Aren't the Equipment Items Obtained Through Cheating?

Chapter 13: A Name

“AWOO!”

The Gale Wolf let out a miserable howl as blood and entrails splattered everywhere.

Hongxu panted heavily, using the long-handled double-bladed axe to support her body.

They were now on the Fourth Floor. After reaching the Fifth Floor, she had not dared to stop. Instead, she continued fighting all the way down to the Fourth Floor.

Since the path had already been cleared once when they came up, the number of monsters that the dungeon had respawned was not particularly large.

Hongxu’s steps finally slowed.

At this moment, neither she nor Chenxi looked anything like they had when they first entered the dungeon. Their bodies were covered in torn and battered equipment.

After confirming that there were no living creatures moving around them, she carefully lowered Chenxi from her back.

“Hey, human.

Are you awake?

Are you alright?”

Hongxu knelt on one knee and grabbed Chenxi’s shoulders, shaking him slightly.

Chenxi opened his eyes.

After using Burst, his fatigue had completely reached its limit.

Right now, all he wanted was to go home and sleep properly.

But he also knew that this was not the time to sleep.

Leaning against a broken stone pillar, Chenxi propped himself up with his arm and slowly sat upright.

His vision was somewhat blurred, but he could still see Hongxu’s yellow eyes staring at him through the slit of her helmet.

The usual ferocity in them was gone.

What remained was… panic?

“It’s nothing serious. Just a weakened state.”

“You’re this weak and you’re still saying it’s nothing.”

Seeing that Chenxi truly seemed fine, Hongxu let out a breath of relief and collapsed onto the ground.

Her heavy plate armor struck the floor with a loud clang.

She was utterly exhausted as well. Her body still carried traces of paralytic poison, and she had carried Chenxi on her back while affected by it.

She had escaped from the Sixth Floor to the Fifth Floor, then fought her way from the Fifth Floor down to the Fourth.

She removed her helmet and casually tossed it aside, revealing long white hair soaked with sweat and stuck to her forehead, along with a face smeared with sweat and grime.

She wiped her face roughly with her hand and stared at Chenxi for several seconds.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Seeing Chenxi still wearing a calm expression, Hongxu’s temper suddenly flared.

“Why did you come back? Is there something wrong with your brain?”

Hongxu glared at Chenxi.

“That was my own mistake for getting trapped. What did it have to do with you?”

Chenxi looked at the agitated Hongxu.

“Why are you so worked up? Are you angry?”

“I—no, I’m not!”

Leaning against the stone pillar, Chenxi’s strength slowly began to recover.

“If I had died, it would have been beneficial for you.

If I died, you would have been free.

Even if you ignored me just now, you could still have been free.

I gave you the opportunity, yet you still failed to take it.”

“Human, you are insulting me!”

Hongxu glared at Chenxi angrily.

“You did not hurt me, and you even came back to save me. Yet you still think of me like that!”

Chenxi raised his hand and pushed her face away.

“I am only stating the facts.”

“Hmph. I would never do something so despicable!”

Hongxu sat back down again.

“When I bought you, I never intended to treat you as a slave.”

“?”

Hongxu looked at Chenxi, who had closed his eyes.

“I needed a partner.

Someone who could survive together with me in the dungeon.

You are strong, and you have great potential.

That is why I chose you.”

After a brief pause, Chenxi continued.

“Although it was your own mistake, at the moment before your death, what you wanted to do was buy me some time.

That is correct, is it not?”

Hongxu turned her head away.

“That… that is normal, is it not? No matter what, human, you have treated me well.

I had to repay you.”

Chenxi grinned and could not help laughing.

“What a fool.”

“You… you laughed? No, you are the fool! A human with a broken brain!”

Chenxi opened his eyes and looked at Hongxu.

“You do not owe me anything.

Taking you out of the slave market, giving you food, and providing you with equipment—those were investments I believed were worth making.

That is all.

You have also demonstrated your value.

So when you said that you no longer owed me anything, you were wrong.

From the beginning to the end, you never owed me anything.”

Hongxu lowered her head. Chenxi had no idea what she was thinking.

But there were still things that needed to be said.

She was someone worth entrusting with more.

“Before today, I did not treat you as a slave, but I also did not place you in a position where I could entrust my back to you.

I was simply making what I believed to be the right investment.

But everything that happened today has proven that you are trustworthy.

If you had not been prepared to risk your life to hold them off for me, I would have abandoned you without hesitation.”

Hongxu raised her head with an indignant expression.

“If you had not treated me so well before that, I would definitely have given you an axe to the head before dying!”

This human was truly a bastard!

An absolute bastard!

She had risked her life to save him, and he still said things like this to anger her!

Chenxi truly could not help himself.

He reached out and patted her head.

Hongxu’s body stiffened.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Thank you for protecting me while we escaped.”

Hongxu turned her head away.

“I… I was only repaying a debt of gratitude.”

After two seconds, Hongxu spoke again in a small voice.

“Actually… I should be the one saying thank you. Thank you for being willing to come back and save me.”

“My name is Chenxi. Chen as in Chenxi, and Xi as in Chenxi.”

Hongxu blinked.

“What a strange name.”

In her impression, human names were always long and complicated.

His name had only two characters.

…She liked it!

Two characters were far better than those long, rambling names. Names should be like this!

Why make them so long?

Then…

“My name is Hongxu.”

Hongxu turned her head and looked at Chenxi.

“Human, do you know what it means when someone outside the Oni Race learns an Oni’s name?”

Chenxi raised an eyebrow.

“What does it mean? It cannot possibly mean pledging loyalty, right?”

Hongxu did not speak.

She simply looked at him quietly.

Chenxi froze.

“It really does?”

“You are different from the humans I have known. The chief once said that among the Oni Race, there are good Oni and bad Oni.

Humans are the same. There are good people and bad people.

You are a good person.

A life-saving kindness can only be repaid with a life. You saved me once in the slave market, and now you have saved me again.

I do not know how else to repay you besides telling you my name.”

Chenxi stroked his chin, revealing a thoughtful expression.

“So now… you really belong to me?”

Hongxu looked at him.

Why did that sentence sound so strange?

“That is correct.”

“Then call me ‘Master’ and let me hear it.”

“Go to hell, human!”

Chenxi closed his eyes again to rest.

“I was joking. You should rest as well. We will go home soon.”

“Mm.”

After a few seconds—

“Ma… Master.”