Chapter 28: Secret Realm Lockdown

In an unnamed mountain cave,

It roared skyward, its crimson eyes burning with unyielding defiance, yet it was powerless to halt its inevitable descent into the Abyss of Death.

Several times it had attempted desperate bursts of power, but Ke Lu's swift adjustments had allowed the team to weather each onslaught unscathed.

Finally, under their combined assault, the Mountain Tiger's colossal body crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar.

"Did... we win?" Bai Yu murmured in disbelief.

Even with the Mountain Tiger completely collapsed, he couldn't trust his own eyes.

As he moved to approach, Ke Lu stopped him. "Wait for the System announcement."

Ke Lu's vigilance hadn't waned; it had intensified.

"Good point," Ma Fei chimed in. "There have been instances of Secret Realm bosses feigning death, then ambushing players who get too close. We should wait and see."

Heeding his advice, the group remained cautiously in place for a few tense seconds.

[System Announcement: Congratulations to Shi Lei's Team for achieving the first kill of the Lost Woods boss, the Mountain Tiger. Global announcement being broadcast.]

The moment the System announcement echoed through the cave, the group finally allowed themselves to believe it was real.

"We're probably the fastest team in history to clear this boss," Ma Fei said, checking his phone.

The boss's strength far exceeded their expected capabilities. In previous years, students typically waited a month after their Awakening before attempting this boss.

Yet they had only awakened about a week ago.

"Of course! Just look at who your captain is!" Shi Lei thumped his chest, his nose practically pointing skyward.

"Actually, Ke Lu deserves the most credit," Bai Yu retorted, rolling his eyes without hesitation.

"Ahem," Shi Lei coughed twice, turned to Ke Lu, and extended his hand. "After unanimous agreement from our team, we'd like to welcome you to join us."

"Welcome!" Applause erupted from the cave.

Unexpectedly, Ke Lu's reaction wasn't the enthusiastic acceptance they'd anticipated. Instead, she frowned deeply.

Observing their expressions, Ke Lu realized they had misunderstood:

"Forgive me for being blunt, but I cannot accept joining another's team and becoming someone else's subordinate."

"Teacher Liu only asked me to find a team to guide me for a while."

"However," she softened her tone slightly, "I'm willing to interact with you all as friends."

Ke Lu understood her ambitions perfectly. She wanted to reach the highest position—how could she settle for being subordinate to anyone?

Her declaration hung in the air, creating a moment of silence.

However, the trio didn't react with resentment; instead, a sense of relief seemed to wash over them.

Shi Lei scratched his head, his face etched with confusion. "Then why did Old Liu say you'd definitely want to join our team? I thought..."

"Honestly, we'd feel pressured if you actually joined," Ma Fei said earnestly. "With your skill, joining us would be a complete waste of your talent."

Bai Yu winked. "If you joined, Brother Lei wouldn't live up to his name."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Shi Lei glared at him, but inwardly he had to admit the truth in Bai Yu's words.

Ke Lu's strength was truly beyond absurd.

Meanwhile, nearby, several items emitting a soft white glow slowly rose from the Mountain Tiger's corpse—Spirit Artifacts and materials dropped by the Secret Realm.

The conversation was abruptly interrupted as all eyes turned toward the glowing items.

The Mountain Tiger's corpse, like ordinary Instance Secret Realm creatures, disintegrated into tiny particles of white light that drifted skyward, vanishing without a trace.

"See? I told you we'd win!" Bai Yu exclaimed excitedly, rushing forward to sift through the loot.

"This is good, and this too!" Bai Yu's sharp eyes instantly locked onto the most valuable item inside: Spirit Crystals.

As expected of the dungeon's strongest boss, the Mountain Tiger had dropped a staggering 60 grams of Spirit Crystals.

These crystals served as essential materials for cultivation, forging, alchemy, and various other practices. Their widespread utility had even made them a universally recognized currency alongside credit points.

As for the other loot... the Spirit Artifacts dropped from this low-level dungeon were practically worthless. At their post-College Entrance Examination level, they would never use them.

Furthermore, the College Entrance Examination arena didn't allow personal equipment anyway; all participants received standardized basic gear. They were currently wearing this gear to familiarize themselves with its properties.

Still, since these drops came from the Secret Realm's ultimate boss, their attributes were noticeably superior to comparable gear. Now that the Secret Realm had just opened, they could fetch a good price.

The group evenly divided the spoils.

"Lulu, let's go!" Su Rou hooked her arm through Lulu's and skipped toward the exit that had appeared after defeating the boss.

Defeating each major boss spawned an exit. Players could ignore it if they wanted to continue farming other bosses in the instance.

"Alright," Ke Lu replied, walking side-by-side with Su Rou.

The boys, who had raced ahead, used their Space Rings to collect the dropped items and dashed onto the teleportation array.

After such a long and grueling battle, their continued excitement was a testament to their boundless energy.

As the group approached the luminous barrier that would transport them out of the Secret Realm, Ke Lu turned back for one last look at the now-empty battlefield.

Throughout this dungeon, I've gained a lot of practical experience and improved my strength, she reassured herself, though her gaze drifted involuntarily back to the spot where the Mountain Tiger's corpse had vanished.

A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.

The crown, along with its embedded gems, had indeed dissipated upon the boss's death, leaving behind none of the clues she had hoped for.

Normally, clearing a dungeon would yield random loot drops. Had she simply been unlucky this time?

Or could my intuition have been wrong? Was there nothing special about that crown after all?

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Ke Lu stepped forward, her footsteps echoing as she walked toward the teleportation barrier.

The figures of the three ahead had already vanished, leaving only Ke Lu and Su Rou slightly behind.

Ke Lu casually stepped forward, crossing the threshold.

Yet in the blink of an eye, the scene that materialized was nothing like the teeming exit of the school's Secret Realm she had expected. There were no towering academic buildings or tree-lined paths.

Instead, her eyes still beheld the brown stone walls of the cave.

Light streamed across the walls, casting distorted shadows that danced and shifted, revealing an indescribable eeriness.

Beneath her feet, the teleportation array had vanished without a trace, leaving only an empty white glow.

In this surreal moment, only the sudden, sharp pain in her arm grounded her in reality.

Ke Lu glanced sideways and saw Su Rou's face had gone deathly pale, her lips pressed into a tight line.

Su Rou's mouth opened and closed, her voice trembling as she stammered, "Lulu... why are we still here?"

You're asking me? How am I supposed to know?

Ke Lu couldn't resist a mental quip before making a swift decision. "Initiate manual disengagement," she declared crisply.

This function was implemented through school-issued passage tokens. After all, if a team entering a Secret Realm couldn't defeat the boss, they couldn't just remain trapped inside forever.

Moreover, in the distant past, exploration of Secret Realms was still in its infancy. Many Martial Artists rashly entered Secret Realms they couldn't handle, making it a major cause of death for them.

After countless efforts by selfless heroes and visionaries, a Spirit Artifact was finally invented. Its purpose was to allow Martial Artists trapped within Secret Realms to escape at any time.

Now, they were about to use this method.

The two acted swiftly, activating their Spirit Artifacts in quick succession.

As the artifacts lit up, no change occurred in their surroundings.

As the glow gradually dimmed, their hearts sank with it.

Ineffective.

The shadow on the wall suddenly swelled, engulfing them in an instant.

A low growl echoed through the darkness—a familiar tiger's roar: "What a pity... you won't be leaving."

In the pitch-blackness, the sound of swallowing saliva was distinctly audible, like the whispers of a demon.