Chapter 28: Huangtian Guild Appears, a Nice Ring

Jiang Chen sat aside, meditating, while his Skeleton Warrior guard stood beside him.

Hundreds gathered at the Instance Entrance, but no one dared approach Jiang Chen; the main reason was that his Skeleton Warrior was so terrifying that it inspired dread.

This situation actually suited him, after all no one came to disturb his Meditation.

Jiang Chen only needed to wait for the cooldown to end, then re-enter the Instance.

During Meditation, his Spiritual Power gradually recovered.

After the cooldown, when he could re-enter the Death Mine Cave, Jiang Chen could, using his current Spiritual Power, summon four more Skeleton Warriors.

Night fell, and a campfire lit up at the Instance Doorway; many people gathered around it, grilling meat, and the aroma of meat and spices grew richer.

After grinding the Instance all day, it was time to rest here and replenish some stamina.

Jiang Chen also emerged from Meditation, and his Spiritual Power had recovered considerably.

These people were all experienced wilderness explorers, fully prepared.

Jiang Chen suddenly felt a pang of hunger in his stomach, started rummaging his pack for food, hoping to fill his belly a bit before resuming Instance grinding and leveling.

After searching for a long time, he found no food in his pack.

He suddenly remembered!

When he first left, he only carried some sweet potatoes, and now realized they had all been given to Lin Caier.

Recalling Lin Caier's mischievous and cute demeanor, Jiang Chen couldn't help but smile.

Thinking of the three professionals he had slain earlier, a baozi had dropped.

He took out the baozi and began eating it bite by bite.

"Brother, want to come over and eat together?" someone called to Jiang Chen, while they were grilling delicious meat.

This is a

young man in his twenties; from his attire, he seemed to be a Support Class player.

However, Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, politely declined his offer, and the young man did not press further, enjoying the grilled meat alone.

"I say, Luo Tian, why are you calling him?"

"It's just that this guy is a bit odd; ever since he arrived here, he hasn't spoken a word."

"And the Undead Summoned Object by his side looks pretty scary."

The young man named Luo Tian, however, had a different view.

"I think he's perfectly normal; maybe he just doesn't like to talk."

"Besides, look, he may not speak much, but he has never provoked anyone."

"Perhaps he's not as difficult to get along with as you think."

Luo Tian placed a large piece of grilled meat on a plate, walked up to Jiang Chen, put the plate before him with a beaming smile, and then left.

"Little brother, you need meat to gain strength; baozi won't stave off hunger. Eat it, it's fine..."

After speaking, (they) still flashed a smile toward Jiang Chen, the smile filled with warmth and kindness.

Under the Detection Technique's scan, Jiang Chen confirmed the grilled meat was safe, slowly lifted a piece and took a bite.

It tasted good, the aroma fragrant, but his gaze remained fixed on Luo Tian.

Not far away, Luo Tian raised a piece of grilled meat, gesturing to Jiang Chen, his face radiating a sunshine-like smile.

In that instant, Jiang Chen felt Luo Tian's smile resembled Yue Dapeng's in several ways.

Having filled his stomach, Jiang Chen re-entered Meditation State; with a Skeleton Warrior by his side, he need not worry about safety.

The 12-hour instance cooldown finally ended, and Jiang Chen's Spiritual Power fully recovered.

"This time,

should be able to reach Level 13," he thought, filled with anticipation.

He stood up, only to see the Instance Doorway crowded with people, with two factions appearing to be in standoff.

One group stood at the Instance Entrance, sealing it completely, preventing anyone from approaching.

They wore identical attire, brandishing fine weapons, looking like a troop.

The other side consisted of those originally outside the Instance; though numerous, their momentum was clearly weaker than the opposite side.

Obviously less organized than the other side!

"You Huangtian Guild are being far too overbearing."

"On what grounds do you deny us entry to the Instance?"

"Exactly, why? The Instance isn't yours."

"Our entering the Instance won't affect you at all."

Many voiced protest, but faced with that forceful cavalry, they seemed somewhat helpless.

A mage wielding a staff stepped out from the Huangtian Guild.

"Our Young Guild Leader is completing a task inside the Instance; until his task is finished, none of you may enter the Instance."

"Why!"

"You Huangtian Guild are being far too overbearing."

Other professionals protested in turn, but no one dared

Mainly because the Huangtian Guild is too powerful; they dare not provoke them.

Luo Tian, also among the protesters, saw his sunny smile vanish, replaced by anger.

Jiang Chen walked over to Luo Tian's side.

"What's wrong?"

Luo Tian saw Jiang Chen, and didn't expect

Surprised, Luo Tian whispered, "The Huangtian Guild's Young Guild Leader is undertaking a task inside the Instance, refusing us entry."

Jiang Chen's eyes held a hint of doubt.

What kind of quest required sealing off a dungeon?

Luo Tian also noticed Jiang Chen's confusion.

"It's like this—they need

the Goblin King's Crystal Core. This core's drop rate isn't high; it only has a chance to drop in Nightmare-level dungeons, and it only drops once every hundred days."

"You should have seen this quest at the Exchange too. This quest was actually posted by the Huangtian Guild."

"But no one has ever completed it."

"It's laughable, really. The Goblin King's Crystal Core isn't something ordinary cores can compare to—it's worth at least 300,000 Gold Coins. They want to buy it for 100,000—who would sell to them?"

"Today marks exactly a hundred days since the last drop, so this time the Huangtian Guild is doing it themselves."

What a coincidence.

The Goblin King's Crystal Core in his own storage space gleamed as dazzlingly as a ruby.

This time, the Huangtian Guild was bound to return empty-handed.

Originally, Jiang Chen had planned to sell the Goblin King's Crystal Core for 100,000 Gold Coins when he went back in a couple of days.

Now, listening to Luo Tian, it was clear the Goblin King's Crystal Core was no ordinary item.

"What's the Goblin King's Crystal Core used for?" Jiang Chen asked in a low voice.

"The Goblin King's Crystal Core can be processed by an alchemist into a Goblin King Ring."

"The Goblin King Ring adds 10 to All Attributes and raises all Skills by 1 level. It can be used at Level 15 and is hailed as the strongest accessory below Level 40."

With stats that strong, it really was impressive.

Especially raising all Skills by 1 level—for novice professionals, that was practically godlike.

Luo Tian said, "Rumor has it that the Huangtian Guild's Young Guild Leader is trying to get into Shenlong University, so he's dead set on this piece of equipment."

"The Huangtian Guild doesn't lack alchemists, and the other materials are already prepared. All they're missing now is the Goblin King's Crystal Core."

Having learned the full story, Jiang Chen gave a slight

smile and walked toward the dungeon Entrance.

He didn't care about the Huangtian Guild—anything that got in the way of his leveling was a no-go.