Chapter 60: The Chain of Secret Realms

Spider Island Secret Realm was one among the Insect Island Secret Realm series. It was easy to imagine how Luo Yong felt upon acquiring the key to this secret realm.

Damn it, yet another card to collect!

He had no idea whether, in his lifetime, he’d be able to visit all the secret realms and gather every secret realm card.

The Insect Island Secret Realm was a significant branch among all the series of secret realms. There were, for instance, Praying Mantis, Toad, Stinkbug…

Ahem.

That last one was, of course, not to be taken seriously. Who knew if such a secret realm even existed?

Either way, Luo Yong was deeply resistant to the idea in his heart.

“Ugh…”

And the moment Luo Yong revealed the key to the Spider Island Secret Realm, the women on his team all wore matching expressions of distaste, retreating a good distance away as if terrified of coming into contact with something filthy.

Even the newly joined female hero stepped back, keeping her distance.

“I knew none of you would want to explore this secret realm. That’s exactly why I allowed you to explore the others,” Luo Yong said calmly.

At the same time, he glanced at the little girl beside him in surprise. Not only was she not frightened, she looked rather eager, as if quite fascinated by spiders. It was probably just childish curiosity—otherwise, she would have reacted like everyone else.

As for Mira, perhaps it was all she had experienced that left her so serene. In her view, it was the secret realm that selected its visitors; people had no right to pick and choose among secret realms. Spiders were monsters like any other—nothing worth fussing over.

“As captain, I need to confirm the new member’s information, to ensure my team’s safety.”

Luo Yong flashed the badge on his chest, turning to the woman who held the key to the Lion Island Secret Realm.

“Lilian. Water and earth dual affinity. Level eight.”

The woman took off her hood, revealing a fair, delicate face, her eyes clear and striking, her beauty almost unfair.

“Wow!”

The little girl, far from reserved, gasped in awe and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“She’s so beautiful!”

The barbarian priestess felt a strange pressure, as though her own advantages had been completely eclipsed by Lilian’s looks.

“No wonder you always kept your hood up since we met, never showing your face.”

“You must have been avoiding trouble!”

“Sigh…”

At this, the team of beautiful women all felt a sense of empathy.

“That’s right, I’ve heard of you all, and I’ve also heard some unsavory things about the larger factions,” Lilian said seriously, meeting the eyes of the other women who were as beautiful as she was. “It’s precisely because of this that I’ve always worked alone, never joining any team.”

“So now, why not join us? There’s only one—no, two men in the team…”

At this point, the Storm Sorceress glanced at the inconspicuous fat man, then seemed to remember something. “Ahem, well, actually there’s another—the Frost Archer—so three men in all. But compared to us, they’re no threat!”

Luo Yong looked at her with a deadpan expression, feeling rather underestimated.

“Meilin, watch your activity funds.”

“Uh…”

The Storm Sorceress’s aura faltered; she felt as if her fate had just been gripped by the scruff of the neck.

“What does ‘activity funds’ mean?” Lilian asked with a guarded look at Luo Yong.

She had just begun to consider joining the team. After all, leveling up alone was extremely difficult. Even with a secret realm in hand, she didn’t dare venture in without teammates—it felt as if something essential was missing.

But Luo Yong’s words gave her pause. Did even a small team like this, with so many beautiful heroes, still have to be under someone’s thumb?

Her gaze toward Luo Yong grew sharper, more hostile.

“It means the captain distributes benefits to the team from time to time, to persuade everyone to stay…”

“Luo Yong… must you put it that way?” Wendy interjected, not quite hiding her reproach. It was hard to say if she was truly upset.

Ahem.

Probably not.

“Lilian, don’t be suspicious, and don’t be hostile toward Luo Yong. If not for him, our team might have disbanded long ago…”

“Who knows what would have become of us?”

“Honestly, we’ve been a burden to him…”

“Luo Yong is a good man…”

Hearing this, Luo Yong felt slightly disgruntled.

If you want to compliment someone, do it properly—don’t just hand out the ‘good guy’ card. Damn it, do I really need that card? If a new category of card gets created like this, who knows how many more I’ll have to collect? When will I ever finish?

And this category of card was so… unique.

Words failed him.

“Enough chatter. Before we explore the secret realm, let’s have a round of team benefits!” Luo Yong waved his hand and took out some gems and scrolls from his storage space, making sure each person received a share.

He had picked these up on a whim in the underground palace, while the hoarding spider was busy elsewhere. After all, he couldn’t always capture the hoarding spider in front of everyone—it would draw unwanted attention and trouble. It was better to keep a personal stash and count his riches in private when no one was around.

“This…”

Lilian was no stranger to wealth or to the wealthy flaunting it, but even she was stunned, holding the pile of gems and scrolls in her hands.

She had always leveled up solo, but unlike Wendy and the others, she wasn’t so unlucky that monsters never dropped a single coin for her. Sometimes, she’d find a few coins or valuables. But compared to this scene…

“Luo Yong, you already gave me some gems before. This is too much—I can’t accept it,” Mira said, blushing as she looked down at the gems and scrolls.

Little Sally, too, lifted her head and held out her own gems to Luo Yong.

“You don’t want them either?” Luo Yong asked in surprise. Was this little girl’s sense of self-preservation too strong?

“No, I just have nowhere to keep them. Could you hold onto them for me until I get some storage gear?” Sally replied earnestly.

All right then.

Given how young and adorable she was, Luo Yong could only shake his head in resignation. He bundled up her share and put it away for her, then said to Mira, “The previous batch was your joining bonus; this is an occasional team benefit. Keep it—you’ll find it useful.”

After that, Luo Yong took out another share and handed it to the new member, Lilian. Before she could refuse, he said, “I’m nothing if not fair. This is your new member bonus; take it.”

Lilian hesitated, but finally nodded and accepted. For now, it seemed Luo Yong wasn’t like the others. She decided, for the time being, to trust him.

“All right, everyone come with me to get familiar with the secret realm. After that, you can go explore the Lion Island Secret Realm,” Luo Yong said.

At the same time, a shimmering portal appeared—the entrance to the Spider Island Secret Realm had opened.

“Huh?!”

All the women voiced their doubts at once, reluctant to enter the Spider Island Secret Realm.

“Why do we need to explore this place, anyway?”

“Is it really better than the Lion Island Secret Realm?”

“Captain, can we not go? If I really can’t avoid it, can I be excused?”

“Hey, don’t just think about yourself! Where’s your sense of camaraderie?”

“It’s just for familiarization. Whether you explore or not is up to you,” Luo Yong said coolly, brooking no argument. He took Sally by the hand and led the way in.

“Well, if it’s fate, there’s no avoiding it. Let’s go!” muttered the Wild Hunter, following after.

“Come on,” Wendy nodded to the others and went through the portal too.

When the rest had entered, Lilian took a deep breath. She told herself she’d be teaming up with these people from now on, and kept cheering herself on. When nobody was looking, she pumped her fist.

“Lilian, you can do it!”

“Lilian, you can do it!”

“Lilian, you can do it!”

She repeated it three times.

Then—

She noticed a figure lingering in the distance, hesitant to enter.

Startled, Lilian nearly cast an earth spell on reflex. But when she looked closely, she realized it was the inconspicuous fat man.

There was something odd about this guy. His level was the same as the others, even higher than hers by one, but he seemed so weak. He rarely spoke, just following the beautiful heroes around.

Trying to calm herself, Lilian gave him a glare and stepped into the portal.

The fat man was left bewildered.

He’d only been standing a little farther away, moving a little slower—did he really deserve such a look? Was it a crime to be a bit overweight?

Muttering to himself, he quickened his pace and leapt through the portal just as it started to flicker.

“Ge’er, next time, keep up! Don’t fall behind!” Luo Yong called out as he stood at the entrance, pulling the fat man through as if dragging him from the depths of despair.

Then, with a flash of light in his palm, the portal closed.

At once, the shining image of a spider appeared, gradually morphing into a giant, multicolored spider crouched on the ground.

“Once inside, always close the portal. Otherwise, someone might sneak in and steal your hard-earned rewards.”