I just became a mage, and my skills have become supernatural? What the heck?

The group arrived at Kyoto train station.

As the capital of the Dragon Kingdom, it is naturally also a transportation hub, with extremely frequent train services to all parts of the country.

A few hours later.

As the train arrived at the station, Lin Mo and his group arrived in Tianbei City.

……

Unlike the bustling city of Kyoto.

Stepping out of the station, the first impression of Tianbei City is that it is backward.

The station hall didn't even have air conditioning; there were only a few old-fashioned fans whirring overhead.

The walls were covered with all sorts of psoriasis stickers.

"High prices for monster corpses."

"Urgently seeking a suicide squad, daily pay."

"In the black market, integrity is paramount."

Most of the pedestrians passing by looked hurried.

Many of the people still had bloodstains on their clothes.

"Cough cough..."

Han Mengqing looked disgusted:

"Wow...is this really a city in our Dragon Kingdom? It feels like we've stepped back into a city from the time of the Great Cataclysm!"

Xu Wenchang said calmly:

"Let's go, let's rent a car first. The coordinates of the temple instance are in the rocky wasteland on the outskirts, which is still dozens of kilometers away from here."

Lin Mo nodded, and the group walked towards the exit of the station.

At this moment, the five-clawed golden dragon badges of the Dragon Order Class on everyone's chests had been removed.

The reason is simple: it attracts too much attention.

They became the center of attention wherever they went.

They're here to farm dungeons, not to be stared at like giant pandas.

……

Outside the station,

A shop with a sign that reads "Honest Car Rental".

The boss was a one-eyed man, sitting with his legs crossed, smoking by the door.

Upon seeing Lin Mo and his group, especially the three girls with extraordinary bearing, a glint of light flashed in his single eye.

This is obviously a fat sheep.

"How many of you? Renting a car?"

The boss exhaled a smoke ring and pointed to a dilapidated pickup truck covered in mud in the corner.

"Unfortunately, all the cars are currently rented out, only this one is left. The rental fee is 3000 per day, and the deposit is 100,000. No bargaining."

Xu Wenchang frowned slightly.

He went closer and looked around, and immediately realized that the car was in extremely poor condition.

"Boss, this truck went to the rocky outskirts, I'm afraid it won't come back, right? Do you have any other trucks?"

"That's all."

The boss replied casually, his tone tinged with impatience.

In his mind, he was calculating everything rapidly.

There's only one car rental shop in this area within a five-kilometer radius.

These young masters and ladies hate trouble the most, so they'll definitely rent it.

If this beat-up car is driven out, it's definitely not coming back. Then... the 100,000 yuan deposit will all be mine.

at this time,

A slightly immature voice came from the garage:

"Don't rent it! The brake pads are worn out, and the chassis is cracked. This car will break down within five kilometers!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A young man wearing work clothes covered in oil stains emerged.

He was still holding a wrench in his hand, his face was covered in soot, but his eyes were clear and stubborn.

The boss's expression changed, and he glared fiercely at the young man:

"Ah Jie! What nonsense are you talking about? Don't you want to work here anymore?"

Ah Jie snorted coldly, ripped off his work clothes, and slammed the wrench heavily on the table:

"I've wanted to quit this lousy job for ages!"

"Our sign says 'Honest Car Rental,' you're clearly ripping people off!"

The boss was so angry his face trembled:

"You've gone too far! Get out! Get out right now! You won't get a single penny of your salary this month!"

Ah Jie didn't waste any words, he just straightened his neck:

"Fine, don't take it! Keep it for your coffin!"

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the shop without even glancing at the furious shopkeeper.

The boss was still cursing behind him.

Xu Wenchang didn't bother with this unscrupulous businessman and gave him a cold glance.

"Let's go."

As everyone left the shop, Han Mengqing said with a worried expression:

"Teacher Xu, that place is dozens of kilometers away. How are we going to get there? And there don't seem to be any other car rental shops around here. We can't just walk there, can we?"

Lin Mo looked toward the roadside.

The young man named A-Jie, who was carrying a tattered bag, got into an old-fashioned SUV parked on the side of the road.

The car looked quite old, but you could still tell that its owner had kept it very clean.

Lin Mo thought for a moment, then quickly walked over and knocked on the car window.

The car window rolled down, and A-Jie was stunned to see Lin Mo.

"Thanks earlier, bro."

Lin Mo said with a smile, "If you hadn't reminded us, we probably would have been ripped off by that unscrupulous boss today."

A-Jie scratched his head a little embarrassedly and chuckled:

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I didn't help much. I just couldn't stand him ripping people off."

"Are you alright?"

Lin Mo asked, "I lost my job, and I haven't been paid yet..."

Ah Jie waved his hand, looking completely indifferent.

"Hey, it's nothing! I didn't want to do it anymore anyway! I don't feel at ease making that kind of money that goes against my conscience."

As he spoke, A-Jie's face showed disdain:

"Besides, I work for him to save up money to buy dungeon scrolls, which will produce materials to save my sister."

"I've saved enough money and bought the dungeon scrolls, so I'm not doing this lousy job anymore."

Lin Mo immediately asked:

"Running dungeons? We're going to run dungeons too. Where are you going to run them?"

"A desolate wasteland of rocks."

Hearing A-Jie's answer, Lin Mo's eyes lit up:

"What a coincidence, let's go there too."

"Since it's on our way, how about... you give us a ride? Don't worry, you won't be left without paying for it."

Upon hearing this, A-Jie looked at his car with some difficulty, and then at the four people behind Lin Mo.

"It's not that I didn't want to take you guys."

Ah Jie smiled wryly:

"Although I modified this car myself and its performance is decent, I still need to pick up my three childhood friends. We've agreed to go on a dungeon run together."

"Besides, this car... really can't fit so many people."

Lin Mo felt a little regretful.

At this moment, A-Jie thought for a moment.

"How about this, I'll rent this car to you. My friend has a car too, it's a three-wheeled vehicle, but we can squeeze in a few seats."

"Just give me some money for gas, okay?"

Lin Mo was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

This young man is indeed adorably honest.

To prevent strangers from being scammed and losing their jobs, he is now willing to give up his own car to ride in a three-wheeled vehicle in order to help them.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Without saying a word, Lin Mo took out his phone and scanned the QR code. "Five thousand, is that enough?"

"Huh? Five thousand? That's way too much!"

Ah Jie was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, "Just give me some money for gas..."

"Take it."

Lin Mo transferred the money directly, "Consider it a thank you gift for what happened earlier, and also a prepayment for the car repairs, in case we accidentally bumped into you."

Upon receiving the money, A-Jie's face flushed with excitement.

After handing the car keys to Lin Mo, he picked up his bag and ran towards the intersection.

"Thanks, bro. I'll hitch a ride with my friend. Aside from the air conditioning not being very cold and the suspension being a bit stiff, this car is absolutely perfect! The power is amazing!"

Watching Ah Jie's figure disappear around the corner, Han Mengqing couldn't help but sigh:

"Tsk tsk tsk, this young man is really honest."

Chu Lingxuan nodded and whispered:

"He's a good older brother. I hope he can successfully obtain the materials to cure his sister's illness."

Xu Wenchang smiled:

"Let's go, don't let their kindness go to waste. Let's set off for the rocky wasteland!"

……

As the SUV drove out of the city, the surrounding scenery quickly became desolate.

A desolate wasteland of scattered rocks, truly deserving of its name.

Everywhere there were exposed brown rocks and withered yellow weeds, and occasionally a few low-level monsters could be seen wandering in the distance.

The car traveled for about three hours.

However, this journey, which was originally only a few dozen kilometers long, took Xu Wenchang almost three hours.

"Teacher Xu..."

Han Mengqing, sitting in the back, was completely disoriented and looked utterly hopeless.

"Are we lost? It's been so long, we should have arrived by now!"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Xu Wenchang's face, but he chuckled and said:

"Cough... How could I get lost? When I was on a mission in this area back in the day, I could walk around with my eyes closed."

"The main road is blocked, so I'll take you on a shortcut, you know what a shortcut is?"

"Don't worry, we're almost there!"

As he spoke, Xu Wenchang glanced at the navigation again, then suddenly turned the steering wheel.

The car finally came to a stop after a violent jolt.

Ahead lay an extremely complex and steep pile of rocks, making it impossible for the vehicle to proceed any further.

"Ahem, looks like I'll have to walk."

Xu Wenchang pulled out the car key and gave an awkward smile.

The group had no choice but to get out of the car and walk in, stumbling through the mud.

After walking for about ten minutes and crossing a small hill, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A large crowd had gathered in the open space ahead.

Around that area, a long barbed wire fence was erected, forcibly enclosing a large area.

"What's going on?"

Lin Mo frowned slightly.

Wilderness leveling areas and dungeon starting points are usually public resources, so why are they fenced off with barbed wire?

suddenly,

Han Mengqing, with her sharp eyes, exclaimed in surprise:

"Hey? Isn't that Ah Jie?"

Lin Mo looked closely.

Sure enough, on the muddy ground at the entrance to the barbed wire fence, A-Jie and his three friends were lying on the ground in a very disheveled state.

"What happened? Who hit me?"

Han Mengqing's eyes widened.

A young man watching nearby sighed and lowered his voice:

"Little girl, who else could she be? Someone from the Mad Shark Guild, of course."

"The Mad Shark Guild?"

Lin Mo asked, puzzled.

The young man nodded and said with a wry smile:

"As you know, while dungeon scrolls can open dungeons, they can only be activated within specific coordinate areas."

A hint of resentment flashed in the young man's eyes:

"The scum of the Mad Shark Guild has taken over this area that marks the start of the dungeon and even set up rules for it."

"Anyone who wants to start a dungeon here, whether they're soloing or in a group, must be forced to hire someone from their guild to carry them through the dungeon."

"Commission starts at 100,000 per instance! No money? Then don't even think about getting in!"

The young man pointed to Ah Jie and his group in the distance and shook his head:

"Those young men insisted on forcing their way in, saying they didn't need them to help them with the transaction and why should they pay them. And that's how it ended up."

"Isn't that shameless?"

Han Mengqing's face flushed red with anger. "Isn't this blatant forced buying and selling? Is there no law anymore?"

at this time,

A burly, bald man with a face full of scars arrogantly roared at the surrounding crowd:

"What are you looking at! Listen up, all of you!"

"Here, our Mad Shark Guild is the law!"

"If you're a dragon, you'd better coil up! If you're a tiger, you'd better lie down!"

"If you don't have money, don't get in the way. This is what happens!"

As the bald, burly man roared, he glared fiercely at Ah Jie on the ground, frightening many of the surrounding professionals into retreating, too angry to speak out.

Upon seeing this, Lin Mo's eyes turned cold.

The smile on Xu Wenchang's face vanished.

"The country has been cracking down on organized crime and evil forces for years, but I never expected that there would still be such fugitives in a place like this..."