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nHearing Carlos Bartel’s words, astonishment flashed in Howard’s eyes.

nTo tolerate such a provocative excuse, Carlos indeed had remarkable restraint.

nSuch an opponent was far more challenging than the likes of Sterling!

nHowever, Howard didn’t seem overly concerned.

nWith his current strength, unless he was to act recklessly, even if Carlos Bartel called upon all his guards to attack, they couldn’t lay a finger on him!

nMoreover, half of Carlos Bartel’s ten guards were already dead, significantly reducing their overall strength… They should be the ones worried.

nThe students, in their naiveté, believed Carlos Bartel’s words, and they consoled him. “Oh, dear Carlos, don’t be upset. Dungeons are naturally filled with dangers.”

n“Indeed, the next time we encounter bat monsters, we’ll give it our all and teach them a painful lesson!”

n“Damn it! From now on, whenever I encounter a bat monster, I won’t let it leave alive!”

nHearing the students pledging their loyalty, a twitch formed at the corner of Carlos Bartel’s mouth.

nHe had no real interest in these students.

nThe reason he brought so many was purely to lower Howard and Abby’s guard, thus facilitating the assassination of Howard while keeping his hands clean.

nThe only person he genuinely cared about was Abby, who had grasped an S-level talent.

nTaking a deep breath, Carlos Bartel smiled and said, “Thank you all for your comforting words. I’m fine. Let’s continue exploring this dungeon.”

n“Olynda, lead the way.”

n“Yes!”

nAt Carlos Bartel’s command, a guard wielding a dagger marched forward.

nAs he passed Howard, his gaze turned fierce and cold. .

nFor Howard, however, this was of no consequence.

nIn his eyes, Carlos Bartel and his entourage were already as good as dead.

nWith so many students around, it wasn’t opportune for him to strike them down directly.

nHe decided to let them enjoy their fleeting moments of freedom for a bit longer.

nWith a guard paving the way up front, Howard, hand in hand with Abby, slowly trailed behind the group.

nBefore the recent incident, Howard hadn’t hesitated to intervene, speeding up the students’ experience gains.

nBut now, he had a change of heart.

nWhy not let the remaining five guards expend more effort and simply reap the benefits, soaking in the free experience for himself?

nIn this way, by the time the dungeon was cleared, Howard could remain at the peak of his strength, ready to easily dispatch these few guards.

nConsequently, the five guards immediately felt the strain.

nPreviously, with ten guards and Howard consistently intervening, they had effortlessly vanquished foes.

nNow, with their numbers halved and Howard deliberately holding back, it took them at least a dozen attacks to kill just one bat monster.

nTo make matters worse, the bat monsters were incredibly agile.

nA single misstep in their attack would invite a counterattack.

nLuckily, their full set of silver-tier equipment provided decent defense, allowing them to withstand the onslaught.

n“Hey, why has our monster-slaying speed slowed down so much now that we’re down five people?”

nThe students quickly noticed the change.

nCarlos, mistakenly thinking they were begrudging his previous decisions, gritted his teeth and snapped, “Is this what the Bartel family has been paying for? To feed slackers?”

nUpon hearing his words, the five guards felt incredibly frustrated, but they remained silent, unable to voice their grievances.

nThey were puzzled as to why the bat monsters, which were so easily killed before, had suddenly become so resilient.

nBiting the bullet, they kept unleashing their skills, paying no heed to their potion consumption.

nAs they ramped up their ferocious attacks, the swarm of bat monsters fell at a quicker pace, and Howard’s group advanced further, moving into broader pathways.

nUnexpectedly, there were no more bat monsters to be seen.

n“Hmm?”

n“Why are there no more monsters?”

nA guard, looking confused, remarked, “I remember there being Cave Bats here, and deep within lies the Bat Boss. Once we’ve taken care of these monsters, we would’ve cleared the dungeon. So why aren’t there any more monsters appearing?”

nAt this, not just the guards but even the students exchanged puzzled looks.

nHoward’s brow furrowed slightly as he quietly moved in front of Abby.

nThere’s an old saying: “When things seem too quiet, mischief is afoot.”

nThough no monsters were in sight, the lurking dangers hidden in the shadows were surely more treacherous than any visible threat.

n“Forget it, let’s press on to the very depths!”

n“It’s just a dungeon. Once the BOSS is dead, the other monsters will become our rewards. We’ll only miss out on the loot.”

n“We can’t waste any more time. Let’s move!”

nThe guards exchanged glances, fear of reprimand driving their decision.

nThey promptly led the group of students deeper into the dungeon.

nArriving at the deepest part, they found a small opening.

nThe guard with the dagger suddenly became transparent and, to the astonishment of the students, vanished entirely.

nIt was the signature skill of the assassin class – Invisibility!

nCarlos Bartel spoke up, “Let him scout ahead with that skill. Once he confirms it’s safe, we’ll proceed.”

n“So, that was the assassin’s Invisibility skill?”

n“Wow, these skills are amazing! An entire person just vanished before our eyes.”

n“Imagine using that skill to steal… hehe.”

nAt this, a few male students chuckled mischievously, earning disdainful tuts from Abby and the other girls.

n“It’s clear, young master. Come in quickly. It seems we’ve hit the jackpot this time!”

nSoon after, the guard’s voice echoed from within the cave.

nHearing this, both Carlos Bartel and the students couldn’t hide their elation and hurriedly ventured in.

nInside the cave, it was not too dark, and the guard, who was now visible, looked on in astonishment at a coffin.

n“Hmm?”

n“Where’s the BOSS? Why isn’t the BOSS here?”

nCarlos Bartel, scanning the area and finding no sign of the Bat BOSS, voiced his confusion.

n“I have no idea,” the guard responded, shaking his head. “It seems there’s a glitch in the dungeon. The Bat BOSS vanished into thin air. When I came in, there was only this coffin here.”

nHearing this, the students finally noticed the coffin in front of the guard.

nTheir eyes widened in shock, and they took sharp, cold breaths.

nEven Howard was taken aback by the sight of the coffin.

nThe coffin, resplendent in a silvery-white hue, shimmered as though carved from pure jade.

nSet into each of its four corners were massive, red gems.

n“Gems!”

n“My God, those gems are so large, they must be worth a fortune!”

nFor a moment, the students’ eyes were alight with avarice.

nEven Carlos Bartel found himself catching his breath, his heart racing. Disbelief flashed across his face. He had always believed the talk of dungeons connecting to the Ruins to be pure folklore designed to deceive.

nYet, this dungeon seemed to defy normality.

nAfter a prolonged silence, Carlos Bartel managed to suppress his greed, saying gravely, “Something’s not right. Typically, everything within a dungeon remains constant, refreshing to its original state with every entry.”

n“This coffin shouldn’t be in this dungeon. It’s very likely a trap. Everyone, be cautious.”

nIt must be said, Carlos Bartel’s ability to rein in his greed was commendable.

n“This… I understand now! It has to be related to the Ruins!”

n“Oh my dear Carlos, you truly are magnificent. To think you’d bring us to a dungeon related to the Ruins.”

n“Oh, venerable Carlos, I apologize for doubting you earlier. I mistakenly thought you were deceiving us.”

nOnce one student shouted, the entire group was in an uproar, their excitement palpable.

nHad they been alone, they wouldn’t dare to venture into the Ruins. But with the protection of the Bartel family’s guards? Those would serve as their buffers.

nHoward looked on, astonished. He had initially believed Carlos Bartel’s talk of the Ruins to be a ruse to lure them into a trap.

nHe hadn’t expected this dungeon to genuinely have a connection to the Ruins.

nFor a moment, Howard’s demeanor turned grave.

nThe challenges within the Ruins were a notch above those of ordinary dungeons.

n“This coffin might very well be a special passage to the Ruins.”

n“Why don’t we open the coffin and see?”

nSeveral students exchanged glances, then turned expectantly to Carlos Bartel.

nThough Carlos Bartel initially hesitated to open the coffin, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze on him, he gritted his teeth and commanded, “Open the coffin!”

nAs his words settled, the five remaining guards moved to the coffin’s forefront, trying to decipher a way to open it. .

nSeemingly struck by a sudden realization, Carlos Bartel quickly warned, “Be careful.”

n“Worry not, young master, we are seasoned warriors,” one responded confidently.

n“We’ve delved into such dungeons dozens of times.”

nThe guards chuckled among themselves, not overly concerned. Frankly, deep down, they held little regard for the wealthy young heirs and the so-called elite students.

n“There’s a crack here, seems like we can lift it.”

n“On three, let’s all push!”

nHaving reached Level 30, their strengths weren’t to be underestimated. With a collective effort, they managed to slightly raise the coffin’s lid.

nOlynda, one of the guards, boldly reached into the gap, aiming to pry the lid off entirely.

nHowever, the moment his hand ventured within, a piercing scream echoed!

nThis content is taken from 𝘳𝑎.𝗇t

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