Inside the level ten Dark Gloom Forest, Lin Fang calmly gave orders to his army of the undead. "He Sha, you clear the path. The rest of you follow his lead and sweep the area. We're getting this done fast."
Following the command, an undead warrior charged ahead, unleashing waves of blue energy that sliced through every monster in his path. He Sha, now in the form of a shadow warrior, leapt into a pack of wolves, dominating them with completely overwhelming strength.
Lin Fang extended a hand toward a fallen wolf, activating his signature skill. "Arise. Become my warrior."
A flash of blue light erupted. But instead of a fierce wolf, a tiny, adorable undead puppy appeared, sitting there obediently.
In no time at all, Lin Fang was face to face with the final boss, a level twelve fallen shadow gnoll chieftain. He clicked his tongue. "This is the final boss? Looks like this dungeon isn't all that special."
He let out a bored yawn and waved a hand at his minions. "You guys just go ahead."
The gnoll chieftain roared in absolute fury, charging forward with its weapon raised to smash the arrogant intruder. But immediately He Sha and the undead legion swarmed the boss, launching a relentless assault of attacks from every direction. A massive explosion of violent energy erupted from the chaos, completely consuming the boss in a single instant. The ground trembled violently as rock and debris flew everywhere. The force of the blast obliterated everything nearby.
System notifications began to pop up. Fallen shadow gnoll chieftain defeated. Experience gained. You have reached level nine. You have obtained a chieftain's fang.
Then another notification appeared that caught Lin Fang's eye. A new summonable undead unit has been discovered. Insufficient level. Cannot convert the fallen shadow gnoll chieftain into an undead summon.
Lin Fang sighed with a bit of regret. It seemed he couldn't summon anything with a higher level than himself. It was a shame, but his main objective was still a success. The core loot, the boss's sharp, powerful fang, slowly floated towards him through the air.
Lin Fang grabbed his prize, smiling with satisfaction. "Got the fang. Now it's time to trade it in for some fertiliser."
He stepped into the exit portal, his figure vanishing in a flash of light, leaving behind a completely empty and decimated dungeon.
Outside, the portal to the Dark Gloom Forest lit up once more. Vera was still talking to the administrator. "Sir, does the exchange have to follow the rules exactly?"
"The front lines are in a critical state," the man replied. "All of our combat resources have been allocated."
Don't worry, she thought. It's not for combat. It's just some nature type soil and fertiliser.
The administrator then nodded. "Oh, that stuff we have. There's plenty in the warehouse."
At that very second the dungeon's massive record board lit up brightly. Dark Gloom Forest. New solo clear record has been set. Record holder: Lin Fang. Rank: triple S. Special reward granted. One epic spirit fragment.
Just then Lin Fang stepped out of the portal, looking completely composed and without a single scratch on him. The crowd of students stared at the massive announcement board, their minds completely blown.
"An epic spirit fragment. That can strengthen your very soul and enhance your class potential. How did he get a legendary reward like that?"
"He cheated. There's no way. He must have cheated."
Cries of disbelief and jealousy echoed from every corner. "How could a level eight farmer possibly solo a level ten dungeon, get a triple S rank, and earn an epic spirit fragment? He definitely used a forbidden item or exploited a bug."
"I demand the academy investigate this thoroughly. Confiscate all his rewards, especially that spirit fragment."
"Yes, investigate him and take it back. He doesn't deserve it."
Vera stood beside them, her expression still one of complete shock. "I thought he would need at least a few tries to pass," she muttered to herself. "I never imagined he'd clear it in a single run."
At that exact moment a crowd of students had gathered at the portal, glaring at the two of them as they emerged. Lin Fang saw the aggressive-looking mob that had gathered to surround him. He frowned, wondering, Did I upset someone again?
Outside the level ten dungeon, the atmosphere was suddenly incredibly tense. A student stepped forward to block their way.
Lin Fang said, "Sir, according to the school's regulations, I'd like to exchange some resources."
The student then added, "His rewards were obtained illegitimately and must be confiscated."
The supervising teacher nearby adjusted his glasses, thinking deeply. "The rewards are issued by the dungeon itself. The academy has no authority to revoke them."
Seeing that the rules wouldn't work, a guy with spiky hair from the elite group stepped forward, arrogantly declaring, "In that case, I'm willing to wager my own resources."
A resource wager. In reality it was just a dungeon speed-running contest. Under the watch of teachers on both sides, they'd compete to see who cleared the dungeon faster. Winner takes all — both rewards. The loser gets nothing.
The teacher turned to get Lin Fang's opinion. "So, are you willing to accept his wager?"
Lin Fang coldly turned to walk away. It was pointless and, frankly, boring.
Seeing his target about to escape, the spiky-haired guy, named Ha Lu, played his trump card. "What if I add a blueprint for the nature lamp to the bet?"
The moment she heard that name, Vera rushed to Lin Fang's side, whispering with excitement. "Lin Fang, you have to get that blueprint, no matter what." She explained quickly, "The nature lamp is a specialised growth-type artefact for the nature system. One blueprint can only be used once, making it incredibly rare. Its effect is to shorten the growth cycle of plants, and it has no side effects."
Seeing their reaction, Ha Lu smirked smugly. "What's wrong, you country bumpkins? Done whispering? What do you say to my offer? Do you dare to take the bet?"
In a hidden corner, another student was secretly recording the whole thing on his phone. A very calculated chat log appeared on the screen.
"Senior Ha Lu, he's out. Find a way to stall him."
"What if he just ignores me?"
"Challenge him to a resource wager. Don't you have a blueprint for the nature lamp?"
"That's the key to my family's rise."
"All right."
Lin Fang weighed his options. He couldn't reveal his necromancer powers, but with only one teacher watching, fooling him shouldn't be a huge problem. This nature lamp — he could definitely take it.
With his mind made up, Lin Fang turned back with a confident and challenging smile. "I accept."
Ha Lu roared with laughter, his face twisting into a cunning grin, sure of his victory. "Good. We'll be watching closely. With a teacher supervising, I'll expose you in no time."