Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?

"I am already a hopeless illiterate."

Gong Qiying was flipping through the manuscript, with only one thought in mind — he couldn't understand it.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand at all, but rather like a mid-level student looking at a high-achiever's extremely difficult questions... and couldn't continue reading.

Thanks to Gedwin's memory, Gong Qiying could understand every professional term written on the manuscript, and he could see the connections between these terms and the experimental steps. However, he often felt dizzy and needed to think deeply to grasp some of the content. The consequence was that the more he read, the more annoyed he became, and eventually he couldn't read any further.

The general idea of the manuscript was that through a certain magic ritual, one could transfer their soul into the corpse of the same species. Under the effect of magic, the corpse would completely turn into the likeness of the soul, whether in appearance, voice, or even deeper characteristics like genetic traits.

The only thing that remained unchanged was that it essentially was still a piece of flesh.

Magic is marvelous indeed!

Gong Qiying felt that this manuscript was very useful to him; perhaps he could even use rebirth to leave the dungeon.

He had tried leaving the dungeon, but every time he approached the exit, he would be stopped by a mysterious force, as if there was a wall of air in front of him.

Watching the adventurers going in and out every day, he couldn't express how depressed he was.

The holy place you yearn for but cannot reach has long been casually entered and exited by others (metaphorically).

It's unknown what the Sain Dungeon uses to recognize the identity of the City Lord. If it's based on the soul, then Gedwin's soul had long perished. How could the dungeon choose him, Gong Qiying?

If it identifies by the body, would he lose the identity of the City Lord after leaving Gedwin's body?

After some careful thought, he felt that being the City Lord was happier than going out.

But to live, one needs hope. He still needed to study this manuscript.

"Deep Blue, add points!"

For the sake of efficiency, he decided to use spiritual power to increase his intelligence!

The intelligence on his panel had nothing to do with his personal IQ; increasing intelligence actually meant increasing his damage output when using magic.

But every effect has its cause; the enhancement of magic damage is the result of multiple factors, such as casting speed, total magic power, Magic Operation Efficiency, and...

Understanding of magic and the speed of learning magic!

Gong Qiying upgraded his intelligence to enhance his understanding of magic-related matters to help him comprehend the content of the manuscript.

E+, D-, D, D+...

He pushed his intelligence to the C- level, each point carefully added by himself. Looking back at his spiritual power, it had cost him a Molten Furnace Knight.

The cost of spiritual power wasn't as much as he had expected; originally, Gong Qiying was prepared for the pain.

"Oh wow, I can understand it now,"

Not only could he understand it now, but he also deeply grasped why certain steps had to be done that way, why certain symbols had to be drawn there, and a series of issues he previously only partially understood.

After understanding, he realized that the rebirth by borrowing a body was slightly different from his initial understanding.

In rebirth, one must transfer the soul to a new body, but this does not mean the original body will be discarded. The original body still exists, and the soul can shuttle between the two bodies.

However, during this process, the original body will experience some minor issues.

The manuscript's description of this problem was scribbled and angry, even written in red with several "unsolvable unsolvable unsolvable!!!"

Gong Qiying was initially somewhat apprehensive, but when he really saw what the side effect was, he suddenly laughed out loud.

The side effect was— the original body becomes an Animated Corpse!

Laughable, since I'm already an Animated Corpse.

That put his mind at ease.

Since the soul could shuttle between two bodies, no matter if the dungeon's identification mechanism recognized the soul or the body, it made no difference to him.

Now, what he needed to consider was where to obtain an appropriate corpse and the corresponding magic materials.

Regrettably, to thank the two strangers who had delivered the manuscript, he had already placed their bodies into a group of Curse Frogs for a water burial. Probably now not even remains were left.

As for magic materials, some items were not in Gedwin's memory, presumably new creations that emerged over the years, requiring acquisition from the outside world.

Buying is not a problem, just have Jack make a trip.

However...

"Right this way, Mr. Jack, Boss Leon is waiting for you,"

Under Tal's guidance, Jack nervously entered a tall building—the adventurer's guild.

It wasn't his first time at the guild, but it was his first time going to the second floor. There was a rule in the guild that unless invited, only Silver Rank or higher adventurers could enter the second floor.

The second floor was just as he had imagined—quiet, dignified, vastly different from the noisy first floor. Once you set foot on the second floor, soundproof magic would block out the noise from below, ensuring it wouldn't disturb the elite's rest.

"You don't need to be so nervous, it's just to meet some comrades," Tal said with a smile.

"Um," Jack's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

In a moment of rashness, he had agreed to Tal's invitation to join the Strategy Group. That was the Strategy Group! Only the most elite of the elite adventurers could join, and who hasn't fantasized about experiencing a thrilling adventure in the dungeon with them?

And now he was called to meet everyone. Just thinking about meeting these "big shots" made Jack regret his impulsivity from the day before.

The door to the lounge opened. Sitting in the center was a sunny, handsome young man with a gentle appearance. Upon seeing Jack, he revealed a warm smile and said, "You must be Mr. Jack, Tal has already introduced you to us. I'm Leon, 'Lion' Leon."

"Pleased to meet you," as soon as he stepped into the room, Jack felt an overwhelming sense of inferiority that made him unable to straighten his back.

Around him sat adventurers in groups of twos and threes, each radiating a strong aura. Their fighting spirit and patience were impressive, enough to surprise any enemy.

"Let me introduce you," Tal took the initiative to say, "The one wearing the mask is 'Black Fist' Petain; the Dwarf sitting next to him is 'Rock' Drew; that little one over there is 'Silver Cat' Maru, and..."

"Who are you calling little?!" Maru protested, waving her small fists in dissatisfaction.

"Alright, alright, we can continue the introductions later,"

Leon waved his hand, and the lounge immediately quieted down.

"Mr. Jack, I heard you are very familiar with this dungeon, often leading teams in and out and even finding specialties that no one else has discovered. You must be a Dungeon Exploration Master,"

"I dare not claim that," Jack shook his head continuously, "I just happened to walk the right path. Master is really too much to say,"

Leon squinted his eyes.

"I have a few questions and would like to seek your advice. Would you mind helping me clear some doubts?"

"Of course, of course..."

The morning rushed by, and when Jack left the adventurer's guild, his back was soaked with cold sweat, and his hands were slightly trembling.

Having mingled in the lower tiers for many years, he thought he was a versatile man, but staying with the Silver Rank adventurers for a morning, he had embarrassingly shown his true colors.

Ultimately, it was his inner inferiority that played a role. When dealing with his peers, he was slick and deceptive, but when facing superiors, he would tremble uncontrollably.

But at least he hadn't shown any major flaws.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as a slight smile returned to his lips.

These people were strong, and Leon was even stronger.

With their help, perhaps he could even take down that guy!

The fierce face of the Stone Statue Ghost flashed through his mind; he hesitated for a moment but soon firmed his resolve.

At this point, there's no need to talk about life-saving grace. My new life is just beginning, and I definitely don't want to be bound by monsters!

Jack looked up to the sky, feeling the brilliant sunlight signifying happiness, joy, and vibrant life.

"My new life is just beginning..."

He couldn't help but sigh, then suddenly caught sight of something in the corner of his eye.

Eh? Why is that person running?

Seems like... they're coming at me?

"Thump—"

As the sharp object pierced his heart, Jack's mind went blank.