Her consciousness felt like it was being torn and chewed by an invisible giant maw.
Broken down into the tiniest photons, it was scattered across the endless void.
There was no thought, no perception, only the raging, roaring torrent of an uncontrollable surge sweeping away every trace of her existence.
Lin Qingyue felt herself being stripped down to the most fundamental particles.
Immediately after, a brutal force violently squeezed and reshaped these particles, molding them into a crude human-shaped form.
The entire process was savage and efficient, leaving no room for any resistance.
When that annihilating, tearing sensation abruptly vanished, what followed was a violent weightlessness and an uncontrollable, nauseating churn.
Lin Qingyue's feet finally touched solid ground.
Her legs gave out.
Thud.
Almost at the same moment, four muffled thuds sounded in succession.
Lin Qingyue and her three teammates, each in a different posture, all collapsed limply onto the cold tiled floor.
"Ugh..."
Lin Xiyue covered her mouth, her face deathly pale, her brow furrowed in a knot of pain.
"Sis, I feel... like my mind is still flying in the sky, while my body has already fallen down."
"My soul coordinates are slightly disordered."
Su Wan leaned weakly against Lin Xiyue's shoulder, gasping for breath.
Her azure eyes, which always shimmered with data streams, were now unfocused and glazed.
As a Mage, she was most sensitive to such brutal torment on a spatial level.
Xia Lian curled herself up even tighter, unable to utter a single word.
She pressed her small hand tightly against her chest, desperately trying to calm the stomach-churning nausea.
Lin Qingyue shook her buzzing head, forcing herself to refocus.
What met her eyes was a scene she knew all too well.
Tianshu University, South Gate, Teleportation Plaza.
But the plaza was now a scene of chaos and tension.
The jarring blare of alarms mingled with the sharp, urgent blasts of whistles.
The flashing red and blue lights of the sirens cast a flickering glow on every terrified face.
The air hung heavy with the lingering scent of blood and burnt flesh.
Dozens, even over a hundred students, were sprawled on the ground in disarray, just like Lin Qingyue's Squad.
Their faces were masks of confusion, their expressions still haunted by shock.
Some were covered in wounds, their combat uniforms soaked in blood, having clearly just endured a brutal massacre.
Others had shattered equipment, their eyes vacant as they muttered to themselves, seemingly unable to break free from the Mental Pollution.
"Medical team! Over here! Critically injured! Mental Sea on the verge of collapse!"
"All students who can still move, evacuate to the edges of the plaza immediately! Do not block the teleportation portal!"
Teacher Chen Jing's familiar yet slightly hoarse voice rang out across the plaza through a megaphone.
She and Teacher Chu Jingya, dressed in white research coats and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, wove quickly through the chaotic crowd, struggling to maintain a precarious sense of order.
It was clear that the "World Merger" that had engulfed the entire Dungeon had treated all "outsiders" as redundant data to be purged, ruthlessly kicking them all out.
Just as Lin Qingyue was struggling to get up, a cold notification exploded in her mind and those of her teammates.
The voice, like a sudden spring of fresh water, instantly awakened their collapsing wills.
[ Ding! Starting the Purification Reward settlement for the "Filianore" World Fragment (Part Two)... ]
[ Detected Mission Contribution: Core Crisis Resolved, Evil God "Mother of Rebirth" Purified, Native God "God of Machinery and Creation" Resurrected, World Fragment Integration Guided... ]
[ Comprehensive Evaluation in progress... ]
[ Because your actions led to the resurrection of the "God of Machinery and Creation" and guided the World Fragment toward integration, you have had a decisive positive impact on the "Filianore" world! ]
[ Reward Rating: Perfect (SSS)! ]
Here it comes!
Lin Qingyue's spirit jolted, and the aftereffects of being "forcibly repatriated" instantly eased.
Another SSS!
[ Congratulations! You have obtained an Epic Grade Set Piece, "Filianore's Ring"! ]
The next second, four beams of gentle, azure light materialized out of thin air.
The light quietly condensed on each of their left ring fingers, forming an ancient yet exquisite ring.
The entire ring was cast from a deep, dark silver metal, its band engraved with mechanical patterns of extreme precision.
Those patterns, fine as hair, flowed with the faint glow of logic and order, as if the wisdom of an ancient civilization had been granted life.
At the center of the ring's face, a miniature gear slowly turned.
The core of the gear was set with a gemstone that shimmered with an ocean-like azure.
Within it flowed a radiance like the tides of stars, as the majestic and pure Power of Order swirled around it.
[ Filianore's Ring (Ring) ]
[ Quality: Epic ]
[ Equipment Requirement: Lv.30 ]
[ Attributes: Constitution +30, Main Class Attribute +30 ]
[ Special Effect: World Coordinates. You can use your mind to mark a unique coordinate for yourself at any location (Current marked count: 0/1). Activating the ring allows you to teleport to the marked point, ignoring distance. Cooldown: 30 minutes. ]
[ Filianore's Redemption (1/6): No set effect currently active. ]
[ Description: This is a token bestowed by the world itself upon its trailblazers, the calling of the Shattered Lands and the promise of reuniting. ]
"Holy shit! A Teleportation Ring!"
Lin Xiyue was the first to cry out, grabbing Su Wan's hand and excitedly bringing their fingers, both bearing the identical rings, together.
"Doesn't this mean we can go wherever we want from now on?!"
Having been dizzy and nauseous just moments before, she had now fully recovered, even feeling the urge to perform a backflip on the spot to celebrate.
"And it's a set! I'm so excited for the set bonus!"
Su Wan gazed at the ring on her finger, the usual calm in her eyes now unable to hide the shimmering starlight of excitement.
She recalled the magnificent Rhyaluclaria Magic Academy within Blackrock Stronghold.
She thought of the mountain and sea of magical knowledge that must be hidden inside.
"What a pity," she sighed softly, "we were always running all over the Dungeon. I even got the title of 'Honorary Guest Elder,' but I never even got the chance to go inside and take a look."
"Don't worry."
Lin Qingyue winked at her mysteriously, gently shaking the ring on her finger, a smile curling the corners of her lips.
"We'll have plenty of chances in the future. Maybe next time we can teleport directly into the Curator's office."
"And sip afternoon tea while 'kindly' asking him to let us borrow all the out-of-print books for a look."
Xia Lian also carefully caressed the cool surface of the ring, feeling its gentle warmth, her heart filled with a sense of unreality.
The strategic value of this equipment had already far exceeded the scope of what the word "Epic" could encompass.
Just as the four of them were immersed in the ecstatic joy of obtaining a supreme treasure, Lin Qingyue suddenly remembered something.
She pulled out four gear-shaped badges glowing with a gentle blue light from her cloak.
"Right, Priestess Elena stuffed these into my pocket before we left. The teleportation shook my brain so much I almost forgot about them."
She casually tapped one of the badges, and the class panel immediately displayed its attributes.
[ Medal of the God of Machinery and Creation (Accessory) ]
[ Quality: Epic ]
[ Equipment Requirement: Lv.30 ]
[ Attributes: Constitution +20, Main Class Attribute +20 ]
[ Special Effect: When equipped, sentient mechanical creations' initial affinity toward you is raised to "Friendly." The initial affinity of the God of Machinery and Creation's followers is raised to "Respected." ]
"Oh, is this kind of an honorary medal from the Church of Machinery and Creation?"
Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow; these attributes were quite interesting.
Starting with a "Friendly" initial affinity was much more convenient than giving gifts to build relationships.
She raised her hand and handed the remaining three badges to her teammates, one by one.
"One for each of you, don't be modest."
Lin Xiyue took the badge and curiously pinned it to her chest.
"Eh? It determined my main attribute is Strength? How do we even verify this initial affinity?"
Su Wan also put on the badge, data streams shimmering in her deep blue eyes.
"We'll know next time we encounter a truly intelligent AI."
Xia Lian also carefully pinned the badge to her waist, feeling a gentle power radiating from it.
She felt that if she were to pilot a mecha right now, she would definitely be more adept than before.
Lin Qingyue nodded in satisfaction, watching her teammates' reactions.
The ring could mark teleportation points, and the badges provided initial affinity.
This Dungeon run was a truly "double harvest" in every sense of the word.
Just as she was about to say more, a figure pushed through the chaotic crowd and hurried toward them.
It was Teacher Chen Jing, fine beads of sweat still clinging to her forehead.
She quickly stepped forward, scanning the four of them from head to toe.
Only after confirming they were merely a bit exhausted and otherwise unharmed did her tense expression relax slightly.
But that relaxation lasted for only a single second.
The next moment, her face hardened again, becoming utterly serious and grave.
"You four purified the Dungeon, didn't you?"
"Come with me, we need to report on the situation!"