The girl selling goods at the market had never seen money before.

Damn it, he has something to say too. This Sima bastard clearly knows he didn't steal it, but he still takes his anger out on me. Does he think I'm easy to bully?

He really got the point of bullying him.

Damn it! If I weren't broke right now, I'd expose you. When the union arrests you, none of you will escape!

Just as the two were staring at each other, the man in the suit who had been silent clapped his hands.

"Alright, Sun Haoqiang, let go. Zhou Kai didn't do this."

"Tch." The burly man released his grip, spat at the ground, then frowned and backed away, muttering under his breath, "It's possible he ordered it. Nothing like this has ever happened before. He just arrived and..."

"Stop, don't say anymore."

The man in the suit spread his five fingers, which hovered in mid-air.

In an instant, all sound ceased.

"Cooperation is all about trust. I trust Zhou Kai. If he's someone with ulterior motives, why would he instruct others to sell the props? Just for that 50 yuan? And after it's all over, would he dare to face us directly?"

Upon hearing this, the burly man clenched his fists and lowered his head.

"In short, the props have been purchased, which is a good thing. Our plan can continue. It's just a matter of spending a little money."

He took out an unusually large bone and chuckled, "The guild would never have imagined that there's another rare item that's compatible with skeleton soldiers... After hiding in this godforsaken place for so long, it's time to make those bastards bleed!"

"There's no point in talking any more, just get started."

On the other side, a blonde girl said impatiently.

-----------

Meanwhile, on the first underground level, in the undeveloped area.

Bai Jinxuan, clad in a black robe, gripped a small knife tightly in her hand as she walked forward step by step.

In the past, when she collected monster materials, she would choose Shadow, which not only provided her with a night vision bonus but also maximized her stealth, making it a one-sided massacre against these small monsters.

But the problem is that there's no way to exercise.

If it were just about making money, that would be easy and quick, but Bai Jinxuan is now pursuing more than just making money; she also wants to improve her physical fitness.

Besides, she can't stay on the first, second, or third underground level forever; there are more monsters there, and they're more valuable.

You should know that stealth is fine for ambushing low-level monsters and novice explorers who have just entered the first tier, with a relatively high success rate. But if you're facing a fourth-tier martial arts explorer like Zhang Hu, it's basically a free kill.

She had a premonition while running at school that if Zhang Hu roared during his reprimands...

Open, and explorers like Bai Jinxuan, who are not even at the first level, are completely unable to move.

For example, a level 3 magic teacher could sever Bai Jinxuan's magic connection with just a word. It's not hard to imagine that she could easily force Bai Jinxuan out of the shadows with a single area-of-effect spell.

After all, she can only enter the shadow, which does not mean she is invincible in the shadow. The 'Shadow Chariot' has limited durability. Bai Jinxuan specifically tested it and found that it will be forced to exit when it takes a certain amount of damage in the shadow.

At that time, Bai Jinxuan, without any numerical enhancements, might be the weakest person in the entire dungeon.

Therefore, she must step out of her comfort zone and fight monsters in real combat in order to become stronger.

However, that's true, fighting those monsters without any buffs is still too difficult for Bai Jinxuan. After all, even Yao Yao hasn't obtained a Tier 1 exploration certificate yet. In the undeveloped areas where many Tier 1 explorers have perished, it would be suicidal for her to engage in direct combat.

"take it easy."

Bai Jinxuan wrapped herself tightly in a black robe, held a lantern, and carefully observed her surroundings.

Perhaps because she's used to seeing in the shadows, she's now very comfortable in dim environments and can see things more or less even without night vision.

There were many phantom snakes in front, behind, and on the walls in the distance.

Before emerging from the shadows to fight, Bai Jinxuan thought these snakes were foolish, unable to sense danger even when it was right next to them. But now, seeing the terrifying scene of these snakes discovering her first and then rapidly swarming in from all directions, her scalp tingled.

No wonder those newbies died in the semi-developed area. If Bai Jinxuan hadn't had that divine artifact, she would have died here too.

Bai Jinxuan put away the lantern and shrank into the shadows, instantly causing the phantom snakes to lose their target. Then, she leaped out of the ground like a fish, grabbed a phantom snake with its tail falling, sliced ​​off its head, and stuffed it into the black box necklace hanging around her neck.

Seeing this, the other phantom snakes flicked their tongues, turned around, and chased after Bai Jinxuan.

"idiot."

Bai Jinxuan smiled smugly and ran forward with all her might.

Although doing so greatly reduced her efficiency in killing monsters, under such intense and exciting combat, she could feel herself running faster and faster, and her proficiency in using shadow movement and weaving attacks also increased.

These are things you can't learn on a simple, repetitive assembly line.

Moreover, because this area is still undeveloped, the concentration of magic is much higher than in the semi-developed areas. And the so-called martial arts are about integrating magic into flesh and blood, turning it into 'qi' that can be manipulated at will.

In this way, Bai Jinxuan, who trains here, can improve herself more quickly.

So what if you can't take medicine? Natural exercise isn't necessarily slower than taking medicine!

She glanced back at the swarm of snakes and saw that the entire passageway of the underground city was densely packed with phantom snakes that had been lured there by Bai Jinxuan.

They wriggled frantically, stretching their necks as if trying to leap over and tear Bai Jinxuan's flesh apart.

However, due to the girl's agile movements, the result was often that she not only failed to bite anything, but also lost her life.

"You might actually succeed by learning martial arts."

Bai Jinxuan brandished her dagger, weaving effortlessly through the swarm of snakes, her speed increasing rapidly.

With a flash of cold light, the phantom snake that pounced forward was instantly decapitated. Then, with a flick of its cloak, it sent the phantom snake that was trying to sneak up on it flying, before disappearing again, leaving behind a black afterimage.

No matter what, the Shadowless Cloak is a divine artifact, something that these phantom snakes can't bite through.

Of course, let's pretend she didn't mention the exposed arms and calves.

"call--"

Bai Jinxuan was a little thirsty after running for a while, so she took out a body-strengthening biscuit from her treasure box and ate it. After finishing it, she drank a few sips of mineral water and continued to speed up.

Wild slime? Kill!

A mushroom spirit that decomposes corpses? Kill it!

A radish spirit hiding in a corner, burying its head in the sand like an ostrich? Kill it!

Along the way, any demon that blocked Bai Jinxuan's path would be slashed by her. If it died on the spot, it would be put into her treasure chest. If it was still alive, it would be even worse, as a large group of furious phantom snakes were starving behind it.

Ignoring the screaming radish spirit behind her, Bai Jinxuan mustered her strength and charged once again into the depths of the undeveloped area.

Just then, a sound came from afar.

"Boss! Have you heard any strange noises?"

"Damn it, don't be so paranoid! There's no sound at all. It's probably just a few phantom snakes hiding under the rocks. It's nothing serious!"

Ok?

Bai Jinxuan was stunned for a moment. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already in the shadows, ready to stab the two men who had suddenly appeared at the intersection.

She stopped the car in time and glanced at the other person.

Both of them were around 30 years old and were well-equipped, with one large and one small bag on their backs and waists. They either earned money by killing monsters or were ghouls; they didn't look like wanted criminals.

Upholding humanistic values ​​and adhering to her training plan, Bai Jinxuan put on a mask and appeared before them as a cleaner.

"Run! There's a snake!"

"What snake? A phantom snake? I was just looking for monster materials!" The leader chuckled, patting his chest. "Little girl, I think you're still a newbie. Phantom snakes like this are actually quite easy to deal with..."

Before he could finish speaking, the girl turned and ran. Immediately afterward, his companion glanced back, his face filled with terror, and scrambled forward, shouting, "Big brother, run! There's a snake!"

Seeing this, the man clicked his tongue, put his hands in his pockets, and slowly turned his head away.

"Young people these days are really getting worse with each generation. They're just a few phantom snakes, right? I'll kill them all."

After saying that, he took out a small knife from his pocket, ready to use his martial arts skills and show off a series of elegant knife tricks.

Then he saw a vast, dark mass of phantom snakes rushing toward him, their hissing sounds coming from all directions, as if they were arguing over who should own the pieces of flesh on his body.

"My grass!"

Almost instinctively, he dropped the knife, started walking, and desperately chased after the two figures in front of him.

Perhaps feeling that one tirade wasn't enough to vent his anger, he quickened the pace of his arm swings, using all his strength to release his emotions.

"Holy crap!!!"

Desperate cries echoed through the passageway.

--------

Ps:

Happy New Year!

I'll write 3,000 words today, then I'll go watch a show, hehe.

Ciallo～(∠?ω)⌒★

Volume 1: Chapter 16: The Girl Running Underground

Strictly speaking, the first level of the underground city is actually divided into two types: underground labyrinth and underground cave.

The former's maze is constructed of neatly arranged bricks and tiles, making you feel like you're in a huge ancient mansion, full of mystery.

As for the underground caves, they give off a wild, natural feel.

The passageways vary in size, sometimes as narrow as a maze, and sometimes as spacious as a plaza. The place where the burial was carried out before was a small plaza similar to this one.

Places like this often have a greater number of monsters and are more dangerous.

Bai Jinxuan was able to attract so many people

The Phantom Serpent is named for its ability to navigate from a cave to a maze-like terrain.

A massive number of phantom snakes surged from the open terrain into the maze passageway, creating an extremely terrifying scene.

From a distance, all one could see were countless black lines writhing and emitting terrifying shrieks, turning the entire maze black.

"Da da da da da..."

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed throughout the maze.

The eldest brother, who was caught up in the disaster, is still in shock. He has been in the dungeon for several years and has never seen anything like it.

You should know that he is a near-Tier 3 explorer. As long as he passes the guild's Tier 3 martial arts test, he will be able to advance to the third underground level. If it weren't for the fact that he was helping newbies, he would never have come to the first level to fight these little karami.

But who knew that a beast tide would suddenly appear on the first level? Luckily, he was almost a level 3, otherwise he would definitely have died here!

The thought sent a chill down his spine. He sped up, not bothering to explain, and sprinted away with his underling, leaving Bai Jinxuan behind and disappearing without a trace.

Wow, that was fast!

Bai Jinxuan, still swinging her arms as she ran, couldn't see the other person's movements clearly at all. She only felt a gust of wind pass by her, kicking up dust high into the air...

Judging by that speed, he must be at least a second-tier expert.

In comparison, Bai Jinxuan's running speed was much slower. If it weren't for the magical artifact that helped her pull the snakes away, she would have been overwhelmed by the snakes in an instant if she had just been running.

I am still too weak.

She sighed and started running towards a relatively open area, because if she dragged anyone else into it, her identity might be exposed.

Although it wouldn't matter much if a cleaner's identity were exposed, for Bai Jinxuan, every interaction with people was a potential hazard—she had too many secrets.

----------

In the semi-developed area, two men sat panting, their hands resting on their knees.

"Boss... ha... that woman doesn't seem to have caught up. Is she...?"

"It's hard to say. There are many forks in the maze. We might go in a different direction. In any case, don't let your guard down. Let's take a break first."

In their desperate attempt to escape the undeveloped zone, they exerted every ounce of strength they had, and the fact that they could barely stand now was a testament to their recently recovered physical strength.

Since he had nothing better to do, the younger brother took the opportunity to start a conversation.

"Boss, have you ever seen this before? Do Phantom Serpents have this kind of habit? If it weren't for you leading the way today, I definitely wouldn't have made it out of the dungeon alive."

"I've never seen one. It's hard to say about monsters. We can only say that humans have a limited understanding of them, but perhaps they do have such habits..."

He took a bottle of water out of his backpack, tossed one to his underling, then took one out for himself, gulped it down, and continued, "After we've rested, let's report to the guild. Maybe we can get some money."

"Huh? Pay up?"

"Information fee! Information fee!"