash was trying to cling to Jiang Ye. But she was far nimbler, twisting away to the side.
“Something’s here, something’s here!!” Ji Shanshui almost lost it. “Something furry was just next to my leg! Aaahh!!”
Whoosh—
Torches were lit.
Yuchi Xi and A-Xing held up their gleaming torches.
Only then did Ji Shanshui get a clear look. Not just in front of him, but all around, there were several wolves.
These wolves’ faces were half-rotten, exposing stark white bone, the other half still intact.
When they opened their mouths, a wave of stench rolled out.
Even their fangs still had scraps of rotten meat hanging from them.
“Holy crap!!!!” Ji Shanshui had played a lot of games but never encountered such disgusting monsters. He panicked, turning to find a life-saver. “Pro! Pro, quick, get rid of them for me!”
But when he looked around, he realized someone—he didn’t know when—had already climbed up a tree, leaving him to face the hungry wolves alone.
“Are you people even human?!” Ji Shanshui wailed, legs shaking.
“Strategy, strategy,” Jiang Ye said cheerfully. “You pull aggro first, we’ll join in soon.”
Ji Shanshui had no choice but to bolt, the pack of wolves in hot pursuit.
“I was the one supposed to draw the aggro,” A-Xing sighed. “How could I know the moment he entered he’d start blabbering and mess everything up?”
“It’s fate,” Yuchi Xi replied coldly. “Let’s get started.”
Yuchi Xi was excellent with a bow—almost every arrow found its mark.
From his vantage point, he shot out the wolves’ eyes, then A-Xing and Jiang Ye jumped down to deal with the disabled ones.
Things were going smoothly until one wolf lunged at Ji Shanshui, and he used a skill ticket to swap places with Jiang Ye.
“A trade position skill?!” Yuchi Xi recognized it at a glance.
Turns out Ji Shanshui was a star coin spender and had a 998 gold coin item ticket.
“Heh.” Ji Shanshui scratched his head, looking simple. “The pro’s so strong, better you pull the aggro than me.”
“Pro, you got this!!”
Jiang Ye, face blank, grabbed the muzzle of a wolf lunging at her, clamped it shut, then slammed her head down hard on the wolf’s skull.
When one hit didn’t do it, she struck several more times.
Thunk!
The wolf’s skull burst open.
Jiang Ye was splattered with foul blood.
She turned to Ji Shanshui, who had been stupefied by what he just saw. She smiled as if nonchalant, but in Ji Shanshui’s eyes, the smile was downright terrifying.
“Are you an idiot? You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Don’t you know that even if you swap positions, the main aggro is still on you?” Jiang Ye spoke softly.
Ji Shanshui blinked, not quite following, only to see that all the wolves who’d surrounded Jiang Ye were now turning around and coming straight for him.
“What kind of garbage item is this?!” Before taking off at a sprint, Ji Shanshui pulled A-Xing over to use as a shield.
A-Xing was totally caught off guard and ended up getting mobbed by wolves. He initially wanted to tough it out, but realizing he’d still have to run this dungeon with this guy, he just flopped over and let himself die, messaging Jiang Ye and Yuchi Xi.
[Private Chat·Young Master With Money: If we can’t kick him for now, I’ll die here. See you both at the Respawn Point, I’ll start a new run. By the way, I’ll act him up a bit.]
As soon as he sent this, A-Xing was killed, turning into a gravestone on the ground.
A dead player was booted from the dungeon. He could only speak in the team chat now.
[Team·Young Master With Money:...]
[Team·Young Master With Money: Ji Shanshui, what’s wrong with your brain? Missing your brainstem? Go see a doctor and stop playing games!]
[Team·Young Master With Money: Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!]
[Team·Ji Shanshui: Bro, is that needed? I was just making an efficient play, you’re the lowest level so a sacrifice isn’t a big deal.]
[Team·Young Master With Money: Who the hell is your bro?! If you’ve got the guts, come fight me solo outside the dungeon!!!]
[Team·Yuchi Xi: PK isn’t allowed in the novice village.]
[Team·Young Master With Money: Yuchi, whose side are you on, anyway!!!]
Yuchi Xi didn’t reply. Perched in the tree, he gripped his bow tight and shot an arrow at Ji Shanshui.
Swish—
The arrow whooshed right past Ji Shanshui’s cheek, making his heart nearly stop.
He didn’t doubt for a second that if the game didn’t have a protection mechanism, this guy in black would have used ‘Strike My Teammate’ straight away.
After that arrow, Yuchi Xi didn’t attack again.
But with Ji Shanshui’s skills alone, there was no way he could take on a wolf pack.
He glanced at A Leaf Boat, who was circling over and yanking her boning knife out of a wolf’s body, and gritted his teeth, sending her a Private Chat request.
Only after A Leaf Boat accepted could they talk privately.
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: Pro, let’s make a deal. I give you 1,000 gold coins, you save me once, then we kick that Xi guy, and we split the dungeon rewards evenly, sound good?]
After all, this was a hidden dungeon!
Ji Shanshui had gotten super lucky to get matched here, he wasn’t about to lose out on the dungeon rewards.
He glanced at A Leaf Boat’s shabby looks, thinking she must be short on cash, so he secretly made the offer, testing the waters to see if money would get her on his side.
If 1,000 gold coins could get A Leaf Boat to do his bidding, then surely he could buy her into his Guild in the future.
Ji Shanshui chugged a speed-boosting item and kited the wolves while messaging.
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: Pro, answer me!!]
Seeing Ji Shanshui on the verge of getting completely surrounded, about to be shredded by wolves, A Leaf Boat finally moved.
She stood up.
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: Sure.]
Those two words made Ji Shanshui delirious with joy.
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: Great, great! Pro, come save me first!!!]
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: But.]
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: Huh?]
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: 1,000 gold? Not enough.]
“Damn it!”
Seeing this message, Ji Shanshui cursed out loud.
After all that, the pro was greedy!
A thousand gold still wasn’t enough??
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: How much do you want then!]
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: Depends how much you think your own life is worth.]
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: Two thousand!]
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: A dog’s life? Deal.]
What Ji Shanshui hated most was that phrase.
A Leaf Boat, just a double black, probably some wasteland dweller, yet she dared call his life cheap?
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: Twenty thousand!!!]
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: Truly precious. /Thumbs up]
Seeing the praise from A Leaf Boat, Ji Shanshui gloated.
[Private Chat·Ji Shanshui: So you’ll save me now, right? Hurry up.]
[Private Chat·A Leaf Boat: Bro, money for life. Pay up first.]