Gong Qiying sat on the spotlessly cleaned Shrine, staring blankly at the ceiling.
It was a new day, and the Crystal Ball was showing the adventurers' latest antics, but he had no interest in watching.
Because he had suddenly realized something—was his life too monotonous?
Every day, all he did was inspect for flaws and repair the dungeon. It was indeed interesting, but surely a person could not spend their whole life doing just one thing, right? He did not want to become some dungeon hermit.
But if he wanted to do anything else, he had no way of leaving the dungeon. He could only eavesdrop on the adventurers' conversations and imagine what the outside world was like through them.
It sounded pretty miserable.
People said that life was about forming connections with different people, yet he had been in this world for quite some time and had not made a single friend.
"I'm feeling a little lonely."
Boredom was written all over Gong Qiying's face as he continued watching the Crystal Ball, and he spotted quite a few familiar faces.
Vierde had come again. He seemed to have regarded his encounter with Sakaki—Gong Qiying—as a fortuitous adventure, believing that Sakaki, who appeared to know much mysterious knowledge, could benefit him. Wanting to keep it all to himself, he had barged into the dungeon alone.
As a result, he had casually died in some forgotten corner. He probably would not give up so easily.
The adventurer with Giant Race blood was here too, diligently challenging the dungeon every day as if clocking in. Unfortunately, he had not even managed to meet the Gargoyle guarding the stage.
This guy was always chasing the thrill of battle. Even though he knew the Curse Frog's spray could kill him instantly, he still gathered the Curse Frogs together before fighting them. It was truly...
Respect. Blessings. No understanding.
Gong Qiying did not know whether it was his imagination, but he felt that this guy seemed to take longer to die from the Curse of Death. Could dying too many times really increase one's immunity?
Si Telan was here too. This time, she was not with her companions and intended to face the monsters alone. Judging by her posture, she planned to map out the area even if it killed her.
With the resolve to die, she became calmer while exploring. Some of the more sinister traps no longer posed a threat to her.
In summary, Zane Dungeon's traps shared several characteristics: they were densely packed, dealt low damage, were highly obstructive, well concealed, and required coordination with monsters to secure kills.
Si Telan had worked out a pattern herself: wherever there were large numbers of monsters, there would definitely be traps; where there were traps, there might not necessarily be monsters.
Her actual exploration had indeed matched the pattern she had concluded.
"This person has some talent."
Gong Qiying began to admire her. This elf had improved the fastest among all the adventurers so far. Her initial performance might not have been great, but she could apply what she learned.
Look, Si Telan had encountered a corner on a narrow path. What would she do?
The instant Si Telan saw the turn, she stopped. She picked up a stone from the ground and tentatively tossed it over.
"Plop, plop." The stone landed on the water's surface, making a series of sounds. Nothing else happened. Did that mean there were no monsters lying in ambush around the corner?
Absolutely not!
The best way to deal with Old sixes was—
She pulled out a bomb and threw it over with swift, precise ruthlessness!
BOOM—
"Yaaah!"
The explosion rang out alongside the monsters' screams. The scent of charred flesh drifted over, and Si Telan took a deep breath, intoxicated.
"Phew, that felt good."
"That's it!" Gong Qiying snapped his fingers. He was delighted to see the adventurers improving!
"I should give her a reward. Let's see."
Not long afterward, Si Telan saw a strange Living Dead staggering toward her. It was completely unguarded, as if it were deliberately inviting her to kill it.
This was actually a disposable pawn Gong Qiying had sent to deliver a reward.
However.
Si Telan frowned and flashed to the side, watching the Living Dead pass right in front of her. She actually did not attack!?
"Something's fishy. Would this monster self-destruct if I hit it once?" Si Telan muttered to herself. "Or would it transform into some other powerful monster after dying?"
Zane Dungeon had trained her into becoming suspicious of everything.
"..."
Gong Qiying fell silent for a moment. Why are you thinking so much? Just kill it already!
He controlled the Living Dead and had it walk up to Si Telan again. It stared motionlessly at her, spreading its arms as though it wanted to offer her a hug.
Si Telan looked disgusted. She bent down, slipped past the Living Dead, and quickly walked away.
"Hey, you can tolerate even this?"
Having no other choice, Gong Qiying ordered the Living Dead to charge at Si Telan and attack her.
"See? Your true colors are showing now!"
Si Telan kicked the Living Dead's head clean off, then instantly leaped backward. Her eyes remained fixed warily on its corpse, afraid that something unexpected might happen.
There was no chance of any unexpected development. Once the Living Dead died, it turned into ashes and vanished without a trace, leaving behind two points of light.
Huh? There really wasn't a trick?
Si Telan froze briefly, almost unaccustomed to it, but she still walked over and picked up the lights.
One was a weapon, and the other was an item. The weapon appeared to be a pair of Hook Claws, but she did not know how to use that kind of weapon at all.
"Maybe I should sell them for money."
The moment she thought that, knowledge of a Weapon Skill called Hound Step appeared in her mind. It was the Weapon Skill that came with the Hook Claws.
And once she understood what Hound Step did, a happy smile appeared on her face once again.
"It seems like a really strong Weapon Skill. No, wait, why would a weapon give me Weapon Skill knowledge?"
She tried taking off the Hook Claws, only for her mind to forget Hound Step, as if that knowledge had never existed.
"How amazing."
Si Telan was utterly astonished. She had the urge to send the Hook Claws to the Elf Race and have craftsmen study them.
Unfortunately, it was too far away. Sending them over would take too much time.
Besides the treasure that was the Hook Claws, she could not quite make sense of the other item.
It was a small box with an antique appearance. When opened, it contained something golden, but she could not tell what it was at all.
As if afraid she would not understand, a piece of information was directly poured into her mind.
Crooked Finger Summoning Potion x5 After use, you can see Summon Signs drawn by helpers or fighters on the same dungeon floor. Summon a helper, and they will help you conquer the dungeon until the area boss is defeated. Summon a fighter, and they will battle you.
"What is this magical thing?"
This was Si Telan's first time learning that an item could summon other people across different areas!
"Can it really summon someone? Is whoever I summon a living person or something else? Do they have this item too?"
Countless questions arose in her mind. She looked hesitantly at the Crooked Finger Summoning Potion. It seemed to be a consumable, but since there were five in total, it should be fine to use one as a test, right?
With that thought, she eagerly raised the Crooked Finger Summoning Potion and scattered its contents into the air.
"What will happen? What does a Summon Sign look like? I'm so excited."
Under her expectant gaze, a golden summoning symbol slowly emerged not far away.
Before you continue