Mark Lin saw the source of the branch—it was a large tree, standing about three meters tall.
A faint glow lit up at Mark Lin's fingertips. Detection—Activated.
Detection was a skill every person could use, providing basic information.
[Whip Tree]
[Level: 8]
[Description: Normally dormant, it attacks any life form that passes by.]
So why hadn't it attacked when the Skeleton Warrior passed by earlier?
Because Skeleton Warriors weren't considered living beings. They had no life aura.
So naturally, they didn't trigger the Whip Tree's aggression.
But the moment Mark Lin entered, the Whip Tree had immediately launched an attack.
The Whip Tree continued lashing at Mark Lin.
While the attacks didn't cause any real damage, Mark Lin wasn't foolish enough to just stand there and take the hits.
With a quick retreat of several dozen meters, he left the Whip Tree's attack range.
The Whip Tree couldn't move. Once Mark Lin backed off, it ceased its attack.
Its long branches swayed constantly, as if still on alert.
"Truly a thoughtful design," Mark Lin murmured.
He had seen through the dungeon designer's intent.
From the heavily weakened low-level monsters, to this Level 8 creature that matched the strength of the outside world…
And even then, they had specifically chosen a plant-type monster that could ambush—but not move.
The Whip Tree's ambush nature allowed novice professionals to experience the dangers of the wilderness early on.
But since it was immobile, there was no risk of it chasing down players.
If things got dangerous, beginners could simply retreat calmly out of its range.
Furthermore, the tree's attack range just happened to match that of most ranged classes.
This eliminated any chance of ranged players exploiting the system.
It was a clever design, providing a safe way for new players to face real Level 8 monsters.
The entire Novice Dungeon reeked of consideration and protection—while still nurturing the player's growth.
It minimized risk while helping them adapt to real combat.
Suddenly, a clattering of bony footsteps rang out as the Skeleton Warriors returned.
All sixteen of them moved like a military unit, surrounding Mark Lin protectively.
With a thought, Mark Lin sent one forward to engage the Whip Tree.
Since the Skeleton Warrior wasn't a life form, the tree made no reaction.
It wasn't until the warrior struck with its greatsword that the tree began to retaliate.
Its massive branches lashed out like whips, slamming against the Skeleton Warrior and ringing with metallic clangs.
The Whip Tree attacked with astonishing speed—three to four strikes per second, each branch lashing wildly.
But the Skeleton Warrior's stats were just too high. With a whopping 550 Constitution, its health and defense were absurd.
Though faint cracks appeared on its skeletons, they quickly healed.
"Huh? It didn't die in one hit?"
Mark Lin raised an eyebrow.
Up until now, every monster from Level 1 to 7 had been one-shotted.
But facing this Level 8 monster, the Skeleton Warrior hadn't been able to take it down in a single strike.
"So this is what wild monsters are really like? Let's see how many hits it takes."
One slash.
Two slashes.
Three…
After the fourth strike, the Whip Tree froze.
[Killed Whip Tree (Level 8). EXP +160]
The notification popped up. The experience was significantly higher than that of a Level 7 Brown Bear.
But Mark Lin quickly did the math—Level 7 monsters gave 70 EXP per kill, usually with a single strike.
This Level 8 tree needed four hits for 160 EXP.
It looked like more, but in terms of efficiency per strike, it was worse.
But there was also the time spent finding monsters to consider.
If too much time was wasted looking for low-level monsters, the advantage was lost.
Mark Lin looked ahead. The dense forest in front was filled with trees—most of which were Whip Trees.
If one looked carefully, Whip Trees were distinguishable from ordinary ones.
Here, there was no need to find monsters.
Just within his line of sight, there were hundreds.
This place was practically a leveling Holy Land—custom-tailored for him.
Even Mark Lin couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.
With a single thought, the Skeleton Warriors spread out, charging into the woods.
Their blades rose and fell upon the Whip Trees.
Four strikes per tree—clean, efficient.
The experience began to soar again.
While most people found leveling from 5 onwards increasingly slow, Mark Lin's speed only accelerated.
Originally, he had estimated it would take over an hour to level up.
Instead, after just 50 minutes, Mark Lin reached Level 6.
Outside the dungeon, night had begun to fall.
It was already 7:00 PM.
He had entered the dungeon at 9:00 AM—it had now been a full ten hours.
Charles Lu, several school principals, and David Xia still remained motionless.
They had been drinking tea all day, their meals brought to them.
Every year was the same. On the first day of the students' entry into the Novice Dungeon, the school heads would remain on watch.
Accidents were rare—but not impossible.
Since this was real combat, injuries were expected. And in the past, there had even been deaths.
David Xia had stayed too—his daughter Snow Xia was still inside.
He had missed her class advancement ceremony. He wasn't going to miss her first dungeon experience.
Suddenly, the dungeon's entrance lit up with a radiant glow.
Everyone looked up simultaneously.
"Someone's coming out."
"But the time isn't up yet… Was there an accident?"
The dungeon had two exits. One was at its deepest point—beyond a forest filled with Level 8 monsters.
The other was the original entry point—players could exit from there as well.
Mark Lin stepped out from the glowing light.
Charles Lu hurried over. "Mark, why did you come out?"
Mark Lin replied softly,
"Killed them all, so I came out."
Killed them all, so I came out.
The words stunned Charles Lu for a moment—he didn't quite process them.
Mark Lin's tone was too calm. His face showed no expression.
Then, in the next second, Charles Lu saw Mark Lin's level.
[Mark Lin, Necromancer, Level 7]
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