The Spoils of Victory and a Hidden Scroll

After the Lava Giant was finally slain, Lin Shenyue let out a long breath, a hint of exhaustion clouding her features.

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze and Divine Wind seemed relatively unscathed. However, Xu Linglong and Ye Jue were utterly drained. Xu Linglong’s fatigue stemmed from her unfamiliarity with the game, causing her energy to deplete rapidly. As for Ye Jue, activating his Divine Realm had consumed a significant amount of his mental energy, leaving him similarly exhausted.

Pre-dungeon bosses didn’t drop any loot; all rewards had to be claimed from the quest giver. Consequently, after a brief respite, the group departed.

****

Upon seeing the top five ranks on the leveling leaderboard, Heaven’s Left Hand, from the Heaven Guild, felt his expression turn frigid. He observed the four players who had rapidly ascended the ranks in a short period (the three excluding Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue, plus Dark Demon).

A cold sneer escaped his lips. “It seems I’ve underestimated you all.”

It was clear that the sudden appearance of four unguilded players on the leaderboard, combined with the two who already held the first and second spots, indicated they had certainly grasped some method—perhaps even exploited a bug—to level up so quickly.

Haven’s Left Hand fell silent for a moment before addressing his second-in-command. “Issue an order: find out the specific information about these individuals. It would be even better if we could get their real-world identities.”

‘If I can’t threaten you in the game, wouldn’t it be better to threaten you in reality to make you reveal your leveling methods?’ Heaven’s Left Hand thought with a sinister smile. He had previously sent trusted subordinates to contact these players, only to be completely rebuffed. More precisely, all six—Lin Shenyue’s group—had refused any friend requests. In Heaven’s Left Hand’s eyes, this was an undeniable insult. He had gone so far as to have his confidants reach out, yet received not even a single reply, making him feel a profound loss of face.

****

Ye Jue also let out a long sigh of relief, celebrating the successful completion of the dungeon. Before the raid, the group had invested considerably, from the high-buffing food Lin Shenyue had prepared to the fire-resistance potions he himself had provided.

Ye Jue had even prepared a scroll he had stumbled upon by chance, capable of reducing the damage taken by every team member by up to 1000 points for three seconds. Such a scroll was akin to a divine artifact in the early stages of the game, and he had been ready to deploy it to gain an early lead over others. Fortunately, it hadn’t been necessary; they had secured victory in the dungeon without it.

Scroll-type items were not yet sold in shops, their only source being extremely rare drops from wild bosses. Therefore, when Ye Jue had unexpectedly seen such a scroll in the auction house, he had gritted his teeth and bid on it, despite the hefty price.

After her own sigh of relief, Lin Shenyue followed the others out of the dungeon, making their way back to the military camp.

Upon seeing them, the camp general remarked with a hint of surprise, “You completed it so quickly?” While the general wasn’t privy to the dungeon’s specifics, he had, after all, sent his own men inside, none of whom had returned safely. Thus, he had been compelled to recruit players for assistance.

Given Lin Shenyue’s higher charm attribute, Ye Jue entrusted her with the task of reporting their mission’s completion.

“Yes, General, we’ve brought back some useful intelligence.” After conveying the information to the general as prompted by the system, the general’s brows furrowed noticeably.

The camp general sighed helplessly. “It’s clear that what you encountered was merely the outermost layer of this outbreak’s cause. I hope you can further explore the secrets of the Lava Purgatory so that we can be prepared.”

[Ding! Do you accept the quest ‘Explore the Secrets of the Lava Purgatory’?]

“Yes.”

After Lin Shenyue accepted, the camp general smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you for your efforts this time. If you successfully uncover the secrets, I will provide you with suitable rewards.” Indeed, unlike Level 5 dungeons, Level 15 dungeons offered rewards not only within the instance but also upon completion of the quest. The rewards were random, with anything possible.

Upon accepting the quest, the mission to investigate the Lava Purgatory was marked as complete. The generous experience granted caused everyone’s experience points to increase by 10%. They also received several weapons. Although the quality of these weapons was only average, they were at least Silver-tier, and due to their level, far superior to their current equipment. Lin Shenyue, however, received something different: a peculiar scroll.

As the general handed the scroll to Lin Shenyue, a touch of reluctance still lingered in his gaze. “I stumbled upon this scroll in the wild by chance, and I’ve never found a way to unseal it. You seem to have a good eye, so I’ll bestow this scroll upon you.”

[Ding! Congratulations on acquiring ‘Unknown Scroll’.]

Lin Shenyue paused for a moment after receiving it, then quickly composed herself. “Thank you, General.”

The general chuckled, dismissing it casually. “Sealed scrolls are never simple things. I hope you can find a way to unseal it.”

Upon hearing the conversation between the general and Lin Shenyue, Ye Jue couldn’t help but be stunned. ‘A sealed scroll?’ Anything could emerge from a sealed scroll, but whatever it was, it possessed immense growth potential. This could include growth-type weapons, pets with incredibly high potential, and more.

Such items were exceedingly rare, even in the late game, and each could fetch sky-high prices. In the early game, they were invaluable treasures, allowing players to grow alongside these potent items. Of course, unsealing such a scroll was no easy feat.

After receiving Ye Jue’s message, Lin Shenyue also realized the preciousness of the item in her hand. For Ye Jue, who had been reborn, to call something ‘good stuff’ undeniably meant its value was extraordinarily high.

Having expended significant energy during the pre-quest, everyone decided to take a break. They planned to regroup in half an hour to tackle the dungeon once more.

Seeing Xu Linglong’s provocative glance as she led Lin Shenyue away, Ye Jue offered a wry smile. He then pondered for a moment. This was a perfect opportunity for him to visit a hidden map and purchase a few things while the team was separated.

Lin Shenyue looked at Xu Linglong with a hint of exasperation. “Are you upset with Peerless Karma Fire?” Indeed, in Lin Shenyue’s eyes, Xu Linglong was clearly sulking about Ye Jue. Though she didn’t understand the reason for the pique, it didn’t prevent Lin Shenyue from noticing it.

Upon hearing Lin Shenyue’s words, Xu Linglong instantly bristled. “Who’s upset with him? Does he even deserve it?”

Watching Xu Linglong, who resembled a ruffled kitten, Lin Shenyue couldn’t help but laugh. This only made Xu Linglong angrier, and she pounced forward, claws out, launching a tickle attack.

Lin Shenyue laughed even harder. It surprised her that her body was so sensitive, and that this virtual game perfectly replicated the physical attributes of real people. It wasn’t until Lin Shenyue finally gave in and begged for mercy that Xu Linglong triumphantly retracted her ‘claws’.