[Mycelial Robe].

"It's a high-level fire spell! Someone's forcibly destroying the rift core!"

The commander-in-chief was both shocked and delighted. He shouted into his communicator, "Is it reinforcements? Or did the advance team inside do it?"

The fiery explosions and energy fluctuations continued for a dozen seconds or so, then gradually subsided.

The rift space stopped shaking. The fine cracks in the sky began to slowly close.

The mycelial mat writhing madly across the ground seemed to lose its vitality. It gradually grew sluggish and withered, its color fading from dark purple to a sickly gray. The sweet, bloody stench of decay also weakened considerably.

Had the core been destroyed?

Just as everyone was caught between shock and doubt, familiar, pure milky-white pillars of light descended without warning, enveloping all the awakened inside the rift.

Including the gravely injured Rex.

[Otherworldly Rift scenario settlement in progress...]

[Scenario: Corrupted Mycelial Mat Mutation Rift (temporarily stabilized)]

[Contribution assessment based on the clearing and confrontation of anomalous creatures within the rift: 12%]

[Base experience reward: 140 points]

[Assistance in destruction of rift core detected. Additional experience reward: 50 points]

[Settlement complete.]

A total of 190 experience points!

[378/300]

Su Ran immediately chose to level up. A warm current surged through his body, washing away his fatigue and injuries, and even restoring a good deal of his mana.

[78/400]

[Level up! Lv.3 → Lv.4]

[Free attribute points +1]

As usual, Su Ran put the point into Spirit, bringing it to 17.

[Arcane Explosion level increased! Lv.1 → Lv.2]

[Mage Armor level increased! Lv.1 → Lv.2]

Double blessings had arrived at his door!

Not only had he reached Lv.4, but thanks to frequent use in intense combat, the two spells he had just learned had also grown rapidly!

At the same time, a treasure chest radiating a soft, silvery-white glow appeared before Su Ran.

It was the reward for the rift event, and it was Silver-grade!

Treasure chests also appeared before the other survivors. A Silver Chest materialized before the gravely injured Rex as well.

The sensation of being teleported began to intensify.

"Everyone, hurry and collect your rewards! Teleportation is about to begin!" The commander-in-chief's voice echoed through the pillars of light.

Su Ran had no time for a closer look. With a thought, he quickly stored his Silver Chest in his two-cubic-meter Personal Space.

Then he looked at Rex, who was also wrapped in a pillar of light. His injuries seemed to have eased somewhat under the settlement energy.

The pillars of light flared!

The next moment, all the awakened vanished together, along with the treasure chests they had obtained, from the slowly collapsing Otherworldly Rift and its withering mycelial mat.

Outside the rift monitoring post the Iron Cross Guild had temporarily established in the instance Wilderness.

White lights flashed one after another, and the twenty-five people who had entered the rift were teleported back in succession. The wounded were immediately taken away by a medical team that had been waiting for some time, including the unconscious Rex.

Su Ran planted his feet on solid ground and felt the air of the real world. He let out a long breath.

He had made it back alive.

He had even leveled up.

And obtained a Silver Chest.

Though the ordeal had been perilous and the captain gravely injured, the rewards had been just as great.

He glanced in the direction Rex had been rushed off, then felt the hefty silver chest in his Personal Space.

Next, it was time to take stock of his gains.

After returning to the Iron Cross Guild's temporary camp, Su Ran first went to the medical station to check on Rex.

The burly captain was still unconscious, but after treatment and stabilization by the guild's high-level healer, his vital signs had steadied. He just needed time to recover.

Alina, Karl, and Xiaoguang kept watch there, their faces tired but relieved.

Su Ran didn't disturb them for long and left quietly. He went to the communal dining hall for a hot meal: ordinary-tasting stew and hard bread, but enough to quickly replenish his strength.

He wolfed down a few bites and drank a whole flask of warm water. Only then did most of his physical and mental fatigue fade.

He didn't return to the rest tent assigned to the team—Rex wasn't there, and neither were the others. Instead, he went back to the personal meditation area at the edge of camp, where access had to be purchased with contribution points.

It was quiet, protected by a soundproof barrier, and relatively safe.

He sat down cross-legged, took several deep breaths, and thoroughly calmed his mind.

Then, full of anticipation, he took the Silver Chest from the Otherworldly Rift out of his Personal Space.

The silvery-white chest had a subdued luster in the dim light, and its raised cloud patterns subtly rose and fell as if breathing,

It looked more exquisite than the silver chest from the previous rift, and its energy fluctuations were steadier and deeper.

Without hesitation, Su Ran placed the chest in front of him.

"First opening."

The lid slid open silently.

The first thing he saw was a small, neatly stacked pile of silver coins—fifteen of them!

That immediate financial gain far exceeded what an ordinary instance's wooden chest yielded, and was even greater than the total rewards from some low-difficulty instances.

Beside the silver coins was a thin, pale-gold book. Its cover bore no writing, but it radiated gentle fluctuations of knowledge. Made of neither paper nor leather, it felt warm and smooth to the touch.

Su Ran picked up the book, and information flowed into his mind:

[Beginner Skill Upgrade Book]

Contained pure knowledge and the essence of experience. Could be used to raise a spell or skill below Lv.4 by 2 levels.

How to use: hold the book against the forehead, silently recite the name of the skill to be upgraded, and expend a small amount of mental power to guide it.

A Skill Upgrade Book! It could directly raise a skill's level!

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Su Ran's eyes. The attack spell he currently possessed, [Energy Missile], was already Lv.4, beyond the book's limit.

But he could use it on the support skills [Light Spell] Lv.2 and [Lesser Healing Spell] Lv.2, as well as [Mage Armor] and [Arcane Explosion], which had just reached Lv.2 in combat!

In particular, if he could raise [Arcane Explosion] to Lv.4, its power and range would increase further, making it a more reliable means of dealing area damage.

Or he could upgrade [Mage Armor] to improve his ability to stay alive.

It was a choice that required careful consideration, but either way, this was an excellent find.

"First opening: fifteen silver coins and a skill book. A winning start." Su Ran carefully put away the book and coins.

Then came the second opening of the Silver Chest.

Inside were another fifteen silver coins. It seemed the silver chests from this rift yielded a fairly consistent and generous amount of silver coins on their first opening.

Beside them was a neatly folded garment. He unfolded it to find a deep-purple robe made of exceptionally soft fabric. Fine, mycelium-like patterns covered its surface, and it felt cool to the touch.

Set into the robe's collar, cuffs, and hem were simple dark-silver runes that looked as though they had been woven from hardened mycelium. Its overall style was mysterious, with a hint of otherworldly character.

[Mycelial Robe (rare)]

Made from special mycelium stripped from the core area of an otherworldly corrupted mycelial mat, then purified, woven, and enchanted.

Effects: Spirit +1, Constitution +1. Slightly increased resistance to low-level mental interference, toxins, and parasitic effects. Slightly increased mana recovery speed, with a greater effect outside combat.

Material properties: lightweight, breathable, and capable of limited self-repair.

A robe of excellent quality!

Its attributes were extremely practical! The +1 Spirit raised his core attribute once again. The resistance and mana recovery were both exceptionally useful additional effects.

Though its self-repair was slow, it also reduced maintenance costs. In terms of practicality and attribute bonuses, this robe surpassed the [Cloth Robe (excellent)] he was wearing in every respect.

"Just what I need to replace it." Without hesitation, Su Ran took off his Cloth Robe and changed into the [Mycelial Robe].

The robe automatically conformed to his figure, soft and comfortable. Its coolness seemed to help keep his mind clear.

He felt that his mental power seemed a little more active, and his perception of the surrounding energy had improved slightly as well.

The first openings of two chests in a row had both yielded satisfying rewards: thirty silver coins in total, a Skill Upgrade Book, and a practical new robe.