Chapter 138 Hidden Dungeon: Art Gallery
A sudden barrage of pop-up notifications can be alarming.
On the contrary, Sheng and the sword demon walking in front looked unusually calm, as if they had expected it all along.
"I remember you repeatedly mentioned that this was a hidden item." I subtly moved closer to Sheng. "Is this the current situation?"
As expected, Sheng nodded.
"However, there is still something strange."
After a two-second silence, Sheng suddenly spoke again.
His gaze seemed to be fixed on the empty space in front of him, trying to discern something from it, and one of his eyebrows furrowed slightly: "This is different from the prompts I've seen before."
"What?" I wondered if I had misheard.
"My older brother knows too, I'm a hardcore player of that game,"
Seeing the group naturally move forward as the sword demon at the front led the way, pulling me behind, Sheng whispered quietly, "It's not just because I've played through so many times. I've also tried to explore many hidden details and clues in that game, and I can even memorize some of the mission information. Especially the early missions."
He paused, glancing around with a hint of apprehension, as if a pair of eyes were secretly watching us with malice: "But I feel like something's been off ever since the last mission."
"Not to mention that [Juncheng] didn't come along the subway tracks, now even this hidden mission seems to have an additional variable, it's hard not to think too much."
"...You mean, the hint for this hidden quest shouldn't be like this?"
Sheng nodded: "Yes, the reason I suggested coming with you, brother, is because I was certain that the difficulty of this mission wouldn't exceed level A, which is just within our capabilities, although it will mainly depend on you, brother Uriel. Of course, in my estimation, if we can persuade Sword Demon, everything will become even simpler."
"Because this was originally just a simple task of dealing with the out-of-control paintings in the exhibition hall. In fact, if we could patiently wait for the task to officially open instead of breaking in beforehand, there would be even fewer paintings to deal with, and the difficulty would be lower. As long as we prepare knives and firearms in advance and guard the entrance to the safe zone within the time limit, we can almost pass through without taking any damage. It can even be said to be a hands-on tutorial with no difficulty."
I said thoughtfully, "But if you do that, you won't get the hidden reward, right?"
Sheng hummed in agreement and gazed at the backs of the three people walking ahead.
"I haven't heard you mention this before."
Sheng glanced at me, then cast another glance toward the corner or crevice where something might be hidden: "I'm worried those guys will hear us."
"...Are they the guys I'm thinking of?"
"Um."
"Okay. That's why you think there might be a problem somewhere, because the hint level for this hidden quest suddenly increased to A~S+."
I think I understand what he meant.
His concerns were not unfounded, but...
She reached out and ruffled his hair, looking at the handsome young man who suddenly revealed a panicked expression perfectly suited to his age amidst his tense and serious demeanor. She found it quite amusing: "Aren't you worrying too much? It's normal for things to change like this occasionally."
"Look, compared to your experience in the game, isn't the situation much more different now? It's reasonable that there's a certain gap between reality and fantasy."
"……Too."
Once I was sure he was no longer deeply troubled, I turned my attention back to my surroundings, becoming alert to any movement around me.
As soon as we stepped inside, we noticed that the space in front of us was much larger than what we had seen from outside.
The high dome is a semi-circular arch, and the white walls are inlaid with slender but slightly blurred dark blue glass windows. European-style columns carved from solid white marble stand neatly on both sides of the long corridor, which is more than ten meters wide, with bright decorative wall lamps hanging on them. Nearby, there are plaster sculptures in various poses, along with colorful vases and flowers as decoration.
"It looks like an ancient palace."
Such sentiments could be heard coming from the two people ahead. It was Xiaoxi, who was constantly turning her head to look around.
The mountain seemed stunned by the magnificent sight. Although it remained vigilant against possible attacks, its posture had become slightly relaxed.
Among the group, the one who remained the most composed was undoubtedly the Sword Demon, who was leading the way at the very front.
Without checking whether there were enemies lurking in the shadows of the pillars, nor noticing the magnificent and tall buildings, the man's long black trench coat fluttered at the front as he strode firmly and quickly into the depths.
"This is the initial safe rest area," Sheng explained in an appropriate volume. "If we encounter a situation where we cannot defeat the enemy in the battle later, choosing to retreat here, rest, and fight again is a good option. Ahead, after passing through the first archway, we will enter the first exhibition hall."
Shan and Xiaoxi both nodded, gripping their weapons and armor tightly.
I spread my senses forward, trying to observe the flow of magic within this dungeon.
It's impossible not to be nervous, after all, this is my first time entering a dungeon, and all I have are tips from other people's stories and a little knowledge from books. I'll only know how it actually is after I experience it myself.
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