Murloc Profiteer

Angmar hesitated for a moment as he stood in front of the dungeon entrance. He really wanted to try out this new dungeon, but because of the terrible wipes he suffered in the Naga Cavern, he was now somewhat traumatized.

The Elemental Proving Ground dungeon is located right inside the city, making it very convenient to enter, so it's quite popular. I hadn't been standing in front of the entrance for long when I saw several adventure teams going in and out of the dungeon.

Angmar stopped a guy who had just come out of the dungeon; Angmar recognized him.

"By the way, how difficult is this Elemental Proving Ground you guys are playing?"

"It's very simple. There are only three bosses, and none of them are very strong. We defeated them easily."

Angmar breathed a sigh of relief; that meant he could finally start grinding.

At this moment, two more people emerged from the instance, and judging from their disheveled appearance—a rogue and a mage—they had clearly escaped from battle.

These two happened to overhear the man's words and immediately jumped up, saying, "Don't listen to his nonsense! This dungeon is incredibly difficult. We've been wiped out countless times; we just can't beat it at all. We just wiped out another wave, and only the two of us made it out!"

"No way, it was so easy for us," the man said, holding up a longsword that shimmered with magical light. "This Tideslasher's Blade dropped from the dungeon."

"The two who came out later shook their heads like rattle-drums, saying, 'What's so great about fighting? We haven't even beaten the second-in-command yet, we've been wiped out like dogs.'"

(Could it be because their level is too low?) Angmar thought to himself, glancing at the level markers above the other person's head. The one who said the dungeon was easy was level 45, while the one who said it was extremely difficult was level 47. Their levels were similar, with the latter being two levels higher. Yet their answers were so different. It was a bit strange, but it seemed he had to try it himself to find out.

Just then, a person walked over from the side. He seemed to have overheard their conversation and then adopted a master-like demeanor.

"Stop arguing. This is a random dungeon. The boss you encounter each time is randomly generated. If you're lucky, you'll run into a weak boss and it'll be easy to clear. If you're unlucky, you'll run into a powerful boss and it'll be difficult. If you're even more unlucky, you might even run into the Elemental Lords Azathoth, and you'll be wiped out without even recognizing your own mothers. Of course, since this is a trial dungeon, you won't lose any equipment even if you die. You can go ahead and give it a try."

"I see," Angmar nodded, quite confident in his luck. "Understood. Let's see how our luck is then. Let's go in."

Because this is a 10-player difficulty dungeon, the team composition had to be readjusted. Considering that all the bosses in this dungeon are water elemental bosses, Angmar directly assembled four fire mages as the main damage dealers, a warrior Boromo, two druids Bion to tank, a priest and a paladin to heal, plus himself and the rogue Frodo.

These ten people were all around level 50, with Boromir even reaching level 55, making them a very strong team among adventurers.

The group entered the instance's light curtain and found it to be a rest area. There were human blacksmiths repairing equipment, siren merchants selling potions and supplies, gladiators waiting to enter the arena, and Alliance NPCs maintaining order. Angmar even spotted a few Alliance soldiers.

At the end of the rest area, there is a gate. Through the gaps in the gate, you can see a spacious arena inside, which seems to be where you challenge the elemental boss.

Angmar said, "Everyone, repair your equipment first, buy some supplies, and once we're ready, let's go in."

Leaving aside the fact that his men had scattered and were moving about, Angmar stood there waiting for a while when he suddenly heard a voice calling him.

"Hey, you over there, look here!" Angmar turned around and saw a shifty-eyed murloc named Murloc Profiteer. He had grayish scales all over his body, wore a robe made of seaweed covered with shells and fish bones, and held a coral staff in his hand. He looked like a strange charlatan and was waving at him incessantly.

"Did you need something?"

The Murloc Profiteer, "Adventurer, you must be here for the Elemental Trial, right? By the way, do you want to win?"

Angmar glared at the murloc. "Of course I want to win."

The Murloc Profiteer, "If you want to win, buy this amulet; it will bring you good luck." As he spoke, he took out a golden badge, which looked to be made from the scales of some kind of Marine Life.

Angmar checked the badge's attributes.

[Name: Gladiator's Lucky Charm]

[Category: Consumables/Decorations]

[Quality: Average]

[Function: Equip and gain the title 'Lucky Gladiator']

[Note: This is a talisman made of unknown materials. It looks ordinary and doesn't exhibit any magical properties, but for someone seeking good fortune, it's better than nothing.]

This thing looks a bit strange. It's not that it's useless, since equipping it does grant the title of Lucky Gladiator. But it's not clear whether this amulet increases luck.

Angmar glanced at the Murloc Profiteer with some suspicion. "How much does this thing cost?"

The Murloc Profiteer, "It's not expensive at all, only 3000 platinum coins. It will make you and all your companions lucky, allowing you to easily pass the Elemental Trial."

This platinum coin is the equivalent of in-game currency. Although Angmar is a rich kid and 3,000 currency is nothing to him, spending so much money on a charm that he doesn't know what use it is still a bit like being ripped off.

"Forget it, this thing doesn't seem reliable." He waved his hand and led his men towards the arena.

The Murloc Profiteer behind him, "Ha, don't buy then, you'll regret it later." He watched as the members of the Middle-earth Supreme Guild walked through the arena gates.

Inside the boss room of the dungeon, Xiao Yu was sitting in a chair, looking at a row of screens in front of him.

With the activation of the scene system, the dungeon control interface in the BOSS room has become more complex. Each screen represents a dungeon mirror image, where battles and carnage are unfolding.

As Xiao Yu was watching, a person walked over. It was the same Murloc Profiteer from before, but he was also being impersonated by a player. "Boss, the mirror image of instance number 4 has opened. It's the people from the Middle-earth Supreme Guild, and they seem very strong."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu casually opened the mirror image of the fourth instance. "Let me see... Hey, Angmar! It's the guild leader leading the team himself. This guy's pretty rich. Did he buy any amulets?"

"No, he doesn't seem to believe in the amulet's effectiveness."

Xiao Yu nodded and said, "Okay, let's give them a B-package." He then glanced at the guys playing Dou Dizhu behind him and said, "Poseidon, you go first; Big Water Cunt, you go second; I'll personally finish last."

Although the Elemental Proving Ground dungeon theoretically spawns bosses randomly, this is only in theory. Such random dungeon mechanics can actually be controlled in the dungeon's main control room.

If the instance is created by an NPC, then it's truly random; but if it's created by a player, then it's entirely up to their whim.

Xiao Yu put a lot of effort into creating these three dungeons, making them completely different from the original Blazing Flame Canyon.

The Sgelari Lair is very easy, while the Naga Cavern is very difficult, targeting wealthy players and ordinary players respectively. However, to prevent adventurers from easily seeing through this money-grabbing nature, Xiao Yu put a lot of thought into the design of this Elemental Proving Ground dungeon. The difficulty of this dungeon can be high or low, and whether it is high or low depends entirely on who is running the dungeon.

Xiao Yu divided all the bosses in the Elemental Proving Ground into three tiers: weak, medium, and strong. Beginner and intermediate bosses were considered weak, advanced bosses were considered medium, and bosses of skeleton level and above were strong. Xiao Yu designed a total of five boss combinations based on the different challengers.

Package A, super strong + super strong, the highest difficulty BOSS combination. Basically, adventurers encountering this BOSS combination will only face a party wipe. Of course, this combination is not invincible. If ten adventurers are level 55 or above, with at least half of them equipped with epic gear, and with good teamwork, they still have a chance to beat it. However, if their level and gear are slightly inferior, it will be difficult to beat. This combination is specifically prepared for those very strong high-level players, powerful botters, and studio players. Anyway, you can't expect these people to spend points to buy amulets, so send the three strongest BOSSes to fight them, wipe them out a few times, and it would be best to wipe out their entire party and leave.

Package B, consisting of weak, medium, and strong elements, is easy in the early game, normal in the mid-game, and very difficult in the late game. This gives adventurers a glimmer of hope in the early stages, making the dungeon seem relatively easy, but then delivers a crushing blow at the end. This combination is designed for adventurers with both spending potential and strong abilities. It gives them the feeling that with a bit more luck, they can defeat the final boss, which isn't too difficult. They might then go back to buy amulets, and if they do, they'll be switched to Package C next time.

Package C, consisting of weak, weak, and medium difficulty levels, is designed for adventurer teams that were previously overwhelmed by Package B and subsequently purchased the Gladiator's Amulet, ensuring they can successfully clear this dungeon.

Package D, weak + weak + strong, is designed for adventurers with spending potential but relatively weak abilities. The goal is to give them the feeling that with a bit more luck, they can overcome the challenge. If they later buy amulets, switch them to Package E.

Package E, weak + weak + weak, is designed for adventurers who are very weak and have purchased the Gladiator Lucky Charm. It's basically a breeze to clear the game.

Xiao Yu knew that Angmar was a rich second-generation, but also had considerable ability, so he decisively gave him a B package.

Angmar, unaware of what awaited him, led his men into the arena in a state of blissful ignorance.