Chapter 17: You Only Know After Fighting

At the dungeon entrance in the plaza, the bet had been finalized, and Li Wenhui looked smug.

"Gu Chen, at first, I looked down on you from the bottom of my heart because I knew you were a Summoner. After all, for a commoner, choosing to be a Summoner is a dead end."

"But you proved yourself with your strength, which is why I intended to take you into a Hell-grade dungeon—consider it a chance for you to broaden your horizons."

"After all, with a record from a Hell-grade dungeon, even if you can't get into a top-tier academy later, you could always develop a career as a dungeon assistant. That’s still much better than working in a factory, right?"

"I’m trying to help you out of the kindness of my heart, yet you don't know what's good for you."

Li Wenhui preached in an earnest tone, though his voice was thick with condescension and arrogance.

Just as Lin Qingqing and the others squeezed to the front, they were amused by Li Wenhui’s words, and the solemnity on their faces vanished in an instant.

"Whoa! A false alarm!"

"Hilarious, Li Wenhui wants to take Gu Chen into a dungeon? Is he turning the world upside down?"

"He thinks taking Gu Chen into a dungeon is letting him 'broaden his horizons'? Who is the one that doesn't know what's good for them?"

"Hahaha, I’m relieved now that I hear him talk like that. With Gu Chen’s temper, he’s definitely not going to form a party with him."

The three of them laughed and chatted, breathing a sigh of relief. Their future was now completely tied to Gu Chen. As long as Gu Chen didn't leave, they had a promising future.

"Hahaha, Old Gu, did you hear that? Li Wenhui is doing this for your own good. If you can’t get into a top academy, you can always go be a dungeon assistant," Lin Yuan said, standing beside Gu Chen and listening to the patronizing lecture, before bursting into laughter.

"Huh? Did I give you permission to laugh?" Li Wenhui’s expression turned cold instantly.

"Even if you didn't give me permission, I just can't help it, hahaha..." The smile on Lin Yuan’s face grew even wider. With Gu Chen around, he didn't care at all about this genius from the elite class.

So what if he had a rare profession? As soon as Gu Chen released his summoned beast, he could kill him instantly.

Stupid idiot, what is there to be so arrogant about? Lin Yuan stood with his hands on his hips, full of spirit. Who dared to provoke the two of them? With Gu Chen present, everyone in this dungeon plaza was nothing but trash in Lin Yuan’s eyes.

"Hmph, laugh while you can. Once I clear the Hell-grade dungeon, you’ll be the ones crying."

Li Wenhui left these words behind and walked away with a gloomy face. His party was still missing one person, and he needed to find a suitable professional as soon as possible.

At this moment, Lin Qingqing and the other two also arrived at Gu Chen’s side.

"Great God, the 200,000 credits from Su Ran and me have already been transferred to you," Lin Qingqing said as she stepped forward.

Lin Qingqing, Su Ran, and Wu Ziyi had collectively paid Gu Chen 300,000. At noon, after Gu Chen put the Hurricane Warhammer on the trading platform and added the Teleportation Scroll, the two items sold for 200,000. Added together, it made the 500,000 required for the bet.

Gu Chen led the four of them to the dungeon entrance and selected the Hell difficulty for the Temple Ruins.

[Warning: You have selected Hell difficulty. Challengers will enter the history of the temple. The difficulty is extreme, and the mortality rate is very high. Do you wish to proceed?]

"Yes."

[The average level of the current party is too low. It is recommended to reform the party.]

"No."

[Entering the Hell-grade Temple Ruins dungeon, please wait.]

A dark red light bloomed from the spatial vortex at the dungeon entrance, and immediately after, Gu Chen and the others vanished from the spot.

The surrounding crowd was stunned. There was a moment of silence before the crowd exploded.

"My god! Gu Chen actually entered the Hell-grade dungeon!"

"Is he crazy? There’s no such thing as seeking death like this!"

"He just cleared the Hard-grade, and now he’s turning around to enter the Hell-grade? Isn't that too big of a leap?"

"Gu Chen is foolish! He actually dares to solo the Hell-grade? Who gave him the courage?"

"Gu Chen is doomed. Even Jesus couldn't save him, I’m telling you!"

"If he can come out alive, I’ll livestream myself doing a handstand while defecating."

"Didn't you say that last time?"

On the other side, Li Wenhui also received news that Gu Chen had entered the Hell-grade dungeon. However, he wasn't worried at all. A commoner Summoner taking four "actors" into a Hell-grade dungeon—wasn't that a joke?

"Brother Hui, we found someone. The other party is a Thunder Mage, a rare profession just like you, and he’s on his way."

"Alright, give him three minutes to prepare. After three minutes, everyone follow me into the Hell-grade dungeon."

Li Wenhui curled his lips into a cold smile. His party had two rare professions, while Gu Chen’s party had four actors. How could they even compare?

There was no comparison at all! Gu Chen was doomed.

"Huh, why is it foggy? Gray fog?"

"I’m dizzy, my whole body feels weak. There is a curse power contained within this gray fog!"

"We were hit with a 'Weakness' status the moment we landed. Is this what a Hell-grade dungeon is like?"

Standing at the entrance of the Hell-grade Temple Ruins, with gray fog filling the air, Lin Yuan and the others looked pale, their bodies feeling as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

The Hell-grade dungeon was similar to a real historical record, meaning the environment they were in now was the true Temple Ruins. As for the Hard-grade dungeon they had cleared earlier, it could only be considered a weakened version at best.

"This gray fog is very similar to the skills of the Black-Robed Deacon in the main hall. It must be related to the Abyss alien race. This temple is likely suffering from an Abyssal invasion," Lin Qingqing said, studying the temple gate.

"It’s not just likely; this temple has already been invaded by the Abyssal alien race," Wu Ziyi took over the conversation. "Based on history books and guides, all the personnel inside the temple have been corrupted by Abyssal power. The Black-Robed Deacon boss we encountered in the Hard-grade dungeon was one of them."

"Although this is a Hell-grade dungeon, we still need to re-enter the temple and go through the previous plot again."

"After entering the main hall, we have to kill the Black-Robed Deacon and find a sealed heart."

"Then we head to the Sanctuary, where we will encounter the Red-Clad Priest, the final boss of the Nightmare-grade dungeon. Killing the Red-Clad Priest and finding the sealed blood is what completes the Nightmare-grade requirements."

"After clearing the Sanctuary, we move to the Altar. As for what happens at the Altar and who the final boss is, that remains unknown."

Wu Ziyi outlined the upcoming milestones; these were pieces of information he had obtained through paid channels. As expected of the class monitor, even though he was here to play the role of an "actor," he had done his homework.

Lin Yuan rubbed his temples with a headache. "Sounds tough. There isn't even a guide for the final stage."

Wu Ziyi nodded. "After all, no newcomer would choose the Hell-grade dungeon, and even if they did, no one has ever cleared it."

Su Ran’s expression was poor, and she instinctively looked at Gu Chen. "Great God, are you confident?"

"We’ll have to fight it to find out."

Gu Chen looked indifferent. He activated his summoning skill, and a tall figure in a dark red evening gown appeared out of thin air.

In an instant, the Vampire Overlord emitted a powerful sense of oppression. An aura of evil surged into the surroundings, making everyone’s hearts tremble and their skin crawl.