You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

[Advanced fusion initiated...]

[Obtained the rare affix: Dragon Scale Simulation LV3!]

The entry description appears:

【Dragon Scale Simulation LV3】:

It can cover the wearer's body with an indestructible layer of white dragon phantom scales, greatly enhancing both physical and magical defense, comparable to real ancient dragon scales!

Looking at the new entry on the panel, shimmering with platinum light and radiating ancient dragon might, Ron's eyes gleamed, and he murmured with satisfaction:

"Ha...here it comes! The real gem!"

……

"Veronica, have you found out everything?"

The office of the Adventurers' Guild Master in Emerald Town was filled with a restless aura of magical dust.

President Amata frowned, his knuckles unconsciously tapping a warning runestone that emitted a faint glow on the table.

During the week that Veronica was away gathering intelligence, he kept a close eye on the E-rank dungeon, Black Whisper Caves, which was like the source of a plague, through the guild's crystal communication network.

The feedback he received weighed heavily on his mind:

The number of adventurers killed or wounded continues to rise, as if they are being swallowed by an invisible giant maw.

Even more unsettling is that the fragments of information pieced together from the accounts of those adventurers who narrowly escaped were far more bizarre and outlandish than Ross had initially described.

Now, Veronica has finally returned with her detailed investigation report, which took her a week to complete.

The still haughty elven girl handed Amata a report bound with mithril thread and emitting a faint scent of parchment.

"Guild Master, no adventurer team has yet been able to break through two-thirds of the Black Whisper Caves. Therefore, this report only covers information on monsters encountered in the first two-thirds of the area."

Amata took the report, his fingertips brushing across the paper, as if he could feel the lingering fear of those adventurers.

He read line by line, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper:

"An exploding paralysis mushroom... and a variant of the paralysis mushroom that has mastered the teleportation technique and can also explode?"

"And... skeleton soldiers that can spread paralyzing spores after the explosion?"

"Hmm? There's actually an individual with skin as hard as obsidian mixed in with the goblin colony?"

These unprecedented monster characteristics have left Amata, a seasoned LV46 former adventurer, bewildered.

However, what's even more mind-blowing is yet to come:

"And... there are lightning-patterned lizards that can spray sticky, electrified webs? And they can conduct deadly electric currents through their webs?!"

"And... the Black Vine with its ability to move silently, and the Fel Bats that can also launch silent attacks?!"

The report concludes by emphasizing that all the monsters mentioned above are only level 1 and have no advantage in terms of pure energy level.

That's the general situation.

Amata put down the report and paced back and forth in her office, which was covered with a thick stardust carpet, as if weighed down by an invisible burden. Her boots made a dull rustling sound as they stepped on the carpet.

He must get rid of this cancer as soon as possible!

The most urgent task is for someone to quickly clear this deadly cave and restore the almost collapsed confidence of the adventurers in Emerald Town!

Stop the terrible trend of a sharp decline in the number of local adventurers and a precipitous drop in guild business!

The plan quickly took shape in his mind:

Once the dungeon is successfully cleared, the guild will immediately release the "Complete Guide to Black Language Cave" and establish an additional "official incentive bonus" for adventurers who subsequently explore the dungeon.

With this two-pronged approach, adventurers can explore safely and efficiently by following the guide, greatly increasing their success rate and gradually mitigating the negative impact of this disaster.

As a veteran who has been in charge of a branch for many years, he is already very familiar with this kind of crisis public relations tactics.

Thinking of this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He opened the drawer inlaid with magic crystals and took out a magic contract paper with pale gold runes flowing around it.

Magic gathered at his fingertips, and he swiftly wrote down the instructions, finally solemnly pressing the magic ring seal that represented the guild master's authority—

A mithril ring engraved with a flame emblem.

He handed the contract to Veronica.

"Veronica, prepare to issue the [Pioneering Order]."

Upon hearing this, Veronica, who usually had a haughty demeanor, showed a rare expression of astonishment, as if she had heard something out of the blue.

"President?"

She subconsciously checked, and her pointed elf ears perked up slightly:

"You're going to issue a [Reclamation Order] to a... Rank E dungeon? Did I hear that right?"

[Reclamation Order].

It is the highest-level bounty issued by the Adventurers' Guild for those infamous and long-standing dungeons that have been difficult to conquer.

The guild will set up a generous raid leaderboard. Any team that achieves "first clear" or "first kill of the boss" will receive a huge reward of millions of gold coins!

This not only means a huge amount of wealth, but also brings the team a prestigious reputation that resounds throughout the continent!

However, operations of this caliber have always been targeted only at S-rank or even higher-ranked death zones inhabited by ancient evil creatures!

Issuing a raiding order for a lowest-tier E-class dungeon?

This is an unprecedented and absurd act!

No wonder even Veronica found it hard to believe.

Amata stood up, his tall figure casting a long shadow under the magic lamp, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures! This is the fastest way to resolve the current predicament. Veronica, carry out the order!"

Veronica stared at the priceless pioneering order in her hand; the flowing golden runes on it seemed to burn her fingertips.

Instead of leaving immediately, she raised her head, her scarlet eyes gleaming with confidence and calculation.

"President, this problem... why don't you let me solve it?"

She slightly raised her chin:

"At that time, you will only need to pay half of the reward from the pioneering order, how about that?"

Since money is being spent, Veronica naturally wants to take advantage of her proximity.

Moreover, being proud and arrogant, she firmly believed that a mere E-level dungeon, no matter how strange, could cause too much trouble.

Those adventurers who failed were nothing more than those who were weak and stupid as pigs!

With just a little trickery, passing the level will be a piece of cake for her!

Amata scrutinized the arrogant elven girl in fiery red leather armor before him, pondering for a moment.

"Since you have this confidence, then I will give you this opportunity."

He said in a deep voice:

"All I want is the result—someone to clear the game and bring back a detailed walkthrough to ensure that subsequent adventurers can explore safely. As for the process, that's up to you."

Chapter 21 Michael's Squad

Veronica immediately handed back the land reclamation order, her face regaining its usual confident smile tinged with disdain.

"President, please wait for my good news."

She turned around, and her fiery red figure shot out of the office like an arrow.

Leaving the guild, Veronica headed straight for Emerald Town's most renowned gathering place for adventurers—

The Shadow Throat Tavern.

She certainly wanted to crush that small Black Language Cave herself, but unfortunately, she was already a Level 20 Shadow Dancer and couldn't possibly step into the threshold of an E-level dungeon.

This "credit" can only benefit someone else.

……

Inside the "Shadowthroat" tavern, the murky air was a mixture of cheap ale, sweat, and the strange aroma of burning underground moss.

The magic light bulb cast flickering shadows on the roof, illuminating the faces of all sorts of different races.

Right now, almost everyone is talking about the same topic—

That E-rank dungeon, like a cursed land:

Black Language Grottoes.

In a corner of the bar, a young man with a weathered face, looking much older than his actual age, was pouring himself a glass of amber liquid and drinking it, his face flushed.

The clamor and discussion about the Black Language Caves around him reached his ears, but he only responded with a disdainful sneer.

In his view, these incompetent wails were nothing more than clumsy excuses for the weak to make for their failures.

As for himself?

I've long since scoffed at the meager rewards from E-level dungeons.

As a Level 10 Hunter, he leads the "Starfall" squad and has already begun to challenge those challenging D-rank dungeons!

The entry rule for D-level dungeons is level 20 or below, with no restriction on the minimum level.

The reason why most people only dare to venture into LV11 is because the danger level of D-level dungeons increases exponentially!

A challenge ahead of schedule?

A near-death experience, all experience lost, and all equipment destroyed!

The reason Michael dared to act this way was because he had a set of excellent equipment that would make adventurers of the same level green with envy!

Aside from three decent green-quality individual pieces of equipment, all his armor and accessories were extremely rare blue-quality items! Even more striking was the longbow in his hand—

The bow was bathed in a purple aura like stars, and the bowstring faintly emitted the sound of wind and thunder. It was clearly a purple epic quality weapon!

Throughout the entire adventurer's continent, there are only a handful of people who can possess a purple epic weapon at level 10, and Michael is one of them!

His four teammates were also well-equipped and were by no means mediocre.