Dungeon Crawl

The next morning, on the outskirts of Winter Arrival City.

Teams of Si Nan Family members, dressed in identical white uniforms, stood perfectly still. In front of them was the guard team in silver-gray uniforms, with Si Nan Yuan, clad in blue-gray, standing at the forefront of the guard team. Three people stood at the very front: Si Nan Ying, dressed in dark gray combat attire; Elder Hong, wrapped in a light black robe; and a woman with glasses in a dark gray suit.

Looking at the color progression, ordinary members in white, while high-ranking individuals in near-black attire. Could it be that the Si Nan Family's attire darkens with increasing status? As I was thinking this, the captains of the white-clad teams began to step forward one by one.

"Report! First team is ready and can commence the mission at any time!"

"Report! Second team..."

The reports proceeded in an orderly fashion, and Si Nan Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "Then, let me reiterate the mission for each team. Guard Team One, including myself, will follow the Second Young Lady, Elder Hong, and Ms. Si Nan Jing, and together with Guard Teams Two and Three, will search the core area. Teams One through Three will provide support on the outside, Teams Four through Six will search along the river, Teams Seven and Eight..."

Incidentally, I was assigned to Guard Team Two, with Rui Feng's team. While we could enter the core of the Winter Mountains, we wouldn't be with Si Nan Ying and the others. This team, including myself, had sixteen people. Rui Feng was appointed captain due to his extensive wilderness survival experience, and the others were no pushovers either. It was thanks to Si Nan Ying pleading on my behalf that I was temporarily brought in. According to the typical plot development in novels I've read, the team members should have looked down on the protagonist, an outsider, and actively provoked fights, only to be easily defeated and then subserviently hand over the captain's position... However, the quality of the guard team members was quite high; they showed no dissatisfaction with the arrangements and didn't deliberately make things difficult for me. But then again, this is the demeanor a major power should have. Those so-called important figures in novels who pick fights at the drop of a hat are the abnormal ones, aren't they?

"Then, this is our last deployment, but do not let your guard down because of it. See it through to the end and complete the mission successfully!"

"Yes!!!"

The Winter临 Mountains, located in the northern part of the Tianyuan Kingdom, is one of the smaller mountain ranges among several in the north. The mountains are covered with tall evergreen trees, and the main peak is 2,310 meters high, with sparse vegetation on top. The outer areas of the Winter临 Mountains have few Demonic Beasts and abundant good timber, as well as rich mineral and medicinal resources, which were of great use in the construction of Winter Arrival City. To this day, forestry and mining are the mainstays of Winter Arrival City's economy. However, once you enter the depths of the mountains, it's another world. Demonic Beasts roam freely, the terrain is rugged, and snow covers everything. Ordinary people would absolutely not survive a day inside.

Under Rui Feng's leadership, our second team spent a day traversing the outer areas and reached the boundary between the inner and outer regions by evening. We had been marching at a brisk pace the entire way, using spirit stones to recover our stamina whenever we felt weak. As for me, in order to train my spiritual energy absorption efficiency, I had been absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth almost the entire way. Although it was strenuous, I did make some progress.

Before us lay a river with a swift current. The river was wide, and in the dim evening light, it was impossible to see what was in it.

"This is the Blood Tooth River, named for the large number of Blood Tooth Fish in it. It's the dividing line between the inner and outer areas of the Winter Mountains." A pleasant female voice came from behind me. The speaker was a woman about twenty years old, with a delicate face and a nimble build. She was Rui Feng's sister, Rui Xin. Although only a year or two older than me, she gave off a mature and dependable impression. She was also the first person to strike up a conversation with me along the way. It seemed Rui Feng had already told her about me, making her very interested in me. We had a very engaging conversation as we traveled.

"Blood Tooth Fish? What are those?"

"Hmm, it's a bit difficult to describe. It's better to see it for yourself."

Saying this, she walked to a spot about ten meters from the river, placed her hand on the ground, and seemed to be sensing something. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she let out a low cry. An invisible wave emanated from her palm and transmitted into the river.

It was a sonic wave! Rui Xin's Supernatural Ability was to emit sonic waves, which could not only interfere with or even kill enemies but also transmit sound and even use echoes for location. It was a very convenient ability.

The river surface, struck by the sonic wave, immediately splashed. In the light of the portable spirit stone lamp, I saw a strange fish, about half an arm long, leap out of the water. The fish had blood-red eyes and a ferocious mouth like that of a deep-sea fish on Earth, with blood-red sharp teeth. Just looking at it sent a shiver down my spine.

"That's it. Blood Tooth Fish are easy to deal with when there are only one or two, but if they appear in swarms, even high-level Demonic Beasts would be gnawed down to nothing. We should really thank them."

"Thank them? Aren't you afraid of being eaten by them?"

"Because of them, this river has become a natural barrier. Those ferocious Demonic Beasts wouldn't dare to cross the river recklessly unless they were tired of living, which is why the outer areas of the Winter Mountains are so safe."

"But I heard that two people were killed by a Bone Armor Lion last time..."

"Except for those with thick shells or those that can fly."

"You two over there, stop chatting! Come here quickly!" Rui Feng's voice called out from not far away. Rui Xin and I quickly stopped talking and gathered around Rui Feng.

"Now, let's assign tasks. I'll be supervising. Li Cha, Mo Xiao Hong, Zhang Tian Luo, set up the tents. Rui Xin, Liu Ye..."

"We'll be adding to dinner!" Rui Xin immediately interjected, her large eyes staring at him fiercely.

"...Alright, you two go catch something. It's too monotonous to eat only dry rations." Rui Feng, who was usually serious, was actually subdued by his sister's imposing manner. Could he be a sis-con?

Blood condensed into lines, and the lines wove into a net. I controlled the blood net as it sank into the river, carefully sensing the information fed back by the blood net.

...Here they come!

Something touched the net. I immediately manipulated the net to tighten, and it instantly formed a ball and rose from the river. Five large fish were thus netted. For us, who had traveled all day, there was no better ingredient.

Rui Xin watched with great interest, occasionally cheering. The girl's cheers made me a little proud. Just as I was about to show off again, Rui Xin stepped forward. "You're indeed quite skilled, but let me handle the rest."

Rui Xin stomped her foot, and a powerful sonic wave spread across the river surface, creating a peculiar resonance with the water. The water surface immediately began to boil, and several fish leaped out of the water. A considerable number of them fell onto the bank, eyes rolling, flopping around. A quick glance revealed at least eight, including two Blood Tooth Fish. She glanced at me triumphantly, showing off her catch.

My competitive spirit was also ignited. This time, I adjusted my tactics. Instead of using a net, I released hundreds of blood threads into the river. The large masses of blood threads, sometimes converging and sometimes dispersing, roamed in the water like water monsters. The moment they touched a swimming fish, the blood threads would immediately penetrate its body and pull it ashore. This proactive tactic, though simple and crude, was fast. Rui Xin on the other side was not to be outdone. Wave after wave of sonic waves struck the water surface, making it even more turbulent. Fish after fish leaped into the air, falling onto the bank. Her speed was no slower than mine!

We continued to catch more and more, until...

"You two are really putting in a lot of effort..." Rui Feng, who came to check on us, looked dumbfounded at the small mountain of fish. "This is great! We can finally have a good meal!" The tall, thin, dark-skinned man named Li Cha, who came with Rui Feng, was very excited. "We're usually too strictly managed by Boss Yuan, so we can only enjoy life during missions~"

"Hey! The fire is ready over here. Bring whatever you want to roast!" a voice called from the tent area. Rui Feng shook his head and helped us move the fish over.

Today's dinner was skewers of grilled fish. Large fish, as thick as thighs, were grilled to a golden crisp. Sprinkled with simple seasonings and eaten with dry rations, it was simply a delicacy. Rui Xin had also brought wine, but it was not consumed due to Rui Feng's strong opposition, which was a slight drawback.

After eating our fill, everyone began to clean up the mess. After such a feast, nearly half the fish were left. Rui Feng worried that the fishy smell would attract any Demonic Beasts that had somehow managed to cross the Blood Tooth River, so he asked Rui Xin and me to dispose of the leftovers somewhere.

"Dispose of" actually meant burying. Rui Xin used her sonic waves to detect a spot with soft soil. I manipulated my blood into a drill shape and dug a large pit in the ground. Together, we threw the fish into the pit.

"What a shame. I originally wanted you to try the local wine. It's brewed from rice and herbs, and tastes amazing," Rui Xin said with some regret.

"It's okay. Besides, I'm used to the wine from my hometown. I don't know if I can get used to this one."

"By the way, what's the wine from your hometown like?"

"It's called 'Universal Milky Way Mouthwash Explosive Liquid'."

"What's that!?"

"Just kidding. Actually, there's beer, red wine, white wine... in short, many kinds."

"Those are all names I've never heard before..." she mused. She asked about the wine from my hometown, likely trying to subtly probe my origins. But it didn't matter. While she was thinking, I quietly reached my hand into the soil and touched the fish we had just thrown in.

Absorb!

Immediately, I felt a surge of vital energy flow from my fingers throughout my body. My spirits lifted, and the feeling of my body being full of vitality was wonderful! Moreover, I discovered that my physique seemed to have subtly strengthened after absorbing the essence and blood. However, I didn't dare to use this skill in front of others. Firstly, I was afraid that the shriveled fish carcasses would remind the Si Nan family of that Bone Armor Lion. Secondly, this skill was indeed a bit sinister, devouring life and all, almost like the ability of a villain in a third-rate game.