A Complete Victory

Before the words had even died away, someone had already pulled up the inspection panel.

When the "level 6" marker appeared above Su Mu's head, a chorus of gasps rose from the crowd.

"Level six?! He's level six!"

"He was level five at 33% before he went in, and he came out at level six... Does that mean he at least made it to the fifth wave? No, wait, there's no telling whether the fifth wave of a nightmare dungeon gives enough experience to reach level six..."

"Each wave in a nightmare dungeon gives more experience than the last. If he made it to level six, he must have fought more than one wave after the fifth!"

"Doesn't that mean he really did beat Wang Hao?"

The words were like a drop of water falling into a pan of hot oil.

Everyone's expressions changed.

Some were shocked, some found it unbelievable, some were skeptical, and others immediately turned to see Wang Hao's reaction.

Wang Hao stood in the middle of the crowd.

From the moment Su Mu had emerged, Wang Hao's eyes had been fixed on him.

When that glaring "level 6" marker appeared, it was as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head, chilling him from his spine down to his heels.

Impossible.

That was the first thought that sprang to his mind.

How could Su Mu be level six?

How could he have made it past the fifth wave?

He's trash with an F-rank core card and one lousy E-rank card. What gives him the right to get that far in a nightmare dungeon?

But levels didn't lie.

The dungeon space's level data directly reflected the state of the soul space. It couldn't be faked or hidden.

Wang Hao felt as though something were blocking his throat, making it difficult even to breathe.

But he quickly forced himself to calm down.

No.

So what if he reached that level?

The wager's standard wasn't level six, but level six at 50%.

Su Mu had only just reached level six. His experience bar might have risen by only a little, leaving him short of the agreed threshold of over 50% needed to win.

As long as he had just reached level six and hadn't met that requirement, Wang Hao still hadn't lost.

Right, that has to be it. Like a drowning man clutching at his last straw, Wang Hao repeated the thought desperately to himself.

Su Mu naturally saw Wang Hao's expression too.

He said nothing, merely stepping forward and walking toward him at an unhurried pace.

The crowd parted of its own accord.

Su Mu stopped in front of Wang Hao, casually pulled up his information panel, and projected the level and experience field into the air for everyone present to see clearly.

[Su Mu, level: 6, experience: 83%]

The air fell silent in an instant.

A moment later, it erupted with a roar.

"Eighty-three! Level six at 83%! He's fucking almost level seven!"

"My god... How many waves would it take to get that much experience? The fifth wave? Impossible, how could the fifth wave give that much experience?!"

"So what wave did Su Mu actually reach? Can anyone work it out?"

"I can't, but it was definitely way past the fifth wave. Wang Hao's estimate was completely wrong."

"He won... Su Mu won! The standard was over 50%, and his is nearly double that!"

"Holy shit, he won a wager worth five hundred thousand! Su Mu's really taking off now!"

Wang Hao's face had gone from ashen to deathly pale.

Su Mu looked at him. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. "Level six, 83%. As agreed, anything over level six at 50% counts as my win. Classmate Wang Hao, do you have any objections?"

Wang Hao's lips moved.

He wanted to say, "I object."

He wanted to point a finger in Su Mu's face and shout, "You cheated!" He wanted to turn hostile and refuse to honor the wager on the spot, to turn around and walk away.

But the gazes directed at him from all around were like hundreds upon thousands of nails, pinning his feet firmly to the ground.

Ye Qingxue was still standing in a corner not far away.

The teachers' observation area was only a few dozen meters away.

Everyone was watching.

Wang Hao's fists creaked as he clenched them, his nails digging into his palms. The pain made him a little clearer-headed instead.

I can't turn hostile.

If he turned hostile and refused to honor the wager in front of so many people, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

Not only would he be unable to hold his head high at school, but once word got out, even the companies that had been willing to cooperate with his family would reassess his character.

He had to swallow this loss.

"Fine," Wang Hao forced the word out through clenched teeth.

He raised a hand and turned it over. His soul space opened, and a skill book glowing with a pale golden light appeared in his palm.

A random-quality soul skill book.

Another round of subdued exclamations rose from the crowd.

"Holy shit, that thing really is worth hundreds of thousands, right?"

"It's random quality, with E-rank guaranteed at minimum and a chance of getting B-rank or even A-rank. Market price starts at five hundred thousand at least, and it can go higher when the market's good."

"Wang Hao's family really is loaded, to have something like that."

"Having it and being willing to part with it are two different things. Look at his face—it's like someone's carving flesh off him..."

For Wang Hao, it really was like having his flesh carved away.

His family had spent a fortune to buy this book at a black-market auction just half a month ago, and it had been set aside for him.

He had planned to use it himself once his level was a little higher and he had saved up enough aura points. He had only dared put it up as a stake in the wager because he had been certain Su Mu couldn't win.

But he had never imagined that he would be the one to lose.

His knuckles went white around the book, and his arm trembled slightly. It took nearly all his strength to hand it over.

Su Mu reached out and took it.

The moment he took hold of it, he could clearly feel the resistance from Wang Hao's hand.

Wang Hao hadn't let go.

Su Mu lifted his eyes and glanced at him.

Wang Hao's face was flushed scarlet, and the malice in his eyes was nearly overflowing. But in the end, he let go, turned, and walked away without saying a word.

After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Su Mu.

His eyes were full of resentment and humiliation, like a beast driven into a corner but unable to lash out.

"You just wait."

He made no sound, only mouthed the words.

Su Mu understood, but paid him no mind.

He looked away and lowered his gaze to the skill book in his hand, which glowed with a pale golden light.

"A random-quality soul skill book... I've struck it rich."

Li Ming darted over from the side and grabbed Su Mu's arm, excitement written all over his face. He lowered his voice and said, "You really should've seen Wang Hao's face just now. He looked like he'd eaten a dead rat. How did he even hand this book over? His expression was like it hurt worse than having two ounces of flesh carved off him."

Su Mu smiled but didn't reply.

Li Ming leaned closer and lowered his voice even further. "Seriously, you've completely offended him now. Wang Hao and his bunch will definitely have their eyes on you from now on. His family might not be a top-tier power, but they have some influence in Rongcheng. Be careful."

Su Mu nodded and calmly swept his gaze over the surroundings.

The gazes coming from every direction held admiration, shock, envy, and jealousy so fierce that eyes were turning green.

He didn't much care about any of them.

There was something else he cared about more.

Just as he was about to say a few more words to Li Ming, he caught sight of a white figure passing along the outer edge of the crowd.

It was Ye Qingxue.

She never looked back, her steps as unhurried as when she had arrived, her white hair gently stirred by the wind.

Su Mu glanced at her, then looked away.