Yang Yu quickly arrived at the Dungeon entrance of the Wild Boar Cave.
This was a massive cliff face. At its base, a pitch-black cave entrance radiated an ominous aura. Above it floated a huge crystal, emitting a faint blue glow.
It made the surrounding area seem a little less dark.
At that moment, quite a few Professionals had gathered in the open space before the Dungeon entrance.
Though it was nighttime, after becoming Professionals, they needed less and less sleep.
They stood in groups of three or five. Some shouted to form parties, while others set up stalls selling equipment and potions. The place buzzed with noise and excitement.
"Wild Boar Cave normal run! Need a healer, three waiting for one! We go as soon as you're here!"
"Cheap beginner recovery potions! Fake goods get ten times your money back!"
"Buying Level 10 Warrior gear! DM me your price!"
Well, well.
Yang Yu felt a touch of nostalgia.
This scene was exactly like the launch of an online game ten years ago, authentic in every way.
But when he walked over wearing a savage Wild Boar Mask and the heavy Black Iron Barrier, the previously noisy clearing fell silent for a moment.
Everyone's gazes were instinctively drawn toward him.
"Fuck, who is that guy? That equipment looks insane!"
"Is that a wild boar mask on his head? It looks so real, like an actual one."
"Is some big shot here to stomp noobs? Or is he a core member of some War Band?"
Whispers and discussions rose one after another.
Yang Yu did not care.
His goal today was clear: clear the Elite Wild Boar Cave, get equipment, and level up.
Everything else was irrelevant.
The few Tan Lang War Band members guarding the Dungeon entrance also felt their hearts skip a beat the instant they saw Yang Yu.
This guy looked dangerous just from his appearance!
That mask, that armor—neither looked like cheap street-stall junk.
Especially those scarlet eyes showing beneath the mask. They instinctively felt a chill in their hearts.
"Fuck, where did this guy come from? How come I've never seen him before?"
A blond-haired underling in charge of collecting protection money muttered a curse.
The skinny man beside him curled his lip and said, "Who cares who he is? Our job is to collect money. The boss said that whoever wants to enter this Dungeon has to pay protection money. That's the rule!"
The blond-haired man hesitated. "But... this guy doesn't look easy to mess with. What if he's a real tough one?"
"What are you scared of?" The skinny man glared. "When has our Tan Lang War Band ever been afraid of anyone? Besides, the boss and Brother Jie will be coming out of the Dungeon soon. Can one guy really turn the world upside down?"
"If we don't collect his money, how are we supposed to lead this crew later? Won't all the other newcomers follow his example?"
Provoked like that, the blond-haired man felt it made sense.
Yeah, when had their Tan Lang War Band ever been this timid?
So, gathering his courage, he and the skinny man stepped forward to block Yang Yu's path.
"Stop!"
The blond-haired man shouted, forcing himself to sound more imposing.
Yang Yu stopped. His scarlet gaze swept over them casually, but he said nothing.
That look was like he was looking at two ants in his way.
The skinny man cleared his throat and put on an official expression. "Brother, this is your first time at the Wild Boar Cave, right? You don't know the rules here?"
"If you want to enter this Dungeon, you first need to pay a 500-yuan protection fee. Pay it, and our Tan Lang War Band guarantees your safety here. No one will dare cause you trouble."
Yang Yu found the two clowns before him rather amusing.
These flies again.
He could not even be bothered to lift an eyelid. A cold word came from his throat.
"Get lost."
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
The expressions on the blond-haired man and the skinny man's faces instantly stiffened.
The other War Band members behind them were also stunned.
The surrounding Professionals watching the show widened their eyes in disbelief.
This guy... was way too bold, wasn't he?!
He had directly told members of the Tan Lang War Band to get lost?
"You... what did you say?!"
The skinny man's face burned as though he had been slapped in public.
Pointing at Yang Yu's nose, he trembled with rage. "Kid, are you fucking looking to die?! Do you know who you're talking to?"
The blond-haired man snapped back to his senses and roared, "Fuck, don't mistake kindness for weakness! Looks like you don't want to live!"
"Kid, I don't care where you came from! You'll pay this protection fee whether you want to or not! Otherwise, I'll make sure you leave this place sideways!"
He threatened viciously, trying to overwhelm Yang Yu with sheer force of presence.
Yang Yu's gaze finally turned cold.
Slowly, he gripped the Blood-Stained Iron Sword that had been strapped to his back.
The instant Yang Yu drew his sword, cries of surprise rose from the surrounding crowd.
"They're fighting! They're fighting!"
"That masked freak actually dares attack the Tan Lang War Band?"
"Is he crazy? Tan Lang, the Tan Lang War Band's leader, is almost Level 20!"
"This is going to be good!"
When the skinny man saw Yang Yu draw his sword, his heart lurched, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.
But he had already said what he said. If he backed down now, how could he ever hold his head up in the War Band again?
He could only tough it out and shout with false bravado, "What? You want to fight? Come on, then! Touch me if you dare!"
Yang Yu locked his scarlet gaze onto him and repeated himself in the tone of someone stating a fact.
"Get lost."
"I..."
The underling still wanted to spit out a few more threats.
But Yang Yu had run out of patience.
Whoosh!
A silver-white streak of sword light, fast beyond belief, flashed past like lightning!
Blade Draw Slash!
"Ah!"
A miserable scream echoed through the entire clearing.
The arrogant underling clutched his blood-gushing right arm and collapsed to the ground in agony.
One of his arms had been severed cleanly at the shoulder. It lay some distance away, blood dyeing the ground red.
The entire area fell deathly silent.
Everyone was intimidated by the bloody, decisive scene.
No one had expected this freak in the Wild Boar Mask to be so ruthless!
He attacked the moment he said he would, without the slightest hesitation!
And he had directly cut off someone's arm!
Yang Yu sheathed his sword as though he had merely done something trivial.
He glanced at the skinny man wailing on the ground and spoke words in a cold voice that no one would ever forget.
"You're risking your life over a few hundred bucks a month?"
After saying that, he did not look at anyone else. He turned and walked straight toward the dim Dungeon Crystal.
The other Tan Lang War Band members looked at their companion lying in a pool of blood, then at Yang Yu's back, which resembled that of a Demon God. Their faces turned deathly pale, yet not one of them dared step forward to stop him.
That slash had been so fast that they had barely been able to react.
If they tried to stop him by force again, losing an arm might be the least of their problems.
Although their salaries were more than just a few hundred yuan, they did not dare say another word.
In a flurry of panic, they helped up their one-armed companion, pulled out recovery potions and poured them down his throat, then frantically tried to reattach his arm.
Under the awed, fearful, and curious gazes of the crowd, Yang Yu walked up to the Dungeon Crystal.
He looked up at it.
[Wild Boar Cave] [Difficulty Selection: Normal, Elite, Nightmare (Locked)]
Without any hesitation, he reached out and tapped the word Elite.
The next second, his figure turned into a streak of light and vanished into the Dungeon Crystal.
Only after Yang Yu's figure had completely disappeared did the deathly silent clearing erupt like a boiling pot, exploding with thunderous discussion.
"Oh my god! He... he went in!"
"He chopped someone up over a disagreement! Who the hell is that guy? He's way too fierce!"
"Isn't he afraid of retaliation from the Tan Lang War Band?"
"He's soloing the Wild Boar Cave?!"
"No way! Did I see that right? That's a Level 13 Dungeon!"
"He's insane! Completely insane!"
Meanwhile, the Tan Lang War Band underlings stared at the Dungeon Crystal with venomous expressions, gritting their teeth.
"Fuck! He dared attack someone from our Tan Lang War Band. That kid is dead!"
"When the boss and Brother Jie come out, we'll definitely tear him to pieces!"
"That's right! We'll make him understand the consequences of offending our Tan Lang War Band!"
Before you continue