In less than three hours, four Adventurers had successfully cleared the novice mode. They were: Wind's Edge, Lone Blade, John Stone, and Moonlit Snow.
"We finally have enough people!" Wind's Edge exclaimed with anticipation.
"Level mode, here we come!" John Stone laughed triumphantly. "Lord Jack, your Secret Realm's difficulty is lacking. Watch as we conquer your level mode!"
Moonlit Snow's eyes sparkled, "Think we'll find higher-grade zombie soul essence?"
Lone Blade chimed in, "That wouldn't be ideal. Unique Secret Realms are rare, and Doomsday Frenzy is irreplaceable."
John Stone suggested, "Let's protect our treasure Lord. We should hand in and recycle the zombie soul essence we gather so the Lord can recover and not go bankrupt after a few rounds."
The group nodded in agreement.
"Good idea!"
"Hammer Bro is right!"
"Even fishing has a closed season."
"Miracle City is just a tender newcomer."
"This little place can't handle being overrun by all of us."
"Protecting our saplings is everyone's duty. A high-quality Lord should be nurtured, then pushed to create more fun Secret Realms!"
Listen to them!
Is that even human language?
Jack almost rolled his eyes.
The relationship between Adventurers and Lords is delicate. They need each other, but it's not a loving relationship. It's often filled with tactics, calculations, and scheming.
Yet these guys?
They're worried about Boss Jack going bankrupt?
They think clearing novice mode means they've figured it all out?
They have no idea!
The real challenges are just beginning!
He wanted to see how these Adventurers would handle the carefully designed Doomsday Shura field!
Meanwhile, other Adventurers waiting in line gathered around to watch the four.
After John Stone selected multiplayer mode, a new interface appeared, offering random matching and team formation options. The four quickly formed a team.
The game began!
The four Adventurers appeared on the rooftop.
The environment and layout differed slightly from single-player mode. For instance, there were four pistols, four axes, and four medical kits—one set per person.
John Stone cautioned, "Even with more people, we can't be careless!"
Wind's Edge suggested, "Let Old Dao be the captain since he has more experience!"
Moonlit Snow agreed, "No problem!"
Lone Blade advised, "Clear the hallway and scavenge for supplies. Otherwise, we can't fight our way out with just pistols. Be wary of special zombies!"
They pushed open the door.
Down the dark hallway, they saw the familiar grinning Zombie.
"Tch, same old trick, let me handle it!" John Stone grabbed an axe and dispatched the Zombie with a leaping slash, blood splattering everywhere.
"Hahaha, was my skill top-notch or what?"
"Well done!"
Everyone felt safe. More people meant stronger firepower and higher error tolerance. Fighting together increased immersion and fun, and the potential for special zombies added excitement.
Then John Stone heard a faint scraping sound.
"Listen carefully."
"There's something weird!"
The Adventurers peeked out and found themselves staring at twenty to thirty pairs of eyes!
"What the hell?!"
The hideous, bloody Zombies charged like beasts sensing blood.
"Not good!"
"Retreat!"
"There are too many!"
"Open fire, open fire!"
Moonlit Snow pulled out her pistol, but her hand trembled, and a bullet hit John Stone's knee.
"What the heck!"
"Why'd you shoot me?!"
John Stone fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the Zombie horde.
The others fired frantically, but even after exhausting their ammo, they only managed to take down a small fraction.
"Let's fight head-on!"
They drew melee weapons and fought on. Despite chopping down several Zombies, they were quickly overwhelmed. They didn't even make it through one corridor or encounter a special infected.
The watching Adventurers were amused.
Lone Wolf laughed, "Haha, turning a corner and meeting love!"
Pig King teased, "Hammer Bro, weren't you complaining about the low difficulty?"
Mandy added, "More people doesn't mean more power. You might hit allies by mistake!"
Little Chicken quipped, "That's what you get for bragging! Now you see the challenge!"
Several Adventurers exited the Secret Realm.
Though they hadn't expected to clear it in one go, falling so quickly was embarrassing.
John Stone asked, "Lord, what's going on? Why were there so many Zombies?"
Jack shrugged, "With four challengers, I multiplied the Zombies. Isn't it reasonable?"
They exchanged glances.
"That seems reasonable."
"But couldn't you make it more balanced?"
"Is it fair to cram so many Zombies in such a narrow space?"
"Don't panic!"
"We were careless!"
"Yeah, we alerted the horde prematurely, leading to the disaster!"
"With preparation and tactics, four guns and teamwork, using the hallway terrain, we could handle twenty Zombies!"
"This round doesn't count!"
"Again!"
The four strategized, planning to lure in batches, alternate firepower, and coordinate range and melee combat. This time, they successfully cleared the hallway Zombies but exhausted their bullets.
The tense adventure was just beginning!
They found multiplayer mode allowed cooperation and more supplies along the way. However, zombie refresh rates and fixed quantities increased, and new special Zombies with unknown abilities were troubling.
Besides the Exploder and Smoker, two new Zombies appeared: Hunter and Jockey.
The Jockey resembled a thin monkey, climbing onto your head, blinding and disorienting you.
The Hunter resembled a parkour runner, agile like a ninja, running on walls and roofs. It was hard to hit, and its pouncing ability was powerful.
[Adventurer "Lone Blade" has died, soul crystal +1, spiritual power +1!]
[Adventurer "John Stone" has died, soul crystal +1, spiritual power +1!]
"Ah!"
"Dead again!"
"The Hunter Zombie is too agile!"
"The Smoker and Jockey are the worst!"
"Why make such complex monsters? Isn't there something simpler?"
"Practice more if you're struggling. The Lord is a genius. You won't find such monsters elsewhere!"
"Looking for team!"
"I've cleared novice mode too!"
"Big shots, take me to level mode!"
Though beaten in level mode, the Adventurers' constant spiritual power generation showed their enjoyment, even if their words denied it!
Multiplayer level mode was much more fun than novice mode.
Time passed.
The Dungeon had been open for ten hours. Thirteen Adventurers cleared novice mode, but all were stuck in formal levels. Energy exhausted, the Dungeon's capacity reached its limit. Progress seemed impossible today.
Jack tallied his gains.
Today was bountiful!
He hosted 125 Adventurers.
A total of 636 soul crystals and 1222 points of spiritual power were produced!
Additionally, Jack recovered 18 zombie soul essences. A normal new Dungeon might not get this many in half a month.
Currently, he had: 732 soul crystals.
Spiritual Power: 1370/1000.
Spiritual power is crucial for creating Secret Realms and serves as experience points for the Lord's level up.
Each Dungeon Lord rank advancement increases territory level caps, lifespan, and grants a chance to open the Sea of Inspiration and awaken a Crystallization of Inspiration.
In other words, each upgrade allows drawing new materials.
The current upgrade requires 1000 spiritual power.
With sufficient reserve, he could upgrade and draw a brand new Crystallization of Inspiration.
He had been a Dungeon Lord for a week and officially open for only three days!