Realm Walker

Zhang Yuanqing froze, his mind flooding with disbelief. Yin Yang Town...?

Could the world really be that coincidental? He had just learned about Yin Yang Town from one of Demon Lord's audio recordings, and now, he was being pulled straight into that very dungeon. It was uncanny, just like the last time he had just found a lead on Bro Bing before being thrown into Jinshui Amusement Park.

Maybe it's not a coincidence at all. Bro Bing's predictions told me the dungeons I enter aren't random. They can be anticipated. And the Cat King Speaker is a self-aware item. It's not a living creature, but it isn't some mindless object either. Is it possible that this independently thinking speaker, just like Bro Bing, predicted I'd enter Yin Yang Town someday, and played that recording for me on purpose? But what would the prediction be based on? Demon Lord's Character Card?

Theories flashed through his mind, but his hands and feet did not slow. He yanked on his shoes, buckled his waist pouch on and stowed the Cat King Speaker inside, then lunged across the bed to the other nightstand. He pulled open the drawer, shook five or six small blue pills into his mouth, and swallowed them dry.

With all that done, he snatched up his phone and dialed Guan Ya's number. The line was busy. He tried Li Dongze next but it was also busy.

What's going on with those two? he wondered. But time was running out, and he couldn't afford to dwell on it. Zhang Yuanqing opened his messaging app and fired off a voice note: "Squad Leader, my dungeon's here. Yin Yang Town!"

He rattled it off at top speed and hit send.

At that precise moment, the room around him began to ripple. His sixty seconds were up.

***

"Yin Yang Town..." Li Dongze muttered, his expression darkening. "Guan Ya, be careful. You have to come back alive."

Yin Yang Town was a death-type A-rank dungeon. Although the Vision Ward Squad Leader's threshold for alarm had been raised considerably by Zhang Yuanqing's exploits, he never forgot how terrifying A-rank dungeons could be.

S-rank dungeons were every Walker's nightmare, a blade dangling over their heads, as rare as they were deadly. But A-rank dungeons were the real crucible, the life-or-death gauntlet that genuinely talented Walkers of both Lawful and Evil alignments had to reckon with. The list of promising budding candidates who had perished in A-rank instances was far too long.

That was precisely why Yuanshi clearing two S-rank dungeons in a row had drawn attention from both the official and evil organizations. Without that kind of record, someone of Elder Teddy's stature would have only given passing acknowledgment to any Transcendent-tier Walker, no matter how gifted. He certainly wouldn't have traveled all the way to the capital because of an issue with that junior's items, and he definitely wouldn't have laughed it off after getting his head petted.

—Understood, Squad Leader. If I don't make it back, give Fu Qingyang my deepest apologies. And tell everyone else too. Oh, and tell Yuanshi not to be too heartbroken.

Guan Ya ended her sentence with a laugh. Li Dongze was about to respond when he heard a dull thud through the speaker, the unmistakable sound of a phone hitting the floor.

She had entered the dungeon.

Damn. Li Dongze hung up, worry gnawing at his chest. Only then did he notice the notification for a missed call on his screen. It was Yuanshi Tianzun.

He raised an eyebrow and called him back, but there was no answer. He checked his messaging app and found a voice note from Yuanshi.

—Squad Leader, my dungeon's here. Yin Yang Town!

Li Dongze forgot all about being refined, and a single "fuck" escaped his lips. "Oh my God, are you kidding me—!?"

Guan Ya and Yuanshi had both entered Yin Yang Town? If they failed in their mission, Squad Two would lose two outstanding members in one stroke.

After the initial shock and anger faded, a strange sense of calm settled over him. That unlucky kid had finally stopped drawing S-rank dungeons. On top of that, having Yuanshi at Guan Ya's side dramatically improved the odds of clearing it.

Li Dongze considered for a moment, then dialed Fu Qingyang's number. The phone rang for a long time before Fu Qingyang's cool, restrained voice came through.

—If you're calling this late, it must be something important.

There was a different color to his tone of voice, a note of displeasure at the disturbance. As a Scout, Li Dongze caught the irritation immediately. He kept his own voice steady.

"Centurion, Guan Ya just entered a dungeon. A-rank, death-type. Yin Yang Town."

An A-rank death-type dungeon was vastly more dangerous than a non-death instance.

There was silence on the other end. Li Dongze could feel the Centurion's concern, but Fu Qingyang was too proud, too composed, to ever let worry show in his voice. Finally, his reply came through, low and heavy.

—Understood.

"Yuanshi has entered Yin Yang Town too," Li Dongze added. "He should be on the same team as Guan Ya."

The words had barely left his mouth when Fu Qingyang replied, his voice carrying an unmistakable edge of surprise.

—Yuanshi entered Yin Yang Town as well?

"Yes."

—Understood. We'll wait for news from them tomorrow.

Fu Qingyang's voice was still cool and detached, but the earlier heaviness had disappeared entirely.

***

The world in front of him slowly came into focus.

The first thing to fill Zhang Yuanqing's vision was a quaint, antiquated town in the style of a Jiangnan waterside village. White walls, dark roof tiles, and stone slab roads stretched into the town's depths, while tufts of green sprouted along the street's edges and at the bases of walls.

The sky was a vivid blue. It was daytime inside the Spirit Realm. Beyond the town's outskirts, several black water buffalo grazed with their heads to the ground, while a young cowherd dozed against a tree.

Zhang Yuanqing looked up. He stood beneath a decorative archway just outside the town. Three characters swept across it in bold, flourishing calligraphy: Yin Yang Town.

He dredged up all the information he knew about Yin Yang Town. This dungeon changes with every run. Every team that enters faces different challenges, depending on which route the Spirit Realm assigns toward the central plaza. It's not an S-rank dungeon this time, but it's still a death-type dungeon. It's hard to say if my luck is good or bad. What is the hidden mission the Demon Lord mentioned? And what item did the Yin Yang Hermit stash here?

As he mulled this over, he summoned his black-framed glasses and slipped them on, then he turned to study his "companions."

Hmm?

Zhang Yuanqing spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Her tall, slender figure and refined mixed-heritage features made her as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark.

Guan Ya?!

At that very moment, Guan Ya's gaze swept past him. Recognition sparked in those striking eyes, a flash of undeniable delight.

Yuanshi! She'd actually been matched with him. She'd really been matched with him! Guan Ya smothered her joy in an instant, shifting her attention to assess the other teammates. She didn't go over to greet him.

Zhang Yuanqing stifled a grin. She's happy to see me, huh? Well, of course she is. Who wouldn't be thrilled to get matched with a pro like me? She's not going to acknowledge me though. Perhaps she wants to size up the team first?

Zhang Yuanqing finished reading her expression, then turned his attention to the rest of the group. There were six others in total. Guan Ya aside, there was one other woman and four men, all young adults.

The other woman brought her palms together in two sharp claps, drawing everyone's attention.

"Everyone, I'm a member of the Five Elements Alliance. ID: Call Me Queen. Level 3 Water Ghost," she announced.

Call Me Queen? The name rang a bell. Oh right, she's that colleague who's always posting on the forums.

Zhang Yuanqing studied "Queen" more carefully. She was about twenty-five, dressed in black cropped pants, a black T-shirt, and white sneakers. Her features were bold and striking, accentuated by smoky eye makeup, with two large silver hoops dangling from her earlobes.

Queen? What kind of queen is she? A nightclub queen? Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

Queen's eyes swept across the group. "I've read the Spirit Realm strategy guide for Yin Yang Town. This is a team PvP dungeon. Our opponents are a squad of Evil-class Walkers that will enter from the other side of the town. Both teams enter the town through different gates, and whichever team reaches the central plaza first receives a bonus reward.

"It could be some kind of advantage, or it could be an item. Either way, whoever reaches the plaza first holds the upper hand. This dungeon demands teamwork. Any doubts or infighting will get the entire team killed. Therefore, my proposal is this: we elect a captain."

Zhang Yuanqing understood her angle immediately. Team PvP dungeons were the only type that dropped a Guild Token. Queen had announced her official status and level first to position herself as the leader. If she could lead the team to clear this dungeon, the odds of receiving a Guild Token as reward were extremely high.

As if to validate her words, everyone received a Spirit Realm notification.

【Please enter Yin Yang Town within three minutes. The team that reaches the plaza first will receive a bonus reward.】

The expressions of the other group members twitched.

A burly man in a tank top sized Queen up. "You want to be captain?"

She didn't deny it, and met his gaze with a frank nod.

The man in the tank top considered it for a few seconds, then said, "I'm a Level 3 Fire Sage. ID: Fire Virtue Star Army. 'Army' as in military. Someone already snagged the Fire Virtue Star General ID. If you've really gone through the strategy guide, then I'm fine with you as captain."

A slightly pudgy young man with a round face chimed in next. "I'm a Level 2 Earth Wraith, ID: Lotus Eater. Please take care of me, everyone."

The remaining two men followed suit, volunteering their levels and classes. The bespectacled young man with a bookish air was a Level 3 Scholar, ID: Li Chunfeng. His class wasn't built for combat at the Transcendent tier, and so he graciously withdrew himself from captain consideration.

The last man was a quiet, melancholy looking youth who introduced himself as a Level 2 Wood Specter, ID: Grass Upon the Plains. He didn't seem to enjoy conversation and showed little interest in anyone around him. Even beauties like Guan Ya and Queen earned only a brief glance before he looked away.

Zhang Yuanqing kept the Eye of the Observer on, reading every micro expression and analyzing what each person was truly thinking.

Fire Virtue obviously wanted to be the captain too, but the moment he heard Queen was an official Walker who read the strategy guide, he backed down immediately. The thing is, the Yin Yang Town guides are only a rough reference. The most valuable information has already been said out loud.

He shifted his gaze to the others. Lotus Eater's expression and his eyes show he never even considered competing for captain. Li Chunfeng's been frowning the whole time. He's pessimistic about this run. Grass Upon the Plains is young, but carries himself like a hermit. None of the ferocity you'd want in a fighter.

Still, all things considered, these teammates seem level-headed. None of them look like reckless hotheads. That's the difference between PvP mode and regular group dungeons. In this format, even a hothead has to hold it together for the team.

Li Chunfeng let out a sigh. "There are two Level 3 Walkers on our team now. Based on the Spirit Realm's matching system, the Evil team should also have at least two Level 3s. But my Level 3 status is just for show. I can't fight. I took a look at the rest of you, and aside from Fire Virtue and Queen, the others seem... a bit lacking."

So that's why you're pessimistic? Zhang Yuanqing thought.

Fire Virtue Star Army frowned. "Don't tank morale!"

He turned to Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing. "What about you two? Class and level?"

Call Me Queen cast a sidelong glance at Guan Ya, and Guan Ya offered a slight smile. "Level 2 Scout. ID: Guan Ya."

A Level 2 Scout... A flicker of disappointment crossed several faces. A Scout's combat power was middling at best, not as high as a Fire Sage or Wood Specter, though at least better than a Scholar.

"I'm also a member of an official organization," Guan Ya added.

Call Me Queen flashed a smile. "A colleague! Right, I remember now. You're from Songhai Branch. I've seen you on the forums. Once we're inside Yin Yang Town, stay close to me."

There was always a natural kinship between official Walkers that did not extend to Freelancers. The subtext of Queen's words was clear. Pick me as captain, and I'll look out for you.

Even though Guan Ya was also an official member who certainly knew the Yin Yang Town strategy guide, the gap between a Level 2 Scout and a Level 3 Water Ghost was significant. Queen wasn't worried about her competing for the captain position. And even if Guan Ya wanted to, the others wouldn't vote for her.

Guan Ya smiled and nodded.

Call Me Queen gave a satisfied dip of her chin, then turned to Zhang Yuanqing. "What about you, kid?"

Zhang Yuanqing surveyed the group. "Level 2 Nocturnal Specter. ID: Yuanshi Tianzun. And I think I'm more suited to be captain than you are."