Chapter 28: The Way It Opens

A sacred radiance poured down, as if bestowed by the gods, bathing everyone in its glow and bringing comfort to both body and soul, allowing all worldly troubles to melt away. In that moment, Luo Yong seemed almost divine himself, cradling a tiny source of light in his hands. Amidst the darkness, it shone with such brilliance that it rekindled hope in hearts that had nearly succumbed to despair.

“Luo Yong…”
Elia gazed up at him, as if witnessing a god descend to earth, her heart deeply moved.

Under this holy light, the darkness enshrouding the barbarian priestess was gradually purified and dispelled. Color returned to her cheeks, her face regaining a healthy flush.

With a gentle flutter, the little Angel of Holy Light circled the priestess a few times before alighting on her body, waving its tiny fists and casting wondrous magic. In that instant, the barbarian priestess, who had nearly met her end, was brought back from the brink.

As the dark aura fully dissipated and the priestess’s wounds began to heal as if nothing had ever happened, the little Angel of Holy Light fluttered back to Luo Yong’s side, perching on his shoulder with curious eyes that took in everything around.

In that moment, Luo Yong himself felt a pang of confusion. This was supposed to be a magical item—how could it feel so real, so lifelike, almost like a true spirit? And, coincidentally, it bore the likeness of Tsunade. Of course, if it were truly her, or if the item were life-sized, that would be even better. Ahem.

Amid the astonished gazes of his companions, Luo Yong gently helped the barbarian priestess to her feet and gave her a restorative potion. In this regard, Luo Yong had prepared amply.

“What is that?”
The Storm Sorceress couldn’t help but ask, her eyes fixed on the tiny figure perched on Luo Yong’s shoulder. She knew it was somewhat intrusive to pry, but curiosity got the better of her. She had always suspected Luo Yong was unusual, but this surpassed her imagination.

“Luo Yong!”
At that moment, Elia suddenly burst into tears, as if a chord had been struck, her heart fragile and exposed. She couldn’t help thinking of the barbarian priestess—how, despite being a blessing mage herself, when she was gravely wounded and near death, there had been no one to save her, no one to bless her. But now, with Luo Yong in the party, at last…

“You care so much about me…”
The barbarian priestess murmured weakly, a faint smile on her lips. And as if sensing Elia’s feelings, tears welled up in her own eyes and streamed down her face.

“A’man, you’re alive! That’s wonderful!” Elia cried, hugging the priestess so tightly that she nearly suffocated her all over again.

Gasping for breath as she finally struggled free from Elia’s embrace, the priestess looked around at her teammates, then at Luo Yong standing nearby, and finally at the Angel of Holy Light on his shoulder. This time, however, she did not rush over to try and snatch it away as she usually did. Instead, she offered a gentle smile and said, “Luo Yong, from now on, we’ll be counting on you…”

The tone in her voice sounded almost like a vow for life. Ahem.

“Hey, hey, hey! Save the mushy stuff for when we get home!” called the Wild Huntress, her voice carrying over the plaintive howls of wolves. Far off in the darkness, creatures began to close in, drawing a slow but inevitable circle around the group.

“We’re in trouble now!”
The Storm Sorceress said with difficulty, her mood sour. The memory of nearly losing a party member—one of their own rank—over a single rabbit was demoralizing. She glanced at the teeming masses of strange creatures gathering in the gloom: powerful, unpredictable, and overwhelming in number. How were they supposed to deal with this?

With a whoosh, flames leapt to life as Wendy swept her longsword through the air, conjuring a wall of fire that encircled the party, shielding them. The Cursed Witch, whose skills were a natural counter to the priestess, was tasked with watching over her as she recovered, while everyone else swiftly adjusted their formation.

Though only level four, the Fatty trembled at the sight of so many monsters, but he clenched his teeth and stood firm beside Wendy. He’d somehow managed to sneak over to her side without anyone noticing—his movement was almost uncanny, perhaps worthy of study.

As the monsters edged ever closer, the Fatty instantly gathered his mana and raised a magical shield, positioning himself protectively in front of Wendy.

“A Mana Guardian? Not a bad class,” Wendy mused softly, her thoughts drifting to the two heavy-armored knights who had left the party after being lured away by others. By comparison…

“Gell, it’s too soon to raise your shield. That wastes mana, and you won’t be able to hold out for long,” Wendy advised quietly.

“Uh… well…”
The Fatty hesitated, wanting to turn around, but lacked the courage. He stammered, “I—cough—I’m just worried that if they suddenly charge, I won’t react in time, so it’s better to be prepared…”

Speechless, not only Wendy but everyone—including Luo Yong—was left at a loss. This guy wasn’t just lower level, his battle experience was practically nonexistent!

“A mid-tier dungeon…”
Luo Yong murmured, then added, “Did we come in too early? If this were a lower-tier dungeon, something ordinary like Bear Island or Deer Island, wouldn’t it be easier to explore?”

Again, silence fell. Who could have guessed? After so much effort to obtain a dungeon, who cared if it was mid or high tier—the plan was always to dive in and explore. No one had considered this.

“So what do we do now?” Elia asked.

“Here’s the plan: you all stay put, and I’ll go see if we can actually handle these monsters. If not, we’d better head back and get a lower-tier dungeon to explore instead,” Luo Yong said.

“This…”
“Be careful…”
Everyone in the party knew that Luo Yong’s cloak was a rare treasure that could mask his presence from monsters. But leaving everything to him—well, it felt like clinging to a giant’s leg, certain victory guaranteed. The thrill was indescribable.

The Storm Sorceress glanced at Luo Yong, hesitating. She was sorely tempted to unleash a massive storm spell just to see what would happen. But if she did, and provoked the horde, it would spell doom for the entire party.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Luo Yong said softly—whether to reassure his teammates or himself was unclear. He nodded to the Angel of Holy Light on his shoulder, signaling her to be ready, then leapt out of the fire circle, his two skeletal warriors trailing behind as he approached the shadowy creatures.

Drawing closer, he could finally make them out: tree-like monsters, unlike anything he’d seen elsewhere. In other words, these were Forest Spirits native to this dungeon.

Further out, pairs of glowing eyes shone in the night—giant rabbits, wild foxes, coyotes—so many species, all crowding together. As the two level-thirteen skeletal warriors neared, they automatically charged one of the tree monsters. Blades of bone struck, but left only shallow marks.

Though the monsters’ health bars were hidden, Luo Yong could tell that his party’s strength was insufficient for this mid-tier dungeon. He sighed inwardly. Though he expected this, he still felt a touch of stubbornness, testing his blades on other nearby creatures, but the results were the same—none could be harmed.

“We came too early. These monsters are beyond us for now.” Returning to the fire circle, Luo Yong spread his hands. “We should probably leave and find a dungeon better suited to our abilities.”

“More waiting?”
The female teammates exchanged glances, unwilling to give up. After waiting so long and wasting so much time, they had finally secured a dungeon…

“Why don’t we trade this dungeon on the black market for a Bear Island key?” Elia suddenly suggested.

“What?!”
“Trading a mid-tier dungeon for a low-tier one—what are you thinking? How did you even come up with such a brilliant idea?” The Storm Sorceress’s tone shifted abruptly from reproach to excitement, as if her train of thought had outpaced even her own brakes.

“Are we… really going to do that?” the Wild Huntress asked. The question left everyone wearing strange expressions.

“I wonder if people will think we’re fools for this,” the Storm Sorceress said.

“No need to wait for the future,”
“Have some confidence,”
“…”

“Luo Yong, what do you think? The key is yours—you decide,” Wendy said.

“I’ll decide…”
Luo Yong mused to himself. Once out, if he went to the black market to reclaim the little bear key everyone was fighting over and canceled the trade, would he be beaten to death on the spot?

“For now, let’s just leave this place. If you don’t mind waiting a little longer, I can…” As he spoke, a phantom image of a small tree materialized in his palm. He intended to open the dungeon gate and lead everyone out immediately.

But just then, under the watchful eyes of his companions and the surrounding monsters, the little tree swiftly grew, slipped from Luo Yong’s hand, and landed on a patch of open ground. Right before their eyes, it shot up at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing into a towering tree several meters tall—so large a circle of people would be needed to encircle its trunk.

At the same time, the tree radiated a hazy light, gentle halos rippling from its branches to shield everyone beneath.

“So that’s the right way to open it after all…”