"Hello, Wang Xian!"
Tang Rou responded to the greeting with basic courtesy.
"Why did you come here alone? Out training and leveling up, and didn't even call us?"
When Wang Xian spoke, he completely ignored Ye Xuan.
In contrast, he glanced at Ye Xuan, who was dressed in shabby civilian clothes, with a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
"Yes... we just came out for some training, but now we plan to head back."
Tang Rou deliberately emphasized the word "we," as if to imply she wasn't out here alone.
In her mind, Ye Xuan was indeed her companion.
However, in front of others, she still maintained the demeanor of an aloof young lady.
Polite in her interactions, yet keeping her distance.
"Alright, and you are...?"
Wang Xian, finding it impossible to ignore Ye Xuan, turned to greet him reluctantly.
"No need! I'm just temporarily teamed up with her," Ye Xuan replied impatiently.
He naturally understood what Wang Xian meant.
Moreover, he had no interest in this awkward jealous drama.
By not playing along, the awkwardness shifted to Wang Xian.
He forced a couple of awkward laughs.
A guy next to him suddenly leaned in, pretending to ask, "Wang, what's going on here? Your girl is here, and you haven't introduced her?"
The guy who leaned in had dyed yellow hair, looking rather roguish.
"Brat, watch your mouth. We've just been childhood playmates," Wang Xian replied, pretending they were familiar with each other.
"Oh!"
The guy with yellow hair nodded.
"By the way, Wang, we need a competent priest for that secret realm, right?"
"This girl has such good gear. If she teams up with us, we'll definitely clear the secret realm."
"Your childhood sweetheart joining us means we won't have to give outsiders a share."
For this suggestion from the guy with yellow hair, all four others in the group agreed unanimously.
Ye Xuan then noticed a mysterious whirlpool in their vicinity.
The whirlpool emitted a ghostly blue glow, as if containing an infinite space within.
This was the secret realm.
The so-called secret realm was essentially a virtual pocket dimension, containing unique maps that might hold treasure, but also unknown dangers.
No one knew exactly what was inside until they entered.
For adventurers, such a place was a huge opportunity—if they succeeded, they might gain vast treasures.
Of course, if they failed, they'd be dead in there!
Yet, despite this, secret realms are places countless adventurers dream of.
It's said some adventurers have never even seen a secret realm in their entire lives.
These six people were indeed lucky.
To stumble across such a treasure in the wilderness.
Even Tang Rou was highly interested in this secret realm.
However, when faced with the invitation, Tang Rou didn't immediately agree.
Instead, she instinctively turned to seek Ye Xuan's opinion.
The events of last night had already revealed to her the sinister nature of the world, and she felt that so-called familiar people weren't necessarily trustworthy.
In contrast...
The only one she felt she could trust was someone like Ye Xuan.
Even if she had known Ye Xuan for less than two days!
Wang Xian saw Tang Rou consulting with Ye Xuan on this matter.
Jealousy brewed inside him.
But soon he came up with an idea!
No matter who this guy is, just take him into the secret realm, and a few of us can easily deal with him.
So, he smiled warmly at Ye Xuan: "Brother, secret realms like this are hard to come by. Since you're with Tang Rou, why not join our team? The more, the merrier, right?"
Ye Xuan, finding this invitation malicious, didn't want to agree.
But just then...
Ding!
[Mission Issued: Clear the Secret Realm!]
[Mission Requirements: Join the team in front of you, clear the secret realm, and achieve top performance to become the protagonist!]
[Mission Reward: B-grade Life Skill*1!]
[Failure Penalty: None for now!]
[Mission Note: This mission cannot be abandoned. The host must complete it.]
Damn...
Ye Xuan almost cursed.
He really had to team up with these boring and annoying guys.
But the system mission left him no choice...
"Alright! Thank you then!"
Ye Xuan agreed.
Seeing Ye Xuan agree so easily, Wang Xian inwardly scorned him.
Then he exchanged a glance with the others.
The five of them understood his meaning instantly.
"Alright then! Let's get started!"
With a sinister smile, Wang Xian led the way.
A loud buzz echoed!
Everyone passed through the entrance to the secret realm.
Shortly after, they saw a mission panel.
[Goblin Kingdom!]
[Quality: Silver-grade.]
[Requirement: Level 15 and above]
[Difficulty: Nightmare-grade.]
[Number of Players: 7~12!]
[Description: After ancient destruction, a small world emerged unexpectedly, occupied by a group of savage goblins; they like to rob property, gnaw on flesh, and abduct human females.]
The information on the mission panel detailed the secret realm.
Upon seeing the panel...
Everyone's face changed.
"Oh no! A silver-grade secret realm? And it's nightmare-level!"
"We're screwed! How do we even fight this?"
"I thought we'd strike it rich! Didn't know it was so terrifying inside. Let's get out before the goblins notice us!"
"It'll be too late soon!"
This wasn't a game; it was the real world.
Even in the secret realm, dying meant truly dying.
Several guys were scared and wanted to leave.
Looking at the eerie forest in this small world, Tang Rou felt an urge to back out.
If they took just a few more steps!
They would fall into the Goblin Kingdom's trap, and those terrifying and ugly goblins wouldn't spare them.
Besides the basic information,
they could also see other details.
For example, how to clear it.
The Goblin Kingdom's clearing method was straightforward and brutal.
[Kill Goblin King Gao Ge to clear the stage and earn substantial rewards!]
Of course, this seemed like nonsense to them.
In Huaxia Country, there's already a wealth of data about secret realms, and it's well-known clearing them provides rich rewards.
But the problem was...
What did their team have to kill the Goblin King?