Eric tread cautiously, yet Jessica—seasoned from numerous supernatural dungeons—remained highly vigilant and swiftly spotted her.
"Is that another player?" Jessica sat up straighter.
James looked puzzled. "Where? It's really a living person. Someone even jumped off earlier than William!"
There were three of them here. James and Jessica had jumped together, trekking in tandem to the station, and after half an hour, William arrived—indicating he had left the train before them. William, a veteran player rumored to have amassed a substantial number of points, leaving the train before them was hardly surprising.
"That person must be an experienced player too," James remarked.
William, resting with his eyes closed, glanced briefly at them but swiftly shut them again.
Jessica shook her head. "She looks familiar, but I can't quite place her."
Eric finally stepped closer. Though Jessica felt a faint familiarity, she couldn't recall who this was. Yet Eric immediately recognized her.
Jessica!
A "known acquaintance," marginally better than a stranger. Eric relaxed just a touch and greeted her, "Jessica, do you remember me? Back then, Brother Austin gave us newcomers the orientation…"
Jessica's eyes brightened with recognition, offering a faint smile. "So it's you. Sit down. There are probably only the four of us left on this train."
Eric took her seat graciously.
James, intrigued, asked, "You're a newcomer?"
Eric responded shyly, "I've been through several dungeons, so not exactly new."
"Well, then you're impressive. You even got off earlier than us—that shows talent."
"I was just too scared to stay on the train any longer. I used the safety hammer to break the window and jump. Is the station off-limits now? Is the train still inside?"
"Yes. See that? There's a black haze above the station—very ominous. The train's still there. Judging by how you look, you must have spent a good number of points."
Eric sighed in understanding, "Yeah, the medkits are ridiculously expensive. Sigh!"
"Surviving is what matters. Don't fret the points—you need to live to earn them."
Jessica kept smiling as she listened. When their conversation lulled, she said, "William, let's get ready to go in. It's noon—no better time than now."
William opened his eyes and nodded. "Alright, let's move."
Eric still had many questions. These three were veterans whose every word offered insight. Yet she realized they bore no obligation to mentor her. Had it not been for Austin's final mission before his resurrection and return home, he wouldn't have invested so much time in guiding the newcomers.
Her only recourse was to watch, listen, contemplate, and learn.
With no further queries, Eric followed them.
The nearer they approached the station, the more a chilling cold seeped into her skin, piercing deep into her soul and causing her to tremble.
Tempted to retreat, she instead clenched her jaw and pressed on, eyes fixed on the figures of Jessica and the others ahead.
Inside, the station exuded a gloomy desolation, the air thick with a potent metallic scent, yet Eric saw no blood. Looking up, she found the train's eerie aura still hovering over the platform.
"The train's still here. Be careful," Jessica cautioned.
The train loomed before her, and Eric cautiously avoided it, though her peripheral vision betrayed her, catching a glimpse of crimson stains on the glass windows. She averted her gaze, only to be startled by a sudden, jarring thud that nearly made her cry out.
Jessica glanced back. "Let's go."
Eric nodded.
A severed head, half-smashed against the window, clung to the glass, its single eye fixed on them.
The four of them climbed onto the platform, and as Eric stepped into the glowing circle, she felt as though she were in a dream.
Was it over?
Just like that?
Surrounded by the familiar stone pillars, Eric felt as if she had traversed an entire era in a single moment.
[Player Eric has completed the standard dungeon: Killer Train, earning 14 points… *Correction, correction, dungeon mutation detected, correcting… Player Eric has completed the supernatural dungeon: Killer Train, earning 44 points.]
It turned out to be a mutated supernatural dungeon! Eric was both shocked and elated—shocked that she had unwittingly entered an extremely perilous dungeon, and elated that she had emerged unscathed, with 44 points to her name!
What exactly had happened in that dungeon? Lacking experience, Eric couldn't begin to analyze it. She could tell that Jessica and the others had a clear understanding, and she envied their effortless composure, wondering when she might reach that level herself.
Amid her admiration, she knew one thing for certain: if she didn't venture into supernatural dungeons and gain experience in handling them, her luck might not hold if she encountered another mutated dungeon in the future.
But for now, she was still inexperienced even with standard dungeons. Supernatural ones would have to wait.
"44 points…" Eric allowed herself a moment of joy as she checked her account. Exhausted yet content, she left the stone pillars, planning to return to the inn for a well-deserved rest. After trekking through the desert for half a month, she was utterly spent!
Upon arriving at the mission hall, she found players engaged in animated discussions.
"Another supernatural dungeon has appeared!"
"Killer Train? Does anyone have intel on this dungeon? I'm willing to buy."
"Ask someone who just came out of the supernatural dungeon—"
Eric had exited through the standard dungeon gate, while the supernatural dungeon's entrance remained as quiet as ever. She pretended the Killer Train had nothing to do with her, merely following the crowd's gaze.
The mission hall's bulletin board, usually blank, now displayed a notice briefly stating that the standard dungeon Killer Train had been upgraded to a supernatural dungeon, effective immediately, with a four-day announcement period.
That was it.
No wonder the players were buzzing.
Among the crowd, Eric spotted Jessica standing by the bulletin board. Jessica nodded at her before leaving the mission hall.
"Ten standard dungeon medkits in exchange for intel on the new supernatural dungeon! Interested parties, find me at Room 3654 on the third floor of the inn!"
"I'll offer five! I'm in Room 2455!"
No one was offering supernatural dungeon medkits for information.
To be honest, Eric was tempted. She quietly noted the room numbers and slipped away.
Thanks to this mission, Eric had unexpectedly saved enough points to rent a single room for a month!
She secured a private room and finally settled in.
After some thought, she disguised herself and headed to Room 3654, successfully trading information about the Killer Train for ten standard dungeon medkits.
The buyer, wary of deception, requested, "Play your completion announcement."
Following the buyer's instructions, Eric located a dimly lit speaker in her account settings. After activating it, she navigated to her completed dungeons list and selected Killer Train to replay the announcement.
Satisfied, the buyer promptly handed over the ten medkits.
After sharing all the details, Eric left immediately, detouring through the standard dungeon's stone pillars to remove her disguise before returning to the inn.
Back in her room, she slept until the next morning, waking up ravenous. She prepared a self-heating rice meal—beef bowl—and added two slices of ham and a pair of salt-baked chicken wings. After eating her fill and resting for an hour, she exercised until 5 p.m., then headed to the mission hall to pick up her next task.
Choosing a stone pillar that caught her eye, Eric stepped into the glowing circle.