[Dad, Mom. I have something to tell you, I've got a job now, at least six thousand a month, plus benefits, so don't worry.]
[My boss is called Wang Ba. Although that uncle is a bit odd, he seems easy to get along with, and there's also a big brother named Wusun, he's a good person too. I guess my luck isn't too bad when it comes to meeting people.]
Li Rui stuffed the diary into the drawer, then shouldered his backpack and went out the door.
Now, facing the roaring dump trucks on the road, he no longer needs to worry because, with the empowerment of Extraordinary Power, even if he were hit by one of those things, he probably wouldn't die.
After thinking all night, he also confirmed that he should make good use of this inexplicable opportunity that had come to him.
Even if not for the wealth, fame, and power mentioned by the puppet, just the enhancement to his body from the Secret Realm attributes could make him much safer in the real world.
As usual, after absentmindedly finishing his classes, Li Rui once again arrived at Guotong Mansion, took the backdoor elevator to room 1001, and then found Wang Ba in a small conference room.
The small, balding man stood in front, with three other people beside him.
A red-haired female painter, Liu Shanshan, the leader of Action Group One from the Baili Association's Huangliang branch, Secret Realm agent level 28.
A sickly pale doctor, Zhao Wuji, leader of Action Group Two, Secret Realm agent level 27.
A muscular gym owner, Hu Dali, leader of Action Group Three, Secret Realm agent level 29.
And, of course, the skinny, bald Brother Ba, a popular singing teacher for the elderly, Secret Realm agent level 28.
These people had all shown up at the meeting Chairman Wu held yesterday. They all said they'd pass on Li Rui's Dungeon difficulty at first, but somehow Wang Ba convinced them, getting these seasoned Secret Realm agents together to train Li Rui.
"Xiaoli, having four group leaders train you together is unprecedented. I know you must be nervous, but you have to trust in our expertise,"
Wang Ba said, "Here, take this notebook. Tonight, we will first teach you all the theoretical knowledge and rules about the Secret Realm."
Li Rui felt a sense of déjà vu, as if being kept after school by the homeroom teacher with all the subject teachers taking turns to lecture him.
Don't ask why he has had such an experience.
The beautiful painter Liu Shanshan was the first to open a PowerPoint presentation. She was a niche artist, somewhat famous within her circle, but unknown to outsiders.
She pointed a laser pen at the projection cloth, tutoring Li Rui alone.
"What I'm going to talk about is Secret Realm levels."
She spoke very fast, with an efficient air, "Secret Realm levels follow the agent levels, every five levels is a tier. This means if you're at level one, then the Dungeons you encounter will definitely be level 1-5."
"What does level 1-5 Dungeon mean? It means, under normal circumstances, as long as you're not particularly unlucky, the highest level of enemy and allied NPCs you'll encounter is level 5…."
Upon hearing "as long as you're not particularly unlucky," Li Rui's eyelid twitched.
Half an hour later, the speaker changed.
The sickly doctor opened his lecture notes.
"Just now, Shanshan mentioned NPCs, and I'll continue from there, cough cough."
"Under normal circumstances, the highest level of NPC you'll encounter in a level 1-5 Dungeon is level 5, but if you're unlucky, you may encounter world NPCs, cough cough."
"These NPCs may far exceed the Dungeon's level cap, they roam around different Secret Realms and retain their memories."
Zhao Wuji's pale complexion made his gaze appear even more somber, "If you encounter such people, you must stay cautious, whether they're enemies or allies. The recommended approach is to stay away, because world NPCs often have very high levels and are not necessarily allies. If you encounter a character dozens of levels higher when you're at level one, it's incredibly easy to die instantly."
"Of course, cough cough cough, there's no need to worry too much. As I said, only people who are particularly unlucky would encounter such situations."
"....." Li Rui wanted to speak but chose to silently take notes in the end.
Another half hour later, the gym coach Hu Dali took the stage.
"Xiaoli, you better listen carefully to what I'm about to talk about, Dungeon star ratings are extremely important."
This man wore a black gym vest, showing off his dragon-like muscles without a dead angle, he even shaved his armpit hair, "The Demon Wind Temple you're encountering has ten white stars. Each time you trigger a new random or hidden event that increases the Dungeon's difficulty, white stars turn to black stars. If all ten stars turn black, it means the Dungeon has reached its true maximum difficulty."
"Our final strategy, after research, is to avoid risks and keep the number of black stars below five, only then would you have a chance to pass."
Hu Dali seemed bold and informal, but he spoke systematically, "But again, don't put too much pressure on yourself. With our special training, unless you're an extremely unlucky person, you generally won't light up ten black stars as long as you stay cautious."
At this point, Li Rui couldn't hold it in anymore and threw down his pen, "What's wrong with being unlucky!"
...
After a night's training, Li Rui had mastered all the knowledge needed by a newbie Secret Realm agent. It wasn't complicated, basically equivalent to learning a new online game, which is a natural ability of most teenagers.
The other group leaders had left, and Wang Ba said, "Don't get too tired, we still have six days, we'll take it slow. Let's go, I'll drive you home."
Li Rui did not refuse, following Brother Ba to take the elevator to the underground parking lot, where he saw a red convertible sports car with golden flame decals on the sides.
You really committed to the contrast, didn't you!
A small bald man, elder education teacher, grassroots leader of a secret department, driving a cool sports car, these identities don't quite match up any way you look at them.
Wang Ba raised his eyebrows, "My car, worth a one and a half million, should get you home in twenty minutes."
Li Rui realized that these Secret Realm agents seemed to be quite well off, with Liu Shanshan wearing all designer brands, not to mention Hu Dali being a gym owner and Zhao Wuji's doctor status.
"Brother Ba, even if your salary is high, you shouldn't be this rich, right?"
Wang Ba said, "Making money as a Secret Realm agent isn't difficult. Didn't that dumb puppet tell you? Fame, power, wealth, all can be obtained in the Secret Realm."
He started the car, driving it slowly out of the parking lot, as he spoke in a deep voice, "Moreover, our income is indeed high, but our risks are also great."
Li Rui asked, "Do you mean the risks of exploring the Secret Realm?"
"No, that's not the main thing. Let me put it this way, why do you think the Superpower Division spends money to keep people like me?"
Wang Ba asked and answered himself, "Without mentioning the covert confrontations with foreign and regional forces, the most important job for us mainland Secret Realm agents is to handle one situation."
"We generally refer to this situation as, current realm overlap."