Little Bone's Badge

It was Xiao Yang, the Xiao Yang swinging a rusty chandelier. Xiao Yang scooped up Little Bone, and the two, one person and one bone, spun in mid-air, narrowly dodging the charge of the Bone Ball.

The Bone Ball, flying past them, slammed hard into the stone wall at the end of the passage with a loud bang. The wall collapsed, revealing a new passage. The Bone Ball followed this newly created path and disappeared into the distance.

The metal chandelier finally gave way under the strain. With a screech, its chain snapped, and Xiao Yang, still holding Little Bone, landed heavily on the ground.

"Hiss!"

Xiao Yang's butt was numb. He jumped up from the ground, but thankfully, both he and Little Bone had survived.

Little Bone, still held by Xiao Yang, looked up and stared blankly at him. If there had been a favorability indicator, Xiao Yang would have received a notification for Little Bone's favorability increasing right about now.

It wasn't necessary, of course. Little Bone was just a summoned creature, but Xiao Yang still acted instinctively.

The danger wasn't over. That low, rumbling vibration appeared again, signaling the approach of the bizarre Bone Ball. Xiao Yang didn't try to turn back.

The chandelier had fallen. If the entrance door still wouldn't open, facing the Bone Ball here would be a death sentence.

It was better to head into the passage the Bone Ball had smashed open.

Ignoring the pain in his backside, Xiao Yang eagerly pulled Little Bone and rushed forward.

As they entered the dark opening, the first thing they felt was the heavy, somewhat foul-smelling air.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yang's talent activated.

[Congratulations to the player for entering the Dungeon's hidden area and completing a successful Dungeon Delve!]

Several blurry boxes appeared before Xiao Yang's eyes. It was time for another reward draw, but Xiao Yang wasn't in the mood for it right now. Not far away, at the end of the dim tunnel, the Bone Ball had successfully turned around and was once again barreling towards Xiao Yang.

Even closer, however, was a room lit by fire. It was a Safe House!

In a mad dash, Xiao Yang yanked open the iron door of the Safe House, darted inside, and slammed it shut behind him. The Bone Ball roared past the door and disappeared again.

Saved once more.

Now Xiao Yang could finally catch his breath. He raised his hand, intending to wipe away the sweat. The frantic run had left him drenched.

At this moment, Little Bone approached Xiao Yang. It extended its hand again, and this time, a small, lustrous white skull badge appeared before Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang was a bit bewildered by the badge Little Bone suddenly produced but accepted it nonetheless.

"Is this for me? Thank you, little one!"

He reached out to pat Little Bone's head, but just as his hand was about to descend, Little Bone flickered and vanished from in front of him.

"Looks like Little Bone is still a bit shy!"

He mused, and only then did he turn his attention to the small skull badge in his hand.

[Little Bone's Badge]
Quality: Normal
Type: Accessory
Effect: Agility +2
Description: This is a very meaningful gift, given to someone Little Bone likes!

Looking at the description, Xiao Yang smiled and, without hesitation, pinned the small skull badge to his chest.

In the distance, in the darkness, Little Bone's figure appeared. It seemed to have been secretly watching Xiao Yang the entire time. As Xiao Yang put on the badge, the soul flame in its eye sockets flickered intensely.

Next was the choice of one out of three rewards brought by the Dungeon Delver.

Before Xiao Yang's eyes, two items and a gift box appeared. Apparently, because Xiao Yang had entered a hidden area, one of the two items was blue-grade equipment, and the gift box was also blue.

[Travel Portable Tent]
Quality: Fine
Type: Miscellaneous
Effect: Provides a fully rested state.
Description: This is an extremely comfortable portable tent. Open it, take a nap, and you'll feel refreshed even in the wilderness!

[Screaming Chicken]
Quality: Excellent
Type: Consumable
Effect: When thrown, confuses and draws aggro from enemies within range.
Description: This is a chicken, a chicken that screams. Who can take their eyes off it?

[Excellent Gift Box]
Quality: Excellent
Type: Consumable
Effect: Open the box, and you will most likely receive an item of the same quality as the gift box, with a small chance of receiving an item of a higher quality.

Xiao Yang really wanted the Travel Portable Tent, for a good night's sleep. But that thought only lasted for a moment.

As a qualified gamer, rewards should either be items that enhance combat power or things that can turn the tide of battle.

In the game, his character had always been content with a rotten wooden bed and grilled meat buns, so a comfortable tent that didn't boost combat power felt like a complete waste.

He forced himself to look away.

As for the gift box, well, the ability to occasionally obtain higher-quality items was great, but a person could be a gambler, but they couldn't always be a gambler.

In the end, Xiao Yang chose the blue excellent-quality crowd-control consumable, the Screaming Chicken, from the three items.

The hidden area of this Skeleton Dungeon was likely not easy, at least not for the current Xiao Yang. The Bone Balls that appeared at the entrance were enough to prepare him mentally, so it was better to have something that could turn the tide at a critical moment.

However, while the opening trap of the hidden area was impressive, the rewards were equally abundant. Besides the choice of three items, there was also the gift left by Mr. Explorer Robert.

Xiao Yang approached the long table in the center of the safe house. A pair of leather boots lay quietly on the table, with an envelope beside them.

[Adventurer's Boots Quality: Excellent Type: Equipment Effect: Increases Agility by two points, Defense by one point. Description: A pair of boots favored by adventurers, light and quick while also offering some defense.]

He quickly put on the pair of long leather boots and nodded with satisfaction. Mr. Robert was truly a good senior!

Xiao Yang's current stats were:

[Player: Screaming Emperor ID: 1 Affiliation: Plane No. 33214 Race: Ordinary Human Level: 2 Experience: 370/400 Health: 10 Strength: 3 Defense: 6 Agility: 9 Talent: Dungeon Delver. Follower: Skeleton Rogue Items: Little Bone's Badge, Wilderness Hatchet, Dark Dispelling Lantern, Adventurer's Armguard, Adventurer's Boots, Screaming Chicken. Evaluation: A weakling rookie adventurer.]

With the enhancement of various equipment, Xiao Yang's stats had greatly improved compared to the initial all-threes when he first entered the Skeleton Dungeon, especially in agility.

One could even say his panel was more luxurious than that of a Skeleton Warrior.

Although his panel didn't seem that impressive compared to a Skeleton Warrior.

Xiao Yang still felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Especially when these attributes were truly reflected in his physical fitness and movements, which he could clearly perceive.

Even though he was basically an "equipment warrior" who would revert to his original state the moment he took off his gear, being an equipment warrior was still a skill. After all, he was the owner of the unique, five-colored talent, Dungeon Delver, so he was bound to be fully equipped!