The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

"This level-up process is just too slow..." Irving murmured to himself, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face.

If Vicky and Sophia knew his thoughts, they would definitely roll their eyes at him.

For most players, leveling up required constant battles with exotic beasts, always at the risk of losing their lives.

But all Irving needed to do was keep expanding his army of exotic beasts.

For a necromancer still in the [Beginner Stage], as long as they have a sufficient number of exotic beasts, their level will increase rapidly. Once they break through to level eleven and become a [Trainee Hero], their strength will undergo a qualitative leap.

At that moment, James led the guild players to the area. When they saw the sudden appearance of a large group of Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders in the forest, the smiles on their faces vanished instantly.

The newer members of the guild, in particular, instinctively took a step back and quickly drew their weapons. The atmosphere became tense in an instant.

"Irving, you... you didn't, by any chance, manage to tame these Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders, did you?" James hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized something, a look of disbelief appearing on his face.

During the last castle battle, some of the guild members had witnessed the exotic beasts Irving controlled and had even fought alongside them.

Now, seeing these terrifying Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders all gathered around Irving, their feelings were incredibly mixed.

For a moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on Irving, waiting for an explanation.

Irving simply nodded slightly.

This small gesture caused a tumult of emotions within the group. For a long while, no one could find the words to speak.

Especially for those players from the Green Ivy Group, they would rather believe that these Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders had run out from the forest than accept that this young man in front of them had brought them here.

Seeing the dumbfounded expressions of the group before him, Irving shook his head and then looked at James. "When are you planning to go in?"

"Irving, we're here because we want to enter together with you." James said.

When the[Flowing Light and Dense Realm] had opened before, James had invited Irving, but he had declined.

"Irving." James continued, "this time, we're entering the secret realm just to get some useful equipment. As for the treasure within the realm, we weren't aiming for it from the beginning."

His words were very tactful, but Irving could clearly understand the underlying meaning. To the players in the guild, the leader was James. However, James knew deep down that without Irving's help, the Green Ivy Group could never have expanded so rapidly to its current extent.

Now, all he needed was one thing: to follow Irving and assist this young man in becoming even stronger. Only then could both the Green Ivy Group and the White family survive better in the apocalypse. James had long since figured this out.

This was also the reason why he had taken over the family business at such a young age.

Irving smiled slightly and nodded, "It was wise of you not to enter ahead of time. This secret realm is not as simple as you think..."

Not to mention the hidden dangers in the cave at the foot of the volcano or the more formidable exotic beasts.

Even if the treasure were lying right in the cave, it would not be easy to claim it amidst so many guilds and players.

Having experienced one apocalypse, Irving knew that in extreme environments, even a piece of bread could trigger a bloody fight, let alone the treasures of a secret realm.

"Alright, it's about time. Let's head in." Irving said.

Surrounded by nearly a hundred players from the Green Ivy Group, Irving led the group of Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders towards the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, a rubble-strewn passage leading underground came into view. The tunnel was winding and serpentine, and the surrounding rock walls were embedded with numerous stones emitting a faint blue glow, which barely illuminated the path beneath their feet.

In the dim environment, everyone's nerves were on edge. After walking along the passage for a few minutes, the surroundings remained eerily silent, with only the sound of their heavy breathing breaking the stillness.

"Strange... Just a moment ago, so many guilds entered here, but now we can't see a single person," one of the guild players said in confusion.

Turning to look back at the entrance they had just come through, the light from the entrance had long disappeared, and the passage they were in seemed to stretch endlessly.

After walking another ten minutes or so, in the dark and oppressive environment of the cave, an inexplicable sense of panic began to well up within everyone.

"James... do you think we're trapped here?" a player couldn't hold back anymore, his eyes filled with panic. "We've walked at least seven or eight hundred meters since we came in, and not only can't we see the end, but the guilds that entered before us seem to have disappeared."

This statement only increased the group's anxiety, with many people breaking out in a cold sweat.

James himself was also uneasy, frowning deeply as he pondered the situation.

"Don't worry." Irving spoke up, first glancing at the surrounding rock walls. "If my guess is correct, this passageway isn't naturally formed."

"These glowing rocks in the walls were placed here by someone. This place was formed hundreds or even thousands of years ago and these stones were used for illumination."

Stones that glow are actually common in real life, often containing rare elements with special properties.

Elemental energy decays over time, so when these stones were first placed, they would have lit up the entire passage.

"Haven't you noticed the temperature is rising?" Irving asked, looking back at the group.

After entering the cave, everyone's nerves had been on edge, constantly on alert and observing their surroundings, fearing an attack from any exotic beasts lurking within.

In such a heightened state of awareness, it was easy to miss other changes.

"Seems like it... No wonder I'm drenched in sweat." a player said, wiping away the bead-like sweat from his forehead.

The guild was entirely composed of warrior players, many of whom were equipped with heavy armor. As the temperature gradually rose, they were drenched in sweat, but none dared to remove their gear.

For players, their equipment was akin to a second life.

Even these physically robust warrior players would be no match for an exotic beast attack without their gear…

"It shouldn't be much longer now." Irving said.

With gritted teeth, everyone continued onward. Having come this far, turning back was not an option. Even if they couldn't obtain the treasure in the secret realm, they were determined to see what lay at the cave's end.

Gradually, in the dark passage, a sudden dazzling light appeared.

"Irving, look! We're almost there!" Vicky exclaimed excitedly, pointing ahead.

Everyone immediately perked up, but as they looked toward the light, something seemed off. They continued walking for a bit until they could see clearly.

The dazzling light was actually a mass of bubbling lava.

The wave of heat hit their faces, and the surrounding temperature soared to at least 50 degrees Celsius, making the air feel thin.

"I feel like I'm about to collapse. Does anyone have water?"

"No..."

"We must be at the bottom of the volcano. I'm going to die from this heat." the players complained.

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly echoed.

The group, who had just been complaining and were starting to relax, tensed up again at the sound of the scream. They turned their eyes towards the source of the scream and saw Vicky pressed tightly against the rock wall, her face pale as she stared at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Irving asked, puzzled. But as he looked down at the ground, his face also turned grim.

The ground was littered with corpses, almost covering the entire floor of the cavern, which was tens of meters wide.

"Why are so many people dead here?" James immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly gestured for everyone to stop, signaling them not to move forward.

Not far ahead was the end of the cave, and the numerous corpses on the ground gave off an eerie feeling.

"Irving, please save me…" Vicky, who was still pressed against the wall, said in a trembling voice. Her eyes were fixed on a corpse at her feet, and she seemed to have noticed something. "A snake... there's a snake!"

"A snake?!" Irving was taken aback.

He frowned and slowly walked towards Vicky.

Something seemed to be wriggling inside the corpse at Vicky's feet. Under the eerie blue light of the surrounding rocks, a venomous snake with bright red scales emerged into view.

[Red Flame Fierce Snake]

[High Intermediate Level!]

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