When Ling Yu saw Sheng Sheng again, she was wearing an indescribable expression.
"…Something happened?" Ling Yu asked.
Sheng Sheng shook her head and said in a sing-song, operatic tone, "I have discovered a person of noble character!"
Ling Yu: "..."
He nodded in understanding. "You're sick."
Sheng Sheng rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't understand!"
In truth, even she didn't understand.
Why had Antonio returned those vials to her in the end?
—And after carefully refining them, no less.
The old man had clearly looked very fond of those potions…
"Forget it." Sheng Sheng shook her head, giving up on exploring the inner world of people with lofty morals.
Sheng Sheng: I'm a bad person. I only need to know how to bully good people!
She took out two vials and stuffed them into Ling Yu's hands, patting his shoulder. "Good brothers share fortune and hardship. If I have something, you definitely get a share."
Ling Yu: "..."
He examined the bottles briefly, then said expressionlessly, "Water?"
Sheng Sheng coughed awkwardly, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.
"Nonsense, it just looks like water!"
In fact, when she first got the potions, Sheng Sheng had also suspected they might actually be water—that was why Antonio had returned them so generously.
But reality proved she had overthought things.
These were indeed high-grade potions.
Ling Yu glanced at her, then used Appraisal on the bottle.
Item Name: Marissa Essence Solution
Properties: Pure, transparent. Highly suppressive toward dark power and its derivatives.
Description: Its base liquid is drawn from Marissa Spring, refined personally by the master alchemist Antonio. After the %…@…￥ incident, Marissa Spring dried up completely. Perhaps this will be the last Marissa Essence Solution in the world. Please use it wisely.
It was the first time Sheng Sheng had ever seen such a long item description. From that alone, it was clear the potion's grade was no joke.
—Especially the earnest advice at the end. It was perfectly normal wording, yet somehow made her feel uneasy.
Antonio had said something similar before, telling her to "make full use of it."
Sheng Sheng: In novels, this is probably what fate smells like!
After confirming it wasn't Sheng Sheng's prank, Ling Yu's expression softened slightly. He then—
Handed the potion back to her.
Sheng Sheng: "..."
"Keep it with you," Ling Yu said calmly. "Barring accidents, I'll be leveling with you for a while."
Sheng Sheng immediately brightened, laughing as she slapped his shoulder. "Alright! Then we'll play together from now on!"
Ling Yu nodded reservedly.
After discussing briefly, the two headed toward the leveling grounds.
At the outskirts of Frostwind Forest.
Sheng Sheng and Ling Yu found a suitable spot and began grinding.
If Ashen Forest's specialty was green-skinned goblins, then Frostwind Forest's specialty was a group of short, stocky beastmen.
Monster Codex—
Name: Dwarf Beastman
Level: 14
HP: 300
Skill: Heavy Hammer Smash
…
—A typical thick-skinned, high-damage, low-agility monster.
After some testing, the two quickly drew conclusions.
Dwarf Beastmen were basically mini beastmen. Because of their bulky bodies and massive wooden clubs, their movement speed was extremely slow.
Both Sheng Sheng and Ling Yu played with their brains. They quickly fell into rhythm.
—Sheng Sheng would first use Lightning Arrow to pull aggro.
Dwarf Beastman HP −100
As it continued charging forward, Sheng Sheng would calmly cast Holy Light Orb.
Finally, Leaping Trap would pin it in place.
At that point, all of Sheng Sheng's attack skills were on cooldown, so Ling Yu would take over with his dagger.
An Assassin's basic skill damage wasn't high, but their attack speed far surpassed a Priest's.
−10, −9, −12, −15…
By the time Ling Yu finished his combo, Sheng Sheng's Lightning Arrow cooldown was ready again, and she would finish the monster with a single shot.
Working together, a monster took at most twenty seconds.
Sheng Sheng was delighted and gave him a thumbs-up. "Great teamwork!"
Ling Yu wiped his dagger. His expression didn't change, but his subsequent attacks were noticeably sharper.
The entire afternoon passed like this—grinding nonstop on the outskirts of Frostwind Forest.
[System]: Congratulations, player [Song Unending], you have leveled up.
[System]: Congratulations, player [Feathered Ling], you have leveled up.
Almost back to back, white light flashed over both of them.
Sheng Sheng glanced at the "Level 16" on her panel, set down her staff, and turned to ask, "You're level 14 now?"
Ling Yu nodded.
Sheng Sheng stroked her chin. "I wonder when we'll be able to run dungeons…"
To avoid suspicion, she added, "Other games all have dungeons. This one wouldn't seriously not have any, right?"
Ling Yu was silent for a moment. "No idea…"
[System]: Player [Sugar Pellet] has uncovered the conspiracy of the Dark Elf race and successfully discovered the hidden [Dissolution Secret Realm].
[System]: [Dissolution Secret Realm] is now officially open! Players level 15 and above with sufficient strength, please proceed to challenge it!
Two server-wide announcements.
Sheng Sheng and Ling Yu stared at each other, momentarily forgetting what they were about to say.
After a long while…
Sheng Sheng: "Do I have a passive skill that makes my wishes come true?"
Ling Yu: "..."
In fact, others reacted even more strongly than the two of them.
—Almost the instant the announcement went out, the previously quiet World Channel exploded.
"Tell me this is real! I'm not seeing things, right?"
"It's real! The game's first dungeon is finally here!"
"Lighting a cigarette in weathered fashion—I seriously thought we'd be grinding mobs forever."
"Someone tell me where this dungeon is! I, Lei Aotian, will conquer this little demon today—Jesus himself couldn't stop me!"
"Dungeon's 15+ only. Brother Aotian's only level 14—what are you getting excited for?"
"I'm level 15! Big shots please notice me, begging for dungeon coordinates!"
…
Sending messages in World Channel cost one copper coin each. Early-game players were all broke, so hardly anyone talked there.
Now the refresh speed was so fast it was unreadable—proof of how excited everyone was.
After observing for a bit and confirming it had devolved into a bragging contest, Sheng Sheng closed the channel.
She glanced at the man beside her.
Ling Yu noticed and paused. "You want to go?"
Sheng Sheng narrowed her eyes and smiled. "A new dungeon. I want to see what it's like."
Ling Yu nodded, sheathed his dagger, and turned to leave without hesitation.
Sheng Sheng: "…?"
Sheng Sheng: Did our friendship just shatter?
But after walking several steps, Ling Yu suddenly turned back, puzzled. "You're not coming?"
Sheng Sheng was even more confused. "You're going with me?"
Ling Yu frowned, as if it were obvious, urging, "There'll be a lot of people. We should hurry."
Sheng Sheng: "..."
The dungeon required level 15. Her close friend was only level 14—why was he joining the excitement?
To accompany her?
The thought barely surfaced before she rejected it.
Her close friend was such a cold person—how could he possibly change plans for someone else?
She probed, "Close friend, you also want to check out the dungeon?"
Ling Yu glanced back at her, neither confirming nor denying—default agreement.
As expected!
Sheng Sheng felt vindicated.
Sheng Sheng: As expected of me!
The Shadow Marsh lay directly north of Kaedelin City. Compared to other leveling areas, its atmosphere could be described as deathly quiet.
—Even places like Frostwind Forest and Ashen Forest, which already had few players, were livelier.
The reason was simple: it lived up to its name.
The designers were honest—if it was called a marsh, then the entire map was marshland.
Five steps, a trap. Ten steps, a pit.
Classes like Archers that relied on movement and kiting found grinding here akin to stepping through a minefield—often dying to the swamp before killing the monster.
Usually, players would rather be crushed by crowds at Blazing Sun Farm than come here.
But today was destined to be a day of sweet irony.
—Once the World Channel announced the dungeon's location, waves of players surged here.
The once-silent Shadow Marsh was about to see its largest crowd since launch.
Along the way, Sheng Sheng saw many fellow travelers, all visibly excited.
Frostwind Forest was remote.
By the time Sheng Sheng and Ling Yu arrived, the coordinates were packed with players. People were shoulder to shoulder, excitedly discussing the dungeon, voices roaring.
And the object of discussion stood there quietly, beautiful in its solitude.
It was an altar.
A circular altar, not very large—its diameter looked under five meters.
It had three tiers, each not very tall, with staircases thoughtfully set on all four sides. At its center floated a massive diamond-shaped crystal.
Sound familiar?
Ling Yu said, "It's the same as the altar in Frostwind Forest."
Aside from the crystal color—sky blue versus deep violet—the rest looked like they were stamped from the same mold.
As someone who'd read the original novel, Sheng Sheng already knew all this.
But she could only laugh awkwardly and say, "That's normal. The Frostwind Forest altar barely counts as a dungeon too."
That one was solo-only, though.
Ling Yu extrapolated, "Kaedelin City is surrounded by forests. If Frostwind Forest and Shadow Marsh both have dungeons, then the other two…"
He rarely talked so much.
Sheng Sheng absolutely dared not respond.
Did the other two forests have dungeons?
Of course they did.
Could she say it?
Absolutely not.
So she could only hum noncommittally.
Ling Yu paused, then said, "You're acting a bit strange. Are you—"
"Ah!" Sheng Sheng suddenly shouted, interrupting him, face full of delight. "Someone entered the dungeon!"
Ling Yu: "..."
Sheng Sheng coughed and dragged him over to watch.
She wasn't lying—teams really were entering.
After much discussion, players had selected two of the strongest teams.
A party could have up to five players.
These two teams of ten were fully equipped, average level around 17—top-tier players considering the highest level was only 18.
Their class composition was textbook: two Warriors, two Priests, two DPS. Extremely solid.
In the eyes of onlookers, even if they didn't clear it, they'd at least scout the dungeon.
And once the mechanics were known, guides could be made for others.
The players watched with bated breath.
Then—
The crystal marking the dungeon entrance suddenly flared.
And… five figures appeared.
It was one of the teams that had just entered!
"???"
Question marks flooded the crowd.
"It's only been a few minutes!"
"They already cleared it?"
"Low-level dungeon is low-level dungeon. No difficulty at all."
"Seriously? That fast?"
"Dungeon's too easy. Look at them—no dirt on their gear. Clearly no real fighting."
In this game's realistic system, intense battles left visible grime.
And indeed, the team looked spotless.
"Too clean," Sheng Sheng muttered.
Ling Yu glanced at her.
She explained, "Fast clear and clean gear is possible. But I'm more inclined to believe they just took a sightseeing trip at the entrance."
Instant clears were possible—
But only in late game, when everyone was level 100+, killing trash mobs with basic attacks.
Ling Yu nodded in understanding.
Sure enough, when questioned, the team admitted they'd only done a 'dungeon entrance day trip.'
"No way, you got wiped by trash mobs?"
"We didn't even see mobs!"
"Who designed this trash dungeon? You have to answer questions before fighting! My education level peaked at prenatal classes!"
"I'm a humanities student! Humanities! Why give chemistry questions? Match majors, okay?!"
Each sentence was blood and tears.
The onlookers fell silent in pity.
Sheng Sheng: *tears up*
She wiped nonexistent tears and turned to leave.
Show's over. Time to grind.
Ling Yu followed.
As they walked, he suddenly said, "I've never played games before."
Sheng Sheng: "?"
Ling Yu seemed to choose his words carefully. "I haven't played games before, so I don't know common sense things."
"Oh!" Sheng Sheng understood. "That's fine! No one knows everything at the start. Besides, if you don't know, it's okay—I know a lot!"
Ling Yu: "..."
For some reason, he fell silent again.
But then again, he was silent twenty-three and a half hours a day…
Sheng Sheng: Probably fine.
When grinding resumed, Ling Yu's output remained sharp.
Sheng Sheng soon forgot about it.
That evening, after logging out for dinner, Sheng Sheng browsed the forum.
Sure enough, a strategy post had appeared.
Or rather—one third of one.
The posters hadn't cleared the dungeon.
The video showed a balanced team passing the quiz stage, clearing mobs smoothly, then meeting the first boss…
A tragedy.
The boss was a massive wolf-type monster, over three meters tall, wielding a giant spiked club. Each hit took at least a third of a player's HP.
With two Priests, they barely held on.
Then at half HP—the boss unleashed an AoE.
The squishy Mage and Archer were instantly killed. The Priests were left at critical HP. The Warrior at half.
Deaths could respawn at the entrance—for a fee of one-third of the current level's experience.
But they never got the chance.
The boss immediately cast the same AoE again.
Total wipe.
The OP concluded: "With current levels, this dungeon is impossible! At least full team level 20+, full gear, or Priests with resurrection skills to have a chance!"
Sheng Sheng: "..."
She closed the tablet, unimpressed.
Level 20+, full gear? That'd take forever.
And resurrection skills?
Sorry—this game doesn't have them.
The next day after logging in, Sheng Sheng said, "Once you hit level 15, we can try clearing it."
Ling Yu didn't think it was absurd.
He glanced at his EXP bar. "Seventeen percent left."
Sheng Sheng stroked her chin. "All-nighter?"
Ling Yu replied immediately, "Okay."
Sheng Sheng: "…That was fast."
All-nighters were normal for her, but Ling Yu was a patient—shouldn't he rest?
Seeing her look, Ling Yu explained, "I use a top-tier gaming pod."
Sheng Sheng: "..."
Top-tier pods could hold nutrient fluids and medical recovery solutions. Many paralyzed players regained purpose through them.
So for Ling Yu, gaming equaled recovery.
Sheng Sheng: The rich really live differently.
That night, they ground until after four in the morning, finally pushing Ling Yu to level 15.
Ling Yu checked his panel, calm as ever. "I have something to do. You go sleep."
"I added high-grade nutrient fluid," Sheng Sheng protested.
Ling Yu shook his head. "It can't fully replace sleep. Clear the dungeon after dawn. Go sleep."
"…Are you usually both dad and mom at home?"
Ling Yu: "?"
"I'm going to sleep!"
She logged out instantly.
After sleeping deeply, Sheng Sheng realized natural sleep was irreplaceable.
Resolved not to pull unnecessary all-nighters, she logged back in.
A message arrived immediately.
[Feathered Ling]: Come straight to the dungeon.
It was around 10 a.m.—peak hours.
When she arrived at Shadow Marsh, it was still packed.
Then she spotted Ling Yu in a corner.
"Close friend!" She waved.
To her shock, Ling Yu waved back.
What made such a cold person act so down-to-earth?
Approaching, she froze.
"Where did you get all that gear?!"
Hours ago he'd had scraps. Now he was fully equipped.
"Bought it," Ling Yu said simply.
"…Wow."
She didn't approve of buying gear so early.
Seeing her look, Ling Yu frowned. "Was that wrong?"
"No no," she hurriedly said. "It improves fault tolerance. Dungeon'll be easier."
Ling Yu frowned deeper. "If it's wrong, tell me. I'll fix it."
She explained patiently. "You're not wrong. Games have different playstyles—poor or rich."
Ling Yu looked thoughtful.
Then suddenly asked, "You don't like extravagance?"
Sheng Sheng: "..."
"Who gave you that idea?" she said solemnly. "If I were rich, I'd be extravagant every day!"
She gathered herself. "Let's recruit."
They needed five.
Her plan was casual recruitment.
Reality proved her naive.
"Level 15 Assassin wants dungeon?"
"Did you read the forum?"
Someone even tried poaching her.
Insulting Ling Yu crossed the line.
She retorted fiercely, then dragged Ling Yu away.
At the tavern, she said, "We'll recruit in World Channel. If not, grind more."
Ling Yu agreed.
[World][Song Unending]: Recruiting for level 15 dungeon. No restrictions. Need tank, healer, DPS +++++++
She didn't expect much.
But a minute later, applicants came.
A cheerful girl and her 'family member.'
Both level 15, poorly geared.
Their IDs were terrifying.
[Three Years Gaokao]
[Five Years Simulation]
______
TL:
"Three Years Gaokao, Five Years Simulation" (三年高考,五年模拟, Sān Nián Gāokǎo, Wǔ Nián Mónǐ)
This is a legendary (and notorious) Chinese exam prep book series - basically THE study guide that dominates Chinese students' lives when preparing for the gaokao (college entrance exam).
What it contains:
Past 3 years of actual gaokao exam questions
5 years worth of simulated practice problems
Exists for every subject
Thick, dense workbooks full of endless practice problems
PTSD in style.
_____
Sheng Sheng sucked in a breath.
"Actually I just need living people," she joked.
They introduced themselves.
Soon, two more joined—Ling Yu's nephew, an Archer named Ling Xingxing.
Thus, the party was formed.
At the dungeon queue, someone mocked them.
Sheng Sheng recognized him.
She smiled sweetly. "Remember—next time we meet, kneel and call me dad."
The man seethed.
Beside her, Sheng Qing whispered, "Sis, you sound like a villain."
Sheng Sheng lit up. "That's great!"
Sheng Sheng: Villains live longer!
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup