With Wolves

Experience Candy M is an item in the Pokémon world. In the Yugi, it increases the experience points of Pokémon when fed to it. Once Pokémon has enough experience points, it can level up or even evolve.

In this world, there are no experience points or similar systems, so its effect is to increase the strength of the creature that uses it to a certain extent.

Humans can also use it, but the Hunting Handbook does not mention this in its description, so An Ti Li believes that it can only be given to battle pets.

Even so, she was quite satisfied with the effects of Experience Candy M.

"Hmm, the effects of many items have changed,"

The Lord's Room in the Zane Dungeon.

To this day, Gong Qiying's development of the Zane Dungeon is still not 100% complete.

His past life was extremely complex, which resulted in the dungeon exhibiting a vibrant and thriving state, with both usable monsters and items thriving.

In short, there are just too many usable things, and it's impossible to develop them all in a short period of time.

When choosing items to be used as rewards, Gong Qiying would personally test them first to ensure there were no major problems before releasing them.

These props come in all sorts of varieties.

There are items that embody the Yugi's "features" as special Weapon Skill, such as the Ring Takeout, Left Bow, and Curse of Death Flying Dagger.

Items like Experience Candy and campfires have effects that allow the user to adapt to slight changes in this world.

There are also items that can repair weapons with a single tap, such as Repair Light Powder, Lure Skull, and health potions, whose effects remain unchanged.

Before you actually try it out, who knows which items can be used and which can't? The Ring is still okay, but if an adventurer can actually conjure up Curse of Death Flying Dagger, that would be terrible.

Then the whole world will be taken over by Dark Souls 5.

There are also some things that absolutely cannot be released, and even within dungeons, they must be strategically placed. Just from their names, you can tell these things belong to unparalleled powerhouses—

Frenzied Flame, Scarlet Corruption, the Abyss, and all sorts of things whose negative effects cannot be removed even by death.

Using these things would be short-sighted and detrimental to long-term development, contrary to Gong Qiying's pursuit of sustainable growth.

Incidentally, the abyss in Farron Keep is not the real abyss, but a simulated substance with similar sensory effects. Since adventurers have never seen what the real abyss looks like, it's not impossible that they would mistake the fake for the real one given the various hints in Farron Keep.

He looked at an Available Monster; the displayed name was:

[Aigakis "steps into corruption"]

This dragon is covered in Scarlet Corruption; it's practically a walking dirty bomb and should never be used against adventurers.

But what about when facing other dungeons?

As the time for the Deathmatch drew near, Gong Qiying was already selecting suitable combat forces. Since the Calamity Nest Dungeon was mainly composed of insects, it would be appropriate for him to select some monsters with large-area AOE damage.

There's no need to be fixated on the insects' weaknesses or lightning; just use whatever works best.

The battlefield for the Deathmatch is primarily provided by the challenged party; however, the challenger also has the right to add their own area to the battlefield, which will become the challenger's base.

Gong Qiying planned to deploy all his troops from the start, using the highest level of combat power he could muster to crush everything in his path. Only a fool would try to outnumber the insects by massing troops.

He plays Dungeon Fighter Online, not Starship Troopers, Jedi Knights, or Space Warrior 2.

It's unclear what strategy the Calamity Nest Dungeon will adopt. Both sides are Deathmatch for the first time, and theoretically, they are both novices.

They should both have Level 3 access, meaning the strongest monsters they can use are probably Level B. Gong Qiying had long wanted to see what level of powerful creatures in this world could rival the Crucible Knight, the Dragonslayer Armour, and so on.

"When will this thing finally light up?"

Gong Qiying looked at the nameless gray option next to [Available Monster]. This was something that appeared after he upgraded to level three privileges.

The unlock conditions are unclear, and there has been no response to the inquiry sent to the Astar Alliance.

"Could this be something related to adventurers?"

Da Er was surrounded by wolves and didn't know what to do.

For some reason, four male wolves in the pack suddenly learned to change size at will, and could freely switch between werewolf and wolf forms.

Perhaps the demonic bloodline dormant within them has been activated? But...

He watched the pack of wolves chasing butterflies, occasionally stumbling and falling, and didn't think they were ferocious monsters at all.

Isn't it said that beasts become ferocious after they turn into monsters?

Demons did attack the farm, but they weren't the terrifying figures Da Er remembered; they were just two small fry who appeared out of nowhere.

However, they were devoured alive by the werewolves, who seemed to prefer eating the flesh of demons after their ancestral transformation.

The appearance of demons was clearly a terrible thing, but after realizing that the attackers who stormed the farm were just small fry, Da Er felt inexplicably relieved.

Is this the legendary situation where the person who tries to stop the window from opening will give in to the person who wants to smash the roof?

A moment later, Luo Jieer rushed over and explained the whole story to him.

Da Er's expression was quite peculiar after hearing this.

While waiting for Da Er to return home that day, An Ti Li discovered that the wolf pack had demonic blood. Coincidentally, she was studying some Experience Candy she had accidentally obtained from the Gourmet Area at that time, and a few male wolves that were chasing her ate the Experience Candy that she had accidentally dropped.

Subsequently, they exhibited atavism, resulting in a leap in the wolves' fighting ability.

An Ti Li also fed her trained battle pets Experience Candy. Although their strength did increase, they did not revert to their ancestral form, which puzzled her greatly. She eventually attributed the reason to the perfect concentration of the wolf pack's bloodline.

That's why she subtly inquired about the wolf pack with Da Er when they were exploring the dungeon together, and even offered to provide training techniques for free.

Besides her excitement at seeing a prey, she also felt that Da Er had a talent for animal taming.

"I felt her behavior was inappropriate at the time, but I didn't find the right time to tell you."

Luo Jieer winked at him and said, "If you're angry, how about I beat her up for you? I'll tie her up from the top and you tie her up from the bottom."

What exactly is being used in this fight you're talking about? Is it legitimate or not?

Da Er finally understood; Luo Jieer had deliberately said that because he could tell Dahl wasn't angry.

He shook his head and said:

"It's alright, perhaps I should thank her, if it weren't for her..."

The wolf pack may suffer heavy casualties today.

Besides feeling a sense of relief, Da Er also felt a sense of urgency.

This time we narrowly escaped danger, but what if there's a next time? What if an even more powerful demon comes? What if even the werewolves can't defeat it?

This farm is no longer a viable option; we need to move to a different location, at least not in the southwest. Renting a vacant lot in the city seems like a possibility.

No, what if the demons invade?

Although the possibility is extremely slim, if that guy really is leading these demons...

Perhaps the only hope is that Sid will intervene, or that Saen will go on another rampage.

The former is still possible, but the latter... why should the dungeon help adventurers for no reason?

It's foolish to place your hopes on others. People without strength are as weak as insects, easily dying from various Scourge, like civilians who die from the Abyss Infection or the magnetic field of the Sea Tiger's Explosive Roar.

"Call,"

Da Er exhaled a breath of hot air and made a decision in his mind.

"Luo Jieer, can you come with me to Sien again tomorrow?"

"Um?"

Luo Jieer looked at Da Er in surprise, thinking to himself, "Doesn't this guy ever rest? He's like an ascetic."

But when he saw those resolute eyes, he stopped hesitating. It was the look in a man's eyes when he'd made up his mind to do something. The unspoken understanding between men made Luo Jieer instantly realize it. He smiled and said:

"Sorry, I'm busy."

Seeing Da Er's questioning gaze, he said:

"The Guild Master announced that all Silver Rank adventurers should attend a meeting tomorrow to discuss matters concerning the demon race. It's voluntary; you can go or not, but I heard there are rewards for those who attend."

Luo Jieer winked at him, giving him the kind of look that college students on Earth give you. "Bro, if you want to skip class, I can sign you in for you."

The next day, in the Adventurers' Guild meeting room.

As expected, Da Er didn't come. All the other Silver Rank were there, and the place was packed. It wouldn't matter if he was missing.

At the meeting, the guild issued a quest that was only open to adventurers of Silver Rank and above.

Investigate the demonic traces southwest of Bede City.

This commission must limit the strength of the participants and require them to form teams of four or more people, otherwise it will only increase casualties.

The Holy Light Church will provide assistance to each squad, including a range of Holy Light items, and may also provide Priest if necessary.

The Bede Family will also increase patrols by sending out guards, and will notify the city's fighting forces as quickly as possible if anything is discovered.

The group of mercenaries of unknown origin that Earl Ka Rong brought back from his travels will be the Bede Family's greatest asset.

After the meeting, Sid privately summoned the Strategy Team and Luo Jieer, among others.

"I have a confidential request for you, to be released in my personal capacity."

Sid unfolded a map on the table, which detailed the layout of a city, even marking the changing of the guards and patrol routes. If someone wanted to attack the city, this would be like having a cheat code.

"Here is a map of Val City. Please take it."

Sid said:

"I need you to sneak into Val City and record everything that is unusual."

"That city... something's been off lately."

Everyone wore a solemn expression. To be honest, they hadn't heard anything about Val City recently, as if it had been forgotten.

While the Adventurers' Guild was shrouded in a somber and tense atmosphere, a lone figure entered the Zane Dungeon.

After countless battles, Da Er dragged his battered body through the gates of Farron Keep, surrounded by four blood-soaked werewolves.

In an abandoned building, he saw what he had longed for—

Old Wolf of Farron!

My back hurts so much; I've been sitting for too long typing.