Chapter 35: The Hidden Dungeon—Dark Zombie Nest
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Led by Chen Jun, about a hundred Yan Yu Pavilion guild members arrived at the entrance of the Dark Zombie Nest dungeon.
Among them was Su Jinyan.
The dungeon allowed a maximum of 100 people per team.
Once they had completed their team formation, the hundred-person group from Yan Yu Pavilion entered the Dark Zombie Nest dungeon!
Not far off, in an inconspicuous corner, Zhang Yue watched as Chen Jun and his guild entered the dungeon. He prepared to make his move.
Just then, another large wave of adventurers surged forward.
"Supreme Guild?"
Zhang Yue spotted Liu Yao leading almost 200 Supreme Guild members. They divided into two groups of 100, both entering the Dark Zombie Nest at once.
Aside from these guilds, there were many solo players and smaller guild teams entering the dungeon as well.
This dungeon was bound to turn into a fierce battleground.
After all, one of the missions in the Second World was to clear a dungeon.
In regular dungeons, death meant using an expensive resurrection scroll worth tens of thousands of credits to come back to life.
But this hidden dungeon, upgraded from a regular one, offered a free resurrection—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those who couldn't afford resurrection scrolls.
Zhang Yue's target was Chen Jun. He had no interest in hindering other adventurers. Taking advantage of the fact that not too many players had entered yet, he slipped in alone.
[Ding~ Welcome to the Level 15 Hidden Dungeon: [Dark Zombie Nest]. Dungeon task: Kill 30 zombies (kill count varies with team size, this is for solo players), and defeat the dungeon boss: Dark Zombie Lord.]
Whoosh!
A flash of white light, and Zhang Yue found himself in a dim, damp corner of the dungeon. The stench of decay filled the air, accompanied by the low growls of zombies.
Without hesitation, Zhang Yue pulled out the Golden Command Token.
[Ding~ Honored holder of the Golden Command Token, you have access to three permissions in the Dark Zombie Nest dungeon. Please choose the permissions you wish to modify]
---
Meanwhile, the hundred members of Yan Yu Pavilion materialized in a massive nest chamber within the dungeon. The team simultaneously received the dungeon task: kill a total of 500 zombies and defeat the Dark Zombie Lord.
Among them, Chen Jun, who had just spent half the night grinding back from Level 12 to Level 14, slung his silver bow from his back and shouted, "Everyone, aim for the first-clear rewards! Break into teams of five and start hunting."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the hundred guild members split into 18 teams, scattering across the nest to hunt zombies.
Why 18 teams instead of 20?
Because Chen Jun was afraid of dying.
His team alone had 15 people.
The dungeon's zombies ranged from Level 15 to Level 16. Currently, the average level of adventurers in Notting City was only around Level 12.
As one of the top guilds in the province, Yan Yu Pavilion had an average level of 14, giving them a significant advantage over the solo players.
With their strength, taking on Level 15–16 zombies was easy.
The teams pushed toward the dungeon's center, slaying zombies along the way.
But then, an unexpected system message rang out:
[Map Announcement (Dark Zombie Nest): Ding~ Attention all adventurers in the Dark Zombie Nest dungeon: The holder of the Golden Command Token has modified the dungeon permissions. The free resurrection feature has been canceled. Return scrolls cannot be used, the dungeon cannot be exited midway, and killing white-named adventurers will not incur sin points. The dungeon entrance is now closed.]
"What?"
Chen Jun paled in shock. "Who would change the permissions like that?"
Wu Zui, the team's strategist, pieced it together, his expression grim. "Could the one who triggered the dungeon be Zhang Yue? He lured us in and then changed the permissions."
"Bullshit!" Chen Jun barked. "There's no way he's that lucky. Do you think he has the kind of resources to refine a Golden Command Token, let alone tens of thousands of energy points?"
"There's no way it's him! That fool doesn't have the brains to set a trap like this!"
At that moment, Su Jinyan chimed in, her tone pointed. "But this change seems to specifically target someone, don't you think?"
In an attempt to impress her, Chen Jun confidently declared, "Don't worry, Jinyan. No matter what the permissions are, I'll lead us to clear this dungeon. With me here, there's no need to fear."
Su Jinyan stifled a laugh, her distaste for Chen Jun's bravado obvious. "You should worry about yourself first."
The guild pressed onward toward the dungeon's core.
Meanwhile, outside the dungeon, many adventurers who hadn't made it in yet were now blocked at the entrance.
"What the hell? The entrance is closed?"
"The guy who activated the dungeon must have used the Golden Command Token to change the permissions!"
"Smart move! Less competition for the first-clear rewards!"
"But wait—don't you know the rules? Even if the dungeon owner clears it, they won't get the Dungeon Scroll."
"You idiot! What if he's letting his teammates get the scroll?"
"Oh, right… didn't think of that."
---
Inside the Dark Zombie Nest, Zhang Yue made his way toward the dungeon's core.
The boss was waiting there.
Along the way, he effortlessly cut down the zombies.
Against a Level 17 adventurer like Zhang Yue, the Level 15–16 dark zombies stood no chance.
Boom! Boom!
One Fireball and one Ice Spike dealt 504 and 450 damage, respectively, taking out two-thirds of a zombie's health. Two Freeze effects dealt 50 damage each, while the Fireball added a burn effect of 60 damage per second. One final critical hit from Zhang Yue's staff finished it off with 270 damage.
A Level 17 adventurer killing a Level 16 zombie only yielded 1 point of experience.
Aside from that, the zombies dropped nothing of value.
Zhang Yue stepped over the zombie's corpse and continued forward, summoning his armored scorpion to clear the path.
Within ten minutes, he had slain 30 zombies and arrived at the core of the dungeon.
In the center of a dark ruin sat the dungeon boss—a massive, armored zombie lord, draped in a tattered cloak, lounging on a throne.
A horde of dark zombies surrounded the lord, but there were no signs of any other adventurers yet.
Everyone had entered the dungeon at the same time, but no one could match Zhang Yue's speed in reaching the core.
The zombie lord spotted Zhang Yue and let out a feral roar, pointing a decayed finger in his direction.
In an instant, the surrounding zombies surged toward Zhang Yue like a tidal wave.
---
Elsewhere, Yan Yu Pavilion's team fought their way through the dungeon. After nearly an hour of grinding, they finally reached their target of 500 zombie kills.
Approaching the core of the dungeon where the zombie lord awaited, Chen Jun was brimming with excitement. "Is there anyone faster than us? I doubt it!"
"It looks like the first-clear rewards are ours, Yan Yu Pavilion! Haha!"
"With the Dungeon Scroll, we'll upgrade it to King-level and claim the King-tier bounty. My strength will skyrocket!"
"When that happens, I'll crush that trash, Zhang Yue, with one hand!"
Chen Jun's face twisted into a smug grin, basking in his imagined triumph.
Su Jinyan, watching his pathetic display, was thoroughly disgusted.
The team entered the core of the dungeon.
But what they saw there left them all speechless.
The enormous ruin was littered with the corpses of dark zombies, their bodies strewn everywhere.
Sitting on the throne that should have belonged to the zombie lord was a man dressed in black mage robes. His foot rested atop the body of the slain Level 17 Dark Zombie Lord, an icy staff slung over his shoulder.
His gaze was calm as he looked at the approaching Yan Yu Pavilion team.
He smirked and said, "Oh, you finally made it."
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