Inside the dungeon, Lin Moyu's undead army surged forward once again. Following closely behind, Lin Moyuâs eyes flickered with a trace of disappointment. Earlier, he had used the Water Gem, gaining 50% immunity to the water element, but no new skills came with it.
His disappointment, however, was fleeting. A moment later, his gaze sharpened with resolve. His class was already powerful enoughâadditional skills would be nothing more than a bonus, a small enhancement that wouldnât fundamentally change his abilities. Mastery of his existing class, he realized, was far more important.
In the dungeon's hell rank difficulty, both the number and strength of monsters had increased significantly, which in turn boosted the EXP gained. Lin Moyu estimated that a full dungeon run would earn him about 5% EXP. If he continued at this pace, leveling up would only take around a dozen runs.
âNeither too fast nor too slow. Just a few more hours.â He mused to himself.
Dungeons came in various sizes, but the Water Godâs Courtyard was relatively small, divided into two sections. Aside from the eighteen courtyards, there was only the palaceâand inside the vast palace, just the boss. The raid progressed quickly.
This time, Lin Moyuâs undead army didnât bother with fighting the monsters along the way. Instead, they lured the enemies and charged straight toward the final courtyard. Lin Moyu didnât pause to inspect the carvings on the pillars and simply followed his army at full speed.
In a mere twelve minutes, they reached the last courtyard. The many Skeletal Warriors, their heads now enveloped by the monsters, were enduring constant attacks, as if continuous blows were raining down on them. The attack power of the monsters had risen noticeably compared to the nightmare rank difficulty. The Lich Generals gathered their spirit force, with at least three of them casting healing spells simultaneously.
The Skeletal Warriors held their ranks under the assault of the Spring Spren, while the Skeletal Mages unleashed spells in unison, greatly boosting the efficiency. Even without using Corpse Explosion, they wiped out the nearly a thousand Spring Spren in just five minutes.
At the eighteenth minute, Lin Moyu jumped into the whirlpool. Then, the skeletons smashed open the palace gate and charged in, enduring a hail of trident strikes.
This was his second time inside the palace, and Lin Moyu immediately noticed something differentâthe trident wasnât the same as before. It seemed to have lost its previous aura of spirituality, and the gem that had been embedded in it was now missing.
When he turned to look, Lin Moyu also noticed that the Water God's Flute, previously embedded into a stone pillar, had vanished. From this point forward, there would be no more Water Gem, Water God's Flute, or Water God's Key.
Meanwhile, his skeletal army had already engaged the trident. Without the gem, the trident was noticeably weaker. After a round of attacks, the trident summoned the Water Godâs projection.
The Water Godâs projection appeared, still clad in armor as exquisite as a work of artâarmor that the skeletons quickly ravaged. As the boss of a level 37 hell rank dungeon, the Water Godâs projection was relatively unimpressive. Its skills were formidable, particularly its freezing skill, which could easily cause catastrophic casualties for a typical party, potentially wiping them out.
But unfortunately for the Water God, it was up against Lin Moyu's undead army. The skeletons could break free from the ice, and the Lich Generals swiftly cast their skill to cleanse any negative effects.
The Water Godâs projection didnât last more than three minutes before it was completely destroyed.
When Lin Moyuâs new score appeared above the dungeon, the Dungeon Hall erupted in excitement.
[22 minutes, 58 seconds]
The speed was mind-blowing. It completely overturned Dongfang Yaoâs understanding of dungeon raiding. She didnât care much about the 10,000 points she lost. However, Lin Moyuâs score beyond comprehension. Soloing a hell rank dungeon was already an incredible feat, but to do it in such a short timeâŠ
In her mind, it seemed utterly impossible, no matter how strong Lin Moyu was.
âCould it be that after the dungeon upgraded, the monsters in hell rank difficulty arenât that strong?â She wondered, âThatâs the only explanation I can think of. I have to see for myself.â ïżœ
Fueled by her doubts, Dongfang Yao entered the dungeon herself. Barely two minutes later, she was forced to come out, looking utterly defeated. As soon as she entered, she encountered three Spring Spren, and they quickly overwhelmed her. She had no choice but to run with her tail between her legs. If she hadnât escaped fast enough, she might have died inside.
Dongfang Yao was shaken to the core. She now found her previous thoughts absurd. Hell rank difficulty was, without a doubt, as brutal as its name suggested. She couldnât manage nightmare rank difficulty on her own, and here she was, foolishly attempting to solo hell rank. It was laughable.
âWhatâs wrong?â A calm voice sounded beside her.
Startled, Dongfang Yao turned to see Lin Moyu standing there. He looked completely composed, as if he had finished his dungeon run without breaking a sweat. There was no sign of exhaustion, not even a change in his breathing.
Her face darkened, still reeling from the near-death experience she had just narrowly escaped.
"It's nothing." Dongfang Yao replied, shaking her head. "Hey..." She wanted to say more but noticed that Lin Moyu had already turned and entered the dungeon again, leaving her words hanging.
Her large eyes flickered with restless energy before a smile spread across her face, "I have to figure out how exactly you raid dungeons."
Determined, Dongfang Yao stayed put, waiting at the dungeon entrance. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, Lin Moyu reappeared.
Blocking his path, she spoke, âLin Moyu, can you do me a favor?â
Lin Moyu raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what the imperial princess might want from him.
Her voice softened as she asked, âCan you let me join you on a dungeon run? Just one time?â
Lin Moyu was taken aback, unsure of her intent, âShouldn't it be easy for you to find a party?â
Dongfang Yao shook her head. âI just want to experience the upgraded water elemental dungeon for myself. My father is close friends with Lord Mad God, so weâre kind of connected⊠Please, just this once. I wonât ask for anything else.â
What she didnât know was that apart from Water Crystal Fragments, nothing else dropped in the Water God's Courtyard. But to her, this plan was her best bet. She had to witness firsthand how Lin Moyu cleared the dungeon so effortlessly. No amount of second-hand information could compare to seeing it with her own eyes. For this, she set aside her pride and made a request for the first time.
Lin Moyu regarded her silently. Bringing someone along for a dungeon run wasnât a big deal to him. At worst, it would cost him an additional 20 minutes and add another dungeon run to his schedule.
Seeing his hesitation, Dongfang Yao quickly added, âIf you bring me along, Iâll take you to the Imperial Archives. There are documents there that you wonât find anywhere else, including some not even Lord Mad God knows about.â
Lin Moyuâs eyes lit up at the offer. The archives held knowledge that could be invaluable to him, and this seemed like a worthwhile trade.
Noticing his interest, Dongfang Yao immediately sensed an opening. With a playful tone, she added, âPlease? Youâve got nothing to lose.â
"Just once?" Lin Moyu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dongfang Yao nodded vigorously, "Just once."
"Alright then." He finally said.
When Lin Moyu agreed, Dongfang Yao jumped up in excitement. Without wasting any time, they formed a party, reset the dungeon's cooldown, and entered the Water Godâs Courtyard.
From the moment they stepped inside, Dongfang Yao kept her eyes fixed on Lin Moyu, determined to witness every step of his dungeon run. They were about the same level, so why was the gap in their abilities so massive? What was she missing?
The very next moment, her expression shifted dramatically. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell wide open. Lin Moyuâs undead army had appeared in the courtyard, swiftly drawing the dungeonâs monsters and moving forward with ease.
Lin Moyu, noticing her shock, glanced at her, âDonât just stand there. Letâs goâ
Snapping out of her stupor, Dongfang Yao muttered in disbelief, âAre all these your summoned creatures?â She still couldn't process the sight of the massive undead horde storming ahead.
Lin Moyu gave her a curious look, "Isnât my undead army already well-known? Why do you look like youâve just came back from outer space? There should be information about my class in the empireâs records. You can check it when you get back."
Dongfang Yao nodded. With her status, she had access to most information. And for anything beyond her reach, wasnât her father still there to help? She suppressed her shock and followed Lin Moyu through the dungeon, still trying to wrap her head around things.
When they reached the final courtyard, she noticed the whirlpool and assumed that Lin Moyu was going to leave the monsters behind and just jump straight in. But to her surprise, the skeletons regrouped, and the Skeletal Mages unleashed a concentrated barrage of magic spells. The courtyard lit up with a brilliant onslaught so intense that Dongfang Yao had to squint her eyes.
She could feel the immense power radiating from the Skeletal Magesâ attacks. The magic spells were overwhelming, and within minutes, the entire swarm of Spring Spren was wiped out.
Dongfang Yao was utterly dumbfounded, asking in disbelief, "Is that it?"
"That's it." Lin Moyu replied calmly, then jumped into the whirlpool.
While others painstakingly battled monsters one by one, Lin Moyu gathered them en masse and wiped them out in a single sweep. Now, Dongfang Yao understood the secret behind his speed. His efficiency in pulling and eliminating entire hordes at once made his dungeon runs incredibly fast.
Once inside the palace, the skeletons quickly surrounded and annihilated the Water Godâs projection with ease. In no time, the boss was down, and the two exited the dungeon.
Still dazed, Dongfang Yao was processing what she had just witnessed. Lin Moyuâs method wasnât just fastâit was mind-blowing.
"Remember your promise." Lin Moyu reminded her as he left the party, his tone indifferent. Without waiting for a response, he to do another solo run.
It had been a one-time deal, and Lin Moyu had no intention of repeating it. To him, it was purely a transaction. Dongfang Yao had received what she wanted, and he had no doubt she'd keep her word. There was no need for further interaction.