The surrounding specter aura billowed, sealing off all noise from this person.
Zuo Lin'an did not waste a single second, moving with swift efficiency.
The player had only just opened his eyes and before he could even find his footing, a colossal force slammed him hard against the ground!
In that instant, his head spun, and he had absolutely no idea what was happening, let alone where he was.
Racing against time, Zuo Lin'an materialized a boning knife condensed from specter energy in his hand, its tip silently pressing against the back of the man's head.
By the time the man finally registered what was happening, half of his skin had already been peeled away.
Zuo Lin'an immediately grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head violently against the ground once more. No matter how strong the man was, the specter aura keeping him barely alive ensured he wouldn't die.
He continued executing his rule.
Because it was his specter body performing the action, the speed was naturally far greater than what his living body could achieve.
The entire process took less than two minutes.
Before leaving, he casually hung the human skin on a tree branch and scattered the bones extracted from the flesh beneath the tree. The chunks of flesh and organs were no exception, discarded nearby as well.
After finishing everything, Zuo Lin'an immediately retracted his specter aura, concealed his figure, and hid in the distance.
By now, the other nine players had noticed each other. Talking as they walked, they gathered at a flat clearing on the mountain peak within a few minutes.
Zuo Lin'an watched the campfire blazing on the mountain peak and observed the nine players gathered around it.
They were all dressed in ancient clothing, and most of them looked panicked.
One of them was a young nobleman whose attire made it clear he came from a wealthy and influential family.
Although this was Zuo Lin'an's first time hosting a dungeon, he had browsed the forums extensively beforehand. Many dungeon bosses often posted numerous photos.
These photos would be accompanied by character descriptions, and some could even identify which families certain individuals belonged to.
They spoke in detail about martial arts masters, royal relatives, and noble clans.
Consequently, he could tell from this player's attire that the man was likely connected to the royal family.
As for the other eight, three of them were robust and rugged-looking, with some even wearing beast skins, looking like bandits who had taken to the hills.
Of the remaining five, two were women. One was exceptionally lavishly dressed in a gold-and-pink dress embroidered with gold thread, her hair styled in a young maiden's bun and adorned with numerous pearl hairpins. The other wore revealing clothing, exuding an alluring demeanor and a seductive gaze. In all likelihood, she was a courtesan.
The last three looked very ordinary, dressed in coarse hemp clothing. They were likely commoners from the bottom of society, consisting of two men and one woman.
Once the nine gathered, the atmosphere grew rather subtle, with them vaguely splitting into three groups.
The three commoners huddled together, trembling in fear. They stayed the furthest from the campfire, not daring to look around or speak out of turn.
The three burly men stood close to each other, yet maintained some distance between themselves, clearly on guard against one another.
Lastly, there was the young nobleman and the two women.
A heavy silence fell over the group until the wealthy woman spoke first. She looked at the young nobleman and said, “So it is Young Master Lin. Jinyang offers her greetings.”
The man addressed as Young Master Lin hurriedly took a step back.
“I dare not accept such courtesy, I dare not!”
Princess Jinyang finished her greetings, her beautiful eyes fixed on him. “Having entered this specter dungeon, Jinyang is weak and defenseless. I wonder if Young Master Lin could protect me?”
“Of course I will.”
Meanwhile, the three bandit-like men standing opposite them exchanged looks. Though they stood close together, they were clearly not on the same side.
One of them stepped forward, cupping his fists toward the young nobleman. “May I ask if you are the Third Young Master of the Lin Duke's Manor?”
Young Master Lin looked at him, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.
“I am Lin Deyou. My father is indeed Duke Lin. However, I am merely a useless scholar. May I ask who you are...”
The burly man replied, “I am from Poison Dragon Mountain, the second-in-command.”
Lin Deyou's eyes flickered slightly. “Ah, so it is the Second Chief of Poison Dragon Mountain, Brother Zhuang He, famously known as the Poison Dragon Hand. Your reputation is indeed well-deserved!”
Zhuang He let out a soft laugh. “Young Master Lin flatters me. A mere Third-Rate martial artist like me is nothing compared to a Second-Rate master like you, Third Young Master Lin!”
His gaze fell upon the two women behind Lin Deyou.
“Third Young Master Lin is truly blessed with beautiful women. I wonder for which beauty you were willing to come to this place?”
In the shadows, Zuo Lin'an tore open a bag of potato chips and popped one into his mouth.
Crunch, crunch...
These ancient people certainly spoke elegantly, but they were far too wordy.
Moreover, to his surprise, out of the ten players, one was the Third Young Master of the Lin Duke's Manor, a Second-Rate master.
Another was Princess Jinyang.
And another was the Second Chief of Poison Dragon Mountain, a Third-Rate martial artist.
Quite impressive.
Was he really that unlucky?
Following Zhuang He's remark, Princess Jinyang, who had been standing beside Lin Deyou, subconsciously glanced at the other woman.
The alluring woman flashed a charming smile.
“This humble one is Zi Yao. Greetings, noble lords and ladies!”
“I am grateful for the Third Young Master's care in protecting me on this journey.”
Zhuang He was suddenly startled. “Zi Yao?”
At this moment, another burly man sneered, speaking without the slightest politeness.
“Isn't she the famous courtesan Zi Yao, who is renowned throughout the capital?”
“I heard that some time ago, Frost Flower Pavilion auctioned her first night, and a wealthy young master bought it for a thousand gold coins. Who would have thought it was Third Young Master Lin!”
“As expected of a young master from the Duke's Manor. Throwing away gold like dirt—how incredibly generous!”
At this point, the sarcasm on his face grew even thicker.
“I just wonder which poor citizens were squeezed dry of their hard-earned money to pay for that.”
Lin Deyou did not get angry, remaining highly polite.
“May I ask who you are...”
The other party did not appreciate the gesture at all. “Hmph! I don't change my name when I travel, nor my surname when I sit. I am Bai Liu!”
Hearing this, Zhuang He's eyes flashed with surprise, and he quickly cupped his fists.
“So it is Brother Bai of Flying Flower Stockade! My apologies for the lack of respect! I heard that Brother Bai broke through to become a Second-Rate master two months ago. I wanted to visit and congratulate you, but unfortunately, my Poison Dragon Mountain is far from Flying Flower Stockade.”
“Having the honor of meeting you today has finally fulfilled that wish.”
Bai Liu had no complaints about Zhuang He, chatting with him relatively cordially, while Lin Deyou was left out in the cold.
Seeing this, Zuo Lin'an was not surprised.
These two were clearly martial arts ruffians who would naturally have no love for the government or royal relatives.
Zhuang He's respect for Lin Deyou was likely due to his wariness of the latter's strength as a Second-Rate master.
However, Bai Liu walked the same path as he did, making them closer. Since Bai Liu was also a Second-Rate master, Zhuang He immediately changed his stance and aligned himself with Bai Liu.
Lin Deyou had maintained a smiling face from start to finish, likely because he was wary of them teaming up against him.
After all, this was a specter dungeon, not his Lin Duke's Manor.
Soon, everyone turned their attention to the last burly man.
Although this man was robustly built, he wore a scholar's robe, which felt rather bizarre.
Rate on N.U.
