Chapter 73: Gains from the Demon Realm

In the eyes of Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed and the others, Ye Chen strolled across the Bridge of Flames as if he were taking a leisurely walk in his own courtyard. The same flames that could instantly kill any player seemed to deliberately avoid him; not a single tongue of fire so much as grazed him as he crossed the entire bridge.

Watching Ye Chen stand unscathed on the opposite side, the team fell momentarily silent before erupting into enthusiastic cheers. Mythical Left Hand was left standing there, wide-eyed and speechless in shock.

“Brother Nightfall, you’re truly a legend! The Bridge of Flames, which no one in Blaze Mountain City could solve, has just been conquered like that,” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed exclaimed unabashedly, his admiration plain to see.

Dragon Soars, Star Falls nodded vigorously in agreement. After all, Nightfall was his invitee—such a display brought him considerable pride.

“What use is him being so amazing? So he crossed—does that mean we can?” Mythical Left Hand muttered sourly.

“With Brother Morning here, we don’t need you anymore.” Mad Bull pushed Mythical Left Hand aside, teasing, “Didn’t you say that if Brother Morning crossed the bridge, you’d eat it? Go gnaw on some stone, then.”

Mythical Left Hand was instantly embarrassed but stubbornly retorted, “If he can get all of us across, I’ll do it. Can he? Does he have that kind of ability?”

“In that case, you’d better get ready to chew some rock,” Ye Chen called from across the bridge, having heard Mythical Left Hand’s challenge. He pointed towards the Bridge of Flames, where the flames were gradually dying out, and smiled faintly.

“No way, how is this possible!?” Mythical Left Hand stared in disbelief as the flames beneath the bridge flickered out.

“Haha, Brother Morning really is extraordinary! Mythical Left Hand, go on—start chewing!” Mad Bull’s eyes widened in delight before he grabbed Mythical Left Hand and pressed his face against the stone pier.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Mythical Left Hand shrieked like a startled girl, drawing raucous laughter from the rest of the team.

With the Bridge of Flames now harmless, everyone quickly crossed to join Ye Chen. Unable to contain his curiosity, Dragon Soars, Star Falls asked, “Brother Nightfall, why did the flames disappear like that? Is there some mechanism we missed?”

“If my guess is right, as long as someone crosses the Bridge of Flames unscathed, the fire will extinguish itself. Am I right, Brother Nightfall?” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed, ever perceptive, had pieced together the truth from the clues.

Ye Chen smiled and nodded. “Exactly so. Brother Leaves Empty-Handed, you truly are well-informed.”

“I noticed your steps were quite unusual, Brother Nightfall. Is that the key to crossing the Bridge of Flames?” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed asked eagerly. Though it was a sensitive question, he couldn’t help himself; for guilds like theirs, dungeon strategies were invaluable.

“Your observation is keen indeed. It is one of the keys, but mastering just that isn’t enough.” Ye Chen smiled calmly. He dared to use it openly because he wasn’t afraid of others learning; besides, the true secret was hard to uncover without his explanation.

“I wonder if you’d be interested in selling the Bridge of Flames’ secret?” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed pressed on, his gaze intent. Such knowledge was crucial not only for conquering dungeons but also for the prestige it brought—an edge over rival guilds.

Ye Chen shook his head. “I’m not considering selling it for now. Even if I do, it won’t be until more dungeons open.”

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed was a little disappointed, though not surprised. He nodded. “Then please, when the time comes, sell it to us in Dragon Soars first. We’ll pay top price for exclusive rights.”

Ye Chen agreed casually—it made no difference to him who the buyer was, and selling to a familiar group like Dragon Soars was as good as any.

The Flame Demon Realm was still a stony forest, though here the rocks glowed a crimson red and the ground itself was scorched, burning hot to the touch and inflicting continuous burn damage—minus two, minus two, steadily ticking away. Fortunately, with the attribute aura in effect, everyone’s constitution restored 15 points per second, which translated to a steady 1.5 health per second, saving them plenty of healing potions.

The rock golems in the Flame Demon Realm had also gained burn skills, complicating matters. Except for Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed, the other rogues dared not approach the monsters for fear of overwhelming the priests with too much damage to heal.

Still, the monster density in the Flame Demon Realm was sparse, so their progress wasn’t much hindered. The drop rate here, surprisingly, was even higher than elsewhere. By the time they reached the heart of the realm, they had collected plenty of equipment—though most of it was of the excellent grade, far beneath Ye Chen’s notice. For the members of Dragon Soars’ third squad, however, these were precious upgrades, as most of them didn’t even have a full set of excellent gear.

They also obtained two rare-grade items—both perfect for the Ascetic Monk class, which completed a rare set for Mad Bull. The burly, bearded ascetic could hardly contain his joy, grinning from ear to ear, while his teammates expressed their envy and mock resentment.

“Mad Bull’s luck is through the roof today. And this king-level dungeon is something else! When we used to run the normal Rock Forest, we’d be thrilled to see even one rare drop, but here, before even reaching the boss, we’ve already gotten so many great items. It’s unbelievable,” Dragon Soars, Star Falls sighed in awe, casting a wistful glance at Mad Bull’s glowing blue gear. Poor squad leader that he was, he still wore a mismatched set of excellent and rare items.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed nodded. “The drop rate really is incredible, but it makes sense. This is a king-level dungeon—no team in Blaze Mountain City has cleared it yet. In fact, no one’s even set foot in the king-level Flame Demon Realm before.”

“So if we clear it today, we’ll be celebrities?” Ye Chen laughed heartily, feeling a surge of excitement—the thrill of being a pioneer never failed to stir his blood.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed nodded, a glint in his eye. He lowered his voice to Ye Chen and said, “I have a small favor to ask, if you’d consider it.”

“Speak,” Ye Chen replied, raising an eyebrow.

“If we clear the king-level dungeon, we’ll definitely make the dungeon rankings. Would you be willing to appear on the list under Dragon Soars’ name? Of course, in exchange, we’re willing to give you the first pick of any boss loot.” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed looked at Ye Chen expectantly. He wasn’t sure whether Ye Chen would agree—after all, for many players, making the rankings and being recognized was a big deal.

“No problem,” Ye Chen agreed without hesitation. He had never cared for empty fame; you couldn’t eat or drink it, and real gear was far more valuable.

“Then let me thank you in advance, Brother Nightfall!” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed grinned with excitement. While fame might not mean much to an individual, for a guild it was crucial—it could even determine their future.

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