Back at the dungeon entrance in the plaza, with the bet finalized, Li Wenhui was beaming. "Gu Chen, initially, when I learned you were a Summoner, I honestly looked down on you. After all, a commoner choosing Summoner is basically a dead end." "But you proved yourself with your strength, so I decided to take you into the Hell Mode dungeon, let you broaden your horizons, so to speak." "Think about it, having a Hell Mode clear on your record, even if you fail to get into a higher academy later, you could still pursue a career as a professional carry. That's much better than ending up in a factory, right?" "I was doing you a favor, but you yourself didn't appreciate it." Li Wenhui lectured condescendingly, his tone thick with scorn and arrogance.

As Lin Qingqing and the others pushed through the crowd, they caught Li Wenhui's words and couldn't help but stifle laughs. The worried expressions on their faces vanished instantly. "Woohoo! False alarm!" "LOL, Li Wenhui wants to carry Gu Chen? Isn't that backwards?" "He thinks taking Gu Chen into the dungeon is 'broadening his horizons'? Who's the one failing to recognize talent here?" "Hahaha, hearing Li Wenhui talk like that puts my mind at ease. Knowing Gu Chen's temper, there's no way he'd team up with him now." The three chatted and laughed, breathing a collective sigh of relief. Their future prospects were now entirely tied to Gu Chen. As long as he didn't abandon them, their future looked bright.

"Hahaha! Old Gu, did you hear that? Li Wenhui's doing this for your own good! If you can't get into an academy, you can always become a carry!" Lin Yuan, standing beside Gu Chen, heard the patronizing lecture and burst into laughter that sounded suspiciously like a pig snorting.

"Hmm? Did I give you permission to laugh?" Li Wenhui's face instantly turned cold. "You may not have given me permission, but I really can't help it! Hahaha..." Lin Yuan's grin widened. With Gu Chen around, he didn't give a damn about this so-called genius from the honors class. Rare class? So what? If Gu Chen unleashed his summon, Li Wenhui would be instantly obliterated. Arrogant idiot! Lin Yuan put his hands on his hips, feeling bold. Who would dare mess with them now? With Gu Chen here, every single person in this plaza was trash in Lin Yuan's eyes.

"Hmph. Laugh all you want now. When I clear Hell Mode, you'll be crying then." Li Wenhui spat out the words, turned with a dark expression, and left. His team still needed one more member; he had to find a suitable Class Holder quickly.

At this point, Lin Qingqing, Su Ran, and Wu Ziyi reached Gu Chen's side. "Expert, Su Ran and I have transferred the two hundred thousand to you," Lin Qingqing reported. Lin Qingqing, Su Ran, and Wu Ziyi had paid Gu Chen a total of 300,000 coins. Earlier, Gu Chen had listed the Hurricane Warhammer and his spare teleport scrolls on the trading platform, selling both items for a total of 200,000 coins. Added together, this gave him the 500,000 coins needed for the bet.

Gu Chen led his four teammates to the dungeon entrance vortex. On the interface, he selected Temple Ruins, Hell difficulty.

[Warning: Hell Difficulty selected. Challengers will enter the Temple's history. Extreme difficulty, extremely high mortality rate. Confirm selection?] "Yes." [Current party average level is too low. Reconsidering party composition is advised.] "No." [Entering Temple Ruins Hell Mode dungeon. Please wait...]

A dark crimson light flared from the spatial vortex at the entrance. Then, Gu Chen and his party members vanished. The surrounding crowd stared, dumbfounded. A moment of silence, then the plaza erupted.

"Holy crap! Gu Chen actually went into Hell Mode!" "Is he insane? That's not just reckless, that's suicidal!" "He just cleared Hard, and he's immediately going into Hell? Isn't that too big a leap?" "What is Gu Chen thinking?! He dares to basically solo Hell Mode? Who gave him the courage?" "Gu Chen's dead meat! Even Jesus couldn't save him, I'm telling you!" "If he comes out alive, I'll livestream myself doing a handstand while taking a dump!" "Didn't you say that last time?" ...

Elsewhere, Li Wenhui also received news that Gu Chen had entered the Hell Mode dungeon. He wasn't worried in the slightest. A commoner Summoner taking four Actors into Hell Mode? Was this supposed to be a joke? "Brother Hui, found someone. A Thunder Mage, Rare class just like you. They're on their way over now." "Good. Give them three minutes to prepare. After that, everyone enters Hell Mode with me." A cold smirk touched Li Wenhui's lips. His team had two Rare classes. Gu Chen's team had four Actors. How could they even compare? There was no comparison! Gu Chen was doomed.

...

"Huh? Why is it foggy? Gray fog?" "Feeling dizzy... limbs are weak... this gray fog contains a curse!" "Debuffed the moment we landed? This is Hell Mode?"

Standing just inside the entrance of the Hell Mode Temple Ruins, enveloped in swirling gray mist, Lin Yuan and the others looked pale, their bodies feeling as heavy as lead. Hell Mode dungeons apparently simulated actual historical records, meaning the environment they were in now represented the true state of the Temple Ruins during its fall. The Hard Mode version they cleared earlier was merely a weakened imitation.

"This gray fog feels a lot like that Black-Robed Deacon's skill from the main hall. Must be related to the Abyss races. This temple was probably being invaded by the Abyss," Lin Qingqing observed, looking towards the main temple gate.

"Not 'probably'. This temple was invaded by the Abyss," Wu Ziyi interjected. "Combining the history books and the guides, everyone inside the temple was corrupted by Abyssal power. The Black-Robed Deacon we fought in Hard Mode was just one of them." "Even though this is Hell Mode, we still have to go back through the temple, basically replaying the previous sections." "After reaching the main hall, we not only have to kill the Deacon again, but also find a 'Sealed Heart'." "Then, we proceed to the 'Sanctuary', where we'll encounter the 'Red-Robed Priest'—the final boss of Nightmare Mode. Killing the Priest and finding the 'Sealed Blood' completes the Nightmare stage." "After clearing the Sanctuary, we head to the 'Altar'. What happens there, and who the final BOSS is... that's unknown." Wu Ziyi summarized the known progression points, information he'd gathered through paid channels. As expected of the class president; even coming along as an Actor, he had done his homework.

Lin Yuan looked troubled, rubbing his temples. "Sounds tough. No guide for the final stage at all?" Wu Ziyi nodded. "Well, no rookie team ever chooses Hell Mode. And even if they did, no one has ever cleared it." Su Ran looked unwell, glancing instinctively at Gu Chen. "Expert... are you confident?"

"We'll know after we fight." Gu Chen replied calmly. He activated his summoning skill, and the tall figure clad in the dark red formal suit materialized beside him. Instantly, an intense pressure emanated from the Blood Progeny Overlord, its malevolent aura washing over the surroundings, causing hearts to tremble and hair to stand on end.