"If I planted twenty mushroom mines, I could probably blow it up in one go... but I don’t have enough mana to cast that many skills," Soulshadow Tianyou muttered in frustration, crouched in the bushes.

Suddenly, Loli Monkey stood up.

"What are you doing? If we’re spotted, it’ll be disastrous!" Soulshadow Tianyou tried to grab Loli Monkey’s hand, but the little monkey had already snatched her Little Golden Staff and charged toward the giant wolf.

"Why so impulsive? Don’t you listen to anyone?" Soulshadow Tianyou scratched her head with both hands, muttering lowly. "Little Monkey, do you even know that if you die, I suffer the death penalty too? Sure, at level ten, losing a level isn’t a big deal... but in the Mystic Box game, death means losing one level and twenty percent of the money in your backpack."

But then something shocking happened again.

Loli Monkey dashed up to the level 15 Forest Giant Wolf. While it slept, she leaped high and delivered a Headfirst Strike with her Golden Cudgel. *Crack!* The staff slammed hard into the wolf’s head.

Watching that blow, Soulshadow Tianyou winced in sympathy. That strike was truly lethal.

The giant wolf jolted awake, immediately rising to bare its bloodthirsty maw. Though it looked formidable, Loli Monkey’s hit had knocked off a third of its health, dealing a few hundred damage.

Enraged, the wolf swung its massive claw at her.

Loli Monkey giggled, leaping into the air. Mid-air, she swung her Golden Cudgel, unleashing four strikes per second with a skill, followed by a normal attack. Each hit dealt hundreds of damage. In a second, the wolf’s health plummeted to a sliver.

"Master, why don’t you finish it off?" Loli Monkey turned around smugly, her back to the wolf. She effortlessly dodged its claw attacks without even looking, radiating calm arrogance.

"Uh... okay," Soulshadow Tianyou stammered, stunned. She stood dumbfounded in the bushes until Loli Monkey’s words snapped her back.

A god-tier pet! Absolutely god-tier!

She summoned a big mushroom and tossed it at the wolf, wiping out its last sliver of health.

Instantly, both Soulshadow Tianyou and Loli Monkey leveled up twice, reaching level 12 together.

The level 15 Forest Giant Wolf dissolved into white light, leaving behind several pieces of loot.

Loli Monkey crouched to inspect the gear. Beaming, she turned to Soulshadow Tianyou. "Master, it dropped a short sword! Looks like you’ve got a new weapon."

"Oh? Such good luck?" Soulshadow Tianyou hurried over, picking up the items before examining them slowly.

Luck was on their side. The drop included some coins and two pieces perfect for Tianyou: a blue-quality common short sword [Forest Giant Wolf’s Fang Sword], and a matching blue-quality common cloak [Forest Giant Wolf’s Fur Cloak]. Their stats were much better than her current white and green gear, though nothing exceptionally special.

Soulshadow Tianyou immediately equipped the new gear. Her tattered gray cloth cloak was replaced by a pristine white fur cloak. It clashed horribly with her other equipment, but that’s just how gaming goes. Now, a grayish-white dagger—forged from a giant wolf fang—hung at her waist.

"Both physical and magic attack power increased significantly," she said with a smile after checking her stats.

"So, Master, where to next? These monsters can’t satisfy us anymore. We should go grind higher-level mobs for faster leveling," Loli Monkey said playfully, slinging her Golden Cudgel over her shoulder and swishing her tail.

"Alright, let’s go."

With that, Soulshadow Tianyou led the way out of the forest.

But as soon as she took a step, the ground beneath her feet gave way. Half her body sank into the earth.

"..."

Soulshadow Tianyou, with most of her body stuck above ground, was utterly speechless. Her lower half was buried, her ample chest pressed flat against the surface. Honestly, without her chest, she might have fallen in completely.

"Master! Are you okay? How did a pit appear here?" Loli Monkey hopped over and crouched beside her, worried. "Did you step on a trap? Luckily, your large chest size saved you, or you’d be fully trapped."

Soulshadow Tianyou narrowed her eyes at the little monkey girl, a dark vein throbbing on her forehead. "It’s not a trap, and it has nothing to do with my chest. My foot hit solid ground. Just pull me up."

"Oh." Loli Monkey grabbed her hand and pulled her out.

The moment Soulshadow Tianyou’s lower body was fully extracted, the patch of land collapsed. Beneath it lay a staircase leading deep underground, shrouded in darkness.

"System Message: Congratulations! You have discovered a Hidden Map."

Soulshadow Tianyou sat crouched on the ground, staring at the message, feeling utterly bewildered again.