Liu Gaomei said, “So we are very short-staffed right now.”
“The school has been busy looking for student NPCs lately. Some of them are original students of the school, both graduates and current students, who usually know about the existence of the dungeons.”
“There are also dungeon bosses like you two. Many staff NPCs from Daily Dungeons will also come to help out temporarily, along with many official Specter Masters.”
“To be safe, everyone's appearance will be altered once the dungeon opens, so there's no need to worry.”
Since Liu Gaomei put it that way, Zuo Lin'an had no reason to object.
“In that case, we accept. But when is it scheduled for?”
Liu Gaomei let out a sigh of relief.
“Every year on February 2nd and August 8th. The one in February has already passed, so the Lingyang First High School dungeon will open on August 8th.”
“Hmm... There's still about a month or so. I'll notify you when the time comes.”
Liu Gaomei added their contact information, and the three of them chatted for a bit longer before parting ways.
Over the next few days, the two of them had an exceptionally comfortable time, either lounging at home or going out to have fun.
It wasn't until less than a day before their dungeons were set to open that they bought bus tickets to return.
After returning home, Zuo Lin'an did some light cleaning, unpacked his suitcase, and put his things away. Only then did he take out his work phone, planning to apply for his next dungeon first.
He clicked the apply button.
Another form popped up on the phone screen.
Of course, this time it was already pre-filled with the exact same information he had submitted last time, though it could still be modified.
【Novice Benefits: Time】
【Main Quest: Survive one full day】
【Consumable Specter Item: A Withered Leaf】
【Number of Players: 10】
Zuo Lin'an stared at it for a moment. Feeling that there was nothing to change, he clicked submit.
Soon, a notification of approval was sent over.
【Congratulations! Your application has been approved. When Monday midnight arrives, ten players will descend into your dungeon. Please be prepared, and we wish you success in wiping out the players!】
Zuo Lin'an stretched, got up, and went to his bedroom. He took a relaxing bath in the bathroom, then lay back down on his bed and replied to the energetic Xu Youyou's messages.
Only then did he start browsing the forum.
Since his last dungeon ended, he hadn't really checked the forum much. Now, he spared some time to look through it, wanting to learn more about the players who had cleared Two-Star dungeons.
If he encountered any high-level players who came to smurf in lower-level dungeons in the future, he could gather information on their talents and specter items beforehand.
Among them, the most eye-catching was still Ming Ruofeng.
Back when Zuo Lin'an had just become a boss, he had seen a bounty post for him on the forum, offering a reward of 10 Contribution points.
However, it required trading him alive.
Now, there was another bounty post related to him. This time, it didn't require trading him alive. As long as someone could kill him or trap him in a dungeon forever, they could get 8 Contribution points.
He opened the post to take a look.
【My fellow bosses, who can relate?!】
【I'm a Two-Star Daily Dungeon boss, and I'm honestly too embarrassed to show my face!】
【That damn Ming Ruofeng is only in his twenties and is already a Houtian Rank martial artist! He's highly skilled with a sword, has incredibly sharp perception, is deeply scheming, and possesses the special talent, Demon-Slaying Sword!】
【Right at the start, he used his intuition to find my hiding spot and slashed me!】
【I have two rules, and after being repelled, it takes me nearly twenty hours to recover. That guy actually carved himself a wooden sword, which reduced his talent's cooldown from two days to one day!】
【I had barely been fully recovered for four hours, and before I could even kill a few players, he slashed me down again!】
【He didn't even use a single specter item against me!】
【I'm so mad! Seriously, I'm absolutely furious!】
【Bounty! I am definitely putting a bounty on him! Dead or alive, as long as you prevent him from clearing, I'll give you 8 Contribution points!】
Below, a bunch of people were teasing her in the comments.
Zuo Lin'an was quite surprised.
He remembered reading a post a few days ago that said Ming Ruofeng was a First-Rate martial artist. Now, he had actually advanced to the Houtian Rank. And if he remembered correctly, this guy was only twenty-two, right?
He had encountered a First-Rate martial artist before, but that was Lin Deyou, who had only reached the First-Rate level after suffering Qi Deviation. Zuo Lin'an didn't know if that was considered genuine or not.
Now, this Houtian Rank...
He had no idea what kind of realm it was or how powerful it could be.
However, the fact that Ming Ruofeng could find a concealed specter using only his perception right at the start of the dungeon and repel it with his talent was enough to prove the formidable sensory capabilities of a Houtian Rank martial artist.
Could he even hide from that?
Maybe he should disguise himself as an NPC?
These players definitely wouldn't attack NPCs.
Zuo Lin'an only entertained the thought for a moment. He would cross that bridge when he actually encountered a Houtian Rank martial artist.
“Since mine is only a One-Star dungeon, I probably won't run into such a formidable expert.”
He continued to browse through other posts.
【Attention everyone! This player is exceptionally brutal. If you encounter him, you must be extremely careful!】
A photo was attached below.
It showed a burly man who stood at least two meters tall and was built like a small mountain. He had a full beard and bright, piercing eyes, making him look like a wrathful Vajra statue in a temple.
【This man is named Zhang Shenli, a Houtian Rank martial artist.】
【He lives up to his name, possessing natural Herculean strength. Although his talent is the common Colossal Strength, he can combine his true qi with his physical and talent-enhanced strength to send me flying three to five meters away.】
【He also has a permanent specter item called the Soul-Pinning Needle.】
【The Soul-Pinning Needle is as thick as a finger and as long as a forearm. Once pinned by it, you can be immobilized for up to ten minutes. The player can remove it early, and the cooldown—which is three days—starts from the moment it is taken off.】
【Make sure not to get pinned by the Soul-Pinning Needle, or you will become a fish on a chopping block.】
【In addition, he likely has some consumable specter items. One of them is a willow-leaf throwing knife, which can perform ranged attacks and directly repel specters.】
【By the way, the bounty is 10 Contribution points alive and 5 Contribution points dead.】
Zuo Lin'an analyzed the details carefully. As long as he played his cards right, this Zhang Shenli posed little threat to a Human-Specter Symbiont like him.
He scrolled to the next post.
【He's here, he's here! A Xiantian Rank martial artist has arrived!】
What? A Xiantian Rank?
Zuo Lin'an scrolled down and quickly saw the photo.
The photo showed an elderly man with a sagely demeanor. Though he was clearly up there in years, his bearing was that of an elegant gentleman. He had likely broken many hearts in his youth.
Furthermore, the old man's eyes seemed to be staring directly at him through the photo.
In other words, the poster had been noticed when they took the photo.
Terrifying!
【This old geezer is named Gu Hedao. His age is unknown, but he's likely over fifty and is a Xiantian Rank expert.】
【His talent is 'One-Thought Breeze,' which allows him to turn into a gust of wind for ten seconds!】
【He can move to any location in the dungeon at will. During this time, specters cannot track him, and after ten seconds, he can randomly remove one Death Lock from himself. The cooldown is three days.】
【He also possesses a permanent specter item, the Bronze Bell.】
【Once rung, it temporarily cuts off a specter's perception of all living presences and Death Locks. As long as players don't appear within the specter's line of sight, they won't be found. This lasts for ten minutes, with a cooldown of three days.】
【Aside from this, he has several other consumable specter items, including at least one that can directly repel specters.】
【Bounty: 15 Contribution points alive, 10 Contribution points dead.】
Rate on N.U.
