Chapter 18: An Urgent Plea

“Is there something wrong with my level?” Standing at the doorway, Luo Yong asked in a tone devoid of emotion.

“Huh? What?” Fatty Ge’er’s eyes widened, and once again he began to doubt himself. Had he really seen wrong just now? But he had never been mistaken before! His own level wasn’t high, but he had always trusted his eyesight. Still—what on earth was going on here?

Before Fatty could think it through, the door to the neighboring room swung open with a swish, and two women stepped out. Instinctively, Fatty took two steps back, making way for them; otherwise, if he stood there, no one could get past. Well. That wasn’t to say they couldn’t simply walk through him if they wanted. Level 8 powerhouses—he couldn’t afford to offend them.

“Luo Yong, we’ve been waiting for you for ages!” With that, the Flame Swordmaiden Wendy pushed open Luo Yong’s door and walked in, Alia the Cursed Witch following close behind. Then, with a bang, the door was shut.

“What—what—what?” Fatty’s jaw dropped. He reached out to grab the door, but halfway there, his hand hesitated and dropped. It was as if some invisible power was holding him back, preventing him from acting as he wished. He couldn’t even bring himself to knock.

“If I’m not mistaken, those two are core members of the Beauty Squad, teammates with that barbarian priestess I saw before,” Fatty muttered to himself. “But why would they go into Brother Luo Yong’s room? And what did they mean, ‘waiting a long time’ for him?” Question marks hovered above his head.

“I shouldn’t be wrong—but I’d rather be wrong!” The Flame Swordmaiden… Brave, fearless, decisive, powerful, upright, trustworthy, beautiful. Fatty had read his fair share of books, but at this moment, he couldn’t think of any other words to describe his goddess.

Somewhere inside, there was the faint sound of a heart breaking.

“Brother Luo Yong…” Indeed, low-level heroes had no right to play with those of higher rank. Fatty slowly squatted down and took up a post at the door, unmoving, a mountain of flesh waiting for an answer to emerge.

Inside the room, Wendy was sizing up Luo Yong while Alia paced around, circling the space and sniffing about as if searching for something.

“To what do I owe the honor of your visit?” Luo Yong asked coolly.

“Where have you been lately? I’ve come looking for you so many times, but you were never around,” Wendy asked.

“I was in my room sleeping,” Luo Yong replied.

“Really?” Alia moved in so close she was practically pressed against him. “Aman said you were back ages ago, but we only saw you after waiting so long. Where have you been in the meantime?”

“Uh…” Luo Yong thought for a moment. “I was worried you’d be anxious, so I went to check on the catacombs, but when I didn’t find you there, I stayed and killed some monsters for a bit.”

“So you just woke up?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you get anything good?”

“Uh, uh?” Luo Yong nodded, then quickly shook his head. Truth be told, the Flame Swordmaiden seemed even more beautiful after not seeing her for a while, and she had completely captured his attention.

“Hmph, not telling the truth? Watch out or I’ll—” Alia began, but Wendy stopped her.

“Don’t scare him, Alia. Luo Yong is our vice-captain, remember!”

“Haven’t we already disbanded?” Alia replied sourly.

“Disbanded? What happened?” Luo Yong asked, intrigued.

“Sigh, the team’s morale has crumbled—it’s hard to lead a group like this!” Wendy sighed deeply. “Honestly, besides Alia and me, all the other girls are the targets of pursuit from other teams. They could easily coast by on their looks, but they insist on relying on strength. But leveling up by monster hunting isn’t as easy as it sounds!” Wendy had plenty of grievances but no one to share them with, so Luo Yong’s timing was impeccable.

In fact, aside from the Cursed Witch Alia—whose profession and personality were both rather unpopular—Wendy herself was much sought after and invited by many. But out of regard for Alia’s feelings, she hadn’t mentioned it.

The men in their team were all self-styled knights, completing quests while guarding the ladies. “Our squad has some renown, but we face exclusion everywhere. The major factions would love nothing more than to swallow us up!”

“I’ve thought about just joining one of them. Why struggle on our own? But without enough strength, we’d just have to depend on those powerful groups, living under their shadow… I really don’t want that kind of life. I want to prove myself.”

“But this quest—we just can’t finish it. Without entering the secret realm, there’s no way to level up or grow stronger. Soon, those larger groups will leave us far behind. Either we get devoured, or we’re stuck here forever!”

“It’s gotten that bad?” Luo Yong was taken aback. For a brief moment, he wondered if his own leveling might be subject to similar hidden conditions.

“Yeah, it’s really that bad! The others heard that a secret realm key turned up on the black market, so they’ve all gone to check it out. But the price… Even if they sold themselves, they couldn’t afford it! If we can’t find another way, we’ll have to think of something else.” At this, Wendy gazed hopefully at Luo Yong.

“We don’t actually have any other options,” Alia interjected, dousing the hope immediately, perhaps intentionally.

“Uh…” Luo Yong said, “I’ll have to think about it.”

“Luo Yong, you have to help me!” Wendy was so worked up she grabbed Luo Yong’s hand, clutching it tightly as if trying to transmit her resolve.

Faced with such a plea, Luo Yong couldn’t bring himself to refuse. “Alright, I just woke up anyway. I can go try again—hunt some monsters, maybe get some gems or something.”

“Captain Luo Yong!” Alia cheered, immediately promoting him. “Could you… maybe support us a little, financially?”

Honestly, Alia was rather plain. Perhaps her profession had stunted her development. In any case, she wasn’t very good at acting cute or pitiable.

At that moment, Wendy’s stomach gave a loud grumble. Feeling Luo Yong’s gaze, Wendy’s face flushed crimson.

“Perfect timing—let’s eat something together,” Luo Yong said, pulling out a pile of delicious food from his storage ring and spreading it on the table. He picked up a fragrant drumstick and began to gnaw.

“Long live the captain!” Alia cheered and dove in with shameless enthusiasm, both hands grabbing food and her mouth quickly stuffed full.

“Thank you,” Wendy said, hesitating only a moment before joining them. She was clearly starving, though she still tried to maintain her image.

The three ate in silence, the only sound being Alia noisily chewing. Afterward, Luo Yong checked his equipment and prepared to set out again for the catacombs to clear out the monsters.

Wendy wiped the grease from her lips, her face reddening as she recalled something. “Luo Yong, why don’t I go with you?”

“Go together?”

“Uh—I mean…” She pictured herself squeezing under a man’s—no, a young man’s—cloak, the two of them pressed close, sneaking through monster-infested catacombs. The mere thought made her heart race… No, made her feel utterly mortified!

But the catacombs were dangerous, and leaving everything to Luo Yong—someone she hadn’t known long—made her uneasy. If she went with him, at least she could help if anything happened.

As she was thinking this, Luo Yong smiled, took her hand, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Besides, my cloak can barely cover the two of us.”

Luo Yong was about one meter eighty, of average build for this world—some women were taller and stronger than he was. Wendy, though not especially tall or muscular, was broad-shouldered, with excellent proportions. The barbarian priestess, in contrast, seemed more petite.

So Luo Yong’s cloak could cover the priestess easily, but with Wendy, they’d have to cling together, making it awkward to walk—let alone cross the entire catacombs.

“Then… I’ll go with you!” Alia offered, feigning nonchalance, but actually thinking of Luo Yong’s purse—definitely not his body.

This time, Luo Yong was the one who fell silent. Alia was tall but much slimmer than Wendy—scrawny, clearly malnourished, not likely to bear children easily…

“Ahem. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll go alone. I’ll be faster that way.” Luo Yong forced a polite smile, winked at Wendy, and opened the door to leave.

Fatty Ge’er was still waiting outside.

“Brother Luo Yong!”

“Ge’er, I’m heading out for a bit. Whatever you want to say, save it for when I get back.” Luo Yong clapped him heartily on the shoulder and set off at a brisk pace.