"Our Jones family owns a dungeon that produces amethysts. A single amethyst can sell for over a million credits, but the dungeon only yields a hundred amethysts per year."
"But when the dungeon first opened, the amethysts filled an entire lake!"
"Every newly discovered dungeon is packed with massive untapped resources. Even if the military takes a portion, the scraps left behind are still far better than anything from already-developed dungeons!"
Amy paused, then continued,
"Typically, new dungeons are tightly controlled by the first faction to discover them, used exclusively to cultivate their core members."
"The fact that they're using this one as the venue for the Seven Schools Training Camp is a huge gesture. It seems the city government is taking this Resource Allocation Battle extremely seriously."
Ethan suddenly realized, his heart skipping a beat with excitement.
A new dungeon held so many benefits!
It was clear that Lincheng was sparing no expense this time around.
The three continued onward, observing their surroundings carefully.
The closer they got to the marked area of the military base, the more signs of human activity they saw: cleared paths, hidden surveillance cameras, and even occasional invisible energy scans sweeping over them.
"We can't go any further," Amy said, pulling Ella back as she tried to peek ahead.
"The area beyond is the core of the military restricted zone. Getting any closer would result in warnings, or even attacks..."
Before Amy could finish her sentence, Ethan suddenly froze, his gaze snapping toward a dense thicket of bushes to their side and rear.
He instantly cast a Heal spell in that direction, instantly learning the target's information.
Seeing the name on the status prompt, Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Amy and Ella also tensed up instantly, assuming combat stances.
"Come on out, Bruen. Do I have to invite you personally?"
Ethan called out.
After a moment, the bushes rustled, and a slightly embarrassed figure with a simple and honest look stepped out—it was Bruen.
"Don't be alarmed, don't be alarmed! It's just me!"
Bruen raised his hands, still wearing that harmless smile.
"What a coincidence! Ms. Jones, Ms. Ella, who would have thought we'd run into each other in a place as big as Black Iron Mountain!"
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything.
"Your idea of a 'coincidence' is quite unique, Bruen," Amy said in a flat tone, her eyes sharp.
"Haha, I just arrived here a moment ago," Bruen laughed awkwardly, his gaze quickly sweeping over the three of them.
"I heard some movement over here and came to check it out. Never expected it would be you three."
"Is that so?"
Ethan smiled, seemingly accepting the explanation.
"Then it really is quite a coincidence."
But doubts lingered in his mind.
Had they been followed?
From what he could recall, his previous self had no connection to Bruen whatsoever.
Could it be because of Ella and Amy?
Playing along, Ethan casually asked, "Are you here alone, Bruen? The outskirts of Black Iron Mountain aren't safe—traveling alone is quite risky."
Bruen scratched the back of his head, grinning.
"Of course not! I came with some friends. They're scouting around nearby. I heard noises here and worried there might be monsters, so I came over to check first... didn't expect it would be you three."
The explanation sounded reasonable enough, but combined with his earlier reaction when detected, it seemed like nothing more than a poor cover-up.
Amy's cool gaze lingered on Bruen for a moment, then shifted to Ethan.
Seeing that he looked unconcerned, she suppressed her doubts for the time being, but remained on her guard.
Ella was far less patient.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, now that you've checked it out, you can go back to your friends. We need to keep moving."
Bruen's smile never faltered as he nodded repeatedly.
"Of course, of course! I won't disturb you any longer."
"Oh, by the way," he added, "I heard the military has blocked off the valley to the west. There might be something valuable there, but you'd better be careful—monsters have been wandering out of there from time to time."
With this seemingly well-meaning reminder, he turned and walked slowly in the opposite direction, quickly disappearing into the dense forest.
Only when Bruen's presence had completely faded did Ella huff and say, "Sneaky guy—he's definitely up to no good. Sis, Ethan, we need to watch our backs around him."
Ethan looked at Amy.
"What do you think?"
"Bruen... he's from the Chen family," Amy mused.
"The Chen family's main business is mining and equipment forging—they're competitors of the Jones family. Either way, he's definitely not here with good intentions."
Ethan's gaze swept toward the direction Bruen had vanished.
"He mentioned the western valley earlier—that's exactly where the energy in the air is converging. If I'm not mistaken, the new dungeon is located there."
"Should we go check it out?"
Ella asked eagerly, bouncing on her toes.
"Check it out for what?"
Ethan shook his head.
"We'll be able to go there in two days anyway. Now that we know we're being watched, we might as well head back home."
Why rush into the tiger's den when you know it's dangerous?
That was far more in line with his principles.
Although his current strength was in a league of its own among the trainees, that strength only mattered below the First Rank threshold.
If any real trouble arose, his current power wouldn't be enough to handle it.
Ethan's suggestion left the two Jones sisters stunned.
Ella was clearly disappointed, pouting as she said, "Huh? Going back already? That's such a shame—we're already here..."
Amy, however, fell into thought. She understood Ethan's concerns perfectly.
Bruen's appearance was no coincidence, and his motives were unclear.
Venturing deeper into an unknown area that was obviously being watched would only multiply the risks.
"Ethan's right," Amy decided, her voice calm.
"Bruen deliberately mentioned the western valley—whether to lure us in or as a genuine warning, it's clear that place is the eye of the storm. There's no need for us to risk our necks testing the waters before the training camp even officially starts."
"The advantage is ours. Playing it safe is the smarter move."
Seeing her sister agree, Ella sighed in disappointment but nodded.
"Fine, fine, I'll listen to you two. Anyway, we'll get to go there openly in a couple of days."
Having reached an agreement, the three turned around without hesitation and began retracing their steps.
They decided to stay away from this trouble spot for the day and go hunt some ordinary monsters in another dungeon to level up and get used to fighting as a team.
However, they had barely walked a short distance when something unexpected happened!
"Buzz——!"
A low yet piercing hum suddenly rang out without warning.
The already active energy in the air instantly turned violent, like boiling water!
Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble slightly, and the distant sound of breaking trees and falling rocks echoed through the mountains.
"What's happening? An earthquake?"
Ella exclaimed, instinctively grabbing onto Ethan's arm.
Amy's expression turned grave as she scanned her surroundings quickly.
"It doesn't feel like an earthquake! It's more like an energy surge! Stay alert! A monster horde might be incoming!"
Ethan's pupils constricted—his perception was the sharpest of the three.
"The source of the surge is coming from the western valley!"
In his senses, a massive, chaotic, wild energy was rapidly expanding there, spreading wildly in all directions!
"ROAR——!!!"
"HOWL——!!!"
Almost simultaneously, terrifying monster roars echoed from all directions.
"The monsters are going berserk!"
Amy came to the conclusion instantly, her face serious.
"Energy is leaking from the new dungeon—it's driving the surrounding monsters crazy!"
Her words had barely faded when the forest ahead suddenly exploded open.
Three wild boars with blood-red eyes, protruding fangs, and larger-than-usual builds charged out at them.
Ironmane Boar
A common monster found in Black Iron Mountain.
Covered in jet-black fur, with pale eyes and skin as tough as steel.
But at this moment, their eyes glowed with an unnatural blood-red hue—their state was clearly abnormal.
Ethan was the fastest. Before the two sisters could even react, he cast a Mass Heal spell that covered all three boars, instantly obtaining their stats.
Ironmane Boar
Level: 15
HP: 1500
Attack Power: 150 (Current: 200)
Speed: 150 (Current: 200)
Defense: 300
Talent: Iron Hide (D) — Gain 300 Defense.
Skill: Savage Charge.
Status: Influenced by Berserk Energy, lost sanity. Attack speed temporarily increased.
"Talk about a tough shell!"
Ethan was shocked when he saw the boars' stats.
Although their other attributes were rather lackluster, their defense was maxed out at a whopping 300 points!
Without any armor-piercing capabilities, attacks dealing less than 300 damage would be completely negated!
No wonder no one liked to grind levels here.
Nobody enjoyed wasting their time attacking a metal wall.
The boars charged toward the three of them.
Ethan focused his mind, and Conceptual Armament transformed into a ring.
His stats doubled instantly!
Ethan moved!
His speed was astonishing, almost turning into a blur!
Striking later but arriving first!
He appeared beside one of the boars in an instant and threw a simple, straightforward punch!
His doubled, terrifying strength exploded with no fancy flourishes!
BOOM!!!
His fist collided with the boar's tough iron hide, producing a teeth-rattling thud!
The boar didn't even have time to squeal in pain.
Its massive body flew off the ground as if struck by a battering ram, crashing through three or four trees as thick as a man's waist before slamming into a rock and sliding limply to the ground, its skull clearly caved in.
It was dead before it hit the ground.
One-hit kill!
A pure display of overwhelming strength!
In the blink of an eye, three level 15 berserk monsters were taken down by Ethan in the most straightforward, violent manner imaginable—completely befitting a priest's "holy" duty.
Although their 300-point defense talent was impressive, this was not the time to farm for talents.
With the monsters going berserk, a single misstep could trigger a full-scale monster horde!
Ella hadn't even had time to cast a single spell before the battle was already over.
"You stole the kill again!" she pouted, clearly a little upset, but couldn't help asking curiously, "By the way, you're a priest—how come your attack power is so high?"
"I was born with immense strength," Ethan replied concisely, offering no further explanation.
He scanned his surroundings warily.
More roars were coming from the direction of the western valley, growing closer by the second.
The instant death of the three Ironmane Boars did nothing to diminish the surrounding snarls and stampedes—it was like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, only further enraging the hidden monsters!
"The horde is coming! We need to leave immediately!"
Amy was the first to react.
She forced down her shock and quickly pointed to a tall rock wall to the east.
"Over there! High ground—easy to defend, hard to attack, and we can see what's going on!"
The three immediately sprinted toward the rock wall.
Ethan was the fastest, but he deliberately held back to stay close to the two sisters.
They encountered several more groups of scattered berserk monsters along the way, all quickly dispatched by Ethan with lightning-fast efficiency.
The closer they got to the rock wall, the fewer monsters they encountered.
But when they finally climbed to the top of the cliff, the sight that greeted them made all three gasp in shock.
Below them, the valley was swarming with monsters as far as the eye could see—a veritable tide of creatures. Ironmane Boars, Rock Lizards, Black Iron Wolves...
Virtually every common monster in Black Iron Mountain had been driven berserk.
They fought and collided with each other, yet were somehow herded by an invisible force, spreading out in all directions!
Further in the distance, at the entrance to the western valley, a distorted energy vortex could be seen slowly rotating.