Musclebound Necromancer?! Are You Kidding Me?

Chapter 27 – The Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons

Fourth High School.

After just one night, as they stepped back onto campus, the new class assignment lists were already out.

Countless students gathered around the school's digital bulletin board to check out their new classmates.

"Wow! I'm in the same class as Qiao Yu! We're both in Mage Class Two!"

"Why am I in Class One? I'm so upset, damn it!"

"Class One isn't bad either, you have Yang Xiangdi! He also got a direct admission to Kyoto University. Our Class Three is the unlucky one, not a single genius!"

"No worries, the Exclusive Dungeon should let all three mage classes participate together. We can still cling to those two big shots."

As the bell rang, everyone returned to their new classes with excitement.

Xue Jinlong happily walked into Mage Class Two, still serving as Qiao Yu's homeroom teacher.

"Alright! Quiet down, everyone! I'm your homeroom teacher, Xue Jinlong! Today, we're going to talk about the Mage Exclusive Dungeon."

"The Mage Exclusive Dungeon generally tests your intelligence and spirit, likely being a puzzle or mystery-solving dungeon."

"So as long as you cooperate and brainstorm together, you'll achieve results greater than the sum of your parts."

"Next, let's discuss the key points for clearing the dungeon..."

As Xue Jinlong lectured, his eyes continuously scanned the classroom, and his brows suddenly furrowed.

"Where's Qiao Yu? Has anyone seen Qiao Yu?"

"Teacher, we haven't seen him at all this morning," a student replied.

"Hmph! Does he think he can skip class just because he got a direct admission? I'm going to find him!" Xue Jinlong left the classroom, ready to search for Qiao Yu.

Just as he stepped out, he nearly collided with a graceful figure.

The homeroom teacher of Mage Class One, Shi Mei, also looked anxious.

Shi Mei was recognized as the beauty teacher of Fourth High School, usually serious and unsmiling, earning her the nickname "Iceberg Beauty" among students.

At the school's New Year's Eve party, she captivated countless students and teachers with a dance to "Elysium."

"Teacher Xue, have you seen Yang Xiangdi from our class? He hasn't shown up for class this morning!" Shi Mei asked Xue Jinlong, her beautiful brows furrowed.

"Our Qiao Yu didn't come to class today either! Could something have happened to them?" Xue Jinlong replied.

Shi Mei became even more anxious upon hearing this: "What?! What should we do? Let's go find them quickly!"

"Alright!"

Just as Xue Jinlong was about to move, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing Shi Mei, who was following him, to almost bump into him.

"Wait... Yang Xiangdi and Qiao Yu both disappeared? Could it be..." A suspicion formed in Xue Jinlong's mind.

While Xue Jinlong was still speculating about Qiao Yu's whereabouts, Qiao Yu was already in the Inner World.

"Xiangdi, are we really okay doing this?" Qiao Yu asked.

"Oh, come on, what's the problem? The more people enter the Exclusive Dungeon, the more dangerous it becomes! Instead of letting them cling to you, let me do it!" Yang Xiangdi said smugly.

"Besides, we can always bring them along after we clear it. The Exclusive Dungeon can be cleared multiple times, just without rewards."

"But..."

"No buts, come on, let's go! We have the handbook from Kyoto University, we can skip school classes!" Yang Xiangdi dragged Qiao Yu to Yi Lianen.

Today, Yi Lianen was dressed in a beautiful JK outfit, looking quite alluring.

"Hey! That feisty lady, we're entering the Mage Exclusive Dungeon!" Yang Xiangdi said boldly.

Qiao Yu felt a bit embarrassed, thankful that Yi Lianen was an NPC in the Inner World. If a real girl heard him talk like that, she'd probably kill him.

Yi Lianen didn't mind at all and gave a sweet smile.

"Alright, esteemed players, drawing a dungeon for you..."

"Success! The Exclusive Dungeon drawn for you is—The Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons."

A Light Gate appeared beside Yi Lianen. Just as Qiao Yu was about to enter, Yang Xiangdi stopped him.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to listen to the mission prompt?" Yang Xiangdi asked.

Qiao Yu widened his eyes, "There's a mission prompt?"

"Of course there is. How did you clear your previous Skeleton Cave dungeon without listening to the mission prompt?"

Qiao Yu: "..."

Yang Xiangdi looked at him with a hint of disbelief.

"Did you just fight your way through by killing skeletons?"

Qiao Yu: "..."

"Yu, you're really something!" Yang Xiangdi gave Qiao Yu a thumbs up.

Yi Lianen's sweet voice sounded again.

"Legend has it that in Southeast Guizhou, there is an extremely ancient evil tribe. The tribe is skilled in crafting poisonous insects, with a violent and cruel nature, capable of poisoning without a trace. Those poisoned suffer immensely, as the insects breed within their bodies, consuming flesh until the host dies..."

"Mission Requirements: 1. Find the legendary evil tribe, 2. Eliminate all poisonous insects."

"Mission Rewards: Based on the player's mission completion."

"Friendly Reminder: The Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons dungeon requires five players to open. The system will automatically match three teammates for you, please be prepared."

After the mission prompt, Yi Lianen gestured for Qiao Yu and Yang Xiangdi to enter the Light Gate.

"See, I told you there was a mission prompt," Yang Xiangdi said as he entered the Light Gate.

Qiao Yu quickly followed, determined to have heard the mission prompt clearly this time. No more mishaps!

After passing through the Light Gate, Qiao Yu found himself in front of a large beast-head door, with two stone lions crouching beside it.

There were already two men and one woman at the door, having arrived before Qiao Yu and Yang Xiangdi.

Yang Xiangdi circled the door a few times, finding it tightly shut, and couldn't push it open despite his efforts.

On either side of the door were two plaques, the left one inscribed with "Virtue and Might," and the right one with "Entrust with Peace."

"Hey, you two must be the teammates the Inner World matched us with, right?"

"Don't bother trying, we've already tried. This door can't be opened by human strength. The six characters on those plaques are probably the clue to opening it," one of the men said with a mocking tone.

"Long Chang! Don't be so rude. Since we're matched together, it's fate," another man with a gentle appearance scolded, turning to Qiao Yu and Yang Xiangdi with a friendly smile.

"Hello, classmates. I'm Fang Xun, a fire mage. This is my friend Long Chang, a water mage."

Long Chang snorted in dissatisfaction but didn't say anything further.

"This is my sister, Fang Yuan. She's also a fire mage like me."

"Hello~"

Fang Yuan greeted Qiao Yu and Yang Xiangdi. She had a rosy apple face, bright eyes, and glossy, smooth hair, looking full of energy.

In the Inner World, mages are generally categorized into Elemental Mages, Dark Mages, and Light Mages.

Mages like Fang Yuan, who can summon natural forces, are collectively known as Elemental Mages, including lightning, fire, ice, wind, earth, water, and light elements.

Elemental Mages are the most common among mages, with Yang Xiangdi being an earth mage.

Qiao Yu, as a Necromancer, belongs to the necromancy branch of Dark Mages.

"Hello, I'm Yang Xiangdi, and this is Qiao Yu," Yang Xiangdi greeted with little enthusiasm.

"Hello, Yang Xiangdi. Let me share what we know."

"Through our experiments, this door has magic immunity. In other words, no spells can damage it. So, trying to forcefully break it is impossible."

Fang Xun said, casually casting a fireball at the door.

Sure enough, the massive fireball was absorbed by the beast-head door, leaving it unscathed.

"What about you? Do you have any clues?" Fang Xun asked.

"We're not sure either. We just got here."

Yang Xiangdi replied, moving aside to check the handbook from Kyoto University.

Fang Xun could only sigh in disappointment, staring at the door in frustration. What could the characters "Virtue and Might, Entrust with Peace" possibly mean...