Chapter 45 : Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Like a Three-Year-Old Child Fishing Up a South Sea Tiger Shark!
Outside the Group Dungeon, Xia Qing waited alone, looking increasingly worried.
“It has already been more than an hour. Why has nobody come out yet?”
Inside a Group Dungeon, the moment someone died, they would be teleported out immediately.
No matter what first-clear team it was, casualties and attrition inside a Group Dungeon were perfectly normal...
And yet now, the Ordinary Class had gone into Hell difficulty for over an hour. How could there possibly be no casualties at all?
“How strange...”
Just as she spoke, a team of several dozen people came out through the dungeon gate.
“So they are finally out.”
Xia Qing patted her chest and let out a breath of relief... Failing was not important. As long as nothing had gone wrong, that was enough.
But then she noticed that this team’s equipment was far too refined, and their average level was also much higher...
“That’s not right. It is Dongwu City No. 1 High School’s team!”
Dongwu City No. 1 High School was publicly recognized as the strongest high school in the East China Region. They had come here specifically to break the Group Dungeon record!
And the moment that team emerged, more than a dozen teachers and even officials from various departments immediately stepped forward to congratulate them. The spectacle was immense.
At the front stood the leading official, a man in a tailored suit with gold-rimmed glasses and a refined air that somehow still felt faintly villainous.
The moment she saw him, Xia Qing’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Even East China Region’s chief administrator, Wu Ming, came in person?”
There stood Chief Administrator Wu Ming at the very front of all the officials from every department.
Smiling faintly, he applauded the team from Dongwu City No. 1 High School.
“Not bad. It looks like your new Group Dungeon record is going to remain in first place in the East China Region for a very long time!”
At those words, Xia Qing and the surrounding onlookers instinctively turned to the rankings:
【Massive Group Dungeon Clearance Rankings】
【1】Dongwu City No. 1 High School, Calamity difficulty cleared, time used: 2 hours 7 minutes, MVP: Bai Wei (24% damage contribution)
【2】Qingfeng City Bloodmark Academy, Calamity difficulty cleared, time used: 3 hours 20 minutes...
————
“They beat second place by more than an hour. How is anyone supposed to break that record?”
“I heard Bai Wei has the rare class Spellblade. No wonder he dealt a full quarter of the team’s damage by himself!”
“Hmph. If I had been in Dongwu City No. 1 High School, how could I possibly have failed even a Difficult Group Dungeon?”
The one who spoke last was Zhao Xuan. After seeing Dongwu City No. 1 High School, he looked even more contemptuously at his own Elite Class team.
Hearing praise from Wu Ming, the East China Region’s top authority, the captain of Dongwu City No. 1 High School, a resolute young man named Bai Wei clad in a Spellblade battle robe, answered seriously, “Thank you for your praise, sir. Next time, perhaps we can challenge Hell difficulty!”
“Excellent. That is the spirit.” Wu Ming smiled pleasantly.
“At the national special training camp the day after tomorrow, do not embarrass me, Wu Ming!”
“This year’s training camp format has changed drastically, and the rewards are said to be the greatest in history. If you can place well, the benefits to you will be immeasurable!”
At that, Bai Wei answered seriously, then lowered his voice and added, “Please rest assured, Teacher. I have already begun studying the opponents at the training camp!”
Very few people knew that Bai Wei, the captain of Dongwu City No. 1 High School, was actually a student personally taught by Wu Ming, the East China Region’s top official!
Talent combined with background—his future could only be described as limitless.
“Good.”
Wu Ming was very satisfied with both this student’s strength and his attitude.
But at the same time, he suddenly noticed that the dungeon entrance was still glowing blood-red. Turning to the people behind him, he asked, “What other team is still challenging a high-difficulty Group Dungeon?”
“It’s the Ordinary Class from War Academy. They selected Hell difficulty. They probably clicked the wrong option!” the Group Dungeon Administrator explained.
“War Academy? Oh? That academy under Wan Feipeng...”
The moment he thought of Wan Feipeng, Wu Ming suddenly laughed.
“Have the high school students under our ‘Hunter King’ already given up on themselves?”
“They went into Hell difficulty...”
But just as he was speaking, the Group Dungeon Clearance Rankings suddenly flickered.
Then Dongwu City No. 1 High School, which had only just taken first place, was instantly replaced.
Nearly everyone present seemed to stop breathing for a moment!
【Massive Group Dungeon Clearance Rankings】
【1】War Academy, Hell difficulty cleared, time used: 1 hour 37 minutes, MVP: Ye Ze (100% damage contribution)
【2】Dongwu City No. 1 High School, Calamity difficulty cleared...
————
Putting aside the difficulty cleared and the speed of the run, that 100% damage contribution alone was enough to make almost everyone there rub their eyes.
Then they looked again...
“What the hell! One hundred percent damage? This has to be a display error!”
“Where is the Group Dungeon Administrator? Fix it right now! The chief administrator is standing right here! Do you not want your job anymore?”
That shout sent the Qingfeng City Group Dungeon Administrator into a cold sweat on the spot!
Even he himself instinctively thought it had to be a display error.
Or some kind of bug.
With East China Region’s top authority present, this was a matter directly tied to his career. The administrator hurriedly checked the details two or three times over...
And then, trembling, he said, “Sir... the Group Dungeon display shows... no abnormalities at all!”
The whole place fell silent again.
“Can somebody tell me what it even means to clear Hell difficulty with one hundred percent damage contribution?”
“It means a new Class User under Level 10 solo-cleared a Hell-difficulty massive Group Dungeon!”
“That is like a three-year-old child reeling in a South Sea tiger shark with one hand!”
“I disagree. I think an elementary school student using an over-the-shoulder throw on a giant mammoth is a more accurate comparison...”
“By the way, where exactly is this War Academy?”
“If even their Ordinary Class is this terrifying, how horrifying must their Elite Class be?”
Nobody knew who it was that said that line, but Zhao Xuan, who had already been in shock, suddenly turned red and black by turns.
He wanted to say something, yet had no idea what he could possibly say.
He was furious beyond measure!
But it was not just him. Countless people were feeling emotions too complicated to describe.
That included the teachers and students of Dongwu City No. 1 High School.
Bai Wei in particular was staring fixedly at the name occupying the top spot on the rankings.
“Ye Ze...”
Only Wu Ming, beneath his gold-rimmed glasses, showed a flicker in his eyes. Strangely enough, he did not seem overly surprised.
He remembered that one of the very few times Wan Feipeng had ever bragged to him had been precisely because of this Ye Ze!
In the distance, Xia Qing was even more stunned. Her mouth had fallen open on its own, and her face was full of disbelief.
She was almost completely dazed.
Originally, when she heard Wu Ming say that her students had given up on themselves, she had felt a little upset inside.
She knew Ye Ze was strong.
If the challenge had been Advanced difficulty, or even Difficult difficulty, she would absolutely have trusted him.
But he had chosen Hell!
For a moment, she almost did not know whether to laugh or cry.
She knew Ye Ze was strong and had not given up on himself... but this was simply too terrifying!!!
Even in her dreams, she would never have dared imagine that a student she led could achieve something like this.
At that moment, Wu Ming, dressed in his suit and gold-rimmed glasses, walked over with a warm smile.
“You are the teacher leading War Academy’s team, correct?”
“Would you mind telling me a little about this student, Ye Ze?”
The East China war zone’s top authority taking the initiative to speak so gently made the people around them instantly envious.
Some had already realized that Wu Ming was preparing to poach him!
Several officials approached as well. In an instant, Xia Qing, who had been standing there all alone, became the center of everyone’s attention, leaving her flustered and at a complete loss.
Suddenly, a burly figure charged over at astonishing speed and planted himself directly in front of Wu Ming.
“Wu Dog, who do you want to learn about? Need me to introduce him to you personally?”
The Qingfeng City Guard Unit nearby had just tensed up, but the moment they saw who it was, they all went back to their posts...
There was no need to interfere, and even if there were, they could not.
Wu Ming smiled. “Well, if it isn’t our Hunter King!”
The pressure between the two men clashed like needlepoint against steel.
Wan Feipeng, a sixth-rank Class User, against Wu Ming, a fifth-rank one.
The sight left countless people around them stunned. It was an extremely rare scene:
“That posture...”
“One of the ten king-tier sixth-rank Class Users in all of China, and one of the five chief regional administrators in the country, are actually fighting over a student?”
For a moment, even Bai Wei and the other students of Dongwu City No. 1 High School could not help envying Ye Ze.
...
Inside the dungeon, however, Ye Ze had no idea what was happening outside.
Although the dungeon had already been cleared, it had not forcibly ejected him yet.
He was currently collecting this run’s rewards: the MVP Treasure Chest he had been longing for, along with a battle robe dropped by the Storm Dragon King.
The only problem was that the Bloodsea Fiend, despite having died, had not dropped any reward at all...
For a while, Ye Ze even suspected that the dungeon had never considered the possibility of the Bloodsea Fiend actually being killed.
Still, it was not as though he had gained nothing.
After the Bloodsea Fiend’s death, the 【Abyss Blood Pool】 within the Dragon Nest had transformed into a special item!
【Abyss Curio - Blood Pool】
【Effect: Possesses a trace of the ability to communicate with the Abyss. Long-term use can be used to pray for the descent of Abyssal power.】
“Hiss... this...”
Ye Ze had no doubt that if he took this thing out with him, it would be dangerous!
The fact that the Bloodsea Fiend had previously manifested directly from the Blood Pool alone was enough to prove there was something deeply wrong with it.
Not to mention how strange Abyssal power was to begin with.
Should he take it away or not?