Zhang Shi, dressed neatly, indicated in the chat channel that he was ready.

Wu Qing and Zhao Feng responded quickly.

Not long after, a system notification appeared.

Your party is entering the instance. Do you wish to follow?

Zhang Shi clicked "confirm" without hesitation.

In an instant, a white light appeared beneath Zhang Shi's feet. Zhang Shi felt a flash before his eyes, and his vision blurred.

When his vision returned, Zhang Shi found himself in a dense forest.

The forest should be a self-contained space with a suitable climate, towering ancient trees, and all kinds of plants occupying this space, blocking out the sun and making it appear slightly gloomy. Occasionally, the calls of birds and animals can be heard in the forest, which exudes a vibrant vitality.

Zhang Shi glanced at the thick tree, couldn't resist taking out his old sword and chopping it down.

Old Duan's blade remained sharp as ever, easily piercing the tree trunk. Zhang Shi used his old method, chopping near the cut, and quickly felled the large tree, harvesting [16 White Wood]

"It's just ordinary quality wood."

Zhang Shi was slightly disappointed, after all, this dungeon was of a high-quality level.

"Swish swish swish!"

Three flashes of white light appeared in succession, and three figures appeared in front of Zhang Shi.

It was Ge Dalong and his group who had arrived.

Zhao Feng, standing at a full 1.9 meters tall with well-developed muscles, was the most conspicuous of the three, clad in high-quality iron armor. He glanced around, then, upon seeing Zhang Shi's familiar face, beamed with joy. He rushed to Zhang Shi's side and gave him a tight hug.

"Stone, I've missed you so much."

The two hadn't seen each other for many years, and finally had the opportunity to meet face-to-face in this desolate world. Zhao Feng was somewhat excited.

Zhang Shi was pulled into Zhao Feng's arms and felt like he was about to suffocate.

While marveling at the power of 10 points in strength attribute, Zhang Shi broke free from his embrace and said seriously.

"Alright, alright, we still have important business to attend to. There'll be plenty of time to catch up after the dungeon is over."

The group introduced themselves to each other.

Just like in his portrait, Ge Dalong is about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a decent appearance, a tall and thin build, and a strong sense of justice.

Wu Qingzhen looked even more beautiful than in the video, with a serene expression. Despite wearing heavy, basic leather armor, her slender figure was still evident.

Ge Dalong looked at everyone with a smile, and it was clear that he was not under any pressure.

"Everyone, we've all gotten to know each other now. Time is precious, so let's get straight to the point. This dungeon is a primeval forest, and deep within the forest is a treasure chest. The rewards from the chest will increase as we progress through the dungeon."

"Therefore, I suggest that everyone look for treasure chests first, and after finding them, try to advance the progress and try to get the highest level of reward."

"If you encounter any insurmountable dangers during your exploration, I suggest you leave the instance immediately. After all, no matter how valuable the treasure is, your life is more important."

Zhang Shi glanced at the team panel and, as Ge Dalong had said, a progress bar had appeared above their avatars, currently at 0. There was also an evacuation button on the side; clicking it would immediately teleport them back to the shelter.

Ge Dalong took out a magic wand inlaid with blue crystal. The blue crystal shimmered with a dazzling blue light, which made Zhao Feng's eyes widen.

"Holy crap, a mage?"

Ge Dalong pinched his earlobe, suppressing a laugh, and said seriously.

"Everyone has seen their respective attributes. I hope everyone will introduce their areas of expertise so that we can learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses. I previously obtained a magic wand, which amplified my magic attribute. I can release energy blasts by consuming magic, making me more adept at ranged attacks."

Zhao Feng then stepped forward, pointing to the fine iron hammer in his hand, and said, "My strength and physique attributes are very high. According to the game's settings, I should be considered a warrior."

Wu Qing took out an incense stick from her backpack and lit it. The incense turned into a wisp of smoke that enveloped Wu Qing, and everyone could clearly smell the fragrance, which invigorated them.

Zhang Shi noticed that a bUFF icon appeared on everyone's panel.

[All attributes +1, effect lasts 24 hours.]

Wu Qing's voice remained clear and crisp as she took out some pills from her backpack.

"I don't have anything particularly outstanding; I just grow some plants in the shelter. Some of them have special effects, and I've made them into medicines. I brought some with me this time, hoping they can be of some help to everyone."

Zhang Shi understood; she was essentially a support character.

After the three finished introducing themselves, they turned their attention to Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi took out the old Duan and tucked it into his waistband, then hung the bone bow behind his back.

"My strength and agility attributes are relatively high, so I can engage in close combat and I also know a little about archery."

Having clarified their respective positions, the four began to explore deeper into the dense forest.

Despite the pleasant temperature in the dense forest, Zhang Shi still donned the Wilderness Hunter suit and put on his Dingzhen (a type of magic weapon) as a precaution, occasionally flicking out a Dingzhen to guard against potential dangers.

Seeing how careful Zhang Shi was, Zhao Feng followed suit and put on a Dingzhen pendant.

The two, one tall and one short, dressed in armor, looked exactly like characters from the Dragon Ball manga. This made Wu Qing chuckle.

Zhao Feng was a little embarrassed and wanted to explain the effects of the fixation.

Suddenly, a green, transparent creature, resembling jelly, appeared from the tree ahead. Its body rapidly expanded, quickly growing from the size of a fist to the size of a human head.

Without any warning, the transparent creature leaped high from the tree and crashed down on the four people.

Zhao Feng reacted quickly, sweeping his iron hammer and knocking the transparent creature away.

The transparent creature landed on the tree trunk and exploded into a pool of liquid.

"Ding, team kill"

[Slime (White) x1: A magical creature with no fixed form. It has some resistance to sharp weapon attacks and its attack power is not low.]

Gained 20 experience points

Zhang Shi gained 40 experience points through the Scholar's Talent buff.

Ge Dalong was quite surprised by the appearance of the slime and muttered to himself.

"It really is a magical world."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Five more slimes of similar size darted out of the bushes.

The group nervously drew their weapons and confronted them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Shi used his True Essence to perform an appraisal on it.

Name: Ikuhiko

Race: Slime

Level: 2

Rank: Common

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Physical condition: 3

Magic: 5

Ability value: 5

Zhang Shi sent the slime's panel to the team channel.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. Their stats aren't high and their physical condition is low. Just treat them like ordinary wild animals."

Seeing that the slime's ability value was only 5, Zhao Feng immediately felt relieved and mocked it.

"Turns out he's just trash with a combat power of only 5. Watch me take him down one by one with a single blow."

Having said that, he picked up the iron hammer and charged forward.

Wu Qing looked somewhat embarrassed, but she still took out an incense stick and quickly lit it.

Zhao Feng felt that his speed had increased again, and found that his agility attribute had increased by 4 points, reaching 10 points.

Wu Qing called out to him.

"This incense effect only lasts for 3 minutes, so try to finish the fight as quickly as possible."

Zhao Feng began fighting the slime.

Even when those slimes were on the ground, they moved quite fast, and Zhao Feng did not finish the battle as quickly as before.

Worried about Zhao Feng's safety, Zhang Shi took out an iron arrow and shot it at the slime.

"Whoosh~"

The iron arrow, carrying a strong wind, successfully struck its target, triggering the piercing effect. It pierced through the slime's body and disappeared into the dense forest.

A large hole appeared on the slime's body, but it healed rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it reformed and rejoined the battle, full of life once more.