Survival in the Core: I'm writing a guide for the entire server.

"The Core Alliance?"

The moment Lin You's message came out, the atmosphere in the chat room immediately changed.

[Cheng Yan: Mr. Lin You, could you elaborate?]

Lin You leaned back in her seat, a slight smile playing on her lips.

He knew these people would definitely be interested.

Because any player with even a little foresight

It's clear that the "Alliance" system has had a disruptive impact on the game's landscape.

However, he does not intend to release this information for free.

His guides are indeed always free.

But that's a standard guide for regular players.

Information at the level of "how to obtain the qualification to create an alliance".

It's not very useful for ordinary players; only a very small number of people are interested in it.

He wouldn't mind using this intelligence to exchange for something he needed.

[Lin You: The so-called Underground Alliance is a player guild. Soon, players will be able to create their own Underground Alliances and recruit members.]

[Lin You: The advantage of the Earth Core Alliance is that members can avoid some cross-level transaction fees and can also create "caravans" with caravan bonuses...]

[Lin You: I know how to obtain the qualifications to create the Earth Core Alliance]

[Lin You: But this intelligence isn't free.]

[Lin You: Those interested, please contact me privately. Highest bidder wins.]

After saying that, he switched the chat channel to the background and stopped paying attention to it.

Sure enough, just a dozen seconds later, private messages flooded in like a tidal wave.

The asking price ranged from a few silver coins to more than ten silver coins, all in real cash.

No one tried to fool anyone with garbage.

But what Lin You cared about most was a private message from Cheng Yan.

Cheng Yan: Mr. Lin You, I have a treasure map. The location marked on the map is below the fifth level of the Earth's core. I don't need it for now, but if you're willing to trade, it's yours.

Treasure map?

Lin You raised an eyebrow.

The value of this thing is hard to say; it depends entirely on the final harvest.

But since Cheng Yan was willing to use it as leverage, it means he valued it highly.

[Lin You: Send it to me]

Without wasting any words, Cheng Yan directly sent the information about the treasure map item.

It was a yellowed parchment with charred edges, as if it had been burned.

There were some simple terrain patterns on the paper, with a winding route drawn in the middle.

The finish line is marked with a crooked symbol.

There was a line of small print next to it, which looked like some kind of annotation, but the handwriting was messy and difficult to read.

Lin You stared at the picture, her eyes slightly burning.

……

[Strange Item: Unknown Treasure Map]

Grade: 6 (Purple)

[Note: This can only be activated at a depth greater than 5 layers from the Earth's core. After activation, it will automatically point to a treasure location. There may be powerful enemies guarding the treasure.]

[Additional Information: Completing 10 treasure maps will earn you the title "Treasure Hunter"]

……

Another strange object!

Although it's only a rare item of the purple grade, it's still quite valuable.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Yan was actually willing to take this thing out.

[Lin You: Where did you get this treasure map?]

[Cheng Yan: The auction of the deceased's estate just ended, haha, I luckily won it for 1 silver coin]

[Lin You: Since you're willing, then it's a deal.]

Cheng Yan: Okay, it's a deal.

Your friend "Cheng Yan" has gifted you an "Unknown Treasure Map". Please check it.

With the treasure map in hand, Lin You no longer tried to hide it.

[Lin You: To qualify for creating the Underground Alliance, you need to upgrade your simple minecart to level 10.]

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

[Cheng Yan: A level 10 simple minecart, is that all the requirements?]

Lin You: Yes.

[Cheng Yan: I see. My minecart has been upgraded to level 8. It seems I'll meet the requirements soon.]

[Lin You: For the sake of the trade, I'll remind you that upgrading the simple minecart from level 9 to level 10 requires a "Guardian's Certificate"]

[Cheng Yan: The Gatekeeper's Proof? Could it be the item you mentioned in your guide, the one that can only be obtained by defeating the Guardian of the 5th level of the Earth's Core?]

Lin You: That's right.

There was another moment of silence on the other end.

It took longer than before.

Lin You could even imagine Cheng Yan's expression through the screen.

Finally, the dialog box popped up again.

[Cheng Yan: ...So, in the entire Subterranean Game, you're currently the only one qualified to create the Subterranean Alliance?]

After all, Lin You had just achieved the first kill in the Guardian's Secret Realm.

This means that before him, no one had ever killed the Watcher and upgraded the simple minecart to level 10.

[Lin You: That's how it is at this stage, but once my guide is released, others will be able to do it gradually too.]

[Lin You: Here's one last piece of information for you. In seven days... no, six days, the Earth Core Alliance System will open. This is your period of advantage.]

Cheng Yan: I understand, this deal... is a good one!

Lin You closed the chat interface and gently tapped the treasure map with her finger.

He was well aware of the value of these two pieces of intelligence.

But Cheng Yan's treasure map is equally valuable.

For the rest of the time, Lin You ignored the messages in the private channel.

He walked to the worktable and began preparing the supplies needed for the battle.

Crossbow bolts, torches, food, glow potions, spirit lanterns...

Everything is ready.

Then he looked out at the Watcher's Secret Realm.

The cooldown period has just ended.

[Enter the "Warden's Realm"?]

"Yes."

After entering the light barrier, Lin You reappeared on the circular altar.

The enemy remains a kobold shaman and three kobold warriors.

This time, he didn't go one-on-one.

Kobold miners, skeleton soldiers, zombies...

The summoned creatures were lined up densely.

The Flame Spirit leaped off his shoulder, its tail ablaze with flames.

"A swift and decisive victory."

Deep within the altar, the kobold shaman had just raised his staff.

The next second, the summoned creature army surged forward simultaneously.

All counterattacks seemed pale and powerless in the face of overwhelming numerical superiority.

Less than 5 minutes.

The battle is over.

You have cleared the Watcher's Rift.

The passage to the next level is now open and will remain so for 1 hour.

Lin You glanced at the deep passage, then collected the summoned magic cards into her encyclopedia and cleaned up the battlefield.

You have obtained "Magic Card: Kobold Shaman" x1

You have obtained "Magic Card: Kobold Warrior" x3

You have obtained the "Kobold Shaman's Treasure Bag".

"The rewards from the Watcher's Realm are pretty good; I can use the Realm Refresh Card to farm it repeatedly in the future."

"With that, the work on the fifth level of the Earth's core is almost finished."

Lin You returned to the Gold Rusher and started the engine.

He had originally planned to go directly to the 6th floor; the treasure map was just a minor incident.

It was another dark and long journey.

Fortunately, with Yanling and Vivian by her side, Lin You wasn't too lonely along the way.

You have arrived at your destination.

Current depth: 6

The Earth has nine layers.

Lin You glanced around at the surroundings; it was a very ordinary mine tunnel.

But whether it was his imagination or not, he felt that the light around him was dimmer than before.

The light emitted by the lanterns on the mine carts had lost much of its luster.

[Additional Information: The environment will change starting from the 6th level of the Earth's core]

The light intensity decreases by 10% with each additional layer you go deeper.

Gold and magic ore are gradually appearing in smaller quantities, and the production of low-level resources is increasing.

New enemy types will appear, including those affected by the Undead invasion.

"Wow, they're starting to get intense."

Lin You pursed her lips, feeling a sense of pressure.

But there was only a trace.

Wait until he finishes making the "Flaming Horn".

If you encounter an enemy while digging, you can use them as speed bumps to run them over.

"Oh, and this too."

Lin You took the treasure map out of her backpack.

[Activate "Unknown Treasure Map"?]

"Yes."

The treasure map transformed into a stream of light, merging into Lin You's field of vision.

A brand new marker lit up on the minimap.

The distance is approximately 8 kilometers.

The name of the marker is... the Kobold Tribe?

……