Chapter 40: I’ll Give You 500,000 Yuan, Will You Take Me With You?

Jiang Chen opened a Return Scroll after reaching level 19.

His goal this time was the dungeon clearance reward. As for the First Kill reward, the Guild Founding Token, that kind of item was merely a money-making tool in Jiang Chen’s eyes.

What he valued most right now was the experience from clearing the dungeon. Over time, Jiang Chen had discovered that the [Hundredfold Rewards] applied to experience from quest rewards, and for such a large-scale dungeon, the experience would surely be substantial.

Currently, Jiang Chen needed 6 million experience points to reach level 20—a massive amount. If he relied solely on killing monsters, it would take at least half a day.

After slaughtering monsters in Goblin Mountain for five hours straight, Jiang Chen was genuinely feeling a bit worn out.

Now, with an event clearly stating that massive experience could be gained, it was easy to imagine how delighted he felt.

Once this quest was done, Jiang Chen planned to head back and first apply for a residency permit in the Safe Zone. While he was at it, he’d buy some potions to nourish his body—he really was a bit frail physically.

Lost in thought, Jiang Chen had already returned to the main player city in a flash of light.

At this moment, Yunhuang City was bustling with activity. On the Return Teleportation Array, players were appearing one after another, all having rushed back from the wilds just like Jiang Chen.

Each of them was itching to go, excitedly shouting as they dashed toward the dungeon.

Everyone fantasized about being the one to clear the dungeon. Even though they knew failure was the likely outcome, they still wanted to give it a shot—because what if…

Because of that “what if,” Yunhuang City was currently packed to the brim.

Following the map’s guidance, Jiang Chen also made his way to the dungeon administrator.

Countless players were recruiting teammates here. The dungeon allowed five-player teams to enter, and forming a well-balanced party was the basic requirement.

“Looking for a high-DPS class, warriors with 300+ attack, please come!”

“Priest little sis is the best at healing—any teams looking for one?”

“Casual team needs one more! Looking for a ranged DPS, level 15+ preferred.”

“Hey beauty, do your team need one more? I’m a shield warrior—best at protecting teammates!”

“Looking for a strong archer with 100+ agility! Need one ranged DPS, starting as soon as the team is full!”

…

Near the dungeon administrator, the sound of players forming teams could be heard all around.

A dungeon that not even the players from top guilds worldwide could clear—its difficulty was self-evident. Building a solid team before entering was the top priority.

However, Jiang Chen disdained teaming up. This dungeon could be entered solo.

If he couldn’t clear it alone, then bringing teammates wouldn’t make a difference—failure was a given.

“Lone Ranger?”

Just as Jiang Chen was about to make a move, he heard a delicate voice from ahead.

Hongsha Liusu had just finished organizing a team to challenge the dungeon. After a long, grueling battle, they had only managed to kill the first boss. Pushing onward, they saw the second boss, but after a few rounds, they were wiped out and kicked back out.

Hongsha Liusu felt bitter inside. She considered herself a top-tier player—why was it that other large guilds could at least fail between 70% to 90% progress, yet her Red Veil Guild faltered so early? Were they really that much worse?

Just as she was about to give up on clearing it and go grind monsters to improve her strength, she suddenly spotted a beacon of hope.

By pure luck, she had run into the Lone Ranger—the man rumored to be a “walking bug.”

“What a coincidence, running into you here.”

So it’s her.

Jiang Chen looked up at Hongsha Liusu. This bold and heroic-looking woman had left a rather deep impression on him. Seeing her greet him with a cheerful smile, he didn’t come off as cold.

“It is quite the coincidence,” Jiang Chen replied with a faintly friendly smile.

“Are you here to explore the dungeon?” Hongsha Liusu asked.

In her impression, Jiang Chen was a thorough solo player—at least so far, that was indeed the case. He didn’t even form a team for such a hard dungeon.

He probably lacked money too—otherwise, he wouldn’t have sold gear several times back in the starter village.

If he had any need, then at the very least, they could form a partnership. Hongsha Liusu was definitely not lacking in money. If she could team up with the Lone Ranger, even if they couldn’t clear it, they could probably reach 90% progress.

As long as she grasped the basic information on the final boss, their next runs could be targeted, greatly increasing their chance of success.

“Yeah.”

Jiang Chen replied simply. The woman before him had both good looks and presence, and her attitude was pleasant too—quite different from the “poor” friends he’d encountered before. For some reason, he found he quite liked this calm, easygoing conversation style.

“Umm… can we… maybe team up?” Hongsha Liusu asked shyly.

“Uh…” Seeing the anticipation in her eyes, Jiang Chen didn’t immediately refuse.

He naturally understood her intention. But bringing someone along didn’t hurt—clearing solo or in a duo, it was all the same if the outcome was a success.

Seeing him hesitate, Hongsha Liusu got visibly anxious and quickly added, “Well, if you’re willing to lead, I don’t expect a free ride. I’ll pay you 500,000 to carry me through the dungeon—how’s that sound?”

Pfft…

If the other players knew that a major guild leader was offering 500K just to get someone to take her through a dungeon—with no guarantee of success—they’d probably all spit blood in unison.

Jiang Chen hadn’t been strongly against it to begin with, but now hearing there was 500K in it, of course he agreed.

“All right then, I’ll invite you to the party.”

“By the way, aren’t you the leader of that Red Veil Guild or something? What made you decide to team up with me?” Jiang Chen asked casually.

Hongsha Liusu’s face flushed instantly.

What do you mean ‘that Red Veil Guild’? That’s a massive guild with tens of thousands of members, alright…

But when it came to explaining why she was teaming up with him, she couldn’t very well say: “My own guild team failed at 50% progress, so I’m turning to you.”

That kind of low progress… way too embarrassing.

“Well, it just so happens I ran into you. You’re top of the level rankings now—it’s only natural for a little lady like me to cling to a strong backer, right?”

Right after saying that, Hongsha Liusu blushed even deeper, silently cursing herself: Oh my god, what are you even saying? How embarrassing…

“Totally natural, totally natural.”

Jiang Chen hadn’t expected that being top of the level rankings would have such charm—even a major guild leader was this eager to follow him.

Well, since that’s the case, let’s enter the dungeon. Hopefully, I won’t make a fool of myself in front of an audience.