Chapter 1 Nightmare Village

Nightmare Village.

Qiao Yu and Ma Fei stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

Hidden quests were rare opportunities in the Otherworld, often yielding valuable equipment or skill books.

Many players spent fortunes just to obtain information about them.

Logically, triggering a hidden quest should have made Qiao Yu and his friends happy.

But there was a problem…

The average level of the five of them was less than lv3.

Frankly, their current weakness meant entering a hidden quest was practically suicide.

Not to mention, the five or six Nightmares from last night could probably wipe them out.

And the quest required stealing the Heart of the Nightmare. They didn't even know what that was or where to find it!

"Qiao Yu, is it possible we only needed to awaken Village Chief Wo Gan and didn't have to smash the black stone?"

Zuo You gave Qiao Yu a meaningful look, holding back for a long time before finally uttering those words.

"Cough, cough."

Qiao Yu coughed awkwardly. He didn't know smashing the black stone would trigger some strange hidden instance.

"I get it!"

Yang Xiangdi slapped his thigh.

"Qiao Yu, you must have known all along that smashing the black stone would trigger a hidden instance, so you asked us to smash it with you, right?"

Yang Xiangdi excitedly hugged Qiao Yu, vigorously patting him on the shoulder.

"Brother Yu! I didn't call you 'brother' for nothing! You're not hogging the hidden quest; you're willing to share the opportunity with us! Waaah!"

Zuo You and Zhao Ziyue suddenly understood.

Zuo You even lowered her head in shame, feeling terrible for doubting Qiao Yu. She was so unfair!

"Hmph!"

Although Ma Fei was unwilling to admit it, he admired Qiao Yu's willingness to share opportunities.

"Qiao Yu, just you wait! I may have fallen behind in the beginner trial, but I will complete this hidden quest before you! I'm going to find the Heart of the Nightmare right now!"

While Qiao Yu and the others were busy figuring out how to solve the hidden quest, the real world had exploded with activity.

Tap, tap, tap!

Rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway as Xue Jinlong hurried to the classroom because his students were returning from the beginner trial!

"Wow! The beginner trial's S-rank difficulty is just this? Just this? I cleared it without doing anything!"

"That was too easy. I thought I'd have to go through some tough battles! But it was nothing!"

"Speaking of which, the beginner trial rewarded me with five free attribute points and an F-rank item! Awesome!"

Seeing the returning students smiling and chattering, Xue Jinlong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If they could still smile, it meant none of them had died. Xue Jinlong smiled along.

It seemed he had prayed to the right god. The incense burner was still sitting on the podium.

"Wait! Why isn't Qiao Yu back?"

"Not just Qiao Yu, Ma Fei, Zuo You, Zhao Ziyue, and Yang Xiangdi aren't back either!"

The students in the classroom exclaimed in surprise. They had been immersed in the joy of surviving and hadn't noticed their surroundings.

Once they calmed down, they immediately realized five people were missing!

Xue Jinlong's face turned green!

These five were the most outstanding in his class! Except for Qiao Yu's unknown talent level, the others all had C-rank or higher!

And the five most talented students were the ones who didn't return?

Something he didn't know must have happened in the beginner trial!

Xue Jinlong hurried into the classroom and began asking about the trial.

"Damn it!"

When he heard that Class 4-4 had drawn Nightmare Village for their beginner trial, Xue Jinlong angrily kicked over the incense burner on the podium.

"What kind of useless god are you? I asked you to protect my students, and you gave them the hardest trial! Keep talking!"

Half an hour later, Xue Jinlong finally pieced together what had happened. His expression became extremely ugly.

Logically, Qiao Yu and the others should have returned with everyone else after the trial.

Could it be that the five of them had encountered some danger?

"Students, if there's nothing else, you can go home and share the good news! The teacher has something to do!"

Xue Jinlong dropped those words and ran towards the principal's office.

Qiao Yu, the five of you must be alright! Xue Jinlong felt extremely worried.

"Cheers!"

Qiao Yu and the others excitedly clinked their cups. Yang Xiangdi grabbed a roasted, pepper-flavored pig's trotter and began gnawing on it.

To enhance the immersive experience, the Otherworld had also launched a hunger system and a food store.

Players could buy any food or drink that existed in the real world.

For only a tenth of the real-world price, players could taste all kinds of delicacies in the Otherworld without worrying about getting full. However, eating too much could still make them fat.

After failing to find the Heart of the Nightmare, Qiao Yu and his friends decisively decided that since things had come to this, they would eat first.

After all, Nightmare Village was no different from an ordinary village during the day, and they couldn't find any clues.

The three boys ordered barbecue and drinks and began feasting. Zuo You and Zhao Ziyue were initially reserved, but they quickly joined in after being tempted by the aroma of the food.

"Class monitor, thank you for treating us to dinner!"

Yang Xiangdi thanked him between mouthfuls, his mouth full of grease.

"It's nothing, doesn't cost much!"

After a few drinks, Ma Fei also became generous.

"I heard before that the class monitor is a rich second-generation, and now it seems the rumors are true."

After drinking, Zhao Ziyue's flushed cheeks looked even more charming.

"Don't listen to their nonsense."

Ma Fei waved his hand.

"It's my dad who's rich, what does it have to do with me?"

Qiao Yu, Zuo You, Yang Xiangdi, Zhao Ziyue: .......

This guy really knew how to show off in a unique way.

Since they were all young, the five of them gradually became acquainted after a few rounds of drinks.

Zuo You also asked the question that was on her mind.

"Qiao Yu, why don't you ever use necromancy? And why are you so strong?"

Ma Fei immediately perked up his ears. This was the question he wanted to know as well.

Qiao Yu's butthole tightened. He pondered for a moment and said.

"Do you guys know about the barrel principle?" (Also known as the Law of the Barrel)

"The amount of water a barrel can hold depends not on the highest plank, but on the shortest."

"Only when all the planks are the same height can the barrel be filled! The weakest part of a necromancer is their physical body, so I made a decision on my first day in the Otherworld!"

"Before my Qiao Yu's body becomes great, I will never use any necromantic spells!"

Under Qiao Yu's persuasion, Zuo You and the others all had a look of realization.

Ma Fei clenched his fists secretly. This Qiao Yu was indeed his rival! He couldn't fall behind him!

Seeing that everyone believed him, Qiao Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just kidding, would he tell them that his intelligence and spirit were 0, and he couldn't summon a single undead?