A New Teleportation Array, The Unpredictability of Human Nature

Then a rumbling sound came from behind. Zhang Mingzhen glanced back again and saw that the passage he had entered through was now blocked by Stone Wall.

The entire space transformed into a Secret Room.

It may reopen only after the monsters in the Secret Room are defeated.

How will I get back then?

"Attention, there's movement ahead, everyone get ready."

"Keep all the medicine in your hands, don't be stingy. These Red Potion from the pharmacy can save your life in a critical moment," Captain Wandering Arrow reminded him as he took out more medicine.

The view ahead gradually opened up, revealing a spacious underground hall that resembled a plaza.

In a wide-open area, many zombies were gathered, dragging their feet and making hoarse "hoarse" sounds from their throats.

The moment the group stepped into the plaza, all the zombies turned around at the same time and pounced on them, baring their teeth and claws.

"Melee fighters, hold the line! Ranged fighters, focus your attacks! Healers, pay attention to your positioning!"

These zombies, like the previous five, have high attack power but not much health.

A dozen or so people can handle a few.

But there were just too many of them—looking around, there were probably hundreds in the entire square.

The only saving grace is that they are scattered, and some of the more distant ones were not disturbed.

In the end, only about thirty of them rushed close.

"Blue potions have a cooldown period, so be careful to control your pace!"

"Shadow, where did you go? Don't attract the other monsters!"

The Wandering Shadow rushed to the front in one breath, causing the zombies in the distance to start to stir.

The Wandering Arrow was so angry it gave him a headache. How could he have such a reckless younger brother?

"With Chongxing, the pressure is much less, and my health has remained safe."

While carrying the monster, the Shield Guard "Mumu" chatted with Chaoyang.

This was the first time they had ever played so easily.

Normally, when I'm fighting monsters in a group, I have to keep an eye on my own and my teammates' health bars.

Once you're halfway through, you have to prepare to switch tanks; you need to stay on high alert at all times.

Hiring someone else to do it would be much more convenient.

However, there are also drawbacks.

That means losing the joy of exploration can easily lead to insufficient exercise.

When faced with a challenging mission that requires solo effort, like Zhang Mingzhen's battle in the Training Tower, a lack of combat experience can become a problem.

No wonder I was exhausted after just one night of staying up.

"Yeah, we even have time to chat... Hey, look over there, there's a path leading to another place on each of the four sides of the square, like a maze." Chaoyang dodged an attack and said in a low voice.

"Maybe we've found the right spot; this might be our new leveling location."

"Hehe, I'm really gaining a lot of experience here, I'm almost leveled up." Mumu at her experience bar, which was about to reach level eight.

Compared to the experts, I'm practically just coasting.

"I wonder if I can reach level 10 by hanging out with you guys today?"

Seeing that the big boss could stabilize the situation all by himself, Add Oil Little Round quietly relaxed a bit.

Zhang Mingzhen also realized that this might be the leveling ground prepared for players who are level six to ten and have not yet left the newbie village.

Before me lay a palace that Underground Labyrinth, with this main hall leading to three other areas. I wondered how many people it could accommodate at the same time.

Plus, the monsters can respawn, isn't this just like the monster spawn points in the Underground Cave of the old Legend?

There will definitely be a lot of player-versus-player (PvP) battles and venue-hogging.

Conflicts between solo players and guilds will increase significantly.

I can still pull and grind monsters by myself without any problem, but if the monster level is below level 10, the experience gained is very little when split among teammates.

So this is no longer his leveling spot.

The best approach is to get through quickly.

But it's not a good idea to break up with these people directly right now.

This is where Zhang Mingzhen's weakness is revealed: he cares about saving face and cannot act decisively for his own benefit.

Sooner or later, they will suffer the consequences.

Gao Linzhi had already figured this out.

Therefore, character determines destiny.

Even if you have a cheat code, if that cheat code can't change your personality, then it still can't change your fate.

Zhang Mingzhen thought to himself, "[Oh well, I'll just consider this a chance to scout ahead.]"

Once you find the Silver Zombie, you'll be separated from the party and need to head to Shuangyue Town as soon as possible to find a more suitable place.

About twenty minutes later, the zombies in the hall were all cleared out.

After a brief discussion, the group decided to start from the left-hand passage and explore each room one by one.

Just as they expected, the left passage also led to another similar hall, which was also teeming with hundreds of zombies.

Having learned from previous experience, the team lured the monsters in batches and cleared the area in just over ten minutes.

After clearing the zombies from the middle and right passages, it took another half hour to clear all the rooms.

Along the way, they found an ordinary ring with no additional attributes among the corpses. After discussing it, they all agreed to give it to Zhang Mingzhen.

Zhang Mingzhen naturally accepted it.

After all, he still lacks equipment.

To challenge the BOSS, you can't overlook any of the attributes.

However, among those ten people, some seemed to have some lingering complaints.

Of course, they weren't fools; they were just chatting privately.

"This big shot is really stingy, he wants a blank board too? Can't he just give it to us?"

"Yes, after all, so many of us put in so much effort."

"Find out his secret, damn it, I don't believe we won't be able to surpass him then!"

Here, the group looked at the empty cave and couldn't help but wonder.

"Have you explored everything? Only four plazas? This Underground Palace doesn't seem very large... How do we leave now?"

A mage checked the quest list but found no clues.

The Wandering Arrow frowned slightly, then said, "Let's go back to the square we first entered; perhaps we've missed some clues."

"Yeah, that's how single-player RPGs are always designed. You have to defeat all the monsters before the boss appears—the game won't trap us here."

When the group returned to where they started, they indeed found an unusual zombie standing quietly in the center of the square.

Everyone looked over.

[Silver Zombie (Level 12)]

[Health Points???]

[Attack Power 1002]

[Physical Defense 645]

[Spell Resistance 623]

[Special Ability - Combo: Each attack has a 60% chance to deal additional damage.]

"Hiss... If this monster touches me, I'm afraid I'll collapse on the spot."

"Chaoyang, if the two of us share the damage, do we have any chance of winning?"

The Shield Guard stared Mumu at the Silver Zombie, feeling a sharp pain in his teeth.

This guy's attack power is too high.

"Not to mention the Combo effects, even without them, its level is higher than ours, and it has attribute suppression."

Even if we share the damage, it will be extremely difficult to withstand.

"This leader is far beyond our current capabilities."

"Is the only option to die and go back to the starting point?"

The Shield Guard class possesses the skill "Share weal and woe," allowing fellow members of the same class to share the damage they suffer.

This is Core skill for the Shield Guard to take the lead in the offensive during team battles.

Only with this skill can you fight monsters of a higher level.

"This is my mission objective."

"Everyone, please return to your room. I'll handle this alone." Zhang Mingzhen finally found the enemy the mission had been assigned to.

It turns out that this monster will only appear after all the smaller monsters in the area have been eliminated.

This tactic is quite old.

With no teammates present, he doesn't need to focus on healing and can concentrate on launching an offensive.

Can you handle this alone?

"How about we provide ranged support? Maintaining distance shouldn't be a problem," Wandering Arrow said with some concern.

This is a great opportunity to build a closer relationship.

"No need. After you all leave, I won't have to worry about treatment and can handle it on my own, which will be more convenient," Zhang Mingzhen declined.

Moreover, this monster is of a high level and offers a lot of experience, so multiple people can share the rewards. Plus, being the First kill guarantees a huge loot drop.

If people aren't united, who will get the distribution?

"In that case, please be very careful."

"Let's take refuge in the previous room; we shouldn't get caught up in the fighting there," Wandering Arrow could only agree.

The others chatted privately within the team.

"Hmph, he's just afraid we'll steal his boss loot, isn't he?"

"Heh, need I say more? This so-called big shot is a terrible person, truly disappointing."

"He's obviously a poor loser who got ahead by talent and luck. Ignore him; his petty mentality is ingrained in his bones," another Second-generation Archer mocked.

"Yes, they're not like us."

"Alright, these things can be said behind people's backs, but in public, we have to pretend everything's fine, since we still need him now," someone said.

The group chatted amongst themselves as they left.

After everyone left, Zhang Mingzhen had no idea what they had said.

He simply prepared his magic potion and challenged the Silver Zombie.

A "Ling Yue" erupted beneath the Silver Zombie's feet, unleashing three consecutive bursts of damage, followed by a "Spirit Strike" to deliver the final blow.

He moved and dodged while creating distance between himself.

The Silver Zombie also launched a counterattack, triggering Combo in an instant, which reduced Zhang Mingzhen's health by nearly half in one strike.

He immediately used "Spring Wind," and his life force instantly returned to full—his spiritual attributes were now quite high.

"Spring Wind" has also been upgraded, and the damage from the leader is still within his tolerance range.

After a fierce battle lasting about two minutes, it finally ended with a "Ling Yue," and the Silver Zombie collapsed to the ground.

If it were the previous team, they would probably be facing all sorts of dangerous situations, and they wouldn't even be able to keep up with the healing.

Among the dropped items was a dark iron belt with a dull luster.

[Demon-Suppressing Belt (Mystic Iron)]

[Constitution +100]

[Spirit +35]

[Additional Skill: 50% chance to generate a shield equal to 10% of maximum health when hit (lasts 10 seconds)]

[Equipment Requirements: Magic-based class, Level 10]

After putting on the belt, Zhang Mingzhen's health points increased by over a thousand points—the boost to his health from the belt was truly remarkable.

The Silver Zombie not only grants a massive amount of experience points, but also rewards you with a piece of Black Iron Equipment, making it a truly rewarding experience.

If I were teaming up with those people again, I would definitely give this gear to the Shield Guard.

Zhang Mingzhen had no choice but to break ties with them.

A system notification then appeared:

Congratulations on your level increase!

"Chongxing (Priest) Level 11"

[Constitution 440, Strength 136, Agility 272, Intelligence 272, Spirit 347]

[Physical Defense 4400]

[Magic Defense 3470]

[Healing Ability 4787]

[Current experience 180/???]

Even the experience points aren't showing up.

After the Silver Zombie was defeated, a magnificent pillar of light suddenly appeared in the center of the square, piercing straight into the dome - it seemed that this was the way to escape the Underground Palace.

Hearing the commotion, the others rushed over.

"Wow, there really are some good drops."

"That equipment must be made of Mysterious Iron Grade, right?"

"Just as I thought, the only way out is to defeat the Silver Zombie."

Looking at the Teleportation Array, Chaoyang suddenly realized something.

"If it weren't for the Chongxing, we would probably only be able to retreat to the resurrection point after dying, and most of the experience we had painstakingly accumulated would likely have been lost."

"Fortunately... I happened to run into Boss Chongxing just before entering the Underground Palace."

Now that this place has been cleared, let's leave quickly.

Some people are still aware of this.

After all, even if Zhang Mingzhen didn't come this time, they would still come.

The Wandering Arrow beckoned everyone to step into the magic circle.

A white light suddenly appeared, and the Underground Palace shook violently.

The rock walls and corridors shifted and reconstructed rapidly amidst a roar.

A world announcement rang out. "Congratulations to players 'Wandering Arrow,' 'Chongxing,' 'Wandering Shadow,' and their teams for successfully unlocking the hidden new map, the Underground Labyrinth. All players have earned five Achievement Points."

"The Underground Labyrinth map is now open, Infinite Labyrinth instance is officially launched. The level range is 6-15. Detailed gameplay awaits further exploration by players. The entrance coordinates are (128.208.2)."

The announcement was broadcast three times in a row, giving each member of the team an additional five achievement points.

This temporarily silenced some of the grumbling individuals.

The original entrance cave quietly disappeared, and a Teleportation Array with flowing light appeared in its place.

"Oh my god... an achievement! I finally have Achievement Points! No longer zero!"

A mage's voice trembled with excitement, then he muttered, "But after all that effort for the last announcement, they don't even deserve to have their names mentioned...?"

"Alright, let's know when to stop."

"To emerge alive with such achievements is already a blessing, thanks to the masters."

Another person interrupted his musings, "Looks like that Underground Palace was just a prelude, now it's become Infinite Labyrinth —does that mean we can keep farming monsters here? Why don't we just spend the whole day here?"

The idea was proposed by "The Wandering Shadow".

"You guys continue, I have to go back and turn in my mission. Farewell." Zhang Mingzhen didn't intend to waste any more time here.

Silver Zombie are unlikely to appear in these kinds of daily leveling dungeons, as the benefits to them would be limited. Moreover, with others present, they wouldn't be able to clear monsters freely.

"Alright then, Brother Chongxing, let's team up again next time if fate allows."

"Can we be friends?" The Wandering Arrow feigned reluctance, but in reality, it was trying to build a closer relationship, preparing to deceive and ambush someone someday.

"Alright then," Zhang Mingzhen said instinctively.

In his view, even if you're going it alone, you still need some sales channels.

With the expert gone, the remaining dozen or so dared not venture in rashly—if they lacked medical care, they would suffer a great loss if they perished inside.

Hiring a professional mercenary group would inevitably result in too many people, and it would also hinder the acquisition of valuable equipment.

The equipment that these mercenary groups shoot down is often secretly hidden away.

The monsters in this maze have high health and attack power; actually, adding a few more Priest would be enough. Looks like I'll have to call for help in the world chat.

After adding him as a friend, Zhang Mingzhen planned to return to the village as soon as possible and restart the Teleportation Array.

He needs to get to Shuangyue Town as soon as possible to find a more suitable place to level up.

Otherwise, if everyone is stuck in the maze leveling up, it will be difficult to maintain one's current level advantage.

And at this time...

Once the coordinates were announced, major guilds quickly assembled their teams to prepare for the dungeon raid.