Chapter Thirty-Eight: Unknown Exploration Instance

The fixed team of “Cool Night” undoubtedly played a formidable role. The six figures forcefully cut down over thirty bandits, but due to the overwhelming numbers, they were not able to match them entirely. Fortunately, other guild members were returning one after another, joining the chaotic battle. The presence of “Cool Night” inspired everyone with high morale, and the attribute boosts they received were enough to contend with the bandits.

The fixed team of “Warm Cool” also hurried back to the guild and plunged directly into the fray. Because of the guild dungeon, they too had reached level 30. However, upon entering level 30, they realized that leveling up had suddenly become difficult. “Cool Night” hadn’t uploaded any new main storylines or related guides, so “Warm Cool’s” team found themselves struggling, unable to make much progress.

[Guild] (Guild Leader) Cool Night: “There are still over seventy bandits left.”

Night Feather kept cutting down bandit after bandit, all the while keeping count of the remaining enemies.

Guilds easily attracted bandit raids. If not cleared in time, the guild’s assets would be plundered, and the process of leveling up the guild would be affected.

...

On the other side, “Three Years Short” had reached level 30 and immediately established a guild.

First Force.

Thanks to “Three Years Short,” many players gathered and joined; the guild had two hundred members at its inception. Each applicant was personally vetted by “Three Years Short” to prevent freeloaders and ensure only serious players could join.

He directly sent out a three-thousand-RMB game voucher red envelope for the guild members to snatch. This generous act quickly spread, and whether by design or not, it attracted more powerful players.

[World] Lv30. Three Years Short: “First Force guild recruiting. Only level 25 and above with at least moderate strength. Monthly red envelope giveaways. All types of fixed teams are welcome, and we can negotiate special perks for teams.”

This message attracted countless players. Unlike “Cool Night’s” [Violet Illusion] and its benefits, “Three Years Short” chose to lure players with in-game vouchers.

...

Violet Illusion · Guild Headquarters

[Guild] Guild Steward: “Congratulations on driving away the bandits. Five hundred bandits in total raided us; four hundred and ninety-three were killed, seven escaped in the chaos, but they left behind thirty thousand gold coins, which have been added to the guild’s assets. Our guild is now ranked first in the Jianghu Guild Leaderboard for total bandits defeated.”

[Guild] (Vice Leader) Knows Warmth and Chill: “We’re the only guild on the list [wipes sweat], so of course we’re first.”

[Guild] (Member) Scratching Man: “No, I heard from my friend that ‘Three Years Short,’ who’s always going against the boss, has already hit level 30 and founded a guild called [First Force].”

[Guild] (Member) Nose Picking Lady: “They’re almost at three hundred members already. Apparently, the requirements are level 25 and higher, plus at least decent skills and gear. ‘Three Years Short’ personally assesses every applicant.”

[Guild] (Guild Leader) Cool Night: “Let’s just focus on our own business. As for them, unless they provoke us, we won’t get involved.”

Night Feather simply expressed the core idea. After reading this, everyone nodded inwardly. Indeed, whatever “Three Years Short” did was their own business. As long as they didn’t target [Violet Illusion], it had nothing to do with them.

[Guild] (Vice Leader) Knows Warmth and Chill: “We only need to keep an eye on their updates.”

[Guild] (Member) The Boy Running While Holding It In: “Boss, do you have any leveling guides to share? I’m at level 29, and it’s getting really hard to level up without a guide, especially since I’m solo.”

[Guild] (Guild Leader) Cool Night: “For solo players, see if any other guild members are looking to team up. You can form a fixed team for leveling. In ‘Divine Sorrow,’ the leveling and experience systems don’t penalize larger teams; in fact, with more synergy, you’ll actually gain more experience.”

[Guild] (Member) The Boy Running While Holding It In: “Really? Anyone else solo at level 29 or 28 and want to form a fixed team? Level 29, sword class here!”

[Guild] (Member) Heartbreak Adventurer: “Level 29, healer class present!”

[Guild] (Member) Tiger Sniffing Roses: “Level 29, mage class, looking for a fixed team!”

[Guild] (Member) Cool and Winsome: “Level 28, guardian class, here!”

[Guild] (Member) Pity You Think You’re Clever: “Level 28, engineer class, here!”

[Guild] (Member) I’m the King, Who Can Stop Me: “Level 29, spear class, here!”

In just a moment, a fixed team was easily assembled. Night Feather smiled; although their levels varied, catching up along the way wouldn’t be difficult. As long as they were willing to build their teamwork, they would eventually have their own place in the world. After all, this wasn’t a solo game!

Then Night Feather’s team of six began tackling the main storyline. Just then, Luo Feng spoke up.

“Third, do you remember that hidden dungeon in [Hero Town]?”

“I do. The one for level 30, right?”

“Yes.”

Night Feather nodded. He had always been intrigued by that hidden dungeon, especially the rewards it might hold.

“Divine Sorrow’s” reward system was highly autonomous, equipped with advanced AI analytics. Officially, the existence of hidden dungeons had been acknowledged, but players had to find them themselves. Those who participated would earn achievement points.

Achievement points were a special system in “Divine Sorrow”—proof of a player’s prowess. The higher your points, the higher your ranking on the achievement board. Currently, on the [Xuantian] server, Night Feather’s fixed team held the top six spots.

Night Feather had tried searching for information about the hidden dungeon, even asking moderators on the [SupremeTech] forums for help, but came up empty-handed.

In other words, the six of them were facing a brand new hidden dungeon—one for which the internet offered no solutions.

...

[Hero Town] · Outskirts

The six of “Cool Night” rode the [Abyssal Nightmare] to the spot where they’d originally discovered the hidden dungeon. The massive vortex was still swirling there.

[Party] Yi Xiu Dada: “I bet other players have come here, but it seems they can’t even see this hidden dungeon.”

[Party] Cool Night: “That reminds me—I heard that only the team who discovers a hidden dungeon can enter it. If you clear it and earn a ‘Perfect’ rating, you get double the rewards.”

[Party] Dark Night: “Finally hit level 34 after all those bandits, but I doubt this dungeon is as easy as it looks, even if it’s meant for level 30.”

[Party] Xin Ai: “So, shall we go in?”

[Party] Smart Brother: “I think we’ll be fine. What does everyone else think?”

[Party] Qu Xiao Zheng Dang Adang: “Let’s just go—an adventure awaits!”

At that, the others all shot Qu Zheng a look of disdain, and from Night Feather’s expression, it was clear he was thinking, “I don’t even know this guy.”

With that, the six figures stepped into the swirling vortex together.

...

“Welcome to the Unknown Region. This is the Ruins of the Ancient Heavens. Here, nothing can be discovered except by your own efforts.”

The moment Night Feather’s team entered, they received this message. When it faded, their vision was limited to just five meters in any direction.

[Party] Cool Night: “Everyone, be careful. This dungeon is of the unknown type.”

A dungeon of the unknown type required players to explore everything themselves. The danger level was extremely high, but the benefit was that you could earn experience without fighting monsters, and the rewards were generous.

However, the monsters and terrain in such dungeons were also unknown, meaning the risks were great. Usually, only classes with escape abilities or players who had mastered “unlimited freeform operations” would dare attempt them.

There was also another “exploration” mode outside of dungeons—players could open up new areas of the map themselves. Each server’s paths were unique, so you couldn’t borrow methods from others.

The size of the “Divine Sorrow” map depended on how much players on that server had explored. The development team wouldn’t update the map unless a new area was discovered and unlocked by the server's players.

Not long after the six began to advance, a great red light flashed from the left, accompanied by razor-sharp silver claws. Night Feather narrowed his eyes, his hands moving without pause as he produced an ancient zither. His slender fingers plucked the strings sharply, and a beam of violet light shot out, transforming into chains that streaked toward the oncoming red glow.

Huang Hong sprang from the back of the [Abyssal Nightmare], spear in hand, charging into battle.

...