"…S-so strong," Lili whispered, holding her crossbow in disbelief. "Is this Captain Lin Dong's real strength?"
The fight looked long in words, but in reality it lasted seconds.
To an observer, it was simply: Lin Dong dashed in and chopped four hellhounds apart without taking a scratch.
"Ridiculous," Mikoto said.
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, equally shaken.
Hellhounds were a new threat of Floor 13. After a brief charge, their flames could melt most armor and deal lethal damage.
If Mikoto or Sakura fought four at once, they'd be dragged into a brutal struggle. Winning cleanly like Lin Dong?
Impossible.
Mikoto looked at Lin Dong with growing curiosity.
"Lin Dong… did you level up?"
"No. Still Level 1."
"Then why are you suddenly this much stronger?"
Compared to two days ago, Lin Dong's power was night and day.
"I gained some insight into my breathing method," Lin Dong said.
Ripple was a breathing discipline too. Close enough.
He had Lili pack the hellhound magic stones, and the group continued.
They reached the first cavern.
"Do we keep going?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. Our destination isn't here."
Lin Dong checked the branching paths and led them right.
Along the way they encountered several more monster groups, but none were large. Under Lin Dong's charge, they fell quickly.
"Lin Dong… you're not going to Floor 14?" Sakura asked, comparing the route with his mental map.
This wasn't a route toward Floor 14.
It was, if anything, a route that perfectly avoided every path leading there—like it was planned.
"Not today," Lin Dong said. "We'll acclimate on Floor 13 first."
"That makes sense. You and Lili are first-timers in the middle floors."
"You misunderstood," Lin Dong said. "When I said 'acclimate'… I meant you."
"Us?" Sakura blinked.
Takemikazuchi Familia came to Floor 13 often. Their experience here should be far greater than Lin Dong's.
"Here."
Lin Dong led them into a new cavern.
Because they'd avoided the routes downward, this cavern was remote—rarely visited by other adventurers.
After letting everyone rest and recover, Lin Dong pulled out a black box and explained the plan.
"Inside is bait I made myself. It draws monsters in."
"Once you're recovered, take these and help me gather mobs."
Sakura frowned. "Isn't that dangerous?"
Floor 13 was the middle floors. Besides hellhounds, there were horn rabbits, saber-toothed beasts, and all kinds of threats.
Pulling them together wasn't just "1 + 1 = 2." The risk multiplied.
"Relax. It won't be dangerous."
Lin Dong produced a set of potions.
"These are Dian Cecht Familia's Lightfeather Potions. They boost movement speed."
"For Level 1s, you'll get a short-term boost of twenty to thirty percent."
"Two bottles each. If you feel you can't outrun something, drink one."
"But—"
Sakura still hesitated. If he pulled too many monsters, even he might not escape. Most of his members were Level 1. He had to consider worst-case scenarios.
"Then I'll add thirty thousand valis as commission pay," Lin Dong said, holding up three fingers.
"This isn't about money."
"Fifty thousand."
"Lin Dong, I—"
"One hundred thousand."
"…Stop. I'll do it!"
Sincerity could move mountains—especially when sincerity was spelled with money.
"Pleasure doing business."
Lin Dong relaxed his clenched fist.
Thank goodness for Lili's "sponsorship." Otherwise he couldn't have thrown around this kind of cash.
He pretended not to see Lili clutching her flat chest with a pained expression.
Lin Dong gathered everyone and laid out positions.
He chose this cavern for a reason.
It had three connecting tunnels.
One behind them was the route they came through—their backline.
The other two were opposite, less than five meters apart.
"Sakura and Mikoto will each lead a team," Lin Dong said. "Take the bait and pull monsters from those two tunnels."
"When you bring them back, Sakura and Mikoto stay with me to fight. The Level 1s fall back to our entry tunnel and provide ranged support."
"We'll hold the front. Your job is to watch the back. If monsters appear from behind, report immediately."
Lili raised her hand. "Captain Lin Dong—what if the rear tunnel spawns too many monsters?"
Monsters didn't spawn in fixed spots. The rear tunnel was their escape route. If they got pinched from both sides, it would be lethal.
"Don't worry. I prepared a trump card."
Lin Dong pulled out five short swords radiating magic and handed them to Lili.
"If a big group shows up behind us and Sakura and Mikoto can't break away—use these and wipe them."
"…Magic swords? Five of them?!" Mikoto gasped.
Sakura nodded slowly. "With those, it's definitely safer."
Magic swords didn't care about an adventurer's level or magic. Activate them, and they unleash strong spells.
With enough magic swords, even dozens—or hundreds—of monsters could be erased instantly.
But Lili, who had asked the question, fell silent.
She stared at the magic swords for a few seconds, then looked up.
"Captain Lin Dong… when we reached Babel Tower you left for a bit. Don't tell me…"
"Yep," Lin Dong said. "I went to buy magic swords."
"…."
Lili's soul left her body.
Magic swords usually cost anywhere from several hundred thousand to a million valis. Five swords meant two to three million at minimum.
Then there were Lightfeather potions.
Then there was hiring Takemikazuchi Familia to pull mobs.
Her years of savings were being shaved down in real time.
"There's still a little money left," Lin Dong said, giving her a thumbs-up as if that helped. "I have a friend in Hephaestus Familia. I got a discount."
"The remaining money is enough to hire Takemikazuchi Familia through next week."
"Lili isn't worried about that…," she said weakly.
"Food is covered too. I stocked ingredients. We won't have problems until next week."
"Why is 'next week' your unit of measurement?" Mikoto couldn't help asking.
"Because next week I'm doing a big deal," Lin Dong said. "Once it's done, money won't be an issue."
"Need help?" Sakura asked immediately.
After seeing how generously Lin Dong paid, Sakura was eager for another job. One good payday and Takemikazuchi Familia could take a real break.
But Lin Dong shook his head.
"Next week doesn't involve you."
Sakura sighed. "Alright."
"Take the bait. Go work."
Lin Dong handed the box to Sakura, then quietly backed away—creating distance.
To save money, Lin Dong had studied commercial bait and made his own.
Because it was homemade, he "seasoned" it aggressively.
The effect was stronger than store-bought.
So was the smell.
The moment Sakura opened the lid—
"BLEGH—!!"
A stench beyond language slammed into his face.
Members who were about to reach in recoiled, faces twisting in agony.
"L-Lin Dong… you sure this is bait—BLEGH?!"
"It's bait," Lin Dong confirmed, backing up again until he was practically pressed to the wall.
Sakura's stomach lurched. He threw the box onto the ground and staggered back too.
The air filled with something like overheated, weaponized sewage.
People started gagging immediately. The cavern's atmosphere turned into a chorus of retching.
Takemikazuchi Familia members looked at Sakura with pleading eyes.
As captain, Sakura understood exactly what that look meant.
Clamping down on his rising nausea, he approached Lin Dong.
"L-Lin Dong… can I cancel the commission?"
"You can," Lin Dong said. "But if you cancel, we don't work together anymore."
"…!"
Then Lin Dong straightened up—somehow now wearing a gas mask—and began an impassioned speech.
"Sakura! Everyone!"
"Remember your original purpose! Why did you and Takemikazuchi-sama come to Orario?!"
"To make money and send it home so your younger brothers and sisters don't go hungry!"
He tossed a money pouch onto the ground with a heavy thunk.
"It's just a little smell! Compared to your original purpose, it's nothing!"
"Come! Let me see your resolve!"
Sakura's eye twitched.
You absolute menace.
He took a deep breath, picked up the money pouch, and turned.
"Everyone. Come with me. Get the bait."
"Captain! No!"
"Captain, what are you doing?!"
"Sakura, my stomach suddenly—"
"No one runs!"
Sakura grabbed Mikoto with a grin that looked outright feral.
"Mikoto! Did you forget our oath?!"
"…Not born the same day… but we die the same day."
"Exactly! Now is the time to fulfill it! With me!"
If Sakura had to touch that "bait," nobody was escaping.
Dragging his struggling companion, Sakura marched back to the box and bent down—
Then pulled out a slab of raw meat smeared in sickly yellow seasoning.
"Mikoto—BLEGH—your turn!"
Whether because he was adapting or because his soul had left his body, Sakura handled it slightly better this time.
Under his brutal leadership, every member stepped forward and took a piece.
The gagging intensified. The stench thickened.
Watching the suffering, Lili retreated to the wall.
"C-Captain Lin Dong… Lili doesn't need to touch that stuff, right?"
"Nope."
"Oh thank gods…"
Misery was relative. Seeing Takemikazuchi Familia's agony improved Lili's mood instantly.
Fine. Consider it paying for safety. At least she didn't have to touch something ten times worse than the worst filth imaginable.
"We're moving," Sakura said.
Soon, Takemikazuchi Familia split into two teams and entered the two tunnels.
Sakura and Mikoto—both Level 2—led the front, faces eerily calm.
After adapting to the smell, they entered a strange "sage state," their minds tranquil beyond reason.
Without speaking, they seemed to understand their mission perfectly—and smeared the scent through every corner of both tunnels.
The bait worked fast.
Seven horn rabbits burst from the tunnel.
"Monsters—fall back!"
Sakura raised his shield, blocking the first charge. The Level 1s retreated while holding the bait, sprinting back to the cavern.
Sakura followed, ensuring the horn rabbits couldn't clip his teammates.
Meanwhile, Mikoto's team had already returned earlier, and the cavern was full of monsters.
Four hard-shell rats curled into balls and ricocheted like cannonballs.
Five hellhounds lurked at the edge, sparks on their jaws, charging flame.
With Sakura's team arriving, the horn rabbits joined the chaos, and the cavern descended into madness.
"Don't panic—I'm here!"
Lin Dong leapt forward.
Thunder Breathing roared at full power. He cut down the hard-shell rats blocking the path—one after another—opening the route.
The Level 1s fell back safely.
Sakura and Mikoto stayed—per plan.
With Lin Dong as the spearpoint, the three of them tore through the first wave and cleared the room.
"Again," Lin Dong ordered.
And under his command, Takemikazuchi Familia set off to pull the next wave.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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