Chapter 1 The Crowd Before the Silent Forest

The area in front of the Silent Forest dungeon was packed with players, all gathered around the entrance.

The elite groups from Red Leaf Town’s major guilds had arrived, preparing to challenge the Silent Forest. These groups were far stronger than the elite squads of solo players, equipped with a full set of common gear, some even possessing Bronze equipment.

"That's Immovable Mountain, the main tank of Heaven's Crown. I can't believe he's here. The Silent Forest is definitely getting cleared this time."

"Hmph, Heaven's Crown is nothing but a third-rate guild. Look over there, Assassin's Alliance's elite group's vice leader, Thornheart, has arrived. And the Guardian Knight beside him is called Battle Soul. He's one of the top five knights in the Assassin's Alliance, far more powerful than Immovable Mountain."

The players discussed amongst themselves, optimistic about the major guilds' chances. After all, there were over a dozen guilds, the most famous being the top second-rate guild Assassin's Alliance, followed by the third-rate Heaven's Crown. The smaller guilds were not to be underestimated, as each one was backed by a studio, filled with highly skilled players hired for a high price, incomparable to ordinary high-level players.

To establish a reputation in Red Leaf Town, the guilds saw the Silent Forest, the first dungeon to appear in Red Leaf Town, as the perfect opportunity. They were well-prepared, having spent a considerable amount of money on equipment and potions, and had purchased a great deal of information about the Silent Forest, confident in their ability to clear it.

"Sky Net, the equipment of the guild groups is too extravagant. They're definitely going to clear the Silent Forest this time." The priest Silent Summer Night's expression was somewhat melancholic.

The ranger Sky Net crossed his arms, nodded slightly, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Who would have thought the Silent Forest would be so difficult? We didn't even see the Boss before being wiped out. Now our little squad has become a scout for these guilds."

"What's so great about guild experts? It's not that our skills aren't good enough, boss, it's just that this dungeon is too scary and the equipment requirements are too high." The shield warrior One Battle to the End pouted, disdaining the guild experts, believing that their failure was due to equipment issues.

"That's right, boss. If our squad had equipment like that, we would have cleared the Silent Forest already." Silent Summer Night said confidently.

Speaking of dungeons, Silent Summer Night thought of Shi Feng's team and said with a playful smile, "And it's not like we didn't gain anything. Didn't we kill two Night Rabbits and get a Berserker skill book? We're much stronger than that 'noob' leader's team. They haven't even shown their faces yet, probably too embarrassed and ran off. It's just a pity for Lonely Snow. If he had submitted to the boss, this skill book would have been his. If he knew, he would probably regret not coming with us."

"That's right, Lonely Snow is too ungrateful. He must regret not coming with the boss to the dungeon now." One Battle to the End laughed loudly.

"Lonely Snow's skills are still pretty good, but that noob somehow managed to latch onto that expert called Blackie. But even if that expert's skills are good, with someone dragging them down, they're probably wiped out. They're probably too ashamed to show their faces. If they had come with us, maybe we would have cleared the Silent Forest." Sky Net proudly waved his hand, secretly pleased with himself.

"Boss, look, the guilds are about to go in," Silent Summer Night said.

Just as everyone was watching the major guilds about to enter, the dungeon portal suddenly changed color, abruptly turning from silvery-gray to pitch black, with a skull faintly roaring.

The members of the major guilds couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"What's going on?"

Everyone had this question in their minds, but they soon got the answer.

Six figures suddenly flashed out of the dungeon entrance, each dressed in gorgeous attire, giving off an aura of subtle oppression. Especially the curse caster with the black staff, whose dark gray equipment was clearly a set, obviously not ordinary goods, much better than the material of Bronze equipment.

"Huh, why are there so many people?" Shi Feng glanced around and noticed that these were all elite teams from various guilds. He wondered why they were all blocking the entrance.

Shi Feng's team also seemed a little nervous, after all, being watched by so many people was no less intimidating than facing a Boss.

"Sky Net, isn't that the noob?" Silent Summer Night, with his excellent eyesight, pointed at Shi Feng.

Sky Net frowned slightly. He not only saw Shi Feng, but also Lonely Snow, and was very puzzled. "Why are they here? Didn't they leave long ago?"

"I bet they didn't even enter the Silent Forest's woods. They knew they couldn't clear the dungeon and were afraid of losing face, so they stayed inside and only came out now." One Battle to the End laughed. "This is going to be fun. They're caught red-handed. Look at how ugly Lonely Snow's face is."

"Hahaha, as expected of a noob, they didn't even have the courage to enter the dungeon and came back, and now everyone knows." Silent Summer Night pointed at Shi Feng and laughed so hard that he almost fell to the ground.

Sky Net thought that Silent Summer Night's words made sense. How else could Shi Feng's team have returned unscathed? Having been in the dungeon themselves, they knew how terrifying the Silent Forest was. Entering the Silent Forest's woods meant either clearing the dungeon or being wiped out and returning. There was no third possibility. Now that Shi Feng's team had returned safely, there was only one possibility: they didn't enter the woods. As for clearing the Silent Forest, that was impossible.

Just as Sky Net's team was mocking Shi Feng's team, the surrounding players were laughing like crazy, which made Sky Net's team feel very strange. Why were these people laughing at Shi Feng's team? Was Shi Feng's team famous?

Sky Net's team didn't know that after they entered the dungeon, Shi Feng's team had become famous in the Silent Forest. A group mainly composed of level 1 noobs challenging a Hell-level dungeon was definitely the most brainless act. It was hard not to pay attention.

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels thousands of miles.

"Hahaha, that freak is back again. I was quite impressed with him at first, thinking they were so awesome for challenging the Hell-level Silent Forest, but it turns out they're all cowards."

"I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts so much."

The surrounding players who knew the situation understood Shi Feng's team's actions. They knew it was foolish to challenge a Hell-level dungeon, so they didn't venture deep into the Silent Forest, but stayed at the dungeon entrance, waiting for an opportunity to come out and leave unnoticed. Unfortunately, even heaven wasn't helping them, and they happened to coincide with the major guilds entering the dungeon and were seen by everyone.

"Brother Feng, what's wrong with these people?" Blackie scratched his head, wondering as he looked at the players around him laughing on the ground. "Are these people's brains broken? Why are they all lying on the ground holding their stomachs and laughing?"

"Who knows, maybe their brains are cramping. It seems you can't play God's Domain for too long the first time." Shi Feng didn't think there was any connection between these people's actions and their appearance. "Let's go, it's kind of creepy."

The other members of the team nodded. All the players in the Silent Forest were too strange.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Just as Shi Feng's team was leaving the dungeon entrance, a clear voice entered everyone's ears. A beautiful woman wearing a pure white robe walked towards Shi Feng's team.

Shi Feng recognized this person, Xiao Yue'er, one of the top 100 priests in the Star-Moon Kingdom.

Xiao Yue'er walked up to Shi Feng, looking a little embarrassed, a blush appearing on her fair cheeks, and said softly, "Hello, I'm Xiao Yue'er from Ouroboros. We met before entering the dungeon. Our team leader wants to talk to you about the Silent Forest dungeon. I don't know... are you interested?"