TSA Chapter 82

Once everything was ready, Ran Qi contacted Gu Le and told him to come up quickly for some steamed buns. The moment Gu Le ended the call, he dashed over at full speed.

“Ranran, I’m here! What’s on the menu today?” Gu Le asked excitedly as soon as he walked through the door, his eyes shining with anticipation.

“Today, we’re having steamed buns. There’s fresh pork filling and a vegetarian option with mushrooms and greens. Which one do you want?”

“I’ll start with the meat one!” Gu Le answered without hesitation, even though he wasn’t exactly sure what steamed buns were.

Ran Qi took one from the pot, placed it on a plate, and handed it to Gu Le.

The freshly steamed bun was plump and white, still radiating warmth. It looked absolutely delicious. Gu Le didn’t even care that it was hot—he grabbed it immediately and took a big bite.

As soon as his teeth sank into the soft dough, the rich meat juices burst out, complementing the hefty portion of minced pork inside. The flavor was incredible.

“So good! So good! This is amazing!” Gu Le exclaimed, alternating between chewing and sucking in air to cool the hot bun.

“Try the vegetable one, too.” Ran Qi handed him a mushroom and greens bun.

Gu Le didn’t refuse. He took it and bit into it eagerly. The dough was just as soft, carrying the natural sweetness of wheat. The filling of fresh greens and mushrooms had a mild, slightly sweet taste. While it wasn’t as rich as the meat bun, it was still delicious and provided a refreshing contrast.

“How is it?” Ran Qi asked with a smile.

“It’s good, but I still think eating a big bite of meat is more satisfying,” Gu Le said, licking his lips before immediately reaching for another pork bun.

“I get it—eating meat is satisfying. But pure meat is expensive, and we should be careful with our Physical Exchange Coupons.”

“You’re right!” Gu Le nodded in agreement. Then, as if something just occurred to him, he asked, “By the way, where do you think the meat and vegetables in the marketplace come from?”

“I have no idea. Maybe the government or some official faction developed a new resource planet?” Ran Qi guessed.

“Haha, sounds likely.” Gu Le quickly brushed the topic aside and focused on eating. He ended up devouring four buns in one go, stopping only when he was completely stuffed. “But don’t worry. Tomorrow night, we’re running the Level 45 Abyss Dungeon. We’ll be earning a ton of Exchange Coupons again—I’m actually kind of excited just thinking about it!”

“Yeah, I need to prepare properly,” Ran Qi said seriously. He knew just how difficult the Abyss Dungeon would be. Even though both he and Night Owl had grown stronger, they couldn’t afford to be careless. He had to stock up on potions and food—anything that could provide an advantage in battle.

“I’m counting on you, Ranran!”

******

The Level 45 Abyss Dungeon was far more difficult than the Level 30 one. Other than Night Owl’s team, no other players were strong enough to take on the challenge. Because of this, Sword at Fleeting Time’s negotiations with the admins went smoothly, securing ten Physical Exchange Coupons per person as a reward. With the entire team combined, that amounted to 150 coupons—enough for several great meals!

“Once the dungeon is done, let’s give all the coupons to Brother Ran so he can make us something delicious!” Soul Chaser immediately suggested.

“I second that!” The others chimed in without hesitation. After tasting the steamed buns Ran Qi had sent, they were hooked. They wanted to keep enjoying his cooking whenever possible.

Ran Qi had no way to refuse this bunch of food lovers, so he could only agree.

Night Owl’s core team had twelve members, but there were still three open slots to fill. They initially planned to recruit from their own guild, but at the moment, no one else had reached Level 45 yet. That meant they had to look for outside help.

Fortunately, Asura, Blooming Hedgerow, and Thousand Mechanisms reached out to them, expressing their interest in joining the dungeon raid.

What’s more, the three of them stated that they didn’t want any of the Exchange Coupon rewards from the livestream. They were even willing to contribute two extra coupons each, just for the chance to be part of the first dungeon-clear attempt. After all, watching a dungeon raid via livestream was nothing compared to the firsthand experience of actually being there.

After some discussion, the team agreed to let them join. They had worked together once before, and all three had solid skills and battle awareness. There was no concern about them holding the team back, which saved them the trouble of finding other recruits.

They also informed their guild members about the decision. Unfortunately, no one from the guild could participate this time. But once the dungeon cooldown reset, they promised to bring their guildmates along for the next run.

The guild members understood completely. After all, they were leveling too slowly to keep up with the top players.

As usual, the livestream was scheduled for 8 PM. The admin had posted an announcement on the forums in the morning and even pinned it. By now, practically every player knew about it.

At 8 PM sharp, the team gathered at the entrance of the Abyss Dungeon. Night Owl started the livestream, and his viewer count skyrocketed at an alarming rate.

As soon as he activated the dungeon, they were all teleported inside.

The scenery blurred before their eyes, and when their vision cleared, they found themselves aboard a small boat. Surrounding them was an endless ocean, the salty scent of seawater filling the air.

Gu Le looked around in confusion. “Wait… why are we on a boat this time? And how are we supposed to fight on such a tiny boat?”

“The dungeon probably isn’t just this boat…” Night Owl had barely finished speaking when a sudden, strong wind cut him off.

The once-calm sea suddenly surged with towering waves, and the surrounding mist grew thicker. Their small boat was like a drifting leaf, completely at the mercy of the raging waters.

As the waves intensified, water started flooding into the boat, soaking everyone from head to toe in a miserable state.

Suddenly, a massive wave crashed toward them. Instinctively, everyone grabbed onto the boat’s edges to stabilize themselves. Night Owl, in particular, pulled Ran Qi tightly into his embrace, shielding him from the brunt of the waves.

The next second, their surroundings shifted again, and they found themselves on a rocky shore of a desolate island. The island was barren, with nothing but jagged mountains and reefs in sight. The vast ocean stretched endlessly before them, littered with the wreckage of their broken boat, making it clear that sailing away was no longer an option. The only path ahead was a deep, ominous cave.

It turned out that their experience at sea had just been a cinematic intro—the real dungeon challenge was only now beginning.

“It looks like that cave is the actual dungeon. Let’s head inside,” Shura said, taking the lead toward the cave. But after just a few steps, he suddenly felt dizzy. Checking his system panel, he realized that his stamina had been completely drained, putting him in a weakened state.

Clearly, according to the game’s storyline, they had just survived a shipwreck and barely drifted onto the island. Running out of stamina was a natural consequence—a well-placed trap by the Abyss Dungeon.

“Does anyone have stamina potions?” Shura quickly asked.

He had come prepared, bringing plenty of manas and HP potions as well as status-boosting food. But since backpack space was limited, he had replenished his stamina before entering the dungeon, assuming a full bar would last an entire in-game day. As a result, he had brought no stamina potions.

Unfortunately, everyone else had the same thought. For a moment, the group exchanged awkward glances.

Thankfully, Ran Qi stepped up just in time. “I brought some. Come grab one.”

Ran Qi had anticipated this situation and had prepared several stacks of stamina potions, as well as luminous pearls for lighting. These pearls were ones he had pried from the walls of the Dragon Soul Cave during their last adventure — now they would finally come in handy.

He distributed the stamina potions and luminous pearls, restoring the team’s energy and providing them with a light source.

“Let’s go inside and take a look.”

For safety reasons, the tank with the highest defense should have led the way. However, since Gu Le was terrified of the dark, Four Seasons ended up taking the lead, while Windstorm Jiangnan covered the rear.

The cave was incredibly windy, as if air was leaking in from all directions, yet no light penetrated its depths. It was pitch-black inside, making it impossible to see a thing. Thankfully, their light source was luminous pearls rather than torches—otherwise, the wind would have extinguished them instantly. However, the pearls’ range was limited, illuminating only about three meters around them.

Still drenched from the sea, they shivered as the wind bit at their skin.

Noticing this, Night Owl summoned a wall of fire to provide warmth.

But the sudden blaze brightly illuminated the entire cave, revealing a horrifying sight above them—a dense swarm of red-eyed bats hanging from the ceiling. They covered the cavern in a mass so thick that it could make even those without a fear of clusters break out in a cold sweat.

There was no time to scream. As soon as the firelight flared, the red-eyed bats screeched and launched their attack. They swarmed the party at an astonishing speed, their claws and fangs razor-sharp. Anyone scratched or bitten suffered a continuous bleeding debuff, their HP draining steadily.

Fortunately, the team was highly skilled, and with strong healing support, they quickly exterminated the swarm.

[World] Meteor Shower: Holy crap, this Abyss Dungeon is something else! It feels completely different from the previous ones…

[World] Summer Fireworks: There’s even a storyline? That’s incredible!

[World] Big Orange: So this is a shipwreck-themed dungeon? This pitch-black cave is giving me bad vibes…

[World] Three-Life Stone: Duh, if it weren’t dangerous, it wouldn’t be an Abyss Dungeon! I’m so hyped to see what kind of boss is in this cave. A Level 45 Abyss Dungeon—there’s gotta be some amazing loot!

[World] Flowing Frost: I almost died from fright! When the fire lit up, I saw all those bats on the ceiling, with their glowing red eyes staring down… My skin is crawling just thinking about it!

[World] A Lone Boat: Good thing the pros are here. If they hadn’t spotted those bats, getting ambushed would’ve been a nightmare!