I had to admit, this was a good mindset.
Who could refuse the chance to challenge enemies that dropped gear?
But clearly, just like the Dungeon Guardian, neither of these things was something Xiao Yang could take on right now. Better to play it safe. Better to play it safe.
After all, it had a full thousand health! Just thinking about it made his teeth ache even more than the Dungeon Guardian did!
This was a fully fledged elite boss!
Though Xiao Yang had decided to play it safe, not long afterward he still secretly doubled back to take another look at the Corpse Mushroom. He spotted the tip of a mushroom hiding beneath the broken stone slab and confirmed that the elite boss hadn't vanished completely.
Only then did he carefully return to the prison guard break room.
He no longer mentioned selling the Shovel of Freedom. It might not seem all that reliable, but perhaps it had some other useful applications.
Xiao Yang was preparing to explore deeper into this Hidden Map. On the other side of the prison guard break room, a half-open door led to an unknown place.
As he got ready, Xiao Yang couldn't help but note that leveling up had become much harder after he reached level five. Even after he cleared out every Prisoner Zombie in the Zombie Corridor, his experience bar had barely reached one-third.
The next level still felt a long way off.
Xiao Yang had decided to keep all three pieces of the Blackrock Prison set for himself, but for now, the only one he could use was the Prison Guard Badge. The other two required five Strength. Xiao Yang's Strength was currently at three, and he still had one Attribute Point.
But even with that Attribute Point, he was still one point short.
It wasn't a big deal, though. He could still count on the Pot of Greed. In four days, he'd be able to visit the Myriad Worlds Trading Area again, and this time he planned to get his hands on some potions.
He just wasn't sure whether his Spirit Coins would be enough. After all, when he thought it over, he'd only gotten one thing in the past few days that he could sell.
"Being poor is rough!"
Xiao Yang sighed in dismay.
Of course, if the other players knew he was worried because his loot was so good that he wanted to keep it all, they'd probably put a bounty on him. There was no need to discuss it further—that was just too much of a humblebrag!
Those poor souls were either fighting over monsters in dungeons where every last bit of loot got snapped up, or running back and forth in terror across battlefields so dangerous their legs trembled.
They worked so hard just to put together a full set of gear. Most of the time, the loot they got wasn't even what they wanted. If they could cobble together a usable set, they were already thanking their lucky stars.
And here was Xiao Yang, oblivious to his own good fortune, enjoying an entire dungeon all to himself and lamenting that he was too poor to sell the gear he liked.
A guy like that deserved to be burned at the stake!
With that, Xiao Yang pushed open the half-open door. After a flash of blinding white light, he found himself somewhere familiar: the slope he had crossed when he entered the Hidden Map.
No, it was slightly different. At the end of the slope, the wall that the Bone Ball had smashed through was now whole again.
At the same time, a fragment of a statue appeared before Xiao Yang. He picked it up and recognized it as one quarter of the statue he'd seen in the shrines lining the passage where the Bone Ball had rolled back and forth. The piece in his hand was a quarter of its foot.
It seemed he had finished exploring the hidden area on the first floor of the Skeleton Dungeon.
Of course, it seemed he could still return. The quarter of the statue he held appeared to be a key to the hidden area, but it seemed he could only enter or leave that area once a day.
He couldn't help feeling frustrated, as if he'd only just arrived before being forced to stop. But there was nothing he could do.
Since he was back, he'd have to change his plans.
There were only two directions left unexplored on the first floor of the Skeleton Dungeon: the hidden area and, naturally, the floor's final boss.
But there were only a few days left before he could visit the Myriad Worlds Trading Area. For now, he'd fight his way through and farm some materials. He had to admit, those Large Bone Clubs sold much better than Zombie Viscera.
He'd farm a few more, trade them for more Spirit Coins, and then buy more Strength and Health Potions.
Of course, if the boss on the first floor of the Skeleton Dungeon proved too difficult, he'd hold off on challenging it. He could wait until he'd bought some Flame Enchantment Potions and Fire Oil Flasks at the Myriad Worlds Trading Area before giving it a try.
But all of that took money.
He had to admit, no matter what game you played, you couldn't avoid farming for cash. He was always short on money.
"I really can't escape this busy life!"
Even in God Game, he had to be a busy wage slave. And as he thought about what he had to do next, a strange phrase came to mind.
Skeleton Gold Farming Server.
Okay, okay. Why was that so fitting?
Another axe slammed into a Skeleton Warrior's skull. Not many days had passed, but the Skeleton Warriors that had once given Xiao Yang such a hard fight were no longer a problem for him.
Xiao Yang's current attributes were.
Player: Screaming Emperor
Number: 1
Affiliation: Plane 33214
Race: Normal Human
Level: 5
Experience: 380/600
Health: 25
Strength: 3
Defense: 8
Agility: 11
Talent: Dungeon Delver.
Servant: Skeleton Rogue
Skill: Heavy Strike (+1)
Items: Pot of Greed, Little Bone's Badge, Justice's Condolence, Blackrock Prison Armament Manual, Blackrock Prison Guard Badge, Wilderness Hatchet, Dark Dispelling Lantern, Adventurer's Armguard, Adventurer's Boots, Leather Chestplate, Leather Hat, Leather Pants, Shovel of Freedom, Screaming Chicken, Courage Wine.
Evaluation: A Newbie Adventurer.
He was no longer the unlucky guy stumbling around the pitch-black dungeon in a panic. Even God Game's evaluation of Xiao Yang had changed.
He'd gone from a noob to a Newbie Adventurer.
It felt like a lifetime ago. He no longer needed Robert's Joint Strike to deal with these Skeleton Warriors. He could just whack them head-on without breaking a sweat.
Of course, there was still one thing to regret.
After defeating the Skeleton Warrior and smashing its skull, it was time to loot the corpse. Smiling broadly, Xiao Yang reached out toward the Skeleton Warrior's remains, his sense of accomplishment beyond words.
Then he pulled out a gray Large Bone Club. A shoddy one. He stared at it for a moment.
Seriously, man? Did leveling up lower the drop rate?
It probably hadn't, because Little Bone then pulled a Heavy Strike Skill Scroll right in front of Xiao Yang.
At that moment, Xiao Yang's expression changed.
It probably wasn't for any other reason. He was just plain unlucky!
Before you continue