Chapter 257: Dungeon

Lan He's face lit up with joy. He looked at Su Mu gratefully and quickly reached out his hand. "Hello, Mr. Su. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can look out for each other."

Su Mu smiled and shook it. "I'm only at Silver 1. I'll have to rely on you when the time comes, Mr. Lan."

"Absolutely, absolutely. Where are you from, Mr. Su?"

"Star City."

Lan He seemed the overly familiar type and was ready to keep chatting, but Su Mu cut in. "Mr. Lan, the test is about to begin. Let's save the conversation for after we get off the bus. We shouldn't disturb everyone's rest."

Lan He froze. Turning his head, he noticed several people glaring at him with subtle hostility. He quickly apologized, shrank back into his seat, and didn't dare say another word.

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Two hours later, the bus finally came to a halt.

After everyone got off, they discovered they had been brought before a Dungeon.

The yellowish-brown Dungeon stood tall. Its dark, deep entrance seemed to connect to a gloomy world at the very depths of the earth, exuding a cold, sinister aura.

"This is the Dungeon's Entrance 12," an examiner who had been waiting for some time announced coldly.

"Your temporarily formed group will enter through Entrance 12. This Dungeon is a massive underground labyrinth filled with a large number of imprisoned nightmare monsters. Your task is to make it out alive.

"Additionally, there are Mithril Tokens placed inside the Dungeon in advance. Besides getting out alive, you must find a Mithril Token. You will only pass if you leave the Dungeon with one in hand."

As he spoke, the examiner held up a palm-sized silver metal token. It was engraved with extremely complex patterns resembling some sort of Transcendent magic array—clearly designed to prevent cheating.

Although Mithril was precious, everyone present was a Silver powerhouse. Procuring a piece of Mithril would be quite simple for them. If the Mithril Tokens lacked any special markings, there was no guarantee someone wouldn't get crooked ideas and forge one themselves.

"Remember, the first ten people to obtain a Mithril Token and leave the Dungeon will automatically become captains. They will have the authority to form a squad, with five members per squad."

As soon as he said this, someone immediately asked, "Ten squads in total, with five people each—that's only fifty people. What about the rest?"

The examiner replied expressionlessly, "The rest will be eliminated."

"What? That's different from what was said yesterday. Didn't they say there wouldn't be any more eliminations?"

"The elimination I'm talking about doesn't mean completely stripping you of the opportunity to participate in the exploration plan. It just means being eliminated this time. The Empire possesses a technology that allows multiple people to enter a Nightmare World simultaneously, but this technology is not yet mature. It cannot accommodate all of you at once.

"Therefore, the ten squads formed today will serve as the vanguard. They will go first as the initial batch, and the rest will wait for the second batch."

After hearing the examiner's explanation, everyone finally understood.

"Alright, if there are no other questions, set out now."

"Wait a moment, Sir Examiner. I have one more question." Lan He raised his hand and asked sheepishly, "Sir Examiner, what if someone finds a Mithril Token, but it gets snatched away by someone else?"

The examiner gave him an impatient look. "There is no explicit rule in this test forbidding you from taking someone else's Mithril Token."

Everyone's thoughts immediately shifted. If it wasn't explicitly forbidden, then it was allowed.

For a moment, the atmosphere among the group grew subtle and tense.

"Alright, go in quickly. You've already wasted too much time. The other groups have all entered by now."

Their hearts tightened, and they immediately marched toward the Dungeon.

Stepping into the Dungeon, a cold, damp aura rushed at their faces. It was incredibly dim inside. They could vaguely make out the jagged stone walls, their irregular rock surfaces eroded by time. Some spots were sharp as knives, while others were as smooth and round as jade.

The ceiling of the Dungeon undulated unevenly, making the space feel exceptionally oppressive. The ground was just as rugged, dotted with numerous shallow puddles that reflected blurry silhouettes.

Such a gloomy environment was enough to instantly trigger claustrophobia. However, everyone present was a Silver powerhouse who had experienced countless dangers. This eerie setting was not enough to frighten them.

"There are flashlights here!" Lan He hurried over to a corner, clicked one on, and waved it excitedly at the group.

A table sat there holding thirty flashlights, evidently prepared by the examiner in advance.

The crowd immediately stepped forward to grab them. Lan He kindly switched the flashlights on and helped pass them out.

With flashlights in hand, someone immediately headed deeper into the Dungeon. Unwilling to fall behind, the rest quickly followed suit.

But after walking only a few steps, a fork in the road appeared before them.

Looking at the pitch-black tunnels to the left and right, someone stepped up and shined their light down them, but they couldn't see the end at all.

"The examiner said this is an underground labyrinth. Which way should we go?" Lan He frowned at the fork, looking troubled.

At that moment, a bald man in the crowd shouted, "Is there anyone with scouting abilities in the group?"

"I do." A plain-looking middle-aged woman raised her hand, but then she shook her head with a grim expression. "I already tried to scan the area, but it's no use. There seems to be something here interfering with my abilities."

The bald man's face darkened at her words. "You go to the front and lead the way. I'll follow you."

The middle-aged woman's expression shifted slightly. "I just said I can't detect anything. Why are you making me lead?"

"Hmph, who knows if what you're saying is true or false? Maybe you've already found the correct path and just don't want to tell us."

"I haven't!"

"Cut the crap. I'm Silver 3! Hurry up and lead the way!" the bald man barked, his body exuding an oppressive aura.

The middle-aged woman's face instantly turned pale. Not daring to argue any further, she had no choice but to rely on the superstition of "men left, women right" and chose the tunnel on the right. The bald man followed closely behind.

People naturally have a herd mentality. Immediately, the majority of the group followed them down the right path.

However, a small number of people coldly observed the terrain and chose the left.

"Mr. Su, which way are we going?" Lan He asked softly.

In the darkness, the corners of Su Mu's mouth curled into an imperceptible smile. This Lan He was quite interesting—he was already saying 'we.'

"Left."

"Why? Can you tell which is the correct path, Mr. Su?"

"It's a guess." Su Mu stepped forward and walked into the left tunnel.

"Wait for me." Lan He hurriedly rushed in after him.

Fewer and fewer people remained at the starting point. Some chose the left; others chose the right.

Yan Wu watched Su Mu's departing back, a glint of hatred surfacing in his eyes. Without a word, he headed toward the left.

Drip, drip.

The tunnel was excessively quiet. Aside from everyone's footsteps, there was only the sound of dripping water.

Not a single one of the numerous nightmare monsters the examiner had mentioned was anywhere to be seen.

Just then, the tall man walking at the very front suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Everyone froze and halted as well. They shined their flashlights down the path ahead, but they couldn't find anything unusual.