Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 248 New Dungeon, New Mask

A prompt pops up on the comprehensive network information board.

[Whether to consume reverberation, the comprehensive network will search the corresponding time and space slice based on the reverberation affinity and create a dungeon invitation letter]

"Yes."

[Searching the collection library...]

[Time and space slice matching is successful, invitation letter generated, and has been sent to the player's backpack]

Lin Bo found the new invitation behind a large number of dusty equipment, props, and material slots.

The light gathered in the palm of the hand, condensing into a black envelope with gold foil printing. Inside was a hard card resembling a library card, on which was engraved information about the copy.

Dungeon Name: The Living Archives of the Sky Ruins (Remaining Challenge Attempts This Month: 3)

Grade: 9-11
Difficulty: Single player (easy)
Completion Rewards: 4000 Disaster Coins, 70000 Universal Experience, White Quality Drops, Blue Quality Drops (High Probability), Purple Quality Drops (Low Probability), Universal Skill Books (Medium Probability), Knowledge Fragments (Extremely Low Probability)
[Crimson Warning: Death within this instance will result in player infection and assimilation, entering a trapped state (9 cycles)]

Lin Bo read the information in the copy and pondered for a moment.

The difficulty of this dungeon is dynamically adjusted based on the number of players. If you want to challenge a higher difficulty level, you will need to team up.

However, due to the severe penalties for dying in dungeons, players will likely be more cautious in choosing their party members.

While trapped, players will be assimilated into the background of the instance and will have to go through 9 time loops to escape. Based on the fact that the instance offers 3 challenge opportunities per month, this is equivalent to three months in the player's real world.

Players who are assimilated become hostile units within the instance and fight against other players. If they win, they can escape early, but the losers will have to suffer the fate of being assimilated.

Besides fighting, there are often special ways to escape, such as breaking the cursed contract or completing a certain task.

Lin Bo recalled that Agilent had mentioned a special Bloodstained Dungeon Invitation, which was said to be a rescue tool made by trapped players. They would increase the bounty on the Bloodstained Invitation to attract others to take on the challenge.

The duration of being trapped in higher-level dungeons can be very long, or even permanent. Considering this, the Bloodstained Invitation is probably the last resort for self-rescue.

Lin Bo opened the chat interface, and a notification message was flashing.

"[The Living Archives of Sky Ruins Strategy Channel] invites you to join. Do you agree?"

"agree."

【Network Tips: Player "Lighthouse Guest" joins the current channel】

【Chat text translation module has been loaded】

[Current number of people online in the channel: 2]

Lin Bo looked at the empty public chat; there were only two players online, which was really desolate.

He then opened the public files and found that they were not empty, but contained a considerable amount of strategy information, including speculations on the background plot of the dungeons, illustrations of hostile creatures, and suggestions for combat strategies. Although the amount of content was not large, it was already quite comprehensive.

This is not a new dungeon that has not been explored yet.

Lin Bo quickly skimmed through the documents. He could tell from the wording and style that these guides were the result of collaborative work by multiple people. This indicated that there were likely several active players in this dungeon channel.

At this moment, a message popped up on the public screen, indicating that another online user had noticed a newcomer in the channel.

[Frosty Stew Pot]: Finally!
[Frosty Stew Pot]: Finally, someone's here! Please help! Save them!
Lin Bo looked at the long string of excited messages sent by this netizen and basically understood what had happened in this dungeon channel.

[Lighthouse Guest]: Let's be quiet for a moment.

[Frosty Soup Stew Pot]: Okay, go ahead and say it!

[Lighthouse Guest]: So there were eleven players in this channel before, including you. Then the ten-man team wiped on Inferno difficulty and are now all stuck in the dungeon, right?

[Frosty Stew Pot]: Yes! [Lighthouse Guest]: How long has it been?

[Frosty Stew Pot]: It's been almost a month (crying). They're all such wonderful people. They always helped me run through maps, and when I got stuck in a dungeon, they were the ones who rescued me. Please, kind sir, help them out! I'll give you some Disaster Coins, okay? How much do you want?
After chatting with this netizen, Lin Bo learned that the other party only had one day left before the dungeon challenge opportunity refreshed, so he suggested that they wait until tomorrow and team up to run the map together.

This way you can earn more disaster coins and experience points.

[Frosty Soup Stew Pot]: Okay, whatever you say!
Lin Bo then opened the [Giants' Field] strategy channel.

He hadn't logged in for a long time, and the players had all changed. Many familiar faces had left the channel, and the public chat was buzzing with messages from new players he had never seen before.

[Lighthouse Guest (Elite Category)]: Anyone want to team up for a battle?
The player leaders of the three factions were recruiting, and invitations were immediately sent to them.

Meanwhile, a few veteran players also chimed in.

[Sewing Craftsman (Fine Class)]: Oh my god, the mage is back! (Joy) (Joy)
[Shizuru (Spirit)]: Brother Mage, I miss you so much! The days without you are so difficult and painful!
Lin Bo smiled and greeted his old teammates.

A newcomer asked in the channel: Who is Brother Mage? Is he famous?
[Starry-eyed (elite)]: Our mage brother is super powerful!
[Cold Rain (Necromancer)]: Newcomers, you can check out the affix guide from earlier versions. Also, take my advice: Necromancer players, don't run maps with that person.

With [Lighthouse Guest] having completed his two-month hiatus, many veteran players who were in a semi-retired state have become active again, cheering for the return of the Mage.

Lin Bo successfully assembled a team of twenty people and will continue to lead the team to explore the map [Giant's Field] starting today.

The weekly experience of being carried in a car left new players bewildered, and they fully understood the significance of being respectfully called "Brother Mage" by the entire channel. The descriptions in the early guides were indeed well-deserved; there really is a way to win without lifting a finger.

The long-lost Fields of Giants' Fall, even with the added bonuses, are no longer as strong as before, but they can still provide Lin Bo with a few combat proficiency points.

He currently has two professional skills that are about to be upgraded: Life Control and Solidification Control. They are just one step away from being upgraded. He estimates that he will be able to meet the proficiency requirements after clearing the new dungeon [Living Spirit Archives] once.

Lin Bo's current weapons and equipment are quite outdated, especially after the Mage's Appearance became a relic of the Echoes. He urgently needs a tool to assist in vision reconnaissance and eliminate soundprints.

It still uses the mechanic's mask as a blueprint template, and chooses lightweight and tough Feather Scale Star Steel as the main material to create the outer shell.

Next, retrieve the "Life Signal Searcher" dropped from the [Botanical Garden] instance, remove the detection radar and computing chip from it, and connect them to the facial display screen of the "Eye Enhancement Component".

Lin Bo imported a sub-entity of the intelligent life form "Crown of the Stars" into the computing element to process the signal images. At the same time, this intelligent entity can automatically analyze objects in the image, assess environmental factors, mark risky objects, provide visual guidance, and so on.

Then install the homemade voiceprint eraser, and finally perform a weight-reducing and reinforcement rune enchantment, and you're all done.

The new version of the mage's appearance is still a three-eyed skull, but the two empty eye sockets are now inlaid with two life signal detection radar lenses. The lenses reflect gray-green and dark red light, like the eyes of a lifeless dead person.

[Technology passed, equipment produced successfully]

[Please name the equipment and choose whether to leave a message]

Mage's Visage (Purple)
Type: Engineering Product/Alchemy Product/Enchantment Product

Weight: 0.1 kg
Equipment effects: Enhanced vision; Intelligent guidance; Attack protection; Energy protection
Description: A multi-functional auxiliary device developed by players, possessing excellent defensive capabilities and outstanding practicality.

New version, even better! — Creator's comment
From design to modification and assembly, it really took a lot of effort.

Lin Bo put on the upgraded mage's appearance. The curved screen in front of him turned on and lit up, and the operating system performed a self-check, processed information, and loaded the screen.

The surrounding scenery suddenly came into view. Through the floor, he could see the seagulls and peregrine falcons on the second floor, and the life signs appeared as faint red blurry outlines.

The intelligent life form "Crown of Stars" was launched, displaying a line of text on the screen.

"Welcome, darling, did you miss me?"

Lin Bo didn't install a microphone or speaker on the Mage's Appearance. Instead, he put his hand into the lens and gave a thumbs-up to the Crown of the Morning Star.

The text on the screen was quickly deleted, and then a bright smiley face popped up, even winking at him.

(End of this chapter)