Kill one monster, stack one poison, and I alone will poison my way across the world!

The entrance to the Myriad Bones Dragon Abyss, a secret realm.

Contrary to expectations, this place didn't feel as eerie and desolate as I had imagined; instead, it resembled a bustling market.

In front of the enormous black teleportation vortex, a dozen or so tents were pitched haphazardly.

The badges of the various guilds fluttered in the cold wind.

Bandages and medicine bottles were scattered all over the ground.

A group of professionals dressed in high-class robes and heavy armor were gathered together, cursing and swearing.

"What the hell is this?! What kind of insane mechanism is this? Reducing magic resistance and physical defense is one thing, but that old dragon can also silence the entire group? Is this something a carbon-based creature could come up with?"

"That's right! Our guild's lightning mage was only halfway through casting when he was wiped out by a dragon's breath, not even a speck of ash remained! That old dragon has no shame at all, starting with a full-screen ultimate attack!"

"Just going to jail! Even dogs wouldn't come to this godforsaken place. If it weren't for the ancient dragon bone the guild was offering as a bounty, I would have gone home and taken a bath long ago."

"Hey, do you guys think that old dragon's magic resistance is locked? I'm a level 38 ice mage, and when I hit him with Cone of Cold, it only shows '-15' in white text. How am I supposed to play like that? It's like scraping his head!"

"..."

Complaints rose and fell, and everyone's face was filled with frustration and anger.

Just then, an off-road vehicle stopped at the edge of the camp.

Linglong, carrying the dark gold-grade crossbow that gleamed with an eerie light, jumped off the vehicle.

Her outfit was inconspicuous among the high-end gear scattered on the ground, but people quickly recognized her face.

As the personal apprentice of Jiang Buyu, Linglong is obviously quite well-known.

"Oh! Isn't that Miss Linglong?"

A man dressed in a magnificent robe with the West Sea Dragon Guild emblem on his chest lit up, immediately put on a fawning smile, and quickly went to greet him.

"Miss Linglong, why did you personally come to this run-down place? Are you here to explore this secret realm again? Did Master Jiang Buyu give you some special equipment to deal with that old dragon?"

Upon hearing the words "Jiang Buyu," the others swarmed around like sharks smelling blood.

"Miss Linglong, hello! I'm the guild leader of the War God Guild. We happen to be short of a powerful physical damage dealer, would you like to join our group and guide us?"

"Give me a break, you War God Guild! Your old guild leader just died three days ago, and you weren't wiped out badly enough last time? Miss Linglong, come to our side. We have two priests protecting us; we'll definitely come out alive!"

"..."

Linglong was surrounded by a group of people, her brows furrowed, her impatience undisguised.

She pursed her lips and raised the crossbow on her back: "Don't try to get close to me. I didn't bring any special equipment. My master insisted that I come."

"Did Master Craftsman Buyu send you?"

The mage from the West Sea Dragon Guild paused for a moment, "Where are your teammates? You can't be soloing alone, can you?"

His gaze passed over Linglong and landed on Su Chen, who had just gotten out of the car.

Someone in the crowd immediately cast a reconnaissance spell.

Name: Su Chen

【grade:???】

【Profession:???】

……

The group couldn't see any of Su Chen's attributes, but they did see the Sky Dome Academy badge on his chest.

"A first-year student at Sky Dome Academy?"

After a brief silence, the camp erupted in laughter.

"Am I seeing things? A freshman? Not even level 30 yet? Coming to a Nightmare-level dungeon to die?"

"Has Master Craftsman Buyu gone senile? Sending a schoolboy to fight in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Bones? Does he think this is like farming goblins outside the city?"

The mage from the West Sea Dragon Guild laughed so hard he almost fell over, pointing at Su Chen: "Kid, do you know how much damage that old dragon's breath deals? With your health, you'd be dead if you even got close!"

He turned to Linglong and earnestly advised, "Miss Linglong, bringing this burden in is just a waste of your time, isn't it?"

"That's right!"

Someone nearby chimed in, "You might as well team up with us! Everyone on our side is level 38 or higher, and we're fully equipped."

"As long as... you put in a good word for our guild with Master Craftsman, and help us jump the queue, all the loot in this dungeon is yours!"

"Yes, yes, bringing a low-level mage in might cost you your life to protect him. It's not a worthwhile deal."

The sounds of mockery and persuasion mingled together, buzzing loudly.

Linglong scratched her hair in frustration; in fact… that was what she was thinking too.

A poison mage trying to fight an ancient dragon with maxed-out poison and magic resistance is just asking for trouble, isn't it?

But when she glanced at Su Chen, she found that there was no anger or humiliation on his face, and he didn't even have the desire to refute her.

It's so noisy.

Why don't these passersby have any sense of responsibility as bystanders?

but.

It is human nature to belittle others and elevate oneself.

No wonder there were so many scenes of showing off and getting slapped in the face in Rotten Tomatoes novels from my past life.

I had no choice in the matter!

Su Chen rubbed his ears speechlessly, not even bothering to look at the group of people.

He raised his hand and cast a detection spell at the churning black vortex.

【Ten Thousand Bones Dragon Abyss】

[Secret Realm Rank: Nightmare]

[Secret Realm Level: Below Level 40]

[Maximum number of players in the dungeon: 5]

[Secret Realm Duration: None]

……

Nightmare-level dungeons for players below level 40.

Since it's related to dragons, the loot shouldn't be trash.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense."

Su Chen lowered his hand, walked straight through the crowd, and went to Linglong's side.

"Let's go, let's get to the main site."

Before Linglong could even get angry, she saw Su Chen walk towards the teleportation portal.

The crowd behind them was stunned.

"Holy crap? This kid actually dared to go in?"

"Damn it, what are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty! If you were a junior or senior at Sky Dome Academy, I wouldn't say anything, but you're just a freshman, and you're already acting all high and mighty!"

The mage from the West Sea Dragon Guild looked grim and spat at the two retreating figures, "Going in is just suicide! Get ready to die inside!"

"Miss Linglong! It's not too late to leave the team!"

"With his stats, if he manages to clear this dungeon alive, I'll eat this staff on the spot and take his surname!"

The sounds of the crowd echoed in front of the portal.

Su Chen didn't turn around and stepped directly into the black vortex.

Linglong gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and followed him inside.

……

[Warning: You have entered the Abyss of Ten Thousand Bones (Nightmare Level)!]

The dizziness from passing through the portal lasted only half a second.

Su Chen opened his eyes, and his vision suddenly cleared.

What lay before me was an endless, barren plain.

The sky was a sickly dark red, with no sun, only thick, leaden-gray clouds slowly rolling in.

The plain was covered with dry, dark red moss, and there were hardly any boulders or trees that could serve as cover.

On this vast plain, there are scattered, enormous, pale white dragon bones.

Not far away, hordes of monsters roamed in dense numbers.

Linglong followed closely behind Su Chen as she stepped out of the teleportation portal, and immediately drew the dark gold-grade crossbow from her back.

With a crisp "click," the mechanism cocked an armor-piercing arrow that emitted a ghostly blue light.