Phong carried Emma into the inner part of Camp Stymphalian carefully.
She was lighter than he expected.
The Bonktato strike had left deep bruising across her torso, and even unconscious she winced faintly whenever her body shifted.
The impact from a Bonktato vine wasn't just blunt force... it carried the weight and kinetic shock of a battering ram.
If Phong had let the Carrocket explode on top of that…
He didn't finish the thought.
The wooden house at the center of the camp had long ago become a sort of field clinic, storage room, and meeting hall all in one. Phong laid Emma down on a wooden bench covered with folded blankets.
Rico climbed onto the table immediately.
"…wow."
He poked the air above Emma's face like he was checking if she was a hologram.
"Farmer."
"What."
"This is weird."
Phong didn't look up from preparing the medicine.
"Which part."
"The part where the girl who helped assassins warn you about assassins is now unconscious in your house because the assassins tried to assassinate you again."
Phong sighed. Half because he hated how much the raccoon was right. Half because of how Rico spammed the word assassin like a kid learning a new big word.
"Fair."
Emma had fainted during the last seconds of their conversation.
The Bonktato blow had probably cracked a rib or two. Even if she was strong enough to survive it, the shock alone could knock someone unconscious.
Phong prepared a handful of Sympathy Enoki.
He ground them with a small stone bowl.
The paste glowed faintly.
Then he paused.
"…Rico."
The raccoon raised an eyebrow, trying his best to get out of this situation.
"Rico is not here."
Phong ignored his attempt of feinting innocence.
"You apply it."
Rico blinked.
"…why."
Phong didn't look away from the bowl.
"Because I have a girlfriend."
Rico stared at him.
"…you're kidding."
"No."
"You're saving someone's life."
"Yes."
"And you're worried about cheating."
"If you are not here, then I'll do it. But since you are..."
Rico rubbed his face.
"I live with celibate human cub."
Phong didn't question how the raccoon had picked up what like celibate and how that word was misused.
Still, Rico hopped up onto the bench and began carefully spreading the glowing mushroom paste across Emma's bruised torso and ribs.
The effect was almost immediate.
The swelling slowed.
Her breathing stabilized.
Color slowly returned to her face.
Rico leaned back.
"I demand caffeine compensation."
He wiped his paws on a rag.
"She's going to live."
Phong stepped outside again.
But before returning to the scorched land, he stopped.
There was still a problem.
Josh.
If he reached the surface…
If he talked…
Camp Stymphalian would become the most valuable acquisition in the entire dungeon.
Corporations.
Guilds.
Governments.
Everyone would come.
Technology.
Drones.
Survey equipment.
Mining teams.
Armies of divers.
Phong and everything he had built would then be used as another gear to strengthen a system that let greedy men, powerful men took away his voice and his family. And it would happen whether he liked it or not.
Unless he did something about it.
And he had a plan. But he must do it quickly.
Phong pulled up his status menu.
The request from Sky Emperor still existed.
The one belonging to the entity he had started calling…
The Sky Emperor.
Phong hesitated a moment.
Then wrote.
And hoped that the Sky Emperor's message system didn't have a spam folder.
Message Sent...
"Hey. Uh… I know you already helped me with Em's issue in exchange for fixing the scorched land."
A pause.
Phong scratched his head.
He wasn't exactly used to messaging ancient cosmic dragons.
Then he continued.
"But I might need another favor."
He added quickly:
"It would benefit you too."
Another moment passed.
Then he explained everything.
Josh seeing the camp.
The risk of exposure.
The possibility of human forces descending en masse.
The disruption to the ecosystem. The destabilization of an entire dungeon floor.
Then he wrote the request.
"If possible, could you hide this place from flying camera drones?"
"Divers themselves won't be able to reach here easily. The Greencap cavalry, treants, trolls, lizardmen, and the black ant to some extend would stop them."
"But fly-cams are different."
He finished simply.
"So if you could mess with their recordings somehow, that would help."
Phong waited.
Three seconds passed.
Then the reply came.
"Understood."
Another line appeared.
"Simple."
Then:
"Any device attempting aerial observation will record incorrect terrain."
Phong blinked.
"…that was fast."
The message continued.
"Continue repairing the land."
Then the chat window closed on it own.
Just like that.
The most powerful being on Floor 1 had casually installed a drone-proof camouflage system over Camp Stymphalian.
Phong exhaled slowly.
"Well… that's a relief."
Back inside the house, Rico sat in a chair with his feet up on the table.
Emma still lay unconscious.
The raccoon leaned closer to her face.
"You know."
He whispered conspiratorially.
"You owe us."
No response.
"Big time."
Still nothing.
"Like… lifetime supply of coffee level of debt."
Emma remained unconscious.
Rico shrugged.
"Well, I tried."
Outside again, Phong returned to work.
The scorched land still waited.
The ground had cooled, but it remained sterile and lifeless.
Moletatoes continued their underground work, breaking up hardened soil.
Phong planted another row carefully.
Even after everything that had just happened, he didn't slow down.
If he asked favors from dragons…
He wasn't going to slack off on his part of the deal.
The farm tools moved steadily.
Soil turned.
Seeds planted.
Life returned little by little.
Not far away, the Sky Emperor watched.
A small green lizard sat quietly on a rock overlooking the field.
The dragon's disguise blended perfectly with the surrounding foliage.
The farmer worked without complaining.
Without fear.
Even after nearly being exposed.
Even after facing one of his greatest enemies.
The dragon's tail flicked slightly.
"…interesting."
He knew that lv1 farmer didn't trust him fully.
What Phong trust was the dragon motivation. A bet placed on the fact that the Azure Dragon - the Pillar of Order - would act in a way that maintain the dungeon's order. And that level 1 farmer had used this knowledge to his advantage.
Meanwhile…
A tiny red-gold chick hopped across the farm fence.
Little Fireball chirped excitedly.
She had watched the entire confrontation.
To her…
This had been the most entertaining drama episode yet.
Betrayal.
Rage.
Sacrifice.
The villain escaping.
The hero saving someone who didn't deserve it.
She chirped happily.
In her mind, this had been the perfect K-drama betrayal arc.
And she couldn't wait to see what happened in the next episode.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Phong finally had a moment to breathe, he wiped the dirt from his hands and pulled out his phone.
The farm had calmed again. The plants had returned to their usual watchful silence. Emma was still unconscious inside the farmhouse under Rico's extremely questionable but technically successful medical supervision.
Only then did Phong open the group chat.
He typed quickly.
"Josh came to the camp."
The replies exploded almost instantly.
Dominic:
"WHAT."
Janet:
"Explain."
Jake:
"Wait wait wait HOLD ON."
Alex:
"Are you hurt?"
Phong smiled faintly at that last one.
He typed again.
"I'm fine."
Then he explained everything.
Josh and Emma teleporting through the dungeon.
The accidental blink directly into the chili perimeter.
The confrontation.
Josh bragging about beating Alex.
The plants going berserk.
Emma being used as a shield.
Josh escaping.
And finally—
The message to the Sky Emperor.
When he finished, the chat went silent for a few seconds.
Then Alex replied.
"Wait."
"How did you know about our fight with Josh?"
Phong blinked.
Then typed.
"He bragged about it."
Another pause.
Then Dominic typed:
"Classic Josh."
Alex wrote again.
"He didn't beat me."
Phong replied instantly.
"Should have known you still had the strawberry."
Then he added:
"You okay?"
The answer came almost immediately.
"Yes."
He could almost hear her voice through the screen.
Relieved.
But still tense.
After a moment Alex sent another message.
"We're coming back."
Dominic added:
"Yeah."
"If Josh found the camp we need to secure it."
Alex continued.
"We'll go back to Floor 1 and get you. We move everything. The defense. The plants. All of it... to floor 2 and hide there for a while. Let them find a lone tree stood between Lake Baratok and troll moutain."
Phong shook his head even before typing.
"No."
Several typing bubbles appeared at once.
Alex:
"What do you mean no?"
Phong replied calmly.
"I promised the dragon I'd fix the scorched land."
"And Emma's injured."
"She needs someone watching her."
Another pause.
Alex's next message came slower.
"…Emma is still there?"
Phong winced slightly.
"Yes."
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally she wrote:
"So you're living alone with Emma Tannenbaum right now."
Phong rubbed his forehead.
"She's unconscious."
No reply.
The silence in the chat lasted long enough that Dominic finally typed:
"Oh boy."
"Rico is here."
"Great. That's even worse."
Then—
Rico's head popped into the frame beside Phong.
"Gimme that."
Before Phong could stop him, the raccoon grabbed the phone.
His message appeared in the chat.
"Farmer refuse touch Emma even to apply medicine."
"Rico had to do it."
Another message immediately followed.
"Peak beta behavior."
Phong groaned.
"Give that back."
The raccoon added one more message before handing the phone back.
"Human romance logic confusing."
"Raccoon logic superior."
Jake responded with a row of laughing emojis.
Dominic typed:
"I can now officially say Phong is the most loyal idiot alive."
Alex's next message came a few seconds later.
"…good."
Then:
"Still jealous though."
Phong blinked, finally realized how sus he sound earlier.
The next morning began normally.
For about ten minutes.
Then Phong's phone exploded.
Notifications flooded the screen.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Messages from:
High school friends.
College acquaintances.
News reporters.
Corporate numbers.
Unknown contacts.
Even the Vogel bakery family sent him a SMS asking if he's alright.
He opened the news first.
The headline appeared immediately.
"DIVER CLAIMS DISCOVERY OF SECRET DUNGEON FARM."
Josh had reached the surface.
And he had talked.
Apparently he had stormed straight into the nearest guild office and started ranting about a hidden farm.
A fortified camp.
An entire ecosystem of resources.
Camp Stymphalian.
The elites had listened.
At first.
But then the drones went out.
And the footage came back showing…
Nothing.
Just empty ruins.
Satellite drones.
Recon drones.
Survey drones.
All recorded the same thing.
A barren stretch of land between two known landmarks:
Lake of Doom
and
Death Peak
The footage showed broken stone.
Dead ground.
No farm.
No plants.
No structures.
No camp.
Josh looked like a lunatic.
But one person didn't dismiss it entirely.
Olen's father.
Not because he believed Josh.
But because he saw an opportunity.
Phong received a call request.
The number was a strange one, unrecognizable, caller appeared to be in Silicon Valley.
Phong answered cautiously.
A calm, professional voice greeted him.
"Mr. Phong."
"We represent the interests of Mr. Ellison."
Olen last name was Ellison.
This alerted him.
Either the bastard or his son was trying to approach him directly now.
Phong said nothing.
The man continued smoothly.
"We understand you may possess information regarding a location referred to as 'Camp Stymphalian.'"
Phong leaned against the farmhouse wall.
"…do you?"
The man's tone remained polite.
"Our employer believes Mr. Josh's claims may hold some truth."
He paused.
"However."
"If such a place exists, it would surely attract enormous attention."
"Government interest."
"Corporate acquisition."
"Guild intervention."
A subtle threat.
"You understand this, do you? I believed there was a saying in your country that go like this: the utmost crime of a commoner is possessing a valuable jewel."
Phong did.
The man continued.
"Mr. Ellison is prepared to offer a generous arrangement."
"If you provide the truth directly, and exclusively to us."
"We would compensate you appropriately."
"And ensure the safety of you, and people you care about."
Phong almost laughed.
The man finished calmly.
"Otherwise our employer may feel compelled to invest significant resources into discovering the truth himself."
The call ended.
What Phong didn't know…
Was that Olen's father didn't actually believe Josh.
Not really.
He had watched the drone footage.
Listened to the reports.
Every piece of evidence pointed to nothing being there.
The shareholders of his company certainly thought so.
They had already rejected the idea of pouring major resources into chasing what looked like a hallucination from a wounded diver.
But the threat still worked as leverage.
If Phong was hiding something…
Fear might make him reveal it.
And if he wasn't…
Well.
Then nothing was lost.
Olen's father, this Mr. Ellison, had more than enough patience to wait for another chance to try again.
Back in Camp Stymphalian…
Phong put his phone away.
The farm was still quiet.
The plants swayed gently.
Inside the farmhouse Emma slept under the effects of the Sympathy Enoki.
Rico sat beside her eating another soda-flavored candy bar he had found somewhere.
The raccoon looked up.
"So."
"Humans trying to buy the farm now?"
Phong nodded.
"Pretty much."
Rico grinned.
"Good luck to them."
The raccoon gestured toward the forest.
"First they fight big horn goats."
"Then rabbits."
"Then trees."
"Then fish".
"Then vegetables."
"Clearly only someone like transcended Rico can get pass all of that."
Phong tossed the so called "transcended raccoon" a can of soda. Rico was silenced immediately, too busy chucking caffeinated sugary drink to speak.
Phong looked out over the fields.
The garden.
The alliances.
The hidden ecosystem.
Then he picked up his shovel again.
There was one thing the raccoon got right.
"…let them try."