A Level [X] Dungeon, Leading to a Strange Beginning

"In the entire Server Three, there's probably only one person qualified to enter, and that's the Cheater."

As a Cheater, Zhang Mingzhen is just as popular as he is despised.

The large number of players gathered at the dungeon entrance looked like a joke.

"Everyone, you can leave now. Those who couldn't make it don't need to come."

"This instance has nothing to do with us; it's the advanced mode!"

"This dungeon is recommended for level 30, but how many people are level 30?"

"It's a single-player mode, only one person can play. It's supposed to be for five people, but actually only one person can play!"

A Rogue Players guarding the entrance informed everyone directly in the game channel.

"What do you mean? Level 30?"

"Does being a low-level player mean you can't enter? There's a level restriction?"

"Exactly! Is there any situation where an 18th-level Great Shield Guard can't withstand the attack?" a high-ranking Shield Guard from a major guild retorted, unconvinced.

"It means exactly what it says," the player said disdainfully.

"This dungeon has a recommended level 30 attribute requirement. What are we doing here? We won't have a chance for at least a month."

"Is Chongxing Cheater here? Your exclusive dungeon has arrived, please sign for it!" someone said sarcastically.

They were naturally jealous and resentful of Zhang Mingzhen.

They were both the same person, but the other person randomly got an amazing talent and took off immediately.

What kind of skill is that?

Give them that kind of talent, and they can do it too!

They wished they could kill Zhang Mingzhen, steal his talent, and show off themselves.

Yes, the human heart on the internet is indeed this ugly.

Many professional gamers, especially those with fast thinking and hand speed, hate Zhang Mingzhen luck the most.

"Good heavens, what kind of ridiculous setting is this? We thought we had another dungeon to fight, but it seems we were just overthinking it."

"Let's all go, let's get back to grinding in the Divine Ruins. Maybe we can clear the hard mode this week."

After scanning the discussions on the world chat channel, Zhang Mingzhen now learned that a new dungeon accessible to level 30 had appeared.

Judging from the recommended levels, the difficulty should be quite high.

He's lacking higher-level silver equipment, and this dungeon should be the perfect opportunity.

With a hint of anticipation, he walked directly through the Teleportation Array and was transported to the entrance of the altar.

At this moment, many players had not yet completely dispersed and immediately recognized "Chongxing" who had suddenly appeared.

"The great master Chongxing has indeed arrived!"

"Don't worry, I'll guard the entrance for you. I guarantee no one will get in before you!" one player eagerly pledged his loyalty.

Someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop flattering me, do you think the master needs you guarding the gate? Go cool off somewhere else!"

Someone chimed in, "Yeah, she's really good at sucking up to people, but unfortunately, no matter how much she tries, she won't get any benefits."

Is being a dog really that enjoyable?

Coincidentally, "Qin Xiao Youhui" from the Legion Guild was still present.

He had originally planned to leave, but he happened to run into Chongxing and decided to discuss things with him.

"Chongxing, I am Qin Xiao Youhui from the Legion Guild."

"We are affiliated with the official Dragon Han organization, as you are probably aware of."

"On behalf of the Third District Legion, I have some matters I wish to discuss with you."

"If it's convenient for you, could you come with me to the base after we finish the dungeon for a chat?"

He wasn't worried at all about whether he could conquer this Cheater by Chongxing to level 30—if even he couldn't pass it, then probably all the players in the three regions, even if they reached level 30, wouldn't be able to succeed.

The other party is cheating.

Zhang Mingzhen maintained a distance from official institutions.

Having lived two lives, he had witnessed too many instances of the rabbit being killed after the hunt.

Ingratitude is the defining characteristic of those in the upper class.

This is not about harboring hatred towards superiors.

It's because people in the upper class are different from those in the lower class.

They often face significant interests, so they tend not to consider sentimentality and may betray you at any time for personal gain.

Of course, people at the bottom are more likely to betray you for even the smallest gain, and they may even betray you more frequently. However, because of their limited abilities, they usually won't take your life directly.

The betrayal of those in the upper echelons is basically aimed at taking their lives.

However, he is not strong enough yet, and he still needs to feign compliance.

After a moment's thought, he replied, "Okay."

"Then I'll leave one team member here to wait."

"After you come out, he will take you to the guild headquarters." Qin Xiao Youhui said politely.

But judging from his tone, he still fundamentally placed himself above Zhang Mingzhen.

Nowadays, most players would address Zhang Mingzhen terms like "you" or "big boss."

Zhang Mingzhen nodded.

The current guild headquarters allows administrators to guide non-guild members into the area.

Since the base feature was introduced, players have gradually become familiar with the various guild mechanics.

He accepted Qin Xiao Youhui's arrangement and then turned to step into the hellish "Monster Altar".

Upon entering the instance, the map interface will unfold.

As shown in the diagram, a path leading from low to high leads to an open area at the top, passing through three Secret Room along the way.

This suggests that there are at least three to four bosses within the instance.

After a moment's thought, he headed towards the first Secret Room where the leader was located.

As soon as he took a step, wisps of Black Mist rose from the ground.

The mist quickly condensed into countless slender, Shadow Demon, roughly estimated to be over a hundred.

They were entirely black, with indistinct features, as if they had no facial features.

One after another, muscular creatures, with their limbs sprawled on the ground and dragging long tails covered in bone spurs, lunged at him.

Zhang Mingzhen to raise his hand to unleash an area-of-effect attack when their explosive power proved to be very strong.

It charged straight at him.

Thus, they repeatedly struck him, forcing him to retreat step by step—these demonic shadows clearly had a knockback effect.

This also shows that Zhang Mingzhen's skills are actually not as good as those of top professional players.

He's cheating!

This single offensive is enough to deter most teams.

Fortunately, his attributes are strong enough to withstand the opponent's attacks and clear them out.

After clearing away these shadowy monsters, he continued upwards, the Black Mist constantly transforming into demonic shadows wherever he went.

Upon arriving at the first Secret Room, he had encountered nearly a thousand demonic shadows along the way, and the experience he had gained brought him to the brink of leveling up.

Upon entering the leader's Secret Room, one is met with a cloud of yellow sand.

The area suddenly opens up, clearly indicating a small dungeon.

As far as the eye could see, there was only desolation.

A massive beast-like shape, formed from sand and dust, gradually rose from the sand dunes.

The system displayed: [Sandstorm Beast (Silver Tier Boss)].

"Starting at Silver Tier, no wonder it's a high-level five-player dungeon."

Without hesitation, Zhang Mingzhen unleashed a barrage of skills.

A series of damage numbers leaped up from the Sandstorm Beast.

The giant beast immediately swung its arms and retaliated.

A damage value that was neither too high nor too low appeared above his head.

It seems this leader is not known for its offensive capabilities.

Zhang Mingzhen felt slightly more at ease.

Immediately afterwards, the Sandstorm Beast swung its long tail, whipping up a fierce sandstorm that swept across the area.

Zhang Mingzhen treated himself while dealing with the situation.

Upon observation, he discovered that this leader had low attack power and slow movement speed, almost always attacking from the same spot, but its defense and health were extremely high.

With his current damage output, a single skill combo could inflict approximately 50,000 damage, yet ten minutes later, the behemoth still showed no signs of collapsing.

"The blood volume is indeed substantial, and the recovery ability is astonishing."

Zhang Mingzhen had to admit that, unless they reached level 60, ordinary teams would have spent a lot of time just getting here.

This monster can regenerate health from the sand.

As long as the wind blows, sand will keep passing by.

It's a mechanic-driven monster, not a numerical monster.

With this in mind, Zhang Mingzhen tried to reduce the environmental factors affecting this sandstorm monster.

He found some game items that had been obtained before, which could provide buffs like "wind-stabilizing" to reduce the spread of sandstorms.

This would greatly weaken the monster's regenerative abilities.

Clearly, relying solely on skills and damage to defeat this monster will inevitably lead to a dead end.

After another twenty minutes of fierce fighting, the Sandstorm Beast finally dissipated in the swirling dust, and the experience points increased accordingly.

System Announcement: "Congratulations to player Chongxing clearing the Sandstorm Beast in the Hell difficulty of the Monster Altar dungeon for the first time. Achievement points increased by 100, experience points greatly increased, and five Gold Coin awarded."

"The Cheater are really something! They've boosted the prestige of our Third District!" someone said sarcastically.

"Sneer. Those of you who are mocking and sarcasm, step aside. Let me take the lead."

"Chongxing is as strong as ever, directly challenging the highest difficulty."

"Exactly, if others can cheat, why can't you? Think more about yourself, have you made your parents work hard all these years?"

"Chongxing, what reward did the leader drop? Could it be another silver equipment?"

"Most of the silver gear on the equipment leaderboard right now belongs to the Chongxing, right? If you don't need it, feel free to sell it to me."

"You're overthinking it. This thing can only be auctioned off. There's a huge demand, but no one is willing to sell."

Zhang Mingzhen was currently examining the rewards in his backpack, deep in thought.

I originally thought it would be silver equipment, but unexpectedly, it was an item I had never seen before.

"Prefix Stone (Silver): Can add affixes to silver equipment."

"Collecting three, five, or nine pieces of the same type of affix will activate the set bonus."

"Although I didn't acquire any new silver equipment, this Prefix Stone is still pretty good."

"Use them only after you have collected three."

Zhang Mingzhen continued forward.

The path remained shrouded in darkness, and monsters were ever-present.

Without skill enhancements, this journey alone would take a lot of time, not to mention other player teams.

Then, new monsters appeared, standing still and blocking the way.

As Zhang Mingzhen approached the group of motionless monsters, he noticed a line of constantly changing numbers above their heads—a ten-minute countdown.

"Does this countdown mean we have a time limit to defeat them?"

Despite his doubts, he didn't stop, continuously unleashing the light effects of his skills upon the monster horde.

Strangely, the monsters remained in a praying posture, offering no resistance.

Could it be that this level is designed to require players to clear out the enemy within ten minutes?

Judging from the defense and health of these monsters, although they are slightly inferior to the boss in the first level, the time limit undoubtedly increases the difficulty.

Ten minutes might be manageable for him, but it would be too demanding for the average player.

"It might be testing the player's damage output ceiling."

"Perhaps... we should wait and see."

Seeing that only one praying Warcraft remained, Zhang Mingzhen stopped his attack and let the countdown come to an end.

He felt that a boss might appear.

An Ordinary Player would definitely try to avoid it, but he was different.

"3, 2, 1..."

The moment the numbers reached zero, the ground cracked open, and scorching lava erupted from where the monsters had been standing, coalescing into a colossal beast wreathed in fiery magma.

As expected, there's a boss.

It raised its head and roared, and a scorching line of fire swept straight over, continuously eroding Zhang Mingzhen's life.

Lord of Magma (Silver Lord)

"Harm:???"

"Health points:????"

While using healing skills to stabilize his health, Zhang Mingzhen calmly observed the situation.

This lord's damage is far greater than before, and it also inflicts continuous burning; if healing is insufficient, the entire team could be wiped out.

He gave himself a continuous recovery buff and then launched a counterattack.

Fortunately, the lord's defense is not particularly outstanding. As long as you can survive its fierce attacks and skillfully dodge its key skills, there is a possibility of victory. It seems that this level tests the team's overall strength.

It took another half hour to finally defeat this boss.

It seems the difficulty isn't too great.

The system announcement reappeared at that moment:

"Congratulations to player 'Chongxing' for successfully clearing the Hell difficulty dungeon of the Monster Altar for the first time, defeating the lord Lord of Magma, earning 100 Achievement Points, and the experience and Gold Coin rewards have been issued."

"The speed of this strategy was amazing!"

"The Lord of Magma... a fire-elemental lord. Last time it was the Sandstorm Lord, which is an earth-elemental lord. Could this dungeon be set up according to the five elements?"

"I've already decided, once I reach level 30, I'll ask a pro to help me level up."

"I need to remind the guild leader to reserve a spot in advance. This is a five-player dungeon, so the opportunity is probably even more precious."

"You'll have to experience it for yourself at level 30 to find out the specifics."

"Damn it, you dog game planners, if you don't come out and do something about this, is this game even playable?"

"Hehe, pay-to-win online games give whales a free cheat code, this game is all about luck. You'll get used to it."

"Yes, if you want to play a fair game, you have to play a monthly subscription game, and it has to be one where trading is prohibited."

Even so, others can still use smurf accounts and hire power levelers, so they're still better than you.

After defeating the Lord of Magma, Zhang Mingzhen obtained another equipment Prefix Stone.

He continued forward, a long flight of stone steps leading to a platform high on the map.

At the end of the steps, the familiar black smoke rose again.

This time, the black smoke was enormous, instantly spreading into a thick fog. From within the fog, tens of thousands of Shadow Demon materialized, surging down like a tide.

Having experienced a real beast tide, Zhang Mingzhen was not afraid at all. He unleashed his skills one after another, clearing out patches of empty space in the beast horde.

Ten minutes later, all the Warcraft disappeared, and he steadily stepped onto the platform.

At each of the four corners of the platform stands a stone sculpture of a monster with wings on its back.

With a series of crisp "crack" sounds, the surface of the stone carving cracked and peeled away, and four flying monsters burst out of the stone—they had bat-like fleshy wings, human faces, and bird-like claws, and as soon as they appeared, they threw out countless Wind Blades from mid-air.

Zhang Mingzhen launched an attack while dodging, and before long, the four monsters turned into rubble scattered all over the ground.

At that moment, an even heavier flapping sound came from above.

A gigantic monster, dozens of times larger than the one before it, swooped down: Wind Whetstone Bat (Silver Lord).

The lord unleashed a fierce Wind Blade, then swept over Zhang Mingzhen's head with astonishing speed, its claws aimed straight for vital points.

He took the hit head-on, and his health bar plummeted.

While healing himself, he used Eagle Strike to force the lord back and create a safe distance again.

This lord is not only swift in its attacks, but can also fly to high places to avoid ground attacks, making it difficult to land continuous hits.

Fortunately, Zhang Mingzhen had mastered new defensive and control skills, and by constantly adjusting his position in conjunction with the Eagle Strike Technique, he finally shot it down after half an hour.

Experience points increased again.

This time, he didn't get an equipment Prefix Stone; instead, he got an item called "Wings of Flight) ".

At that moment, Gao Linzhi's gaze fell upon them.

He smiled slightly.

It's time to increase the difficulty for those Cheater.

Ordinary Player will soon realize that not using cheats is actually a good thing.