Jian Xingyi felt like crying.

He felt like he’d been forced into a bad deal—there was absolutely no way out of this instance.

Facing such immense temptation, Jian Xingyi held back and sent a message to Haihai.

Xinghe: 【Um… just how hard is the ‘Nectar of Immortals’ difficulty?】

Haihai: 【……】

Haihai: 【It’s a difficulty you can’t overcome, so don’t go!!】

Xinghe: 【Then… if I accidentally fall into the instance’s cave, is there any way out?】

Haihai: 【…?!】

Haihai: 【NO WAY!!! You idiot! I’ll find a walkthrough for you, hold on!】

But then the signal cut out.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

【Player, please make a choice.】

At this point, there seemed to be no turning back.

Jian Xingyi trembled, nervously selecting 500 essence points.

But seriously, it gave out a ton!!

He’d been collecting essence in this game for so long, yet this was the first time he’d ever seen such a massive amount at once.

Gamble it all—lose and you’re six feet under; win, and your bike turns into a motorcycle!

【Player 【Xinghe】 selected 500 essence points as the dungeon clear reward. Dungeon will commence in three seconds.】

One, two, three…

—!

Jian Xingyi heard the entire cave echo with the sharp, hoarse screams of zombies, shaking the very walls and making the earth tremble.

One could imagine hundreds of zombies lurking within this cavern!

Jian Xingyi felt his heart skip a beat, cold sweat pouring down his back.

Thanks for the invite— I got my ass kicked right out of the gate.

The zombies’ screams caused the lava dripping down the cave walls to fall. Jian Xingyi scrambled to dodge, but a drop still splattered onto his shoulder.

Ouch…!

Jian Xingyi clutched his shoulder, gasping in pain. Turning, he saw his clothes torn, his skin scorched with a patch of blackened, crimson wound.

Another roar echoed, the ground trembling incessantly. Jian Xingyi watched as molten lava poured down from above his head.

“…!”

Just then, something appeared above his head… an umbrella?

Jian Xingyi froze.

Turning, he saw a tall man standing beside him, holding a jet-black umbrella that shielded him from the slanting lava flow.

The material of the umbrella was unknown, likely a special artifact capable of withstanding the intense heat of the lava.

The man wore a black jacket, his eyes and brows cold as frost.

Jian Xingyi was momentarily unable to react.

What was going on?

Only when the man spoke did he snap out of it: “Keep moving forward.”

His voice was cold and detached, devoid of emotion.

Five minutes earlier, outside the cave, Qingtian and his group hadn’t taken any concrete action, so Shanhai hadn’t killed them.

After they fled in disarray, Shanhai recalled that the people referred to the targeted youth as… Xinghe?

He remembered that name. He’d sold quite a few snacks to him before, and many people on Grapevine Peak had bought from him, too. He remembered this person’s combat power was only 6 points.

As for why he remembered it? Purely because… it was too low.

So low it was unforgettable.

A player with a combat rating of 6 entering the Nectar and Jade Liquor dungeon was certain death. After a moment’s thought, Shanhai decided to go down and retrieve the body.

Jian Xingyi heard the man’s command and nodded frantically, nervously avoiding his hand as he grabbed the upper part of the umbrella handle. Together, they moved forward, leaving the cave behind.

The next cave was pitch black, illuminated only by faint red light and the distant cries of zombies.

Once out of danger, Jian Xingyi exhaled in relief and slumped down, exhausted.

After a brief moment of relaxation, his shoulder felt like it was being torn apart.

Watching Jian Xingyi squat nearby, gritting his teeth in pain, Shanhai couldn’t help but say, “There are medicines in the mall.”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Oh, right.

Jian Xingyi rarely ventured into the wilderness, so buying medicine hadn’t been his first thought. Now reminded, he immediately placed an order in the mall. His injury was severe, requiring Grade A medicine.

Ten thousand per dose… So expensive.

Jian Xingyi also spotted umbrellas for sale in the mall, the same model as the one the man held.

Thirty thousand per piece… Even more expensive!

Seeing Jian Xingyi hesitate, Shanhai said, “You’ll need the umbrella for the entire mission.”

Jian Xingyi gritted his teeth and bought it.

Only after completing all this did he finally have the presence of mind to look at the man who had just saved him.

The man was handsome, with an excellent physique. His muscles flowed smoothly, radiating immense strength. He wore a sleek, stylish black jacket over a crisp white shirt, with a metallic belt buckle dangling from a polished leather belt.

What Jian Xingyi didn’t know was that maxing out both combat power and management skills unlocked special abilities and extra rewards. Fashion items were a byproduct of combat power—essentially a visible badge of honor.

He just felt this man was so exquisitely… not like a player.

Moreover, the man’s face was completely expressionless. His speech was stiff and emotionless, cold and utterly devoid of any human warmth.

Element one: an incongruously refined outfit. Element two: a complete lack of emotion. Element three: serving as a guide to lead players through quests.

So…

Jian Xingyi blinked, cautiously asking, “Are you… a dungeon NPC?”

Shanhai: “…”

Shanhai: “?”

Truthfully, few Dawnbreaker players were unfamiliar with Shanhai’s face. The reason was simple: Shanhai had dominated the PvP leaderboard for years, plastering the arena with his poster. Since the game launched, his spot had never been taken.

But…some people simply never visited the arena.

Shanhai fell silent for a moment, still processing Jian Xingyi’s words.

He recognized every single character, yet when they were strung together, why couldn’t he make sense of it?

He looked into Jian Xingyi’s sincere, curious eyes, and then…

“Mhm.”

He really was an NPC!

Jian Xingyi exhaled in relief. Otherwise, being used to going solo, he’d feel unnerved being with a stranger in this situation. At least when running missions with Lone Wolf, they had Chacha as a third companion, and they’d known each other for quite some time.

Jian Xingyi’s courage surged. He stood up, patted Shanhai’s shoulder, and chuckled, “You’re so handsome! I’ve never seen an NPC this good-looking before. What’s your name?”

Shanhai remained completely unfazed, replying in a matter-of-fact tone, “Shuixi.”

After playing this game for so long, this was his first time being an NPC. To be honest… it felt pretty novel.

Without the burden of Shanhai’s identity, this youth wouldn’t be trying to curry favor with him… or perhaps… fearing him.

Almost everyone in this game regarded Shanhai as a god of war, but beneath their admiration lay a deeper fear.

Just as Jian Xingyi was about to speak, another wave of zombie howls and mountain tremors erupted.

Jian Xingyi nervously opened her umbrella and looked at Shanhai—or rather, the man now known as Shuixi—asking, “What do we do next…”

Theoretically, Shuixi had already cleared this instance long ago, so he truly knew what to do.

“Let’s move first.”

“Oh…”

Jian Xingyi gripped his umbrella tightly, advancing cautiously, his palms sweating cold with tension.

They reached the next cavern, where another… NPC? Sat in the center.

It was a white-haired elder, dressed identically to the Fire God worshipers outside, draped in a heavy cloak, his face streaked with red pigment.

Shuixi explained, “Each cave in this instance has a different timeline. This is the early stage—the Fire God tribe’s priest is still alive here. Later on, he’ll be infected and become the instance boss. You have to defeat him to leave.”

These were details he would have had to figure out for himself by slowly progressing through the dungeon, but Shuixi spoiled them for Jian Xingyi outright.

However, this information was also written on the strategy page at Grapevine Peak—Jian Xingyi just hadn’t had time to read it.

Jian Xingyi froze. “So, to clear this dungeon, we have to kill the priest?”

“Yes. Afterward, the priest will respawn randomly with the caves. Finding him requires exploration and luck.”

Jian Xingyi pointed at the priest and asked, “Then can’t we kill him now?”

“No, the priest isn’t here. This is just his illusion.”

Similar situations might arise later. The Priest’s mechanics in this dungeon seemed almost sentient, possessing abilities defying scientific explanation.

The dungeon’s difficulty stemmed from players being worn down in treacherous caverns during the kill attempt. Even encountering the real Priest proved exceedingly hard to defeat.

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard, thinking he was utterly… a fool.

What on earth had driven him to jump in here in such a panic?

But there was no turning back now.

Jian Xingyi looked at Shuixi with pleading eyes. “If we really find the Priest, will you help me kill him?”

“I will.”

Jian Xingyi wanted to know how powerful this NPC was. Clinging to hope, he asked, “And if there’s danger, will you protect me?”

“Yes.”

Jian Xingyi: “…!!”

Jian Xingyi was moved to tears. Could it be that the system took pity on his measly 6 combat power and gave him a cheat code?!

Or was this instance so high-difficulty it required an auxiliary NPC?!

Regardless, he had an ally now. Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. “Alright…! Charge!”

He stepped forward to get a closer look at the priest’s face, wanting to lock onto his target later, but froze in surprise.

The mountain wall ahead actually had… clickable glowing spots?

Could there be plants inside?

Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up. He walked over and tapped the mountain wall where the glowing spots were.

Shuixi seemed curious about what he was doing, but he just stood by silently observing.

The rock felt slightly loose, so Jian Xingyi pulled a shovel from his backpack and began chipping away.

As he worked, molten lava began dripping down the wall. Jian Xingyi quickly opened his umbrella for cover, but this made digging awkward.

He glanced at his AI assistant.

“Could you hold the umbrella for me? Thanks…”

For someone socially anxious like Jian Xingyi, only when facing paper cutouts or AI could he truly be himself. If it were a Lone Wolf or someone overly enthusiastic standing there, Jian Xingyi would rather hold the umbrella in his mouth than speak up.

Shuixi stepped forward and silently served as Jian Xingyi’s umbrella stand.

After tapping for a while, Jian Xingyi actually uncovered a small space hidden behind the rock wall. A flower, its color vividly red as blood yet with translucent petals, sprouted from a crack in the wall. At the center of its petals sat a tiny crystal.

Shuixi’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

He’d heard from Le Ke and the others that this player only had a combat power of 6, yet possessed an inexhaustible supply of food—truly remarkable. Could it be that he possessed some special management skill?

Jian Xingyi immediately couldn’t wait to activate his skill.

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x21】

…Holy crap!

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, this instance already grants 500 points, and the plant essence values here are so high. Could this be the place where he could gather the most essence points ever?!

After upgrading his fields with essence points earlier, he had none left. Now he finally had 21 points!

But looking at these flowers… why do they match the Fire Spirit Divine Flower guide Haihai sent him exactly?

Jian Xingyi asked, “Aren’t there only five Fire Spirit Divine Flowers, and all outside? Why are there some inside the dungeon?”

Shuixi was also puzzled.

This was the first time he’d heard of Fire Spirit Divine Flowers appearing in a dungeon.

Could it be that the quest only mentions five, but there are actually more?

Is this some kind of hidden quest?

Shuixi was usually very economical with his words, and now he didn’t know the answer either. Lost in thought, he remained silent.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, it seemed he’d asked about something not in the NPC system database.

After pondering for a moment, Jian Xingyi decided to take the crystal from the center of the petal.

The Fire Spirit Divine Flower quest required these crystals. It was said that collecting all the crystals not only granted the quest reward but also allowed one to synthesize the Fire Spirit Divine Flower King.

Everyone else only wanted the quest reward. The Flower King was merely something they synthesized as a ceremonial keepsake. But Jian Xingyi was different. He believed that Flower King must be brimming with essence value.

The two continued forward, soon arriving at a vast cavern.

This place was entirely different from before—a colossal… place of worship.

At the very front stood a tall wooden platform. A priest danced atop it, brandishing a torch, while a crowd below, dressed identically, screamed in unison.

“Fire God bless us! Fire God bless us!”

Others flung molten lava into the air. Thick fur cloaks shielded them, yet exposed skin still suffered burns.

Even as flesh blistered and rotted, none ceased this unholy ritual.

Some noticed Jian Xingyi and Shuixi, immediately surrounding them.

One NPC handed Jian Xingyi a bowl of boiling lava.

“Drink it… and you’ll gain the Fire God’s blessing! Fire will burn the demons, and you’ll never fear mutating into those dreadful zombies again!”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

So drinking lava, huh? Jian Xingyi suddenly understood why the dungeon was called “Nectar of the Gods.”

Shuixi drew… a spear?

Jian Xingyi froze, rarely seeing anyone wield cold steel.

“Get behind me.”

Bang—

Seeing Jian Xingyi refuse to drink, the others screamed accusations of traitor and heresy as they charged forward.

The spear’s sweeping range proved far more convenient than a gun in this situation. Shuixi executed a horizontal slash, clearing the crowd away.

Just then, Jian Xingyi noticed the nearby mountain wall glowing again.

And it wasn’t just one light point—it was… a whole cluster?!

Not only that, but Jian Xingyi also spotted a tiny doghole leading toward those lights.

Glancing at Shuixi sweeping away NPCs, Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and ducked into the hole.