Chapter 2: The Dungeon Forerunner

Amidst the dazzling multicolored lights, Xiao Yang caught sight of his talent.

Dungeon Forerunner (Colorful): For every dungeon floor cleared, you receive a small gift; every ten floors conquered grants a grand gift. The rewards vary with the dungeon’s type and difficulty. Those who favor dungeons are never villains. Press onward—the goal is one hundred floors!

At that moment, the smile on Xiao Yang’s face faltered. This colorful talent didn’t seem as formidable as he had hoped; it even seemed less impressive than the “Understanding Ten Thousand Years” talent he had just acquired.

Then, suddenly, three rewards appeared before him.

[Dungeon Forerunner activated—You have obtained Unknown Blessing Three. Please choose quickly!]

Two items, plus a box.

Two green, one blue.

The two green items were:

[Rusted Short-handled Axe
Quality: Fine
Type: Weapon, One-handed
Attack: 12
Special Effect: Has a chance to cause bleeding on flesh-and-blood enemies
Description: A rusty one-handed axe. It’s dull from rust but may cause enemies to bleed profusely.]

[A Sugary Sweet Cake
Quality: Fine
Type: Food, Medicine
Effect: Restores 20 health points immediately and regenerates 5 health points per minute for the next half hour.
Description: An overwhelmingly sweet cake, so sugary it can make you dizzy, so rich it can make you shiver.]

Well, Xiao Yang changed his mind. No matter how great future potential might be, what truly matters is what one can possess now. The Dungeon Forerunner talent could offer immediate aid.

Moreover, and most importantly, it was a colorful-tier talent—a true showstopper!

Both the rusty axe and the sugary cake were very useful to Xiao Yang; one was a weapon, the other a lifesaving artifact.

Currently, his health barely reached ten points. That cake alone could instantly revive two of him, not to mention the health regeneration of five points per minute afterward.

Yet in the end, Xiao Yang decisively chose the last item in the trio—the sole blue item.

The box was unknown, meaning the contents were a mystery. If he wanted to explore the skeletal dungeon more efficiently, the rusty axe would have been the best choice.

But the extra effect of the rusty axe was bleeding.

And he was currently trapped in a skeletal dungeon, where most monsters were skeletons.

Now a question arose: would bleeding even affect skeletons?

Beyond the rusty axe, the cake was indeed strong but still felt lacking—after all, it was consumable.

Having made his decision, the unknown blue gift box opened before Xiao Yang. An image appeared: a small skeleton wearing a tattered cloak and carrying a large sack.

[Skeletal Little Thief
Quality: Excellent
Type: Minion
Health: 5
Function: Hold its tiny bony hand to summon your skeletal little thief. It will randomly scavenge the surrounding area and monster corpses. When its health drops to zero, it returns to cooldown, awaiting your next summoning.
Description: A wicked, shameless little skeleton thief! Wait—it seems to be your summoned creature? Then no worries. Let it follow you; it will bring you small surprises. Oh, and remember to summon it often—it seems a bit lonely.]

A tiny skeletal arm appeared before Xiao Yang, as if he had acquired a peculiar little companion.

It wasn’t quite what he wanted, but the quality was better—so the gamble had only partially failed.

Scratching his head, he tucked the tiny skeletal arm into his personal backpack. Later, whenever he opened his backpack and chose to summon, this skeletal little thief would appear.

If the little creature died in battle, he could still summon it again using the skeletal arm.

Next, it was time to choose a name. After naming himself, a beginner’s gift pack awaited.

But what name should he choose?

Xiao Yang fell silent. Perhaps he could just use his real name, but after some thought, he decided against it. Although the Divine Game wasn’t a true game, using his real name felt strange.

Looking around the gloomy surroundings—still trapped in this skeletal dungeon—the atmosphere inspired a fitting name.

“The Screaming Emperor.”

This was the name Xiao Yang had once given his undead mage character in another game. Now, trapped in a skeletal dungeon, it seemed perfect. He confirmed it, and the Divine Game’s prompt sounded.

[Name confirmed. Congratulations, player “Screaming Emperor,” on entering the Divine Game. Many splendid and beautiful worlds await you, all ready to open their doors. Divine Game awaits your exploration!]

These words filled Xiao Yang with excitement, nearly making him forget that he was just a poor soul trapped and unable to return home.

Standing up, Xiao Yang cast a scouting spell through the massive door toward a corridor where a giant-axe skeleton awaited.

[Dungeon Guardian (Heavily Worn State)
Race: Skeletal Undead
Rank: Elite
Level: 14
Health: 20
Attack: 64
Defense: 31
Agility: 5
Evaluation: An invincible enemy]

Xiao Yang looked at his own attributes—mostly threes—then glanced at the giant-axe skeleton’s attack of sixty-four. Good heavens, with his mere ten health points, this monster could kill six of him with a single swing.

Indeed, it was an invincible foe.

Better to hold back for now; such an overwhelming disparity called for calm.

This wasn’t a mere game. If he died here, it would be real death.

A new icon appeared in Xiao Yang’s backpack—a gift pack. Opening it, he received three items.

[Wilderness Short-handled Axe
Quality: White
Type: Weapon, One-handed
Attack: 6
Description: An axe, not even brand new. Mostly used for chopping wood, though it can barely manage to hack at other things.]

[A Set of Minor Health Potions
Quality: White
Type: Medicine
Effect: Can be separated into five minor health potions.
Description: A set of minor health potions—five bottles in total.]

[Minor Health Potion
Quality: White
Effect: Restores 5 health points over ten seconds.]

[A Basket of Bread
Quality: White
Type: Food
Effect: Keeps hunger at bay.
Description: Perhaps you’ll also need some water.]

This was indeed a literal beginner’s pack—very basic, but not bad. He certainly needed a weapon, some potions, and food.

But it wasn’t over yet. Before setting out to explore, Xiao Yang reasoned that not everything in this dungeon could be as absurd as that giant-axe skeleton.

In the corner of the room, on a long table, lay a letter and an oil lamp.