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Lin Kuo had asked Zhi Miao about upgrading to a higher-tier district.
Zhi Miao told him that once his accumulated points reached a certain threshold, he could enter a higher-level city zone. At the moment, Lin Kuo was still a little short of the required points for Zone A, but the main system would give a “final push” to players who were close. That push meant unlocking higher-star dungeons.
Sure enough, just as Zhi Miao said, after his latest dungeon points were settled, several new three-star dungeons appeared in Lin Kuo’s options. The point rewards for them were quadrupled, and his livestream rewards would also scale up accordingly.
Since he already knew that Zone S contained dungeons leading out of the city, Lin Kuo was determined to go there eventually. But for now, Lin Kuo wasn’t strong enough yet. He decided to let his sister start with one-star dungeons for training. Once he reached Zone A and could link her livestream to his, he’d let her challenge two-star dungeons.
Lin Zhi readily agreed with her brother’s arrangement. She knew her own limits—if she didn’t want to drag him down, the only option was to make herself stronger.
True to her word, she immediately chose a one-star dungeon.
Lin Kuo wasn’t too worried. She was his sister, after all, and he understood her abilities well enough—one-star dungeons wouldn’t be a problem for her.
After Lin Zhi entered her dungeon, Lin Kuo rested for a few days before turning his attention to the matter of tackling a three-star dungeon himself.
Sheng Wen was still inside Battle of Gu. Lin Kuo didn’t want to distract him, so he kept quiet about his own plans. He even gave Zhi Miao a special reminder to help keep his attempt at the three-star dungeon a secret.
Once Sheng Wen had settled things on his side, Lin Kuo began selecting his dungeon.
Dungeon Options:
Haunted Iron Ridge — Reward: 1200 points
Silent Lambs — Reward: 1200 points
Deadly Mountain Villa — Reward: 1500 points + 1000 bonus (solo dungeon)
Lin Kuo chose the solo dungeon without hesitation—not just for the higher rewards, but mainly because of those two words: solo mode.
Going alone meant he didn’t have to share clues with anyone, nor would he feel the burden of teammates’ deaths weighing on him.
He locked onto Deadly Mountain Villa. His phone went black, then two seconds later lines of text appeared:
[Creating personal livestream room…]
[Personal livestream created]
[Chat and tipping enabled]
[Loading dungeon: Deadly Mountain Villa…]
Lin Kuo waited calmly, already familiar with the process.
[Deadly Mountain Villa loaded successfully]
Dungeon Details:
Lin Kuo frowned.
He had done solo dungeons before, and he remembered very clearly: Death Code was described as a solo dungeon. This one said solo faction. The word faction carried an ominous undertone.
On top of that, the rules weren’t given upfront—this was the first time he’d seen that. And those added restrictions? Each one clearly increased the difficulty.
Before he could adjust his livestream title, he was teleported into the rift at the city’s edge.
Walking along, he casually renamed his stream “Lin Kuo’s Livestream.” Since in this dungeon messaging was disabled, he worried Sheng Wen might have trouble finding him otherwise.
As soon as he changed the title, viewer numbers climbed. At first the chat joked about him always throwing himself into danger, but once they saw the dungeon info, the barrage of comments turned into collective shock:
【Three… three-star?!】
【I’m getting nervous already】
【Where’s S God? Why isn’t S God here?】
【Is Xiangtianfeng here?】
【Without S God or Xiangtianfeng, I’m scared…】
Lin Kuo glanced at the comments, hesitated, then said:
“—If Sheng Wen enters the stream, tell him my messages are blocked. Don’t let him worry.”
【Wait, was that… him talking to us?】
【Geez, if you’re asking for help at least be polite】
Lin Kuo forced himself to say stiffly:
“Please.”
【Fine, fine. Since it’s a three-star dungeon, I’ll help you out】
【Seriously, dog anchor, don’t die here—I can’t get into any other three-star streams】
【Light a lantern for dog anchor!】
“…Mind your—” Lin Kuo stopped mid-retort, then reluctantly softened his tone.
“Mm… got it.”
Sliding his phone into his pocket, he stepped out of the rift. His vision opened up.
A mist-shrouded mountain rose ahead. Though not high, it loomed in the drizzle, with the vague silhouette of a villa barely visible through the fog.
Lin Kuo stiffened at the sight. Villas gave him PTSD. Still, he kept climbing the muddy trail toward the house. Soon rain began falling harder, soaking his hair and clothes until he was drenched.
His footprints trailed behind in the mud until, finally, he reached the villa.
The building looked abandoned for years—walls cracked, plaster fallen to reveal gray concrete. Instead of entering right away, he circled the property. The whole place radiated desolation, but what unsettled him most was the villa’s yard.
There was something inside—a rooster strutting with an air of arrogance.
It stood atop the dilapidated wall, its sharp eyes fixed firmly on the outsider, Lin Kuo.
Just as Lin Kuo wanted to take a closer look, the chicken leapt down from the wall, waiting for him to follow. But by the time he finally caught up, it had already disappeared. Helpless, Lin Kuo returned to the villa gate.
He examined the door. The villa gate and the surrounding wall were tightly sealed and nearly impossible to get through. Moreover, Lin Kuo noticed the lock—it was the exact same type of powerful, intricate overlord lock as the one on his own door, only even more complex.
But now, the lock hung open, the door merely ajar.
Through the crack, he saw muddy footprints on the floor. Someone had entered before him, while he’d been chasing that chicken.
On guard, Lin Kuo pushed the door open. It creaked loudly.
Inside, the villa was dark and ruined. Only a few candles lit the living room. In their glow he counted seven people, murmuring among themselves.
He listened.
“What kind of idiot hikes in this weather!”
“You don’t get it—A timely rain is a blessing of spring.”
“Raindrops, drip, drip, drip.”
“Hahaha, only by feeling the rain yourself can you write Rainy Alley!”
“Holding an oil-paper umbrella, wandering alone down a long, lonely alley…”
“I wish to meet a girl with lilacs in her sorrow…”
“Weeping in the rain, wandering in sorrow.”
Except for the one who spoke first, the rest sounded completely insane.
Before he could dwell on that, the door creaked again.
A woman clutching a pillow bounded inside. “Oh heavens, what a downpour!” She checked her pillow anxiously. “Good, still dry.”
She didn’t notice Lin Kuo lurking in the shadows, nor the seven strange men in the living room. Behind her came a bespectacled man, muttering, “It’s raining… no moon tonight.”
The woman snapped, “Moon this, moon that! Why don’t you just marry the moon?”
The man shot back, “And you’re one to talk? Always dragging that pillow everywhere. What’s so special about it?”
They bickered bitterly, loud enough to draw the seven men’s attention—and with their candlelight, Lin Kuo’s presence was also revealed.
He now saw clearly: all seven were men, six of them with flowing long hair, the longest reaching their waists.
One greeted him politely: “What fated encounter this is.”
Another added: “Sheltering from the same rain beneath heaven.”
A third asked: “Young man, may we know your surname?”
Lin Kuo thought: Definitely lunatics.
The pillow-woman rolled her eyes. “What a bunch of crazies.”
Her husband sneered, “All crows are black. Pot calling kettle, eh? Like a pig mocking a crow.”
She slapped him across the face. He didn’t even flinch—seemed used to it. “A man’s patience has limits,” he muttered.
“Then hit me back,” she taunted.
He stayed silent.
The long-haired men sniffed. “So uncouth.”
Before the quarrel could escalate, the door opened again.
This time, a drenched teenager stumbled in, backpack held over his head for cover. Seeing so many people inside, he yelped:
“Amitabha, Lord Jesus—scared me half to death!”
A whole house of weirdos, Lin Kuo thought grimly.
Then, with a sharp click, the half-closed door swung shut and locked.
The sound of gears whirred through the villa. A digital keypad lit up on the inside of the door.
[Please enter password.]
Everyone froze. The boy closest tugged at the door—locked tight.
The man with glasses crouched down, intrigued by the keypad. He randomly punched in some numbers.
[Beep—Wrong code. Two attempts remaining.]
He tried again.
[Beep—Wrong code. One attempt remaining.]
One more time.
[Beep—Wrong code. Lock disabled for three days.]
The teen’s face paled. The pillow-woman smacked the man furiously with her pillow. “Why can’t you keep your damn hands to yourself?!”
For once, the man had no retort.
Lin Kuo silently observed. The villa, the chicken, these people—all of it gave him a suffocating sense of dread.
And his intuition was soon proven right.
A mechanical voice echoed through the villa:
“Welcome, eleven guests seeking shelter from the rain.”
“Who’s there?!”
“Who’s talking?!”
Everyone spun about. Lin Kuo searched too, but the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.
The voice continued coldly:
“Now announcing dungeon rules. Among you are two participants: the Escaper and the Demon.
Clues:
Currently, three wrong attempts have been made. Therefore, here are three Escaper clues:
Male. Wood. The letter B.
Enjoy your dungeon.”
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Thus Spoke the Magical Girl. Start reading now!
Read : Thus Spoke the Magical Girl
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