We dashed along the stream and soon reached our destination—the source of the water, which was also the entrance to the Underworld.

Water gushed from a large crack beneath the cliff face. Bushes and weeds covered it well, making it extremely hidden.

The flow wasn’t too rapid, and ample space remained above the water.

“I’ll go first. Be careful.”

Yingning led the way, wading into the crack. I followed closely behind.

The crack was narrow; we squeezed sideways, barely fitting. After dozens of meters, the space finally widened.

Pitch darkness filled the cave, broken only by the gushing water. I stooped, found a pebble, and imbued it with Holy Light Blessing. A faint glow flickered to life.

I repeated this with a few more stones. Light brightened the cavern, revealing its interior clearly.

Yingning and I froze in shock.

The cave was vast. Colorful magic crystal ores littered the floor like worthless gravel. Under my light, they gleamed with a lavish sheen.

“My god… All magic crystal ores!” Yingning swallowed hard. “Gray is grade one, white grade two, green grade three, blue grade four, purple grade five… Holy crap! Grade five ores here! We’re rich!”

“Exactly! This is the true goal of those so-called Adventurers—trying to hide it but failing!” I scoffed. “Did you really think anyone would skip prime leveling time after launch, risk death just to map for others? Hmph… The map’s a by-product. Their real target is this! Pioneer bonuses for new worlds! In untouched, player-free zones like this, countless unclaimed resources wait!”

I flicked my bangs, smug with uncovered truth. To Yingning, it looked like a tsundere act begging for praise.

“Yes, yes… I’ll buy premium fox food later,” Yingning said, ruffling my hair.

I pulled away to avoid awkwardness. “Harder-to-reach spots mean richer rewards. This place is hidden, so the loot’s abundant. We can’t haul these ores now—let’s check what Jian Hui Tianxia’s group is up to.”

“Makes sense… But directions are impossible here. How do we find the right path?” Yingning frowned at the honeycomb-like cave entrances.

“Hmm~ Time for me again!” I coiled my tail carefully around my waist and stretched. “Get ready to dive. Follow me closely—really closely! Stray half a meter, and undercurrents could sweep you into the main channel of the Underground River. Thousands of meters below ground! You might be trapped forever.”

But… before diving, I glanced back at the cave glittering with precious ores. So spacious…

***********************

“Boss! The boss is near half health!”

“Beware the half-health counterattack!” The man in the sea-blue mage robe stared intently at the colossal figure in the basin’s center.

Half-blood of the Dragon Clan! A qilin-horned sub-dragon species—the Red Water Dragon!

A sub-dragon boss!

Its body blazed fiery crimson, skin glossy and slick. A pointed triangular head bore sharp bone horns. Bat wings, over ten meters wide and blazing red, stretched out. It towered taller than a two-story building!

This non-humanoid boss dropped few precious items, but as a Dragon Clan branch, it granted massive experience to its killers!

If our Guild’s main Elite Squad landed the final blow—even after heavy losses from fallen ordinary players—they’d instantly soar! Jumping to the server’s top hundred level ranks! Even the top ten!

Once the Elite Squad soared, minor losses would be repaid fast. A top-ranked elite squad surpassed the output of ten thousand players! One Divine Artifact they earned could outvalue a lifetime of grinding for lazy players!

“Half health! All melee, fall back one hundred meters! Priest Team Two, stay thirty meters out—remote-heal only the Main Tank! Survive the counterattack, then close in!”