After leaving the dungeon, Tristan and the others went their separate ways.
GemmaS still had a lot of materials to gather; her tasks were piling up. Not only did she need to craft the Destroyer, but she also had to work on the Self-Destruct Robot, Rocket Backpack, and Goblin Helicopter, all of which were lined up in queue. Over the next few days, she'd be swamped with work.
NightStalker, DarkStriker, and Manalady, on the other hand, planned to team up for leveling. The three of them had met during their leveling sessions and found that they got along well, so they decided to stick together. NightStalker even sent a guild invitation to Tristan, bringing the other two into the guild. Now that the dungeon was done, it was time to continue leveling up.
After all, NightStalker had a level 20 shield in his bag. It would be a waste not to equip it soon, considering it had been a thoughtful gift from the guild leader.
Tristan, on the other hand, was preparing to do some quests. His mind was full of hidden quests he couldn't let go to waste.
Not long after they left, a six-person party arrived at the dungeon entrance.
"This dungeon recommends level 20-30, so it's probably not easy. Let's start with a Normal difficulty run to warm up," said the party leader, a warrior.
The others agreed.
"You should always be down-to-earth," the leader added. "Starting with Normal difficulty isn't shameful."
He stepped forward, then stopped in his tracks. After a brief pause, he let out a surprised shout, "Wait, there's an entrance fee?"
"What?" His teammates were confused.
Charging for dungeon entry? That was an unusual system.
When they looked closer, they saw that it was true. Not only that, but they also learned more details.
It turned out that the entrance fee was set by the player who activated the dungeon.
That meant only the guild that had unlocked the dungeon—Pinnacle—could set the fee.
The leader was indignant. "Blackshade already has so much money. Why charge for this? Isn't that just greed?"
The rest of the party felt the same way and immediately took to the forum to complain. It quickly caused a stir.
Most players felt Blackshade was being too greedy. After all, he had made billions from auctions; why would he care about a few extra coins?
Opening the dungeon for free wouldn't cost him anything.
However, some players took a more rational stance, arguing that it was reasonable for the person who worked hard to unlock the dungeon to charge an entrance fee. They had visited the site and found the ticket price to be affordable. Whether they killed the appropriate monsters or bought tickets from other players, it wasn't a challenge.
The debate split players into two camps, and neither side could convince the other.
Tristan, seeing the forum activity, wasn't particularly concerned. These players clearly hadn't been burned yet.
ExoGenesis had many undeveloped dungeons, many of which, like Prosperous Mining Area, could only be unlocked after completing a special mode. Not every team that cleared these dungeons had the same generosity as him. Some were run by greedy guilds that charged sky-high fees.
In his past life, Tristan had seen plenty of guilds that made fortunes from managing dungeons. When these players faced that reality, they'd soon understand the meaning of "gritting your teeth and paying."
Putting that aside, Tristan signaled to Shadow Dragon to slow down.
After flying for about ten minutes, they finally arrived at their destination.
This time, Tristan was after a quest whose final reward was a crucial skill for Assassins: Dagger Mastery.
With both primary and secondary weapons equipped with daggers, players could increase their damage output. With his high base damage, this skill would make him even stronger.
From the back of Shadow Dragon, Tristan spotted a small cabin halfway up the mountain.
It was home to a retired Assassin instructor, known for his exceptional skill with daggers. As long as players passed the assessment, they could learn Dagger Mastery.
The assessment wasn't particularly difficult—just kill a level 30 monster. The only requirement was that it must be a one-hit kill.
For most players, this would be tough. Their attributes weren't high enough, so completing the task wasn't easy.
But for Tristan, was it really a challenge?
Not at all.
He landed the Shadow Dragon, stored it, and respectfully called out from outside the cabin, "Is Instructor Dakoby here?"
The wooden door creaked open, and an old man leaning on a cane hobbled out slowly, his cloudy eyes filled with confusion. "Young man, who are you looking for?"
Anyone else would have been fooled by Dakoby's disguise. But Tristan knew better. He bowed slightly. "Instructor Dakoby, I wish to take my Assassin skills to the next level. I humbly ask for your guidance!"
Dakoby's expression remained blank.
Tristan sighed. Dakoby was infamous for his ability to fake being a frail old man, despite his immense power. He was a master at pretending to be weak.
Thinking quickly, Tristan drew two daggers from his waist and waved them in front of Dakoby.
The moment Dakoby saw them, his demeanor changed. He tossed aside his cane and quickly moved toward Tristan, examining the daggers closely while nodding with admiration. "What fine weapons!"
Tristan smirked. "Instructor Dakoby, I didn't know your legs were so nimble."
Dakoby's expression remained unshaken. He replied coolly, "Young man, don't be deceived by appearances. My look keeps everyone off guard. It's the perfect way to strike and complete a mission without anyone suspecting a thing."
Tristan couldn't help but admire him. "You're absolutely right."
Now that the act was over, Dakoby dropped his disguise and returned to his usual self. "So, what brings you here?"
Tristan repeated, "Instructor Dakoby, I've come to learn how to use daggers."
Dakoby's eyes shone with approval.
The young man had good taste. Although he had retired from his role as an Assassin instructor, his skills with daggers were still unparalleled. In his hands, the daggers seemed to come alive, with a myriad of ways to use them.
However, procedures had to be followed, and Dakoby said seriously, "If you can pass my assessment, I'll be happy to teach you."
Ding
You have triggered a profession quest.
Quest Requirements: Kill any level 30 beast on the mountain using a dagger. Make sure to achieve a one-hit kill.
Quest Reward: Dagger Mastery.
With the quest in hand, Tristan bid farewell to Dakoby, left the cabin, and made his way up the mountain.
The monsters on the mountain ranged from level 25 to 35, with most being regular mobs, though occasionally, a Black Iron Grade monster would appear.
Finding a suitable target wasn't hard.
What was difficult was getting a one-hit kill.
Luckily, the quest didn't specify that only auto-attacks could be used—skills could work as well.
For Tristan, though, the level 30 monsters only had around 10,000 HP. With his damage output, he didn't even need a skill—Breaking Stealth Strike alone was more than enough. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire
As he walked, a striped tiger suddenly dashed past him.
Thanks to his Stealth, the tiger didn't notice him and continued chasing its prey.
Before it could go too far, the tiger's vision went dark, and its body crashed to the ground, lifeless.
Ding
Quest Condition Met. Task Complete. Please return to Instructor Dakoby to submit your quest.
Tristan emerged from the shadows, a faint sense of loneliness in his eyes.
Being invincible is a very lonely feeling.