A voice dripping with arrogance and disdain cut through the crowd. Everyone paused, turning to see who it was. Who on earth dared to speak to Gu Chen like that? Simultaneously, a handsome youth clad in a Rare-tier Knight armor set walked up to Gu Chen. Li Wenhui. The class president of Lincheng First High's honors class. From a privileged background, he had advanced into the Rare class, Retribution Knight. Whether it was class, background, or wealth, he completely overshadowed Gu Chen. He approached Gu Chen with an air of arrogance, and indeed, he possessed the capital to be arrogant.

"While I'm allowing you to join my team, don't get too excited," Li Wenhui continued, his tone dripping with undisguised superiority. "If you perform poorly and slow down our clear speed, then sorry, I'll blacklist you immediately." He spoke with a condescending air, as if extending a great favor, more like offering charity than an invitation.

Gu Chen raised an eyebrow. Far from being angered, a strange smile played on his lips. Trying to flex his superiority on me? He really thinks highly of himself. Li Wenhui, from Lincheng's Li family, hailed from a major clan. What did that signify? Money! A fat sheep delivering itself to the slaughter! A sharp glint flashed in Gu Chen's eyes. If he didn't seize this chance to fleece him, it would be an insult to Li Wenhui's arrogance.

"What are you standing there dazed for? Follow me," Li Wenhui tilted his head, indicating Gu Chen should follow. Gu Chen, however, looked utterly unimpressed. "Hey buddy, I just solo-cleared Hard Mode this morning, and now you want me to be your lackey? Are you crazy, or am I?"

Li Wenhui snorted coldly. "Hard Mode? That's nothing. I'm leading a team into Hell Mode now. Hell Mode! Understand?"

Hell Mode! Hearing those words, the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone's gaze towards Li Wenhui instantly changed. To date, no one had ever recorded a successful clear of Lincheng's Hell Mode Novice Dungeon. Given Li Wenhui's class and background, if he dared make such a claim, he was likely almost certain of success this time.

Instantly, countless eyes turned towards Gu Chen, filled with envy and admiration. That was Hell Mode they were talking about! Although Gu Chen had soloed Hard Mode, compared to Hell Mode, Hard was child's play. Getting a chance to run with Li Wenhui now was undoubtedly an incredible stroke of luck.

Yet Gu Chen remained nonchalant. "So?"

"So? Hmph! In all of Lincheng, you can count the number of teams capable of running Hell Mode on one hand. If you don't join my team, it's your loss, understand?"

"What a coincidence." Gu Chen gave a mocking smile. "I happen to be planning to run Hell Mode too."

"You?" Li Wenhui clearly didn't believe him, his tone dripping with scorn.

"What, don't believe me?" Gu Chen said casually. "Since we're both running Hell Mode, why don't we make a little wager?"

"What kind of wager?"

"Whoever gets the higher clear evaluation wins."

Li Wenhui laughed as if hearing a joke. "Hahaha, are you sure? I'm afraid you'll lose miserably!" Just then, one of Li Wenhui's followers whispered, "Young Master Li, for Gu Chen to dare say this, he must have some confidence. It's best not to bet against him." "You think I'm afraid of him?" Li Wenhui glared. "A commoner from a regular class who just got lucky soloing a dungeon once? Does he really think he's some kind of expert now?"

Gu Chen looked impatient. "Cut the crap. If you don't dare to bet, just say so." Who was Li Wenhui? Privileged background, proud personality, Rare class, hailed as a genius. How could he tolerate being provoked like this? "I don't dare? What a joke!" Li Wenhui snapped coldly. "My only fear is you can't even afford the stakes!"

Gu Chen looked completely unperturbed. "I'll bet five hundred thousand against you. Is that enough?"

"What? Five hundred thousand?" Li Wenhui frowned slightly, a suspicious look in his eyes. "How does a student from a regular class like you have that much money?" He was caught slightly off guard. While his Rare-tier Knight set was worth over a million, it came from family resources. He himself had saved several hundred thousand, but that was earmarked for enhancing gear and buying skill books after leveling up. If he lost... Wait, what nonsense! He was a Rare class Retribution Knight, decked out in Rare gear! How could he possibly lose? With that thought, unconcealed disdain filled Li Wenhui's eyes. "Fine, I'll take that bet. But we have to use the official trading platform."

Betting duels weren't forbidden among Class Holders. In fact, to encourage it, the trading platform had a dedicated betting system specifically designed to prevent losers from reneging. Li Wenhui suggested using the platform precisely because he worried Gu Chen wouldn't be able to afford the loss.

Gu Chen wasted no time, pulling out his phone, logging into the trading platform, and creating a betting contract. He transferred 500,000 coins first, set the betting terms (highest evaluation wins) and criteria, and sent it to Li Wenhui.

"Hmm, acceptable." Li Wenhui confirmed the details, nodded in satisfaction, and also transferred 500,000 coins to the platform. With the stakes deposited, the bet was instantly active. Now, there was no backing out, even with regret.

"Gu Chen, you can't back out now," Li Wenhui sneered, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. He hadn't expected to make an easy 500,000 by betting against a commoner. What an unexpected windfall.

"Holy crap! Those two actually made a bet!" "A Summoner betting against a Retribution Knight? How does he dare?" "Woohoo! My money's on Gu Chen losing!" "Don't forget, Li Wenhui's teammates are all top students from various high schools." "And Gu Chen's teammates? Never seen 'em. Heard they were Actors." "Ha! Actors?" ...

The crowd buzzed, overwhelmingly predicting Gu Chen's failure. Yet, an undisguised smile spread across Gu Chen's face. His mood mirrored Li Wenhui's exactly; he hadn't expected to potentially earn 500,000 from a simple bet either. Unexpected! Truly unexpected!

Just then, three figures appeared at the edge of the dungeon plaza—Lin Qingqing, Su Ran, and Wu Ziyi. Lin Qingqing, despite her lovely face, used her imposing, muscular frame to bulldoze a path through the crowd, with Su Ran and Wu Ziyi following closely behind. Before they even got close, she spotted Li Wenhui standing with Gu Chen.

"Oh no!" Lin Qingqing's expression changed abruptly. "Why is Gu Chen standing with Li Wenhui? Are they going to team up?" Hearing this, Su Ran, trailing behind, suddenly looked panicked. They had painstakingly borrowed 200,000 coins and already transferred it to Gu Chen. Was he going to join Li Wenhui's team now? What about their money? That was 200,000 coins! Wu Ziyi also saw the situation up ahead, frowning slightly. While 100,000 coins was significant, he was more concerned about getting into the Hell Mode run with Gu Chen. Missing out on running with this expert would be a far greater loss than 100,000 coins.

"Quick, let's get over there!" Wu Ziyi urged, his face grim. The three immediately quickened their pace.