Chapter 61: Reward Dungeon

Wu Chang asked, "Instructor, what is the 'new recruit welcome package'?"

Zhao Yan played coy, "You'll know when you get there."

The group followed behind Zhao Yan, walking through the Administration's building complex.

Every major faction, upon meeting certain conditions, can open a special space exclusive to their own faction.

For instance, the special space where Wu Chang and the others were—Red Wave—is a faction space belonging to the Administration of Abnormal Phenomena.

Once a special space is constructed, it possesses permissions independent of the Crimson Courtyard; only players of that faction and invited players are qualified to enter.

In other words, 99% of the players appearing in the Red Wave space are people from the Administration.

The Red Wave space is very large, and there are just as many players inside.

Walking along the way, Wu Chang and the others rarely saw deserted areas, especially in the core zones, where the bustle was no less than that of the public plazas.

A rough estimate suggests that at this moment, there are at least ten thousand players staying in the Red Wave space!

One must know that Administration members are not full-time players; they are responsible for handling supernatural incidents throughout the entire Xia Kingdom.

Just like the Baby-Face and the crew-cut middle-aged man, working until they are exhausted is the norm, and only a small portion remain in the Red Wave space.

If a small portion is already ten thousand people, then how many would there be if all Administration members were added together?

Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? Or over a hundred thousand? In the Abyss Game, a faction composed of three or four hundred players can dominate a region.

A company with thousands of people like United Information is already considered a major faction capable of influencing the entire Wilderness Realm.

However, compared to the scale of the Administration, these civilian factions seem far too small-minded.

Zhao Yan led the group to the Hongmeng Temple.

Before entering the Hongmeng Temple, Zhao Yan finally told the group the answer regarding the recruitment reward.

"Your recruitment reward is an extra reward dungeon."

Wu Chang and several assistants looked at each other, unable to help but ask, "An extra reward dungeon? Is it that kind of reward level with no combat and only gains?"

Zhao Yan: "..."

"If there were such a good place, would I leave the chance to enter it to you?"

Zhao Yan had intended to use the existence of a reward level to showcase the Administration's excellent benefits and attract the group of assistants.

Who knew that this fellow Wu Chang would immediately raise the expectations for a reward level to infinitely high; now, even if the reward level were very tempting, the newcomers wouldn't feel any impact, only thinking: "Is that it?"

This bunch of "survivalist" players spends every day just pondering how to get something for nothing.

Pfft!

Zhao Yan coughed, letting everyone wake up from their fantasies.

"The reward dungeon isn't as outrageous as he described, but it is still very rare. A reward level is a privilege for factions that have obtained temporary administrative permissions."

"Through temporary permissions, one can allow newcomers within the faction to obtain one extra dungeon opportunity. The rarity of the rewards dropped in this dungeon will be increased, and it will not occupy the normal dungeon cooldown time."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Just this?

For most players, a dungeon is not a good place.

Every time one enters a dungeon, it means facing danger. If the dungeon completion rate is below 40%, one will also suffer the penalty of dungeon failure, having their Will attribute cap deducted.

Someone once did a statistic: 85% of players have a dungeon interval of thirty days, which is to say, they drag it out until they are forcibly dragged into a dungeon by the Abyss Game.

14.2% of players choose their dungeon interval randomly based on their own circumstances;

Less than 1% of players get stuck at the shortest fifteen-day interval, entering the next dungeon as soon as the cooldown time is up.

For most players, they only wish the interval between dungeons were longer.

What the hell is an extra dungeon that doesn't occupy cooldown time?

Four assistants looked at Zhao Yan with strange expressions, seemingly asking, "Are you okay? Are you sure this thing is a reward and not a punishment?"

Zhao Yan also realized the problem with his phrasing and hurriedly remedied it: "The reason it is called a reward dungeon is that entering a dungeon through faction privileges will cause the difficulty's random probability to be adjusted downward by 10%. At the same time, the dungeon's danger level will be weakened, and the completion rate will be increased by an additional 5% upon settlement."

Once this was said, everyone's expressions improved.

A 10% downward adjustment in random probability is equivalent to the original 50% E, 40% F, and 10% D random probability becoming 60% E and 40% F.

This gives them a higher probability of matching into a dungeon below their own level, and the additional 5% completion rate further reduces the pressure of clearing it. Looking at it this way, it truly has a bit of the meaning of a reward dungeon.

"Entering an extra reward dungeon is a benefit for you new members. It is unique; each member can only use it once. You can use it now, or you can save it for later."

"However..."

Zhao Yan suddenly changed the subject and said:

"Activating the reward dungeon permission has a level restriction; it cannot exceed level ten. Anyone who is prepared to use the permission today can follow me inside. Those who don't intend to use it today can move about freely, but remember to control your level; don't forget the usage restriction."

As soon as this was said, sure enough, someone's expression changed.

A reward dungeon is both a reward and a test.

The assistants present all filled in their levels as below ten when registering. If anyone were unable to activate the privilege, it would mean they had concealed their strength and had something to hide, requiring special attention.

The man who had ranked second in the previous sparring match, who had worn a mask at the beginning but then taken it off, showed embarrassment and was the first to speak:

"I'm not in good condition today; let's do it another day."

Just looking at the man's expression, one knew he had concealed his strength and his actual level exceeded ten.

Zhao Yan nodded without exposing him and said to the others, "Is anyone else feeling unwell today?"

Seeing that no one else withdrew, Zhao Yan said with satisfaction, "Very good, this batch of newcomers is clean. Come in."

Several people followed behind Zhao Yan, swiping their faces to enter the Hongmeng Temple. The moment they stepped into the temple, an unused reward dungeon appeared in their Administration mini-programs.

Wu Chang saw that the activation condition for the reward dungeon was: Player Level ≤ 10, status: usable, and only then did he completely set his mind at ease.

Fortunately, the maximum level included level ten; otherwise, he would have to be like the guy before him and suddenly feel unwell.

Zhao Yan led the group to the dungeon waiting hall. The waiting hall is connected to the public area, and all preparations before entering a dungeon, such as purchasing items, checking rankings, and gathering intelligence, can be completed here.

Zhao Yan: "Although the difficulty of the reward dungeon will be lowered, you cannot be careless. I'll be out for a while; you all go ahead and make some preparations before entering the dungeon."

Because this entry into the dungeon was too rushed, Wu Chang didn't have time to customize armor and only managed to buy a few potions.

As for the other few assistants, they didn't even make preparations to buy potions.

As low-level solo players, being able to guarantee a clear is already very strenuous; as soon as they have money, it is immediately converted into items to improve themselves.

Their entire net worth is worn on their bodies, and many are still carrying debt; there is simply no need for temporary preparation.

Armor, potions, auxiliary items?

Those are the perks of "pay-to-win" players and direct talents of large organizations; they have no use for them.

Just as everyone was ready and waiting for Zhao Yan to return, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties, slightly plump, and dressed like a salesperson walked over.

"Are you all newly joined assistants?"

One assistant replied, "Are you one too, buddy?"

"I'm an instructor from Dongyang City; just call me Cotton."

As soon as this was said, it left the assistant who had spoken up confused.

No, buddy, why are you, an instructor, being so polite to me?

Cotton asked the group, "Are you all preparing to enter the reward dungeon?"

Wu Chang and the others nodded.

Cotton smiled and said, "That's perfect. I only have two people here, and I'm afraid that if we happen to get matched into a team dungeon, there won't be anyone to look after us. Can I have them queue up for the dungeon with you?"

"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you for nothing. I happen to have a permission that can upgrade the level of the reward dungeon, and the permission can be shared with you."

After Cotton finished speaking, he opened a paper document.

A light flickered in the document, and when Wu Chang and the others looked at the dungeon again, they found that the description of the reward dungeon had changed.

"Cotton invites you to enter the Intermediate Reward Dungeon room."

"Intermediate Reward Dungeon: When matching for a dungeon, the difficulty's random probability is adjusted downward by 15%, the dungeon's danger level is significantly reduced, the completion rate is increased by an additional 8% upon settlement, and dungeon rewards are increased by 10%."

"Activation condition: Player Level ≤ 20."

"Do you accept Cotton's invitation?"

(End of chapter)