TSA Chapter 44

The first time they ran the dungeon, Night Owl and his team were not familiar with the mechanics, so they played it a bit conservatively and missed out on the speedrun achievement. However, they were confident they could earn it this time.

“When we get in, let’s pick up the pace. For the patrolling mobs at the start, clear them faster. As for the mechanisms later, have two people operate them together—it’ll be more efficient,” Night Owl said before they started.

“Yeah, someone come help me with that!” complained Sword at Fleeting Time. The mechanism wheels were heavy and exhausting to turn. He had spun all five on his own last time and was completely wiped out.

“I’ll help you this time,” Plume Ink volunteered with a smile.

Once inside, Ran Qi, as the team leader, stepped forward to receive the mission.

“Pfft.”

Someone snickered quietly. Ran Qi glanced sideways and noticed Night Owl pressing his lips together tightly.

Ran Qi couldn’t help but feel amused too—this dungeon really wasn’t kind to unlucky players.

With experience from their previous attempt, they had a better grasp of the mobs’ attack patterns. They pulled two patrolling goblins at the same time, along with their summoned waves, and dispatched them much more efficiently.

When they reached the mechanisms, Plume Ink and Sword at Fleeting Time worked together to spin them while Night Owl and Gu Le blocked the mobs. With Soul Chaser’s area-of-effect attacks, they quickly rescued the NPCs, cutting their time in half.

[System Announcement] Congratulations to players [Night Owl], [Soul Chaser], [Plume Ink], [Sword at Fleeting Time], [Coke], and [Bai Ran] for clearing the Dark Prison experience dungeon in under 20 minutes, earning the achievement [Lightning Speed].

The blond-haired, blue-eyed knight NPC appeared again and handed a pouch to Ran Qi.

Soul Chaser rubbed his hands together in excitement. “Haha, let’s see what Brother Ran can get this time!”

“Don’t get your hopes up—it’s not a treasure chest,” Ran Qi replied with a wry smile as he opened the pouch.

[System] Congratulations! You have obtained a [Mid-Tier Enhancement Crystal].

Enhancement Crystals were items used to upgrade equipment, typically obtained by dismantling gear. Upgraded equipment gained enhanced stats based on its original attributes.

Basic Enhancement Crystals could enhance equipment up to levels 6–7, Mid-Tier Crystals up to levels 12–13, and High-Tier Crystals up to level 20. Basic Crystals required dismantling Grade B or higher gear, Mid-Tier required Grade A, and High-Tier could only be obtained by dismantling Grade S gear. The higher the tier of the crystal, the harder it was to acquire.

This single Mid-Tier Enhancement Crystal was as valuable as a piece of purple-tier gear, highlighting Ran Qi’s exceptional luck.

“No wonder you’re our lucky charm, Brother Ran! Amazing!”

Although the crystal was valuable, their current level made equipment upgrades unnecessary, so Ran Qi stored it for future use.

They quickly finished all five experience dungeon runs, though leveling up took noticeably longer. What once yielded four or five levels now barely gave two or three.

Ran Qi reached level 33, tying with Gu Le, who was just 20% shy of level 34. Sword at Fleeting Time hit level 35, Plume Ink and Soul Chaser reached level 36, and Night Owl maintained his position as the server’s top player at level 38.

They then tackled the challenge dungeon and managed to earn both the first clear and an SSS rating.

[System Announcement] A thunderous start! Congratulations to the player [Night Owl] [Soul Chaser] [Plume Ink] [Sword at Fleeting Time] [Coke] [Bai Ran] for clearing the first kill of the Dark Prison Challenge Dungeon! Get the title [Braveheart], and [Physical Exchange Coupon*2].

[System Announcement] Congratulations to the player [Night Owl] [Soul Chaser] [Plume Ink] [Sword at Fleeting Time] [Coke] [Bai Ran] for clearing the Dark Prison Challenge Dungeon in 19 minutes, 42.17 seconds, and getting SSS-level evaluation. Additional reward of [Gold Treasure Chest].

Since this was a story dungeon, they not only cleared it but excelled at the rescue mission, doubling the reward coupons—a fact that thrilled Ran Qi and Gu Le the most.

Naturally, Ran Qi was chosen to open the treasure chest. He obtained a [Sword Aura Shield: Skill Book] and a [Dali Bread: Recipe].

[Sword Aura Shield – Skill Book]

Can Learn Level: 30

Limited Profession: War God

Description: Grants the skill [Sword Aura Shield]. A passive skill that blocks enemy attacks with a sword, emitting a powerful sword aura to knock back enemies and deal 110% physical damage.

[Dali Bread – Recipe]

Grade: B

Description: This book teaches the method of making Dali Bread. Consuming it increases base defense by 30% for 15 minutes.

The skill book was reserved for Windstorm, a War God, while the bread recipe naturally went to Ran Qi. As for the Abyss Fragments, they were stored in the guild warehouse for future raid preparation.

“What’s this Dali Bread?” Gu Le the foodie asked, curious.

“It’s a type of bread,” Ran Qi explained. “It’s pretty good.”

Dali Bread is a traditional European-style loaf with a rich buttery aroma, sweet raisins, and crunchy walnuts. Its hard crust contrasts with its soft interior, offering a delightfully textured experience.

“How about we try making it later?”

“I’ll take a look. Making Dali Bread requires quite a few ingredients, which I don’t have here. I’ll need to check the Trading Hall.” Grapes, walnuts, and milk, along with other ingredients, were all gathered through the collection, and the Trading Hall may not even have them.

Seeing Gu Le’s face fall, Ran Qi added, “Last time, Night Owl got me a lot of fish and seafood. I’ll go back and figure out a dish to make, and when it’s ready, I’ll call you.”

The dungeon runs were done for the day, and since he wasn’t too interested in monster grinding to level up, the seafood Night Owl had gotten him last time was perfect for a seafood feast. It was a great way to relax together. After all, the ingredients came from Night Owl’s monster kills, so it hadn’t cost a penny. They could enjoy the food and collect more exchange coupons, a win-win situation.

“Sure, sure!” Gu Le immediately perked up.

The group split up. Night Owl and the others, the leveling maniacs, headed out to the wilds for monster grinding, while Ran Qi used a city return scroll to go back to the main city.

He went to the Trading Hall and found grapes and milk, but no walnuts. Thinking he could use raisins to make milk toast bread instead, he figured he might even get a new recipe.

He listed the Dali Bread recipe for 2 gold in the Trading Hall. Though the ingredients were hard to find, it was still a Grade B recipe, so the price seemed reasonable.

After purchasing the ingredients, Ran Qi went to the cooking area and rented a kitchen from the NPC. He had quite a few dishes to make, so he wanted to avoid drawing attention.

He took out the fish, shrimp, crabs, and various shells that Night Owl had given him. Since they were game items, they were still in the freshest condition. The fish even wiggled their tails occasionally, proving they were still alive.

The easiest way to cook seafood was, of course, grilling. Clean it, brush it with oil, pour on the sauce, and sprinkle with pepper and cumin—the aroma was mouth-watering. He could also make sashimi or seafood soup, and there were many ways to prepare it. He was sure to earn plenty of exchange coupons from this.

While he was busy, a system announcement popped up.

[System Announcement] Congratulations to the player [Yue Na] for developing a new food: [Vegetable Pancake], earning 100 World Reputation and [Physical Exchange Coupon*1].

Ran Qi: “……”

That familiar name triggered not-so-pleasant memories for Ran Qi, and the vegetable pancake looked like an improved version of his scallion pancake.

He checked the attributes of the vegetable pancake. The system evaluation was only Grade C, with an increase of 10 in constitution, 8 in strength, and a 10-minute duration.

It could be considered a low-tier scallion pancake, with both the attributes and duration significantly reduced.

[World] Lin Yuan: Damn, this big shot isn’t anonymous anymore?

[World] Nine Lives: Looks like it’s a variation of the scallion pancake. Could it be the same big shot?

[World] Three Turns Back: I don’t think so. The green onion pancake was made by a priest last time.

[World] Davis: But this creator is also a priest?

Yue Na certainly knew how to seize opportunities. As her vegetable pancake appeared in the system announcement and drew attention, she immediately made her presence known in the world channel.

[World] Yue Na: Moon Shadow Guild is recruiting players above level 25 for leveling and teamwork. I’m a professional priest and part-time life player, with a cooking skill level of 20. Join the team and enjoy top-tier treatment! Contact [Ba Ge] [Moon Shadow].

[World] Ba Ge: I already have a fixed team. We’ve cleared all challenge dungeons under level 25, and we’re opening the Abyss Dungeon next week. Strong players above level 25, come join us.

[World] Moon Shadow: Moon Shadow Guild is recruiting players for Abyss Dungeon next week.

Moon Shadow, level 31, was already well-known on the rankings, though not in the top ten, he was still in the top thirty, making him quite prominent.

[World] Nine Water: Moon Shadow’s guild? I’ll definitely join! But has the guild summons come yet?

[World] Lin Yuan: Doesn’t matter. As long as we get a fixed team, we can start the guild once we get the summons.

[World] Nine Lives: That’s true! I’m a bit tempted!

[World] Raphael: Haha, I knew that Yue Na name sounded familiar! Didn’t I kill her once?

[World] No Happiness: Out causing trouble again? Stealing recipes and playing dirty, who would want to join the guild of someone like that?

[World] Smoke: That vegetable pancake is obviously based on the scallion pancake, but it’s a downgrade in every way. The skill just isn’t there~

While Ran Qi didn’t say anything, No Happiness and the others couldn’t hold back and started to argue in the world channel.