One's Own Actions

Iz and the others left, and a torrential downrain started that day.

Lu Cang lay in bed for the entire day.

This was the first time he had been so dejected since arriving in this world.

He didn't read, he didn't practice magic... he just lay there.

No one saw him.

No one knew what he was thinking about all day.

The next morning, the rain cleared and the sky was blue.

Lu Cang bought a copy of World Shocking News from a street vendor who sold information.

Shocking Event: The expedition to conquer the seventh-tier dungeon--Tomb God Stele Valley--has officially begun.

Discovered last November, Tomb God Stele Valley has had its seals lifted today, and the conquest is underway!

Tomb God Stele Valley, was it really that famous?

They were actually going to conquer a seventh-tier dungeon.

Lu Cang had thought things through after lying in bed all day yesterday.

If Iz and the others were going to conquer the dungeon, he couldn't just wait around doing nothing.

In a world where supernatural powers existed, having strong strength was the greatest guarantee, and continuing to explore the world was something he couldn't avoid.

The next day, he went to the Adventurer's Guild.

"Yo! Little Lu Cang!"

"We haven't seen you here in a while, Little Lu Cang!"

"Little Lu Cang, want to grab a drink!"

These adventurers greeted him enthusiastically, as usual.

Lu Cang felt the emptiness in his heart fill up a little. This was a sign that he had somewhat integrated into this world.

Lu Cang awkwardly smiled and refused their invitation to drink.

"Shiri."

She seemed to have grown a little taller these past few days, and now she could barely reach the counter even on tiptoe.

"I want to post a commission."

Shiri looked at Little Lu Cang beneath the counter.

"Post a commission?"

Soon, Lu Cang's commission was posted on the bulletin board.

[Protection Commission--Seeking for different parties: Healer, Defender, Gatherer, to protect exploration of a second-tier dungeon. Commission Reward: 20 silver/dungeon]

[Additional Requirement: Defender must master the combat skill--Shared Damage]

The commission's effect was much better than he had imagined.

Lu Cang sat in the Adventurer's Guild, reading and waiting. Before long, several adventurers approached him.

"Little Lu Cang, right?"

"I'm a level 2 Healer, Jidi."

"We saw the commission you posted."

Lu Cang looked at the girl beside him, who was about 18 years old. She had black hair, a "dangerous" beehive hairstyle, a few freckles on her face, and was of average appearance.

Lu Cang closed his book and asked, "What kind of injuries can you heal?"

The child before him exuded a sense of calm that didn't match her age.

This made Jidi pause for a moment.

But she quickly replied, "I can temporarily reduce the effects of severe injuries, block pain for a short period, and weaken the impact of injuries during combat. Minor or moderate injuries require one day for complete healing, but I can provide emergency treatment for severe injuries to a non-life-threatening extent."

So, it was mainly about restoring the effects of combat injuries.

However, the most dangerous moments were often during combat, and ensuring the completion of the fight was the most crucial thing.

As for the subsequent injuries, there would be opportunities to treat them slowly.

Lu Cang nodded, "Okay, it'll be you."

Not everyone was Kumiloni, and Lu Cang already had an understanding of the capabilities of a level 2 Healer.

Soon, a Defender was also recruited. He was a fatty wearing plate armor, who looked... very tanky. Just as Lu Cang had requested, he knew Shared Damage, a skill that would allow him to take a portion of Lu Cang's damage when he got hurt.

The last to arrive was a Warrior and Gatherer.

Level 2 Warrior, Level 2 Gatherer.

But he only charged for one, which was an unexpected bonus.

Since he wasn't asking for extra, Lu Cang naturally didn't mind him having the additional Level 2 Warrior profession.

Lu Cang walked up to the counter.

"Shili, I'm looking for a Tier 2 dungeon commission."

Shili: "Hmm..."

"It's the Harvest Moon right now, so everyone's enthusiasm for taking on quests is very high."

"There aren't many Tier 2 dungeon commissions left."

As she said this, Shili pushed two quest papers forward.

One was for [Guishe Forest].

One was for [Yizhu Cave].

Looking at the detailed information for each commission...

Lu Cang chose [Guishe Forest].

"This, Guishe Forest... I'll take it."

Shili took Lu Cang's commission and stamped it.

As she handed the quest slip back to Lu Cang, she couldn't help but say with concern, "Little Lu Cang, don't worry too much about Iz and the others. They're very strong, they'll come back."

Lu Cang looked up at Shili, who offered a warm smile.

Lu Cang also smiled, "Thank you."

He took the commission.

Lu Cang waved to the teammates he had just gathered.

"I got the commission, let's go."

On the Dragon Rhino carriage.

This Dragon Rhino was brought back by Chicheng two days ago, who said it was for his mount.

A carriage compartment had even been specially equipped.

He had been really happy the day he received the mount.

Who wouldn't want a cool mount?

This also slightly improved Lu Cang's opinion of Chicheng; he wasn't just the jerk who only got people drunk to celebrate.

They had already decided on the departure date, but they only told him just before leaving.

Were they afraid he would throw a tantrum?

That made sense... If it were a normal child, they probably would have thrown a tantrum.

Too bad his soul was that of an old man.

Hearing them give such a reasonable explanation, there was no room for being willful. This was the inconvenience of being an adult; you couldn't demand things like a child.

"Um..."

Just as Lu Cang was lost in thought, a Warrior Gatherer in the carriage compartment raised their hand.

Speaking of which, Gatherers seemed to be Warriors who also worked as gatherers.

Lu Cang asked in his young voice, "Hmm? What is it?"

"May I ask..."

"You should have the strength to solo dungeons, right? Why did you choose to recruit teammates?"

You?

Looking at the uncle who was probably 20 years older than him, using such a respectful address.

It felt a bit strange.

Even though his soul was also that of an uncle around the same age.

But right now, he was a child.

Lu Cang paused, then replied with a smile, "Uncle, you don't have to be so respectful. Just call me Lu Cang. I just don't want any accidents. But why do you ask?"

Iz had said that being in a dungeon alone was completely different from being with teammates.

Open attacks were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against.

Lu Cang was still very deferential to his temporary teammates. There was nothing wrong with being a child...

After all, a child could become an uncle, but an uncle couldn't become a child again.

The uncle looked a bit embarrassed at Lu Cang's answer, scratching his head and chuckling dryly, "Haha, I just thought, if I had Lu Cang's strength, I would definitely choose to solo it."

"And hoard all the dungeon loot for myself."

"At most, I'll bring an extra Gatherer."

Lu Cang sized up the Warrior before him.

His face was covered in stubble, his eyes darting around.

The equipment on his body also looked rather old and shabby.

"Is that so? But I don't like risks. I still hope to have a few people to protect me."

It seemed he had quite a reputation.

In Rhein Town, he was already considered the type of adventurer who was "very strong."

Even though he hadn't been seen in any battles, this person automatically assumed he had the strength to solo dungeons.

Perhaps it was because of the victory celebration back then, the momentum Chicheng had built for him.

"Then, brothers and sisters, why did you choose to join my team?"

"It's Harvest Moon now, and a reward of 20 silver per trip is clearly below the normal profit, isn't it?" Lu Cang asked curiously in a tender, childlike voice.

He appeared completely harmless.

Speaking of which, he rarely interacted with anyone other than Iz.

He should take this opportunity to interact more with the locals, which would also make it easier to understand the world more deeply.

After all, knowledge gained from books is ultimately superficial.

"Because... it's safe," said the Healer, holding a wooden staff.

"Safe?"

"Because you are very strong, and I believe it's safe to follow you."

Oh... so that was the reason.

Indeed, compared to exploring dungeons at the risk of their lives, following a strong person for a fixed reward of 20 silver wasn't a bad choice.

The fatty beside him also chimed in, "I, I think the same way she does."

The uncle next to them nodded in agreement.

Oh~

He said he would solo dungeons if he had the strength, but in the end, they chose to follow a strong person for a fixed salary?

What they said and their actual actions were completely different...

Was this also the norm for adventurers?

Lu Cang kept these thoughts in mind.

The dungeon wasn't far away.

The Dragon Rhino was indeed very fast. After all, it was a mount personally chosen by Izpalut and the others. There were no unexpected events during the journey.

They traveled on a well-maintained road. The wilderness around Rhein Town was cleaned up very thoroughly, and the lairs of Demonic Beasts had basically been cleared out.

In less than half an hour, they had arrived at their destination.

A dark and ancient forest.