"Finally, you're back, Sali. Did you have fun out there?"
Philip's expression instantly softened into a kindly smile. He doted on his youngest son more than anyone.
Looking back toward the doorway, the newcomer was all red lips and rosy cheeks—(crossed out). The description wasn't quite right, but the newcomer was a man—or rather, a boy—who could only be called "bewitching."
Unlike the brown hair passed down through House of Bede, the boy named Sali had silver hair like a pale moon. He had tied it simply into a ponytail at the back of his head, giving him a dashing, capable air. Even his travel clothes were stylish, and he carried the weariness of the road. He looked like a handsome young man.
That is, if you ignored his delicate features and his height of barely five foot three.
Calling him a cross-dresser wouldn't be right, because he had a distinctly masculine air. But calling him a tough guy would be a waste of those beautiful features. He could only be described as a delicate, beautiful young man.
The more Philip looked at the boy, the more he liked him. Sali had perfectly inherited his late mother's beauty and House of Bede's legendary intelligence. Even at such a young age, he had developed his own unique insights into business, and could even lead a merchant caravan on his own. No matter how you looked at it, he was the best candidate to inherit House of Bede.
Unfortunately, he was an illegitimate child.
He was the son of Count Philip and a commoner. It wasn't until his mother died five years ago that he was brought to House of Bede.
Feeling guilty toward Sali's mother, Philip always found himself favoring Sali. He hadn't expected this to earn Sali the hostility of his two older brothers, or the servants' dislike behind his back.
So after coming of age, Sali often went out on business and rarely returned home. In the end, he really did build a successful merchant caravan.
"How much did you make this time? Come on, share the good news with your father," Philip said warmly.
"About the same as usual. Nothing much." Sali rose onto his toes to hang his coat on the rack, then noticed the reports on the table. "I heard there's been a change in that dungeon. Have you finished exploring it, Father?"
"Heh. I'm afraid this one will be a tough nut to crack." Philip laughed and pushed a thick stack of reports toward Sali. "These are reports from the experts and adventurers we hired, along with bits and pieces of other information. Take a look and help me figure out how we can crack this hard bone."
"Is it really as dangerous as the rumors say?"
Sali picked up the reports and began reading. The smile that had lifted the corners of his mouth gradually faded. At last, he put the reports down without a hint of expression, his brow still faintly furrowed.
Seeing Sali, whose intelligence was every bit his equal, make that face actually made Philip feel a little better. After all, he shouldn't be the only one with a headache.
"Well? Is it really that difficult? Is there no way to get started?"
"It's definitely not what I expected."
Sali rubbed the jeweled ring on his right hand and said with a frown, "It's too easy."
"What?" Philip wondered if he'd heard wrong. "Too easy?"
His instincts told him that his son really might have a way to crack the problem.
"Do you remember the letter I wrote you, Father? I said I'd met some friends on my travels and wanted to bring them home as guests."
"Could your friends possibly—"
"That's right. I haven't told you who they are yet, have I?"
Sali smiled slightly, looking utterly confident.
"They're [Brave Heroes]."
"Achoo!"
Gong Qiying sneezed violently and scratched his head, muttering to himself, "Can ghouls catch colds too?"
He stared intently at the Crystal Ball. Watching adventurers find ways to clear the dungeon had become his favorite show. No TV show from his previous life could compare.
There were always some remarkable characters among the adventurers, clearing the dungeon in the most outlandish ways.
One person sent a flying pet to light the Beacon Fire in his place, unlocking the fortress gate without taking a single hit.
Another used some kind of magic to Transform into a fishman and blend in with the monsters. But after lighting two Beacon Fires, he found himself surrounded by fishmen. That was when he realized he'd transformed into a female fishman, while every fishman in the dungeon was male.
In the end, the adventurer couldn't bear the humiliation and killed himself.
Someone discovered that Skeleton Monsters fell apart in one of two ways: some always landed faceup, others facedown. Put the two together, and you got a perpetual-motion machine!
Unfortunately, it spun so fast that the soul fire inside the skull went out, killing the Skeleton Monster too.
Besides all those wild tricks, there was one type of adventurer who was never absent: the ones who forced their way through with brute strength.
The most typical example was an adventurer with a trace of Giant blood. This berserker stood about ten feet tall. After drinking a potion of rage, he grabbed two axes and carved his way from the Teleportation Gate to the fortress entrance. Then he hacked at the gate like a madman, nearly smashing his way through. Gong Qiying was so alarmed that he even considered bringing over the Furnace Knight to face him.
In the end, the brave army of Curse Frogs took him down with Deathblight spray.
Curse Frogs really were the greatest creatures in the world. Hands together.
"I really should add more monsters with one-hit-kill mechanics. Those brute-force types are terrifying."
Gong Qiying's gaze shifted. When he saw a certain scene, he suddenly let out an "Huh?"
"What's this guy up to?"
The figure on the screen looked a little familiar: a thin build, pale face, and stylish clothes. It was none other than Verde.
"This guy's still alive?" Gong Qiying remembered him. He'd assumed Verde was just a stereotypical, arrogant young master, but the guy had somehow survived until now. He'd entered as soon as the dungeon opened, and now the place was about to close, yet he still hadn't died or left?
There was nothing especially surprising about a young master surviving this long. What astonished Gong Qiying was the object in Verde's hand: round, and colored red and white.
Wasn't that a Poké Ball?!
"I remember hiding the Poké Ball in a really secluded patch of grass, with Bulbasaur standing guard nearby. How could he possibly have gotten his hands on it?"
Well, a Poké Ball wasn't all that special. Someone could get one if they were lucky. But—
"Go, Pikachu! Use Discharge!"
Verde planted one hand on his hip and flung the Poké Ball at a Ghoul Soldier wandering nearby, striking a rather flamboyant pose.
A flash of light—and a Pikachu really did leap out of the ball!
"Pika, pika—chu!"
A burst of yellow lightning leaped out, instantly roasting the Ghoul Soldier until it was crispy on the outside and tender within. It let out a yelp, collapsed to the ground, and died beyond all doubt.
"Great job, Pikachu! You really are the perfect partner for me!"
"Pika."
Verde looked thrilled, but Pikachu paid him no mind and hopped straight onto his head.
"That doesn't make sense. How could he have caught Pikachu? There's no way he could've beaten it."
Gong Qiying couldn't figure out where the problem lay. He'd expected adventurers to catch Pokémon, but he hadn't expected a young master who couldn't even fight his way out of a paper bag to do it.
Could Verde actually be some kind of one-ball wonder who could catch Pokémon at full health?
And as soon as he caught Pikachu, he was able to fight alongside it. Their coordination was so good that it felt like even if Pikachu got taken out the next second, it would force itself back to its feet just to keep its Trainer from getting upset.
"This guy's got potential—strictly when it comes to training Pokémon."
Gong Qiying suddenly wanted to battle Verde too.
Before you continue