Lin Fan sat in Elder Ning's peaceful courtyard. He had been there for the entire day. He looked like a calm, supportive Master, but his mind was busy with numbers. He was like an accountant after a huge sale.
He opened his System screen and looked at his total gains. It was time to see the profits.
He looked at the mind-blowing numbers from Ning Xinyi's 500 speedruns.
Goblins Killed: Approx. 50,000 (100 per run).
Goblin Bosses Killed: 500.
Total XP Gain (90% share): 1,125,000 XP.
Total Currency Gain: 825,000 Currency.
Loot: 500x Goblin King's Crude Sword.
Now, he looked at his full character profile. The numbers made him drool.
[Dungeon Game Designer System]
[Host Profile]
Name: Lin Fan
Cultivation Realm: Qi Condensation, Level 4
Talent: Very Poor
[Attributes]
Strength: 6 (+1 from level up)
Agility: 6 (+1 from level up)
Stamina: 5
Intelligence: 15 (His real advantage)
Spirit: 8
[Experience Points (XP)]
Total XP Earned: 1,127,115
[System Inventory]
Currency: 826,500 units
Items:
Goblin King's Crude Sword (Green Tier) x 501
[Dungeon Designer Module]
Owned Dungeon Slots: 3/10
Slot 1: Goblin Forest (Level 1-10) - [Active]
Slot 2: Skeleton Cave (Level 11-20) - [Active]
Slot 3: Cursed Temple (Level 21-30) - [Locked: Requires 'Key of Curses' drop from Skeleton Cave]
Purchase New Dungeon Slot: 50,000 Currency [Available for Purchase]
He had over a million XP saved. He could instantly level up multiple times. But he held back. A sudden, massive jump in his cultivation realm would attract too much attention. People would ask questions. It was safer to save the XP. He could use it in an emergency for a quick power boost, or slowly level up over time to seem like a "late-blooming genius."
His currency was huge. He could buy several new dungeon slots right now. He could start designing dungeons for even higher-level cultivators. The thought made him grin like a perverted wolf.
The 501 identical crude swords were either junk or maybe he could sell them to the sect for some spirit stones to keep up appearances. He would need to evaluate them properly from Forge Hall.
"Good. Very good," he muttered, closing the screen and opening a new one for the Skeleton Cave to spectate. Ning Xinyi had been inside for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, inside the portal, Ning Xinyi was hit by a wave of biting, damp cold. This was not a forest. She was deep underground.
The air was stale, smelling of ancient dust and decay. She stood in a vast cavern, so large its walls were lost in shadows.
Above her, thousands of sharp stalactites were hanging and it looked like she was inside the jaws of a colossal beast.
The only light came from a faint, glowing moss on the floor and walls. The silence was absolute and suffocating.
Then, the silence was broken. A soft clatter... clatter... echoed from the darkness ahead.
A skeletal warrior, its eyes glowing with a faint red light, charged at her from the shadows, the same as the green monster from the previous Secret Realm. But it was faster and stronger than the green ones.
She swung her sword with casual power. The skeleton exploded into a pile of bones.
She started to walk past, but a rattling sound made her stop. The bones on the ground were shaking and flying back together, reassembling themselves.
She was shocked. This was an art she had never seen before. She frowned and attacked again, this time releasing a burst of Ice Qi that shattered the skeleton and froze the bone fragments to the ground.
A moment later, the ice cracked, and the bones began to reassemble once more.
Now she was frustrated. Brute force was not the answer. This time, as the creature rebuilt itself, she did not attack. She watched closely. She saw it then…a dim, pulsating red light, glowing faintly in the center of its ribcage.
"A core." She murmured.
The moment the skeleton was whole again, she did not aim for its head or limbs. A needle-thin spike of ice shot from her fingertip, fast as lightning. It pierced the ribcage and shattered the red core. The light in the skeleton's eyes died, and it collapsed into a pile of trash bones that did not move again.
"This is trickier than the goblins."
She moved deeper into the cave system. The path became a maze of tunnels that opened into larger, cavernous areas. After defeating dozens of normal skeletons, she entered a large, circular chamber. In the center was a pile of bones twice as tall as a man.
As she approached, the pile began to move. Bones flew together, forming a giant, hulking creature—a Bone Golem. This was the first mini-boss.
It charged, swinging a massive arm made of skulls and ribs. Ning Xinyi dodged. Her sword struck its chest, shattering several ribs, but they instantly flew back into place. She knew from her first encounter that she needed to find its core.
She had to be smarter. She dodged its clumsy attacks, her eyes scanning the monster for a weakness. She saw it: a single, pulsating red gem, much larger and brighter than the others, deep within its rib cage.
She feinted an attack to its head. The Golem raised its arms to block. In that split second, Ning Xinyi's body flickered. She appeared at its side, her sword thrusting forward like a needle. The blade slipped between the ribs and pierced the core.
CRACK!
To her surprise, it was a solid core, unlike the previous ones. It shattered like a red glass bead. The Bone Golem froze, then collapsed into a lifeless pile of bones. She was breathing a little harder. This was a real fight.
She continued. The next challenge was in a cavern filled with glowing, purple crystals. At the far end, a skeleton in black robes held a staff…a Skeletal Sorcerer.
She had no idea what a sorcerer is.
Before she could attack, the sorcerer pointed its staff at her. A wave of purple energy splash over her. She suddenly felt heavy. Her movements became slow. Her Qi felt sluggish, like it was moving through mud.
It was a curse.
The sorcerer began chanting, gathering energy for a powerful spell. Meanwhile several skeletons also started assembling from the piles nearby. Ning Xinyi knew she had to act fast. She stood still, closed her eyes, and focused all her power inward.
"Break!" she shouted.
A wave of pure, cold spiritual energy erupted from her body, shattering the purple curse like glass. Her speed returned.
With a flash of movement, she crossed the cavern, dodging all those skeletons who rose to fight her or protect the Sorcerer and cut the sorcerer's head off before it could finish its spell.
Before it could reattach its skull back. She found the core and shattered it.
This fight had tested her spiritual power, not just her speed and sword skills.
Outside, Lin Fan was in shock, he thought this fight would take a very long time and effort but Ning Xinyi speed took care of it in a few seconds.
A cultivator's speed is not to be underestimated. He noted that in his mind.
Her third and final setback was a narrow bridge of rock over a dark, bottomless chasm. Blocking the way was a group of ten skeletons. They held large, thick bone shields and long spears. In the back, a captain with a horned helmet directed them. They were a phalanx, a disciplined military unit.
Her wide, sweeping attacks were useless against their wall of shields. When she tried to get close, their spears stabbed out in perfect coordination. She could not break through.
She was a powerful expert, used to overwhelming single enemies. This was a test of strategy.
However, once again she is a Cultivator, a Martial Expert.
She backed away. Then, she ran along the wall of the cavern, her feet barely touching the rock. She was using her superior agility to flank them. The skeletons were slow to turn. She landed behind their line, and her first target was the captain. It died in a single strike.
Without their leader, the phalanx fell into chaos. She dismantled them one by one.
She stood at the end of the bridge, panting lightly. She was not injured, but she was tired.
Before her stood a giant door made of the bones of some colossal creature. A dark, powerful aura leaked from the cracks. This was the entrance to the main boss's room.
Outside, Lin Fan was in deep thought. He was watching her progress through his spectator mode.
"Damn, this dungeon is easier for her than I thought," he mumbled. A notification popped up.
[Ning Xinyi has defeated the Bone Phalanx Captain.]
[Host Lin Fan receives: +1500 XP.]
[Host Lin Fan receives: +2000 Currency.]
The rewards from each of these three mini-bosses were better than a whole run in the Goblin Forest. But now she is standing in front of the Boss room gate.
"Please be safe, Xinyi," he prayed, his eyes glued to the screen. "You are my most valuable asset... and also very beautiful." He was genuinely worried. This first run in the Skeleton Cave was proving to be incredibly profitable. He could not afford to lose this investment.