Chapter 853: Trouble Comes Knocking
She naturally didn't know Ling Zhan's true identity.
But she had received clear instructions from her senior supervisor.
They told her a very important figure would be coming to run a dungeon today.
She was to personally ensure he was well taken care of.
At first, she thought this so-called VIP might be some elderly man with white hair.
But to her surprise, he turned out to be such a young and handsome guy.
And the key thing was—his aura was just so her type!
That cold and indifferent air, keeping people at a thousand-mile distance, felt like a towering glacier before her—she couldn't help but want to melt it with warmth.
But she also knew someone of his caliber would never take notice of a mere front desk attendant like her.
"He's probably a young master from some great family..."
The staff member thought to herself in silence.
With that in mind, she became even more cautious and respectful.
"Alright, please follow me this way."
"I'll personally lead you. Dungeons No. 6 through No. 10 are in the side hall over here..."
"It's about fifty meters away. If you need to purchase any recovery pills, they're available here."
"..."
The surrounding crowd was momentarily stunned at how respectful the staff member had suddenly become.
After all, these staffers often acted cold and dismissive toward Professionals from independent wilderness guilds, relying on the protection of official power.
Sometimes, their attitude could even be called indifferent.
Yet now—
This staff member was being so deferential to that guy...
Instantly, a group of female Professionals began mocking.
"Lulu, you thirsty bimbo. What's wrong? Can't resist fawning over a hot guy?"
"Hahaha! I bet you're right. She doesn't just want to fawn—she probably wants to crawl into his bed too!"
"As if! Look at her plain little face. At most she's just decent-looking. Compared to me? She doesn't stand a chance. And she dares dream such fantasies?"
"Hey handsome, wanna team up with us? We can carry you. We've already cleared these dungeons once, so we've got experience."
"..."
Clearly—
These female Professionals assumed that Lulu's attitude came entirely from Ling Zhan's attractive looks.
Well...
Normally, that might be the case.
But they didn't know—the real reason this staffer was so respectful was simply because the man before her was someone she absolutely, unquestionably could not afford to offend.
When her superior had contacted her, their tone had been extremely serious.
She had never seen her boss speak with such solemnity about any young person before.
And her boss was a seasoned powerhouse at level 190.
To be in charge of the Herk Temple for so many years spoke volumes about his strength and network.
Yet that very same boss, who normally strutted with pride, had just sent her another message.
She glanced at it.
The email once again emphasized that she must treat this very important guest with the utmost care.
And that she must not allow any dissatisfaction.
That only made the staffer's demeanor even more respectful.
Any trace of fangirling had completely vanished.
What a joke!
At this point, how could a front desk worker like her dare harbor thoughts about such a bigshot?
Just then—
A group of male Professionals nearby began to stir up trouble too.
One team, in particular, walked up to Ling Zhan with aggressive momentum.
Ling Zhan looked up to see eight towering burly figures.
These brutes weren't human.
Their lower bodies were that of horses.
That's right.
They were classic centaurs, members of the Beastman Court.
At this moment—
The lead centaur exuded a sharp, oppressive aura. It was easy to see that all of them were between levels 182 and 187.
And this leader, clearly the captain, was level 187 and had the class 'Shadow Warlord.'
As for the others, their roles resembled those of a standard party.
They had DPS swordfighters and archers, support clerics, and a druid as a roamer.
This was a fairly standard Professional team composition.
Yet their power was strong enough to be considered top-tier even within Herk Temple.
Among the nearby teams, only one aloof elven squad could match them.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The staffer frowned and questioned the group upon seeing them block the path.
She absolutely didn't want anything unpleasant to happen to this VIP guest.
If her supervisor got wind of it, she could be kicked out on the spot.
"You have no right to speak here. Step aside, or don't blame me for getting rough!"
"You know what I'm like—I mean what I say!"
The centaur captain's voice was low and rumbling like thunder, yet raspy and harsh. Combined with his domineering and unreasonable aura, it made everyone around him uncomfortable.
"You…"
The staffer tried to argue back.
She truly didn't believe the centaur captain would dare cause trouble inside Herk Temple!
However—
She underestimated just how hot-tempered the centaur captain was.
Whoosh!!
Before the staffer could even finish her sentence, the centaur captain raised his fan-sized palm and coldly swung it at her.
He didn't use any skills with this slap.
But the sheer force and pressure behind it made the surrounding crowd widen their eyes in shock!
The class 'Shadow Warlord' was a Warrior-type subclass.
Unlike typical frontline tanks, it was known for its extreme agility.
And its damage output wasn't weak either.
So even a skill-less slap was vicious.
Fast and brutal!
If it actually landed on the staffer, the result would range from her getting knocked away at best, to instant death via head trauma at worst.
The staffer never imagined he'd actually dare strike her!
But faced with the sudden blow—and the fact that his level outclassed hers by more than thirty levels—
She couldn't dodge at all. Her agility stat was far too low compared to the centaur captain's.
The massive palm filled her field of vision.
She could only shut her eyes and brace herself for impact.
Around them, the audience was already on the verge of cheering, their eyes glued to the scene with excited anticipation.
They were expecting—
That the centaur captain would slap this staffer's head into pulp.
With blood spilled, the commotion would escalate—just what they wanted.
Who among them actually cared about the staffer's life?
They just wanted a good show.
As long as there was drama to watch, nothing else mattered to them.