In the village center stood a dry well, straddling the middle of the road. Its position was glaringly obvious—and utterly illogical.

"This well... be careful. It’s a trap," Soulshadow Tianyou halted, her gaze icy as it locked onto the well.

After the Beachcomber ambush from the soil, the Beachcomber lying in wait behind the door, the fireball spell hidden in the chest... this well was no mere decoration.

"Level 14 now. If I hit 15, I can swap gear and learn new skills." Soulshadow Tianyou checked her skill bar. Aside from Landmine Mushroom, Thrown Mushroom, and Blink, she had no other active skills—only passives. A serious disadvantage.

Killing just one Beachcomber should level her up.

"Little Monkey, don’t approach the well yet. Find monsters," Soulshadow Tianyou ordered.

"Find monsters?" Loli Monkey tilted her head. Every monster in this Hidden Map was trouble best avoided. Why was her master seeking a fight?

"Yeah. I’m just a sliver of XP away from leveling," Soulshadow Tianyou explained.

"But Master... there’s nowhere to grind here. Nowhere except that well in the middle..." Loli Monkey scanned left and right, then sighed helplessly.

"Fate’s hand. We’ll have to trigger the story mechanism." Soulshadow Tianyou sneered coldly and strode forward.

"Ah~ Master, be careful!" Loli Monkey jogged after her, worry thick in her voice.

"Only one path forward. No avoiding it. We fight through." Tianyou’s smile was oddly cheerful.

...

They headed straight for the dry well.

Built from ancient stone bricks, the well stood out starkly. Rainwater had polished its stones to a smooth, lustrous sheen—neatly stacked, pristine. It clashed violently with the crude humanoid statues and rotting wooden huts surrounding it.

And near the well... the humanoid statues clustered densely.

"So these statues finally show their true colors?" Soulshadow Tianyou sneered, stepping beside the well.

"Master, stay alert," Loli Monkey urged from behind her, gripping the Little Golden Staff tightly as she watched the statues at Tianyou’s back.

"Do you hear it?" Soulshadow Tianyou murmured, fingers lightly tracing the well’s rim.

"Hear what, Master?" Loli Monkey blinked.

"*Shh.*" Soulshadow Tianyou pressed a finger to her lips and closed her eyes.

Loli Monkey stared at her master’s breathtaking face, then fell silent, listening...

Beyond the rain, a distant song reached her ears. A woman’s voice, eerie yet beautiful. Not human words—just a haunting melody.

"It’s coming from the shore... near the final boss?" Soulshadow Tianyou opened her eyes slowly, voice low.

"Master, let’s focus on the here and now," Loli Monkey suggested.

"You’re right. Let’s examine this well closely."

Soulshadow Tianyou circled the well once. Nothing happened. No monsters ambushed them.

"How do we trigger it? Do I need to stick my head in?" She leaned over the edge, her ample chest pressed against the stone rim, peering cautiously down.

"Master, be careful!" Loli Monkey fretted again.

"Huh... there seems to be... a mini elite boss down here?" Soulshadow Tianyou tilted her head, puzzled.

"Huh?" Loli Monkey was baffled. What was her master’s reaction about?

Curiosity burning, Loli Monkey stretched her neck beside her master. Master and pet stared, transfixed, into the well’s depths.

"What *is* that?" Loli Monkey whispered.

"A dinosaur’s back?" Soulshadow Tianyou guessed.

At the bottom lay a vast, deep-blue back covered in scars and encrusted with withered sea shells. A colossal Beachcomber—Soulshadow Tianyou was certain of it.

"Master... do we go down?" Loli Monkey turned, voice hushed.

"No. We move on. If it’s trapped, let it stay trapped. Unless forced into combat, we ignore it. Straight to the boss." Soulshadow Tianyou kept her eyes on the well, a cold smile playing on her lips.

"Master, killing this mini-boss might drop great gear," Loli Monkey coaxed.

"Jumping in might also get us killed. Game over."

"...Master, your logic feels off. We could die to the mini-boss. We could *definitely* die to the final boss. Shouldn’t the mini-boss be easier? If we lose to it, we’d lose to the final boss too. So why skip straight to the end?" Loli Monkey reasoned.

"*Heh.* Hearing that just now... I finally feel like you’re an AI." Soulshadow Tianyou ruffled Little Monkey’s hair, smiling. "Real humans differ from you in one way... Some quirky ones never follow the rules. Like me. If I died without even *seeing* the hidden boss’s face? I’d be haunted for a year. Couldn’t walk peacefully. Couldn’t sleep soundly."

"Hmm~ Xiao Hou doesn’t get it," Loli Monkey puffed out her round cheeks, confused.

"It’s fine. Just my weird personality. Nothing to do with you, Little Monkey."