Second Dungeon

Three figures suddenly appeared out of thin air in a mountain forest where streams murmured.

One of them was a young girl in a tracksuit, her face full of curiosity. She held a silver-white handgun and wore a rather mismatched steel helmet, looking as though a two-dimensional gunfight girl had stepped into reality.

Another was a somewhat short middle-aged man. Though not tall, he wore a black cloak and a gray hood, giving him an oddly comical yet grim appearance.

Compared with the other two, the last person looked far more normal. He was a tall, handsome young man with neat short hair, dressed in Silver Ash wolf pelt armor and holding a drawn Silver Long Blade. The moment he appeared, he calmly and carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Dungeon Objective: Kill a Fierce Tiger (Lv3) in the nearby forest.

The instant Wang Zhifan entered the Dungeon, a translucent screen flashed before his eyes, informing him of the main task for this Dungeon.

He immediately began cautiously and carefully examining the area. Before long, he determined that there was no Fierce Tiger hidden within at least thirty meters of them, meaning their starting location was relatively safe.

While Wang Zhifan observed the surroundings, the other two also reacted in their own ways.

The short Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man, whose appearance was somewhat comical, subtly tugged at the cloak behind him and wrapped it around himself. His entire body quickly blended into the darkness among the trees. If Wang Zhifan had not noticed him earlier, he might have found it difficult to tell that someone was standing there now.

The Tracksuit Girl holding the silver-white handgun and wearing a steel helmet was probably the liveliest and most excited of the three. After her gaze swept back and forth between Wang Zhifan and the short middle-aged man a few times, she was the first to speak. "Hello, big brother, uncle! I'm a newbie player entering a Dungeon for the first time. I hope we can..."

"Shh... Keep your voice down."

Before the girl, who was probably a Gunner, could finish speaking, the Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man hidden in the forest's darkness interrupted her. He reminded the player who claimed this was her first Dungeon to lower her voice, lest she trigger something unexpected.

"Uh... sorry. I was too excited just now."

The girl seemed to have a decent personality. After being interrupted by the Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man, she immediately lowered her voice and apologized. It was clear that this really was her first time entering a Dungeon, or she would not have made such an obvious mistake. Fortunately, no serious consequences had resulted so far.

"Ahem... Since you two are both young, and I'm over a decade older than you with some Dungeon experience, how about I serve as the leader for this Dungeon?"

The Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man coughed twice, then lowered his voice as he spoke to the Gunslinger Girl and Wang Zhifan. He wanted to use his seniority to claim the leading role in this Dungeon.

"No problem! I agree!"

The Gunslinger Girl was the first to agree. In her excitement, she nearly spoke too loudly again.

Wang Zhifan, however, was not so straightforward. He was not the type who liked to show off, but if someone wanted to lead him, they had to earn his approval first.

"May I ask what level you are, uncle? How many Dungeons have you cleared?"

Wang Zhifan then asked him this question.

"I'm Lv3. This is my seventh Dungeon."

The Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man, blended into the darkness, immediately looked at Wang Zhifan and replied calmly.

As he spoke, he deliberately displayed the player level marker above his head. It was indeed "Lv3."

"Wow! You're already Lv3, uncle? I'm still only Lv1!"

Perhaps it was the first time the Gunslinger Girl had seen a Lv3 player. The pitch she had just managed to suppress showed signs of getting out of control again.

"And you, young man? Lv2?"

The Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man ignored the excited young girl beside him and instead deliberately stared at Wang Zhifan.

"I'm just a newbie, Lv1."

Wang Zhifan immediately shook his head. In a Dungeon, lying to teammates about one's strength was extremely unwise and could easily lead to serious consequences.

"Oh... Then just listen to me from here on out."

The short middle-aged man in the hood and cloak replied to Wang Zhifan.

Though he had merged with the darkness between the trees, making his facial expression impossible to see, Wang Zhifan kept feeling that this fellow had been staring in his direction. He seemed somewhat interested in him.

"Little girl, you're a Gunner, right? How many bullets did you bring? Is your Shooting skill Lv2?"

The Hooded Middle-aged Man then turned to the Tracksuit Girl in the steel helmet and began confirming some basic information.

"Yes, uncle. I'm a Gunner Class. I have twelve bullets in total, and my Shooting skill is Lv1."

The girl clearly trusted the highest-level teammate present and immediately answered truthfully.

"And you, young man? Are you a melee class?"

The Hooded Middle-aged Man then turned to ask Wang Zhifan.

"Mm. I use a blade."

Wang Zhifan nodded, but then asked the middle-aged man, "What about you, uncle? Are you an Assassin?"

Based on the middle-aged man's style of dress and the concealment ability he had just displayed, it was only natural for Wang Zhifan to make that guess.

But at that moment, the middle-aged player acted as if he had not heard Wang Zhifan's question. Rather than answering, he began muttering to himself in a somewhat puzzled tone.

"This is a little strange... This time, my teammates are a little weak. Is the Dungeon trying to make things harder for me?"

The Hooded Middle-aged Man did not answer his question, and Wang Zhifan did not press further. Still, the man's arrogant attitude made him somewhat displeased.

Considering that they were currently teammates, tied to the same rope, and constrained by the Punishment Round mechanic, there was basically no chance of them becoming enemies. Wang Zhifan decided to stay more low-key and practical. If he could ride an experienced player's coattails through the Dungeon, there was no need for him to exert himself too much.

"Alright, based on our current combat setup, here are my arrangements."

"Little girl, hurry and hide in those bushes over there. Be ready to shoot the tiger at any moment."

"Young man, stay nearby and remain alert for battle."

"I'll locate that tiger and lure it over. Then, young man, you'll draw its attention from the front. Little girl, find an opportunity to shoot it from concealment. At the critical moment, I'll step in and kill it."

After pondering for a few seconds, the Hooded Cloak Middle-aged Man issued orders to the other two like a commander.