[Killed [Nightmare Giant Dragon], gained 3 minutes of lifespan, 0 experience.] [Player [Return to Zero] cleared AA-rank dungeon [Nightmare Deadlands]. Time taken: 9.5 hours. Calculating rating...] [Calculation complete. Dungeon rating: FW. Reward obtained: Mysterious Treasure Chest (FW).] [Please note: the player will be forcibly ejected from the dungeon in ten seconds.]
Ten...
Nine...
Listening to the system's countdown, Lin Yi glanced at the treasure chest on the ground before him, momentarily dazed.
"The vault's guardian from my previous life actually found me in this one?"
"That's terrifying!"
"He probably came this time to judge whether I was capable of possessing this four-star talent."
"Someone that powerful is actually someone else's subordinate?"
"There's always someone stronger out there!"
"Anyway, I should have passed the test."
"But that ability to reverse time and space really shook me!"
With that, Lin Yi gave another self-mocking chuckle.
"I could be reborn ten years in the past, so what else is impossible?"
"But the most important thing now is... opening the chest!"
"Let's see what great treasure is inside!"
"Open!"
As Lin Yi spoke, the mysterious treasure chest before him shook.
Whoosh!
A beam of purple light pierced the heavens, and a purple key floated before Lin Yi!
[Congratulations! Obtained Purple Gold Key (ZZZ).] [Purple Gold Key] Category: Key Rank: ZZZ Effect: Used to open locks. Unique item. Indestructible. Description: The holder can use it to open specific locks and gain unforeseeable opportunities.
!!!
Another one of these keys!
Including this one, Lin Yi now had four keys in total!
Something about this reward felt utterly out of place!
A two-star treasure chest could generally only yield items of its own rank at most.
Getting an item one or two ranks above the chest was already cause to burn incense and give thanks!
But now!!!
An FW-rank mysterious treasure chest had actually yielded a ZZZ-rank key!
It was as though some unknown being had deliberately pushed this key in front of him.
Grab!
Lin Yi seized the [Purple Gold Key].
At least!!
At the very least!!!
A hidden, top-tier three-star unique item!
He had never had such a wonderful start!!!
Meanwhile, the dungeon's ten-second countdown had come to an end!
Lin Yi's body turned into specks of starlight and slowly dissipated.
Whoosh!
The next instant, Lin Yi appeared before a cavern.
He had entered three similar caverns in this life!
They were precisely where the eastern, southern, and northern poles were located!
And this cavern was the novice village's final pole, the Western Pole!
All was quiet before the cavern. There were no monsters, only the faint whisper of the wind.
Lin Yi narrowed his eyes and looked around, then turned toward the empty cavern entrance before him and muttered to himself:
"Hmm, so the destination is the Western Pole?"
"In my previous life, there was nothing in the vault here."
"Now... it's worth exploring!"
He shrugged and stepped inside.
Tap!
Tap!
At the end of the cavern, Lin Yi stood before a great door.
The golden light flowing across it shimmered dazzlingly, like stars in the night sky.
Directly above the door, the eight letters of "ZERO GAME" were cast in an unknown metal, emitting a faint glow.
To the right of the door lay a mysterious teleportation array, silent and still.
It seemed no different from the previous three times.
"Phew..."
Lin Yi took a deep breath and spoke the passphrase again:
"Dear esteemed game guide, Little Zero, please let me see... your great treasure!"
Whoosh!
The next instant, a mysterious force sucked Lin Yi through the door.
Unlike before, this mysterious force was suffused with a rich, soothing warmth that comforted Lin Yi's body.
The injuries and exhaustion from his earlier battles vanished in that instant.
Tap!
As Lin Yi stood there feeling his renewed vigor, slightly puzzled, a voice sounded beside his ear:
"Ding! Welcome to [Novice Village's Z Vault (West)]."
That's right!
There was no mention of the previous five-minute time limit!
But as Lin Yi looked around, he found no sign of any treasures.
There was only a narrow path stretching ahead!
Luminous pearls were embedded at intervals along the walls on both sides, lending the place an air of mystery.
"Now this feels a bit like an adventure."
With a trace of curiosity, Lin Yi slowly walked forward.
Tap!
Tap!
His footsteps echoed through the empty vault. Under the light of the two rows of luminous pearls, Lin Yi cast countless indistinct silhouettes.
His heart pounded fiercely in his chest in time with his footsteps.
If he could put all four ZZZ-rank keys to proper use here, Lin Yi did not even dare imagine the level of the opportunity.
But he had an inexplicable premonition that the real challenge...
Was coming!!!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Tap!
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Yi reached the end of the Western Pole's vault.
He stood before a wall, his brows tightly furrowed.
"So this vault... has nothing in it?"
"I got excited for nothing?"
Lin Yi looked at the wall before him, paused, then burst into curses:
"Not even a dog would play this damn game!"
"You dangle a few top-rank keys to hook me, then smack me over the head at the end?"
"This game is nowhere near as good as that King of Some Fish!"
"And you! Game guide, Little Zero!"
"If I ever get to see you, I'll smash your damn head in!"
Suddenly!
Just as Lin Yi was cursing furiously, the bare wall spoke!
"Ding! Correct passphrase!"
"Scanning pupils, blood, soul, and talent..."
"Verifying identity!"
"Ding! Identity verified! Launching program!"
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"
"Loading system..."
"Updating patches..."
"Preparing rewards..."
Whoosh!
Suddenly!
A gentle breeze brushed past, and with its whisper came what seemed to be the faint tinkling of bells.
A figure of light slowly took shape before Lin Yi.
It was an adorable little fairy with pointed ears, like nature's most exquisite work of art.
The pair of translucent wings on her back fluttered gently, like the lightest feathers in the air, each beat carrying dreamlike colors.
Her eyes sparkled with lively light, as though they held a sea of stars, entrancing anyone who looked into them. She was utterly adorable, and every smile seemed capable of melting the hardest heart.
Facing Lin Yi, the little fairy beamed. Her voice was clear and sweet, flowing like a mountain spring:
"Greetings, esteemed adventurer. My name is Xiao Ling, and this is a recording I left before falling asleep."
"I have a quest I would like to entrust to you. Would you be willing to accept it?"
Lin Yi stared straight at the little fairy before him, too stunned to speak.
Suddenly!
An icy system notification sounded beside his ear:
"Congratulations! You have triggered the ZZZ-rank quest, Choice!"
"Completing this quest will grant no rewards!"
"Would you like to accept?"
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