Lizardmen, Enter the Dungeon!

He had already mentioned this sewer anomaly to Piao Zhi Yong during their casual chat the previous night.

Piao Zhi Yong said the Hunter Association had indeed detected energy fluctuations matching dungeon characteristics within this section of the sewer system.

But the urban sewer network was as intricate as a labyrinth; the Association's reconnaissance teams had ventured deep several times, yet failed to pinpoint the core entrance of that newborn dungeon.

Xu Feng, however, did not want to wait any longer.

The threat lurked so close to his family, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, robbing him of sleep and peace.

Given his family's current condition, any unforeseen incident could lead to irreversible consequences.

Moreover, after breaking through several realms in succession, his perception had greatly sharpened.

The faint, chilling aura that had vaguely threatened him last night was now far clearer upon sensing it again, and the sense of danger had significantly diminished.

He could even roughly discern the direction and distance from which that aura emanated.

"Tonight, I'll settle this."

Xu Feng tightened the empty pack on his back, confirmed his bearings, then flipped into the sewer.

He needed no light source; he could now see clearly in near-total darkness.

Even the dim sewer appeared to him as bright as day.

Carrying a flashlight would only expose his position and hinder his movements.

The soles of his shoes made soft pattering sounds on the damp, moss-flecked stone floor.

He suppressed his aura, following the increasingly distinct chilling presence, step by step deeper in.

"The Octopus Monsters nearby... are all gone?"

After advancing three or four li, not a single E-rank Octopus Monster appeared as expected, putting Xu Feng on slight alert.

Still, the source of his target aura was very close now.

"Right here..."

Reaching a right-angle turn, Xu Feng's steps abruptly halted, and a sharp light burst from his eyes!

At that very instant, his head snapped backward at an inconceivable speed!

Shwoosh--!

A piercing sound of something cutting through air grazed past the tip of his nose!

A coldly gleaming trident thrust out from the seemingly solid stone wall beside him, stabbing viciously at where his head had been just a second ago, sending broken stones flying!

"Heh."

Xu Feng's reaction was astonishingly fast!

The moment the trident missed, his left hand shot out like a striking viper, fingers together in a claw, wrapped in overwhelming Great Strength, and pierced straight through that stone wall!

His arm muscles bulged as he yanked outward!

Boom!

Half the wall collapsed with a roar, rubble scattering everywhere!

Through the dust, a monster's figure was forcibly dragged out from behind the wall!

It was a humanoid monster about two meters tall, covered in rough, pale gray skin, with bulging, lamp-like eyes, and a body constantly secreting viscous fluid.

Its lower half had a pair of amphibian-like feet, complete with webbing and sharp claws.

But now the Lizardman flailed its trident in terror, its thick neck clamped tight in Xu Feng's iron grip.

No matter how desperately it struggled, even clawing at Xu Feng's arm, it could not budge those fingers, forged as if from solid steel!

Crack--!

A sickening, brittle sound.

Xu Feng's expression was blank as his fingers tightened slightly.

The Lizardman's whole body convulsed violently, its protruding eyes instantly bloodshot, spewing filthy blood mixed with crushed organs.

Then its head lolled limply to one side at a grotesque angle, all life extinguished.

[Breakthrough Points + 7]

"A D-class Lower Rank monster, about as strong as an ordinary wild bull."

Xu Feng assessed the creature's level in an instant, casually tossing the corpse aside.

His gaze turned to the space behind the broken wall.

There, a pale blue energy vortex about two meters in diameter slowly rotated, suspended in midair, emitting a stable spatial fluctuation.

Scattered on the ground around the vortex were the severed limbs of Octopus Monsters, some still fresh.

"So it feeds on Octopus Monsters? No wonder the nearby ones were all cleared out." Xu Feng realized.

He pulled out a handbook Piao Zhi Yong had given him, titled Common Dungeon Features and Response Manual.

He quickly flipped to the section on identifying dungeon ranks, carefully comparing the book's description of "portal energy color and fluctuation characteristics" with the pale blue vortex before him.

"Color stable, fluctuation gentle, range moderate... Confirmed as a D-class Lower Rank dungeon portal." Xu Feng had reached his judgment in his mind.

A thought rose irrepressibly.

The massive gains from raiding that Brute Bull Underground City tonight were still vivid before his eyes.

He had broken through several realms in succession.

And now, a D-class dungeon he could handle on his own lay right before him!

D-class dungeons weren't a dime a dozen. Even Piao Zhi Yong's raid team only managed to pick up a suitable mission once a month on average.

Of course, the rewards were also extremely generous.

Counting the monster materials and the Hunter Guild's payout.

That night, Xu Feng alone had pocketed 800,000 in compensation.

"Benefits far outweigh the risks... Let's do it."

Having weighed the pros and cons swiftly in his mind, Xu Feng's gaze sharpened, and he hesitated no longer.

He stuffed the manual back into his backpack, took a deep breath, and strode into the pale blue portal. His figure was quickly swallowed by the swirling energy.

Just as Xu Feng's form vanished completely into the portal.

The originally stable pale blue vortex's edge suddenly rippled ever so faintly, a trace of barely perceptible pale red light flickering and then disappearing in an instant.

That light seemed to carry a hint of hesitation, a sense of weighing options.

But in the end, the portal quickly returned to its stable pale blue, as if nothing had happened.

Over ten minutes later.

At the same sewer corner.

"Captain! Found it! The dungeon entrance is here!"

A rough voice tinged with barely contained excitement broke the silence of the place, echoing through the narrow sewer space.

A group of eight, well-equipped and moving with practiced efficiency, quickly gathered around the pale blue portal.

They were clearly another experienced hunter raid team.

"Confirmed as a D-class Lower Rank dungeon, energy signature stable. I've already reported the coordinates and rank to the Hunter Association in real time."

One team member holding a portable detection device reported swiftly, then furrowed his brow.

"But... the scan shows traces of a life form entering recently, yet the Association's mission system has no record of anyone accepting or entering this dungeon."

"Someone's already gone in? A black-market operator who didn't follow proper procedure?"

The middle-aged man who looked like the captain stroked his chin, his sharp eyes fixed on the portal.

"Probably some solo hunter who got lucky finding this place and rushed in on impulse. What a hothead!"

"Then... Captain, do we still go in? According to regulations, if someone has already entered without reporting..." The vice-captain hesitated, asking.

The team fell silent for a moment.

Then, a burly man carrying a massive battle axe spoke in a low, rumbling voice, tinged with gravity and urgency:

"My daughter... needs a bone marrow transplant next week. I'm still short a big chunk of the surgery fee."

"The reward for this mission is very important to me."

As his words fell, the atmosphere among the team shifted slightly.

Some looked at the captain, their eyes asking questions. Others looked at the burly man, their expressions showing understanding and sympathy.

The captain swept his gaze over his team members, then looked back at the stable portal. After a moment's deliberation, he finally made his decision.

"Prepare to enter."

"Dungeons are dangerous. That guy who barged in first might already be in trouble, or even...

We're going in, first to complete the mission, and second... to see if we can lend a hand if possible.

We're all hunters. In a place like this, we can't just stand by and let someone die."

"Yes, Captain!" The team members answered in unison, quickly checking their gear and adjusting their states.

Soon, this eight-man raid team stepped into the pale blue portal one by one, disappearing into the depths of the sewer.