Wu Mengying didn't nitpick about the nascent retort from Li Rui, merely saying, "Don't rush. For a newcomer, there's a lot to learn from scratch."
"Let's set aside the real world for now and talk about deaths in the Secret Realm. Under normal circumstances, dying is the most common way to fail a dungeon. Typically, the cost of failing is what I mentioned earlier—losing equipment and losing experience."
"However, deaths in the Secret Realm aren't always without impact on reality. There's a classic example: Ren Xiong, the president of the Chi Jia Association in Nanlin Province, a level sixty-nine Secret Realm agent, encountered the Nether Emperor of Dark Flame while trying to clear a high-level dungeon entrance at Fengdu. He fought valiantly but was overpowered and was imprisoned in the Ten Rotations Eternal Prison Great Array, which sealed his soul."
"It's been ten years, and he still hasn't woken up. The hospital has declared brain death. The Superpower Division and the Ren family have used medical means and Eternal Spiritual Medicine from the Secret Realm to sustain his vital signs. But as for regaining consciousness... the Minister said personally, it's virtually impossible."
Wu Mengying stared at Li Rui: "Of course, it's not just deaths like these that can affect reality. There are those with bad luck who simply fall to their deaths in the Secret Realm but still die in reality—it's unpredictable."
"As for you, since you've threatened the administrator, it's certain that your first dungeon will be extremely difficult, and the random events you encounter will be quite challenging. The probability of failure is high, and you might even face life-threatening danger."
"The key is, even if you're lucky enough not to lose consciousness, the administrator's influence will persist. If you fail the first dungeon, your agent level won't increase, and you won't be able to bring out any other rewards. Thus, subsequent dungeon attempts will continue to fail, creating a vicious cycle that one day will lead to..."
"Anyway, let's focus on the present. Who wants to take on Li Rui? Special training should begin now to maximize his chances of passing the first dungeon."
The red-haired female team leader said, "Uh, I just remembered there's a high-difficulty fieldwork. I need to leave first."
The pale man beside her said, "Cough cough, I have a surgery scheduled."
The muscular man next to the pale man said, "My wife is having a baby."
"Enough!"
Wang Ba slapped the table, "Let me handle it. I consulted the Prophet. I'll take him."
Wu Mengying nodded, "I'll grant you temporary access to the headquarters database. You need to take this seriously and not think about giving up just because the work is hard. Since Xiaoli has already broken one record, let's try to break another by being the first Secret Realm agent to threaten the administrator and survive."
Wang Ba was fired up by these words, and others felt a twinge of regret, thinking perhaps they shouldn't have given up so easily.
At this moment, Li Rui suddenly said, "Hey, my imprint changed. New dungeon."
His words shocked everyone.
[Demon Wind Temple☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]
[167:59]
A few team leaders: Sometimes giving up is also a choice.
Wang Ba rolled his eyes and collapsed breathlessly into his chair.
Wu Mengying looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she stood up, walked over to Li Rui, patted his shoulder, and offered some words of encouragement before leaving the meeting room.
In the end, only Wang Ba and Li Rui remained in the room.
"Brother Ba, failing to clear the dungeon doesn't necessarily mean dying, right? Why does it feel like they're already planning the funeral?"
Wang Ba recovered from his shock, sat up, and sighed, "Did you see those ten stars on your imprint? The higher the number of stars, the higher the dungeon difficulty, and the greater the probability of brain death."
"What's the maximum number of stars?"
"Ten."
"....."
Li Rui was silent, but only in a formulaic disbelief, for this was expected. Following nineteen years of patterns, the first dungeon not being max difficulty would be surprising.
"No, we have to look on the bright side."
Wang Ba suddenly said, "You see, all ten stars on the imprint are white, which only indicates the potential maximum difficulty."
"What do you mean?" Li Rui didn't understand.
"It means it reflects the combined total difficulty of all potential challenges in the dungeon. If you're careful enough and not one of those exceedingly unlucky individuals, it's not inevitable that you'll trigger all high-difficulty events."
But maybe I'm just that one-in-a-billion unlucky guy.
Li Rui muttered inwardly.
Wang Ba, as if trying to comfort himself, chuckled, "Don't overthink it. We just need to do our best. We'll start the training tomorrow. Today, I'll take you to handle the employment formalities first."
"I haven't even said I would join yet!"
"Oh, really? The base salary is six thousand, with additional performance-related bonuses based on fieldwork, which is substantial. Plus, all social and housing insurances are top-level, and most of the time, you don't need to sit in the office; just come when there's work."
"With these terms, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"
In Li Rui's ears, his words sounded like the devil's whisper.
What a dream job.
In fact, Li Rui was just speaking off the cuff earlier. The Secret Realm game was mandatory, and there's a risk of dying. Having a well-supported official organization is very necessary—at the very least, someone is needed to protect him if he loses consciousness in the Secret Realm.
Furthermore, Wu Mengying had mentioned that if a Secret Realm agent dies in the real world, their equipment can be taken by others.
With his understanding of this treacherous world, he's certain there are wild villains who seize equipment through murder. Having an organization for backing is essential; only a brute would prefer solitary action.
After spending a few hours and handling a pile of paperwork and confidentiality agreements, Li Rui became an intern agent of the National Supernatural Abilities Affairs Management Division.
"You're currently in the evaluation period. After that, you'll be issued certification and relevant permissions. In future visits to the building, use the elevator to call security and ask them to connect you to Room 1001."
Wang Ba escorted him to the elevator, "Go home for today. Attend classes tomorrow, and come to training in the evening."
"Brother Wu said I don't need to attend anymore."
"Nonsense!"
Wang Ba said, "Look at me and Chairman Wu, we both have proper jobs. And that female team leader you saw earlier, with the red hair, she's actually a renowned artist."
Li Rui asked, "Brother Ba, what is your job?"
Wang Ba puffed out his chest with pride, "Singing class instructor in pop vocal techniques at the Tree and Cloud District's elderly university."
"Good luck."
Li Rui saw that everything about this man—his name, appearance, job, and personality—was all about contrast.
After he left, Wang Ba's expression turned grim again. Perks, classes, graduation—these were all empty promises. This young man had to survive the dungeon before he could consider those things.
...
Li Rui indulged a bit today and took a cab home. After all, he now had a six-thousand-dollar base salary.
As for college, after the initial excitement faded, he realized that he still needed to attend. Wu Mengying seemed like a proactive person, so failing to earn a bachelor's degree wouldn't look good for his future prospects.
Most importantly, his parents had always hoped he would get a good college education.
Even though he now had a job before graduating, he still needed to fulfill this wish. After all, obtaining a bachelor's degree wouldn't hurt.
As for that ten-star dungeon, the Demon Wind Temple, Li Rui wasn't too worried. For over a decade, life had always been at max difficulty, and life didn't give him attribute points or skills.
However, at least before entering the dungeon, he had a perfect starting character.