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

"Three days," the man said. "I want to go in, but I can't. Every time I get to the door, I get pushed back with considerable force. I've tried more than ten times, so I've finally decided to just stay nearby and wait for someone to come out."

"Was it because of skill limitations, or the rules of the manor itself?" Han Yingying asked.

"I don't know," he said, then looked at Zhou Lang, "How did you get in?"

"We went in," Zhou Lang said.

The man looked at him for a while, seemingly judging whether the answer was a lie. Finally confirming it wasn't, he said, "My name is Chen Mingyuan, a C-level player. I have healing skills; I can treat fractures, lacerations, and blood loss. In extreme cases, I can even extend a life. There's a cooldown period, six hours between each treatment. If you need it—"

"Not now, but who knows what will happen later," Zhou Lang interrupted. "You waited outside for three days, not just to find a team."

Chen Mingyuan paused for a moment and said, "Not entirely."

"What's left?"

"What I'm looking for is in the manor," he said, pausing for a moment, "but you've finished the main quest, so everyone inside should have dispersed."

He spoke in a flat tone, but his grip on the first-aid kit tightened slightly—not by squeezing, but by holding it firmly; the two sensations were different. Zhou Lang didn't say anything, but simply noted it down.

For three days, they couldn't get in, and waited outside with a first-aid kit in their hands.

What was he looking for, or rather, who was he looking for? There was no time to ask that question, nor was it the right time to ask it now.

"When the team needs your skills, do you use them or not?" Zhou Lang asked.

"use."

"In the dungeon, when the team takes action, my orders take priority. You can raise any objections, but execution will proceed first."

"Okay." Chen Mingyuan replied without hesitation.

"There's one condition," he paused, "when you encounter an A-rank dungeon, take me in."

"Why is it grade A?"

"There's something I need to investigate," he said, without going into further details.

Zhou Lang sized him up for a moment and said, "Let's finish the B-level test first, then we'll talk about the A-level test."

Chen Mingyuan nodded, which meant he accepted.

Before the conversation was over, footsteps came from another direction. They were hurried and a little unsteady. Zhou Lang turned around and saw a young man running towards them, panting heavily. His clothes were of good quality, but the buttons were about to pop open as he ran.

The young man stopped three steps away, took a few breaths, then held his phone screen up to Zhou Lang's face and said, "Is that you?"

The screen shows a screenshot—a player data summary page. The first line reads, "Lang Li Ge Lang," whose score is almost double that of the second-place player. The rating is "Abnormal," and the screen is highlighted.

"Someone on the forum compiled it," the young man said, panting. "I studied it for three days. You got a perfect score in the Horror Manor and even helped a player carry you out of the dungeon instead of the room owner—I still don't understand how you did that. How did you come up with that idea?"

"Wait two seconds," Han Yingying said.

The young man paused for a moment, then spoke again, "My name is Lin Chengrui, a B-level player. My skill is 'money power,' with an added luck bonus. I can't use up all the currency I get from each dungeon; the rest can be converted into attack and defense. The luck bonus is a side effect, and I'm not sure what the limit is yet, but I feel like I'm always getting abnormally lucky."

"Let me demonstrate," Zhou Lang said.

Lin Chengrui took a stack of metal coins from his pocket and tossed them into the air. The coins spun once in the air without landing, automatically forming a shield around him. It was a thin layer, and when it reflected light, the light was hard and dense, making it look less like decoration. He snapped his fingers, and the coins were back in his hand, not a single one missing.

Zhao Qiang exclaimed, "Wow!" from the side.

Lin Chengrui turned to look at Zhao Qiang and asked, "Are you on his team?"

"My classmate, deskmate, best friend," Zhao Qiang said, "can I borrow that skill of yours?"

"I won't lend it, but it can protect my teammates," Lin Chengrui said. "The defensive type can cover the target I designate within a three-meter radius, while the offensive type can hit other players. It's faster than bullets, and its accuracy depends on luck, but it generally won't miss."

"I suggest we do," Zhao Qiang said to Zhou Lang. "You do the math yourself. Mr. Chen is the healer, the fallback, while Lin Chengrui is the early protection, which fills the gap perfectly. My skill is replacement, and once it's used up, it's gone. We can't rely on me entirely."

"You're too talkative," Zhou Lang said.

"Am I right or wrong?"

Zhou Lang didn't answer, but he didn't refuse again either.

Lin Chengrui looked at him, waited a few seconds, and then spoke up: "I can just stay until the end of this instance—"

"Once you're in the instance, there's no such thing as only following halfway," Zhou Lang said. "Either start now, or don't follow at all. Choose one."

"Then I'll follow you." Lin Chengrui put his phone back in his pocket. "I've been looking at your stats on the forum for three days now. With that kind of completion rate and rating, you're not even in the same league as other players. If I stick close to you, my skill level won't be much lower either."

"You only said half of what you meant," Zhou Lang said.

"What?"

"What else do you want to do? Tell me completely."

Lin Chengrui was taken aback, not expecting to be seen through. He said "Oh" and then said, "It's just... I want to see how you make your judgments each time. When I look at data outside, it always seems to be unconventional, but the results are always right. I want to figure out the logic behind it."

"I just watch from the sidelines and don't teach," Zhou Lang said.

"...Okay." Lin Chengrui quickly adapted to the conditions and nodded. "Then let's do it this way."

On the open ground, the outline of the manor began to fade in the light. The building became thinner and fainter, and finally disappeared completely from the area, leaving only the open ground and a few puddles on the ground. The moonlight continued to shine, and nothing changed.

Five people stood in an open space, the wind blowing from the side, their shadows all leaning in the same direction.

Han Yingying looked in the direction where the manor had disappeared and asked, "What's the next dungeon?"

"have no idea."

Aren't you curious?

"What's the use of curiosity?"

"...That's true." Han Yingying turned her head away and didn't say anything more.

Lin Chengrui chimed in from the side, "I'm curious, I'm very curious. I came in out of curiosity in the first place."

Zhao Qiang said, "Your thought process is exactly the opposite of ours. You came out of curiosity, while he came out of recklessness."

"Who is this?" Lin Chengrui turned his head.

Zhao Qiang pointed at Zhou Lang.

Lin Chengrui scrutinized him for several seconds, very seriously, and finally said, "...To be honest, you look more like a background character."

Zhao Qiang covered his mouth with his hand, and his shoulders trembled.

Han Yingying lowered her head.

Zhou Lang didn't say anything, adjusted his backpack onto his shoulder, and walked towards the exit of the open space. "Let's go."

Zhao Qiang chased after him, Lin Chengrui followed closely, and Chen Mingyuan brought up the rear, carrying the first aid kit. He walked steadily, not fast, but not falling behind.

Han Yingying walked in the middle of the group, looked at the backs of the people in front of her, thought for a moment, and then remained silent.

In Zhou Lang's inventory, the icon of the old lamp wick sat quietly at the bottom, its purpose unknown, unable to be discarded, waiting for some opportune moment to tell it how to use it.

The city lights are in the distance, shining, waiting; nothing has begun yet.