It was Xiao Yang—the Xiao Yang swinging from the rusted chandelier. He scooped up Little Bone, and the two of them spun through the air, narrowly dodging the Bone Ball's charge.
The Bone Ball hurtled past them and slammed into the Stone Tablet at the end of the passage with a tremendous crash. The wall collapsed, revealing a new passage, and the Bone Ball disappeared into it.
The metal chandelier finally gave way under the strain. With a shrill screech, the chain snapped, and Xiao Yang, still holding Little Bone, landed hard on his backside.
"Ow!"
Xiao Yang's butt had gone numb. He sprang to his feet, but fortunately, both he and Little Bone had survived.
Little Bone, still held by Xiao Yang, looked up at him in a daze. If there had been an affection meter, Xiao Yang would probably have received a "Little Bone's Affection UP" notification right then.
There was no need for that. Little Bone was only a summon, after all. But Xiao Yang had acted on instinct.
The danger wasn't over. The low rumbling sounded again, signaling that the strange Bone Ball was approaching once more. Xiao Yang didn't try to go back.
The chandelier had collapsed. If the entrance door was still impossible to open, then running into the Bone Ball here would mean certain death.
They'd have to press on through the passage the Bone Ball had smashed open.
Ignoring the pain in his butt, Xiao Yang hurriedly pulled Little Bone along and charged ahead.
As he rushed into the pitch-black opening, the first thing he noticed was the stale air, tinged with a rotten smell.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yang's talent activated.
Congratulations, player, on entering a hidden area in the dungeon and completing a successful dungeon delve!
Several indistinct boxes appeared before Xiao Yang. Another chance to open a reward—but he wasn't in the mood just then. At the far end of the dim tunnel, the Bone Ball had already turned around and was rolling toward him again.
Closer by was a room lit by firelight. It was a Safe House!
Still at a full sprint, Xiao Yang yanked open the Safe House's iron door, darted inside, and slammed it shut behind him. The Bone Ball roared past outside and rolled away again.
He'd been saved once more.
At last, Xiao Yang could catch his breath. He raised a hand to wipe away the sweat. He'd worked up quite a sweat from that mad dash.
Just then, Little Bone came up to him and held out a hand again. This time, a small, smooth, white skull badge rested in its palm.
Xiao Yang was a little baffled by the badge Little Bone had suddenly produced, but he took it anyway.
"Is this for me? Thanks, little guy!"
He reached out to pat Little Bone's head, but just as his hand was about to come down, Little Bone darted away and vanished from sight.
"Looks like Little Bone's still a little shy!"
After saying that, he finally had a moment to look at the little skull badge in his hand.
Little Bone's Badge
Quality: Common
Type: Accessory
Effect: Agility +2
Description: A meaningful gift, given to someone Little Bone likes!
Xiao Yang smiled at the description and pinned the little skull badge to his chest without hesitation.
Little Bone's figure appeared in the darkness a short distance away. It seemed to have been secretly watching Xiao Yang all along. The moment he put the badge on, the Soul Flame in its eye sockets flickered fiercely.
Next came the three-choice reward for completing the Dungeon Delver.
Two items and a Gift Box appeared before Xiao Yang. Perhaps because he'd entered a hidden area, one of the items was a blue-quality piece of equipment, and the Gift Box was blue as well.
Travel Portable Tent
Quality: Fine
Type: Miscellaneous
Effect: Grants the Spiritually Full status.
Description: An exceptionally comfortable portable tent. Open it and get some sleep, and you'll wake up feeling refreshed, even in the wilderness!
Screaming Chicken
Quality: Superior
Type: Consumable
Effect: Throw it to confuse nearby enemies and draw their aggression.
Description: It's a chicken. A chicken that makes a strange noise. Who could look away from it?
Excellent Gift Box
Quality: Superior
Type: Consumable
Effect: Open the box for a high chance of obtaining a random item of the same quality as the Gift Box, and a small chance of obtaining a random item of the next higher quality.
Xiao Yang really wanted the Travel Portable Tent. A good night's sleep sounded wonderful, but that thought lasted only a moment.
As a proper gamer, he knew to choose either something that boosted combat power or something that could turn the tide.
In games, his characters had always made do with rotten wooden beds and unlimited roasted meat and steamed buns. A comfortable tent that didn't boost his combat power would be a waste.
He forced himself to look away.
As for the Gift Box—sure, the small chance of getting something higher-quality was great, but a person could gamble without being a habitual gambler.
In the end, Xiao Yang chose the blue-quality, crowd-control consumable out of the three: the Screaming Chicken.
The hidden area in this Skeleton Dungeon was probably no walk in the park. At the very least, the Bone Ball's entrance had been enough to put Xiao Yang on his guard. He'd be better off preparing something that could turn the tables at a critical moment.
Still, though the hidden area's opening ambush had made quite an impression, the rewards were just as generous. Besides the three-choice reward, there was also the gift left behind by Explorer Robert.
Xiao Yang went to the long table in the middle of the Safe House. A pair of leather boots sat neatly on it, with a letter beside them.
Adventurer's Boots
Quality: Fine
Type: Equipment
Effect: Agility +2, Defense +1.
Description: Boots favored by adventurers, light and comfortable while still offering some protection.
Xiao Yang quickly put on the long leather boots and nodded with satisfaction. Mr. Robert really was a great senior!
Xiao Yang's current stats were as follows.
Player: Screaming Emperor Number: 1 Affiliation: Plane 33214 Race: Normal Human Level: 2 Experience: 370/400 Health: 10 Strength: 3 Defense: 6 Agility: 9 Talent: Dungeon Delver. Retainer: Skeleton Rogue Items: Little Bone's Badge, Wilderness Hatchet, Dark Dispelling Lantern, Adventurer's Armguard, Adventurer's Boots, Screaming Chicken. Evaluation: A weak newbie adventurer.
Thanks to his equipment, Xiao Yang's stats had improved considerably from the uniform threes he'd had when he first entered the Skeleton Dungeon. His Agility had increased especially.
He could even say that his stat sheet looked better than a Skeleton Warrior's.
Though there wasn't much to brag about when comparing stats with a Skeleton Warrior.
Still, Xiao Yang felt proud of himself.
Especially when he could clearly feel those stats reflected in his physical abilities and movements.
Sure, he was basically an equipment warrior, and the moment he took off his gear, he'd be right back where he started. But being an equipment warrior was a skill in itself. After all, he was the owner of the one-of-a-kind, five-colored talent, Dungeon Delver. Naturally, he had to be decked out!
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