Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

Kael'thas was embedded in the ruins of the Bone Throne, most of the armor on his chest shattered.

Zhang Kai was the first to rush forward.

He roared as he drew his longbow, and arrows rained down on the skeletal knights. Some pierced the cracks in their armor, some stuck in their helmets, and some pierced the ruins of the Bone Throne.

His firing rate was astonishing; he fired five arrows in three seconds, each one precisely targeting a weak point in the BOSS's armor.

Zhao Tianci charged forward, shield in hand.

He slammed the edge of his shield hard against the kneecap of the armored soldier—"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

It doesn't cause much harm, but it's extremely insulting.

Xia Qingyue took a deep breath and waved her staff. Streams of azure water condensed at the tip of the staff into sharp water arrows, which shot continuously toward the BOSS.

Lu Zhixing stood at the back of the line, took out a handful of wind-attribute jerky from his pocket, picked up a piece, and started chewing.

Song Xiaohe stood beside him, her small hands clutching the hem of his clothes.

She took a step forward, wanting to rush over and help.

Lu Zhixing reached out to stop her: "You should rest."

Song Xiaohe looked up at him: "But I'm a knight too..."

"A Level 2 knight would only cause trouble if he went up there." Lu Zhixing chewed on some jerky.

"Wait until you can summon four wings before you go up."

Song Xiaohe's lips trembled slightly, but she still obediently retreated.

The little zombies were attacking the BOSS like crazy.

It switched to ordinary fists, punching one after another, each punch carrying a strong wind, smashing into the cracks in the armor, into the helmet, and into the BOSS's wrist as it tried to lift the greatsword.

Each punch made the BOSS's body tremble violently, and each punch left a dent on its body.

While shooting arrows, Zhang Kai kept glancing at the little zombie, his eyelids twitching.

Compared to Lu Shao's summoned creature, their combined damage output was practically negligible. One punch from him and the boss trembled, while their volley of attacks barely touched the boss's health bar.

Kai's Ghost's health bar was decreasing at a visible rate.

70%. 65%. 60%. 55%.

With each percentage point decrease, the dark purple mist on the BOSS fades a little, another crack appears in its armor, and its movements slow down a beat.

While releasing water blades, Xia Qingyue couldn't help but glance at Lu Zhixing at the back of the group.

The firelight flickered in the dim hall, casting its light upon him.

He was tall and slender, and the way he stood there didn't look like he was fighting, but rather like he was enjoying the scenery from his own balcony.

Her black hair swayed slightly in the heat, and the contours of her profile were particularly distinct under the interplay of firelight and shadow.

Her heart skipped a beat.

It's not because he's good-looking... although he is indeed good-looking.

It's because of that kind of temperament.

That composure that remains unchanged even when Mount Tai collapses before you, that certainty that everything is under control.

Is this the true demeanor of a strong person? Or... is he just born this way?

Xia Qingyue withdrew her gaze, took a deep breath, and refocused her attention on the battle.

BOSS的血条从50%跌到30%，从30%跌到10%，从10%跌到0%。

With each drop, its counterattack weakened, and when the last bit of health disappeared, the body of the Ghost of Kael collapsed with a crash.

[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated "Abyss - Ghost of Kael (Lv.5)"!]

[Gained 10000 experience points!]

[Team experience points being distributed...]

Congratulations! Your level has increased to Lv.7!

A golden light of upgrade shone from Lu Zhixing.

Xia Qingyue, Zhang Kai, Zhao Tianci, and Song Xiaohe also lit up with the glow of leveling up, and everyone leveled up. Xia Qingyue and Zhang Kai reached Lv.6.

Zhao Tianci gained a lot of experience points due to his previous injury and also reached Lv.6. Song Xiaohe's status also lit up, jumping from Lv.2 to Lv.5.

Zhang Kai rushed forward like a madman, grabbed Zhao Tian, ​​and jumped up and down, yelling, "Hahaha! I didn't die! I survived! I cleared the Abyss dungeon!"

Zhao Tianci's ribs ached from being shaken so much. He grimaced and pushed him away, yelling, "Let go! Let go! My ribs are broken!"

"Broken ribs? So what! We survived! The Abyss Dungeon! We cleared the Abyss Dungeon!"

Xia Qingyue stood to the side, unable to suppress the upward curve of her lips.

She wasn't an easily excitable person, but at this moment—she had to admit—her heart was beating very fast.

The Abyss Dungeon, although it's only on Hard difficulty, and the BOSS is only Lv.5.

But the word "Abyss" itself carries a certain weight. Being able to complete it alive is already a miracle.

Song Xiaohe buried her head in Lu Zhixing's arms, wrapped her arms around his waist, and said in a muffled voice, "Brother is so amazing."

Lu Zhixing froze for a moment, his hands hanging in mid-air, unsure of where to put them.

Put it on her back? That's too strange.

Push her shoulder? That would be too hurtful.

Finally, he chose the safest way: he put his hands back in his pockets, let her hug him, and pretended nothing had happened.

"Hmm," he said.

Zhao Tianci pointed to the several orbs of light floating above the armored corpse, his voice filled with excitement: "Quick, see what they got!"

Several orbs of light floated in mid-air, emitting different colors of light—white, green, blue, and gold.

There was only one golden orb at the very top, radiating a warm golden halo.

Zhang Kai rubbed his hands together and leaned in for a closer look. His eyes widened instantly: "Gold-grade warrior bracers! My god, this is amazing! Extremely high defensive stats, and a strength bonus too!"

Zhao Tianci's eyes lit up, but he held back from speaking.

He'd never even touched a piece of gold-grade equipment more than a few times in all his years in the city's defense headquarters.

Lu Zhixing glanced at it casually.

The gold-grade bracers are warrior equipment and have decent stats, but he can't use them.

He's a summoner, but he doesn't charge in with a shield. The rest is even less significant.

The white, green, and blue pieces of equipment wouldn't fetch much money even if you tried to sell them.

He waved his hand: "You can divide these among yourselves."

Xia Qingyue frowned: "No, Young Master Lu, this is against the rules. You are the boss, and the dungeon's output should rightfully belong to you."

Without you, we wouldn't have even survived, let alone cleared the game. Logically and emotionally, all of this belongs to you.

Having taken the Lu family's money, and failing to protect Young Master Lu, they ended up being protected by him instead. How could they possibly have the nerve to ask for spoils?

Zhang Kai and Zhao Tianci were stunned for a moment. It would be a lie to say they weren't tempted.

That was gold-grade equipment; the proceeds from its sale were enough to cover their living expenses for more than half a year.

But they glanced at Xia Qingyue's expression, and then at Lu Zhixing's "I don't care" face.

The words "How about we break up?" that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

"The captain is right!" Zhang Kai was the first to agree.

"Young Master Lu, all of these things are yours! Without you, we would have been dead by the BOSS's sword long ago!"

Zhao Tianci nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, Young Master Lu, please accept it!"

Xia Qingyue glanced at them, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes.

Lu Zhixing sighed helplessly. He really had no use for these pieces of scrap metal.

The Purple Cloud Set is Epic, which is two tiers higher than Gold.

This gold-grade wristband will just sit at the bottom of my drawer and take up space.

But seeing Xia Qingyue's expression, he was too lazy to say anything more.

"Fine, fine, whatever you want."

He reached out and scooped up the golden ball of light, then casually stuffed it into his pocket.

Xia Qingyue put away her staff and casually said, "Young Master Lu, the big exam is the day after tomorrow. With your current strength, you should be able to get into one of the top four universities."

Her tone was calm, but there was a hint of envy in her eyes.

The four academies are: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

That is the holy land, the supreme academy, in the dreams of all professionals in the Dragon Kingdom.

It's a gathering place for the nation's most outstanding geniuses, and even the security guards at the gate might be retired high-level professionals.

Students who graduate from there are destined for positions like city legion commanders; they are the true backbone of humanity.

Lu Zhixing raised an eyebrow: "Whatever."

Zhang Kai interjected, "Hey, I heard that Dachang City really went all out this time, preparing a complete Titan's heart as a reward for the city's top scorer!"

Zhao Tianci's hand trembled, and he gasped, "Hiss... This is truly a huge investment. Titans are rare to begin with, and their hearts are even more priceless."

[Little Zombie: !!!]

[Little Zombie: Titan? Complete Heart?]

[The little zombie's drool was pouring down its face: I want it! I want that! It sounds like my favorite food! And it's always in high demand!]

Lu Zhixing stroked his chin.

The heart of a Titan, that's really rare.

Although my family is wealthy, there are some things in this world that money can't buy.

Moreover, this item was a reward for the top scorer in the city. It's not meant to be sold.

[The little zombie, extremely greedy: Did you hear that! I want this! I want this! If I eat this, I'll definitely be one step closer to becoming the Heavenly Corpse King!]

Lu Zhixing's lips curled up slightly.

"You want it? If you want it, call me 'Dad.' Then I'll reluctantly go and get it back."

[The little zombie instantly bristled: Insolence! How dare you! I am destined to become the Heavenly Corpse King! You expect me to call you father?]

[Little Zombie: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I would rather die than submit!]

Lu Zhixing shrugged indifferently to himself. "Oh. Fine then. I was too lazy to do anything anyway, so I'll just coast through this big exam. It doesn't matter which university I go to."

He paused, then added in his mind, "What a pity about that heart. I heard it's full of wind elemental essence, and it'd burst with juice if you bit into it. Tsk tsk tsk."

silence.

The little zombie's dignity is being violently shaken in the face of the delicious noodles.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

[The little zombie, extremely unwilling and ashamed: ...Dad...Daddy.]

Lu Zhixing pressed his advantage: "Speak louder, haven't you eaten? I can't hear you."

[The little zombie, enraged: That's enough! I've already yelled! What more do you want?!]

[Little Zombie: Believe it or not, I'm running away from home right now! And I'm never coming back!]

Lu Zhixing chuckled inwardly. "Alright."

Lu Zhixing waved to everyone: "Let's go, everyone. Sister Ye is probably falling asleep waiting outside. Let's go out."

Zhang Kai was the first to respond, jumping up and slinging his longbow over his shoulder: "Let's go! I need to get some fresh air! This awful place is too oppressive!"

Zhao Tianci hoisted the shield back onto his shoulder, rubbing his still aching chest with his other hand, and followed after them, grimacing.

Song Xiaohe jogged to catch up with Lu Zhixing.

"elder brother."

"Um."

"You looked so handsome just now."

"……Um."

"He's even more handsome than the male lead in romance novels."

"Shut up."

Song Xiaohe obediently shut up, but the hand gripping his clothes tightened even more.

The group walked back along the route they had come from.

The rocky beach created a somber atmosphere.

Lu Zaoxie stood at the front, his black coat fluttering in the wind, his eyes bloodshot, and purple lightning leaping wildly around him.

Su Yangwei and his daughter stood next to their SUV outside the police cordon.

The pitch-black spatial rift suddenly underwent a strange change.

The wildly spinning purple vortex suddenly froze, a sign that the dungeon was about to reopen.

Lu Zaoxie's pupils contracted, and Su Yangwei pushed up his glasses: "Looks like it's over. You Ran, get ready to go in."

Su Youran took a step forward, about to bend down and crawl through the police line—

"No!" Ye Hongyu's voice came from behind, "Look up!"

Everyone instinctively looked up.

On the semi-transparent light screen above the dungeon entrance, the record that had stood for eighteen years was rapidly fading, and new numbers were emerging on the screen.

[Current high record: 59 minutes and 50 seconds]

[Team that successfully cleared the level: Xia Qingyue, Zhang Kai, Zhao Tianci, Lu Zhixing, Song Xiaohe]

Silence. Deathly silence.

59 minutes 50 seconds.

It wasn't obtained in a normal dungeon, but in an Abyss-level dungeon.

This record is far more valuable than the numbers on the page suggest.

Su Yangwei's expression froze, his mouth slightly agape.

"This...how is this possible?"

Su Youran remained frozen in place, with one foot already out.

She stared at the three words "Lu Zhixing" on the record, her mind blank.

Did you clear the game? Or even break the record? Especially with the dungeon being upgraded to Abyss difficulty?

The light at the dungeon entrance suddenly flashed, and several figures slowly emerged from the vortex.