Mysterious Cave

Upon seeing this, Luo Jun couldn't help but gasp.

This is a mission I absolutely cannot accept. Even the Clan Troops have been dragged into it; what use are my skills? Is the "Night" organization so prestigious that they think I can handle something like this?

However, on the surface, Luo Jun couldn't let anyone see that he was backing down. He looked at the mission description and frowned, asking, "What exactly are these dangerous places mentioned?"

"It's a cave; the exact location is on the mission sheet," Ling Kai answered honestly.

"I saw the Mission Description. I'm asking if it's just a cave?" Luo Jun sneered. "Is discovering a cave enough to warrant the Ling Family sending their Clan Troops to investigate?"

"What exactly is inside the cave is beyond my level of knowledge..." Ling Kai sighed. "Of course, since no one who went in has ever come out, even the higher-ups in the Ling Family probably don't know... otherwise, they wouldn't have had to send an entire army in later..."

"So, you sent me this task that you yourselves weren't even sure about?" Luo Jun said, controlling his Mental Power and releasing the pressure he had just learned.

Although Ling Yi deemed him ignorant and incompetent, Ling Kai was, after all, a master of the Heart Refining Realm, nurtured by the Ling Family, and stronger than most hunters. However, he felt an inexplicable sense of panic when facing Luo Jun's pressure, a feeling he hadn't even experienced when facing Ling Ao, the Ling Family Head.

"N-no... no..." The usually glib Ling Kai stammered, "The... the guild also came to you to... to ask for your help..."

The effect was so obvious? Luo Jun was taken aback. He had previously released his aura on monsters in the wild, and while the weaker ones reacted, the powerful ones were completely unaffected...

After a moment's thought, he realized that "Night" was now infamous. Although Ling Kai had appeared calm in front of him before, he was still somewhat intimidated. The pressure he was releasing now was like the last straw, making his inner fear impossible to hide any longer.

Thinking this, Luo Jun suppressed his aura. "Speak, what exactly does the guild mean...?"

Feeling much less pressured, Ling Kai breathed a sigh of relief and reorganized his thoughts.

"To be honest... the guild could only deploy five Clan Troops before. Not counting the elite force led by Ling Yao on the expedition, there were four left. Now, two of them have been lost in this cave. If the latter two also encounter problems, there will be no one to keep order..."

"So you're going to hire us, the Wildlands Hunter, to fill the cave?" Luo Jun sneered.

"That's not what I meant..." Ling Kai hurriedly explained, "The rewards for this mission are indeed generous. Guilds always issue missions on a voluntary basis..."

That's true. Luo Jun checked the mission rewards. As long as he could bring back information from inside the cave, he would be rewarded with one million Wildlands Coin. If he could bring back members of the Clan Troops, he would be rewarded with another one million Wildlands Coin for each member he brought back. If he brought back a member of the Royal Guard, he would be rewarded with one million Wildlands Coin and an Epic Treasure Item!

When Ants Attack City a city, destroying a turret is roughly equivalent to bringing back one person as a reward. Such a huge investment demonstrates the guild's emphasis on its Clan Troops.

But if you look further down, there's another one.

Each person who stands guard at the cave entrance to provide backup will receive a reward of 100,000. For each person successfully rescued, everyone will receive an additional 100,000 reward.

"The reward for this backup is quite substantial, isn't it?" Luo Jun asked curiously.

"Yes, Mister Ye, you haven't been in the Savage Wilderness for long, and you're not very familiar with the terrain deep inside..." Ling Kai pointed to the simple map on the mission sheet and said, "The mission location is about 1,500 kilometers north of Lingyun City. This area is called the Extinction Valley, which is a notoriously dangerous place. There are many level four and even level five monsters, and level six monsters are also frequently encountered. It is said that a team once encountered a level seven monster here and almost the entire team was wiped out before they escaped."

"Therefore, even without entering the cave, providing cover in the Extinction Valley is very dangerous... because we don't know the condition of the person coming out of the cave, so this task requires a highly skilled person."

Luo Jun understood. For First-class Expert, although rescuing others was dangerous, the danger came from known monsters. To ensure that everyone involved in the mission could give their best, the pay was distributed per person.

However, entering the cave carries unknown dangers; regardless of the number of people, there's a possibility of never returning. Therefore, rewards are distributed based on the number of teams...

Looking at it this way, accepting this mission might be worthwhile... Although it's dangerous, he should be able to handle level 5 or 6 monsters without any problems... He hasn't encountered level 7 monsters before, so he can take this opportunity to try his hand at them. With such a generous reward, he's sure he's not the only one tempted.

"Who were these tasks assigned to?" Luo Jun asked, looking at the task list.

"Before I arrived, the Frost Moon Troupe and the Lion Mane Troupe had already decided to enter the cave to search, with the Silver Blade Squad choosing to provide backup... There were also quite a few powerful lone hunters who took on this mission; the most famous one I know of is Rain Granny..."

Luo Jun raised an eyebrow. The people Ling Kai mentioned were all top figures in the Savage Wilderness.

The Frost Moon Troupe goes without saying; of the eight Champion-level hunters in the Savage Wilderness, five are in the Frost Moon Troupe. The Lion Mane Troupe is the second largest clan after the Frost Moon Troupe, and of the remaining three Champion-level, two are in the Lion Mane Troupe. The Silver Blade Squad, which chose to provide backup, although it has no Champion-level hunters and only a dozen or so members, are all Elite-level hunters and are a well-known and powerful team.

As for Rain Granny... she's the Last One Champion-level left.

"So many people have already made their decisions?" Luo Jun looked at Ling Kai: "So I was the last to find out?"

Ling Kai chuckled, "Actually, I received the mission order three days ago, but I wasn't in a hurry. I waited until everyone else had finalized their plans before coming to you... Mister Ye, although you found out later, you have the most information!"

This guy seemed to have anticipated what Luo Jun was going to ask, so he gathered information in advance.

Seeing that Luo Jun still seemed hesitant, Ling Kai continued, "Also, I heard something else... about the Divine Smithing Furnace..."

Upon hearing these three words, Luo Jun immediately became interested.

He initially came to the Savage Wilderness for training, and now his strength is more than ten times stronger than when he first arrived. The training has been effective, and he's just waiting for the start of the semester to leave the Savage Wilderness, exchange his millions of Wildlands Coin for magical artifacts and cash, and return to the Main World to enjoy his wonderful university life.

If there's anything in the Savage Wilderness that he still cherishes, it's probably the River-Sinking Stone Hammer.

This treasure is truly useful to Luo Jun, but due to its special materials, ordinary Refining Masters cannot process it. Only the Divine Smithing Furnace can maximize its potential. If the Divine Smithing Furnace can be used to forge this River-Sinking Stone Hammer into a treasure, it will be Divine Weapon even more powerful than the Azure Dragon Crescent Moon Blade!

Seeing Luo Jun's interest, Ling Kai chuckled, "According to my reliable intelligence, two of the three opportunities for the Divine Smithing Furnace this year have already been used. The last one has also been allocated, and the owner of this opportunity is a member of the royal family, who is currently in the cave!"

"Mister Ye, if you can rescue this member of the royal family, do you think it's possible to exchange such a great favor for an opportunity to use the Divine Smithing Furnace?"

(End of this chapter)