A stone slab was half-buried under dirt and withered grass; its edges were rough and its surface was carved with blurred patterns, looking quite aged.

Tie Dun used the edge of his iron hammer to scrape away the soil, revealing the full appearance of the stone slab. It was about one meter square, three fingers thick, and had a rusted iron ring in the center.

"It's an artifact." Shadow Snake crouched down and lightly tapped the edge of the slab with her short blade, producing a muffled echo. "It's hollow underneath."

Zhao Hu stepped forward, gripped the iron ring, and pulled hard. The stone slab didn't budge.

"Together." Lin Feng leaned his Wildfire Spear against a nearby stone pillar and grabbed the iron ring alongside Tie Dun, one on each side.

"One, two, three—lift!"

With the combined strength of the three, the stone slab was slowly pried open. A gust of cold wind, mixed with the scent of dust, mold, and ancient decay, surged out from below, carrying a bone-chilling frost.

Beneath the slab was the entrance to a downward stone staircase, only wide enough for one person to pass. The steps extended into the darkness, their end hidden from sight.

Jian Yan lit a torch and probed into the entrance. The firelight illuminated the descending stairs, flanked by rough stone walls. Faint, crude murals were visible on the walls: soldiers holding spears, simple chariots, and blurred totems.

"It's a tomb." Uncle Wu leaned in to examine the style of the murals. "Looking at this art style, it should be the burial site of a small ancient tribal leader."

"Are we going down?" Tie Dun asked, his eyes showing both curiosity and caution.

Lin Feng stared into the deep entrance, quickly weighing his options.

According to the common knowledge learned in class, ancient tombs and cave-like areas in the Nightmare World were usually 'treasure lands' for low-level Awakened to farm monsters and level up.

These places often contained a large number of undead monsters like Skeleton Soldiers and zombies, with moderate levels, stable experience, and a certain probability of dropping special materials.

More importantly, he had just reached Level 4 and needed experience.

He had gained 40 experience points from killing the Skeleton Captain earlier, and his current experience was (219/350). He was only 131 points away from Level 5.

"Let's go down." Lin Feng looked at Zhao Hu. "I'm still a long way off from leveling up. If there really are Skeleton Soldiers inside, it's the perfect chance to grind."

"Besides, in this kind of ancient tomb, there are sometimes scattered burial goods that can be traded for resources."

Zhao Hu pondered for a moment and then looked at the sky. There were still three or four hours before dark; they had plenty of time. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Jian Yan, how's the air down there?"

Jian Yan took a small bag of powder from his pack and scattered it into the entrance. The powder drifted down slowly without any abnormal reaction. "The air is circulating; there shouldn't be any toxic gas or miasma."

"Then let's explore it," Zhao Hu decided. "But remember, we're here to scout Qingshi County, not to rob graves."

"Once we're down, focus on clearing monsters and leveling up. Don't go deep into the main burial chamber, and don't get greedy for burial goods. No matter our progress, we must return to the surface within an hour."

Everyone nodded.

The team order was adjusted: Jian Yan led the way with the torch, Tie Dun followed closely with his shield for protection, then Lin Feng and Shadow Snake, with Zhao Hu and Uncle Wu bringing up the rear.

The stone stairs were longer than expected, extending down about twenty steps before reaching the bottom.

Before them was a corridor about two meters wide. On both stone walls, there were recessed lamp stands every few steps, but the lamp oil had long since dried up.

The air was cold and damp, and a distinct smell of dust could be felt with every breath.

"There are footprints." Shadow Snake crouched down and pointed to a series of messy tracks on the ground. They weren't human shoe prints, but shallow marks left by skeletal treading. "Skeleton Soldiers, and quite a few of them."

"It seems they really have used this place as a nest." Zhao Hu gripped his long blade. "Maintain formation, move forward."

The corridor extended forward about thirty meters and then turned right. Just as they rounded the bend, flickering shadows appeared ahead.

Four Skeleton Soldiers, Level 4, were wandering aimlessly in the corridor. Hearing the footsteps, they turned in unison, and the soul fire in their eye sockets suddenly flared up.

"Just an appetizer." Lin Feng stepped forward, his Wildfire Spear striking out like a venomous snake's tongue.

61! -64! -63! -60! 61! -64! -63! -60!

Eight thrusts, and the four Skeleton Soldiers collapsed. The entire process took less than ten seconds.

【Killed Lv4 Skeleton Soldier x4, gained 80 experience points】

Experience reached (299/350).

"Your attack power is simply ridiculous," Tie Dun muttered as he looked at the shattered bones covering the floor.

The team continued forward.

Over the next half hour, they cleared four waves of Skeleton Soldiers, totaling fourteen, including two Level 4 Skeleton Sword-Shielders.

Lin Feng claimed almost all the kills; the Wildfire Spear worked wonders even in the narrow corridor.

The length of the spear allowed him to shatter the Skeleton Soldiers before they could get close, while their crude bone knives and swords couldn't touch him at all.

The experience bar rose rapidly:

【Killed Lv3 Skeleton Soldier x6, experience 0 points】

【Killed Lv4 Skeleton Sword-Shielder x2, experience 40 points】

【Killed Lv3 Skeleton Soldier x8, experience 0 points】

As the last Level 4 Skeleton Soldier fell apart, a warm current arrived as expected.

【Experience bar is full】

【Level Up: 4 → 5】

【Obtained Free Attribute Point: 1】

Finally Level 5!

Lin Feng suppressed his excitement and first added the attribute point to Strength.

Status Panel Updated:

【Name: Lin Feng】

【Level: 5 (9/400)】

【Class: General (Junior)】

【HP: 175/175】

【Attributes:】

Constitution: 7.5 (Base 5 + Generals Majesty 50% bonus)

Strength: 10.5 (Base 7 + Generals Majesty 50% bonus)

Agility: 10.5 (Base 7 + Generals Majesty 50% bonus)

【Free Attribute Points: 0】

【Skill: Generals Majesty (Passive)】

【Command: 0/100】

"Keep going forward." Zhao Hu looked into the depths of the corridor. "After clearing this wave, we should reach the main burial chamber. If there's nothing unusual, we'll retreat as planned."

The team moved forward again.

The corridor began to widen, and side rooms appeared. Jian Yan held the torch to look inside; there were scattered decayed pottery jars, rusted bronze vessels, and several long-weathered human skeletons—likely sacrificial victims.

They were of no value, so the team didn't stop.

After walking another fifty meters, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

A circular burial chamber of about two hundred square meters appeared. The chamber was about five meters high, with crude star patterns carved on the domed ceiling;

There were eight bronze lamp stands on the surrounding walls, but they had long since gone out. The floor was paved with bluestone slabs, and in the center was a stone sarcophagus, about three meters long and two meters wide, its surface carved with reliefs of hunting and war.

And within the chamber wandered more than twenty Skeleton Soldiers.

Most striking was the tall figure beside the sarcophagus.

It was a head taller than the other Skeleton Soldiers, with a thick frame and a dark gray body. Black energy threads were coiled around its joints.

It wore tattered bronze breastplate and a rusted iron helmet, and in its hands, it gripped a bronze dagger-axe nearly two meters long.

The soul fire in its eye sockets was a deep, dark red.

【Skeleton Centurion (Elite)】

【Level: Lv11】

【Traits: High Attack, High Defense, Dagger-Axe Sweep, Summon Skeleton Soldiers】

"An elite monster!" Jian Yan whispered.

Zhao Hu's eyes suddenly lit up, and his hand gripping the long blade tightened. "Skeleton Centurion... This is an elite monster with a 10% chance to drop a Warrior Class Change Scroll!"

That one sentence made everyone's breathing grow heavy.

A class change scroll! Even the most basic Warrior Class Change Scroll was priceless on the black market!

"A 10% chance..." Tie Dun licked his lips. "Should we... give it a try?"

Shadow ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Snake didn't speak, but her posture as she gripped her short blade already showed her attitude—she wanted to fight.

Jian Yan looked at Zhao Hu. "Brother Ba, you're a Level 7 Awakened. If you get the class change scroll, you can break through the Level 10 limit and even have a chance to reach higher levels..."