Brave Hero

Adventurer A's Report:

[Though I'm only Bronze Rank, I'm no worse than a Silver Rank adventurer when it comes to exploring dungeons. I entered Sain Underground City this time out of curiosity, wanting to see what it had become, but the result was truly unexpected. I've encountered terrain like the Poison Swamp more than once, but I've never seen poison this potent. Embarrassingly, I hadn't thought to prepare Antidotes for my pets, so they died shortly after entering, and my scouting ability was greatly reduced.]

[In my opinion, the terrain of the Swamp Area isn't complicated. It could even be called simple. It only looks highly uniform because large stretches of identical scenery have been piled together. People with a poor sense of direction can easily get lost. The terrain beneath the swamp is treacherous. You'll step into a deep pit from time to time, or trigger a sharp trap. The two have one thing in common: they don't deal much damage, but they restrict your movements.]

[Once your movements are restricted, you've effectively been sentenced to death here. Monsters lurking underwater will come swarming in. Unfortunately, I was killed by monsters after stepping into a deep pit and being unable to pull my leg out for a while.]

Adventurer B's Report:

[Go to hell, swamp! Go to hell, Skeleton Monsters! Go to hell, fishmen! Go to hell, gargoyles! Go to hell, Giant Rats!!!]

[I'm never coming back here for the rest of my life! I'm going back to the countryside to farm. Never seeing this place again!]

Adventurer C's Report:

[A monster scholar commissioned my party to investigate whether any new species of monsters had appeared after the change in Sain Underground City. Since he paid generously, we prepared far more supplies than usual. We never expected that to help so much.]

[The Levitation Spell scroll I bought for fun came in extremely handy. My companions and I didn't touch the swamp even once. The monsters had very few means of attacking airborne targets. Aside from the occasional archers born among the Skeleton Monsters, the rest could only throw mud at us like children. A single low-level Magic Shield was enough to block it all. After our continued investigation, we really did discover a new monster. It was a remarkably strange-looking monster, resembling an enlarged Frog-like Monster, and most importantly, its ability—]

[The following is exclusive information. If Lord of the City wants to know, please show some sincerity and pay up~]

Adventurer D's Report:

[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! It was incredibly thrilling! There was a monster inside that I'd never seen before. It looked like a frog, and its two huge eyeballs nearly scared me to death. It breathed on me and I died just like that. That black smoke seems capable of killing people instantly. How strange. Hahaha, I have to go meet it again.]

[Oh, right, right! My wife's treasure chest exploded when she opened it. Hahaha, it was hilarious! Who could've imagined that a treasure chest would be hiding an Flame Explosion Spell? She was blown to pieces on the spot! Later, I saw another treasure chest and threw a Fireball at it from far away. Guess what? It was an ordinary treasure chest! I blew the treasure to bits with my own hands and got nothing!]

[Investigator's Note: This adventurer appears to be suffering from mental problems.]

Adventurer E's Report:

[Get lost.]

[Investigator's Note: This adventurer insulted the nobility and has been restrained by the guards.]

Miner's Report:

[Th-that, I didn't mine any Blood Crystal today. You're not going to deduct it from my wages, are you? You aren't? Thank you, thank you! My whole family thanks you!]

[What? You're asking what I saw in the dungeon? Hmm, let me think. There were Wala Garga monsters, Hu Ah Hu Ah winds, Ji Li Gua La swamps, and Gada Gada Skeleton Monsters.]

[Investigator's Note: I really couldn't understand him.]

A Dungeon Worker's Report:

[People in my line of work regret it more the older they get. I've done many wrong things over the years, disappointed many people, and lost quite a few people. I've long since lost the face to enter a dungeon again. I'm just taking a walk around the outskirts, so don't ask me anything.]

[Investigator's Note: This person provides sightseeing explanations of Sain Underground City to visitors from other regions—in other words, he's a tour guide.]

Charon's Report:

[I'll provide a detailed report later, so don't bother me for now. Where's Verde? Why hasn't he come back yet?]

[Investigator's Note: Young Master Charon appears to be in a very bad mood.]

"How's it looking, friend? Do you have confidence in conquering this place?"

Sali brought over a pot of black tea and elegantly poured a full cup of reddish-brown liquid for the girl. Its fragrant aroma immediately caught her attention.

Two sugar cubes sank into the tea. Sali sat down across from her on the sofa with a cheerful smile and stirred the tea, his legs unconsciously drawing together.

The girl stared at him for a long while before saying quietly, "I have a name."

"It's my fault. Sorry, Elsa."

Sali seemed to realize that his posture was improper, so he crossed his legs again and asked, "Do you remember our agreement? You help me obtain the position of Patriarch, and I'll become your companion."

"Mm." Elsa nodded.

"If I can conquer the dungeon before my brothers, it'll undoubtedly give me another advantage. So, frie—Elsa, please help me conquer this place."

Seeing the girl before him agree, Sali could barely contain his smile.

After leaving home for a year, Elsa was his greatest Harvest!

A Brave Hero traveling alone, yearning for companions, and still an innocent little girl at that—winning her trust was far too easy!

Sali had merely set up a scheme, hiring a group of people to pretend to be bandits and rob him along Elsa's route. That way, after being "robbed," he could naturally thank Elsa, use repayment as a reason to approach her, and quickly uncover every detail of her identity.

She was an orphan. When the Orphanage was slaughtered by the Demon Race, she awakened as a Brave Hero and embarked on the path of slaying demons. Naturally, her ultimate goal was the Demon King's head.

In fairy tales, a Brave Hero always had a group of close companions by his side. Elsa had only ever read fairy tales, so she firmly believed that she had to find companions before setting out to defeat the Demon King.

Incidentally, Brave Heroes weren't unique. Anyone with hatred for the Demon Race, sufficient talent, and just the right sense of justice could become a Brave Hero. Historical records showed that the greatest number to appear at one time was twenty-three.

But only the one who successfully defeated the Demon King had the right to be recorded and become a true Brave Hero.

Sali clenched his fist, feeling that his arm was so sore and weak that he could barely lift it.

This was the result of overtraining. As for why he had overtrained—

To become a Brave Hero's companion, he had to have at least some strength, right? So he—a boy and a young master—was training. Seriously training his body.

Though he was somewhat shrewd in certain ways, Sali was a man of his word. He also believed that Elsa really could help him become the Patriarch.

"I'll show you around and help you get familiar with the surroundings over the next two days. Once we have more information about the dungeon, we'll take action. How does that sound?"

Elsa cradled the black tea and took tiny sips, nodding slightly.

Suddenly, she lifted her head sharply. Her delicate nose twitched, as though she had smelled something.

"What's wrong?" Sali's attention was drawn by her unusual behavior.

"There's a disgusting smell." Elsa wrinkled her brows in disgust, then shook her head and said, "The smell's gone. I must have imagined it."

Sali's face flushed. He had secretly farted just now.

He would have to spray more perfume in the future.

In the hallway, a tall figure had just passed the door of the two, seemingly on his way out.

The lamplight made his features clearly visible.

It was someone extremely familiar.

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