Chapter 13: Sealed Chamber

[System Prompt: The quest dungeon has been generated.]

[System Prompt: "Would you like to" enter the current dungeon?]

As Qu Shiayun's foot stepped into the entrance of the underground dungeon, the system prompt sounded, causing him to pause and eagerly await the details of the quest.

[Quest Name: Teammate] [Quest Level: Intermediate] [Quest Objective: Find and assemble a stable adventuring team to complete a series of challenges] [Quest Rewards: Abundant experience points, equipment items, and skill upgrades] [Quest Description: On the path of adventure, a strong team is indispensable. You need to find suitable teammates to form a powerful team and overcome various challenges together.]

[System Prompt: The quest dungeon has been generated.]

[System Prompt: "Would you like to" enter the current dungeon?]

Qu Shiayun, with one foot in the underground dungeon, was momentarily stunned by the sudden system pop-up window.

"This system is really bursting with features," he thought to himself.

Just as he was contemplating this, he was interrupted by an impatient voice from behind.

"Kid, if you don't have the guts to go down there,"

"Then get out of my way quickly! Your grandpa's time is precious!"

His thoughts were interrupted, and Qu Shiayun turned around to see a burly, bearded dwarf glaring at him impatiently.

Behind the dwarf stood five other adventurers dressed similarly.

A sense of familiarity crossed his mind, and Qu Shiayun caught a whiff of alcohol from the dwarf's body.

No one would be drinking before entering the dungeon in the middle of the day.

After all, regardless of the time, drinking alcohol before entering the underground dungeon is a taboo for adventurers.

If someone smells strongly of alcohol but hasn't actually been drinking, then most likely they are members of the Soma Familia.

Realizing the identity of these adventurers, Qu Shiayun had no intention of accommodating them. He raised his hand and slapped away the hand of the Soma Familia adventurer who had pushed him.

In a calm tone, he said, "In a hurry to go to hell?"

Upon hearing these words, the members of the Soma Familia were first taken aback, but soon they became furious.

Some glared at Qu Shiayun with flushed faces, while others wanted to rush forward and tear him apart. The leader, a dwarf adventurer, cast a dark glance at Qu Shiayun's face.

There were no harsh words, just a cold remark.

"I'll remember your face."

Having said that, he led his teammates and walked towards Qu Shiayun side.

However, just as he had placed one foot on the staircase leading to the first level of the labyrinth , Qu Shiayun suddenly turned around, lifted his leg, and kicked him squarely in the buttocks.

In a scream of agony, the dwarf adventurer tumbled down the staircase from a distance of about ten meters. In the end, he landed in a pitiful position resembling a dog eating feces, stumbling into the first level of the Dungeon.

"You bastard! You're asking for death!"

Witnessing their captain being attacked, the other Soma Familia members who hadn't entered the maze yet drew their weapons and glared at Qu Shiayun with murderous intent.

The atmosphere at the entrance of the maze became tense in an instant. Many adventurers who were preparing to enter the maze also gathered around, eager to watch the commotion.

"You worthless Soma trash, are your eyes blind?"

"Take a good look at the complete set of equipment on his body, crafted by the Hephaestus Familia. It wouldn't be surprising if he's a newcomer of the Hephaestus Familia. Are you Soma Familia members planning to be failures in Orario?"

Among the onlookers, some sharp-eyed adventurers quickly noticed the difference in Qu Shiayun equipment.

Of course, it was possible that he belonged to another Familia, but being able to afford a full set of equipment crafted by the Hephaestus Familia indicated either his own formidable strength or the support of a powerful Familia behind him.

Regardless of the answer, it didn't stop the surrounding adventurers from joining in and ridiculing the members of the Soma Familia.

There's no way around it. The reputation of the Soma Familia is simply terrible.

Hephaestus Familia?!

Upon hearing the reminder amidst the mockery from the surrounding crowd, the Soma Familia members who were confronting Qu Shiayun began to carefully examine his equipment, which was adorned with the "Ηφαιστο?" emblem.

Once they confirmed that it was indeed equipment from the Hephaestus Familia, the members quickly grabbed their weapons and sneakily entered the dungeon, not daring to utter a single harsh word.

Within the entire city of Orario, the Hephaestus Familia was one of the most influential Familias, even ranking in the top three.

As a group of adventurers passed by Qu Shiayun, their captain patted his shoulder and kindly warned him, "Young man, you have to be careful. These bunch of alcoholics are extremely cunning, always engaged in despicable acts that harm others for their own benefit."

"Thank you for the reminder," Qu Shiayun responded with a smile.

If he remembered correctly, the dwarf adventurer from the Soma Familia who was just kicked into the dungeon was one of the individuals who had previously assaulted Liliruca Arde.

Given the other party's personality, it is indeed possible for them to play dirty in the dungeon.

However, Qu Shiayun didn't pay too much attention to it. After all, the strongest member of the entire Soma Familia was only at Level 2.

With his current strength of 11 points, along with the bow given to him by Chun, it shouldn't be too difficult to kill a Level 2 adventurer. However, if he were to face multiple Level 2 adventurers at the same time, his only choice would be to flee and save his own life.

After receiving the blessing of the Divine Grace, Qu Shiayun initially thought that each attribute point corresponding to the system was equivalent to 100 growth points. So when he had 9 points in his strength attribute, he thought it corresponded to over 900 strength points.

However, with Tsubaki help in testing, it seemed that his strength of 11 points did not possess the strength attribute of a Level 2 adventurer, which is 200. To obtain a more accurate value, it seemed that he would have to update his status screen, but that would expose the secret that his strength had far exceeded S-rank.

Therefore, the only reason Qu Shiayun could think of right now is that for each attribute level increase at Level 2, it requires significantly more system attribute points compared to when he was at Level 1.

This can be easily understood, as the higher the rank, the greater the disparity in small level differences.

Qu Shiayun, who had retreated to the side, decided not to enter the dungeon but instead focused on the task that appeared in the system. However, after searching for a while, he couldn't find any details about the task. Uncertain about how he would enter the supposed instance, he decided to find a relatively safe place to make further attempts.

Instead of returning to his Familia, Qu Shiayun climbed up the Babel Tower and headed towards Tsubaki's shop. Although he was unsure if Tsubaki was there, as the "Captain's Son," he could easily borrow the lounge for a while.

...Ten minutes later, inside the lounge of the Babel Tower, Tsubaki was present.

[System prompt: Confirm entry into the task instance. Teleportation will commence in 3 seconds.]

Staring at the prompt window in front of him, Qu Shiayun silently counted to the third second in his mind. And in the next moment...

A powerful pulling force was felt, and he felt as if his soul was being ripped away from his body. Immediately, he lost all consciousness.

...

As his consciousness returned, Qu Shiayun instinctively took a large step back and swiftly removed the black bow from his shoulder. He then grabbed an iron arrow from his quiver and nocked it, pulling the bowstring taut.

After completing his actions, Qu Shiayun realized that there were no enemies in front of him, but he noticed a girl in the distance, her head buried in her knees, curled up in the corner of the wall. Due to the dim lighting, he couldn't see much.

Frowning slightly, Qu Shiayun didn't immediately approach her. Instead, he assessed the surroundings to eliminate any potential dangers. The walls of this enclosed space were made of differently sized blue protruding cubes, seemingly made of some kind of metal.

"Save me..."

Suddenly, a plea for help echoed in his ears.

Recognizing the voice coming from the girl opposite him, Qu Shiayun frown deepened.

No matter how he looked at this eerie scene, it didn't seem like a good situation. It gave him a sense of a horror movie.

"Who are you? Why are you trapped here?" he asked cautiously

However, instead of a response, Qu Shiayun was met with a dead silence, as if the girl across from him wasn't a living person.

"How can I save you?" he asked, while unintentionally taking a step back. However, his body collided with the metal wall behind him.

In an instant, the previously blue chamber transformed into a horrifying blood-red color! Countless monsters materialized out of nowhere, swiftly occupying the entire chamber space!