Chapter 37 : Chapter 37
Chapter 37: Think You Can Do Better? Then Go Yourself! Entering the Group Dungeon!
“So this is Qingfeng City? It feels pretty much the same as Linyuan City!”
Ye Ze had just stepped off the train and was in rather good spirits.
The two cities did share one thing in common: both were battle-scarred.
Linyuan City was close to the Abyss Frontier, while Qingfeng City bordered the Blood-Red Plains. Neither place could truly be called safe.
After getting off the train, the students of War Academy boarded a chartered bus, which took them to the massive Group Dungeon.
At that moment, however, a Hovercar nearby drew a chorus of astonished exclamations.
The vehicle had a sleek silver body and looked thoroughly futuristic. It was clearly the work of a High-Level Machinist.
“What kind of car is that? It looks... incredible!”
“That is the assigned vehicle of Dongwu City No. 1 High School! Of the top ten in last year’s East China Region college entrance exam, eight came from that school!”
“I heard they came fully armed this time. They are here to break the Group Dungeon record!”
“...”
Ye Ze knew a little about such vehicles as well. A Hovercar like that consumed eighty to one hundred and twenty Crystal Stones per hundred kilometers.
A toy for the rich.
Amid the students’ excited cries, the Hovercar bearing the emblem of Dongwu City No. 1 High School shot forward like a streak and soon disappeared from sight.
An hour later, a vast plaza came into view. At its center stood a black stone gate over ten meters tall, carved with intricate patterns. It was the entrance to the Group Dungeon.
This was a Level 10 massive Group Dungeon.
It was said to have been created from a fragment of a world shattered by the Abyss, though no one knew the exact details.
At the entrance to the plaza, a checkpoint was registering everyone.
Not far away, Ye Ze spotted the Elite Class. Since they had arrived earlier, they seemed to have already finished the Group Dungeon.
And Vice Dean Zhou Wei was actually furiously scolding several students. One girl from the Elite Class had even been reduced to tears...
“How rare. Zhou Wei actually dares scold students from the Elite Class?”
Ye Ze rubbed his chin, openly enjoying the spectacle, and Xia Qing was much the same.
“It looks like their Group Dungeon results were not very good...”
She kept her voice very low so that only Ye Ze could hear. The two of them were clearly just watching the drama unfold.
As expected, no one disliked a good spectacle.
A short while later, Liu Qi, the Level 4 Assassin boy, suddenly came over with an expression full of self-satisfaction.
“Brother Ze, I found out what happened!”
Ever since learning that Ye Ze was the “Rookie King,” Liu Qi had changed his attitude in an instant and no longer made any effort to hide his admiration.
“It was Zhao Xuan. He learned three Outstanding-grade summoning skills, and his confidence shot through the roof. At the last minute, he changed the plan and chose to challenge a Difficult Group Dungeon...”
“And that led straight to a full team wipe!”
“But the Vice Dean does not dare scold Zhao Xuan. He is scolding the others for not stopping him.”
Hearing that, Ye Ze did not know whether to laugh or cry.
At the side, Xia Qing could not help whispering as well, “Failing a Group Dungeon seriously affects the Vice Dean’s performance evaluation. No wonder he is so angry.”
Ye Ze said in surprise, “There is actually such good news?”
Performance evaluation was one of the standards every academy used to assess its positions. If the results were poor enough, even a Vice Dean could be replaced.
At that moment, the students of the Elite Class were all preparing to leave with dark expressions.
Zhao Xuan and Zhou Wei in particular looked especially ridiculous, one dark as thunder and the other red with rage.
As he passed Ye Ze, Zhao Xuan shot him a cold glare, but paired with that charcoal-dark face of his, it was more than Ye Ze could endure.
“Pfft...”
“What are you laughing at?” Zhao Xuan demanded with a dark expression.
Ye Ze replied, “Nothing. I have had professional training. Under normal circumstances, I do not laugh...”
Seemingly sensing the mockery in Ye Ze’s tone, Zhao Xuan let out a cold snort and said disdainfully,
“Laughing?”
“Once you realize your teammates are all a bunch of useless dead weight, let us see whether you can still laugh then!”
The moment those words were spoken, not a single other student from the Elite Class dared to retort.
These were students whom War Academy had always trained as key talents, yet after one run through a Difficult Group Dungeon, they had turned into the dead weight Zhao Xuan claimed was dragging him down...
That alone showed just how terrifying the difficulty of a Group Dungeon was.
Even the students from the Ordinary Class, who had been enjoying the spectacle a moment ago, found it hard to keep smiling now.
After all, was Zhao Xuan not insulting them as well?
If even the students of the Elite Class had become dead weight inside the Group Dungeon, what would happen to students from the Ordinary Class?
Ye Ze, however, did not care in the slightest. If anything, he sounded amused.
“You were the one who was not capable enough, and now you want to blame other people?”
“You chose a higher difficulty, yet you did not have the strength to carry your teammates to victory. And now you are blaming your teammates instead?”
At those words, many students from the Elite Class looked visibly excited. They were practically on the verge of applauding Ye Ze.
They had originally wanted to challenge only the Advanced difficulty. It was Zhao Xuan alone who had sworn with absolute confidence that he could clear Difficult. After failing, he still had the nerve to lash out at everyone else.
If their strength and family backgrounds had not been inferior to Zhao Xuan’s, they would have cursed him right back long ago.
Zhao Xuan instantly flew into a rage.
“Do you even understand what a Group Dungeon is?”
“No matter how strong one person is, what use is that?”
“It is a dungeon designed around the difficulty of a hundred-man team!”
Seeing that Ye Ze merely smiled without saying a word, Zhao Xuan’s anger only grew stronger.
“Fine. Then you do it!”
“I am not leaving today! I will stay right here and watch how your whole team gets wiped out!”
“If you have the ability, then do not choose the Ordinary difficulty!”
The difficulty settings of a Group Dungeon were the same as those of a Novice Dungeon. They were divided into six levels: Ordinary, Advanced, Difficult, Nightmare, Calamity, and Hell.
Even with Zhao Xuan leading the entire Elite Class, they could manage no more than an Advanced Group Dungeon at best.
According to Xia Qing’s plan, the Ordinary Class only had a chance of clearing the dungeon at Ordinary difficulty...
Because of that, she could not help tugging at Ye Ze’s sleeve, signaling for him not to act rashly.
Just then, registration was completed.
It was the War Academy Ordinary Class’s turn to enter the Group Dungeon.
Standing before the black carved stone gate in the center of the plaza, Xia Qing carefully went over every strategy and precaution in detail.
But Ye Ze had already familiarized himself with all of that long ago.
At the same time, he curiously turned Eye of Insight on the dungeon entrance.
【Dungeon Entrance — Fallen Dragon Valley】
Background: Under the Abyss’s conquest, even the Storm Dragon clan, driven back into the canyon, could not escape death.
Difficulty and clearance conditions: ...
Additional rewards:
Set a new clearance record for any difficulty above Ordinary — rewards will be granted according to individual performance.
Obtain MVP upon clearing the dungeon — rewarded with a Group Dungeon MVP Treasure Chest.
————
“There are actually two extra chances to earn rewards!”
Ye Ze was quite tempted.
After finishing all her instructions, Xia Qing deliberately came over to Ye Ze and spoke to him alone.
“Ye Ze, whatever you do, make sure you stay steady!”
Ye Ze replied cheerfully, “Do not worry, Teacher Xia. I am very steady.”
Xia Qing nodded in satisfaction, then watched the students enter the dungeon entrance.
Naturally, Ye Ze became the team leader.
【Please choose the difficulty your team wishes to challenge!】
Ye Ze said, “Hell!”