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

"Eligibility Requirements: Teams must consist of a minimum of five and a maximum of eight members. All team members must meet the eligibility requirements."

Five people are required to start.

Zhou Lang, Gu Ye, and Fang Yan—three people are qualified. But at least five qualified people need to be gathered.

Zhao Qiang and his two companions are still three SS-level dungeons away from being completed.

"So, we have to wait for the three of them to finish the dungeon?" Zhou Lang muttered to himself.

He looked at the details of the rules again and found one more clause—

"Team members who have met the requirements cannot complete dungeon quests for others."

Zhou Lang stared at this line of text for a long time.

The meaning is clear. He and Gu Ye cannot fight for Zhao Qiang and the others. The three of them must go themselves.

"These rules..." Zhou Lang felt that something was wrong.

He looked at Gu Ye. Gu Ye was also frowning.

"There's a problem," Gu Ye said.

"You think so too?"

"This rule seems to be specifically targeting us," Gu Ye said. "It makes no logical sense that qualified players can't help their teammates. Normally, experienced players helping newbies is the most efficient way to clear levels, and the system has no reason to prohibit it."

Zhou Lang thought about it and realized she was right.

The sole effect of this rule is to separate them from Zhao Qiang and his two companions.

They forced Zhao Qiang and his two companions to complete the SS-level dungeon independently without their protection.

"Is it a trap?" Fang Yan listened from the side, his smile fading.

"I'm not sure," Zhou Lang said, "but we can't be careless."

He turned to Zhao Qiang and the other two.

"When the three of you go to the dungeon, be careful. If you encounter any problems, retreat immediately. Don't be reckless."

"Don't worry," Zhao Qiang patted his chest, "It's not like we haven't fought SS-rank opponents before."

"This time is different," Zhou Lang said. "I have a feeling that someone is watching us."

Zhao Qiang paused for a moment, then nodded: "I'll keep an eye on it."

The slots for the first SS-level dungeon were filled very quickly.

The location is on a desolate mountain in the eastern part of the neighboring province. The instance is called "The Ghost of the Dry Well". The difficulty is SS and the number of players is limited to three to six.

Zhao Qiang, Han Yingying, and Chen Ming formed a team and entered.

Zhou Lang was waiting outside.

There was nothing else he could do but wait.

The bandaged man was wrapped around his arm and remained silent.

"Do you think they can pass?" Zhou Lang asked.

"Just SS-rank." The bandaged man's voice was lazy. "Those three have been working together for so long, their teamwork is good enough. Don't think of SS-rank as something too scary."

"Didn't you say before that I couldn't even beat four-star monsters?"

"That's you. The three of them together are barely presentable."

Zhou Lang: "..."

Fine. I'm being rejected by my own ghostly weapon.

The wait was long. Gu Ye sat next to him, drawing runes on the ground with a twig.

She had been sorting through her recovered memories for the past two days. Zhou Lang could tell she was preoccupied, but she didn't say anything, and he didn't ask.

"Zhou Lang," Gu Ye suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

Why are you investigating the X union?

Zhou Lang thought for a moment about how to answer. "Three months ago, I found a document in a dungeon that mentioned this organization was related to the origins of horror games. If we can find them, maybe we can figure out how all of this started."

"And then? What happens after you figure it out?"

"End it," Zhou Lang said. "If the horror game is man-made, then there's a way to shut it down."

Gu Ye remained silent for a moment. The branch in her hand stopped on the ground, leaving a long mark.

"If..." she began, then stopped.

"If what?"

"It's nothing."

Zhou Lang looked at her. Gu Ye had her head down, so her expression was unreadable.

He had a feeling that Gu Ye knew far more than she was saying. But he didn't have the habit of pressing for answers. Trust was the foundation of cooperation; if she felt now wasn't the time to speak, then so be it.

Six hours later, a system notification popped up.

"The dungeon 'The Ghost of the Dry Well' has been completed. Completion rating: A."

An A rating isn't high, but at least I cleared the game.

Ten minutes later, Zhao Qiang and his two companions appeared at the entrance to the instance.

Han Yingying's left arm was in a sling, indicating she was injured. Chen Ming was covered in blood, but his gait was relatively steady, so it wasn't all his own. Zhao Qiang seemed alright, though his complexion wasn't good.

"How is it?" Zhou Lang went up to greet him.

"Damn it." Zhao Qiang sat on the ground, panting heavily. "SS-level ghosts are really damn hard to deal with. One of the vengeful spirits could crawl into a person's brain, and it almost made me cut myself."

"Yingying's hands—"

"A fracture," Han Yingying answered calmly. "It was from being attacked by a ghost. It's nothing serious, I just need a couple of days to recover."

Where is Chen Ming?

"It's nothing." Chen Ming wiped the blood from his face. "I killed two."

Zhou Lang nodded. He passed the first time; two more times remained.

"Rest for a few days before moving on to the next one," Zhou Lang said.

"No." Zhao Qiang stood up. "While we're still in good shape, let's take care of the last two as soon as possible. Too many variables will change if we drag this out."

Zhou Lang hesitated for a moment. Zhao Qiang's words also made sense. This rule itself was strange, and the longer it dragged on, the more likely problems would arise.

"Then at least wait until Yingying's hand is a little better."

"Three days," Han Yingying said. "Three days is enough. I have the medicine."

Three days later, the second SS-level dungeon refreshed.

"Night Train" is located on an abandoned railway in the southern part of the province of Leyen. The number of passengers is limited to four to six.

This time it went more smoothly than the last. Zhao Qiang and his two companions emerged in four hours, earning a B+ rating. Han Yingying's hand hadn't fully recovered, but she could still fight with one hand.

That's twice already. One last time.

"The last one." Zhao Qiang clenched his fist. "After we finish this, we can participate in the guild competition together."

The last SS-rank dungeon took five days to spawn.

"Mirror School". An abandoned secondary school in the urban area of ​​the neighboring province. Limited to three to five students per class.

The three of them went in again.

This time the wait was exceptionally long.

Two hours. Four hours. Six hours.

Eight hours have passed, and the system still hasn't displayed a completion message.

Zhou Lang began pacing. Gu Ye leaned against the wall, his fingers constantly fiddling with the tattered cloth. Fang Yan squatted on the ground, smoking one cigarette after another.

The ninth hour.

The system notification finally arrived.

"The 'Mirror School' dungeon is complete. Completion rating: A+."

Zhou Lang let out a long breath.

When Zhao Qiang and the other two emerged from the dungeon exit, they were in worse condition than the previous two times. Chen Ming was being supported, his left trouser leg soaked in blood. Han Yingying was pale and unsteady on her feet. Zhao Qiang was relatively unharmed, but his eyes were bloodshot.

"That last ghost..." Zhao Qiang said in a hoarse voice, "I almost didn't make it."

"But it's too much." Zhou Lang patted him on the shoulder.

"Passed." Zhao Qiang grinned.

All three SS-rank dungeons have been completed. Eligibility for the competition has been met.

Zhou Lang opened the system panel and checked everyone's status.

Six people: Zhou Lang, Gu Ye, Fang Yan, Zhao Qiang, Han Yingying, and Chen Ming. All of them meet the eligibility requirements for the final stage of the union competition.

But before clicking "Register," Zhou Lang remembered something else.