Lin Yu sized up the tall woman from head to toe.

Black short hair, a form-fitting leather outfit—it was a very efficient and capable style.

Her face was covered by a pure black mask, obscuring her features. Only a pair of eyes were visible, bright, clear, and quite beautiful.

The longsword in her hand was a beautiful basket-hilted sword, with a broad blade that looked rather heavy.

The heels on the long boots she was wearing were somewhat too high, so they were most likely an item—if this wasn't an item, Lin Yu found it hard to imagine why anyone would wear them into a dungeon.

Any player choosing "non-item clothing" to enter a dungeon should prioritize convenience and not hindering movement.

The other party's boots currently fell outside this category.

However, although the newcomer had used her sword to protect herself, she still tried to communicate with Lin Yu.

"So, what organization are you from? What's your 'Class'? What's your strength?"

The other party fired off questions in rapid succession. Lin Yu looked at her calmly.

"Before asking others... shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

Hearing this, the woman wearing the black mask slightly drew her sword back toward herself.

"Fair point—I'm from the 'Player Mutual Aid Association,' code name 'Fern,' as in the fern plant. My Class is 'Hunter,' Second Tier."

"Your turn."

The woman who called herself "Fern" spoke and looked at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu spoke up: "Then you can just call me Moro. As for my strength..."

As he spoke, he picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground.

Fern watched Lin Yu nervously, but she only saw Lin Yu punch the stone...

"Bang!"

The stone cracked into two halves under his fist.

Watching Lin Yu physically demonstrate his "strength," the corner of Fern's mouth twitched.

"Soldier? Judging by that intensity, you should have been Promoted, right?"

Lin Yu nodded silently.

Fern let out a breath: "Hmm... good. So, want to form a temporary alliance?"

"A 'Hunter' and 'Soldier' combo should be pretty popular in this dungeon, right?"

"Although you didn't mention your organization, since your Class is 'Soldier,' I imagine your character probably isn't too terrible."

Listening to Fern's words, Lin Yu instantly flashed back to the Soldiers he had encountered before...

Hmm, that really wasn't necessarily true.

It's just that there were many Soldiers within Order, which made most players in this game naturally have a bit of goodwill toward Soldiers.

But a 'Class' is just a 'Class.' There are black sheep in any Class.

However, since the other party's perception was currently advantageous to him, Lin Yu wasn't stingy about forming an alliance.

"Fine."

He gave a slight nod and looked toward the two giant beasts fighting in the distance.

"Are you currently eyeing those two guys?"

"Yes, after all, our goal is to obtain 'trophies' to get the 'Warrior Credential,' right?" Fern said, gazing into the distance. "Although five is enough if you only care about quantity and not quality, based on my understanding... in the 'Glory Festival,' the Warrior Credentials are finally ranked, and the ranking depends on the quantity of trophies you hold!"

"If we obtain very good trophies, it will also help us improve our standing in this realm."

Fern analyzed this logically. Lin Yu nodded in agreement: "Hmm... that point indeed hasn't changed."

"What did you say?" Fern looked at Lin Yu strangely. "What hasn't changed?"

"Nothing, I was just remarking that it's the same as previous Glory Festivals," Lin Yu said unhurriedly. "Anyway, let's do as you suggest."

He looked at the two fighting giant beasts: "That single-horned giant beast is called 'Tukam.' It has thick skin and great strength. It looks clumsy, but its claws and sharp horn attacks are very troublesome to deal with. The other one is 'Numenhak,' also a type of fierce beast, but it primarily relies on ambush. Its vitality isn't as tenacious;hitting its vital internal organs can easily kill it."

Lin Yu was talking nonsense on the spot.

His previous statement was a classic example of sounding like some kind of specialized knowledge, but it was actually completely improvised based on what he had just observed about the two beasts.

But Fern couldn't help but praise: "Wow, it seems Moro, you know these two beasts very well. Have you been to the Blood Kingdom before?"

Seeing that Lin Yu had no intention of answering, Fern wasn't angry and just continued.

"Alright, then analyze this for me: when would be a suitable time for us to make our move? Approximately when will they determine a victor?"

Fern asked. Lin Yu still didn't directly answer her question.

But this time, Lin Yu at least spoke up.

"What are you good at? Tell me about your fighting or hunting style, Hunter."

"If you don't want to reveal too many details, that's fine too... just tell me, what can you achieve against beasts of that size?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Fern was taken aback for a moment, then spoke: "I have a crossbow."

As she spoke, she pulled out a small steel hand crossbow from her chest.

Lin Yu frowned: "One of that size is only useful if you accurately shoot it into the eye... but even if you're extremely precise, it's hard to achieve because both Tukam and Numenhak aren't slow."

"It's poisoned," Fern explained. "Although it's not a lethal poison, and its effect will be greatly diminished against large monsters of this size, it does indeed have paralyzing and stunning effects."

"It's just that for these two beasts... I imagine it might only take effect for a few seconds?"

Lin Yu looked at Fern.

"A few seconds? You're saying you can make them fall into a slowed action state for a few seconds?"

Fern shook her head: "No, no, it's direct paralysis and stun—meaning not slowed action, but completely unable to move."

Looking at Fern, Lin Yu's face showed surprise for the first time.

"Really impressive, Hunter. You're truly amazing, actually having poison effective against Tukam and Numenhak. You're the most impressive Hunter I've ever seen."

"Are you sure this thing will take effect one hundred percent?"

Hearing Lin Yu ask this, Fern instead became more confident: "Of course, it's written in the item description—its effect might be weakened, but it will definitely not fail to take effect."

"This thing is very expensive!"

As Fern spoke, Lin Yu nodded.

"I understand. Then let's do it!"

Fern was stunned: "Now?"

"Of course. If we wait for them to mutually weaken, many participants will do that," Lin Yu said indifferently. "Anyway, both of them are injured now!"

"Taking them down now will also serve as a deterrent to opponents observing from the shadows."

The expression on Fern's face was somewhat shocked: "But, really get involved with those two things that are clearly already enraged? Even if I can control them for two or three seconds... my sword is my main combat weapon. This thing would probably have some difficulty stabbing these two giants to death—just getting close would take up almost all that time."

Lin Yu spoke calmly: "It's fine. Two or three seconds is already enough for me."

"Wait until I'm close enough, then shoot the poisoned bolt when you see my signal—remember to aim well."

"I'll take care of them!"