Come On, Let's Go

Ka Rong curled up in the Swamp, using the filth covering his body to hide himself.

"Plop, plop."

Several Fishman-like monsters wandered nearby, their webbed feet making sticky sounds as they walked. Their round, staring eyes searched everywhere for prey, while the Harpoons in their hands glinted coldly.

Ka Rong did not even dare breathe. In the past, he could have taken down these Fishmen alone, but now he had lost his weapon. Worse still, the Curse Frog had spat on his right leg, and tiny thorns had already grown out, robbing him of his ability to move.

During the chaos earlier, a mage named Ai Li had fled with him, but he had no idea where she had run off to now. If she were here, perhaps she could use magic to draw the Fishmen's attention.

He was not afraid of death. He simply did not want to die a worthless death.

Returning home in disgrace without finding anything in the dungeon would be far too embarrassing.

Besides, it would affect his father's opinion of him.

His father had always favored his third brother. If Ka Rong wanted to become the head of the family, he had to produce results and defeat that third brother, who was exceptionally gifted at business.

For that, he could resort to any means necessary!

Should I use that?

He clenched his fists, then slowly loosened them again.

He continued lurking in the Swamp, staring intently at the monsters' movements like a crocodile waiting for prey.

Just then, a beacon suddenly rose in the distance. A second beacon!

Who had lit it? Si Telan and the others? They still had the mood to light a fire in a situation like this?

The Fishmen saw the beacon as well and immediately stirred, running toward it. It seemed the beacon could attract monsters too.

How sinister!

But this was a rare opportunity!

After the Fishmen left, one straggler remained behind, standing there stupidly without moving. Naturally, Ka Rong set his sights on it.

"Lend me your weapon!"

Ka Rong pounced, instantly pinning the Fishman to the ground. His iron fists came crashing down like a torrential rain!

The poor Fishman did not even manage a single scream before it was hammered into a pile of mush.

Ka Rong picked up the Harpoon it had dropped and left, unwilling to waste even a moment.

"What a crude weapon. It's practically worthless. Hm? What is this!?"

His expression first turned puzzled, then his eyes gradually widened in astonishment.

At the same time he picked up the Harpoon, knowledge of a Weapon Skill called Endurance flooded into his mind. He could use it whenever he wanted!

The Harpoon, covered in slime and filth, instantly began gleaming in his eyes.

Ka Rong had a feeling that this magical thing might become a major aid in his bid for the position of family head!

Boom—

Suddenly, an explosion sounded behind him, followed by a faint cloud of white smoke. Ka Rong immediately turned around in alert, only to discover that the Fishman's corpse had exploded. The spreading smoke made it impossible to see the center of the blast clearly.

"Corpse Explosion? But the power is way too weak. How could that possibly kill anyone?"

Of course, this was not Corpse Explosion.

"Awooo! Aaaaah!"

A beast's roar instantly scattered the mist, and Ka Rong felt as though his internal organs had been struck!

A violent aura surged forth crazily. A Giant Bear as large as a small mountain had appeared where the Fishman's corpse had been, baring its teeth at him.

Ka Rong was dumbfounded.

What kind of principle was this???

Why had the Fishman turned into a Giant Bear after exploding? Magic? But he had never heard of such magic!

Of course, he did not know the reason, because this was not magic at all. It was—

Mimic Tear (Ordinary)

Spirit Power required per unit: 100

Life: F- to D+, Strength: F- to D+, Intelligence: F- to D+, Endurance: F- to D+, Speed: F- to D+, Overall Combat Power: F- to D+

An ordinary Mimic Tear can transform into monsters up to D+ rank.

Like the tears used by players in games, the highest-grade ones could even transform into SSS-rank creatures. Unfortunately, they were too expensive, and Gong Qiying could neither afford them nor unlock them.

But even ordinary tears were extremely cost-effective, so they came with a restriction.

Only five could exist at the same time.

Giant Bear

Spirit Power required per unit: 300

Life: D+, Strength: C, Intelligence: F, Endurance: D+, Speed: D+, Overall Combat Power: D+

A very violent beast that would surely bring adventurers unexpected surprises!

Ka Rong looked at the giant claw that could swat him to death with one blow, then looked at the battered Harpoon in his own hand.

"Heh heh."

"Awooo—"

The vast Swamp shook, sending a ripple across the water's surface. Before long, everything returned to stillness.

"What a terrifying aura."

Si Telan looked into the distance, unable to stop her heart from trembling.

"I hope no one runs into any powerful monsters," Xiu En said wearily.

He looked utterly miserable now. The muscles on the left side of his body continued to atrophy, while black flies circled around him as if announcing that his days were numbered.

The Curse Frog's lingering negative effects were still continuing. Cutting off his arm alone was not enough to ease them. He had already entered a countdown to death.

"We should worry about ourselves first."

Si Telan sighed and looked ahead.

A Fortress built from black stone stood a hundred meters away, radiating a mysterious yet solemn aura that made people instinctively want to stay away.

But Si Telan and the others desperately wanted to enter, because the Fortress gate was open.

Looking back at the sky, three beacons drifted gently. The puzzle had been solved, and the Fortress gates had opened in response.

Si Telan had no idea who could still light beacons under such circumstances. She guessed it was Ka Rong and Ai Li.

"Are we going in?" Si Telan asked.

Xiu En nodded. "We've come this far. I won't be satisfied if we don't go in."

"Can you still fight? Don't hold me back," the elf "girl" joked. The two of them drew their weapons and charged into the Fortress.

"Caw, caw!"

The Gargoyles hanging upside down from the ceiling opened their blood-red eyes.

Though he was already at the end of his rope, Xiu En displayed even fiercer strength than before. With just one arm, he could fight a Gargoyle evenly. If his body had been intact, he probably would have beaten it down with ease.

As for Si Telan, ordinary arrows were useless against Gargoyles made of stone, so she pulled out a hammer.

It was loot taken from Skeleton Monsters. This hammer had no Weapon Skill; weapons with built-in Weapon Skills were rare after all.

Every archer dreamed of close combat!

After casting aside the cumbersome formality of bow and arrow, Si Telan's ferocity with a hammer was actually no weaker than Xiu En's!

Clang! Clang! Bang!

After an intense battle, the two adventurers won.

"Awesome!" Si Telan raised an arm and shouted, her face overflowing with delight.

"It dropped something."

The two Gargoyles turned into dust and vanished, leaving behind a Silver-white Stone.

"What is this?"

Xiu En was deeply puzzled. Ever since entering Zane Dungeon, he had encountered things he had never seen before, whether monsters, items, or materials.

"Let's take it back for the Appraiser to examine," Si Telan said, slipping the Silver-white Stone into her pocket.

Rumble...

The Fortress's rear gate slowly opened. It led directly to Plague Village, and a cold, rotten wind blew through it, carrying the wails of monsters.

Si Telan and Xiu En exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

"Let's go!"