The Great Gaze

The four of them held a discussion regarding this dungeon, though in reality, it was only Gao Xiaowen and the middle-aged man Xu Haoran talking. Lu Li played the role of a newbie on the sidelines, while Hu Wenxu kept his eyes closed with a cold expression, having already returned to his cultivation.

None of these people were easy to deal with; the names they provided were likely aliases, and aside from some basic information, they hadn't disclosed anything of substance. Although Xu Haoran shared information about the merfolk, he only did so for the sake of the mission.

Xu Haoran had not revealed his other skills or his base enhancement abilities. Conversely, by leaking that he possessed a scouting skill, he had somewhat assumed the role of leader for this temporary squad. Gao Xiaowen, who had been acting as the team's liaison, had for some reason chosen to take a step back, handing the leadership position to Xu Haoran and deferring to his opinions throughout the discussion about the dungeon mission.

"I have a question. Although the game issued a dungeon mission, it didn't stipulate that we must complete it, and there's no penalty mentioned for failure. Can we just abandon the mission and go elsewhere to kill monsters and farm gear?" Lu Li asked with a curious expression once their conversation had died down.

"Do you think this is still a tutorial dungeon? In official dungeons, aside from powerful bosses, monsters rarely drop modules. Rewards are generally obtained through missions. Furthermore, the post-clearance draw is tied to your mission completion rate. If you fail the mission, do you really believe those five draw cards will be anything other than blank?"

"Besides, that's not the most important thing. The most critical point is that if you don't actively complete the mission, you'll encounter terrifying events. In the end, you might even be trapped within the dungeon world, subjected to endless torture!" Xu Haoran said with a cold sneer. Although the game didn't explicitly state it, those who dared to intentionally skip missions never met a good end. If you tried your best to complete the mission, even if you failed, you might still escape with your life. Thinking back to the Second-Instar Burrowing Demon Worm covered in tentacles that he encountered after avoiding a mission in the previous dungeon because it was too difficult, a flash of Fear crossed Xu Haoran's eyes.

"Guests, please follow me!" A mermaid swam into the palace and spoke to the four of them. Lu Li and the others exchanged glances, ended their conversation, and stepped onto the ice-carved stairs, ascending toward the surface of the lake.

Following a hidden river path on the small island, the mermaid led the way through the water while the four players followed along the narrow bank. Before long, under the mermaid's guidance, they arrived at the shore of the island. Not far ahead, a small boat was docked, containing several items—including the clothes Lu Li had changed out of.

"The Princess has ordered you to depart as soon as possible. You only need to board the boat, and we will take you there!" Although the mermaid's words were not polite in the slightest, her unique voice was truly sweet, giving one the urge to remain immersed in that beautiful sound forever.

Without any objections, the group quickly boarded the boat. They then saw many shadows flickering beneath the surface of the water and could see fish tails swimming by; the boat then set off toward their destination at an incredible speed.

The sea breeze was somewhat gusty, and the fishy, salty scent was enough to make one feel nauseated. Looking at the boundless sea, the island behind them grew smaller and smaller until it quickly became a tiny black dot. At this moment, with Lu Li and the others in the middle of the boat with nothing to rely on, they felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of panic.

Especially when watching the fish tails churning beneath the surface, their thoughts couldn't help but wander. There were simply too many unknowns down there, and humans are always afraid of the unknown. On this planet, the greatest unknown was likely the bottom of the sea. Compared to that seemingly vast ocean, they felt like ants walking before a giant, as if they could die at any second.

Fortunately, these players were no simpletons. The panic in their hearts slowly faded as time passed. Lu Li, having long since ceased to care about such negative emotions, continued to play the part of the newbie, feigning lingering fear as he asked the others in a flustered tone, "What was that just now? Why did I suddenly feel such Fear?"

"As expected, this dungeon also contains that kind of existence!" A look of lingering fear flashed across Xu Haoran's face. He looked toward Gao Xiaowen and Hu Wenxu, who both wore expressions of realization, and then at the bewildered Lu Li, forcing a smile as if to give himself some courage.

"A rookie is a rookie. The dungeons we enter can sometimes contain 'out-of-spec' entities. They are usually either sealed or in a deep slumber. In any case, these out-of-spec existences cannot move, but they occasionally cast their gaze upon us. Even a mere glance can trigger a special reaction in us, and sometimes their gaze can leak something that causes the event to mutate directly."

"Somewhere deep beneath this seabed, there is likely such an out-of-spec existence!" It was rare for Hu Wenxu to speak so much. However, while he had been posturing just a moment ago, he now spoke with a fanatical tone: "I really want to dissect such an existence one day to see how it differs from a normal human, how they exist, and why they can turn an organ meant for receiving light—the eye—into a magical organ that radiates various substances..."

The expressions of the other two changed. They had initially thought he was just a cold-faced man focused on cultivation; while he might be the strongest, he would at most be a hired hand. But now, it was clear he was a research-obsessed madman. Who knew if one day, before you even realized it, you'd be knocked unconscious and thrown onto his dissection table?

Such people were the most dangerous. Their thought processes were completely different from normal people; they would do anything for the sake of research. What was even more terrifying was that such people tended to easily acquire great strength.

"Hey, Brother Hu, do you know how to dissect? That sounds quite interesting. Could you take me along for the next experiment?" Just as Xu Haoran and Gao Xiaowen were wondering how to keep the troublesome Hu Wenxu in check, they heard the "rookie" in their eyes ask with genuine interest.

"You're interested in dissection? That's perfect, I'm just short of an assistant. I'll teach you some knowledge when the time comes. This game is truly wonderful; it's filled with all sorts of exotic materials everywhere. This is our paradise!" Hu Wenxu said with excitement, occasionally glancing at the merfolk beneath the boat, his intentions self-evident.

Xu Haoran and Gao Xiaowen exchanged a look. What the hell? How did we end up in such a pathetic squad? What kind of people are these...

The contract has been sent out, and I'm finally signing! Many thanks to all the readers for your strong support, thank you!