Frankly! The Fastest Leveling Up Of All Time

Lu Fan, a man with messy blonde hair and a sharp nose, sat shuffling through a pile of pictures. He was clad in light silver armor, with a bronze sword sheathed beside him. Across from him sat Gu Fang, an unassuming man with black hair and bright blue eyes. The two were seated in a relaxed lotus position, facing each other.

Lu Fan finished shuffling the pictures and picked out two, his lips curving into a sly smile. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, holding up the images.

Gu Fang nodded in anticipation. Lu Fan turned the pictures to reveal two faces. "Luonan or Xiaoming?" he asked.

Gu Fang shook his head with a grin. Lu Fan chuckled, saying, "I think we both know which one you're going to pick."

"How about we say it at the same time?" Gu Fang suggested. "On the count of three. One, two, three—"

"Luonan!" said Lu Fan.

"Xiaoming!" blurted Gu Fang.

Both men froze, stunned. "What the hell, bro?" Lu Fan exclaimed, looking at Gu Fang in disbelief.

"What?" Gu Fang replied defensively. "Why would you choose Luonan? Xiaoming is obviously the better choice."

"No way!" Lu Fan protested. "Luonan is clearly superior. She's elegant, mature, and has all the right... qualities. Why on earth would you go for Xiaoming?"

"Xiaoming is cute!" Gu Fang argued, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "She has this innocent charm you just don't get."

"Cute? Seriously?" Lu Fan rolled his eyes. "You're just into lolis."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Gu Fang retorted. The two bickered for a while before calming down and shuffling the deck for another round.

This time, Gu Fang took his turn to shuffle and picked a picture. "How about this one: Madam Zu Lian?" he asked.

Lu Fan didn't hesitate. "Madam Zu Lian, easily," he said. Gu Fang nodded in agreement.

"Out of all the hunters in the twelve guilds of Bi Gong City, she's by far the most attractive," Lu Fan declared, a dreamy look on his face. "And a certified nymph," he added with a smirk.

The two fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then Lu Fan sighed wistfully. "When will I ever get to be with a beauty like her?"

"Keep dreaming," Gu Fang said with a laugh. "The only woman you're pulling is that bellow averege librarian from the State's library."

"Hey! Don't call her below average!" Lu Fan snapped. "She might not be as stunning as Luonan or Madam Zu Lian, but she's still good-looking. And she's kind too."

Gu Fang raised an eyebrow. "You've got a crush on her, don't you?"

"What? No!" Lu Fan's face flushed red as he tried to deny it, but his embarrassment betrayed him.

Before the conversation could continue, a husky voice interrupted. "What are you two doing?" Both men turned to see Chen Jin, a rugged man clad in thick leather armor with a crossbow slung across his back. He carried a bundle of firewood, which he dropped to the ground with a thud.

"How did your scouting go?" Gu Fang asked.

Chen Jin didn't reply immediately. Instead, he opened a large bag he'd been carrying, revealing a stash of mana crystals glowing with an ethereal, rainbow-like hue.

The sight left both Lu Fan and Gu Fang speechless. "You got these from the crystalline room? How?" Lu Fan asked, perplexed. "I thought the dungeon constantly changes."

Gu Fang added, "Even if you found it once, how can we be sure to reach it again?"

Chen Jin smirked. "You underestimate me. I've been tracking the room's movements using a method of my own. Even now, I can sense it shifting. But the routes are getting more complex by the second. If we don't move soon, we might not make it back."

The two exchanged a glance and nodded. Rising to their feet, they prepared to follow Chen Jin. They extinguished the firewood, taking only a torch to light their way, and set off toward the shifting crystalline room.