The first person to leave

The images shifted rapidly, as though searching through an immense sea of data.

During the brief wait, Ye Lin breathed rapidly, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the shifting data.

He did not know who lay in the Tomb, nor what was inside.

From the moment he was born, he had been like a tool, his entire existence devoted to finding that place.

He had felt anger, struggled, refused to accept his fate, and rebelled, all in pursuit of an answer.

But when he faced those masked, machine-like higher-ups, he always received the same reply.

"The truth."

Whose truth? The truth about what?

He did not know. Just as he was about to open the burial chamber's door, the military had suddenly appeared and surrounded him.

Even after being thrown into prison, he still had no idea what lay behind that door.

But perhaps the "truth" would soon be revealed.

Beep. Query located successfully. Cost: 5. Confirm unlock?

"Confirm!"

Without hesitation, Ye Lin paid.

A second later, a hum sounded.

The text on the screen shifted rapidly, gradually emerging from a blur into clarity.

Yet at the final second, just as the information was about to appear, a system notification abruptly interrupted the display.

Beep. Query failed.

This information is classified as Grade A. Please upgrade to Grade A access before querying. The points spent will be refunded automatically.

The text cleared, leaving only a blank screen.

Staring at the flashing system notification, Ye Lin froze, his eyes filling with anger.

Was this a joke?! The system had clearly found the answer, yet it refused to let him see it because his access level was too low!

The Grade A classification was even more absurd.

Someone in the real world who had been dead for who knew how long had the same classification as the Seven Demon Gods.

He was certain that the place did not belong to any known figure of importance. The tomb was tiny, tucked at the foot of a mountain village.

Even an emperor, general, or minister could not warrant such a high value. It was just a piece of information. Even at its highest valuation, it should not qualify as Grade E.

Unless...!

Unless merely knowing the dead person's name carried a value... no, an importance equal to the Seven Demon Gods!

Who was he?

Ye Lin stood frozen. He had thought he was getting closer and closer to the truth, but now he felt like an ant that had secretly crawled into a palace.

A single foot passing before him would be enough to crush him into pulp.

Knock, knock!

A somewhat hesitant knock suddenly sounded.

An Ke's voice came from outside the door.

"Ye Lin? May I come in?"

Standing inside the room, An Ke stared in bewilderment at Ye Lin, who sat silently on the bed.

There was not even a light in the room. Without the glow of the system screen, she would not have been able to make out his face.

In the shadows, Ye Lin's expression shifted unpredictably.

An Ke's heart tightened. This was the first time she had ever seen him like this.

Before she could say anything, Ye Lin suddenly raised his head.

"Ratings are linked to access levels, right?"

"How do you get a Grade A rating?"

An Ke froze and answered instinctively.

"Ye Lin, why are you asking? Ratings are linked to access levels, yes. Did you look at the Grade A exchange list?"

"To get a Grade A rating, you have to pass a special-type exam. No, actually, any rating above Grade C can only be obtained that way."

"So... a Grade B like the one you have shouldn't normally appear among the rewards for the first exam."

After saying this, An Ke looked puzzled, unsure why Ye Lin had suddenly asked.

Special types?

Recalling the exam types He Zheng had mentioned, Ye Lin nodded. For now, he could only set his thoughts aside.

It seemed that if he wanted to raise his access level and learn the answer, he would have to wait for a special-type exam before making his next move.

"Did you bring it?"

Putting those thoughts aside, Ye Lin held his hand out directly to An Ke.

A moment later, An Ke hesitated briefly, then spoke in earnest.

"Ye Lin, I brought it, but I've given it some thought. I think we could work together."

"You have a Grade B rating. The combat power you can exchange it for will be considerable."

"So I'll tell you what you want to know, too. But..."

An Ke tentatively offered her bargaining chip. Yet, completely contrary to her expectations, Ye Lin seemed to have suddenly lost interest and merely gave her a cold glance.

"Work together?"

"You're in no position to negotiate a partnership with me. All you need to do is tell me what this so-called secret of yours is, and then I'll decide whether it's useful to me."

"If it isn't, you can leave."

Ye Lin gave a cold laugh, completely indifferent to An Ke's livid expression.

He did want to know An Ke's secret, but he could plainly see that she still wanted to use it as leverage against him.

An Ke clenched her fists, her chest heaving as she stared at Ye Lin's insufferable face.

If she had any other choice, she would never have stayed here.

Forcing down her anger, An Ke tried her best to remain calm.

She took an envelope from her pocket and drew a deep breath.

"Fine. Then I'll tell you outright. This letter contains the truth about the death exam."

"If we're lucky, we'll find out why all of this happened and uncover the death exam's greatest secret."

With that, An Ke looked Ye Lin straight in the eyes.

Although she did not know why his attitude had changed so quickly, she was certain-certain that once he heard this, he would choose to work with her.

The price she had paid to seize this letter was unimaginable. Had she not been lucky, she would not even have had the chance to learn of its existence.

What was the death exam really for?

No one trapped here could resist that temptation.

"That's it?"

Before An Ke could even register her surprise, he moved.

Ye Lin suddenly rose, staring at her as though anger had driven him to laughter.

"This is what you've been hiding? A lousy letter?"

An Ke stared in disbelief, her mouth hanging open.

Only after a long moment did she seem to recover, asking instinctively:

"You... don't you want to know what the system is actually trying to do? Why it sent us into the death exam?"

"Raise gods, or select gods."

Ye Lin's smile vanished, leaving only cold indifference in his eyes.

"I don't care what it wants. I don't care why we were dragged in here to die."

"All I care about is how we get out alive."

With that, Ye Lin headed toward the door. Since An Ke's secret amounted to nothing more than this, he had no desire to waste any more time.

"All right. Once you've explained how to use the rating, you can leave."

Ye Lin turned his head to look at An Ke.

Compared with the "secret," he cared more about what he would face in the next exam, and about raising his access level to see that answer.

"Wait!"

Seeing that Ye Lin truly did not care about the truth behind the death exam, An Ke abandoned her original plan and could only spill everything at once.

"You might not care about any of that."

"But don't you want to know who he is?"

"The owner of this letter is the only examinee who ever got out!"