Zheng Ren felt like crying but had no tears. "Exactly... If I'd known, I would've resisted the temptation and stayed out of that instance!"
His second instance hadn't gone smoothly at all. He had been doing just fine as a waiter when the customers suddenly went berserk and started biting people!
Even the chef, who had treated him well and seemed to be on his side, began acting strangely!
After revealing his true colors, he actually tried to chop Zheng Ren up and toss him into a meat grinder to make bun filling!!!
If Zheng Ren hadn't clung stubbornly to life, killed the chef just before losing consciousness, and scraped through with only half his body left,
he would never have gotten the chance to turn to Li Yueqiu afterward.
Although he had escaped with his life, repairing half his body had cost him all his savings.
Now, aside from the "Spatula" item he had obtained in the last instance, Zheng Ren was utterly penniless.
Even the points he had used to buy bedding had been borrowed from Li Yueqiu.
That showed just how important it was to identify an instance's hostile factions in time.
The two trudged along for ages, and while they were still some distance from the Instance Hall,
they spotted a man and a dog appearing out of thin air in the open space in front of it.
The disparities in life really were everywhere.
Reaching the "First Heavenly Ladder" in two days was one thing, but he even had a home and a dog now!!
Li Yueqiu and Zheng Ren, who were still sleeping on the ground outdoors in the park, loudly protested the unfairness.
Once the three had gathered,
Zuo Cheng'an briefly introduced Mo Dou, whom the other two were both very curious about.
"This is Mo Dou, my servant. He'll be entering the instance with us in a bit."
"Arf, woof!"
Mo Dou sat warily beside Zuo Cheng'an's feet, scrutinizing Li Yueqiu and Zheng Ren.
He ultimately reached a conclusion: no threat.
Even without his master, he could bite both of them into submission on his own.
That was right. Expressed as stats, Mo Dou's attributes were comparable to those of a player who had just reached the First Heavenly Ladder.
His speed was particularly outstanding. As expected of a four-legged creature, he could run like the wind.
Zuo Cheng'an patted Mo Dou's head, telling him to relax a little.
As Mo Dou's master, he could view his servant's panel.
[Servant: Mo Dou] [Constitution: 8] [Strength: 11] [Speed: 13] [Item: Sheepdog Bell] [Skill: A Dog Is Man's Best Friend (active)]
Those attributes were more than enough to solo players who were Not Yet on the Ladder.
And his skill's effect was extremely useful. Used well, it could serve as crowd control. Even Zuo Cheng'an was envious.
[A Dog Is Man's Best Friend] [Category: Active skill] [Effect: Increases the target's favorability by +999 for a short time. The duration of movement inhibition varies.] [Restriction: Can only be used on humanoid creatures] [Description: Woof, woof, woof! Cower beneath a dog's paws!]
Next, Zuo Cheng'an asked the other two about their items and skills in turn.
Li Yueqiu hadn't entered another instance since clearing the beginner instance, so she still only had the skill "Double Kick" and no items at all.
Fortunately, her constitution had already reached the skill's minimum requirement, and her strength had increased considerably too.
If she could use "Double Kick" on the "Hunter" now, she would take off more than "20%" of its health bar.
Even "50%" was probably possible.
Li Yueqiu proudly introduced her skill, but her confidence faltered when she mentioned its restriction.
"But after using the full move once, I have to wait through a ten-minute cooldown before I can use it again."
Zuo Cheng'an had expected skills to have cooldowns.
If there were no cooldowns and meeting the minimum requirements was all it took to use a skill, the game's balance would have been broken long ago.
Then it was Zheng Ren's turn.
Zheng Ren fully demonstrated his shamelessness, his face thicker than the soles of his feet, without the slightest embarrassment.
With a swish, he pulled a spatula from the back of his crotch!
He freely shared the item's attributes.
[Fly Restaurant's Pride and Joy (white)] [Category: Item] [Effect: On the offensive, it can take heads! Off duty, it can stir-fry noodles and starch sheets!] [Restriction: When cooking, there is a 98% chance of spawning a fly that gets mixed into the wok] [Description: Dig in. Six times the protein of beef :D]
It had already become a consensus among all players that unless someone was close family or a brother in all but blood, they weren't allowed to see your panel or touch your items.
Revealing one's trump cards without reservation was no different from entrusting someone with one's back.
Of the two,
one had a skill but no items, while the other had an item but no skills.
Fortunately, both had done fairly well in terms of attribute points.
In the beginner instance, both had participated in the battle to kill the "Hunter."
Although neither had landed the final blow, the game had recorded their actions and rewarded them through their final ratings.
Both had achieved good results, earning the maximum reward for a level-one instance: 5 Free Attribute Points!
Li Yueqiu had put 2 points into constitution and all 3 remaining points into strength.
She had gone from being too weak to unscrew a bottle cap to the level of an amateur boxer.
Aside from the beginner instance, Zheng Ren had also entered a level-one solo instance himself. Despite stumbling along the way, he had cleared it in the end, with a decent rating too.
Combined with his solid foundation,
his "constitution" had now reached the maximum of 10 points, while his "speed" was only one point short of the maximum.
With a preliminary understanding of his two teammates' situations, Zuo Cheng'an had a clearer picture and felt more confident about their upcoming level-two instance.
The three of them and the dog entered the Instance Hall.
While they were choosing an instance, Li Yueqiu asked Zheng Ren curiously, "Everyone else prioritizes 'strength.' Why did you raise 'constitution' first?"
Zheng Ren: "..."
Because getting hacked apart scared me, and I wanted to be able to take more hits.
As they entered the Instance Hall,
a jumble of noise like the clamor of a market assaulted their ears.
[Underground Castle, 18 spots open out of 20! Bring your own lighting items!]
[Looking for a carry for a level-two instance. I only want to clear it; all items go to you! Fee negotiable! Must have over 80 mental points! No bad record!]
[Offering 500 points for someone to carry me through the Ladder Tower's level-one instance! No limit on numbers! The more, the better!]
[Deadly Highway, one spot open out of six! Anyone coming? No guide? No problem! All you need is a driver's license in the real world!]
The three of them and the dog wove between screens, surrounded by voices looking for teams and begging for carries.
Zuo Cheng'an also spotted the "Uncle Muchou's Farm" instance he had cleared before.
It was now appearing in the Instance Hall as a new instance.
Although it had a clearance record, there was no corresponding guide.
That was because everything inside the instance, from its objectives to its nature, had changed drastically.
So when someone from the Dawn Moon Guild added Zuo Cheng'an as a friend and asked to buy an instance guide, Zuo Cheng'an turned him down.
Although it was only a level-one instance, if the players entering it lacked experience,
trusting a guide too much could very well get them killed.
A mere five hundred points wasn't enough to make Zuo Cheng'an blinded by money.
It would take at least five thousand points for that (absolutely certain).
As they walked through the Instance Hall, Zheng Ren and Li Yueqiu noticed something off.
Why did it seem like every screen Zuo stopped in front of displayed level-two instances?
He was probably just curious.
It had to be nothing more than curiosity!??
Before you continue