Chapter 20: "Better to be a little arrogant than to be labeled a weakling.

"Experience Secret Realm?"

Chen Miao's eyebrows rose, but he didn't reply immediately. Instead, he summoned Hungry Monkey and had it quickly search for information on the wristwatch's internet connection.

Soon, he got a rough idea.

There were many kinds of secret realms, like the 'Blood Night Cannibal Village' he had entered before, as well as faction confrontation secret realms, among others—a dazzling array that added up to more than a dozen types.

As for the Experience Secret Realm,

it was devoid of any plot, and the realm was filled with endless monsters. All the players needed to do was to display their abilities in a fundamentally safe place, kill monsters, and gain experience.

There were no completion conditions either.

Generally, this kind of secret realm would only be open for three hours. After three hours, all players would automatically leave the realm—that was what they called the Experience Secret Realm. Naturally, there could be no so-called perfect completion ratings in this kind of realm unless someone managed to kill all the monsters in the realm; maybe then they could obtain a perfect completion rating.

But this was clearly unlikely.

This type of realm would directly appear in the secret realm buildings in major cities. Ordinary players had no chance to enter; openings for the Experience Secret Realm were always secretly booked in advance, leaving no opportunity for the general public to participate.

That Doctor Gou managed to secure two entry spots to the Experience Secret Realm for him certainly meant he had paid a significant price.

After all, who wouldn't want to go to a secret realm with no danger and the chance to gain a lot of experience?

Doctor Gou had already retired from Jianghu, and yet he went back to utilizing his connections just to get these two spots. It was evident how much he cared for his clinic.

"Let's go!"

Chen Miao quickly replied and agreed to meet at the entrance of the Secret Realm Building in two hours. Then he turned to Hungry Monkey, "How's the progress?"

If Hungry Monkey's fighter occupation wasn't fully activated, it wouldn't be able to gain the experience, which would be a huge waste.

"87." Hungry Monkey said, hands on his knees and panting slightly: "I really can't swing anymore, the mission requires full force with every punch. If I hold back even a little, it doesn't count. I've thrown hundreds of punches, but only 87 have met the standard."

"I need a break."

"The main problem is that there's nothing real to hit, I've just been swinging at the air, and that feels so empty."

"Hmm."

Chen Miao nodded silently: "It does feel quite empty, just like that woman who was heartbroken today, right?"

"..."

Hungry Monkey was slightly stunned, then quickly his eyes reddened, his expression ferocious as he leaped up from where he was, intent on continuing without rest, furiously roaring and swinging his fists—clearly, some new strength had surged within him.

This was perhaps what they meant by the activation of a reserve hidden power source.

...

Thirty minutes later.

Hungry Monkey successfully class-changed to a lv.1 'Fighter,' but its combat power hadn't increased much compared to when it was a Strength worker. After all, a fighter with neither skills nor occupational weapons indeed wasn't much different from a laborer.

Once it learned 'Skull Split,' 'Hell Suplex,' and a series of other fighter-exclusive skills, its combat power would start to leap from one level to the next.

But for now, they didn't have the time to work on these things.

Soon,

after spending a full hour commuting, they arrived at the foot of a building in the city district. The building sat in the bustling CBD area, nearly a hundred stories tall, with its all-glass façade looking extremely attractive.

And emblazoned in the middle of the building were four large characters.

"Secret Realm Building!"

This was the place in Fengtian City dedicated to entering secret realms, and Doctor Gou was already waiting for them in an alley across from the building.

"Wow."

Chen Miao gave today's Doctor Gou a once-over and said with a smile, "Doctor Gou, you're looking quite handsome in that getup today."

Today, Doctor Gou wasn't wearing his usual white lab coat but was dressed in a black suit, and his stubble clearly had been neatly trimmed. He looked like a completely different person—much more handsome than before.

"Hmm."

Doctor Gou just nodded casually, not inclined to chat more on the subject. Instead, he took out two paper bags from his coat and handed them over: "These are your and Hungry Monkey's clothes. Find a corner and change into them."

"There are quite a few children of my enemies in this secret realm, as well as disciples of some old rivals and the like. Dressing up a bit handsomer and looking more spirited are precautions to avoid being ridiculed later."

"Alright, sure."

Chen Miao looked at the two bags in Hungry Monkey's hands, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

...

Soon—

Both Hungry Monkey and Chen Miao, now changed into suits, walked out from the depths of the alley.

But the style was somewhat strange.

Chen Miao could be seen wearing a pale gold jacket, shirtless underneath, paired with black casual dress pants, and sporting sunglasses, sauntering from the depths of the alley while carrying a revolver in his hand.

He certainly didn't look like any sort of good guy.

"Do I have to wear this kind of gold suit, and also be shirtless underneath?"

"The look matters to some extent, but mainly, I'm afraid it might be a bit cold to wear like this during this season."

Chen Miao looked down at his outfit somewhat helplessly.

Next to him, Hungry Monkey's attire was even more explosive: he wore a pure white cloth outfit with bands on his wrists and ankles, giving off the appearance of someone pursuing ascetic practice. Especially since Hungry Monkey was slim yet had a very erect posture, this outfit actually gave him that particular vibe, like a tall pine tree.

"The cold winds from The Northern Border haven't blown over yet, it's not cold at all."

Doctor Gou first cursed, then spoke seriously, "Remember, once we get inside, you have to act arrogantly. In a secret realm with a lot of people, you'd rather act with arrogance and attract some anger than be too cowardly and stay at the back."

"Otherwise, you'll easily be marked as weak."

"And in the environment of a secret realm, being marked as weak means either you won't get your share when it's time to divvy up loot or when there's a need to sacrifice someone to cover the retreat, they'll force you to do it, even at places where you need to risk your life to explore, they will make you go ahead, targeted all the way. Even if you get through this secret realm safely, the next time you enter another one, they'll still force you to do these things, do you understand?"

"Better to be arrogant than to be branded as weak."

"Arrogant?"

Chen Miao said with some difficulty, "That's a tall order, I'm naturally easygoing so it's hard for me to be arrogant."

"Just try to act as arrogant as you can."

"Understood."

"Alright, let's go in. I'll take you both in with me."

"But I don't have a Fengtian City residence permit, can I still enter the Secret Realm Building?"

"My face is still worth something."

"Got it."

After that, Doctor Gou took a deep breath, looking more nervous than they were, tidied up his clothes, and quickly walked towards the entrance of the Secret Realm Building. Chen Miao, with one hand on his cane, shirtless under his suit, and wearing sunglasses, followed Doctor Gou.

He looked a bit like a blind man.

As they were about to enter the Secret Realm Building,

he looked up at the building in front of him and suddenly let out a light laugh.