Everyone had arrived. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Huang Dongshi took the lead and stood before the dungeon's portal.
"Stay close and stay alert!" Huang Dongshi stepped through first.
Xu Feng, Cheng Xiaoyu, and Liu Chenhao followed close behind, then came the rest of Huang Dongshi's team.
Light flashed, and the surroundings changed abruptly.
A damp breeze carrying a faint moldy smell and the rank odor of some kind of insect secretion rushed toward them.
Before them lay a gigantic natural cave system winding downward. The uneven walls were covered in honeycomb-like holes and hanging stalactites.
The light was extremely dim. Only some glowing moss and minerals deep within the cave emitted a faint fluorescence.
Rustling sounds came from all directions.
It didn't take long.
The first wave of monsters appeared.
They were giant ants nearly half a man tall, with glossy black carapaces, sharp mandibles, and vicious mouthparts!
They poured out densely from holes in the rock walls and cracks in the ground.
Mixed among them were some slightly smaller flying ants with transparent wings growing from their backs, producing an annoying buzzing.
"They're C-class low-tier Iron Jaw Ants and Flying Sting Ants! Everyone, be careful. There are quite a lot of them!"
Someone in the group shouted.
"Prepare for battle!"
Huang Dongshi gave the order. His team immediately formed up, magic staves lit with radiance, and blades were drawn.
Xu Feng took several steps back, removed the Dark Silver Longbow from his back, and drew an arrow.
He used no flashy techniques. Relying only on his powerful arm strength and precise eyesight, he pulled the bow into a full moon.
He released the string!
Whoosh—!
The arrow left the bow with a sharp whistle and struck precisely at the weak spot between the compound eyes of an Iron Jaw Ant charging at the very front!
The arrow's tremendous kinetic force pierced straight through its skull, spraying out a shower of viscous fluid as the Iron Jaw Ant collapsed.
[Breakthrough Points +52]
Xu Feng's expression remained impassive as he drew another arrow, pulled the bow, and fired.
His movements were fluid and his rhythm steady.
Every arrow was heavy and powerful, never missing its mark. He specifically targeted the joints, compound eyes, mouthparts, and other vital points of these C-class low-tier monsters.
Although he knew nothing about archery, overwhelming force could overcome any technique. Faced with his absolute strength and dynamic vision, these ants, which were not particularly fast, were little more than living targets.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows flew out one after another, killing Iron Jaw Ants and Flying Sting Ants in turn.
Xu Feng was like an efficient reaping machine, clearing away the threats ahead.
"Excellent archery! Brother Xu, you're amazing!"
Huang Dongshi praised him loudly when he saw this, and his teammates chimed in one after another, relaxed smiles appearing on their faces.
With someone helping clear out the cannon fodder, they were naturally happy to conserve their magic power.
Liu Chenhao swung his ornate longsword and cut down several ants that approached, shouting excitedly:
"Big Brother Xu is so strong!!!"
Cheng Xiaoyu was much quieter. Holding a black short sword that looked rather ancient, he moved along the edge of the battlefield.
Although he did not attack the ants, his gaze remained calm as he warily observed his surroundings.
That included Huang Dongshi's team.
Although Cheng Xiaoyu had not contributed, Huang Dongshu and the others did not pay him much attention.
After all, Cheng Xiaoyu's hunter rank was only E-class. In an operation to conquer this C-class dungeon, he could at best be considered a lackey.
As they continued deeper into the cave, Xu Feng noticed that large numbers of ant corpses had begun appearing on the ground. Their deaths varied, and many looked as though they had been torn apart and drained dry by a stronger predator.
The rank odor in the air grew heavier, now mixed with a hint of sweetness.
It seems there is more than just ants here.
At the same time, the Breakthrough Points gained from killing the same type of monster began to drop sharply, gradually falling from more than fifty at the start to twenty, ten, and even just a few points.
"Everyone, be careful! There may be something big ahead! Judging from these ant corpses, they look like they were hunted by a natural enemy!"
An experienced hunter in the group warned them.
A glint that was difficult to detect flashed through Huang Dongshi's eyes. He called out loudly:
"A natural enemy? Then it is probably the boss of this dungeon!
"Brothers, put in a little more effort! The boss is just ahead! Once we kill it, this dungeon will be conquered!
"When that happens, the rewards will be distributed fairly according to everyone's contributions!"
His words stirred up the group's morale.
Everyone quickened their pace and passed through an even more complicated area covered in spiderweb-like white threads.
But Xu Feng faintly sensed that the footsteps of Huang Dongshi and the others behind him had slowed, while their whispered conversations had become more frequent, as if they were quietly discussing something.
They had intentionally or otherwise fallen to the rear of the group.
Cheng Xiaoyu noticed this as well. He moved a little closer to Xu Feng and Liu Chenhao and said in a low voice:
"Be careful."
Liu Chenhao was still immersed in the excitement of the adventure and looked somewhat confused.
"Careful of what? The ants? Big Brother Xu is killing them so fast!"
Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head. His expression remained stern, and he kept his short blade in hand, staying alert at all times.
Xu Feng said nothing either. He merely gave Cheng Xiaoyu a slight nod, and the three continued forward shoulder to shoulder.
At last, they arrived at the deepest part of the cave.
This was an extremely vast underground cavern. Countless thick white strands of spider silk hung from the ceiling, glistening with strange mucus. They intertwined into an enormous three-dimensional web that filled nearly half the space.
Large numbers of shriveled ant and insect corpses clung to the center of the web.
And on a raised platform at the deepest part of the cave, a colossal creature crouched.
It was a spider-type monster as large as a small truck!
Its entire body was covered in dark-purple carapace with a metallic sheen, while its eight barbed, jointed limbs resembled steel supports.
Most horrifying of all was its head. A full eight compound eyes glimmered with cold red light, and sharp fangs showed whenever its mouthparts opened and closed.
A vicious aura far surpassing that of an ordinary C-class monster spread through the cavern, making the air thick and heavy.
"High-tier C-class... No, judging from this aura, it has probably already touched the threshold of B-class! It has a boss template too!"
Someone from Huang Dongshi's team cried out, their voice trembling.
Yet what drew everyone's attention even more was the small pile of sharply edged crystals beside the giant spider, each emitting a faint purple glow.
"Raw C-class magic stones!"
Someone could not help shouting, their voice full of greed.
Although there were far fewer than the bag Xu Feng had obtained last time, these were higher-grade C-class raw ore!
A rough estimate put their value at more than thirty million!
Enormous profits and a deadly threat stood before them at the same time.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
"The boss is right ahead! Everyone, charge!"
Huang Dongshi suddenly roared, but as he shouted, he and his seven teammates unexpectedly retreated instead of advancing, sprinting toward the passage leading back to the entrance!
"Captain Huang! Where are you going?!"
Liu Chenhao shouted in astonishment.
His answer was a thunderous boom!
Boom—!!!
The fire mage in Huang Dongshi's team had already prepared an explosive fireball. He hurled it viciously at the rock wall above the narrow passage entrance they had just passed through!
The violent explosion triggered a chain collapse. Countless rocks came crashing down, instantly sealing the entrance completely!
Dust filled the air.
Inside the cave, only Xu Feng, Cheng Xiaoyu, and Liu Chenhao remained.
And ahead of them was the terrifying spider boss, awakened completely by the thunderous explosion, its eight compound eyes instantly locking onto them!
Hiss—!!!
An ear-piercing shriek echoed through the cavern. The spider boss slowly rose, its eight long legs scraping across the ground with a grating sound that set their teeth on edge.
Dense killing intent surged toward them like a tide.
Outside the passage, the faint sound of Huang Dongshi and the others' rapidly retreating footsteps could be heard, along with their undisguised cold laughter:
"You fools! So what if it's B-class? Be good little bait and hold that monster back!
"Once you're all dead and the monster has been weakened enough, we'll come back and clean up the leftovers. The magic stones... will be ours! Hahahaha!"
Before you continue