Chapter Twenty: A Thought (Birthday Request for Support)

In the area closest to the boss, the hunters faced the fiercest battle. This cramped space was lined with nearly a hundred specimen jars, and the arrival of Liu Zong and his companions directly triggered the monsters inside. Unlike those encountered in the corridors, these monsters appeared with astonishing speed—almost in an instant, nearly a hundred were activated.

Almost immediately, the monsters surged toward Liu Zong from every direction. But the hunters had prepared for this. The druid, transformed into a giant bear, let out a roar, sending a red aura expanding outward from his massive form, drawing every monster’s attention.

Simultaneously, the shaman cast the strongest shield upon the druid, ensuring he could withstand the first wave of attacks. The rogue stood beside Liu Zong, gripping a dagger in each hand, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

The hunter stepped back, raising his bow high toward the ceiling, a blue-glowing arrow nocked. As he released the arrow, it burst into a rain of blue light. Within the shimmering cascade, the hunter’s leopard shot forth like lightning; its claws slashed down, carving a red scar through the air.

With the coordinated strike between hunter and beast, more than half the monsters were hurled backward, collapsing to the ground, never to rise again. The remaining creatures, their life force nearly spent, could not withstand even a casual swipe from the druid. Within moments, all the monsters were cleared, and the hall was finally safe.

Standing by the final doorway, the druid remained in beast form, sitting directly on the ground, while the rogue patrolled nearby, as if guarding against some unseen threat. The hunter and his leopard, spent from their exertion, lay motionless, unwilling to move. The shaman began unpacking camping gear, organizing supplies, then turned to Liu Zong: “We’ll rest here for about half a day. You can start sorting through the bodies and gear.”

“Am I going alone?” Liu Zong asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Yes. Right now, the druid and rogue need to guard the entrance, to prevent the boss from charging out. I must prepare supplies, and the hunter has exhausted his most powerful ability, so he needs to recover. Besides, he’ll need to adjust his talents—the next boss requires a different approach.”

Hearing the shaman’s explanation, Liu Zong asked no further questions. Since the group had confirmed the area was safe, wandering the corridors should pose no danger. In fact, Liu Zong welcomed the chance to explore the dungeon alone; throughout the journey, he’d always had a member of the hunter’s team at his side. Though this ensured safety, it deprived him of opportunities for independent observation. Now, this was his chance. Nodding to the shaman, Liu Zong departed with a light heart.

Retracing his steps, Liu Zong began collecting corpses as he went, carefully sorting each item and body with meticulous attention. Nearly two hours passed before he reached the site of their earlier battle with the Hundred-Eyed Giant. Previously, in his haste to enter the corridor, he’d taken only the giant’s body, neglecting a thorough search of the area. Now, with time to spare, Liu Zong decided to inspect the scene more closely.

He first examined the spot where the giant had fallen, then followed the traces of battle to the place where the giant had originally stood. Soon, he discovered a nest fashioned from water plants, scattered with broken shells. Liu Zong surmised this was the giant’s resting place, and if anything remained, this would be the key location.

He searched the nest, but to his disappointment, found nothing. He understood that this dungeon had been cleared countless times—if anything valuable had existed, the hunters would surely have mentioned it. It was unlikely anything had been overlooked.

Just as Liu Zong was about to leave, a sudden thought flashed through his mind. He halted his steps, recalling the kinds of insights he often experienced during meditation, but this was the first time such intuition had struck him while fully conscious.

“The Hundred-Eyed Giant before me is the Pearl King; the Pearl King’s drop, the Emperor’s Pearl, doesn’t conform to the dungeon’s loot rules.”

The Emperor’s Pearl was so valuable that most people, upon obtaining it, immediately regarded it as a dungeon reward, rarely questioning whether it truly belonged as a natural drop.

As this thought surfaced, Liu Zong’s hand instinctively reached for his pack—but just as he touched it, he hesitated.

He realized the Emperor’s Pearl was already immensely important to him. He couldn't expect to find anything better at this stage, and after all, this was only a Lv1 dungeon. The appearance of the Emperor’s Pearl was extraordinarily lucky—one in ten thousand, perhaps. But what about something superior?

No matter how generous the dungeon’s rewards, they couldn't defy the game’s rules, nor could they offer equipment above the dungeon’s level. And even if they did, what use would it be? He couldn’t utilize Lv2 or Lv3 gear yet. With these thoughts, Liu Zong took a deep breath, glanced once more at the battlefield, and turned back toward the corridor.

He moved much faster on his return journey, fearing he might regret his choice and go back to claim the true reward. Toward the end, he even broke into a run.

Liu Zong’s frantic dash through the corridor startled the hunters, who were resting. The shaman, already preparing lunch, was the first to rush to the entrance to greet him.

Seeing Liu Zong safe, and with no enemies in pursuit, the shaman asked, “What happened to make you run like that?”

Liu Zong hesitated, but finally shared the thought that had crossed his mind. As soon as he spoke, the hunters all turned their gaze on him, their eyes revealing both uncertainty and a gambler’s instinct.

The shaman thought for a moment before replying, “You’re not wrong, but your vision is still a little narrow. You know to build a solid foundation, and that Lv1 items are useless to you, but you don’t realize that in this world, there’s something even more important than fundamentals—opportunity.

The game won’t give you anything outside its rules, but how much do you really know about what is possible within those rules? How much do you understand about the hidden rules?”

Stunned by the shaman’s words, Liu Zong didn’t rush back to the site of the battle with the Hundred-Eyed Giant, nor did he immediately seek out any hidden opportunity. Instead, he pondered everything carefully.

The hunters left him to his thoughts, knowing that choices must be made for oneself, and no one could choose for another. In the end, Liu Zong rose to his feet, trusting the fleeting intuition that had crossed his mind.