Chapter 43: The Monster Hunt Continues...

"Ah... it's been so long since I've tasted such a pure restorative potion..."
The elven berserker leaned carelessly against the stone wall, savoring the green liquid he’d traded from Royong without the slightest concern for decorum, as if relishing every drop.
It was proof that no matter how rebellious a youth might be, the power of undeniable allure would always win out in the end.
Elf, dwarf, bearfolk, half-mechanized, or even a human girl...
The magic circle had been glowing for quite a while now, yet none of them hurried to step inside. Instead, they seized the opportunity to quickly recover their strength.
"If only we'd met you sooner, maybe that guy wouldn’t have gotten hurt..."
"Who’s 'that guy'? He has a name, you know. Besides, with his personality, no amount of restorative potion could save him from getting stung."
"Who... is this 'that guy'? What does he do?" Royong tilted his head and looked at Mira beside him.
"It’s better if you don’t know," Mira replied, rolling her eyes, unwilling to disclose any information.
"So when are we going to fight monsters?" Royong asked, glancing at the magic crystal in his palm.
This object hadn’t appeared in the previous camp—it must be peculiar to this place.
Moreover, they’d only given Royong one, while the others traded different items, clearly signaling they didn't intend to take him on future missions.
"Let's wait a bit longer, until everyone’s back in top form," Mira said with a trace of resignation.
As captain of this team, she often found herself powerless before this group of rebellious youths, forced to indulge them time and again.
After a while, the team members stepped into the magic circle one by one, each taking their designated place.
"Let’s review the tactics: the monsters up front will be focused down by the ranged heroes—namely you, you, and you..."
The elven berserker pointed at the demolisher girl, the dwarf elementalist, and then Royong.
"You have ranged spells, right? You’re wind-aligned, after all?"
Whoosh!
Royong said nothing, simply unleashing a blade of wind.
"Uh... single-target attack..."
Against swarms of crimson fire ants and venomous scorpions—monsters of average speed but overwhelming numbers—single-target attacks, no matter how powerful, felt a little lacking.
The elven berserker hesitated, then said, "In any case, adapt as needed... The bearfolk warlock and I will finish off the stragglers, the rest of you follow quickly, don’t waste mana. Save your strength for the boss..."
"I’ll handle restraining it," Mira said.
"I’ll provide damage," the titan archer added.
"Leave the rest to me," said the half-mechanized mage.
"Alright, now—wait, what about you?" the elven berserker turned to Royong.
"I’ll... open the portal," Royong replied, producing a teleportation scroll in his palm.
...
With the last energy crystal slotted in, the teleportation circle activated, a blinding light flashed, and in an instant, darkness enveloped them once more.
When Royong’s eyes adjusted, he found himself in a dimly lit expanse.
It was a man-made mine—vast in size.
The eight of them stood atop a high platform.
The glow of the teleportation circle at their feet faded, and soon they were surrounded by crimson fire ants and venomous scorpions drawn by the commotion.
Yet, as long as the team didn't descend, the monsters couldn’t reach them.
Had they been caught off guard, annihilation would have been certain.
"Art is an explosion!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a shout from the demolisher girl, a barrage of shells was launched. She leapt down first, spearheading the assault.
The rest followed closely behind.
"Wind is my companion!" the dwarf elementalist cried, perhaps suffering from a bout of theatrical flair, joining the demolisher at the front.
Both were area-of-effect specialists; working together, their thunderous blasts and howling gales tore through the narrow mine passages, displaying extraordinary power.
Royong and the others brought up the rear, rarely needing to lift a finger. Any stubborn monsters that survived the initial onslaught were swiftly finished off by the elven berserker.
The group of eight pressed forward until the demolisher's ammunition ran dry and the dwarf was left gasping for breath. Then they halted, and Mira summoned brambles to block the advancing monsters, sealing the mine passage entirely, wary of any stragglers sneaking through.
Seeing this, Royong, who’d barely had a chance to contribute, wondered how his own team of beautiful companions handled such relentless hordes while exploring the labyrinthine ruins.
Different team compositions, different classes, different monsters—all demanded different tactics.
He mused that, in the end, soloing monsters was much more convenient.
"I’ll trade my right to pick from the treasure chest for a bottle of restorative potion."
While Royong was lost in thought, the demolisher girl sidled up, held out a hand, and made her offer.
"I’ll trade my pick too..." the dwarf elementalist chimed in.
"Me too—I want one!"
Royong looked up to see a sea of eager, longing eyes.
"What’s usually in these chests? I’m not about to make a losing deal," Royong said, crossing his arms with a cold detachment.
"There are usually eight items in a chest. Aside from the crucial Wish Scroll, you can have anything else," the elven berserker explained.
"I see..."
Royong thought to himself that he’d opened his share of chests containing Wish Scrolls, and apart from the scroll itself, they were nearly empty.
Such tasks required grinding—repeated runs and chest openings—luck might land you the desired item quickly, but otherwise, it was all about persistence...
His teammates, to put it bluntly, just wanted something for nothing.
"Alright, but if there’s a Wish Scroll next time, no one fights me for it," Royong stipulated.
"No problem!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, appearing generous—
Or perhaps they simply didn’t take promises seriously.
Mira opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only sighed quietly.
"Alright, let’s go!"
With their potions in hand, the demolisher girl and old Fei the dwarf drank theirs on the spot, while the others saved theirs for later.
After a short rest, everyone was back in peak condition. Mira dispelled the brambles, and the group advanced as one.
...
After another pause, the demolisher girl approached Royong and held out her hand again.
"What are you trading for this time?" Royong asked.
"I’m the main damage dealer right now. Recovering quickly is good for everyone—it speeds up our progress..." she replied earnestly.
...
This was bordering on daylight robbery.
Royong frowned slightly.
"Actually, I could just walk straight to the end of this passage, open the chest while the monsters are distracted, grab the item, and leave."
"What?!"
The whole group stared at him in shock before quickly shifting their gaze to the elven berserker.
"Maybe you should just go home and inherit your family fortune..." the titan archer said bluntly.
"I..." The elven berserker was at a loss for words.
The others looked at Royong with less-than-friendly eyes.
"You wouldn’t take the chest and run, would you?" asked the bearfolk warlock.
"Who can say..." Royong replied with a mysterious smile.
"That equipment actually has a flaw," the elven berserker squinted at Royong. "It only works when you’re nearly motionless. If you move too abruptly, it can’t fully conceal your presence."
He spoke with certainty, his gaze toward Royong tinged with disdain.
That item—if only he were willing to go home—he could have as many as he liked...
But for now, he had no intention of returning, preferring instead to revel in the youthful exuberance of a berserker’s path.
"Enough. Let’s not argue. We’ll proceed step by step, just like before. This isn’t a task that can be finished in one go," Mira interjected, her tone that of a patient older sister, trying to reason with her rebellious charges.
"Eileen, you’re not a little kid anymore. Don’t think you can just hold out your hand because you’re cute!"
"Hmph!"
Eileen, the demolisher girl, turned away and quietly began to recover her strength.
In the dim mine, who knew how long they spent repeating the same routine, until at last they neared the end.
"This is the final stop. Beyond here lies the boss. Everyone, rest up and stay sharp—this is the crucial moment!" Mira used the break to rally the team, her concern evident as she fussed over them like a mother hen.
"Tsk, tsk... spending money really is the easiest way..."
Royong muttered to himself.
Though he and Mira were both captains, their methods were worlds apart.
For him, if money could solve a problem, it wasn’t a problem at all.
But for Mira, her team members all had fortunes waiting for them back home, yet for now, none could produce any cash...
"It’s exhausting!"
Royong couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for his fellow human hero.
The mine was not only dim, but the air quality was poor. After a while, Royong began to feel he couldn’t take much more.
"When are we fighting the boss?"
"What’s the rush? Can’t you let people recover first?" Eileen snapped, already annoyed by Royong’s stinginess and having little fondness for him.
"Maybe I’ll just return to camp for a rest and come back later," Royong said, producing a teleportation scroll from his storage space.
"Back to camp?"
"That's actually not a bad idea!"
"Mira, how long can your brambles hold?" the elven berserker asked.
"About three magic crystals’ worth," Mira replied.