More than enough

By then, Su Mu had long since left the classroom.

The closer he got to the north gate, the louder the voices grew.

From a distance, Su Mu spotted the entrance to the trial grounds.

At some point, a sprawling temporary service area had been set up on the open ground outside the north gate.

Sunshades stretched in a continuous line, and signs of varying heights stood beneath them, bearing labels such as "Normal trial area," "Hard trial area," "Medical area," and "Rest area."

Students in school uniforms gathered in groups of two or three. Some excitedly gestured as they described their dungeon builds, some watched the trial grounds with grave expressions, and others used the last of their time to adjust their cards in a corner.

A medical team was stationed beside the entrance to the trial grounds. Two ambulances were parked outside a white tent, and several medical workers in white coats sat chatting beneath a canopy. They looked relaxed, evidently long accustomed to how things went on days like this.

Farther away, Su Mu also saw several groups of people forming parties.

"Anyone want to team up for the trial? I've got a D-rank core card, a support theme, and a trap build. We're guaranteed to make it!"

"Looking for someone with a combat theme. I've got a C-rank defense build. We can cover each other's weaknesses."

"Two people are ideal for the normal dungeon. Any bro with high damage output want to join?"

Listening to the calls, Su Mu understood.

The academy's trials supported parties, but only up to two people.

The reason was simple: too many people would throw the monsters' aggro mechanics into chaos, and the experience would be diluted further.

With two people in a party, each receiving half the experience, it was already the optimal balance.

Of course, those with real strength were unwilling to team up.

Getting all the experience meant leveling up faster, and it also meant they could challenge higher-difficulty trials sooner afterward. One step ahead, every step ahead.

That was why almost everyone near the top of the rankings ran solo.

As Su Mu was thinking, he suddenly heard a familiar voice ahead.

"Brother Mu! Over here!"

He looked up.

Li Ming stood beneath a large tree beside the entrance to the trial grounds, waving vigorously at him.

There was no telling how long the guy had been there. A fine layer of sweat had gathered on his forehead, his uniform sleeves were rolled up high, and his face was full of excitement.

Su Mu hurried over.

"Why haven't you gone in?" Su Mu asked.

"I was waiting for you."

Li Ming grinned, pulled Su Mu a couple of steps to the side, and lowered his voice. "Listen, I've gotten the details. Our school's trial this year was issued across the province, and the nest type is goblins."

Su Mu raised an eyebrow. "Goblins?"

"Yeah, a goblin nest."

Li Ming nodded and held up a few fingers. "The normal trial has five waves of monsters, roughly level one to five. An elite monster appears in the final wave, a level-five elite. Nobody knows exactly what kind of elite it is yet."

"Hard has seven waves," Li Ming said. "Nobody's figured out the number of monsters or their composition in the later waves yet. As for nightmare..."

He waved a hand. "That's not something we should be worrying about for now. If we can chew through normal and hard over today and tomorrow, we'll be doing well."

Su Mu nodded. That matched his own assessment.

"So, Brother Mu," Li Ming said, suddenly turning serious as he looked at him intently, "I waited for you because I wanted to say we should go in together. Your dungeon doesn't have any other creature cards. My biochemical legion can tank them head-on, and you can use your little demon to finish them off from behind. If we work together, we're guaranteed to clear normal."

Su Mu glanced at him.

Li Ming's expression was especially serious as he spoke, with even a hint that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He knew Su Mu's situation all too well: an F-rank core card, a special dungeon, and one E-rank creature card. A setup like that really would be dangerous in a normal trial.

But Su Mu only smiled.

"No need."

"What do you mean, no need?" Li Ming grew anxious. "Brother Mu, I know you care about saving face, but this isn't the time to act tough. The monsters in the trial can't kill anyone, but if your dungeon core gets breached, you'll still get hurt. How much health does that F-rank stone card of yours even have? Once your little demon can't hold them back..."

"Li Ming." Su Mu interrupted him, his voice calm.

Li Ming was taken aback.

Su Mu looked at him and said seriously, "I'm not teaming up with you for the normal dungeon."

"Why?" Li Ming looked bewildered.

"Each person only gets one chance a day to challenge a trial dungeon at the same difficulty."

Su Mu said, "Every bit of monster experience today is crucial. Especially in the normal dungeon: you have an A-rank technology civilization, and you can mass troops quickly early on, so experience is what you need most. You can clear the normal dungeon easily on your own. If I team up with you, I'll not only take half your experience, but my own leveling will slow down too. When the hard dungeon opens, what will you use to hold off the first few waves?"

Li Ming opened his mouth to say something, but Su Mu cut him off again.

"I know you want to help me."

Su Mu patted him on the shoulder. "But today really isn't the right time. When it's time for the hard dungeon, I'll team up with you."

"The hard dungeon?" Li Ming's eyes widened. "You want to team up with me for hard?"

"What, can't I?" Su Mu smiled. "Are you afraid I'll drag you down?"

"No, Brother Mu..." Li Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The hard dungeon is a completely different beast from the normal one. Nobody's even fully figured out the normal dungeon yet, and the monsters in the hard dungeon are at least a whole tier above the normal ones. There probably aren't even twenty people at our school who can take on hard."

"That's why I said I'd team up with you for the hard dungeon," Su Mu said.

Li Ming looked at him and saw that Su Mu didn't look like he was joking at all. He looked as calm and composed as he had back when he handed in his exam paper half an hour early.

"You're really that confident?" Li Ming asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry." Su Mu nodded, his tone firm. "I'll solo the normal dungeon, and I'll carry you through the hard one. On the condition that you clear the normal dungeon yourself today. Don't let your level fall behind when it's time for hard."

Li Ming stared at him for several seconds before finally sighing. "All right. But let's get one thing straight: you have to do the hard dungeon with me. If you don't come, I won't do it either."

"All right," Su Mu agreed.

Only then did Li Ming let out a breath and clench his fist. "I'll head in first, then. I'll tell you the details of the normal dungeon when I come out. Wait here. I'll be quick."

With that, he turned and strode toward the trial entrance.

Su Mu watched him walk through the gate of light, only looking away once he had vanished.

Naturally, he had grounds for being so confident.

According to the standard in the textbooks, the actual combat power needed for a normal trial dungeon was around 6,000.

Actual combat power here meant the number after excluding the combat value of pure buildings.

Buildings and terrain could buy time, but they dealt no damage and were of no real help in clearing the dungeon.

Little Drill Wind's combat value, on his card alone, had already surpassed 10,000.

That didn't even account for Little Drill Wind being able to perform at 150% of his strength within Lion Camel Ridge.

In other words, as soon as the monsters entered Lion Camel Ridge, Little Drill Wind's true combat power would rise by a substantial amount.

Thus, although his core card was of no use for now, he had more than enough strength to withstand the monsters' assault in the normal dungeon.