Chapter 40: An Oddity...

The air outside the camp was fresh, as if a rain had just passed. After waking, Luo Yong left the inn and took a stroll through the place where the astrologer was usually seen, but found no trace of her. The two young girls were also absent from the camp; he had no idea what quest they might be on.

“Hera... Kros? Or was it Krus?” Luo Yong murmured, feeling as though he had heard the name somewhere before, but couldn’t quite recall it. Perhaps it was a common name, or simply similar in pronunciation. He was certain he’d never met anyone by that name; life didn’t hold quite so many coincidences.

Bored, he wandered the camp, gathering bits of information—all of it related to the mine. This time, the so-called Mercenary Guild seemed determined to take that region, intent on occupying the mine for good. Many heroes in the camp had signed up, regardless of their level, eager to join the excitement or try to profit from the chaos.

Luo Yong couldn’t help but worry that the two girls who had brought him to this camp might have gone as well. Given their strength, heading there would be nothing short of suicide. Of course, as heroes, every mission was a dance on the knife’s edge—here today, gone tomorrow, never knowing when their luck would run out.

But still…

If he’d just rescued them only for them to throw their lives away on the next mission, wouldn’t his efforts have been in vain?

As these thoughts circled his mind, two figures rushed into the camp from outside, hastening toward the magical research institute. Moments later, they dashed out again, apparently off to complete some gathering task.

Luo Yong let out a long sigh of relief. The girls weren’t foolish—they’d already fashioned the two wolf pelts into pieces of armor, worn over their clothes, adding a layer of protection and carrying the scent of a level 7 beast. The low-level monsters wandering the wilds wouldn’t dare approach them now.

Satisfied, Luo Yong made his way to the tavern and sat for a while, where he happened to hear news of the astrologer. “They say something happened at the mine; the astrologer was seen there, making a prophecy in front of a crowd…”

“I get the feeling that astrologer is a harbinger of disaster. Wherever there’s trouble, she appears, always bringing an air of doom…”

“Hush! Not so loud! You can’t say things like that—if the wrong person hears, and word gets back to her, you’ll be in for it…”

The drunken braggarts fell silent, and for a moment the tavern grew quiet.

“The mine, huh…” Sitting and waiting was not Luo Yong’s style. He made his preparations and set off for the mine, hoping to encounter the astrologer. Of course, before leaving, he stopped by the magic shop to stock up on supplies.

Normally, the prices were reasonable, with only the occasional fluctuation, but nothing beyond what he could accept. However, when Luo Yong inadvertently showed his “membership card,” the prices of every item in the shop skyrocketed, instantly doubling. Some items tripled or quintupled in price, and rare goods became even more exorbitant, as if someone had invented a “price hike spell” just for him.

In the blink of an eye, the cost was absurd; the gems that once could buy dozens of healing potions now barely covered half a bottle—a small half, at that. Luo Yong stood gaping, unable to close his mouth for a long time. Only when a chill wind swept in from the wilds did he let out a long sigh and toss the cursed little token given by the shop clerk into a pile of rubble.

It was a while before Luo Yong regained his composure.

“It seems I’ll have to use different identities in the future, or shop at different magic stores, just to avoid being robbed blind…” He smiled ruefully and looked ahead, realizing he hadn’t managed to buy a map. If he charged in blindly, he’d likely get lost before long.

So he returned to the camp, hoping to buy a map from someone else.

“Recruiting teammates! Exploring the mine!”

“Just need one more level 8 hero and we’re set to go!”

As Luo Yong searched the camp, a striking woman dressed in black, with a fiery figure, grabbed him by the arm.

“Luo Yong?”

“Huh?” Luo Yong was taken aback. She’d called his name outright, and her bold familiarity reminded him of his female teammates. She was nearly his height, with dusky skin, dramatic eye shadow, and a long ponytail tied behind her head, giving her a carefree, dashing look. Most notably, he was certain they’d never met before.

“You know me?” Luo Yong asked, glancing at the people nearby.

“I’ve seen you around, and I’ve looked for you—but I always missed you. Lucky for me, not this time.”

Luo Yong was sure his confusion was plain on his face.

“I checked your information and did a little digging.”

At this, a man stepped forward, nodding at Luo Yong. “We just happen to need a hero like you.”

“And you are…?” Luo Yong inspected him, struck by his resemblance to one of the camp’s gate guards—either brothers or father and son, some ten or twenty years apart.

No wonder—they had inside information.

“Let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Mira, level 8, Forest Guardian…” As she spoke, the woman shook his hand, then gestured to the others. “Everyone here is level 8. As for their professions…”

“Blood and frenzy!” a blonde, sharp-eared elf exclaimed, boasting that he was an elven berserker.

The rest of the team included:
—a dwarven elementalist,
—a titan archer,
—a bearfolk shaman,
—a half-mechanical mage,
—and—

“Art is explosion!” declared a human girl, barely more than a child, lugging a two-meter-long cannon. Behind her rolled a trunk nearly as tall as she was, no doubt filled with weapons and ammunition.

Luo Yong stared at them, speechless for a long while. Compared to their professions, his own seemed almost mundane.

Views on hero professions varied from place to place. In some lands, the saying went: “The weirder the class, the quicker you die.” In others, it was the opposite—the stranger the profession, the more powerful and efficient at slaying monsters.

This group was certainly an eye-opener. Luo Yong had thought his beautiful teammates’ professions were eccentric enough, but now he realized he’d been sheltered.

Still—

“Don’t you already have enough people?” Luo Yong asked, puzzled. Could it be that none of them could count?

If they couldn’t even tally from one to ten, what business did they have on an expedition? Or perhaps they’d simply forgotten to include themselves in the count?

At this, Luo Yong’s expression turned odd.

“I’m a camp guard,” the man explained. “I can’t leave on missions with you—I’m just here to take down your names.” Producing a scroll, he recorded their details, nodded, and departed.

“All right, we’re set. Let’s go!” Mira clapped her hands and beckoned everyone to follow her out of the camp.

“Wait, I haven’t agreed yet,” Luo Yong protested.

“The guard’s gone. It’s too late now. If you don’t come, you can’t join another team for this quest,” said the elven berserker.

“You’ll have to act solo until we return…” the girl with the cannon added.

“Come on, we have a map. We can explore the mines together,” Mira encouraged him, clapping him on the shoulder.

“So, what are we looking for in the mines?” Luo Yong asked.

“The secret realm!” Mira whispered in his ear, while the others exchanged meaningful glances.

“I see…” If he could encounter the astrologer and also find a low-level secret realm for his teammates to explore, that would be worthwhile. Yet he had no idea how long resolving his bottleneck would take, or whether his beautiful teammates would still need low-level dungeons by the time he returned.

“Fine…” After a moment’s thought, Luo Yong nodded in agreement.

“Then let’s go!” Mira called, leading the way out of camp.

Luo Yong brought up the rear, eyeing his motley crew of oddball professionals. Except for Mira, the only woman, not one of them seemed “normal”—so it was no surprise they’d ended up with a female leader.

They moved swiftly, crossing hilly terrain and dispatching any monsters they encountered with ease. The titan archer made short work of agile beasts like coyotes, refusing them even a chance to approach. Swarms of lesser creatures fell before the dwarf elementalist, who, though a dwarf, wielded magic with remarkable skill. As for the ghosts and spirits that usually troubled Luo Yong as a Wind Speaker, the bearfolk shaman immobilized them with a single word—“Bind”—preventing them from drawing near.

They hadn’t even reached the mines yet, but Luo Yong already regarded his teammates with newfound respect. Clearly, here, the odder the profession, the greater the strength.

It seemed his luck remained as good as ever…

“Art is explosion!” Approaching a mine shaft, they spotted a horde of monsters in the distance—far too many for single-target attacks to be effective. The cannon-toting girl had already set up her weapon, firing shell after shell.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rocks shattered, earth flew, and the wind carried with it the acrid scent of burning…