Chapter 11: If the Color

As the five figures vanished completely into the fissure.

On the desolate rocky beach, only the howling cold wind remained.

Ye Hongyu leaned against the front of the extended luxury car, pulled out a box of ladies’ cigarettes, lit one, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, she lifted her gaze to the fissure above.

Above it was recorded the historical clearance record for [Hard Mode · Ghost Castle].

[Current Highest Record: 1 hour 15 minutes 23 seconds]

[Record Holder: Mei Yixuan, Chen Jin, Liu Shu… (eighteen years ago)]

“One hour fifteen minutes…”

Ye Hongyu stared at the number, murmuring to herself.

This record had stood for eighteen years like an insurmountable mountain before every Level 5 or lower new practitioner in Longguo.

It was a miracle created by the brightest geniuses of that generation, still unbroken to this day.

“If it were Young Master…”

Ye Hongyu’s eyes flickered.

That terrifying micro-management, that absolute control over skills as if they were extensions of his own limbs—yes, he had the qualification to challenge this record.

In fact, Young Master’s personal power, in any generation, would be an absolute core DPS.

But the next second, Ye Hongyu shook her head.

“Pity.”

“Records are never broken by one person alone.”

She exhaled a smoke ring, her gaze turning wistful:

“Xia’s girl may be an A-rank water mage with solid fundamentals, and those two boys may be decent with good gear.”

“But… they’re just decent.”

To ordinary people, this might seem like a luxurious elite squad.

But in Ye Hongyu’s eyes, having witnessed Lin Mo’s “abnormal” maneuvers, this team’s composition was utterly unworthy of her Young Master.

“Clearing the dungeon is no problem, but breaking the record? These kids will only drag Young Master down.”

Ye Hongyu flicked off her ash, no longer thinking about that unreachable record.

Her current task was simple: guard this spot and wait for Young Master’s return.

…

Meanwhile, inside the dungeon.

After a wave of dizziness passed, Lin Mo opened his eyes.

Before him stretched a dark, terrifying castle corridor.

The walls were built of blackened stone bricks, crawling with withered vines and foul-smelling moss.

The air reeked of decay and dampness.

Along both sides of the corridor, every few meters hung a grotesque skull lamp.

Within each wick burned a cluster of eerie blue ghost flames.

“This dungeon is kinda spooky.”

Lin Mo glanced around, joking.

Little Fireball also began to stir actively.

【“Fireball”: Is this even called fire? Blue and icy—this is an insult to flame’s dignity! This is heresy!】

【“Fireball” emotionally agitated: I am the true fire element! I am light! I am heat! These fake flames disgust me!】

【Status Updated: Angry Purifier (He vows to burn every false flame here!)】

【Current Mood: Furious and Seething with Kill Intent (Damage against undead monsters +100%)】

Lin Mo’s lips twitched slightly.

Seriously? This thing gets angry too?

Are you a racist? If the fire isn’t the right color, you want to burn it out?

But one thing Lin Mo still didn’t understand:

Why did this little fireball keep giving him damage-boosting buffs out of nowhere?

Lin Mo pondered for a moment.

Probably something like those Rexue manga protagonists he’d read in his past life.

The louder you shout, the more emotional you get, the more your output multiplies.

Things like “My pain is greater than yours!” or “It’s not me—it’s the world!”

At that moment,

Xia Qingyue ahead had already entered combat stance.

She lightly tapped her staff on the ground, and a soft blue water ring spread out, slightly dispelling the surrounding chill.

“Stay alert!”

Xia Qingyue’s voice was cold, yet calm:

“This is a Hard Mode dungeon. Its attributes and combat techniques are nowhere near the same level as outdoor monsters of the same tier.”

She swiftly scanned the group and began assigning tactics:

“Form up.”

“Wang Meng, hold the front with your shield. Pull aggro. Absolutely do not let the monsters break the line.”

“Understood!”

Wang Meng growled, slamming his heavy tower shield onto the ground.

“Zhang Kai, take position to my left. Handle ranged physical DPS and reconnaissance. Watch the ceiling and shadowed corners constantly.”

“Got it!”

Zhang Kai drew his longbow, eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

“Weiwei, stay in the center. Be ready to shield and heal Wang Meng at any moment.”

The young priestess, Liu Weiwei, nodded nervously, gripping her cross tightly.

Finally, Xia Qingyue’s gaze landed on Lin Mo.

“Lin Shao… you stand in the center of the formation.”

Then she turned to Zhang Kai again, emphasizing her words:

“Zhang Kai, if any monster attacks from behind, you support Lin Mo immediately.”

Zhang Kai instantly understood, pounding his chest in assurance:

“Don’t worry, Captain! As long as I’ve got one breath left, not a single hair on Lin Shao will be harmed!”

“Alright, I’ll just stand back here and cheer 666.”

Lin Mo didn’t care about Xia Qingyue’s arrangement for him—he pulled out a snack infused with fire attribute from his pocket.

He’d grabbed it casually at home before leaving.

【“Fireball” sneered: Cheer 666? Let these noobs protect me? Ridiculous! Absolute nonsense!】

Lin Mo ignored the little fireball—it was just too talkative.

…

The team advanced slowly.

The castle was unnervingly silent, save for the heavy footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Creak—

Suddenly, a faint sound came from the dark corner ahead.

Like bones scraping together.

“Stop!”

Xia Qingyue snapped, the tip of her staff glowing.

“Something’s coming!”

Everyone’s nerves tightened instantly.

From the darkness ahead, two clusters of blue flame slowly emerged.

Then, under the dim light, the group finally saw the monster’s true form.

【Phantom Spirit Cat (Elite), Lv.5】.

Though called a cat, its size was comparable to a cheetah.

Its body held no flesh—only gleaming white bones, with strange blue flames burning in the gaps between them, staring fixedly at the group.

“High-agility monster! Didn’t expect the first one to be Elite…”

Xia Qingyue’s face changed, “Wang Meng, raise your shield! It’s too fast for ranged attacks to hit—wait until it lunges before striking! Don’t waste mana!”

Before she finished speaking,

“Whoosh—”

An orange-red light suddenly flared from the rear of the formation.

Followed by a wave of heat.

A fist-sized fireball, radiating a furious, unstoppable energy, shot past Xia Qingyue and Zhang Kai’s ears!

“Lin Shao, wait until it’s closer to attack! You’ll miss from that far!”

Zhang Kai cried out instinctively.

Facing a monster with such high agility, at this distance, it was nearly impossible for this group of new players, only on their second day of class change, to land a hit.

Throwing skills randomly right now was pure waste of mental energy!

Just as the fireball was about to strike, the Shadow Spirit Cat suddenly darted left, and the fireball skimmed past its side.

“Ah, missed again…”

Zhang Kai sighed.

But the next second, the fireball that had clearly passed by suddenly halted midair, as if gripped by invisible hands.

【“Fireball” sneered: Dodge? You can’t dodge a thing!】

Whoosh—!

The fireball reversed direction in midair and slammed hard into the Shadow Spirit Cat’s waist!

“Miaow—!!”

The Shadow Spirit Cat let out a piercing shriek and was blown rolling to the ground.

“This… it turned?”

Zhang Kai, Xia Qingyue, and the others all froze for a moment.

Before they could recover, another fireball whistled past their side.

Thanks to the 60% cooldown reduction from his “Purple Cloud Set,” the 【Fireball】 spell, which normally required three seconds of cooldown, now needed only 1.2 seconds!

Almost the instant the first fireball exploded, the second one shot out!

Then came the third!

The Shadow Spirit Cat strained desperately to dodge, but found it futile.

Boom! Boom!

Two violent explosions rang out.

The flames cleared.

The level-five elite monster was reduced to shattered bones and ash by the triple strike.