Chapter 10 : Chapter 10
Chapter 10: When We Build Skills, We Need Vision
The car started smoothly and drove into the wilderness under the night sky.
The atmosphere inside the cabin was somewhat heavy.
After all, faced with a young master from a wealthy family who practically radiated the “superpower of money,” and with a murderous female driver sitting in the front, these young people really could not relax.
It seemed Zhang Kai wanted to lighten the mood. He cleared his throat and forced out a flattering smile at Lin Mo.
“Well... Young Master Lin.”
“This time we’re heading into a Hard Difficulty dungeon. The monsters inside are fierce. They’re not quite like those dumb wild monsters out in the wilderness.”
Lin Mo was drinking cola. Hearing that, he nodded casually.
“Mm, and then?”
Seeing Lin Mo respond, Zhang Kai gained a little courage.
“The four of us have been working together for a long time, so our tactical system is pretty precise. You’re just a Blank-Sl— ahem, an all-purpose mage, so your accuracy might be a little lacking, and it’d be easy for you to disrupt our rhythm...”
At that point, Zhang Kai paused, then continued,
“So after we enter the dungeon, how about you just stand at the very back? You can leave the dirty work and hard labor to us.”
“You can just treat this as a... trip? Even if you don’t make a move, that’d still be your greatest contribution to the team.”
The moment those words came out, the air inside the cabin froze instantly.
Xia Qingyue frowned slightly, feeling that Zhang Kai had said a little too much.
Put nicely, he was worried about Lin Mo’s safety. Put bluntly, was he not just saying Lin Mo was a burden and telling him not to get in the way?
Before Lin Mo could say anything—
Screech—!
The luxury car, which had been speeding along, suddenly slammed on the brakes.
The massive inertia sent Zhang Kai lurching forward, his face smashing hard into the seatback in front of him.
“Ah, damn!”
Zhang Kai covered his nose and cried out miserably.
Before he could complain, he looked up and met a pair of icy, bone-piercing eyes in the rearview mirror.
One hand on the steering wheel, Ye Hongyu stared at Zhang Kai through the mirror.
“If I heard correctly, what you mean is that our Young Master is too weak and unworthy of fighting alongside you? Or are you trying to teach the Young Master how to do things?”
“...”
“...”
The cabin instantly fell silent.
As an elite warrior, Ye Hongyu’s presence was not something a bunch of students who had not even left school yet could bear.
“I... no, Sister, that’s not what I meant.”
Zhang Kai’s face went deathly pale, and he could barely speak properly. “I... I just wanted Young Master Lin to be a little safer... I’m bad with words! I deserve to die!”
As he spoke, he actually raised a hand and slapped himself across the mouth.
“Young Master Lin, please don’t take it to heart. I just have a loose tongue. Please just let me off like a fart!”
Beside him, Wang Meng and Liu Weiwei did not even dare breathe too loudly.
They shrank into the corner, trembling.
Especially timid little Liu Weiwei. Her small face was pale white, and she was terrified that she would be the next one called out.
At that moment, they finally understood what it meant to be “as cautious as if serving a tiger.”
Even Xia Qingyue, who was usually calm, now felt a faint sheen of sweat in her palms.
She realized that in front of this seemingly amiable young master of a wealthy family, any careless remark might bring consequences no one could predict.
Watching this scene, Lin Mo was speechless as well.
Why did it feel as though he had somehow become a great villain? The kind that would get killed off by the protagonist in the early stages, no less?
Xia Qingyue took a deep breath and stepped in to smooth things over.
“Sister Hongyu, Zhang Kai really is bad with words, but he meant no harm. He truly was only worried about classmate Lin’s safety. Please don’t lower yourself to his level.”
Lin Mo shook his head helplessly. “All right, Sister Ye, drive. Don’t scare them. His intentions really were good.”
Only after hearing the young master speak did the killing intent in Ye Hongyu’s eyes slowly fade.
“Hmph.”
She gave a cold snort and stepped on the gas again.
The car started moving once more.
Zhang Kai slumped weakly in his seat. His back had already been soaked through with cold sweat, and he swore to himself that from now on, he would not say one extra word.
And at that moment,
Little Fireball also began to grow lively.
【‘Fireball’ roared: I can’t take it! I absolutely can’t take it! That brat actually dares say you’re weak? Says your aim is bad?!】
【What the hell is he? I killed more monsters yesterday than he’s seen in his whole life! This isn’t just insulting you, it’s insulting me too!】
【As long as you nod, I’ll fly out right now and make sure not even his ashes can be found! I’ll teach him what “not needing to lift a hand” really means!】
Lin Mo felt his head throb. He quickly restrained this hothead in his mind.
“Little Fire, Little Fire! Calm down!”
“He just misspoke once. Is that really worth all this screaming about killing him?”
【‘Fireball’ was beside itself with fury: How is it not worth it? The strong must not be insulted! He’s challenging my authority! Burn him! He absolutely must be burned to death!】
Lin Mo sighed helplessly and began to lecture it with earnest patience.
“Little Fire, when we conduct ourselves... when we build skills, we need vision.”
“If you want to kill someone just because they said one unpleasant thing, then what does that make us? Murderous lunatics? Great villains?”
“That kind of kill-at-the-drop-of-a-hat mindset is wrong, understand?”
【‘Fireball’: ...Tch, hypocritical humans.】
“Power is meant to protect yourself and the people you care about, not to bully your teammates.”
“As long as you’re strong enough, the facts will naturally shut them up. There’s no need to become murderous over a minor verbal clash. That’s beneath us, and it means having no bottom line at all.”
Lin Mo replied calmly in his heart.
【Although ‘Fireball’ was still grumbling under its breath, it quieted down at last: Hmph... fine, I’ll spare the dog’s life! Once we get into the dungeon, I’m going to show them what real damage output looks like and blind their dog eyes!】
“That’s more like it.”
Lin Mo smiled faintly.
...
About an hour later,
the luxury car came to a stop on a desolate field of broken rocks.
The doors opened, and everyone climbed out of the car.
The night wind in the wilderness was bitterly cold, but for Zhang Kai and the others, who had just gone through “Ye Hongyu’s Death Glare,” this cold wind felt almost comforting.
“Young Master, we’ve arrived.”
Ye Hongyu walked around the front of the car and respectfully opened the door for Lin Mo.
Lin Mo stepped out and looked around.
Ye Hongyu took out that ancient scroll.
“The coordinates are correct.”
As the scroll burned away completely—
Hum—!
The air ahead shook violently, and a space rift glowing with purple light tore open.
This was the entrance to the dungeon.
Ye Hongyu turned and looked at Lin Mo.
“Young Master, although this is a trained team, the situation inside a dungeon can change at any moment. Please be careful in all things.”
“If you encounter danger, don’t push yourself. Staying alive comes first.”
Lin Mo nodded.
“Don’t worry, Sister Ye. I’ll take good care of myself.”
Then Ye Hongyu’s gaze swept across Xia Qingyue and the other four once more.
“All of you, listen carefully.”
“Since you took the Lin family’s money and accepted the Lin family’s task, then you are to stake your lives on protecting the Young Master properly.”
“If the Young Master comes out missing even a patch of skin...”
“Yes, yes, yes! Sister Ye, don’t worry!”
“We’ll protect Young Master Lin with our lives!”
Zhang Kai and Wang Meng nodded frantically, like pounding garlic, just short of swearing an oath on the spot.
Even Xia Qingyue, who was always cold and aloof, nodded seriously.
“Please rest assured. As the captain, I will take responsibility for my teammates’ safety.”
“Go on, then.”
Ye Hongyu waved her hand.