Chapter 9-Master-Level Dungeon: Goblin Nest！

It took quite a while before Zhang Yi finally snapped out of his daze.

"You said you want to go to the border? Do you realize that the monsters there are far beyond what you'd find in a dungeon…"

Halfway through his sentence, Zhang Yi suddenly stopped himself and quickly changed his words.

"Alright, I approve. I'll issue you an exit permit right away."

The border was indeed dangerous—but only relatively so.

As long as one didn't venture too deep, the monsters encountered there wouldn't be any stronger than that Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf.

But still…

How exactly did this kid manage to kill that creature?

Even now, Zhang Yi couldn't wrap his head around it.

Could it be…

His gaze shifted toward Li Yang, who was still in a dazed state beside him.

Could the Silver Wolf Guild have secretly given Li Yao some high-tier skill?

No, impossible!

Zhang Yi shook his head in denial.

To achieve something like that, it would have to be at least an S-rank skill.

Even if the Silver Wolf Guild sold off everything they owned, they wouldn't be able to afford it.

Since he couldn't figure it out, Zhang Yi decided to stop trying.

Ye Tao and Guang Haobo (both support-class professionals) had been forcibly teleported out after encountering the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf.

Their team must know what happened.

If Li Yao had relied on external help, then it would be easier to explain.

Zhang Yi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

After all, he had already submitted the report to cancel Li Yao's A-rank subsidy application.

If Li Yao had actually accomplished this by his own strength…

That would be a complete disaster!

With the exit permit in hand, Li Yao got into the car that Li Yang had driven over and left the area.

Naturally, the entire ride was filled with Li Yang's relentless questioning.

Li Yao could only bring out the excuse he had prepared in advance—his awakened talent.

Every professional had a chance to awaken a talent upon their first job change.

However, the odds of this happening were about the same as winning the lottery—practically one in ten million!

Even worse, an awakened talent might not even be compatible with one's class.

For example, a warrior awakening elemental affinity, or a support-class professional awakening berserker strength.

Because of this…

When Li Yang heard that Li Yao had awakened a talent that allowed him to strengthen his summoned creatures through a certain method—

Even someone as experienced as Li Yang couldn't help but throw his head back and howl in excitement, thanking the heavens and their ancestors alike!

After his initial excitement faded, Li Yang grew serious.

"About your talent—you can tell people that you've awakened one, but you should never reveal its specifics to others."

"Showing a bit of talent is fine, but if you're too much stronger than everyone else, it'll make people envious…"

"Even within the human race, we are not a unified front."

"You're still too weak. If certain people decide to suppress you, there's not much you can do about it. As your father, I can protect you within Jiangzhou, but outside of it, I'm just another nobody."

Li Yao nodded thoughtfully.

Li Yang's concerns aligned with his own.

That was exactly why he had only mentioned the "Armed" talent.

The talents of the Cloud Peak Chessmaster were all game-changers for summoners.

Moreover, Li Yao still wasn't sure if it was even possible for someone to awaken more than one talent.

Naturally, he wouldn't be revealing all his cards so easily.

Half an hour later, Li Yang dropped Li Yao off at the southern gate of Jiangzhou.

After a few final words of caution, Li Yang drove away.

Towering city walls stretched across the landscape, dividing human territory from the monster-infested wilderness.

Beyond these walls lay another world entirely.

The monsters here were far stronger than those in beginner dungeons.

At the same time, hunting them granted significantly more experience, and their materials could be collected and sold.

With a bit of luck, some monsters even dropped weapons and equipment.

These could either be used personally or sold for resources.

On both sides of the streets near the city gate, various shops lined the area.

Weapon shops, armor shops, accessory shops, general stores, potion shops—everything an adventurer could need.

The two most famous establishments here, however, were the Adventurers' Guild and the StarNet Trading Hub.

Both were government-run institutions, with branches across every city in the Dragon Nation.

The former issued missions, while the latter was the largest trading platform available.

Li Yao had purchased his Void Mantis: Summon skill from StarNet.

This was his first time seeing StarNet's physical location, and he couldn't help but be awed by its futuristic design.

The building's exterior was sleek and sharp, composed entirely of high-durability alloy.

Under the sunlight, it shimmered with a deep blue glow that shifted with the angle of view.

Rumor had it that this material could withstand even the strongest attack from a level 40 monster.

If the city walls were ever breached, this would serve as the last refuge.

Li Yao found an unoccupied scanner and placed his hand on it.

To enter the borderlands, both the StarNet Trading Hub and the Adventurers' Guild were unavoidable stops.

[Initiating identity verification.]

[Verification successful. Professional: Li Yao (Dragon Nation)]

[Access to StarNet granted.]

[Current access level: Level 1]

StarNet was restricted to registered professionals of the Dragon Nation.

Although Li Yao had access, his level was too low—he could barely purchase any meaningful resources.

If he could get into one of the Four Great Martial Academies, his access level would automatically rise to Level 3.

This was why those academies were so coveted—entering one essentially changed a person's entire social status.

Beyond Level 3, one had to make special contributions to the Dragon Nation to advance further.

But that was a matter for the future.

For now, it had nothing to do with him.

Li Yao briefly browsed through the displayed items in the trading hub.

Equipment, materials, skills—there were even unopened loot chests for sale.

But every single item was absurdly expensive.

With his current funds, he couldn't even afford the cheapest piece of black-iron gear.

As for bronze or silver-tier items?

Those were completely out of his league.

Li Yao's real goal here was to take note of the market prices for low-tier materials and get a better understanding of the economy.

After recording the approximate value of materials dropped by level 20 and below monsters, he exited StarNet and headed toward the Adventurers' Guild.

The monsters in the Jiangzhou borderlands ranged from level 5 to 20, categorizing the region as an E-rank danger zone.

There weren't many posted missions, and most of them were simple material collection requests.

[Seeking large quantities of Porcupine Quills – 400 coins per unit]

[Seeking large quantities of Crescent Fangs – 750 coins per unit]

[Seeking large quantities of Large Beast Bones – price negotiable]

Many life-skill professionals required large amounts of materials to level up their abilities.

Once processed, these materials could then be sold on StarNet, completing the supply chain.

This system allowed non-combat professions to thrive.

"Hmm? This mission seems interesting."

[Eliminate the level 12 Goblin Nest dungeon and obtain the dungeon boss drop: Goblin General's Heart.]

[Note: The Goblin General only appears in Master-level and above difficulties.]

The reward was 14 million Dragon Coins.

The fact that this mission was still unclaimed showed just how difficult it was.

The Goblin Nest dungeon was well-known in Jiangzhou—Li Yao had heard of it before.

A level 12 dungeon with an entry level ranging from 7 to 17.

Anyone aiming for higher-tier combat academies would eventually have to clear it.

Li Yao wasn't eligible yet, and he had no plans to enter right now.

Dungeons had five difficulty levels: Normal, Hard, Master, Nightmare, and Hell.

He wasn't sure how tough Master-level was.

But he did recall that his father's Silver Wolf Guild had only gained fame after clearing a Master-level Goblin Nest.

It was clearly no easy feat.

If he was going in, he'd wait until level 10—when he could summon a second creature.

As for anything above Master-level…

But to this day, no one had ever cleared the Goblin Nest on Nightmare or Hell difficulty.