A whole night passed without notice.
Meditation, though dull, could replace most of the sleeping time once one became proficient. Even sitting in silence for a night could leave one feeling refreshed and energized.
Suddenly, Ji Xun heard some movement outside the door and slowly opened his eyes. He checked his pocket watch—it was 5:50 AM.
He got out of bed, freshened up in the bathroom, ate some dry rations, and by 6:00, he was ready. Wearing a gas mask and carrying his hunter backpack, he opened the door.
Stepping outside, he saw Nan Jing and her two companions already in the hallway.
Seeing Ji Xun come out, Nan Jing greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Ji Xun."
Ji Xun was slightly taken aback but responded, "Good morning."
As a corpse collector, he was used to being surrounded by silence and dead bodies, so this sudden greeting felt strange.
Nan Jing's two companions, however, looked wary. They had heard Nan Jing knocking on Ji Xun's door last night and probably saw him as someone trying to deceive their friend.
With cold expressions, they said nothing and headed downstairs.
Nan Jing, looking slightly apologetic, bowed to Ji Xun as if to say, "Please don't mind my companions; they mean no harm."
Ji Xun didn't take it to heart and followed them downstairs.
...
Though they planned to depart at six, it was 6:15 by the time all the hunters had gathered.
Then they set off.
The group took a transport vehicle to the Gold Digger's Wharf. Ji Xun found himself on the steam cable car crossing the Abyss Rift for the second time, still awed by the inverted rain and the rift in the world.
Then, along with over fifty others and a heap of supplies, they boarded a steam train packed with hunters and mercenaries.
This time, they weren't heading to the western Devil's Cross but to a new northern ruin called "Thunder Fortress."
During the long train ride, Ji Xun didn't idle. He read the medical books he had borrowed from Nan Jing the previous night, hoping to finish them quickly to return them.
Nan Jing, well-behaved, sat beside him, occasionally chatting about medical knowledge. However, to her companions, Ji Xun's reading seemed pretentious, as if he were using the borrowed books as an excuse to get close to Nan Jing.
Ignoring them, Ji Xun continued his reading.
Nan Jing tried to ease the tension among them but found it futile. Her companions' suspicion only grew, while Ji Xun had no interest in mending what he saw as useless relationships.
Thus, the four endured a rather awkward journey.
After about five hours, the train arrived at Thunder Fortress.
Unlike Devil's Cross, this was just a military fortress, heavily ruined and filled with rubble, suggesting it had seen war. Places with historical battles were more likely to have dimensional spaces.
Recently, this fortress had become a popular spot for hunter and mercenary groups to explore, resulting in a sizable hunter camp.
However, Ji Xun and his group weren't stopping at the fortress.
After the train ride, they switched to a transport vehicle, clearing away ghouls and mutants along the way. After several more hours, the fifty-something people and their supplies arrived at a dark, unnamed mountain valley.
The Black Wolf Hunter Group had already set up a temporary camp with armored vehicles and barricades.
Campfires burned brightly, and the camp was bustling with activity.
...
"We've arrived! Everyone, off the vehicle!"
"Brothers, help unload the supplies."
...
Ji Xun and the hunters disembarked from the transport vehicle. After the bumpy ride, feeling the solid ground beneath his feet, Ji Xun exhaled deeply and observed the surroundings.
This was true wilderness, filled with hidden dangers in the darkness. Just a brief scan revealed numerous green eyes of unknown creatures lurking around, deterred from approaching by the campfires.
Ji Xun had researched the "Black Wolf Group" beforehand. They were a well-established mercenary group registered with the Hunter Guild for several years, with a decent reputation. Medium-sized, with about seven to eight hundred members, roughly three hundred were here, led by the second-tier vice leader, "Red Wolf" Reike.
The group consisted mainly of hunters following the Beastwalker profession series, due to their possession of the [Spade 4-Beastwalker] profession card template. They were here mainly for werewolf materials.
This was the extent of Ji Xun's intel.
He quickly spotted the cave at the foot of the mountain, with a distorted light vortex marking the entrance to the [Greedy Mine], a common entryway to a dimensional space.
The benefit of pioneering was that once a dimensional space was discovered, it became private property—provided one had the strength to defend it. This was one of the major advantages of large hunter and mercenary groups. Dimensional spaces were akin to mines, offering continuous profits if properly exploited.
...
Not long after Ji Xun and the group disembarked, a table was set up in front of a tent not far away.
A squad leader from the Black Wolf group straightforwardly called out, "Alright, new friends, it's twenty thousand each. Pay up before you enter."
As soon as he finished, the fifty newcomers obediently lined up to pay. Ji Xun stood behind Nan Jing and her two companions, ready to hand over his money.
Indeed, this was a paid exploration instance!
This method was common when developing large dimensional spaces. Spaces with difficulty levels exceeding B often couldn't be cleared in one go and might never yield an S rating. The exploration inevitably meant casualties, and even top hunter groups couldn't afford such personnel losses. Moreover, triggering hidden storylines required not only strength but also luck and opportunity. Thus, they needed "external forces."
When hunter groups encountered spaces they couldn't handle, they would recruit independent hunters and small teams through the Hunter Guild. This increased the exploration rate and reduced their own casualties. While they might lose some of the space's treasures, ticket sales provided a stable cash flow and reduced their own losses. It was mutually beneficial. Additionally, sharing the spoils prevented unnecessary troubles.
The hunters were here for the space, and though the twenty thousand entry fee was significant for ordinary people, it was a chance to win big with a small investment. The [Greedy Mine] yielded significant returns: skill cards, rare ores, werewolf materials, ancient potion formulas... If they happened to get a skill card, the twenty thousand could turn into millions. Even rare materials or special items could be incredibly valuable. The higher the disaster level, the better the rewards.
Thinking of these lucky breaks, Ji Xun glanced at the bun-haired girl in front of him with a strange expression.
Nan Jing seemed to notice and turned back, blinking. "What is it?"
Ji Xun shook his head, smiling. "Nothing."
...
While collecting the money, someone at the table explained the space's rules.
"Everyone, let me clarify. The [Greedy Mine] D-level difficulty is locked. Entering now means C-level difficulty, with a death rate of about 20%. Think carefully before entering. Don't blame us, the Black Wolf group, if something goes wrong."
Ji Xun listened without reaction. C or D level didn't matter; they were transitional difficulties. Instead, the death rate made him think. Dimensional spaces could be re-entered unless cleared with an S rating, but not indefinitely. The space itself seemed to have a hidden mechanism, encouraging hunters to gain treasures through adventure rather than exploiting bugs for profit. Overuse could make the space disappear, lock lower difficulties, or cause higher difficulties, leading to heavy casualties.
Ji Xun had recently read many introductions to dimensional spaces and noticed something odd. Theoretically, the more times a space was cleared, the more information was available, making it easier. With enough intelligence, zero-casualty clearances should be possible, and the death rate should decrease. However, in reality, repeated material farming always resulted in some deaths. Even at the lowest difficulty, some hunters would die. This "minimum" death rate was a known, unspoken rule among experienced hunters and a key reason for recruiting outsiders.
...
The Black Wolf group member continued:
"Our group will send a squad with you into the space but won't interfere with your actions. A reminder: this is a team mode. To survive, don't act alone. Also, don't trigger hidden storylines to increase the main quest difficulty. If you find special events, report them to your temporary captain immediately. We offer bounties for valuable new information, up to a million."
"Our main task is to explore the second level of the mine. Everyone must bring out a piece of iron ore with quality 17 or higher, or we'll charge an additional ten thousand for the ticket."
"Lastly, this dimensional space follows a magical storyline. Only revolvers and ordinary bullets are allowed. Any equipment beyond the era's technological level is prohibited."
Ji Xun, participating in this kind of paid exploration for the first time, listened carefully to the rules.
The "quality 17 iron ore" likely came from specific areas, preventing those who intended to take advantage without taking risks from slacking off. Reporting special events and buying back valuable information clearly showed the Black Wolf group's strategy. They encouraged hunters to explore high-risk areas to increase exploration rates and expand their own intelligence database.
...
Finally, the man added, "If you need information, come to me. We have detailed intel on triggering side quests and the rewards for completing certain tasks."
Information was available in three tiers: thirty thousand, sixty thousand, and one hundred thousand. The content varied significantly across these tiers. Although random "opportunity events" could be triggered each time, the main storyline remained consistent. Having intelligence meant higher survival and better returns. This [Greedy Mine] was dangerous even for first-level curse card users, so no one took it lightly. Hence, besides the ticket money, these fifty people would spend additional money on information.
Ji Xun's goal was to acquire silver materials, which could fetch millions on the market, so the information fee was a necessary expense. Moreover, the difference between having information and not having it was stark, as demonstrated by Chujio in the 407 space. Nan Jing and her two companions had the same plan. Thus, the four pooled their money to buy the most detailed intelligence for one hundred thousand. Ji Xun didn't take advantage and paid his quarter share.
Nearly everyone, in groups of three or five, bought the most detailed intelligence available. Those who purchased information did not share it with outsiders. This brought in another million for the Black Wolf group. After this frenzy, Ji Xun suddenly felt that since everyone had the same information, it wasn't worth as much anymore.
...
After briefly reviewing the intelligence, the group headed to the cave next to the camp, led by members of the Black Wolf group. The surroundings changed as Ji Xun found himself outside the walls of a dimly lit small town.
"You have entered the 'Greedy Mine.'"
"Current disaster level: C, death rate: 20.4%"
"Space exploration progress: 61.1%"
"Special rule: Technology weapons beyond the space's era are prohibited."
"Keywords: Plot exploration"
"Clue: The Zangshan Mine has produced high-quality iron ore for centuries and occasionally rare mithril ores. But a few months ago, a group of terrifying werewolves appeared near the town, killing miners and slaughtering townspeople. Even knights couldn't eradicate these monsters, and they offered bounties for distant demon hunters to clear the mine of these creatures."
"Task: You and your teammates are playing demon hunters from afar. Your task is to kill werewolves and investigate the cause of the mine's anomaly. The time limit is three days, and you must kill at least one werewolf to leave the space."
As soon as they entered the space, the hunters rushed into the town, eager to seize the easily accessible rewards detailed in the intelligence. They feared arriving too late and missing out.
Ji Xun, however, didn't rush. He believed that the Black Wolf group would reserve truly valuable intelligence and high-yield side quests for themselves. Instead of competing for small gains, he preferred to think about how to delve deeper into the plot. The intelligence didn't mention how to obtain silver-quality werewolf materials.
After other hunters left, Ji Xun carefully reviewed the prompts from the interface. This was the most accurate intelligence in any space. At this moment, Nan Jing and her two companions approached him.
Nan Jing kindly asked, "Mr. Ji Xun, we're going into town to gather intelligence. Would you like to join us?"
Ji Xun had his own exploration plan and preferred to be alone for now, so he declined, "No, you go ahead. I need to read through the information."
Nan Jing didn't insist. "Oh, we'll head to town then. Take care, Mr. Ji Xun."
Watching Nan Jing's two companions' exasperation, Ji Xun shook his head.
...
Ji Xun's goal in this space was to find a disaster-level werewolf, and he wasn't in a hurry for the town's rewards. With the others gone, Ji Xun decided to test the space rules. He took out a regular grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the corner.
With a "boom," the grenade exploded, but the ground showed no damage. Ji Xun walked over and easily kicked over the dirt wall. "So this is the space rule..."
The grenade exploded normally but couldn't harm anything in this dimensional space. "Too bad... these grenades can only be used against 'companions,'" Ji Xun mused. He carried many high-power explosives in his storage ring, which could potentially kill even second-level monsters. Testing this wasn't useless; at least he knew the shrapnel could graze him, causing a painful scratch. This meant the grenade could be used against other hunters in the space.
Black Wolf group's reputation was good? Ji Xun wasn't entirely convinced. In Sinless City, there were all kinds of people, but good ones were rare.
...
Nan Jing and her two companions saw Ji Xun's grenade test from a distance. Mo Feng scoffed at this behavior. Ah Yao said, "He probably thought this space allowed firearms. It's reckless to come without understanding the restrictions."
Mo Feng, feeling his companion was deceived, remarked, "I bet he'll find excuses to team up with us later. Do you believe it?"
"..."
Nan Jing didn't reply, her brows furrowing slightly as she pondered.