[Wailing Cavern]

[Wailing Cavern]

[Challenger: Lin Mu]

[Class: LV.4 Necromancer]

[Time Entered: 00:00:16]

[Current Rating: None]

This simple line of information struck like a boulder crashing into a tranquil lake, instantly sending ripples through the crowd of professionals waiting nearby to enter other dungeons.

"A level-four Necromancer? Solo-clearing [Wailing Cavern]? Am I seeing this right?!"

A burly man who had just finished registering and was about to enter the [Goblin Mine] rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"No way! That place, [Wailing Cavern]—a first-transcension [Shield Guard] went in before and didn't even make it out alive! Word is the monsters there start at LV.5 at minimum, with elites and boss-types too!"

An experienced professional exclaimed, his face plastered with an expression that screamed, "This kid's going to die."

In the crowd.

A middle-aged man with inside knowledge suddenly lowered his voice and said to his companion beside him: "You guys don't know yet? This Lin Mu is the same madman who scored an SSS rating in the Second Vocational College's internship trial a couple days ago!"

He cleared his throat and continued spilling the beans: "I heard he's challenging [Wailing Cavern] just to get admission into Shengjing Academy. All this came straight from my nephew who studies at the Second Vocational College—gospel truth!"

"SSS rating?!"

"A Necromancer getting SSS?"

The professionals nearby erupted into an even bigger uproar, their gazes toward the light gate filled with complexity.

As earth-shattering as the SSS rating feat was.

The deadly reputation of [Wailing Cavern] had long been etched into everyone's minds.

Almost no one believed Lin Mu would walk out of there alive.

Even the staff member who had handled his registration.

At that moment, watching Lin Mu's figure vanish into the light gate, gently shook his head.

His eyes brimmed with regret.

"Geniuses... often come hand in hand with extreme stubbornness."

Beyond the light gate lay a stretch of profound darkness.

Lin Mu felt a faint sensation of weightlessness.

Then the scenery before him sharpened into clarity.

A cold, damp air rushed at him, carrying a strange mix of decay and blood.

Faint, intermittent sobs and wails drifted to his ears.

As if countless restless spirits were weeping here, sending chills down the spine.

No wonder it's called [Wailing Cavern]—even the atmosphere alone makes your blood run cold!

Lin Mu's gaze was calm as he quickly surveyed his surroundings.

This was a narrow rock passage.

The walls were covered in dark green moss, and water droplets occasionally fell from above.

Making a "drip" sound that stood out sharply in the silence.

He moved with a thought.

[Resurrect Skeleton]!

[Resurrect Skeleton]!

With a faint tremor in the ground, ten, twenty... a full ninety [Steel Skeletons] radiating a metallic sheen.

Silently burst forth from the ground and rock walls around him!

They gripped icy steel blades, the blue Soul Fires in their hollow eye sockets linking into a single expanse.

Instantly cramming the narrow passage to the brim.

Forming an awe-inspiring tide of steel.

This was the foundation of his current confidence!

Just then.

At the corner of the passage ahead, a thick gray-black mist began to spread.

The mist churned.

Vaguely visible within it were countless twisted faces, struggling and howling.

[Mist of Despair]: A region filled with negative energy. Any living being who steps into it will be consumed by endless despair, their mind collapsing, eventually transforming into a vengeful spirit within the mist.

The description clearly stated, "Any living being who steps into it will be consumed by endless despair."

A cold smirk curled at the corner of Lin Mu's lips.

Talent [Description Tamperer], activate!

His consciousness locked precisely onto the word "despair."

"Change 'will be consumed by endless despair' to 'will be consumed by endless hope'!"

In an instant, the churning gray-black mist twisted violently, its color shifting at a visible pace from a deep, deathly black-gray to a soft, milky white.

The twisted faces within dissipated without a trace, replaced by faint, warm glows.

[Mist of Hope]: A region filled with positive energy. Any living being who steps into it will be bathed in the faint light of hope, their spirit invigorated, their morale soaring.

When Lin Mu led his skeleton army into it, he felt a warm current surge through his entire body, even his mind clearing a little.

The gloom that had weighed on his heart—the shadow of his parents' death, the gravity of the black-clad man's warning—

seemed to dissipate considerably under the influence of this "Mist of Hope."

Even his gaze grew more resolute.

"Twenty-four hours of survival, kill the final boss [Cave Lord]..."

Lin Mu silently recited the challenge objective, his heart utterly fearless.

"This world is already full of the unknown and danger. Only absolute power will let me part all the mists and find the truth!"

After passing through the "Mist of Hope," the path ahead opened up.

A slightly spacious cavern appeared.

On the cave walls, he noticed some strange claw marks.

They didn't resemble the prints of any known animal.

These marks were arranged oddly, as if... they contained some kind of pattern?

Lin Mu ordered the skeleton army to stand guard on the spot.

He himself stepped forward slowly, carefully examining those claw marks.

His gaze eventually settled on a relatively flat stone wall.

There, besides the claw marks, were some faint symbols, seemingly carved by human hands.

[A Forgotten Warning]: Ancient text, recording some kind of "rule" hidden deep within the cave, requiring a special "key" to decipher.

"Rule? Key?"

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of curiosity rising within him.

It seemed this [Wailing Cavern] was no mere monster nest.

He tried to modify the description with [Description Tamperer], but got no reaction.

It seemed to have touched some deeper limitation, or perhaps simply exceeded his modification level cap.

"Interesting."

Lin Mu withdrew his gaze, no longer dwelling on it.

The priority now

was to ensure survival and gradually explore this cave.

"Ugh-roar!"

Before Lin Mu could think further, a muffled roar echoed from the distance, carrying obvious brutality and hunger.

Lin Mu's eyes sharpened.

"Here it comes?"

He waved a hand.

The ninety Steel Skeletons, marching in perfect unison, rolled forward into the depths of the cave!

"Clank, clank, clank..."