When Lin Qingyue awoke in a cocoon of warmth, she instinctively glanced at her wristband.
The time displayed on the screen made her pause.
It was already the morning of the second day in the Dungeon.
They had slept for nearly ten hours.
The Warning Rune Stones around them remained silent, showing no signs of having been triggered.
Beside her, Lin Xiyue stirred, rubbing her eyes. Her voice was still thick with sleep. "Sis... what time is it?"
Her gaze focused on her own wristband, and a moment later, she gasped.
"Ah! It's already daylight?!"
Just then, the steady footsteps of the Stonebeard Earth Spirit approached from a distance.
It held a shield and a longsword—the new equipment custom-made for Lin Xiyue.
"Did you rest well?" Stonebeard's voice was slow and clear. "Your equipment is complete."
The sisters' drowsiness vanished in an instant.
Lin Xiyue practically shot to her feet, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the two pieces of equipment, which radiated a restrained brilliance.
The shield was larger than her previous standard Kite Shield, its entire surface a deep, dark silver, like unpolished star iron.
At the center of the shield, a polished White Quartz formed the Holy Emblem, radiating a soft, milky glow.
The shield's contours were sturdy yet smooth, and merely looking at it evoked a sense of absolute immovability.
The longsword was even simpler. Its blade was perfectly straight, gleaming with the same muted metallic luster as the shield. Only along the spine did a milky-white halo shimmer like moonlight, echoing the White Quartz at the shield's heart.
"Try them on," Stonebeard said, handing her the sword and shield.
Lin Xiyue accepted them, her excitement palpable.
As the shield settled into her grip, an unimaginable sense of stability flowed from her arm straight to her core. Its weight was perfect, as if it were an extension of her own limb.
She tried channeling her Holy Light into it.
Vwoom!
The entire shield erupted in a dense, heavy halo of platinum light!
The Holy Light surged wildly through the Mithril runes within the shield. The unprecedented smoothness of the flow instantly boosted her defensive power by a massive margin!
[Immovable Mountain]
[Type: Knight Shield]
[Description: Forged by an Earth Spirit Craftsman with an Obsidian Iron Core, its center is inlaid with White Quartz nurtured by Ley Lines. The shield is heavy, its surface etched with patterns resembling overlapping mountain ranges. To wield it is to stand like a mountain itself.]
[Attributes: Ultimate Defense, Holy Light Affinity, Resilient and Durable.]
[Note: Mountains may erode, but the faith of its wielder will never waver. Of course, when necessary, it can also be used for "physical persuasion." ]
She swung the longsword again.
The blade cut through the air, its milky-white halo flowing with the movement. Holy Light adhered to it with incredible ease, even reducing the energy cost.
[Dawn's Light]
[Type: Knight Sword]
[Description: A straight blade forged from an Obsidian Iron Core and White Quartz. A natural halo flows along its spine, resembling the dawn's first light tearing through the darkness when swung.]
[Attributes: Evil-Slaying, Holy Light Conduction, Faith Guardian.]
[Note: May your faith be as pure as this blade's light. Warning: It's very sharp—don't ask me how I know.]
"This is amazing!"
Lin Xiyue couldn't put the weapons down, her face beaming with pure joy.
"Thank you, Stonebeard Elder! This is even better than I imagined!"
She could clearly feel that this sword and shield set not only boasted exceptional materials but, more importantly, possessed a natural affinity for the Power of Holy Light. This would undoubtedly elevate her strength to a whole new level.
Lin Qingyue was happy for her sister.
With this new equipment, Xiyue's defense and supportive offensive capabilities would be greatly enhanced, drastically increasing their party's chances of survival.
"Good, as long as it suits you," Stonebeard nodded. "Are you leaving now?"
"Yes, Stonebeard Elder. We must continue our Dungeon Trial," Lin Qingyue replied, then asked, "Could you please tell us how to leave the Foundation Hall?"
The Stonebeard Earth Spirit pointed back toward the massive cavern they had passed through earlier.
"Follow the path you came from back to the Stone Hall occupied by the Green-skins. On the eastern rock wall of that hall, you'll find an inconspicuous stone gate carved with a 'Spiral Return Pattern.' That is the Boundary Gate leading to the forest outside.
"Those Green-skins used that gate to enter and exit, cutting off our connection to the outside world."
The sisters suddenly understood. The exit was right in the goblins' lair—no wonder the Earth Spirits had been trapped here.
They bid farewell once more to the Stonebeard Earth Spirit and the other Earth Spirits and Cave Dwellers, thanking them for their help and hospitality.
They retraced their steps through the clean passage, re-entering the massive natural cavern that had once been filled with numerous Goblin Guards.
Following Stonebeard's directions, they carefully searched the eastern rock wall of the cavern. Sure enough, they found a stone gate that blended almost seamlessly with the rock, its surface carved with faint blue spiral patterns.
It would have been incredibly easy to miss if they hadn't been specifically looking for it.
The two sisters pushed open the "Boundary Gate" together. A familiar sense of slight dizziness and spatial distortion washed over them.
The scene before them abruptly changed.
The damp scent of the forest rushed to meet them—they were standing at the entrance of the crooked goblin wooden "castle"!
Looking back, they saw only a rough log wall and haphazardly nailed-together wooden planks. The stone gate was nowhere to be seen.
"So the goblins built the portal's exit inside their 'castle'..." Lin Xiyue realized with a start. "No wonder they could come and go freely while keeping the Earth Spirits trapped."
Lin Qingyue nodded. That made perfect sense.
By controlling both ends of the portal, the goblins had effectively sealed off the Earth Spirits' only escape route.
"It feels like I just woke up from a long, strange dream..." Lin Xiyue tightened her grip on her brand-new shield, savoring the heavy, reassuring weight as she spoke.
Lin Qingyue also took a deep breath of the dense forest's not-so-fresh air and nodded.
"Let's go. The trial continues."
"We're in peak condition now."
With new equipment, ample rest, and the spoils in their pockets, the sisters' confidence soared. They once again ventured into the depths of the Shadowed Forest.
They followed a babbling forest stream upstream. The morning mist had yet to fully dissipate, and sunlight filtered through the interwoven branches, casting dappled shadows on the pebble-strewn riverbank.
The air was a mix of earthy soil, river water, and the fresh scent of plants.
Lin Qingyue took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief—the lingering, cloying scent of strawberry-jasmine chemical fragrance was finally gone!
"Thank goodness..." she muttered under her breath. "Any more of that, and my sense of smell would have developed PTSD."
She silently resolved to level up to 22 as quickly as possible—Priests learned the [Cleanse Spell] at level 22.
Although the skill description read, "Dispels negative status effects on the body," Lin Qingyue stubbornly insisted that since it was called the [Cleanse Spell], it must be able to clean the body!
Sweat stains, dust, strange spray residue—it should wipe them all away!
Her logic was simply unassailable!
"Sis, isn't the [Cleanse Spell] for removing debuffs like poison and paralysis?" Lin Xiyue, who had overheard her muttering, couldn't help but retort. "You're going to use it for bathing?"
Lin Qingyue looked at her with an expression that said, Isn't it obvious? "The skill is literally called 'Cleanse.' Isn't it only natural to use it for personal hygiene? Otherwise, why wouldn't they call it 'Dispel' or 'Purify'? This proves the developers considered adventurers' personal cleaning needs from the very beginning! It has to be!"
Lin Xiyue: "..."
You make so much sense, Sis, I'm actually speechless.