Strange Dungeon

Li Changfeng asked a few more questions expectantly, but failed to get the answers he wanted. His interest waned somewhat. Although Cao Xiaochun seemed to be on the rise now, his answers were always "I don't know," "probably," or "maybe," leaving Li Changfeng feeling deeply uncertain.

With no other choice, Li Changfeng quickly changed the subject. After encouraging them to keep working hard, he registered what kind of silver-grade equipment the five of them wanted.

But he noticed that neither Cao Xiaochun nor Li Hanyi, not even Li Wenbin, seemed particularly interested in what he considered an enormous reward.

In the end, Cao Xiaochun chose armor, Li Hanyi chose boots, and Xu Laoba generously settled for a helmet. To Li Changfeng's relief, none of the five chose silver-grade weapons.

"I understand your intentions. There's no need to be so restrained. Choose whatever you want—even weapons are fine."

Li Changfeng looked over the list and confirmed it again.

"No need. We've already thought it over."

This made Li Changfeng feel that kids these days were truly considerate. They were about to graduate, yet they were still trying to save the school money. They really were good students of Third High School!

After offering a few more words of encouragement, Li Changfeng let them leave.

Cao Xiaochun was about to head home when he saw Li Hanyi slowly walking toward him.

"Deskmate, do you need something?"

After half a month together, the two had gotten along quite well. So when he saw Li Hanyi approaching, he knew this woman probably had something to discuss with him.

"Yes. Let's talk at your place or somewhere without people."

Li Hanyi nodded and said earnestly.

Although Cao Xiaochun knew this was simply how Li Hanyi spoke, hearing those words come from her still felt somewhat off.

A lone man and woman—saying it like that could easily give people the wrong idea!

He looked around. Only after confirming that no one had heard them and that it would not bring him any trouble did Cao Xiaochun nod.

"Skinny Dog, can you even handle it?"

The two casually ate something at a restaurant downstairs in the residential complex before slowly heading upstairs. Just as Cao Xiaochun was about to open his door, a seductive, coquettish voice came from across the hall.

Cao Xiaochun had experienced the fierceness of the people across the hall firsthand. It was broad daylight, damn it.

"What's a skinny dog?"

After entering the apartment, Li Hanyi casually accepted the tea Cao Xiaochun handed her. This was her first time visiting his home. The place itself looked pretty nice, but the surrounding environment made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. And the neighbors were far too noisy.

"It's a dog that looks like a stick."

Cao Xiaochun clearly had no desire to discuss the question in depth, so he gave her a perfunctory answer.

"The college entrance exam results are out now, and vacation will start soon. What are you planning to do during this time?"

Li Hanyi nodded without asking further and quickly changed the subject.

"Run dungeons and level up, I guess. With two months, I should at least reach bronze rank."

Cao Xiaochun did not particularly care about vacation. For him now, leveling every day and gathering materials for raising Gu were what mattered most. Unless something special came up, he figured he would spend every day in dungeons.

"I have a dungeon here. I wonder if you'd be interested. If possible, I hope we can explore it together."

After confirming that Cao Xiaochun had no special plans, Li Hanyi revealed the main reason she had come today.

"Tell me about it."

Cao Xiaochun was briefly stunned, his expression puzzled. Before silver rank, most dungeons were arranged by the state. The places people went to level in each city were generally more or less the same. But Li Hanyi said she had a dungeon in her possession, which piqued his interest.

"Because of my performance recently, my family spent a great deal of money to purchase a strange dungeon from a powerful expert. This area allows two people to enter, so I thought of you."

Li Hanyi took a sip of water and spoke calmly.

Because of the peculiar nature of strange dungeons, Li Hanyi honestly did not have the confidence to clear it alone, even if it was only black iron rank.

Unlike ordinary dungeons, strange dungeons were an extremely special kind of existence. Generally speaking, an entire dungeon was equivalent to an area. Whether one teleported or simply spent time traveling, as long as one wanted to get there, one could always eventually reach it.

Strange dungeons were different. They were like independent spaces, usually formed from the resentment of dead creatures. And those creatures had to reach a certain level before they could form such a strange dungeon.

These dungeons generally appeared in the form of items. Every one of them was something that could only be encountered by chance, never sought. They also contained special rules and restrictions. For instance, a black iron-rank dungeon could only be entered by black iron-rank professionals, and there was also a limit on the number of people allowed inside.

However, if one could disperse the resentment within, the rewards were exceptionally generous. Not only would there be massive amounts of experience, but there would also be a chance to strengthen one's soul. If one's fortune was great enough, one might even obtain the inheritance the creature had possessed in life!

Therefore, every strange dungeon was exceedingly precious. Even a black iron-rank dungeon was worth no less than a gold-grade item, and it was something with a price but no market!

After all, even if it was only black iron rank, no one knew what level that creature had reached while it was alive.

"That's right, a strange dungeon. If you don't have anything special to do, I'd like you to come with me."

Li Hanyi looked at Cao Xiaochun and spoke calmly.

Since the dungeon could only be entered once, Li Hanyi did not want to fail and waste this opportunity. After thinking it over, she decided to find outside help, and the best choice was naturally Cao Xiaochun.

"Of course. When are we going in?"

Cao Xiaochun came back to his senses and quickly agreed. This was a benefit falling into his lap—why would he have any reason to refuse?

"Three days from now. We need to prepare some things that can target souls, since the monsters inside are a little unusual."

Hearing Cao Xiaochun's answer, Li Hanyi smiled faintly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as the two were discussing the strange dungeon, a burst of violent knocking suddenly sounded from the balcony glass.

The two looked at each other. Cao Xiaochun stood up in confusion, walked over to the balcony, and quickly opened the glass door. There, he saw Xu Laoba bare-chested, his shoes nowhere to be found, standing trembling on the outdoor unit of Cao Xiaochun's air conditioner while clutching up his pants.

"What are you standing there for? Pull me up already." The strained expression on Xu Laoba's face vanished the moment he saw Cao Xiaochun, and he hurriedly begged for help.