Chapter 107: A Risk Worth Taking

The sunlight was warm.

Sunlight streamed through the dilapidated, decaying iron window, flooding the room and bathing him in a comforting glow.

Standing up, Yenir leisurely stretched out his limbs.

Feeling the power surging within him, a smile played across his face. His current attributes nearly matched those he had when he ascended to Third Stage in his previous life.

If he didn’t push himself to the extreme, he could initiate the Third-Stage Advancement Trial immediately.

29 points…

The basic level Spiritual Energy Fruit could no longer boost his attributes by more than 25 points…

The intermediate version was very expensive and nearly impossible to acquire.

Honestly, he was tempted to recklessly pursue Third-Stage advancement. With his talent, ascending to Third Stage was a promising prospect.

Upon reaching Third Stage, he would no longer need to collect resources himself; the Capital would surely meet all his needs. It would even send shockwaves around the world!

His only focus was to rapidly ascend to Fourth Stage in the remaining time, using his past-life memories to help China minimize losses before the calamity struck.

Most Third-Stage cultivators began their trial with barely over twenty points, sometimes even less.

Only major forces or elites would aim to accumulate higher attributes, given the tremendous resource cost.

A fleeting moment of hesitation.

But Yenir quickly reined in that urge.

Very soon…

If he advanced now, his attributes would be about 10 points short in each area—a total deficit of around 40 points.

“Furthermore, the higher the trial score, the better the system rewards. Many rewards can’t be bought with any amount of money…”

He refused to settle for anything less than the best.

Resolute, Yenir mulled it over and decided to message Chen Yong. Intermediate-level Spiritual Energy Fruits were hard to acquire, but with Chen Yong’s status, it shouldn’t be difficult. He intended to have him locate a seller, and he would then arrange the funds.

Just as he was about to send a message to Chen Yong under an anonymous ID, Yenir was startled to see his private message notification light up.

“Lord Ye Lin! This is Chen Yong! Do you remember me?!”

Inside the Zhenjiang Security Zone, Chen Yong looked nervously at a Second-Stage Awakened standing beside him, his eyes filled with gravity.

While awaiting Yenir’s response, he couldn’t stop himself from asking the young man beside him:

“Are you sure that the paranormal event there is evolving into the initial stage of a dungeon?”

“If we head over there now, is it relatively safe?”

Paranormal events are one of the three special phenomena that surfaced after the apocalypse.

No one knows how these spectral beings come to be; there’s only speculation that they might be the tangible manifestation of the deceased’s spiritual energy.

Despite their rarity, every outbreak triggered a catastrophe.

Unlike mutants, which could be destroyed by physical means, the monsters in these paranormal events were so dreadfully powerful that even Third-Stage Awakened individuals could perish in an instant.

“Confirmed!”

The young man nodded emphatically, his eyes alight with excitement:

“Brother Chen, I only just discovered it and had to come find you. If I had been sure, I would’ve sent people from the Merchant Guild over myself.”

“It’s a small settlement—an entire settlement engulfed by the paranormal event! The people there don’t sense anything, but I can feel it!”

“They’re…”

“Slowly transforming into ghosts!”

………

Inside a Merchant Guild private room within the Zhenjiang Security Zone.

“So, are you saying you’ve discovered a dungeon prototype of at least an A rating? Or is it just a paranormal event?”

Seated at the head of the table, Yenir looked thoughtfully at the refined young man before him, Wang Zheng. Chen Yong had introduced him as the son of the vice president of Tiancheng Merchant Guild, someone who maintained strong relationships with both the Military and various Private Factions.

A dungeon prototype refers to the phase when an event—initially not considered a dungeon—only later transforms into one after stabilization or mass casualties trigger the system’s classification. This early phase is the dungeon prototype.

“Yes, Lord Ye Lin.”

“You must know that the more paranormal entities there are, the tougher the dungeon gets.”

“An entire settlement is transforming into ‘ghosts’—you surely recognize the significance of that.”

“Note: they’re transforming! As of now, there’s at most only one paranormal entity in that settlement!”

Wang Zheng, a survivor from a merchant background, looked at Yenir warmly as he discreetly poured him a cup of tea and observed intently.

He was well-acquainted with Chen Yong, their respective networks intertwining regularly.

Planning to cash in on the paranormal event, Chen Yong didn’t hesitate to recommend Yenir. According to him, Yenir not only boasted at least intermediate Third-Stage strength, but was also unaffiliated—plus, his spiritual power was among the best at that level, and he was reliable.

With credentials like that, he was eager to meet him and, in the process, tackle this dungeon prototype.

“So, what exactly do you propose?”

Yenir countered with a disguised question.

To be honest, he had no real idea about this dungeon prototype business. In his previous life, as an ordinary person, he never knew such hidden details. Later, while fighting daily on the frontlines, he had to selectively gather classified information—no one really knew what benefits this so-called dungeon prototype might bring.

Taking the initiative to confront an A-grade paranormal event was, in Yenir’s view, nearly a death wish…

Upon hearing his remark, Wang Zheng wasn’t concerned; he assumed Yenir just wanted them to spell out the entire plan.

“Here’s the deal, Lord Ye Lin.”

“During the dungeon prototype phase, there’s no protective dome from the system and no missions—just a simple boundary separating the prototype area from reality. That means if we run far enough, we can escape the paranormal entities’ chase!”

“Unlike in a dungeon, where you’d have to finish quests just to exit!”

“Imagine the rewards if we could crack an A-grade paranormal event!”

“If we mess up our approach in this dungeon prototype, we can always retreat and try again once it’s safe!”

“What does that mean? It means endless chances to try with no real danger!”

A flicker of intrigue passed over Yenir’s eyes; as Wang Zheng explained, he started to grasp their scheme.

Paranormal dungeons—or rather, the greatest danger in any dungeon—is that you can’t back out halfway.

In this dungeon prototype, they could benefit from the system’s safety line—if they managed to escape, they’d be fine—and repeatedly try to overcome the event.

In short, it’s all about exploiting a loophole.

But…

Yenir furrowed his brow and said:

“According to you, it’s definitely worth a shot.”

“Yet, it’s not risk-free. A paranormal event can strike without warning—one might be killed instantly before even having time to escape.”

“And what if we never find a solution? That could mean absolutely no gains.”

“Besides, we can’t be sure of the final rewards. There’s no system-settled bonus, and we might end up with materials that turn out to be useless.”

The first concern didn’t worry Yenir—he had the Resentment Orb.

Not only did it reduce the negative effects of paranormal entities on him, but it also granted him one extra shot at avoiding death.

But the second was the problem.

For Yenir, time was precious. While the dungeon prototype sounded enticing, the uncertain rewards would only postpone his Third-Stage advancement.

Unsurprisingly, when Wang Zheng saw Yenir’s interest, he immediately spoke up:

“Lord Ye Lin, nothing in this world is risk-free!”

“I’ve heard from Chen Yong that your willpower is exceptional. Against paranormal entities, you’d surely have the upper hand—if death comes, it would come to us first.”

“For this trip, as long as you’re willing to go, I’ll gladly stake a bet on you, win or lose!”