The skeleton is too invincible; I leveled up with the school beauty!

"no."

Su Wanqing's voice was not loud, but it was unusually firm.

Her petite frame appeared particularly thin amidst the five D-level Awakened, but her back remained ramrod straight.

"Either split it equally, or—"

She raised her pale face, a stubborn flame flickering in her dark pupils. "To each their own!"

Zhao Dezhu's smile froze.

damn it?!

This little E-rank girl actually dared to talk back to Zhao Dezhu so defiantly!

Haggling under the noses of five D-level officials?!

His fingers, hidden beneath his heavy armor, twitched almost imperceptibly, sending a very subtle gesture toward Li Tiechan and Lin Yue behind him.

"Hahaha!"

Lin Yue, the woman with the dreadlocks, threw her head back and laughed exaggeratedly. Her butterfly knife flashed, a silver light streaking across the air, the tip pointing directly at Su Wanqing's throat. "You, a mere E-level rookie, dare to negotiate? Have you forgotten your own limitations?"

Xu Nuo shielded Su Wanqing behind him, his eyes burning with a fierce light as he stared intently at Lin Yue.

"Wait, Captain!"

Water mage Chen Ming suddenly spoke up: "Since we need to renegotiate the allocation plan, I think it's necessary to clarify everyone's value. In the damp, water-rich environment of the Screaming Nest, my magic can exert more than 150% of its power, which is an undeniable core tactical advantage! My contribution share should be at least 25%."

"fart!"

Assassin Zhang Ying's cold face was full of disdain. "Water magic? How much use can it be in this maze-like ditch? What truly determines the speed of dungeon progression and the outcome of key battles is my burst damage and instant assassination ability! Without me taking down key targets, you'll all be worn down and killed inside! My contribution is 30% as the bottom line."

Lin Yue, the woman with the dreadlocks, toyed with her butterfly knife and sneered, "Everyone knows the value of an illusionist, right? Without my group mental suppression and illusion manipulation, forget about bosses, you'd have to use your lives to fill even the mob hordes!"

She turned her knife towards Zhao Dezhu, "I want 35%. One less penny, and I'm leaving. You can go enjoy the pleasure of being ganged up on by the dead!"

Li Tiechan, carrying a shovel, suddenly coughed heavily: "Has the meaning of gravediggers... been swallowed up by you? Without me mining veins, taking shortcuts, and using earth magic to collect scraps, how many coins would you have left after you finished?"

His cloudy eyes swept over the crowd. "Underground practice: gravedigger's skills as equity, 40%! Those who know the rules understand!"

Zhao Dezhu's face turned completely black, and he slammed his fist into his breastplate with a loud thud: "Shut the hell up, all of you! Didn't we agree before we set off that we'd split the spoils equally among us, based on our D-level status?! Now, over some nonexistent profit, you're fighting amongst yourselves?! Have you no shame?!"

He tried to salvage the situation by leveraging their previous understanding and shared goals.

"That's based on the premise of a regular copy."

Chen Ming refused to budge, saying, "The Screaming Nest is a high-risk dungeon that has not been fully explored. Its risks and value need to be reassessed."

"that is,"

Zhang Ying added ominously, "Some people's professions simply cannot realize their full value here."

Lin Yue covered her mouth and giggled, laughing so hard she almost fell over: "Oh dear, how amusing~ It seems our 'elite' team is going to disband before we even step into the dungeon, all because of a newbie's 'lack of appreciation'? Tsk tsk tsk~"

Su Wanqing pursed her lips, her fingers unconsciously clenching Xu Nuo's arm.

She saw through it—this was not a united team at all!

Instead, they are five vicious wolves hastily assembled for their own benefit, suspicious of each other, and even eyeing each other covetously!

But... she had no choice.

Su Wanqing looked at Zhao Dezhu with a determined gaze: "There are very few necromancers in Luolong City, let alone someone willing to go and explore dungeons—such a dangerous task. Without a very high price, no one would take it! Except—me!"

Zhao Dezhu narrowed his eyes and looked at the seemingly frail girl again.

She's right, hiring a powerful necromancer is too expensive!

Moreover, entering a dungeon involves risks, and people with low levels are unwilling to go.

A necromancer awakened to D rank or higher would cost at least 300,000 upon first appearance!

Not to mention dangerous jobs like scouting, the price would at least double!

Raiding dungeons can be profitable, but it depends on how many resources you can get. If most of the resources are taken by others, then what's the point of raiding?

Upon hearing this, the assassin Zhang Ying suddenly said, "Actually, if you offer more money, I, as an assassin, can also scout ahead!"

The gravedigger, Li Tiechan, let out a hoarse sneer: "Even an old gravedigger like me doesn't dare to easily go down into the cave to explore in places with dense death energy. You, a fragile little thief who relies on bursts of blood energy and can't even detect death energy, what are you pretending to be? Before you even touch anything, you'll probably be corroded into a puddle of pus!"

Zhang Ying's face stiffened, and Lin Yue immediately added with a charming laugh, "Yes, yes! Lord Zhang Ying is so brave and confident, why don't you go first? How about you perform a shadow dancer soloing 300 meters? I'll definitely cheer you on!"

Seeing that the newly formed team was already arguing about profit distribution and on the verge of breaking up before even entering the dungeon, the team leader, Zhao Dezhu, with veins bulging on his forehead, suddenly roared: "Now! Immediately! Enter the dungeon! Once inside, life and death are in our own hands! Resources and wealth—each to their own!"

"Those who agree, come with me now! Those who disagree, get the hell out of here! Don't waste your time!"

A deathly silence.

A few seconds later.

"……OK."

Chen Ming was the first to respond, shrugging expressionlessly, "Since the captain has spoken, I have no objections. I hope that some of the more 'capable' people won't let us down when the time comes."

"whee,"

Lin Yue toyed with the butterfly knife, her smile lazy yet dangerous. "Let's see who wins and proves their skill. Just don't cry later~"

"Hehehehe..."

Li Tiechan only let out a low, hoarse laugh that sent chills down one's spine, "Each relies on their own skill...each relies on their own skill...good! Very good!!"

Zhang Ying snorted coldly and disappeared into the shadows like a ghost: "A speed contest? I'd be happy to oblige!"

The air seemed to freeze.

Although no one openly opposes anymore, the atmosphere of mutual distrust and covert competition that permeated the air was even more intense than before, as if a single spark could ignite it!

Su Wanqing's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

Objective achieved!

Given the enemy's superior strength and the enemy's internal contradictions, this chaotic struggle where "everyone relies on their own abilities" is her and Xu Nuo's only chance to survive and seize an opportunity!

But she still asked warily, "Is it a deal? The resources you seize belong to you? No going back on your word? No forcibly taking them back afterward?"

Zhao Dezhu puffed out his chest, slapping his breastplate so hard it made a deafening noise; his face, full of fat, trembled. "A promise is a promise! Whoever gets the treasure keeps it! No forcible taking!"

"But let me be clear from the start, I still advise you to accept the 50,000 yuan. With your E-level strength, competing with us for resources, you probably won't even get 50,000 yuan. Don't come crying to us complaining later."

"Hahaha!"

The other members of the team burst into laughter.

Lin Yue's butterfly knife twirled dangerously between her fingers: "You're pretty stubborn now, but don't get so scared you wet your pants and start calling your skeleton 'Mommy' when we get into the dungeon!"

Su Wanqing's nails dug deeply into her palms, the image of her mother's pale face and the thick stack of medical bills beside the hospital bed lingering in her mind.

Two hundred thousand... This number was like a sharp knife piercing her heart.

At this moment, clearing the D-rank dungeon, the Screaming Nest, is her only hope.

Even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, she's willing to take this gamble.

I accept.

She raised her head, a stubborn flame burning in her eyes, but her voice was unusually calm, "However..."

She surveyed her teammates, who all harbored their own ulterior motives. "Since we're going to cooperate, I should at least see what you're capable of." Zhao Dezhu nodded, pointing to himself: "D-rank elite heavy armor warrior, main tank. Simply put, I'm the one who charges in at the front, drawing the monster's aggro and taking all the damage for you. Like a sturdy shield, with me here, you can focus on dealing damage!"

He then pointed to the others:

"Chen Ming, a D-rank elite water mage, ranged damage dealer, and magic turret."

"Zhang Ying, a D-rank elite professional assassin, deals burst damage and primarily targets enemy carries."

"Li Tiechan, a D-rank rare profession gravedigger, can excavate the corpses of dead creatures in battle, revive them, and use them for his own purposes. These revived corpses can become our temporary helpers, mainly responsible for mining resources."

"Lin Yue, a D-rank rare profession Illusionist and Control Expert, possesses extremely powerful illusion skills, capable of creating various realistic illusions to confuse dungeon creatures."

Xu Nuo silently observed the team.

Heavy armor warriors, water mages, and assassins are all common classes.

But the gravedigger with the shovel and the illusionist wielding the butterfly knife are quite interesting.

Lin Yue, in particular, had been staring at Su Wanqing with hostile eyes since the beginning.

"Let's go, don't waste time," Lin Yue urged impatiently. "If we dawdle any longer, the dungeon entrance will close, and all the good stuff will be taken by others."