Returning to the first level of the secret realm, it was still the familiar atmosphere. However, the monsters were now ordinary level 5 creatures, their overall strength greatly weakened. They only yielded 25 experience points, a far cry from the meager 15 experience points awarded by a level 5 wild monster outside. Yet, compared to those outside, it was an immense improvement.
Reaching level 8 from level 7 required a staggering 1 million experience points, a daunting prospect. But with this dungeon, it was clear that new players in Fengle Village could level up significantly faster, although the cost of dungeon entry fees would be considerable.
In the first round, the thousand monsters were no match for Xiao Hei. Neither Ye Yun nor his beast worried about being surrounded. They unleashed their full might, clearing all of them in a mere nine minutes, a speed of almost two monsters per second, vastly outpacing other teams.
However, Ye Yun was far from satisfied; it was simply too boring. His three years as a mage had accustomed him to area-of-effect spells on hordes of monsters or agile maneuvering among high-level foes. Now, engaging in single-target attacks, where every blow was a killing strike, felt agonizingly dull.
Was this the loneliness of being invincible?
Each round took an average of nine minutes. The first five rounds, including waiting times, consumed a total of seventy minutes. The final round, featuring a blue boss, lasted a mere three seconds.
Ye Yun tallied his total experience, which amounted to 280,000 points, leaving him just 20,000 points shy of leveling up. This was a far better harvest than battling wild monsters.
Ye Yun completed two more rounds and smoothly advanced to level 8. It was now 6 PM. He allocated the 384 attribute points entirely to health, pushing his HP past 10,000 and reaching 11,000! Xiao Hei was even more formidable, with HP soaring to 16,500. Xiao Hei could likely solo this dungeon on its own.
After re-entering the secret realm, Ye Yun set Xiao Hei to free attack mode and then logged out, leaving the beast to auto-battle.
This was the advantage of having a pet: it could continue grinding monsters even when he was offline.
*Bang…*
*Boom…*
"Holy crap, is that an earthquake or demolition?" Ye Yun had just logged out of the game when he felt a tremor shake the walls, accompanied by crashing sounds from next door. The pleasant mood Ye Yun had been in was instantly soured.
While the building wasn't a masterpiece, its soundproofing was excellent. Such a violent shaking implied they were trying to tear down a wall.
Ye Yun stormed over angrily. He couldn't believe such a young woman could be so inconsiderate. Didn't she know he was a patient and needed quiet?
"You've got a problem..."
The door to the adjacent apartment was ajar. Ye Yun kicked it open, ready to unleash his frustration, but he stopped dead as he took in the scene within. Was this a mob encounter?
In the living room, his beautiful neighbor was slumped on the floor, weeping uncontrollably. Two burly men in suits had pinned a young man, who looked like a student, onto a coffee table. Another man, holding a cleaver mid-air, froze as they all stared at Ye Yun, who had burst in with a furious expression. Ye Yun was equally stunned. Furniture was scattered everywhere, and his mind raced with possibilities: kidnapping, extortion, or even home invasion?
"Kid, who are you?" the man with the cleaver asked, his gaze cold as he brandished the knife.
"This has nothing to do with him..." Ding Yi began, trying to defend Ye Yun.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, save me! They want to chop off my hands! I, I won't borrow money from online lenders anymore, I swear!" Before Ding Yi could finish, the teenager pinned to the coffee table wailed hysterically.
How was he supposed to explain this?
"Oh? You're his brother-in-law? That makes things easier," the man with the cleaver grinned, approaching Ye Yun and clapping him on the shoulder. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; even as gangsters, they preferred to minimize illegal activities.
"Brother-in-law? Me? I'm just the neighbor from next door. Your noise was too much, so I came to check," Ye Yun stammered, his face pale as he looked at the cleaver in the smiling man's hand.
"Neighbor?" The man in the suit paused, then turned and kicked the teenager who had called Ye Yun brother-in-law.
"Damn it, this bastard dares to lie? I'm telling you now, if you don't pay up today, I'm chopping off your hand! And your sister, I'm taking her away to work at the Dynasty club to pay off your debt!"
"Brother, big brother, please spare me! Three days, just give me three days, and I'll definitely pay the money. Sister, sister, do you have any money to give him first? Do you really want to see your brother's hand chopped off?" The teenager screamed hysterically, a liquid trickling from beneath him.
Ye Yun couldn't be bothered with all this; it was too terrifying. He needed to leave immediately.
"Money? Where would I get money? My job was ruined, and Mom still needs money for life-saving treatment," Ding Yi sobbed on the floor.
"How about you go sell yourself? You're so beautiful, you're sure to attract wealthy men. Just one or two times, and you can help me pay off my debt."
"What the hell! Some people are pitiable, but they're also hateful," Ye Yun thought, and even the three debt collectors were stunned by the teenager's words. Ding Yi stared at her brother in disbelief, never imagining he would say something like that.
"Big brother, big brother, don't you think my sister is beautiful? Let her spend a night with you. She's still a virgin. Give me a week to clear the debt, and I'll definitely pay it back within a week. Believe me." The teenager was losing his mind, speaking recklessly.
"Damn it, I can't stand you, you idiot anymore," Ye Yun thought. Although he was physically weak now, his past experiences hadn't prepared him for someone acting so foolishly.
"How much does this idiot owe you? Why are you pushing him this far?" Ye Yun asked the man with the cleaver, out of curiosity.
"It's not much, about thirty thousand yuan from 'Qian Huahua' online loans. With interest and fees, it's around fifty thousand. They found us to help collect the debt," the large man with the cleaver replied, also looking speechless at the teenager.
Nowadays, they didn't dare to go too far with these collections; otherwise, they'd end up pleasing neither side and possibly facing criminal charges. They were only trying to scare the kid. If all else failed, the loan platform would pursue legal action.
Fifty thousand yuan. It wasn't an exorbitant amount, but it wasn't insignificant either. For Ye Yun in his previous life, affording a meal was a struggle, let alone fifty thousand. Such was society: some lived in luxury, while others struggled for survival.
Ye Yun decided to help the woman. After all, he considered himself a saint. Yes, a saint.
However…
Ye Yun looked at Ding Yi, whose face was ashen but whose figure was still alluring. An idea began to form in his mind…
"Hey, beautiful, you said you don't have a job right now? How about working for me? I'll help you clear your debt, and then you can repay me from your salary."
"Yes, yes! As long as you help us clear the debt, I'll do anything!" The teenager's eyes lit up at the prospect. Ignoring the smell of urine emanating from him, he pushed Ding Yi towards Ye Yun.
Ye Yun ignored the beast-like behavior of the teenager and looked at Ding Yi. She remained expressionless, her face devoid of hope.
"Damn it, consider this my act of charity for a beggar. It just pains me," Ye Yun thought.
Ye Yun stopped paying attention to the excited teenager and the stunned woman. He pulled the cleaver-wielding man along to help with the repayment. Then, with a calm demeanor but a conflicted heart, he returned to his apartment.
"Damn, I feel richer than Prince Wang."