With a new batch of subordinates, Lin Yu felt his spirits soar.
He eagerly led them, along with his wolf pack, back toward the small hill where he had seen the golden light.
Along the way, he found the wolves that had been injured earlier and checked their wounds. Fortunately, they had only sustained some external injuries.
Under Lin Yu's orders, several members of the pack carefully carried their injured companions back to their territory, planning to place them near the World Tree.
There, the abundant natural energy would speed up their recovery.
This time, without the boars to interfere, Lin Yu's party quickly reached the small mountain emitting the golden light.
Following the intermittently flashing golden light, Lin Yu found a hidden cave on the mountainside.
Flashes of gold shone from within the winding cave passage.
'Ha! There must be treasure.'
Lin Yu gloated inwardly, then led his wolf pack and boar herd into the cave.
Of course, to be safe, he had the boars take the lead. After all, they were much tougher and thicker-skinned.
After driving out some bats and giant rats, Lin Yu's party proceeded smoothly into the depths of the cave.
Passing through a narrow crevice, the view suddenly opened up before them.
A huge cavern appeared before Lin Yu. In its center stood a stone pillar, upon which rested a small, exquisite treasure chest radiating a dazzling golden light.
He gazed at the chest, which looked similar to the one he had obtained before, and the golden light it emitted.
'Hahaha, good thing I came to explore. If I had come two days later, wouldn't this Gold Chest have turned into a Purple Chest?'
Lin Yu was sure he had hit the jackpot.
On the Novice Continent, the appearance of a Gold Chest was an extremely rare event, and even when one did appear, it wasn't easy to get.
Like now, for instance. The stone pillar holding the chest was surrounded by a bottomless abyss, and Lin Yu had no desire to test his chances of survival if he fell.
Stretched across the abyss was a rickety suspension bridge. Most of its wooden planks were rotten, and it looked incredibly precarious.
In front of the bridge was a stone tablet with text carved on it:
[Bridge of No Return]
[This bridge is on the verge of collapse. The planks can withstand a maximum of three steps each. One minute after stepping onto the bridge, it will completely crumble.]
'The planks can withstand a maximum of three steps. That condition isn't so bad. As long as I'm careful, I can definitely make sure to step on each plank only once.'
'But this one-minute time limit... that's a bit difficult!'
'This bridge is nearly 500 meters long. I can sprint 100 meters in 13 seconds. Even if I sprint the whole way, a round trip would take 130 seconds.'
'There isn't enough time!'
Lin Yu was in a bind. The treasure chest was right in front of him, but he had no way to get it. Just staring at it was pure torture.
Phantom sensed Lin Yu's frustration and gently rubbed its head against his legs, letting out a low growl.
"Don't mess around, Phantom! I'm thinking. Now's not the time to play."
Lin Yu gently pushed Phantom away, signaling it not to disturb his thoughts.
Phantom persisted, lightly nipping the tip of Lin Yu's shoe.
"Hey, why are you biting my shoe? You..."
Unable to stand the annoyance, Lin Yu irritably shooed Phantom away.
Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. He pulled up Phantom's information panel and examined it carefully.
[Name]: Phantom
[Race]: Wilderness Forest Wolf
[Grade]: Excellent (Blue)
[Level]: 4/60
[Attack]: 150
[Speed]: 195
[Defense]: 60
[HP]: 510
[Skill]: Swiftness
[Swiftness]: Increases Speed by 50% and greatly enhances Evasion. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
It had to be said, as expected of the pack leader, it was a whole lot stronger than the ordinary Forest Wolves under him.
Not only that, but it also had a skill, which was usually a key distinction between a soldier and a hero.
"Phantom, I didn't realize you were so strong. You might even become a hero in the future!"
Lin Yu scratched Phantom's chin.
"Awooo~"
Phantom hummed in enjoyment.
"Come on, Phantom. Let's test your top speed."
Lin Yu turned and went back into the cave passage, stopping in a relatively straight section.
He planned to test Phantom's speed. If even it couldn't guarantee a round trip within one minute...
...then he would have to give up on this rare Gold Chest and come back in a few days for a Purple Chest.
Lin Yu was confident that as long as he could continue competing in this lord competition, he would get a Gold Chest sooner or later.
Phantom obediently started running, while Lin Yu timed it using the system.
"4.85 seconds!"
"Yes! That's great!"
'Looks like this chest and I are fated to be!'
The moment Phantom's 100-meter time was in, Lin Yu's anxiety vanished. At this speed, there was more than enough time.
Returning to the suspension bridge, Lin Yu instructed Phantom, "See that stone pillar on the other side of the bridge?"
"Awooo~"
"You need to cross the bridge, dash over there, and bring it back in your mouth."
"Awooo~"
"Remember, time is limited. If you don't run back as fast as possible, you'll fall into the abyss. Once you fall, it's certain death. Understand?"
"Awooo~"
"Also, each plank on this bridge can only be stepped on three times. Pay attention to your running form. Try not to let your front and hind paws land on the same plank."
"Awoo?"
"Alright, I'll just assume you understood. Remember, you have to be fast!"
"When I say 'go,' you charge forward. Got it?"
"Awooo~"
"Okay, ready... go!"
Watching the timer in his system, Lin Yu gave the command, and Phantom shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Go!"
Phantom's speed was incredible; it crossed one-third of the bridge in less than 10 seconds.
Lin Yu cried out in excitement.
CRACK—
A sharp cracking sound suddenly came from the suspension bridge.
Phantom had landed with two paws on the same plank, causing it to shatter instantly.
Luckily, Phantom reacted quickly and, with a small leap, landed back on the bridge.
'This is bad! The tablet said a maximum of three steps, not that every plank could withstand three. Maybe some can only take two steps, or even just one!'
Lin Yu suddenly realized the stone tablet was playing word games.
When canines run at full speed, their hind paws often land in the footprints of their front paws.
Considering this problem, Lin Yu had specifically told Phantom to adjust its running form. But now it was obvious that Phantom hadn't understood.
Or rather, it had understood part of it. It hadn't landed its hind paws on the same plank, but it had landed with both front paws on the same one.
"Phantom, adjust your form again! Only one paw per plank!!!"
Lin Yu roared.
Phantom was very smart. After hearing Lin Yu's shout, it quickly adjusted its running form.
While trying its best to ensure only one paw landed on each plank, it ran with all its might.
But this new running form was awkward for Phantom, and its speed slowed down.
When the timer reached 20 seconds, Phantom had just barely crossed two-thirds of the bridge.
At 32 seconds, Phantom crossed the bridge and rushed toward the treasure chest.
At 35 seconds, with the treasure chest in its mouth, Phantom stepped back onto the bridge and sprinted toward Lin Yu.