Time flew and years passed like a shuttle.
Three days passed quickly.
Heavenly Dao Alliance
Inside an Elder's office
A small old man dressed in white clothes, looking like a Taoist immortal with the air of a sage…
Was currently baring his teeth, lying back happily in his office chair, and scrolling through exciting videos projected from his phone.
Music from videos like "Magic Cultivator Sanda" and "Ponytail Shake" echoed in the office.
"Tsk tsk tsk~ The young people nowadays are truly wonderful beyond words. Look at how slim her little waist is... Hehehehe."
The small old man grinned and laughed, his beard going crooked from laughing.
He was one of the twelve Elders of the Heavenly Dao Alliance named Xu Qingfeng.
He was a veteran, senior Agent who was about to retire.
Now, he was specifically responsible for guiding newcomers.
‘Knock knock!’
A crisp knock sounded on the door.
"Teacher, you asked for me this time..."
Jiang Linyue pushed open the door. Just as her long, snow-white legs stepped into the room, her brows instantly knitted together.
Seeing his precious disciple, the smile on Xu Qingfeng's face froze.
He immediately swiped past three or four videos in a row until he reached content unrelated to suggestive themes.
"Ahem! Young people nowadays are truly corrupting public morals and insulting refinement!"
Xu Qingfeng coughed dryly, concealing the awkwardness in his heart.
He turned to look at his precious, ice-cold disciple and said with a smile.
"It's still my disciple Linyue who’s good. Pure as ice and clean as jade, spotless. Truly worthy of being the face of our Heavenly Dao Alliance."
"Before you say that, you'd better wipe the drool off your beard first."
Jiang Linyue scanned the small old man in front of her with disdain and sighed helplessly.
"I really shouldn't have taught you how to use a smartphone. It hasn't been long, and you've already degenerated into this state."
"Ahem!"
Xu Qingfeng's old face blushed. He coughed to cover up his inner embarrassment.
He quickly changed the subject.
"The reason I called you here this time is mainly to chat with you about the new dungeon."
"New dungeon?"
Jiang Linyue paused, vaguely guessing something, and her shapely brows furrowed slightly.
"En, that's right. You were trapped in that dungeon for seven days. After coming out, not only did your level increase by 7, but even your various attributes rose significantly. This speed of improvement is simply amazing. So the people above are very curious about what you encountered inside to achieve such a degree of improvement."
While he spoke, Xu Qingfeng clearly noticed that his disciple's expression became increasingly ugly.
Her fists were clenched tight, and she was gritting her teeth.
She looked like she wanted to eat someone alive.
'No, what kind of expression is that?' Improving so much in one dungeon— shouldn't you be happy and proud? What the hell’s with that look of disgust and loathing?'
Xu Qingfeng scratched his head in confusion and continued.
"Uh... This time, all the major forces are preparing to conquer the new dungeon, wanting to fight for the First Kill on the BOSS. So, we want you to write a report describing your experiences and gains over those seven days in detail. Ideally, information regarding the BOSS as well. What do you think..."
"No way!"
Jiang Linyue refused sternly.
Are they kidding?
Asking her to recount how she was drilled by the BOSS for seven days in a report?
Even if they beat her to death, she couldn't write such a thing!
And as detailed as possible?
Then they might as well just kill her.
"Linyue, it's just a report. Moreover, the reward provided by the organization is very generous. You should know that the appearance of a World-Class dungeon has strategic significance for all major forces. Even a trivial piece of information can be exchanged for quite a lot of rewards. This is a good opportunity for you to fish for benefits."
Xu Qingfeng persuaded her earnestly.
The meaning was obvious: he wanted her to seize this opportunity to fleece the organization hard.
After all, from this new dungeon, only Jiang Linyue had gained immensely upon coming out.
Not only did she level up 7 times in a row, but her attributes also increased by so much.
Many people suspect that maybe she completed a hidden mission in the dungeon.
"Unless you kill me, don't even think about it!"
Jiang Linyue gritted her teeth, her attitude remaining resolute.
On one hand, she was too ashamed. It was hard to speak of her experiences.
On the other hand, she didn't want that BOSS's First Kill to be taken by others.
His first time had to be hers!
"This..."
Xu Qingfeng was stupefied.
'Isn't it just a report? Is there a need to be so agitated?'
"Alright, if you don't want to write it, then don't. But about that other matter, have you considered it?"
He changed the topic, his gaze slowly turning to Jiang Linyue.
"I... haven't thought it through yet."
Jiang Linyue hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.
Regarding this, Xu Qingfeng sighed helplessly, seeming to have guessed her answer, and continued to persuade her.
"Linyue, you have to know that Teacher is someone about to retire. I can't protect you for much longer.
The matter of changing Agents is an order from above. Although that young lad Ling Yu has somewhat poor character, he’s a child of an aristocratic family after all. His family background is solid, and he values you so much. If you follow him, you won't have to worry about funds at all.
You should know that in this world, money is everything.
The gap between pay-to-win players and ordinary players isn’t something that can be easily bridged."
Jiang Linyue understood everything Xu Qingfeng said.
She was also clear about the big difference between Agents from aristocratic families and Agents from ordinary ones.
After a Divine Agent signed a contract with a player, it was equivalent to being bound.
The experience points and bonus attributes gained by the player would also be fed back to the Agent in proportion.
Simply put, the stronger the player in the Agent's roster was, the stronger their own strength would be.
Therefore, the Agent also had the obligation to manufacture and purchase equipment and items for the player.
Of course, both the Agent and the player had the right to unilaterally terminate the contract.
Just like Jiang Linyue now. If Xu Qingfeng retired, according to the agreement, the organization would erase his identity as an Agent.
The players in his hands would be in a ‘Free’ state.
And players in a free state couldn’t conquer dungeons, which meant that they couldn't improve.
At that time, the Heavenly Dao Alliance would randomly assign Agents to these players in a free state.
"Are ordinary people... definitely unable to compare to children of aristocratic families?"
Listening to Xu Qingfeng's earnest persuasion, Jiang Linyue frowned tightly, her fists clenched.
Children of aristocratic families were a good choice for her. At least in terms of material things, there was indeed no need for her to worry.
But the downside was that those people were too arrogant, thinking themselves superior to others.
Just like that Ling Yu guy who had always wanted to sign Jiang Linyue up.
He had too many scandals.
Things like getting female players under his command pregnant multiple times, liking group sports... and so on!
Especially those players with no background. He didn't even treat them as humans at all.
They were just his toys for amusement.
This was similar to the chaebols in a certain kimchi country from Ye Mo's previous life.*
As such, Jiang Linyue was extremely disgusted with these children of aristocratic families.
Ending the conversation, Jiang Linyue returned home.
She put on her thin Pikachu pajamas and threw herself onto the soft, large bed.
Her fair, tender, and rounded, slender legs stretched out slightly, her whole person forming a 'big' character shape.
"So annoying..."
She stared blankly at the ceiling while muttering worriedly.
‘Master’s right. In this world, money is everything.’
The gap between pay-to-win players and non-pay-to-win players was like a chasm, difficult to cross.
"Even so, I don't want to rely on anyone."
'That's right, I should believe in myself.'
'Even if I find an ordinary person as my Agent, I, Jiang Linyue, can still ascend to the peak!'
Adjusting her mindset, Jiang Linyue became increasingly high-spirited.
She opened her attribute panel.
——————————————————
[Name: Jiang Linyue]
[Path: Assassin]
[Transcendental Class: Sword Immortal]
[Level: 48]
[Experience: 66%]
[Constitution: 374]
[Speed: 393]
[Strength: 361]
[Spirit: 396]
[Mana: 3200/3200]
[Skills: Sword Control Technique (Level 5), Sword Spirit Body Protection (Level 5), Heavenly Sword Technique (Level 5), Ten Thousand Swords Mantra (Level 3).]
[Cultivation Method: Jade Maiden Heart Sutra (Level 3), Calming Mantra (Level 3)]
[Extra Abilities: Jade Spirit Sacred Body, Demon God's Brand (Indelible)]
[Worshipped God: Boundless Immortal Venerable]
——————————————————
In these past three days, she had conquered another two dungeons.
She had to admit, the effect of the magic crest was indeed terrifying. A 30% experience point bonus!
Not only did it allow her to increase by one level, but her experience points even overflowed by 66%.
If she cleared a dungeon one more time, she would likely level up again.
This speed was simply like she was hacking.
The attribute bonuses were very exaggerated as well.
It almost reached the level of crushing others of the same level!
After tasting the benefits, she wasn't so resistant to the magic crest anymore.
"Very good! If it continues like this, even without a good Agent, I can still ascend to the peak."
Seeing her own attributes, Jiang Linyue became increasingly confident.
'Whoosh~'
However!
Just as she was joyfully envisioning her future.
She suddenly felt a burst of burning in her lower abdomen.
Looking down, she found that the magic crest was faintly glowing.
"Damn it! Is the side effect this fast?"
Jiang Linyue cursed inwardly, suddenly feeling a wave of anxiety throughout her body, as if scorching fire were burning her, and her pretty face turned slightly red.
——————————————————
*Well now, I didn’t expect to deal with something like this so soon. Actually, this is still quite mild compared to the ones I’ve read in some other Chinese web novels. Hopefully, there won’t be too much of this in this novel. Should I remove these sorts of paragraphs? I’m kinda hesitant to do so since I want to be accurate with my translations. Do let me know what you prefer.