Someday, I’ll make it so the heavens can no longer blind me, and the earth… Wait, no—did I just mix up my lines?

Right. One day, Bai Xia would absolutely take Tianzheng down, pin him flat, loot his gear, seize his assets, and leave him utterly helpless!

Exactly. Did he really think taking advantage of her was that easy? Time to pay the price, mortal.

But first—what *was* this weird passage that suddenly appeared?

Bai Xia focused intently on the dark cave entrance. Just then, the system chimed.

*Ding!* Unknown spatial passage detected. Warning: Potential hazards lie beyond. Proceed with caution.

Spatial passage?

Bai Xia blinked. This pitch-black hole looked nothing like some high-tech dimensional gateway.

Still…

“Spatial passage? Does it lead to another dimension?”

No answer. Only stepping inside would reveal the truth—but the warning demanded caution. The cave itself felt… off. An uneasy chill lingered.

So… go in or turn back?

She glanced at Tianzheng, who’d clearly gotten the same alert. He just shrugged, relaxed. “I follow your lead.”

“Follow my lead? Then after you!”

Curiosity killed the cat—but humans? Often worse. Despite the warning, Bai Xia hesitated only a second. It was just a game. Even a wipe meant losing a bit of XP. How could that beat the thrill of exploring a mystery map?

(And yeah, this was payback for that *accidental* butt grab earlier.)

Tianzheng didn’t argue. He stepped in first.

Bai Xia followed—darkness swallowed her vision, and *thump*, she bumped straight into his back.

Simultaneously, the system chimed again.

*Ding!* Special map discovered—“The Lost Dungeon.” Reward: 100 gold coins.

Rubbing her nose, Bai Xia barely processed her surroundings before freezing.

A reward?! A *hundred* gold?!

Was it a fortune? Not normally. But this was ultra-early game. With her luck, her total assets hadn’t even hit 100 gold yet. Right now? Absolute jackpot!

And from the *system*? The famously stingy system that gave stat-less starter gear? Handing out 100 gold just for *finding* a map? Was she dreaming?

Wait—if she sold her recent earnings and monster-dropped gear, she might finally stop stressing about heading to Yuanjiao in half a month. Tears of joy welled up.

But curiosity burned hotter. What place made the system this generous?

Oddly, inside was brighter than the pitch-black entrance suggested—yet no light source visible.

Otherwise? Identical to earlier tunnels, minus the blue crystals. No goblins. No monsters. Nothing dangerous in sight.

Behind them, the cave mouth remained—a silent, gaping void like a mouth ready to swallow all.

Bai Xia scanned the area. Nothing strange… except the system’s label: *The Lost Dungeon*. Maybe deeper lay answers.

*Dungeon*. The word sent a thrill through her.

Ancient ruins! One of *Otherworld*’s biggest draws. Finding one meant potential riches. Danger came with treasure—but even just *seeing* it? Worth it.

Seeing nothing here, she led Tianzheng deeper without hesitation.

And walked. For two full hours…

“Why is this thing so ridiculously long?!” she finally burst out.

Real-world dusk was probably near. Not a soul. Not a hint of a dungeon. This was cursed!

Though the path had gradually sloped downward, steeper now, with occasional carved stone steps.

“Push a little further,” Tianzheng suggested. “If it’s still empty… we log out and continue tomorrow.”

Bai Xia nodded, swallowing impatience. Turning back? Impossible. This chance was too rare. She *had* to see the dungeon.

Five minutes later—a strange aura brushed past them.

They exchanged a glance and quickened pace.

Then—light! An exit appeared ahead!

Logically, descending deep underground should mean darkness. Yet bursting through the passage flooded them with blinding radiance—like stumbling from a pitch-black room into noon sun. Both instinctively squeezed their eyes shut.

After a moment, vision clearing, Bai Xia looked up… and froze.

She’d braced herself—but the sheer scale of the “dungeon” stole her breath.

This underground space was impossibly vast, stretching beyond sight. She stood high atop a ledge, overlooking most of a city.

Yes—a *city*.

Bizarre, towering structures stood frozen in time. Half remained majestic; the other half lay collapsed, eroded by ages.

Silent. Lifeless. No humans. Not even a single monster stirred.

“So this is the ‘dungeon’? The scale is… insane…”

Her eyes burned with renewed fire. “Hurry! Let’s get closer!”

She stepped forward eagerly—then froze mid-stride.

The passage ended at a tiny semicircular platform. Below and around it? An endless abyss.

Between them and the city sprawled a chasm over a hundred meters wide, bottomless.

But a path existed: crumbling stone steps floated tilted across the void—a fragile bridge.

*Gulp.*

Bai Xia stared at the broken steps, then the abyss. Swallowed hard. Her calves trembled.

“Uh… I’ve kinda lost interest in this dungeon. Wanna… go back?”

Tianzheng: “…”