Kalisejiang

"Not you again!!" The moment Zhang Ruofeng saw him, his anger flared. This man had caused him no end of trouble. Both times Zhang Ruofeng had suffered serious injuries, it had been this guy's fault. Just looking at him made Zhang Ruofeng furious.

"Ah, my black-haired friend, I know I'm handsome, but we're both men. Hitting on me won't get you anywhere." The blond man wasn't wearing a mask this time. He was incredibly handsome, but both his words and his smug expression only stoked Zhang Ruofeng's anger.

"Hm? Maybe you like my work and want to butter me up for a discount? Don't even think about it. That's—" Before the blond adventurer could finish, Zhang Ruofeng swung a punch at him. His opponent was an adventurer too. Though caught off guard by Zhang Ruofeng's sudden attack, he just barely managed to block it.

Noticing the people around them looking over, the blond adventurer hurriedly said, "It's fine, it's fine. We're just joking around. Hahahaha..." With his attack blocked, most of Zhang Ruofeng's anger subsided. Anyone who could set up shop here had to belong to this Familia, and picking a fight with one of its members wouldn't be wise. Besides, Zhang Ruofeng was curious. It had seemed as if he'd lost control of himself just now—he'd thrown that punch without even thinking.

"Does this guy come with a taunt aura or something?" Even Zhang Ruofeng was starting to find him a headache. There was just something about this blond that made people want to hit him.

"Fine, fine, you win." The blond let go of Zhang Ruofeng and shook out his hand. "What do you eat, anyway? How come you're so strong today?" Zhang Ruofeng thought, I'm still pretty weak right now. If I weren't, you'd be in for a lot worse.

"Of course I know who you are. We fought side by side, so naturally I remember you." Seeing Zhang Ruofeng's hostile expression, the blond hurriedly put an arm around his shoulders and said sheepishly, "Besides, starting a fight here wouldn't be good for either of us, right?"

"So you're a member of this Familia?" Zhang Ruofeng looked at the blond's tall build and handsome face. He didn't look like a dwarf at all. Who would've thought he'd joined a Familia founded by a god of the dwarves?

"Ahaha, that's a long story." The blond suddenly seemed a little bashful as he scratched his head, then held out his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Kalisejiang, an adventurer and craftsman with the Ekaladema Familia. I didn't exactly want to meet you, and you only got caught in my trap because you were unlucky, so I hope you'll stop holding it against me!"

"You..." Zhang Ruofeng hadn't expected the guy to be so shameless. At a loss for words, he took Kalisejiang's hand and said, "Hello. I'm Zhang Ruofeng, of the Flower Goddess Flora Familia." Then he began squeezing Kalisejiang's hand as hard as he could. Kalisejiang's face twisted for a moment before he started squeezing back. Their strength was nearly equal. Zhang Ruofeng strained so hard that a vein stood out on his face, while Kalisejiang's face turned bright red, as if he were drunk.

"Ha... ha..." Zhang Ruofeng and Kalisejiang let go almost at the same time, then stood there panting. Both their hands were red and swollen, but Zhang Ruofeng's was nowhere near as bad as Kalisejiang's. His hand looked like a boiled shrimp, reddish purple.

"What kind of monster are you?" Kalisejiang complained, shaking out his hand. He'd been an adventurer for more than a year, but he couldn't get a read on Zhang Ruofeng's strength. If the man was about as strong as him, he shouldn't have struggled so much against every Guard Bee. If four Guard Bees had charged one at a time, Kalisejiang could've handled them perfectly well just by relying on his strength...

"And you've got the nerve to call me that? Aren't you an elite—" Before Zhang Ruofeng could finish, Kalisejiang cut him off with a loud wail. "Don't tell anyone my secret!"

"Hm? Your secret?" Zhang Ruofeng had thought that this smug, handsome blond was just a typical unlucky guy, the kind who brought trouble wherever he went. Now it seemed there might be more to it than he'd guessed.

"Anyway, it's true that I got you into danger once, and I really am sorry about that." Kalisejiang changed the subject. "But I didn't take any of the reward, either. That nearly twenty thousand Faris can be my compensation to you and that incredibly beautiful lady." His flippant tone left Zhang Ruofeng unsure whether he was actually apologizing, but the anger that had just died down flared up again.

"Damn it, you've got the nerve to say 'once'?" Zhang Ruofeng said bitterly. "The first time was on the second floor. Were those unlucky Great Barking Dogs you redirected toward us?"

"Hm? Great Barking Dogs?" For a moment, Kalisejiang looked confused. Then his expression gradually changed as the memory came back to him. "Ah, you were those strangely dressed adventurers I crossed paths with in the Dungeon! Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I just never imagined you'd be unlucky enough to run into me twice."

Zhang Ruofeng felt his anger rising again. This guy really did seem to have a built-in taunt aura. Just talking to him—hearing his words, his tone, watching his gestures—made Zhang Ruofeng want to punch him. And Zhang Ruofeng was usually level-headed and rather aloof, yet even he couldn't suppress the urge. He had to admit, this shameless guy was impressively good at it.

"Fine. Since I've gotten you into trouble twice, I understand why you're so pissed." Kalisejiang shrugged helplessly. "But my situation is still a secret. You can see I usually wear a half-mask in the Dungeon. If I hadn't thought you couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have gone back to save you. And now I've gone and exposed myself. What a blunder."

Then Kalisejiang saw Zhang Ruofeng clench his fist again, so he hastily changed the subject once more. "Look, I'm a craftsman, after all. I'm good at smithing and leatherworking. I may only be level one, but the equipment I make is perfectly suitable for level-one adventurers. How about I give you a discount? I'll sell it to you cheap as an apology. What do you say?" Knowing he was in the wrong, Kalisejiang could only offer sheepishly.

"Sure," Zhang Ruofeng said, pleased that he'd finally managed to steer the conversation where he wanted it. "Then sell it to me at half price."

"You?!" For the first time, Kalisejiang was the one Zhang Ruofeng had managed to anger. "Are you a demon or something?!!!"