Chapter 9: The Underground Palace

“Vice-captain?”
Everyone stopped arguing and looked at Luo Yong with strange expressions.
Was Wendy planning to keep him by her side long-term, taking him along for every mission?
This was indeed significant!
“Vice-vice-captain…?” Luo Yong blinked, momentarily bewildered.
He instinctively glanced at the curse witch, Elia, standing nearby.
Wasn’t this asking a bit too much?
Would he have to sell himself for a mere +3 necklace?
“Vice-captain! Vice-captain!”
“Vice-captain! Vice-captain!”
Before Luo Yong could refuse, the group had already raised their weapons high, shouting loudly.
They gave him no chance to protest…
“Luo Yong, from now on, we’ll be relying on you!” Wendy said, not taking no for an answer. She clasped Luo Yong’s hand, gripping it firmly, just as she had when they first met.
Then the others came over one by one to shake his hand, as if sealing some ritual.
Luo Yong: …
Had he ever agreed to this?
Bang, bang!
The two armored knights were the last to shake his hand, not only shaking, but embracing him tightly and giving his back two hearty slaps.
He nearly got knocked out.
“Ahem!”
Luo Yong coughed twice, about to speak, when Wendy laughed, “Alright, let’s hurry up and complete the mission!”
“Um…”
Luo Yong timidly raised his hand, asking, “So… what exactly is our mission this time?”
“Opening treasure chests!”
The barbarian priestess, bold as ever, threw her arm around Luo Yong’s shoulders like a big-hearted elder sister. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything. Just stay by my side, and I’ll protect you!”
“Uh…”
At such close range, a faint fragrance wafted from her, and Luo Yong was almost reluctant to push her away.
“So, when you fight monsters, do you always get gems?” Luo Yong asked.
“Not a single one!”
Before the barbarian priestess could answer, the wild hunter chimed in, “I’ve grown up without ever seeing a single gem!”
“Sometimes I wonder if the giant wolves or bears I summoned just swallowed them by mistake!”
“There’s no way! We’ve killed so many monsters, and never seen a gem!”
At this, not just her, but nearly everyone shook their heads and sighed.
Luo Yong: …
So, what kind of team had he just joined?
After a while, the group arrived at a set of ruins that appeared to have once been a palace.
For reasons unknown, the entire palace had been destroyed, leaving only broken walls and scattered remnants.
“There’s an entrance over there, leading underground into the catacombs,” Wendy pointed ahead.
“This is the mission site?”
“Exactly,” the barbarian priestess replied, raising her staff and casting a holy light.
“There are dozens of monsters at the entrance, ranging from level 6 to 8, and occasionally a level 9.”
“But the deepest part holds something much more dangerous—two level twelve spider monsters.”

“Wow!” Luo Yong exclaimed, then asked, “Are there many monsters inside?”
“Loads! More than you can imagine.” The barbarian priestess kept casting spells as she spoke. “This place is nothing like the wilderness outside! It’s cramped, packed with monsters—I don’t know how they all fit in!”
As her magic flared, the creatures at the entrance were enraged, roaring as they surged outward.
But the entrance was narrow, and all the monsters jammed together, blocking the doorway.
“Low intelligence, clearly!”
Luo Yong watched, wanting to help, but strangely, none of his companions moved forward to assist—they were all waiting.
Wasn’t the barbarian priestess not the main combatant?
With some confusion, Luo Yong asked, “Aren’t we supposed to help?”
“No need.”
The storm sorcerer stepped over, bumped his shoulder, and said, “There are plenty of monsters inside, spread across different zones. The ones at the entrance are perfect for her.”
“Besides, if we all jump in, we might miss something and risk total defeat.”
The wild hunter came over, bumped Luo Yong as well, and said, “That’s why, no matter what, someone must always keep an eye on the surroundings and oversee everything.”
“Oh.”
Luo Yong nodded. He was alone, starting off with camouflage gear, so monsters wouldn’t notice him.
Normally, there wouldn’t be any ambushes from monsters.
So he hadn’t considered this aspect.
“You truly are experts! Always thinking ahead!”
“Haha, Vice-captain, we’ll be counting on you from now on!” the storm sorcerer teased.
“Heh, I wouldn’t dare!” Luo Yong quickly waved his hands.
A moment later, the barbarian priestess, panting and exhausted, sat down, having single-handedly eliminated all the monsters at the entrance.
“Let’s go,” Wendy called, and everyone entered together.
As Luo Yong passed by, the barbarian priestess suddenly leapt onto him, clinging to his shoulder and whispering breathlessly, “I’m out of strength. Help me inside.”
Luo Yong: …
Out of strength already?
They’d only just begun!
Wasn’t there supposed to be endless monsters ahead?
“Out of strength?” Luo Yong looked at her seriously and said, “Maybe you should stay out here and rest a while…”
“Hmph!”
Before he could finish, she stormed off, taking her faint fragrance with her.
Luo Yong shrugged and followed as the last one.
Inside, the catacombs were dim and the air unpleasant, but still bearable.
The eight who entered didn’t rush forward, but scattered, searching the ground for something unknown.
“Luo Yong.”
Wendy stopped the absent-minded Luo Yong and said, “Look carefully around—you might discover something astonishing.”
“A discovery?” Luo Yong asked, confused. “What are you all looking for?”
“The key! The key to unlock the Elven Secret Realm!”
“Never heard of it,” Luo Yong shook his head, playing the clueless newbie.
“We’ve been here countless times, searching every corner of this catacomb. Whether it’s opening treasure chests or…”
“Sigh! I’m sick of this quest!” the barbarian priestess groaned. “If we don’t find it soon, I’ll quit and join another team to sneak into the secret realm!”
“Naive!”
The storm sorcerer rebuked: “Those so-called teams with access to the Elven Secret Realm all bought their keys on the black market, paying unimaginable prices!”
“If you try to join them, just wait for them to—”

She ended with a peculiar gesture.
But Luo Yong didn’t understand.
Still, her meaning was clear—nothing good would come of it.
“So what do we do?” the barbarian priestess asked helplessly.
Immediately, everyone’s gaze turned to Luo Yong.
“Um… I’m not worth much!” Though he had temporarily reached level 8, Luo Yong still felt intimidated by these skilled level 8 experts.
He spoke while retreating, finally leaning against a cold stone wall.
“What are you doing?” the barbarian priestess stepped in front of him, shielding him and saying, “You’ve scared my little brother!”
As she approached, she seemed to trip on something, falling into Luo Yong.
“Uh.”
Luo Yong dodged aside, and his foot seemed to press a mechanism.
With a click, Luo Yong and the falling barbarian priestess dropped down together.
“Ah!”
A startled cry, and then silence.
It was as if they had vanished from the world.
“Aman!”
“Luo Yong!”
The others cried out, rushing over.
But all that remained were pitted stone walls—nothing else.
“They’re just… gone?”
“They must have triggered some mechanism!”
“Quick, search!”
Everyone pounded around, but found nothing after a long search.
“Weird, we’ve been here so many times, how come we never found any hidden passages?” the frost archer wondered.
“Let’s try ourselves!”
The two armored knights stepped forward, thrusting their shields heavily into the ground—
Boom, boom, boom!
Dust billowed.
“Pff, cough!”
“Stop pounding!”
Wendy covered her mouth and nose, dragging Elia toward the exit.
But just then, the ground rumbled, sinking a foot.
“Ah!”
The ground gave way, everyone cried out, then coughed violently.
“Cough, cough!”
“Damn it! Stop pounding!”
They dashed out of the catacombs, running until they could breathe the fresh air outside. Once they felt safe, they returned.
“So, do we keep going?” the storm sorcerer asked.
“Do we wait here, or search for the two of them?” the wild hunter sighed. “Aman may be annoying, but she’s still our companion.”
“And Luo Yong,” the frost archer added, “He’s our vice-captain—our missions depend on him!”
“Do you think it’s possible Aman deliberately took Luo Yong away to split from us?” the storm sorcerer squinted suspiciously. “Maybe they’re off hunting monsters and treasure on their own?”