A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

"From today onwards, this union will be called X. We have only one goal—to get out of here alive."

She founded the X union.

She cleared each dungeon one by one, progressing from the lowest level to the highest, becoming the first and only player to reach the game's maximum level. She led thousands of people to carve a path through a world overrun by monsters.

Then—she left.

There's a gap in her memory here. What happened before she "left"—that scene seems to have been erased, leaving only blurry traces. All she remembers is seeing a ball of light, a warm, golden light.

But everything else has returned.

She founded the X union.

To the other players, she was the legendary max-level player. The only one who successfully left the game.

She stood still, showing no outward expression.

But my back was covered in cold sweat.

Something's not right. Too many things are wrong. Why did she lose her memory? Why did she drop from max level back to beginner? Why did she re-enter the game with absolutely no memory of her past, and then—coincidentally—meet Zhou Lang?

The connections between these events are too strong to be a coincidence.

Han Yingying didn't speak. She couldn't reveal her identity until she figured out "why."

Tell Zhou Lang? No. He'll ask questions. She can't answer them. Bringing up things she can't answer will only make things worse.

Hide it for now.

-

At the same time, Zhou Lang walked to the stone pillar and reached out to touch the black stone slab.

[Core fragment found. Pick it up?]

A system notification sounded.

"Pick it up".

The stone slab shattered, and a burst of black light entered his palm. A new item appeared in his inventory:

[Unknown Fragment (1/7) - Collect all fragments to learn the truth.]

"What is it?" Zhao Qiang peeked into his inventory.

"I don't know." Zhou Lang clenched his fist. The moment the fragment entered his body, he had a strange feeling. It wasn't like he had obtained a new item, but rather like he had taken back something that originally belonged to him.

He didn't have time to think it through.

[Hidden objective in the dungeon completed!]

[Rating: SSS]

[All participants will receive an extra reward!]

The instance will close in ten minutes.

System notifications popped up one after another.

Zhao Qiang: "SSS? Wasn't S the highest rank before?"

Shutu's expression was also somewhat subtle: "I've been playing games for two years, and this is the first time I've seen this rating."

Zhou Lang ignored the rating. He glanced back at Han Yingying.

She stood in the corner, head down, her bangs covering most of her face.

"Han Yingying".

She looked up. Her expression returned to normal, but there was something unfathomable in her eyes.

"Time is running out, let's go."

"Um."

The four of them walked back down the stairs. Han Yingying was always the last one.

There are some things that cannot be said now.

A burst of white light erupted, and the four people landed in the game lobby.

The lobby is always noisy. Players who have just crawled out of a dungeon are sprawled on the floor, panting, while others pace back and forth, weapons in hand, preparing to enter. In a corner, people are even trading items. The game has been out for over four months; those who have survived this long are no pushovers.

Xiong Batian paced back and forth at the entrance of the hall. When he saw them come out, he rushed over in one stride.

"How long have you been doing this? I'm about to rush down myself!"

"Don't be impulsive, you'll only make things worse if you rush down," Zhao Qiang rarely retorted.

Upon catching sight of Shutu, Xiong Batian's expression immediately changed: "Who's this?"

"Ye Shu, his game name is 'Divergent Paths'," Zhou Lang introduced him. "I found him in the basement."

"You went to the basement to pick up people?" Xiong Batian looked Shutu up and down, his eyes filled with distrust.

Zhao Qiang recounted the whole story. After he finished, Xiong Batian's expression didn't relax—in fact, it became even more cautious.

"A guy survived three days in a basement and even drew a map?" He crossed his arms. "Don't you guys think that's a bit too easy?"

Shutu didn't offer any explanation, but simply stepped aside to maintain distance. He was probably used to being suspected like this.

Just as Zhou Lang was about to say something, a server-wide announcement popped up—

Players "浪里个浪" and "韩莹莹" have achieved the highest rating in all participated dungeons. According to a special rule, they have qualified for the guild tournament ahead of schedule.

The hall fell silent.

Hundreds of eyes immediately turned to them.

Zhou Lang scrolled away from the announcement window without changing his expression.

"A guild competition?" Zhao Qiang scratched his head. "What's that?"

Shutu spoke up: "The system released the rules four months ago. Sixteen guilds will participate, it's an elimination system, and the last four teams will enter the SSS-level dungeon." He paused for a moment, "I also have the qualification to participate, I got it two months ago. I haven't used it—it's pointless for one person to participate."

Zhou Lang turned to look at him: "Want to team up?"

"If you're hiring."

"OK."

Zhao Qiang became anxious: "You're agreeing without even thinking about it?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Think about it... what if he—"

"What if what? What if he's an undercover agent? A spy? Or an alien?" Zhou Lang interrupted him, "He's trying to harm us; he made his move in the basement back then."

Zhao Qiang was speechless, staring blankly and sulking.

Xiong Batian snorted coldly from the side, silently siding with Zhao Qiang.

Zhou Lang ignored their reactions and looked at Han Yingying: "What are your thoughts?"

Han Yingying snapped out of her reverie and nodded: "More people means more things. Besides—" she glanced at Shutu, "the information he provided in the basement was a huge help, so it wasn't a wasted trip."

That's settled.

-

That evening, Han Yingying called several people together.

"I've regained some of my memories," she said, her expression calm and her pace normal. "It's related to the X Guild. I used to be in it... and I held a high position. I can get you into it."

"The X Guild?" Xiong Batian's eyes widened. "The legendary X Guild, the only one with max-level players?"

"right."

"What is your role inside?"

Han Yingying paused for a moment.

"...Senior member."

The word "founder" was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it back.

It's not that she doesn't trust these people. It's that once she speaks out, everyone's attitude towards her will change. More importantly, the reason for her amnesia is still unclear, as is the reason for her level being reset. Until she understands these things, it's better to avoid trouble.

Zhou Lang glanced at her.

That kind of instant understanding—not suspicion, but more like "I know you haven't finished speaking, but I won't ask"—is a tacit agreement.

Han Yingying turned her head slightly away.

-

The headquarters of Guild X was located in the upper part of the game lobby, with an entrance that was completely invisible to ordinary players. Han Yingying led the five people through three access gates, finally stopping in a huge circular hall.

A flag hangs on the wall—an crossed "X" sign, exactly the same as the one on the stone slab in the basement.

A large, burly man walked over from the side. He was in his thirties, with a buzz cut, a silver ring on the ring finger of his left hand, and a face full of wrinkles when he smiled.

"You're Han Yingying?" He extended his hand. "The former president left you with your access file. Lu Ting, Group A leader, just call me Lao Lu."