This ghoul was nearly twice the size of an ordinary ghoul.
Its skin was a sickly bluish-purple, covered in pustules and festering wounds.
It sensed Lin Mu's arrival and suddenly raised its head, letting out a piercing shriek.
Foul-smelling drool dripped from its mouth, lined with sharp teeth.
It charged toward Lin Mu's army of skeletons at incredible speed.
At the same time.
It opened its foul maw and suddenly spat out a thick stream of yellow-green poison!
"Pssshhh—"
The poison splashed onto the Steel Skeletons, immediately giving off clouds of pungent white smoke.
Although the Steel Skeletons had extremely high defense, the poison didn't deal much direct damage.
But its lingering corrosive effect was truly disgusting to watch.
Lin Mu furrowed his brow. He had far too much free time on his hands, and his playful side took over.
His gaze sharpened as his talent, [Description Tamperer], activated!
He quickly checked the detailed description of the [Mutated Ghoul Elite].
[Mutated Ghoul Elite]: A ghoul that had mutated after consuming rotten flesh and toxic substances for years. It possessed incredible movement speed and powerful jumping ability, and could spew poisonous liquid that quickly corroded objects. A nauseating stench of rot surrounded it.
A playful smile curled Lin Mu's lips as he focused his thoughts on the words "poisonous."
"Change 'poisonous liquid' to 'harmless liquid'!"
In an instant.
The [Mutated Ghoul Elite] spat out another stream of yellow-green liquid.
When it landed on the skeletons.
It didn't produce corrosive white smoke.
Instead, it was like clear water, and even carried a faint, unusual fragrance.
"Roar?"
The [Mutated Ghoul Elite] visibly faltered.
Its enormous head tilted to one side, its expression one of bewilderment so humanlike it was almost comical.
As if it were saying:
"Where's my poison? Where'd that huge puddle of poison go?!"
While it stood there in confusion.
Dozens of Steel Skeletons swarmed it.
The steel blades in their hands became a freezing rain of steel.
In an instant, they tore the bewildered elite monster to pieces.
Lin Mu stepped forward.
He casually picked up a piece of Green Equipment dropped by the elite monster.
At that moment, from the deeper, darker passage on the far side of the lake.
An aura far more powerful than the [Mutated Ghoul Elite]'s was slowly surging.
At the East District Dungeon Management Center in Xilin City.
The exclusive entrance to the [Wailing Cavern] was packed with people.
On the enormous display screen.
A few simple lines of text had captured everyone's attention.
[Wailing Cavern] [Challenger: Lin Mu] [Class: LV.5 Necromancer] [Time Inside: 00:45:32] [Current Rating: C]
"Whoa—look! He... he leveled up, and he's got a rating now!"
In the crowd.
A sharp-eyed class holder pointed at the screen, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Good heavens! How long has he been in there? Less than an hour, right? He went from level four to level five already?"
"And in a place like the [Wailing Cavern], no less! A Necromancer's lucky to even survive in there! What kind of monster is this Lin Mu?"
"A C rating! For a solo challenge, as a Necromancer, that's an incredible score!"
The chatter rose and fell around them.
Every face was filled with disbelief.
Just then, commotion stirred at the edge of the crowd.
Several class holders in the City Guard's standard armor cleared a path.
They forcibly parted the tightly packed crowd.
Then.
A group of people strode in under everyone's watchful eyes.
At the head of the group.
Was Mu Wanqing, a recruitment instructor from [Shengjing Academy].
Her expression remained calm.
But her deep eyes seemed to hold a hint more emotion than usual.
Beside her.
Qu Qingfeng, principal of Xilin Second Vocational College, already had fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
He hurried along beside her.
All the while, he carefully watched Mu Wanqing's expression.
Ji Xiangwen, head of the Xilin City Department of Education.
Along with several other representatives from top academies still in Xilin City, had come as well.
Their expressions varied.
But every one of them looked serious and curious.
"Teacher Mu, Director Ji, Principal Qu!"
The head of the Dungeon Management Center hurried over to greet them, sweat beading on his forehead as well.
Mu Wanqing gave a slight nod.
Her gaze went straight to the display screen.
When she saw Lin Mu's level of LV.5 and his C rating.
Her serene eyes finally rippled.
"He's faster than I expected."
Mu Wanqing spoke softly.
Yet the words clearly reached the ears of the bigwigs nearby.
At her words, Qu Qingfeng's heart tightened, while a trace of inexplicable hope rose within him.
"Could that kid... really have another ace up his sleeve?"
He wondered to himself.
His gaze stayed fixed on the data on the screen.
The other academy representatives exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.
None of them had expected.
Lin Mu to enter the [Wailing Cavern] so quickly.
Was it confidence, or recklessness?
Time.
Passed second by second.
The tension at the entrance grew along with it.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the data on the screen to change again.
Every second felt unbearably long.
Suddenly!
"It... it changed again! His rating and level both changed!"
The crowd erupted in another wave of shouts!
Everyone's eyes snapped to the display screen!
The characters that had been still were now flickering slightly, their information refreshed!
[Wailing Cavern] [Challenger: Lin Mu] [Class: LV.6 Necromancer] [Time Inside: 01:05:47] [Current Rating: B]
"LV.6! A B rating!"
Principal Qu Qingfeng could no longer contain his excitement and cried out.
His cheeks flushed red with excitement.
His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The other bigwigs around him looked just as stunned.
"One hour and five minutes... He went from LV.4 to LV.6, and got a B rating..."
The refined-looking elderly man from Huaxia Professional University.
His eyes went wide behind his glasses as he murmured to himself.
"Could he have been killing monsters the whole time? Weren't they saying you had to avoid monsters in the [Wailing Cavern] to have any chance of finding the dungeon boss?"
The middle-aged man in military uniform from the War Academy furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Since when did Necromancers get this strong?"
Mu Wanqing still stood where she was, her expression calm.
But her hands clasped behind her back had, without her realizing it, curled into fists.
"Interesting."
She thought to herself.
"Looks like this trip to Xilin might really bring me some surprises."
The crowd erupted!
"A B rating! That's a B rating! I remember the last person to clear the [Wailing Cavern] was a Shadow Assassin. They used skills to sneak their way to the boss, then beat it with a special item. Even after all that, they only got a B rating."
"And Lin Mu's a Necromancer, too! Did he really fight his way through? That's absolutely insane!"
"Could he... really make it out alive?"
A young class holder spoke, his voice trembling with anticipation.
No one could answer that question.
But Lin Mu's astonishing performance had stirred up a storm in everyone's heart!
Before you continue