The Shortest Shortcut Is Taking the Long Way Around

To be honest, Leon was stunned when he saw Lu Lu Wo again.

This is the fourth time, isn't it?

He only attempted to hack four times today to test the hacking mechanism, so why did he keep running into this guy?

I always feel like there's an invisible hand controlling my life.

Leon looked at Lu Lu Wo, who was lying on the ground, her body convulsing and foaming at the mouth, looking like a dying crab.

Where did that elegant Black Bat go? How did it turn into something like a comedic woman? It's impossible to bring myself to attack it like this.

The Lion Ape stopped moving when it saw Leon appear. It looked at him—or rather, it turned around with its head raised, and stared at him.

The invaders and the monsters were not hostile, at least not at the beginning.

In the Zane Dungeon, both invaders and monsters can damage each other. However, if an invader attacks a monster, the latter will become enraged. Just like when the world's master uses the Giant Tree Seed, the monster will turn its guns on the invader.

To date, Leon and the Lion Ape are still in a kind of "partner" relationship.

"Yo ho."

Leon chuckled at the sight of the Lion Ape, twirling the Ringed Knight Straight Sword in his hand and whistling to himself.

He would never have done such a frivolous thing before, but since putting on the hood, he inexplicably felt much more relaxed.

Perhaps, while hiding their true selves, they also eliminated their sense of shame. Oh no, they hid it all away at the same time.

"Snap!"

A pebble hit him, and the Lion Ape was completely bewildered. It couldn't understand why this little man was throwing stones at it.

But when it saw Leon give it the middle finger, it understood.

"┗|`O′|┛Aww~~"

The Lion Ape roared, "Today, only one person can stand!"

"Very good, I've finally found a chance for revenge."

The Lion Ape's terrifying effect had embarrassed him quite a bit back then, and even though he killed the Lion Ape once later, Leon still felt it wasn't enough to vent his anger.

When he tried to kill the other party again, the Zane Dungeon underwent a change, and he never found the Lion Ape again.

Meeting here at this moment must be an arrangement of fate.

Leon whistled again and strolled over casually.

The battle process is so simple that it hardly needs to be described. When an early-stage Elite Monsters encounters an adventurer whose stats and skills have improved in every aspect, it will only die.

"Boom!"

The Lion Ape's massive body crashed to the ground. Even though it was covered in wounds, its body was still trembling. If its limbs hadn't been severed, it probably would have been able to stand up.

This appearance fits the stereotype of Undead Creature in people's minds: undead, eerie, and scary.

But Leon felt something was off, because he couldn't sense any necromancy from the Undead Lion Ape. Even if it was a creation of the dungeon, it should at least conform to basic laws.

Furthermore, after the head was severed, the Lion Ape's behavior changed drastically, becoming like that of an insect.

Driven by a spirit of thorough investigation, Leon drew his straight sword, imbued with the power of the Great Carian, and used the magical blade as a large scalpel to cut through the body of the Lion Ape.

This serious attitude of seeking knowledge is probably what the New Strategy Team, or rather Lu Lu Wo, lacks.

As the cutting progressed, a giant centipede suddenly sprang out and attacked Leon, unsurprisingly being sliced in two.

Even after being cut in half, the centipede remained incredibly resilient, so Leon had no choice but to chop it into minced meat.

"So it turns out it was parasitized by this centipede-like monster."

Leon felt a great sense of satisfaction after solving the mystery.

Is the relationship between the Lion Ape and the centipede considered parasitic or symbiotic? I feel that monster scholars would be very interested in this. On another note, what would happen if this centipede-type monster parasitized a human? Would it also become as resilient as the Lion Ape?

He thought about it and decided that the church's resurrection technique was more effective.

The feeling of being parasitized by insects is so disgusting.

"So, what's next?" Leon looked at Lu Lu Wo. "What should we do with this guy?"

Should we just kill her?

Forget it, taking advantage of someone's vulnerability is not a good idea. If I really did that, he would probably fall into depravity instantly.

Where are her companions?

He waited there for a while, but no one came. Finally, he sighed, wrapped Lu Lu Wo up like a dumpling in his cloak, carried it on his shoulder, and headed towards the Firelink Shrine.

Leon felt incredibly noble at this moment. Even as an invader, he was still helping the master of the world. This virtue was comparable to that of the ancient Sun Warrior, wasn't it?

"This thing is quite heavy; you can't tell from its appearance."

"Huh? Why are there so many monsters on the road? Didn't she clear them out at all?"

"My God, why are the giants and archers still alive?!"

The journey from the cemetery back to Firelink Shrine successfully convinced Leon to label Lu Lu Wo as "unprofessional."

If you can't even identify the monsters, aren't you afraid of being ambushed when fighting Elite Monsters?

Young people these days are too impetuous.

He placed Lu Lu Wo near the campfire, a completely safe area. There was no need to worry about her dying unexpectedly in her peaceful sleep, and she could be found immediately if her companions died.

"Did I do enough?" Leon felt greatly satisfied, and then took out the Black Separation Crystal.

The "Mysterious Hooded Man" from the Sun Warrior has left.

Not long after, several adventurers returned to Firelink Shrine and were startled by the unconscious Lu Lu Wo.

Lu Lu Wo rushed into the portal less than two minutes after these people, so they were naturally assigned to the same world.

Fortunately, Leon rescued her from the Lion Ape's clutches, and the kind adventurers successfully led her out.

After this lesson, she should be more restrained and live a more down-to-earth life and explore the dungeon, right?

That's not the case.

Bede City, Clock Tower.

"Captain, I've brought the food. Today it's Chef Mi La's turn," Bei Er Tuo knocked on the door of a small room inside the Clock Tower, but received no response. He said helplessly, "Still not coming out? Well, I'll leave the food at the door then. Remember to eat."

He placed the tray of food on the stool and moved the stool to the side of the door so that Lu Lu Wo could see it as soon as she opened the door without spilling the food.

"Today I'm making your favorite lamb stew with beans, without onions and garlic, as well as Roasted Whole Pig ribs and a cocoa milkshake," Bei Er Tuo said in a persuasive tone.

There seemed to be some movement inside the door, but it quickly subsided.

Bei Er Tuo sighed, left the vicinity, and shook his head at Mi La and Ai Si Ai Mu, who were eagerly waiting.

Lu Lu Wo has locked herself in her room for three days.

She's been like this ever since she left the Zane Dungeon unconscious that night, and nobody knows what happened.

The captain is acting strangely; he might have been cursed in the dungeon!

They managed to get Priest to come, but the Holy Light Healing, which was known for calming people's spirits, could only temporarily suppress Lu Lu Wo's fear, and it would relapse in less than an hour.

Later, Lu Lu Wo even developed patience with the Holy Light Healing, and the recurrence of her fear state became more and more frequent, leaving the Priest helpless.

What should we do? We can't just stand by and watch our captain become a cripple.

Whether it's Bei Er Tuo, Mi La, or Ai Si Ai Mu, their strength is vastly different from Lu Lu Wo's.

Everyone was rescued by the captain during the lowest point in their lives, and this kindness made them never abandon Lu Lu Wo.

Without Lu Lu Wo, a powerful force, the New Strategy Team's exploration plan has been postponed indefinitely.

Most of the information they released was actually quite useful, and over time, the reputation of the New Strategy Team improved, but this was of no use to Lu Lu Wo's abnormal state.

Moreover, the popularity of the New Strategy Team, which had just begun to rise, was immediately overtaken by the Strategy Team.

Because Leon and his team had successfully defeated the Death Rite Bird in the past few days.

Although there were rumors that the Sword Saint Gapar helped them, a victory is a victory, and they achieved the first clear of the Graveyard area.

The New Strategy Team suffered a complete defeat, and the only way to turn the tide is to start with the Forest Area and Farron Keep.

But can humans really defeat either the Farron Undead Legion or the Furious Rajang in the forest?

The Death Rite Bird also has a weakening mechanism, while the other two have not yet had similar mechanisms discovered, so they can probably only be played normally.

That makes it even more impossible to win.

Even if they were to defeat the Farron Undead Legion, the general public probably wouldn't believe that they were the first to breach Farron Keep, since most of the information about this area came from an adventurer named "Da Er".

He entered the Farron Keep as easily and familiarly as if he were home. It is said that he has been organizing people to enter the cemetery area in search of a prop called the Wolf Knight Painting Fragment.

At this point, the New Strategy Team no longer cares about the match against the Strategy Team; it's a match they can't win. All they want now is for their captain to recover quickly.

Bei Er Tuo glanced worriedly at the clock, wondering why the man hadn't arrived yet.

"Knock knock".

There was a knock on the door, and he quickly ran to open it. Standing in the doorway was a handsome blond man with slicked-back hair and bright, spirited eyes.

Isn't that Leon?!

Why is he here?

"Hello, I hope I'm not late." Leon gave a warm smile.

"Please come in, please come in." Bei Er Tuo quickly made way.

He was the one who invited Leon. As for why, it was because while reviewing the guild's reports, he discovered information about the Lion Ape and the state of terror, which mentioned something called "Fear-Dispelling Powder" that could remove the state of terror.

However, the intelligence report did not mention where the Fear-Dispelling Powder could be obtained.

So he had no choice but to visit the source of this information— Leon.

Not long ago they were rivals, but Bei Er Tuo mustered up all his courage when he went to find Leon. He didn't care if he got punched again, as long as he could cure his captain.

But the actual meeting turned out to be something he hadn't expected.

Leon warmly welcomed him and promised to personally visit him another day to resolve Lu Lu Wo's problem.

For some reason, Bei Er Tuo always felt that Leon's eyes were darting away when he looked at them, as if he was feeling guilty.

That's strange. We've hardly ever met, so why does he look at us like he's beaten us up, and not just once?

Mi La nervously brought over the tea, and upon seeing Leon, she felt an inexplicable fear.

"No need, I need to get on with my business."

Leon walked to Lu Lu Wo's door, knocked, but there was no response.

"I'm so sorry, our captain..."

"I understand that feeling; I've been through it myself before."

Leon waved his hand and handed a paper package to Bei Er Tuo.

"This is the Fear-Dispelling Powder?" Bei Er Tuo looked at the packet of powder, his hands trembling with excitement.

Leon nodded, and standing in the doorway, he said to Lu Lu Wo:

"I have brought the antidote. No matter what terrifying hallucinations you have, taking this will completely dispel them."

There was no response from inside the door, so he continued:

"I've heard about your work. Your exploration is fast and efficient, much faster than ours. Even I feel the pressure; this is the first time I've ever felt this way."

"You have done a very good job."

Bei Er Tuo stared blankly at Leon. Was Leon trying to comfort them?

To actually comfort one's opponent—how utterly... how...

At that moment, he felt incredibly ashamed, ashamed that his side had actually used such insidious methods of intruders to hinder someone as righteous as Leon.

However, words alone are not enough to move Lu Lu Wo right now; she is still immersed in fear.

Leon paused for a moment, then said:

"When I was overwhelmed by fear, a store manager enlightened me. He not only dispelled my fear but also pointed me in the right direction for the future."

"He is truly a kind and wise person, and I think he can also offer you some help. He explained your situation."

"After hearing that, he asked me to pass on a message to you, saying..."

Leon smiled.

"The shortest shortcut is the long way around."

Not long after, Leon left.

Lu Lu Wo's door remained closed; perhaps she was too ashamed to face him?

Bei Er Tuo was discussing with his companions whether to break down the door and force-feed the captain the Fear-Dispelling Powder, but just then...

With a creak, the door opened, revealing half of Lu Lu Wo's pale face through the crack.

"Team leader!"

Bei Er Tuo was overjoyed, while Lu Lu Wo snatched the Fear-Dispelling Powder and stuffed it into her mouth, choking and coughing uncontrollably.

"Cough cough cough, I, cough cough."

Mi La quickly brought over some tea to help her clear her throat.

"Call"

The glistening tea kept sliding down her lips. Lu Lu Wo wiped it away, and her eyes regained their clarity.

"Captain, how are you feeling?" Bei Er Tuo asked cautiously.

Lu Lu Wo didn't answer his question, but instead, with complex emotions flickering in her eyes, she said:

"I'm going to the Zane Dungeon, right now."