Chapter 24 : Chapter 24
Chapter 24 : Who Said Anything About a Duel?
Reis finally felt the tension in his nerves begin to ease.
They had already left the seventh floor—the most dangerous layer.
On the other floors, at the very least, he would not be overturned by monsters.
He had remained cautious the entire way because he was not sure whether that man with the mysterious weapon would truly let things go.
Now, at last, he could relax a little.
The passage on the third floor was relatively dry and spacious. The lighting was brighter as well. The glowing plants here were far more abundant than on the seventh floor.
Most importantly, nothing had happened along the way.
They could finally rest for a moment.
“Heh heh!”
Akun hoisted the heavy spiked mace onto his shoulder and grinned widely, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
“Boss, this trip was worth it!
Money picked up for free!
Those two idiots did the work for us, and they should even thank us for sparing their lives!”
He weighed the bulging leather pouch hanging at his waist. Inside were fifteen gray-white Bone-Eroding Venom Spider eggs.
Each one represented lovely little coins.
Once those fifty gold coins were divided, they could really enjoy themselves.
The archer Karl said nothing. He simply yawned, his fingers habitually resting on the bowstring.
Akun was probably thinking about women again.
Karl really could not understand what was so appealing about women.
A real man should face challenges head-on!
He swallowed as well. Once the money was distributed, he planned to go enjoy himself too.
“Not bad luck.”
Reis spoke with a hint of ease, a satisfied smile on his face.
He brushed the spiderwebs and slime off his leather armor.
“That kid knew what was good for him. Saved us quite a bit of trouble.”
He glanced at Lina beside him.
The young female mage kept her head lowered, clutching her staff tightly. Her steps were somewhat mechanical.
Ever since leaving the nest filled with spider eggs, she had been silent.
Reis snorted inwardly.
Sentimental nonsense.
In the Dungeon, who cared about reason?
Only the law of the jungle mattered.
That Oni woman looked fierce, but she still obeyed obediently in the end.
And that man with the strange weapon looked calm, but in reality he was just a coward afraid of death.
His gaze lingered on Lina’s figure with a trace of greed, and he quietly swallowed.
Even though she wore a worn robe, her graceful figure was still obvious.
If not for the fact that she was a Priest of Holy Light, he would never have tolerated her this long.
Whether physically…
Or simply tolerating someone with such excessive morality in his team.
“Akun, watch it. We are still inside the Dungeon.
If you really cannot hold it in, I will catch a Petrified Lizard for you to deal with first—”
His voice suddenly stopped.
A dull sound rang out, unusually clear within the relatively quiet passage.
Reis reacted purely on instinct honed through countless brushes with death.
He threw himself violently to the side.
Pain exploded.
A tremendous force slammed into the area just below his left shoulder.
Reis heard the crisp crack of his bones shattering. His entire body was thrown forward, rolling across the ground before crashing onto the cold stone floor.
His left arm immediately lost all sensation.
Only a burning agony surged through him.
“Argh!”
He roared in pain, cold sweat instantly soaking his forehead.
He struggled to lift his head, but his vision was a blurry field of red.
When he fell, his forehead had slammed against the stone. Blood flooded his eyes.
“Ambush!”
Karl’s shout echoed.
The sudden attack had caught everyone off guard.
The instant Reis was attacked, Karl rolled across the ground and raised his bow like lightning. The faint blue glow of Eagle Eye instantly covered his pupils.
Following the faint afterimage, he caught the attacker’s trace.
Deep within the passage ahead.
Behind the shadow of a massive rock.
Karl stared at that shadow, drawing the bowstring to its limit. The arrow between his fingers rapidly gathered the green glow representing Double Shot.
“I see him! Behind the rock!”
He shouted loudly, trying to buy time for his companions.
Akun had just recovered from the initial shock. Hearing Karl’s warning, he instinctively raised his arms to shield his head and face, his muscles tightening as he searched for cover.
Bang!
The second gunshot came without pause.
Both attacks had clearly come from the same person—yet this one came from a completely different angle.
From above and to the side.
Behind a protruding rock ledge.
Karl’s Eagle Eye captured the deadly flash and the tearing trajectory through the air.
But—
It was too fast.
He did not even have time to turn his head.
Pfft!
The green glow around the arrow instantly vanished.
Karl froze in place, still holding the bow in an aiming posture.
A horrifying bloody hole appeared in the center of his forehead. From the back of his skull, a spray of red and white burst outward.
The fully drawn bow fell limply.
His body toppled forward like a piece of wood, crashing onto the ground with a dull thud.
“The information source is gone. Now we can take our time playing.”
A figure that appeared for less than a second vanished once again.
“Karl!”
Akun’s eyes split wide with rage. Fear and fury swallowed him instantly.
Looking at Karl’s lifeless body, his mind went completely blank.
“Find cover! You idiot! Find cover!”
Reis roared with all his strength despite the tearing pain in his shoulder.
But it was too late.
Bang!
The third shot.
Again from another tricky angle.
Chenxi’s figure appeared for only an instant before vanishing once more.
Akun’s massive body trembled violently.
Another bloody hole exploded open at his temple.
His body swayed once.
The heavy spiked mace slipped from his hand and slammed onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
The passage fell silent.
Only Reis’s ragged breathing and Lina’s rapid, suppressed breaths remained.
The thick smell of blood spread quickly through the air.
It was over.
Reis’s heart sank into an icy abyss.
The pain in his shoulder had almost become numb.
The enemy had never left.
They had been waiting—for him to relax.
That strange weapon…
This was not a battle at all.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
They had not even clearly seen the enemy’s shadow, and two of their three main fighters were already dead.
He should never have let them leave.
He thought he had already taken those two seriously.
But he had still underestimated them.
“Come out!!!”
Reis roared with the last of his strength, his voice twisted by pain and fury.
“You coward hiding in the shadows! Come out if you dare!”
Heavy footsteps echoed from the passage ahead.
A tall figure stepped out from the shadows.
The Oni woman.
The eyes of the wolf head on her dark red breastplate glowed faintly. Her massive double-bladed axe rested casually on her shoulder.
Her face held no expression.
Only pure killing intent burned within the yellow pupils fixed on Reis.
“We meet again. I would have preferred to see the arrogant version of you, not the version lying there like a dead dog.”
Hongxu looked down at him.
Reis stared back.
He understood.
There was no escape.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the only person still standing.
Lina.
Reis signaled her desperately.
Heal him.
Lina raised the staff in her hands.
But halfway through the motion, she stopped.
Was this not the perfect opportunity?
A smile slowly spread across her lips.
Clang!
The staff dropped to the ground.
Her face showed unrestrained satisfaction.
When you threatened my sister to control me…
You should have expected this day.
Seeing Lina’s reaction, Reis’s expression twisted with hatred.
“You bitch! I should have killed you back then!”
Hongxu scratched her head.
Then—
Clang!
She planted the double-bladed axe into the ground and spread her arms wide.
“Are you in a hurry? Are you about to cry from panic?”
“You—!”
His already pale face turned bright red.
Hongxu beckoned to him.
“Come on. Let us exchange a few moves. If you survive three moves, I will let you go.”
Reis froze.
“Really?”
His voice was full of suspicion.
Hongxu grinned.
“Of course.”
“Alright, then—”
Bang!
A dull gunshot rang out.
Hongxu lowered the arm she had raised in a fighting stance.
Her grin grew even wider.
“Who said anything about a duel?”
All she had needed to do was distract him.
Reis’s corpse collapsed onto the ground.
Hope still lingered in his eyes.