Deep inside the dungeon.
The final boss room.
An enormous ice door slowly opened.
Cold air so dense it was almost solid surged out from behind the door.
In the center of the room, an ice-blue bear ten meters tall lay on an ice platform.
Rows of translucent ice spikes grew along its back, and with every breath, white frost mist spread like a storm.
[Frost Tyrant] [Level: 50] [HP: 1,200,000] [Skills: Ice Roar, Frost Armor Countershock, Extreme Cold Recovery] [Hell difficulty special mechanic: when HP falls below 50%, recovers 5% of maximum HP per second for 20 seconds]
The Frost Tyrant opened its eyes.
Its scarlet pupils locked onto Lu Fang.
"ROAR!!!"
Its roar shook the entire boss room.
Huge sheets of ice crystals fell from the ceiling, smashing against the ground and exploding into countless shards.
An ordinary party coming here would have to break its frost armor first, then use burst damage to suppress its healing mechanic.
If their damage output fell short, it would grind them to death.
But Lu Fang made no tactical arrangements whatsoever.
He said only one word.
"Kill."
Boom!
Ten Money Ghosts sprang into action at once.
The Frost Tyrant had only just stood up, and before it could bring its enormous paw down, the ten Money Ghosts were already in front of it.
Fists, elbows, knee strikes, heavy stomps.
No flashy skills.
Only the most brutal domination through stats.
Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!
The Frost Tyrant's massive body shook violently.
Its health bar evaporated in an instant.
90%.
70%.
50%.
The ice crystals on its body suddenly lit up as its Extreme Cold Recovery mechanic triggered.
[The Frost Tyrant has triggered Extreme Cold Recovery!]
The next second.
The ten Money Ghosts' attacks kept raining down.
BOOM!!!
The Frost Tyrant's head was smashed straight into the ice.
Its health bar emptied.
Healing?
Mechanics?
Before absolute power, they did not even get a chance to come into play.
Before long!
A mechanical voice rang out inside the dungeon.
[Frost Tyrant slain] [EXP gained: +80,000] [Frost Cavern · Hell difficulty cleared] [Clear rating: SSS] [Level up!] [Current level: 17]
Lu Fang looked at the level on his panel, his expression as calm as ever.
These bullshit world rules cut my EXP again.
Still, from level 13 to level 17 in half an hour.
Not bad.
Lu Fang glanced at the equipment, skill books, and other loot scattered all over the ground. Unfortunately, all of it was for other classes, so he casually put it into his inventory.
Then he recalled the Money Ghosts and stepped into the exit teleportation array.
The Jiang City Class Center.
The dungeon hall.
In front of the Frost Cavern entrance, Liu Cheng was slacking off, chatting with friends on his phone.
Suddenly!
Hum!
The ice-blue portal lit up.
Lu Fang emerged from it.
His clothes were clean, his breathing steady, and his expression calm.
Not even the tips of his hair had a trace of frost on them.
Liu Cheng froze for a moment, instinctively assuming Lu Fang had failed.
After all, Lu Fang had only been inside for half an hour.
Of course, being able to stay alone in a Hell dungeon for half an hour before coming out was already unbelievable.
He immediately approached, keeping his tone as gentle as possible.
"Lu Fang, it's all right. Failing your first attempt at Hell difficulty is perfectly normal."
"The Frost Cavern's mechanics really are pretty nasty. Lasting half an hour is already very..."
Before he could finish.
The clear display beside him suddenly began to tremble.
A line of purple-gold text slowly appeared.
[Frost Cavern · Hell difficulty] [Cleared by: Lu Fang] [Party size: 1] [Clear time: 29 minutes 48 seconds] [Final rating: SSS]
Boom!
Liu Cheng's voice cut off abruptly.
He looked as though someone had grabbed him by the throat, his eyes nearly popping out.
"Holy shit! He cleared it?!"
29 minutes and 48 seconds?
Solo?
Hell difficulty?
An SSS rating?
Was this some kind of joke??
Lu Fang patted Liu Cheng on the shoulder.
"Open the next dungeon for me."
Liu Cheng asked reflexively.
"Wh... which dungeon?"
"A dungeon with a level 17 entry requirement. Hell difficulty again."
Liu Cheng jolted.
Half an hour earlier, he would absolutely have stopped him without hesitation.
But now?
Stop him?
On what grounds?
The guy had just soloed Frost Cavern on Hell difficulty in half an hour and earned an SSS rating.
Someone like this could no longer be judged by normal standards.
Liu Cheng hurriedly opened the dungeon list, his fingers trembling.
"O... okay."
[Lava Ruins] [Entry level: 17-20] [Recommended party size: 5] [Dungeon attribute: fire] [Available difficulties: easy, normal, elite, hard, nightmare, hell]
Liu Cheng took a deep breath.
"Lava Ruins on Hell difficulty is now open for you."
Lu Fang nodded.
"Thanks."
With that, he stepped into the new portal.
Watching Lu Fang disappear, Liu Cheng swallowed.
Then he suddenly snapped out of it and immediately called the contact Ji Xiuneng had left him.
The Jiang City Lord's residence.
Inside the meeting room.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost suffocating.
Ji Xiuneng sat on one side of the long table.
At the head sat a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe.
He was Han Qianshan, the city lord of Jiang City.
At that moment, Han Qianshan's expression was extremely grave.
"All Three Pillars have fallen."
"Jiang City has no top-tier pillars left now."
"If word of this gets out, the consequences will be unthinkable."
Ji Xiuneng nodded.
"The Blood Wolf Association's earlier attack on Jiangcheng No. 1 High School shows they had their sights on Jiang City long ago."
"Now that the Three Pillars are gone, some illegal organizations and the Abyss Cult will probably be itching to make a move."
Han Qianshan rubbed his brow.
"We must request support from the provincial government as soon as possible."
"At least one powerhouse above level 300 needs to be transferred here to guard Jiang City temporarily."
Ji Xiuneng said gravely.
"The provincial government may not be able to send anyone immediately."
"Abyssal Rift disturbances have been frequent lately. Every city is short on high-level combat power."
"With Jiang City suddenly losing the Three Pillars, filling that gap will be very difficult."
The meeting room fell silent again.
A city without a pillar-level powerhouse guarding it was like a treasure vault without walls.
Just then.
Ji Xiuneng's communicator suddenly vibrated.
He glanced at the caller.
Liu Cheng, from the Class Center.
Ji Xiuneng frowned.
Why was he calling now?
Had something happened to Lu Fang inside the dungeon?
He answered immediately.
"Speak."
On the other end, Liu Cheng's voice was noticeably trembling.
"Captain Ji, Lu Fang just came out of Frost Cavern."
Ji Xiuneng's expression shifted slightly.
"He's out?"
"Was he hurt?"
"No."
Liu Cheng swallowed.
"Not only was he unhurt, he... he cleared it."
Ji Xiuneng froze.
"Cleared it?"
"Yes."
Liu Cheng's voice sounded unsteady.
"Frost Cavern, Hell difficulty, solo clear."
"Final rating: SSS."
"Time taken... 29 minutes and 48 seconds."