Dracula's first volley of basic attacks had only taken off about a fifth of the Black-Robed Deacon's health. Subsequent basic attacks and the initial hit of [Crimson Feast], without the bonus damage proc, had only brought its health just above the halfway mark. After the cooldowns reset, the sequence of basic attacks, [Fatal Shot], [Crimson Feast], and its crucial bonus damage component dealt sustained output, totaling nearly six thousand damage, utterly obliterating the Black-Robed Deacon.

Now, an eerie silence fell upon the main hall. The expressions on the faces of Lin Yuan and the others were a sight to behold. Although they already knew Dracula was an Epic-tier summon, his performance just now had still shocked them speechless. Nearly six thousand damage in one combo! Was this really something a Level 4 Summoner could achieve? Even a Dragon Knight drawing upon the power of a dragon probably couldn't do that! A strong sense of unreality washed over Lin Yuan and the others. With such terrifying damage output, even a Hell Mode dungeon would likely be a cakewalk. Thinking this, knowing smiles reappeared on their faces. It seemed the SSS-rank evaluation was secured, as were the Hell Mode first-clear rewards. This time, they had truly latched onto a genuine expert.

[Killed Black-Robed Deacon · BOSS, EXP +555] [Loot Obtained: Black Deacon Emblem1] [Loot Obtained: Black Deacon Robe1] [Level Up!] [Level: LV.5 (505/1080)] [Strength: 57] [Agility: 56] [Constitution: 58] [Spirit: 59] [Summon: Dracula LV.5 (Epic ★)] [Talent—You can now obtain one Dark Bloodline.] [You have cleared Temple Ruins (Hard), Rewards: Dungeon Treasure Chest*1 (Hard), Class Holder EXP +500] [Clear Successful. Exiting dungeon in 60 seconds... 59, 58, 57...]

"It's... cleared?" Lin Qingqing still looked slightly dazed. That was unbelievably fast! From entering the dungeon until now, barely more than two hours had passed. They had chatted and joked the whole way, never feeling any pressure or difficulty.

Lin Yuan put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily. "Hard Mode? Trash! I'm ready to challenge Hell Mode!" Lin Qingqing shot him a weary look. There weren't many people left like Lin Yuan who hadn't yet been thoroughly humbled by a dungeon.

Gu Chen checked the time, then looked at Lin Qingqing, Su Ran, and Wu Ziyi. "Alright, once we're out, go take care of your business quickly. Meet back here at the dungeon entrance at 2 PM." "Okay," the three nodded.

Normally, Class Holders needed to maintain intense focus during a dungeon run, which consumed significant physical and mental stamina. After a run involving navigation and combat, they would be exhausted. Typically, they would rest for a day afterward to recover before attempting another run. But Gu Chen was different. He had spent the entire time commanding his summon, consuming negligible energy himself. The only real drain was the brief period under the [Gray Mist Curse] which caused drowsiness and fatigue, and even that minor effect vanished the moment the Deacon died. For Gu Chen, this dungeon run had cost him almost nothing. He could easily run ten more like it.

As for why he wasn't immediately jumping into Hell Mode – firstly, he needed to give Lin Qingqing and the others time to borrow money. Secondly, he needed time himself to choose his second summon, having just reached Level 5 after killing the Deacon.

Soon, the one-minute countdown ended, and the five of them were teleported back to the dungeon plaza. It was just past eleven AM. The plaza was still packed with people, even more crowded than in the morning, mostly individuals looking for teams.

"Look, a team got teleported out! Why so fast?" "The Novice Dungeon only opened a little over two hours ago. No way someone cleared it that quickly." "Yeah, according to past records, the fastest clear took over eight hours." "Just over two hours? Did they even make it past the temple gate?" "Exactly. They must have wiped and used their teleport scrolls." "Hey look, isn't that Gu Chen?" "Hahaha, I knew it! It's him, that commoner Summoner." "No wonder they came out after just two hours. See? Commoners choosing Summoner really is a dead end." "What if they actually cleared it?" "First off, he's a commoner Summoner. Second, they came out in under three hours. How could they possibly have cleared it under those circumstances?" The notion that commoners choosing the Summoner class was a dead end had become common knowledge among Class Holders.

Just as everyone was mocking Gu Chen, assuming he had failed and been forced to teleport out, an announcement from the Novice Dungeon Administration silenced the entire plaza.

[Congratulations to the team of rookie Class Holders for breaking the historical clear record for Temple Ruins (Hard)!] [Clear Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, 13 seconds] [Team Leader: Gu Chen (Summoner)] [Team Members: Lin Yuan (Swordsman), Lin Qingqing (Warrior), Su Ran (Assassin), Wu Ziyi (Brawler)] [Rewards: Class Holder EXP +500, Personal Achievement +1, Historical Record Cache*1]

Silence! A deathly silence descended upon the vast dungeon plaza. Because Gu Chen's achievement broke the historical record, the announcement appeared before the eyes of every rookie Class Holder present.

Breaking Novice Dungeon records wasn't entirely unheard of. As the Class Holder system developed, newcomers' abilities and combat power increased yearly. Usually, whenever a new combat-oriented Rare class emerged, records would be broken. However, this clear time was simply outrageous. It was over five hours faster than the previous record! Two and a half hours to clear the Novice Dungeon on Hard! Even in their wildest imaginations, no rookie Class Holder would have dared to conceive of such a feat.

Especially considering the team composition was utterly lackluster. The leader was a commoner Summoner, and the members were a Swordsman, a Warrior, an Assassin, and a Brawler. Such a combination offered absolutely no tactical synergy. Speaking of synergy, some people then recalled that Gu Chen hadn't been able to find teammates earlier and had taken 'Actors' into the dungeon. Which meant... this run was essentially a solo clear for him! A solo clear! At this realization, the expressions on the faces in the crowd became incredibly varied. Soloing a dungeon, especially on Hard Mode... even most genius Class Holders couldn't manage that, right?

Instantly, the gazes directed at Gu Chen turned fervent. The first to react were his schoolmates from Lincheng First High. "Chen-ge! Soloing and breaking the record, congrats!" "Bro Chen, you're my idol! Can you carry me next run?" "Chen-ge, there's a hundred thousand coins on this card, just a token to make friends." "Bro Chen, you must be tired after that run. Lunch is on me!" "Gu Chen, I like you! Can I be your girlfriend?"