As the figures of the five disappeared completely into the rift, only the howling cold wind remained on the desolate rocky beach.
Ye Hongyu leaned against the front of the extended luxury car, took out a pack of ladies' cigarettes from her pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.
Amidst the swirling smoke, she lifted her head, her gaze falling on the top of the rift.
There, the historical clear record of the [Hard Ghost Castle] was inscribed.
[Current highest record: 1 hour 15 minutes 23 seconds]
[Record holders: Mei Yixuan, Chen Jin, Liu Shu... (eighteen years ago)]
"1 hour 15 minutes..."
Ye Hongyu stared at the number, murmuring to herself.
This record stood like an insurmountable mountain, blocking all newcomers under level 5 in the Dragon Nation for eighteen years.
It was a miracle created by the most brilliant geniuses of that year, and no one had broken it since.
"If it were the young master..."
Ye Hongyu's eyes flickered.
His terrifying micro-control, his mastery of skills as if they were extensions of his limbs, indeed qualified him to challenge this record.
One could even say that the young master's personal strength would be the absolute core output in any generation.
But the next second, Ye Hongyu shook her head.
"What a pity."
"Records like these are never broken by one person alone."
She exhaled a smoke ring, her gaze turning somewhat regretful:
"That girl from the Xia family, although an A-grade Water Mage with solid fundamentals, and those two boys, though decent in strength and well-equipped."
"But... they're just decent."
In the eyes of ordinary people, this might be a luxurious elite team.
But in Ye Hongyu's eyes, who had witnessed Lin Mo's "perverted" operations, this team's configuration was somewhat unworthy of her young master.
"Clearing it is definitely not a problem, but to break the record... these little guys might just become a burden, dragging down the young master's pace."
Ye Hongyu flicked the ash off her cigarette, no longer thinking about that unattainable record.
Her task now was simple: to stay here and wait for the young master's triumphant return.
...
Inside the dungeon.
After a dizzying sensation of spinning, Lin Mo opened his eyes.
What met his eyes was a sinister and terrifying castle corridor.
The walls were built with blackened bluestone bricks, covered with withered vines and moss emitting a foul stench.
The air was filled with a decaying, damp smell.
On either side of the corridor, every few meters hung a grotesque skull lamp.
Inside the lamp, ghostly blue flames burned.
"This dungeon is a bit hellish."
Lin Mo surveyed his surroundings, jokingly remarked.
The Fireball also began to stir at the right moment.
["Fireball": This is called fire? Blue and cold, it's a desecration of the dignity of flames! This is heresy!]
["Fireball" was agitated: I am the true fire element! Light! Heat! These imposters of flames disgust me!]
[Status Update: Angry Purifier (It vows to burn all the fake fires here!)]
Lin Mo's mouth twitched slightly.
Goodness, it can get angry over this?
Are you a racist? Do you extinguish any fire that's the wrong color?
But there was one thing Lin Mo still didn't understand.
Why could this little Fireball always give itself a damage boost buff at the drop of a hat?
Lin Mo pondered for a moment.
Probably similar to those hot-blooded manga protagonists from his past life?
As long as they shout loud enough and get emotional enough, their output can multiply.
Things like "My pain is above yours," "It's not me who's wrong, it's the world"...
Just then,
Xia Qingyue at the front had already swiftly entered combat mode.
The staff in her hand lightly tapped the ground, and a gentle water-blue halo spread out, slightly dispelling some of the surrounding chill.
"Everyone, stay alert!"
Xia Qingyue's voice was cold, yet carried a calmness:
"This is a hard dungeon, both in attributes and combat skills, it's not on the same level as wild monsters of the same level."
She quickly scanned the group, starting to set up tactics:
"Form up."
"Wang Meng, hold the shield at the front, keep the aggro, and don't let the monsters break through the line."
"Yes!"
Wang Meng growled, slamming the heavy tower shield into the ground.
"Zhang Kai, you're on my left, responsible for long-range physical output and scouting, always watch the ceiling and shadowy corners."
"Understood!"
Zhang Kai drew his longbow, his eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
"Weiwei, stay in the middle, be ready to shield and heal Wang Meng at any time."
The little priest named Liu Weiwei nodded nervously, gripping the cross in her hand.
Finally, Xia Qingyue's gaze fell on Lin Mo.
"Young Master Lin... you just stand in the middle of the team."
After speaking, she turned to Zhang Kai, emphasizing:
"Zhang Kai, if there are monsters attacking from behind, support Lin Mo immediately."
Zhang Kai immediately understood, pounding his chest in assurance:
"Don't worry, Captain! As long as I have a breath left, I won't let Young Master Lin lose a hair!"
"Alright, I'll be at the back cheering you all on with a '666'."
Lin Mo didn't mind Xia Qingyue's arrangement for him, instead pulling out some fire-attribute snacks from his pocket.
These were just something he grabbed from home earlier.
["Fireball" sneered: Cheering '666'? Having these rookies protect me? What a joke! A colossal joke!]
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered with the chatty Fireball; this skill was indeed a bit too talkative.
...
The team advanced slowly.
The castle was eerily quiet, with only the heavy footsteps of the group echoing in the corridor.
Creak—
Suddenly, a soft sound came from the dark corner ahead.
It was like the sound of bones rubbing together.
Xia Qingyue called out softly, the tip of her staff glowing.
"Something's coming!"
Everyone's nerves instantly tensed.
In the darkness ahead, two ghostly blue flames slowly appeared.
Then, under the faint light, the group finally saw the true form of the monster.
[Nether Spirit Cat (Elite), Lv.5].
Though called a cat, its size was more akin to a leopard.
It had no flesh, only stark white bones, with eerie blue flames burning in the gaps, staring intently at the group.
"It's a high-agility monster! Didn't expect the first monster to be elite-level..."
Xia Qingyue's expression changed, "Wang Meng, raise your shield! It's too fast, hard to hit from a distance, wait for it to pounce before attacking! Don't waste mental energy!"
Before she finished speaking.
"Whoosh—"
An orange-red light suddenly flared from the back of the team.
Accompanied by a wave of heat.
A fist-sized fireball, with a certain unstoppable ferocity, whizzed past Xia Qingyue and Zhang Kai's ears!
"Young Master Lin, wait until it's closer to attack, it's too far to hit."
Zhang Kai instinctively shouted.
Facing such high-agility monsters, at this distance, with them being just second-day newly transitioned classholders, it was nearly impossible to hit.
Randomly throwing skills now would be a complete waste of mental energy!
Just as the fireball was about to hit, the Nether Spirit Cat suddenly dodged to the left, and the fireball grazed past it.
"Sigh, as expected, it missed..."
Zhang Kai sighed.
However, the next second, the fireball that had clearly flown past suddenly halted in mid-air, as if forcibly pulled by invisible hands.
["Fireball" let out a sinister laugh: Dodge? Dodge my ass!]
Whoosh—!
The fireball turned in mid-air, slamming hard into the Nether Spirit Cat's waist!
"Meow—!!"
The Nether Spirit Cat let out a shrill scream, blasted into a tumble on the ground.
"It... turned?"
Zhang Kai, Xia Qingyue, and the others were momentarily stunned.
Before they could react, another fireball whizzed past them.
Thanks to the "Purple Cloud Set" with a cooldown reduction of up to 60%, the originally 3-second cooldown [Fireball] now only required 1.2 seconds!
Almost the instant the first fireball exploded, the second fireball was already whizzing out!
Followed by a third!
The Nether Spirit Cat tried its best to dodge, but found it was all in vain.
Boom! Boom!
Two loud explosions rang out.
As the flames dissipated.
The level 5 elite monster was blasted into bone fragments by the triple hit.