Ji Shanshui cursed inwardly and transferred 20,000 gold coins to A Leaf Boat.
The moment the system notified him that the transfer was successful, A Leaf Boat sprang into action.
Ji Shanshui had never seen a player in the game as agile as her. Her movements were swift as a ripple in water, a gust of wind.
A Leaf Boat and Yuchi Xi worked together with remarkable coordination.
Yuchi Xi shot from above, hitting the wolf in the eye to inflict high damage, and Jiang Ye finished it off with a quick, deadly strike.
Within a few moves, they took out all the Level 5 little monsters that were attacking them.
Even Jiang Ye herself was a bit stunned by their speed.
Up until now, she’d had no experience with battling such monsters; all her game experience came from the ocean and the Island.
She’d always thought she wasn’t that strong, just happened to benefit from a few bugs, so she leveled up quickly.
But now, whether due to Level suppression or her character’s natural talent and abilities, it seemed she was among the top players around.
Before choosing a class, all players relied on instinct to fight monsters.
In reality, Jiang Ye wasn’t particularly good at fighting, nor was she especially athletic.
But she knew this was a game.
With a thought, she gathered her energy and dashed, really moving like she’d activated sprint mode, even leaving an afterimage behind.
Taking out a few little wolves in this state wasn’t too difficult for Jiang Ye.
When the rotten wolf pack melted into puddles on the ground and disappeared, the first stage was over.
Yuchi Xi flipped down from the tree, shot Ji Shanshui a vicious glare after landing, then strode ahead, face cold.
Ji Shanshui trailed next to Jiang Ye, making a face at Yuchi Xi’s back, then sidled up to Jiang Ye with a grin. “You're amazing, boss.”
“Boss, you haven’t chosen a class yet?” Ji Shanshui asked casually. “Why didn’t you use any class skills?”
In Free Wanderer, there are three main classes: Dream Recaller, True Iron, and Golden Spear—healer, tank, and attacker, basically.
You choose a class after hitting Level 10, just by completing a quest back in the novice village.
But although Jiang Ye met the Level requirement, she wasn’t in the novice village, so she couldn’t change class.
“You need class skills to beat these mobs?” Jiang Ye chuckled.
Ji Shanshui fell silent for a moment, quietly adding another note to A Leaf Boat’s dossier in his mind.
A Leaf Boat: female, greedy, vain, loves to show off.
Yuchi Xi led the two deeper in. The entrance to the second stage was just ahead, by the stone stele.
Yuchi Xi went forward to activate the mechanism.
The stone wall slowly shifted open, revealing a pitch-black cave.
“I hate this stage the most,” dead A-Xing griped in team voice chat. “There aren’t even any mobs, but it’s such a waste of Time Gate.”
“What do you mean?” Ji Shanshui asked.
A-Xing couldn't be bothered with him.
Ji Shanshui rolled his eyes and followed Yuchi Xi in, walking with Jiang Ye.
As soon as she stepped into the cave, Jiang Ye felt her feet get soaked and sticky, as if stepping on slime.
Every time she lifted her foot she could feel the stretchiness on her sole.
Each step came with a wet squelch.
What bothered Jiang Ye most was that the moment she entered this swampy cave, her HP started dropping.
Slowly, but steadily.
The further in they went, the more cave entrances there were.
Every single entrance looked exactly the same, making it impossible to tell them apart.
“No way. This is a maze? And there's a Time Gate limit too?”
Ji Shanshui saw the half-hour countdown pop up as soon as they entered the second stage and was speechless.
“Don’t pick this one.” Yuchi Xi pointed to the cave opening on the far right. “Young Master With Money and I tried that one last time.”
“Can we all split up and each try a different path?” Jiang Ye looked at the entrances and asked. “If it’s a maze, there must be a way through, right? Then we can teleport within the dungeon if needed.”
“No,” Yuchi Xi's deep voice replied, “if players separate this happens.”
Yuchi Xi casually stepped back.
As he put a two-meter gap between himself and A Leaf Boat and Ji Shanshui, Jiang Ye noticed her HP dropping much faster.
Ji Shanshui went quiet, but his eyes suddenly shone with a crafty glint in the dark.
“So, I think this dungeon is all about luck,” Yuchi Xi said with a bitter smile. “Only if you get lucky with every pick can you make it out of here. If not, there are only two outcomes.”
“You die from the poisonous swamp, or wait for the Time Gate to run out,” Jiang Ye replied.
“Exactly. So, which way now?” Yuchi Xi asked in a low voice.
“Don’t ask me!” Ji Shanshui quickly waved his hands. “I know nothing!”
After that, both of them turned to look at Jiang Ye.
“Just pick one,” Jiang Ye said.
“But I think the path you tried before might work this time. There’s no guarantee the dungeon isn’t randomly changed every run,” Jiang Ye analyzed, looking up at Yuchi Xi. “How much time did you guys spend last time trying to get through the cave?”
“Twenty minutes,” Yuchi Xi replied. “The swamp slows you down. And we didn’t really make it through, just reached the end and couldn’t get out. Ran out of HP and failed the challenge.”
In Carefree Wanderer, if a player dies in a dungeon, they don’t lose EXP, gold coins, or items from outside, but they can’t continue in that dungeon run.
Once all players have died, the dungeon challenge fails.
“So, with the Time Gate restriction, we basically get no do-overs,” Jiang Ye said, looking at the entrances.
“Just pick one,” Ji Shanshui muttered in annoyance. “The right one looks fine to me.”
Jiang Ye and Yuchi Xi exchanged a quick glance and followed him to the rightmost entrance.
The deeper they went, the more clearly they could hear water dripping from the cave walls onto the muddy ground.
At the same time, the howling wind grew louder.
“I hear wind!” Ji Shanshui said excitedly. “This has to be the right exit!”
“Hahaha! I am the chosen one of this dungeon!”
Maybe he got overexcited, but Ji Shanshui suddenly took off running toward the light and breeze ahead.
He quickly left Jiang Ye and Yuchi Xi behind.
His HP started dropping much faster.
“This guy has a lot of tricks.” As Ji Shanshui disappeared, Jiang Ye finally spoke.
“Yeah.” Yuchi Xi still sounded guilty. “I shouldn’t have forgotten to turn off team matching.”
“It’s fine.” Jiang Ye smiled. “Thanks to you, I had a chance to make some money. You really don’t want half of the 20,000?”
“No. I’ll log out soon too. Can you handle playing with him alone?” Yuchi Xi pursed his lips unhappily.
“Okay, Yuchi, you just hang out here.” Jiang Ye rose on her toes to pat his shoulder. “Leave the rest to me.”
“He’s a real piece of work. Are you sure you’re alright with him?” Yuchi Xi asked.
“He jumped into this himself. If I don’t mess with him, then what’s the fun? Plus, that deal just now—I only promised to save him once and split the post-clear rewards. I never promised to carry him through the dungeon.” Jiang Ye grinned. “I haven’t even beaten this dungeon before. Not sure I can make it through myself.”
Honestly, Jiang Ye had run into plenty of selfish, scheming players like Ji Shanshui in other online games. If she could avoid them, she would, but if they showed up and wouldn’t leave, she’d always make sure they paid for it.
After telling Yuchi Xi her plan, Jiang Ye leisurely followed in the direction Ji Shanshui had gone.
Unnoticed, she had already released nine sea snakes.
The sea snakes slithered quickly along the cave walls toward different entrances.
Since they weren’t touching the weird stuff on the ground, their HP stayed high.
The moment Jiang Ye saw the cave entrances, she knew what she’d do.
She couldn’t split herself and explore several entrances at once.
But her summoned creatures could.
If any entrance was a way through, the sea snake could become her summoning point.
Jiang Ye only needed to teleport to wherever the snake was.
She strolled ahead at a totally relaxed pace.
Even the constant HP loss notification above her head didn’t bother her.
Coconut water in hand, recovery was top notch.
What was there to fear?
As for Ji Shanshui...
When Jiang Ye found him, he was leaning against a dead end in despair, panting hard.
His HP bar was dropping fast.
Jiang Ye didn’t even have to guess—this guy must've chugged a ton of healing potions along the way.
“You’re fast, huh.” Jiang Ye tipped her chin toward him.
“B-Boss!” Ji Shanshui hadn’t expected A Leaf Boat to catch up.
He had been waiting for news of his teammates dying.
Three minutes ago, Yuchi Xi had already left the dungeon.
By his calculations, he thought A Leaf Boat would be on her last legs too.
But unexpectedly, A Leaf Boat still had more than half her HP left.
How could that be?
He’d just barely made it here by popping potions constantly.
Did A Leaf Boat also have loads of healing items stocked up?
But...
Looking at A Leaf Boat’s plain, poor appearance, Ji Shanshui doubted it. Healing items went for a fortune on the market these days.
A Leaf Boat didn’t look like she could afford them.
Even the one coconut water he had, which healed 200 HP, was a gift from a friend.
Could A Leaf Boat have that stuff?
Ji Shanshui was suspicious.
But despite all the questions in his mind, he still wore a flattering smile to A Leaf Boat.
“You came, boss.” Ji Shanshui rubbed his hands. “Got a bit too hyped there and totally forgot what happens if you get too far apart. You and that Yuchi bro—are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Can’t you see for yourself how he is?”
“True, true.” Ji Shanshui gave a forced laugh.
He knew this boss had a weird, hard-to-get-along-with temperament, always speaking in that irritating, sarcastic tone.
But hearing her now, Ji Shanshui really wanted to punch her.
He forced himself to hold back through sheer willpower, sliding his mask back into place.
“So what do we do now, boss?” Ji Shanshui asked pitifully. “I gave you twenty thousand gold. If we can’t clear the dungeon, that doesn’t count.”
“Who says we can’t clear it?” Jiang Ye said, perfectly calm.
“You have a plan, boss?!”
“How many healing items do you have left?” Jiang Ye asked.
“None.” That was why Ji Shanshui was so dejected.
“Oh.” Jiang Ye nodded, folded her arms, and leaned against another rock wall, eyes closed, silent.
Ji Shanshui was dumbfounded.
He tried mimicking her pose, hoping to sense her mysterious insight.
But—
It was completely useless.
“Boss, what are you doing?” Ji Shanshui was frantic inside.
He couldn’t wait much longer.
If this dragged on, he’d bleed out and die before A Leaf Boat did.
“Aren’t we going to look for the exit?” Ji Shanshui was panicking.
“We’ve already found it,” Jiang Ye said.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Ji Shanshui was excited.
“Waiting for you to die,” Jiang Ye replied.
“Huh?”
For a moment, Ji Shanshui’s mind just blanked.
“Boss, what do you mean?” A bad feeling crept over him, and his face darkened instantly.
But it was so dark in the cave that the others couldn’t see his expression.
“Exactly what I said.” Jiang Ye’s tone was smug.
“What good does it do you if I die?” Ji Shanshui didn’t understand. “Boss, I gave you money to save me and carry me through the dungeon. You can’t be serious! You really can’t—”
“Heartless, backstabbing, utterly despicable.” Jiang Ye finished what he was struggling to say.
“Yeah, yeah—wait! No! Boss, you—”
“Dear customer, let’s review our Private Chat, shall we? You asked me to save your life. Didn’t I just save you?”
“Yes, but—”
“Alright. Since that’s done, let’s look at the next item. You said you wanted Yuchi Xi taken care of. Isn't he already gone?”
That... made a certain kind of sense.
“Wait!” Ji Shanshui realized he couldn’t let her keep steering the conversation. He shouted, “But my most important condition was that you carry me through the dungeon!”
“You said the post-clear rewards should be split with you 50-50, not that I had to carry you. If you die, I can still clear the dungeon.”
“The system will notify the team interface about the rewards after clearing it. However much there is, I’ll split it with you. I keep my word.”
Ji Shanshui’s head was spinning from all this.
“But what good does it do you if I die? Why not just carry me through?” Ji Shanshui persisted.
“It’ll put me in a better mood,” Jiang Ye said, opening her eyes and smiling at him.
Ji Shanshui was nearly driven crazy by A Leaf Boat at this point.
“Boss, you’re way too arrogant.” Ji Shanshui sneered. “Even if you’re first on the Level rankings, that doesn’t mean you can handle the rest of the stages alone.”
“More teammates, more help. Don’t tell me you don’t get it, boss?”
“Huh?” Jiang Ye blinked innocently. “You’re help? I sure don’t see it.”
“A real teammate would attack their own party members, try to get others killed instead? Wow, I’ve never had a teammate like you before! How novel!”
The obvious skepticism, disdain, and biting sarcasm in her voice stung Ji Shanshui’s pride and made him furious.
“Actually, if you want to keep going, it’s not impossible,” Jiang Ye said, tilting her chin up slightly. “I’ve got potions. Want to buy one? Guaranteed to restore you to full HP. Even disabled old folks could jog after taking it.”
“Get lost!!”
Ji Shanshui couldn’t take it anymore.
“You think I’d fall for it again!!!”
Jiang Ye just blinked at him, silent.
“Kill me, then.” Ji Shanshui gave up. “Just do it. Please.”
It was agony, watching his HP tick down bit by bit.
Plus, everything in the cave made him feel like he was trapped in a stinky, filthy sewer.
It was disgusting.
“Can’t kill you, buddy.” Jiang Ye smiled. “Still don’t want to buy my potion? I can save you again.”
“A Leaf Boat!! Stop playing people for fools, will you! It’s just a game, what are you so smug about!!!”
Ji Shanshui was so mad at her face that it made him want to explode. He drew his dagger and tried to attack Jiang Ye.
But the PK protection between teammates made all his efforts useless.
To Jiang Ye, it was just one thing.
Powerless rage.
Ji Shanshui gave up. He tossed his dagger on the ground, then sat down.
Whatever.
If he died, so be it.
But—
When his HP dropped below ten percent, Ji Shanshui panicked again.
“Hey, A Leaf Boat, how much for a potion?”
“Original price, 998 gold coins.”
“I’ll buy it!” Ji Shanshui blurted.
“Current price, 9,980 gold coins.”
“You can’t just jack up the price like that!” Ji Shanshui stared at Jiang Ye in disbelief. “That’s shameless!”
“Just think about it, dear. The longer you take, the—”
Before Jiang Ye could finish, Ji Shanshui interrupted.
“I’ll buy it!”
“I’ll buy it, alright?!”
Humiliated, he gave A Leaf Boat the money. Ji Shanshui swore to himself that in the next stage, he’d find a way to get this woman killed!
Clenching his fists, he told himself he was just biding his time—for now!
After taking his money, Jiang Ye sent a Private Chat to A-Xing and Yuchi Xi: Relax, this guy can’t beat me. You two get ready; once he’s out, we’ll restart the dungeon as a team.