Chapter 8: Rewards, Rivalries, and Ambush Plans

World chat erupts:

“?????”
“F*ck! No way that’s real!”
“Am I hallucinating? Someone cleared that insane bear dungeon? Solo??”
“Yo, same hallucination here!”
“You two look pathetic denying it!”
“Ugh, three hours in that dungeon, dying over and over, was about to log off and sleep, then this solo guy pops up! Who wouldn’t lose it?”
“Brutal! Too brutal! But who’s this Clouds and Breezes? Soloing a five-man dungeon—is that even fair?”
“Feels unfair. Reported, no thanks.”
“Day one and someone’s cheating? Doubt it, especially so blatantly…”
“Okay, but how? Forget the five small bears—say his skills are godlike. But the two big ones? After they devour, how’s one guy’s damage enough? And the bear mom, minimum 20k health—solo, he can’t even break her shield! No way, my brain’s fried!”
“Hold up, brothers, it gets crazier—this Clouds and Breezes is a support with no burst ultimate!”
“What? A support???”

As players lose their minds and spam reports, Yun Shi searches the dungeon for the boss chest.

Beyond the server-wide clear announcements, he earns the no-death (Flawless) achievement for [Bear Island].
The boss’s high experience, plus achievement, first-clear, and solo rewards, pushes him to level 16, a sliver from 17.

First and solo clear rewards are generous: 200 gold coins; 4 purple-quality (rare) attribute gems; 20 skill upgrade materials; a [Bear Head] memento (a creepy headpiece); and two gilded chests.

The gilded chests are the real prize.
Each guarantees one purple item (gear, skill, or material), one blue item, and a 2% chance for an orange (legendary) weapon, skill, or cosmetic.
Chests are bound, but their contents can be traded.

Opening an orange item triggers a server-wide announcement, like the first clear.

Yun Shi opens both chests.
No orange luck, but not bad: two purple gear pieces (a bow and a hit-boosting necklace with a set effect), one blue material (spider silk), and one blue skill.
Both gear pieces suit him but remain unequipped (equipping binds them, preventing trade).

[Sewing]: Learn to craft armor

The blue skill seems the least valuable, but experienced players know life skills like [Sewing] are goldmines.
While other rewards can be sold, Yun Shi learns it immediately.

Inspecting the boss’s corpse, it’s odd—only materials, no chest.
It drops plenty, adding to his haul: one stack (20) each of beast pelts and bear claws.
But this is a dungeon, not the wild—devs wouldn’t be cruel enough to skip a chest.

The chest must be hidden.

Muttering about the devs, Yun Shi searches, too busy to check the exploding world chat or private messages.

Deep in the bear mother’s cave, he finds it.

Not a chest, but several partial skeletons, too fragmented to count.
Not gory, just symbolic enough to recognize—remnants of bear-slaying adventurers who didn’t survive the hungry bear mother.

The game never stops reinforcing its gritty tone.

Yun Shi collects all gear and two coin pouches from the bones.

Meant for a five-man team, he claims a near-full blue gear set, replacing most of his starter outfit.
Dungeon gear is bound, tradable only within the team.
With two extra pieces, he dismantles them.
The pouches yield 20 gold, plus three [Beast Fur] materials.

[Bear Island] is fully cleared.

Yun Shi finally checks world chat and his flooded private messages, ignoring the doubters and scanning trade offers.

Gear, attribute gems, skill materials, and dungeon guides—buyers want it all, offering varied prices.

Yun Shi frowns.
Too many messages, too chaotic, no clear pricing reference…

A friend message pings.

[MistInTheView]: Big shot, want to carry a group?

For some reason, though it’s text, Yun Shi pictures Bo He’s gentle smile.

Recalling Bo He’s dungeon invite minutes ago, Yun Shi applies to his team.

The application is quickly approved, teleporting him out of the dungeon to the entrance.

The moment his cyan figure appears, the noisy entrance falls silent, then erupts:

“Holy sh*t! That’s the wind guy!”
“Momma, big shot, need a leg accessory? Take me!”
“He really soloed it? Insane!”
“Official word’s out—no cheats, pure skill!”
“The gap’s real. We’re struggling with five mobs, and he solo-clears? Hate this!”
“Wild. It’s really a support…”

Too loud.
Yun Shi mutes the local channel for peace—

“AAAAH! Bro, you actually got him!”
“Holy sh*t, too clutch!”
“Big shot, can you carry us?”
“So hyped, can I hitch a ride?”

The team channel explodes instead.

Yun Shi eyes MistInTheView.
Wasn’t this a paid carry? Why’s the team full?

Bo He says, “Hold on.”
He takes captain from Jiang Shu and kicks two freeloaders.

Jiang Shu, who struggled to fill the team, mutters, “Bro, that’s cold.”

Bo He raises a brow.
“Cold? Invite them back and pay their fees.”

Jiang Shu gets it—his brother’s funding the carry!
Waving it off, he grins.
“Bro, you’re the real deal!”

Bo He smiles wordlessly.

Yun Shi, eyeing the crowding players, says, “Let’s go.”

The trio re-enters the dungeon.

Bo He speaks up: “10 gold per blue gear piece, usable or not. Fair?”

In Breath of Life, players equip eight items: weapon, sub-weapon, hat, top, pants, shoes, and two accessories.
[Bear Island] can drop all.
Yun Shi got eight pieces, some duplicates.
Assuming high drop rates, the dungeon yields at least five.

For a level 15 dungeon, 10 gold isn’t cheap.

Yun Shi nods.
“Fine, but no recording.”
He plans to sell the guide.

Bo He agrees instantly; Jiang Shu follows his lead.

Price settled, Bo He hands Yun Shi captain.
Dungeon loot goes to him first; they’ll pay, then trade.

Yun Shi stays quiet but warms to MistInTheView—this guy gets it.

He starts moving.

Bo He and Jiang Shu don’t blink when he harvests cave plants—many players hoard resources.

But seeing their true use, Bo He’s surprised, and Jiang Shu’s “holy sh*t” echoes endlessly.

“No way! Who’d think of that?”
“I thought those were just scenery!”
“There’s honey on the wall?”
“No wonder the big bears felt impossible! Stop them from devouring, but the bear mom comes down anyway, health and defense skyrocketing to 40k! No chance! Who’d guess the answer’s hidden here?”
“Wind Bro, you’re just… unreal.”

Too slick.

Jiang Shu wants to say the devs are diabolical.

The five mobs and two bears seem to demand high damage, but the bear mother’s unbeatable, no matter team output.
High health, defense, and damage wipe teams before they dent her.
The dungeon seems to scream for insane damage, but it’s designed for all players to clear—with the right method.

Yun Shi’s approach doesn’t make it easy.
Teams need skill: don’t waste honey or mushrooms on the first five mobs, jump rocks to hit the hive accurately, and keep distance from the boss.
One misstep means death.

With two teammates, it’s faster than solo.

In under half an hour, Yun Shi leads them to the cave’s depths for loot.

Bo He asks, “Selling the guide? Need tips?”

Yun Shi looks at MistInTheView.
“Thanks, yeah.”

Bo He smiles.
“Sell to guilds.
Check your private messages—big guilds from the old version will rebuild here.
They compete, so sell to each once; they won’t share.
Promise not to carry others for a few hours after selling.”

“Guilds aim to outpace regular players.
A few hours’ lead in levels and gear is enough.
Then, like you’re carrying us, take regular players for paid runs.”

Yun Shi listens intently, saying again, “Thanks.”

Jiang Shu, knowing his cousin’s cunning, looks away, unable to handle Bo He’s scheming.

Bo He’s smile deepens.
“Not done yet.”

Yun Shi, surprised: “More?”

Bo He: “First-clear videos are auto-saved by the system, owned by the player.
After selling to guilds and carrying players, sell the video for a fee.
Find it in the system—there’s public and paid options.”

Yun Shi’s genuinely shocked.
Looking at MistInTheView, his initial bad impression—causing trouble and watching—vanishes.
This guy’s generous, kind, and patient.

Good-guy Bo He pats Jiang Shu’s shoulder.
“Alright, cousin, pay up.”

“???”
Jiang Shu points at himself.
What?
Wasn’t his brother covering the carry?

Bo He gazes warmly.
That look says: I could solo this. Can you? Who’s carrying you? Paying’s fair, right?

F*ck!

Outside, a team schemes.

“This Clouds and Breezes got two gilded chests.
Even without top-tier stuff, he’s loaded.”
“First and solo clear—200 gold, attribute gems, and more…”
“He’s selling the guide.
If he trades for gold, we can rob him!”
“Boys, we doing this?”
“Hell yeah!”
“He’ll head back to turn in the quest.
We’ll ambush him on the way.”
“Done!”

Yun Shi exits the dungeon in high spirits, parts with Bo He’s duo, and prepares to contact guild buyers from his messages.
Unaware, an ambush awaits on his path to turn in the quest, aiming to strip his hard-earned riches.