Dungeon entrance.
As Gu Chen and Li Wenhui entered the Hell-level Novice dungeon one after another, the crowds of onlookers in the square were already numerous, even more numerous than the guards in the Sanctuary.
Although it was the final sprint for the academy assessment, it would be quite interesting to wait two or three hours to see who would fail first, Gu Chen or Li Wenhui.
Yes, two or three hours.
Although the longest record for challengers who had previously entered the Hell-level dungeon was 6 hours and 43 minutes, reaching the Red Priest stage in the Sanctuary,
But those were only Class Transfers of Level 9 or 10, as the Novice dungeon was only open to Class Transfers of Level 10 or lower.
For someone like Gu Chen and Li Wenhui, one at Level 5 and the other at Level 4, to dare enter a Hell-level dungeon, it was hard to say what was wrong with them.
Thus, in everyone's opinion, two or three hours would be enough to determine the winner.
Everyone is curious, eager to see who will ultimately emerge victorious in this million-dollar bet.
"It's been three hours, and two Hell-level dungeons are still running. Looks like the battle is getting intense."
Because the Novice dungeon is a man-made dungeon, to facilitate monitoring of the dungeon's status, the dungeon will display its active status unless all challengers have died.
This allows one to determine whether the team entering the dungeon is still progressing.
"I guess Gu Chen is about to collapse."
"Well, it's not easy for a civilian to hold on to four actors this long."
"Li Wenhui should have reached the main hall by now. After all, he's the monitor of a key class, and his team is made up of top students."
"I think Gu Chen is quite strong. How could an ordinary civilian last this long in a Hell-level dungeon?"
"It's hard to say. Maybe he's just hiding in a corner, stalling for time..."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, while the dungeon entrance was completely silent.
Another half hour passed, and nearly four hours had passed since Gu Chen and Li Wenhui entered the Hell-level dungeon.
The two dungeons were still active, indicating the battle within was still ongoing.
This only intensified the curiosity of the crowd in the square.
The sheer difficulty of the Hell-level dungeon was obvious. The fact that both Gu Chen and Li Wenhui had managed to persevere for so long surpassed everyone's expectations.
Just then, a flash of light suddenly appeared at the dungeon entrance, and a figure was teleported out.
"Out!"
"Huh? Why is there only one?"
The crowd's faces immediately shifted to a complex expression.
Regardless of which team, if five people entered and only one emerged, it meant the rest of the team had perished. The dungeon battle must have been brutal.
The light quickly faded, and a frail figure stumbled to the ground.
Everyone looked on, speculating.
"Who came out?"
"It should be Gu Chen, right?"
"That's right. The four actors are dead, and he's the only one who made it out alive."
"Oh, what a disaster!"
"No, that's Li Wenhui. How did he get out?"
"Shock! How is that possible?!"
Li Wenhui was covered in blood, his rare gear stained with battle scars.
He was pale and disheveled, looking as if he were only half dead.
However, as Li Wenhui stood still and watched the surprised expressions of the crowd around him, a surge of pride welled up in his heart.
"I broke into the main hall and killed a level 13 black-robed deacon, reducing his HP to over 20,000. Who could be better than me?"
After more than two hours of fighting, his team successfully entered the main hall.
However, the Black Robe Deacon was, after all, a level 13 elite monster. Coupled with the simultaneous appearance of over fifty Fallen Guardians, Li Wenhui's team was ultimately routed.
Finally, he used the newly recruited Thunder Mage as bait, using the entire team to delay the Black Robe Deacon's attack. He himself fled in the chaos, finally escaping combat mode and teleporting himself out.
"Although abandoning my teammates was a bit despicable, at least I survived. Only by surviving can I become the most powerful professional," Li Wenhui consoled himself.
The crowd around him began to murmur, disbelief crossing their faces.
Shouldn't Gu Chen have emerged first?
Why would it be Li Wenhui?
Li Wenhui took in their expressions, his head raised slightly, like a triumphant general, interpreting all this as a display of shock and admiration.
Then, he looked at the lackey who had been waiting outside and asked, "What's the status of Gu Chen's dungeon? Did he die in there?"
The lackey's face froze slightly. "Gu Chen, he's still clearing it..."
"What?"
Li Wenhui's smile froze instantly, his expression akin to seeing a ghost.
"Say that again?!" Li Wenhui roared. "It's been nearly four hours. How could he still be clearing it?"
Li Wenhui found it hard to accept. His team had two rare classes, countless times stronger than Gu Chen's cast, and yet they were nearly wiped out.
Gu Chen's team had entered earlier than him, so how could they still be clearing it?
"Maybe... Gu Chen and his team are just slow at killing monsters," the lackey whispered.
Li Wenhui was slightly startled, then his expression softened a bit.
That makes sense!
He had already defeated the black-robed deacon in the main hall, while Gu Chen and his team were probably still struggling with the Fallen Guards in the square.
Gu Chen and he were simply not on the same level.
"Whatever. After all, the bet is about the clearance rating, not who can last the longest."
"You lackey, set up my tent here. I'm going to wait for Gu Chen to come out and see for myself how he loses."
The people around him nodded in agreement when they heard Li Wenhui's words.
"Yes, it's about the clearance rating. Gu Chen's persistence doesn't necessarily mean he'll have a higher rating."
"I told you, Gu Chen must be stalling in the dungeon."
"A civilian summoner with four actors. Maybe they haven't even entered the temple yet."
"Hey, you know what? That's a real possibility."
Li Wenhui lay in his tent and opened his team's clearance record.
Even though they hadn't successfully cleared the dungeon, the dungeon system still gave them a rating, albeit a low one.
"C-rank? That seems a bit low..."
Li Wenhui frowned. "But this is a Hell-level dungeon. Ordinary class-changers would almost certainly die in there. Not only did I make it out alive, I even got a C-rank rating. That's quite impressive."
Li Wenhui smiled, as if he could already see himself winning the 500,000 yuan bet.
"Gu Chen, what rating will you be? D-rank? Or E-rank? Haha, I'm guessing you'll die in there."