Chapter 7 : Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Heading to the Dungeon
Hongxu slept on the bedding laid out on the floor. That strange human had prepared… some sort of floor… thing for her.
Whatever it was called, it simply made sleeping on the ground more comfortable.
She did not understand it. She could not figure it out.
All those things she could not understand piled together in her mind until her head felt dizzy.
The exhaustion of her body and the fatigue of her mind eventually overwhelmed her, and she fell into a deep sleep.
…
When Chenxi opened his eyes, pale gray daylight had just begun to seep through the window.
Years of disciplined living had long since trained his body to wake at a fixed time.
Hongxu was already awake.
Her gaze remained cautious, but compared with yesterday, it had improved greatly.
Chenxi said nothing and walked straight to the kitchen.
He lit the fire, boiled water, and tossed two handfuls of oats into an iron pot to cook.
The rising steam quickly dispelled the chill of the morning.
Chenxi filled two bowls.
One he placed in his usual seat, the other he set on the far corner of the table.
He could not help yawning.
He wanted to rest—just sleep the whole day.
But strength was something that could not be neglected even for a single day.
If Hongxu’s condition had not been so poor yesterday, he might have taken her straight to the dungeon.
When you drew a good card, it was only natural to want to test it immediately.
“Come eat.”
Hongxu stared at the bowl of oatmeal, then at Chenxi calmly eating his own.
Her throat moved slightly as she slowly approached and awkwardly lifted the bowl.
Even while drinking the porridge, her eyes never left Chenxi.
“After breakfast, we will prepare to leave.”
Hongxu paused.
“Where are we going?”
“To a place where we can earn money.”
Chenxi walked into the inner room. When he returned, he carried several items.
A complete set of heavy knight’s plate armor.
And a massive double-bladed axe.
“Put these on after you finish eating. I will go outside first.”
With that, he left the house, leaving Hongxu alone inside.
After stepping outside, Chenxi’s expression turned a little strange.
To be honest—
he wanted to look.
But her affection level was not high enough.
If he forced a special CG scene now, her affection level might become like a dead ox pulling a wooden cart—never moving again.
…
Hongxu stretched her arm slightly.
Strange.
Earlier the size had clearly seemed wrong, yet when she put the armor on, it fit perfectly.
“Stop staring. We are already here.”
Chenxi looked at Hongxu beside him with slight exasperation.
Hongxu raised her head and looked forward.
The entrance to the dungeon was relatively narrow.
The air carried the damp scent of moss.
“Oh.”
Hongxu responded quietly.
These past two days had been filled with things she could not understand.
Finally, something she was good at appeared.
Fighting.
Hongxu followed closely behind Chenxi. Her tall body seemed somewhat cramped in the narrow passage.
She found it uncomfortable to step on the cold stone stairs with boots. She was far more accustomed to walking barefoot.
“Human,” Hongxu suddenly said in the narrow corridor, her voice carrying confusion, “why does this thing make me feel stronger?”
She raised the giant axe in her hand.
Chenxi did not stop walking.
“Equipment.”
“Equipment? What does that mean?”
“Just use it. You would not understand even if I explained it.”
Hongxu immediately flushed red with anger.
“Hey! Human, are you looking down on me?!”
Seven years.
Seven whole years!
At last the system had finally produced something useful.
After running overnight, it had generated quite a few pieces of equipment.
The set Hongxu was wearing was white-quality strength equipment.
Aside from providing basic protection, wearing the full set granted a Strength +5 bonus.
Green-quality equipment?
None.
The passage gradually sloped downward, and side paths began to appear.
They were about to reach the first floor.
“Be ready. We will encounter enemies soon.”
Chenxi drew his dagger.
“You are coming too?”
Hongxu looked at him, her yellow pupils visible through the helmet slit filled with pure confusion.
If the slave was meant to fight the monsters, what was he doing here?
Chenxi turned around. His eyes beneath the hood looked at her calmly.
“When did I ever say I would stand behind you?”
Hongxu froze.
Her mind struggled to process it.
If slaves were not bought to block blades and clear the path, then why buy them?
To die together?
This human really does have something wrong with his brain.
She confirmed it again in her heart.
“Why?”
Curiosity was part of her nature. When she wondered about something, she asked.
“If we fight together… it will be easier to die, right?”
In her understanding, lone human adventurers were cunning and skilled at preserving themselves.
“Together, it is harder to die.”
After a pause, Chenxi added,
“Two people can look after each other.”
Look after each other?
The phrase felt unfamiliar to Hongxu.
All she had ever experienced was being ordered around, whipped, treated as merchandise, or struggling to survive alone.
Looking after each other?
That was something companions did.
She and this human?
Impossible.
So the conclusion was obvious—
this human definitely had something wrong with his brain.
…
Chenxi stopped in the shadows at the entrance to the first floor.
Ahead in the passage came the sharp, chaotic cries and footsteps typical of goblins.
A mixed patrol squad approached them.
About a dozen ordinary goblins, with one slightly larger elite goblin wielding a bone club among them.
Chenxi instinctively turned sideways and pressed against the cold stone wall. The dagger spun silently between his fingers as the faint glow of 【Silence】 covered his body.
His breathing slowed to the faintest level.
He needed to observe the environment and identify the best entry point and target—especially the elite goblin.
If he could kill that elite instantly, the entire group would fall into chaos.
And chaos was easy to deal with.
“Hey, human.”
Hongxu’s voice sounded behind him, carrying faint excitement. Her armored body leaned forward slightly like a fully drawn bow.
“Just these?”
“Mm. Be careful.”
“These trash cannot hurt me!”
Chenxi watched her.
He also wanted to see how strong Hongxu truly was.
It was only the first floor.
Even if something unexpected happened, he could react in time.
Bang!
Heavy footsteps crushed the moss on the damp ground.
Hongxu moved.
Her massive body burst forward beside Chenxi like a gust of wind without warning.
The crash of heavy armor exploded through the narrow corridor as fragments of stone scattered everywhere.
She did not examine the terrain.
She did not observe the enemy formation.
In her yellow eyes remained only the group of moving green figures that radiated a stench she despised.
Chenxi’s pupils contracted slightly.
Clumsy? Reckless?
No.
The explosive speed in that instant far exceeded his expectations for a heavily armored fighter.
It was pure confidence.
“Roar!”
A bestial roar burst from Hongxu’s throat—not to intimidate, but simply to release her violent emotions.
The enormous double-bladed battle axe in her hands seemed weightless.
It swept through the dim corridor as a pale arc, crashing into the densest part of the goblin group.
SPLAT! CRACK!
The wet sound of flesh and bone shattering mixed with the goblins’ brief, shrill screams.
The two goblins in front did not even have time to react.
It was as if a siege hammer had struck them directly.
Their upper bodies exploded instantly into a blurred mass of flesh.
Green limbs and organs splattered across the moss-covered stone walls.
The stench of blood filled the air.
The scent of slaughter ignited something inside her.
Her pink skin turned crimson.
Her yellow pupils turned red.
Hongxu did not pause.
The massive axe blade swung sideways again.
Another sweeping arc.
Two more goblins were cut in half at the waist. Their organs spilled onto the ground even as their severed bodies continued to swing their crude daggers in futile retaliation.
The corridor instantly became a slaughterhouse.
The remaining goblins were stunned by the sudden massacre.
Fear overwhelmed their ferocity.
Several goblins in the back screamed and turned to run.
Others tripped over the dismembered bodies of their companions and collapsed in a tangled heap.
Only the elite goblin remained.
It growled threateningly and swung its bone club, attempting to regain control of the formation while its murky eyes locked onto the crimson figure charging through its ranks.
A few terrified goblins still stood near its feet.
Opportunity.
That elite.
Chenxi’s body moved like a weightless phantom, gliding along the shadows beside the wall. Under the effect of 【Silence】, even stepping on water and rubble produced no sound.
His target was clear.
The elite goblin.
The creature sensed the approaching danger and swung its bone club toward Chenxi.
The wind whistled from the force of the attack.
But Chenxi was faster.
Before the club completed its arc, he had already slipped low and stepped forward.
The cold flash of his dagger was nearly invisible in the dim light.
Slash.
The blade pressed precisely against the goblin’s neck.
【Sharpen】
His arm moved.
A head slid from its body.
Decapitation.
Only a few breaths had passed.
Hongxu had already cut through the entire group.
One goblin attempted to sneak behind her and attack her leg.
Hongxu did not even bother turning around.
Her armored boot shot backward like a hammer.
Crack!
The crisp sound of a broken shinbone echoed alongside the goblin’s shriek.
The creature flew backward like a rag sack and slammed against the wall.
The last two goblins screamed desperately and fled.
Hongxu roared and chased after them, her enormous body bursting forward with shocking speed.
The heavy axe swung downward from behind.
SPLAT! SPLAT!
Two dull tearing sounds later, the corridor fell silent.
So that was the power of 84 Strength?
No…
Actually, with the equipment bonus, it should be 89 Strength.
“Not bad.”
Hearing Chenxi’s praise, Hongxu lifted her head proudly.
“Of course! I am very strong, human!”
“Yes. Very strong.”
Chenxi did not argue.
Hongxu bared her teeth at him.
Something felt wrong.
Why did he praise her?
Was he not supposed to suppress her pride?
Strange human.
Chenxi cut off the elite goblin’s ears.
They could be exchanged for money.
Ordinary goblins were not worth the effort.
“Let us go. We will continue downward.”
“Oh.”
Compared to before, Hongxu had become noticeably more obedient.
Current Affection Level: -32