Chapter 24-Yeah, I’ve Got My Eyes On You.

Li Yao stepped out of the vortex.

The Void Predator that had been following him had now transformed into a small bluebird.

The onlookers found the creature familiar but didn't pay much attention.

They were still waiting for Li Yao to emerge.

Someone capable of soloing a Nightmare-level dungeon was a rare sight.

Even if they couldn't build a connection, at least recognizing his face would be worthwhile.

What they didn't realize was that the summoner who had just passed by them was none other than Li Yao himself.

However,the mask he had put on was just a last-minute decision, something he had grabbed at random.

It only covered the lower half of his face, so anyone familiar with him could recognize him at a glance.

"Li—"

"Shh!"

Li Yao quickly made a silencing gesture.

Qin Yue immediately understood, covering her mouth before quickly running over.

Her delicate face was smudged with a bit of dirt, and traces of lingering lightning energy flickered around her body.

Clearly, she had just finished a battle and exited a dungeon.

"Come on, come on!"

Without giving Li Yao a chance to react, Qin Yue grabbed his arm and pulled him toward a quieter area.

Li Yao glanced at this overly familiar girl and was about to pull his arm away when he noticed another girl running toward him.

Unlike with Qin Yue, Li Yao had no patience for Jiang Ningyu.

His cold gaze made Jiang Ningyu tremble.

All the words she had wanted to say got stuck in her throat.

By the time she snapped out of it, Li Yao had already disappeared from sight, dragged away by Qin Yue.

"That woman… Qin Yue?"

Jiang Ningyu clenched her fists, her brows furrowing.

They had just broken up a few days ago, and he already had someone new?

No… That woman must have seduced Li Yao!

The more she thought about it, the angrier and more bitter she felt.

If it were just some random girl, she might not have cared as much.

But Qin Yue?

The famous second daughter of the Qin family.

With a figure and face that rivaled her own—and even a slightly stronger class after her job change.

Jiang Ningyu suddenly felt powerless.

"I was with Li Yao first…"

"No, I have to find him. He must have misunderstood me."

With Qin Yue now by Li Yao's side, Jiang Ningyu knew she didn't stand a chance.

"I should level up first."

Yu Wenhao had rushed back to the Yu Wen family the moment he heard that Li Yao had cleared the Nightmare dungeon.

If she wanted to level up, she had to do it the same way as other professionals—by slowly grinding in dungeons with a team.

If Li Yao were still with me… he would have carried me…

On the other side.

Qin Yue dragged Li Yao under a large tree.

They had moved a fair distance away from the Goblin Nest, and there was no one else around.

Since dungeons had cooldowns—12 hours for Nightmare difficulty—Li Yao allowed Qin Yue to bring him here.

"Alright, what do you want?"

Li Yao's voice was calm.

"What level are you now?"

"Level 15."

"What?!" Qin Yue shrieked. "Nightmare dungeons give that much experience?"

She was envious.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Qin Yue pulled a long face.

Since leaving the rookie dungeon, she had done nothing but grind levels—eating, sleeping, and dungeon crawling with Uncle Wu's team non-stop.

And yet, she was only level 8 and a half.

Meanwhile, Li Yao had been soloing the entire time… and he was already level 15?!

The gap between people was just too unfair.

Seeing his young lady looking so distressed, Uncle Wu tugged at her sleeve, reminding her to get to the point.

Only then did Qin Yue remember she was here to ask for a favor.

"Hehe… Young Master Li."

She rubbed her hands together, pressing her smooth, snow-white legs together as she shifted in place.

Li Yao simply watched her, expressionless.

"You know that our Qin family specializes in equipment trade, right?"

"Would you be willing to let us handle the gear you don't need?"

"Oh, that's all?" Li Yao chuckled. "I would've come to you even if you hadn't asked."

The Qin family was primarily in the equipment business.

As for the equipment department of the Jiangzhou Star Network, it was managed by Qin Yue's uncle.

For most items, using a Star Network clerk was enough, but for rare equipment, it was better to negotiate with higher-ups.

Like that Heavy Blade and the Charge skill.

Hearing Li Yao's response, Qin Yue almost jumped for joy.

Nightmare-tier loot— even if it were just Bronze or Iron—would still be far superior to ordinary gear.

It was the perfect way to make a name for themselves.

Even Uncle Wu looked solemn as he thanked Li Yao.

"By the way, when you saw me earlier, what did you think I wanted?"

Now that business was settled, Qin Yue's curiosity took over again.

Since he had found a reliable way to sell excess gear, Li Yao was in a good mood. He teased her,

"You were so eager… I thought maybe you had a crush on me."

"Oh, so that's what you thought!"

Qin Yue pouted.

"And here I was, thinking you were relieved when I didn't say anything."

She huffed in frustration.

How bad do you think my taste is? Would it be that terrible if I liked you?!

But then, she noticed the amused look on Li Yao's face.

He was joking.

Qin Yue's eyes twinkled mischievously.

She pressed her hands together, resting them gently against her warm cheeks.

With a soft gaze and a playful smile, she batted her long lashes at him.

"Yeah, that's right. I like you."

"Uh…"

Li Yao was momentarily speechless.

Qin Yue burst into laughter.

"Alright, I need to get back to dungeon grinding. If I don't hurry, I'll fall even further behind."

"When you return to Jiangzhou, be sure to contact me. I'll guarantee the best price for your gear!"

She made a firm promise before preparing to leave with Uncle Wu's team for another Hard-mode dungeon run.

"Wait."

Li Yao stopped her.

"Aren't you just coming out of a dungeon?"

If his perception was correct, Qin Yue and her team had just fought recently. How could they enter another dungeon so soon?

Qin Yue looked surprised. "You don't know?"

I'm not an encyclopedia.

She handed him a mirror.

"The Abyss Mirror—it cancels dungeon cooldowns. The number of uses decreases with dungeon difficulty."

"For example, 16 times for Normal, 10 for Hard, 8 for Master… Not sure about Nightmare."

Li Yao examined the mirror.

For Nightmare, it had four uses. He guessed it only displayed the number after clearing a dungeon.

"Wait, the Guild Leader didn't give you one?"

Li Yao didn't explain and instead asked,

"Can it work for teammates, or does everyone need their own?"

"I—of course it works for the whole team! The leader just has to have it."

Qin Yue said this as if it were obvious.

But then, she frowned like she had remembered something painful.

"You don't understand. Once activated, the Abyss Mirror disappears after 48 hours!"

"I've only done two Hard-mode runs, but with my normal dungeon cooldowns, I still need to do at least fifteen more runs within 24 hours!"

"I'm gonna die from exhaustion!"

"This thing must be expensive, right?"

"Hm?" Qin Yue blinked, unsure.

Uncle Wu answered, "Yes, Young Master Li. It's worth about as much as a Gold-tier item. Our Qin family could only afford one at the moment."

Li Yao thought for a moment.

"I can carry you through dungeons. You won't have to lift a finger."

"You'd power-level me?" Qin Yue's eyes sparkled. "Nightmare difficulty?"

"Nightmare."