Through the Dungeon

"We were all first-time participants in a dungeon, so of course we overlooked the background. We just assumed the Head Chopper Demon was a fixed boss and never imagined there was more hidden beneath the surface."

They had thought they were among the game's earliest players, and that the three years mentioned by the game were merely part of the backstory. Just as they had assumed the Woodcutter was an NPC, it had never occurred to them that this had been a dungeon for a long time—and a Non-Closed Dungeon at that.

"Who could've guessed this place had been a dungeon site for decades, with some inexplicable players stranded here?" Liu Yuanyuan's brash attitude had softened considerably.

"We have that Woodcutter to thank," Yuan Yao said. "Otherwise, we'd never have known that only one person left couldn't clear the dungeon."

His eyes lit up as he rushed toward Xu Huo. "Brother Xu! We're good friends, right? Let's exchange numbers. If not, at least add each other on social media!"

Xu Huo pressed a hand to his face and shoved him away, then turned to Wang Wei. "Your little tricks gave you away. There's no doubt the Head Chopper Demon is a player."

"Then why didn't you suspect her?" Wang Wei shouted angrily, pointing at Liu Yuanyuan.

"Of course I did," Xu Huo replied coolly. "Didn't we just rule people out?"

Wang Wei had no answer. He trembled for a while, then suddenly gave a sinister laugh. "My bad luck, running into you. But don't think you can end this dungeon so easily!"

He raised a finger. A thread so fine it was hard to spot appeared beside Xu Huo. Its color was slightly different from the one before, and it seemed able to blend into its surroundings. Still, the faint glint of the metal wire was visible.

"Again?" Xu Huo reached out and grabbed the thread, but it slipped through his fingers and darted toward Yuan Yao!

It wasn't coming for him!

Xu Huo kicked Yuan Yao out of the way. The thread ignored Huang Junjie, who was rushing toward them, and slipped past his ear, flying toward Abel behind him!

Abel hurriedly backed away, and the enormous Cross appeared in his hands again. He swung it wildly through the air a few times. It had no real effect, and the foam conjured by the Cross only dazzled him. The next second, the thread hoisted him into the air!

Huang Junjie and Yuan Yao ran to help. They tried to lift Abel up and free him from the thread, but it seemed to have grown right onto his neck. The higher they lifted him, the higher it went!

"This is my item, 'Omnipresent Strings.' It can grow anywhere. Nothing you do will help—you can only watch him hang!" Wang Wei roared with laughter, utterly deranged. "But don't worry. I'll kill every one of you, one by one!"

The players present all looked grim. Wang Wei had far too many bizarre items!

"His item can't be used twice on the same person. Huang Junjie, go!" Xu Huo shouted. Then he tapped his heel against the ground twice, and vanished from the spot.

He was so fast that he seemed to leave a streak in the air. Wang Wei's smug expression changed in an instant. Before his grin had even faded, Xu Huo was standing right in front of him!

"Argh!" Wang Wei screamed and looked down at his left hand. Four fingers and half his palm had been sliced off!

With the source of Wang Wei's control gone, Abel dropped to the ground. Huang Junjie tried to wind the thread around his Bamboo Knife, but failed. All he could do was watch as it flew back toward Wang Wei!

"Xu Huo, watch out! The thread's going back!"

Hearing Huang Junjie's warning, Xu Huo didn't turn around. He knocked aside the incoming axe, kicked Wang Wei back against the wall, then spun around and bit the airborne thread with his Brass Lighter. Grabbing both ends, he tied several tight knots, then tossed the thread, lighter and all, to Huang Junjie!

Wang Wei roared in fury when he saw his item stolen just like that. He swung his axe wildly, trying to fight Xu Huo to the death. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep up with Xu Huo's speed, and he was already injured. Without the boost from his Black Cloak, his skillless, reckless swings couldn't hurt anyone.

Xu Huo gave Yuan Yao a look, and Yuan Yao understood, slipping off to the side.

"Die! Die! Die!" Wang Wei's roars echoed through the Warehouse. Xu Huo remained composed, never meeting him head-on. He simply dodged each blow and backed away, then suddenly spoke when Yuan Yao had quietly made his way behind Wang Wei. "Want to know how I figured out your item's weakness?"

Wang Wei's movements faltered instinctively. Yuan Yao seized the chance to grab his arm and shout excitedly, "Brother Xu, do it!"

Wang Wei's expression changed. By the time he realized he'd been tricked, it was too late. A small knife plunged into his heart!

Xu Huo calmly watched as Wang Wei's eyes bulged, fixed on him. He reached out and took the axe, then stepped back and let Wang Wei collapse to his knees.

The instant Wang Wei died, every player present heard a notification:

[Congratulations, players! You have successfully cleared the "Head Chopper Demon" dungeon. Since the dungeon ended early and the Head Chopper Demon was hunted down through your combined efforts, in addition to the rewards you'll receive based on your task completion, all of you will share the Mountain Villa owner's 100,000 bounty and a special item.]

[Additionally, the Head Chopper Demon's item is a fixed item in this dungeon and cannot be obtained by players. Players may later choose to exchange it for one Ability development opportunity or one item. Note: The player who receives this exchange reward will be chosen by player vote.]

[The following are the task completion ratings for the players in this dungeon:]

[Player Passerby A: B-level

Player Zui Li Tiao Deng Kan Jian: D-level

Player Cheng Xu Yuan Ni Bu Dong: D-level

Player Faith of the Gods: E-level

Player Ren Jia Fu Bai Mao Mei: E-level]

"D-level!" Yuan Yao was the first to leap up excitedly. "I got D-level! I didn't even get a rating on the Preliminary Train, and now I got a D on my first dungeon! Haha!"

"Congratulations." Huang Junjie looked relieved too. He'd gotten a D as well, so his personal reward and Ticket were probably guaranteed.

He and Yuan Yao had both gotten D-level ratings, which meant the B-level Passerby A could only be Xu Huo.

"Why did I get the lowest rating?" Liu Yuanyuan said indignantly. "I helped catch the Head Chopper Demon too."

"Me too," Abel said, scratching his head. "Maybe it's because we wandered around like blind people from start to finish. And you nearly made us fight each other."

Liu Yuanyuan snorted, then looked at the item in Huang Junjie's hand. The metal thread, which had writhed and squirmed like a worm at first, now hung motionless from the Lighter. She eyed it greedily. "Let me take a look at that item."

Huang Junjie warily stepped back. "One against four. You don't stand a chance."

Liu Yuanyuan scoffed and looked toward Xu Huo, who was still poking around by the wall. "What are you doing? It's time to vote. You're not planning to keep the exchange reward for yourself, are you?"

Xu Huo searched a little longer and finally found a reflective shard in the corner. He slipped it into his pocket, then turned back.

After the game announcement ended, the Black Cloak and axe in Xu Huo's item slot both turned gray. When he opened them, the only option was the voting screen.

"Before we vote, let's decide who gets the exchange reward," he said.