The air in the passage instantly froze. Only the faint dripping sound of water from deep within the Dungeon could be heard.
Hongxu narrowed her yellow eyes. Their color slowly began shifting toward red.
Her hand tightened around the long handle of the axe resting by her feet.
“Looking for death!”
Chenxi calmly raised a hand and blocked her slightly.
The violent aura around her was immediately forced back down.
Hongxu looked at him as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only snorted heavily. With a stiff expression, she stepped half a step back.
She moved to stand slightly behind Chenxi’s side, her gaze sweeping the enemy viciously.
Her lips were tightly pressed together. She did not say a word.
In front of strangers, she chose silence and obedience, leaving everything to Chenxi.
Chenxi stared at the opposing group.
Mercenaries who had come to the town. If he remembered correctly… that man’s name should be Reis.
“Let me ask something. Do you happen to have the nickname Black Shark?”
Reis froze for a moment. “What?”
“Then it seems you do not. What a pity.”
Reis was briefly confused by Chenxi’s strange remark, but he quickly recovered.
Better finish the business first.
“Looks like we are quite lucky today, running into fellow adventurers just as they finish their harvest.”
He smiled and took a step forward.
“Someone with your strength surely knows who we are. My name is Reis, leader of the ‘Bedrock’ Adventurer Party.”
Chenxi remained expressionless.
Seeing that Chenxi did not respond, Reis’s smile deepened slightly.
“I will speak frankly. Those Bone-Eroding Venom Spider eggs are valuable goods. We came all the way down to the seventh floor. It would be rather unlucky to return empty-handed, would it not?”
He took another small step forward. His hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword while his body leaned forward slightly, forming a subtle pressure.
“So here is my proposal, brother. You and your… Oni companion seem like straightforward people. We are not greedy, and we do not want things to turn ugly.”
He paused, locking his gaze onto Chenxi’s eyes.
“Leave half. You keep half. We take half. Then you go your way, we go ours, and it will be as if we never met. What do you say?”
Originally, their plan had been to kill Chenxi and Hongxu right here. That way everything would belong to them.
But he had changed his mind.
If a fight could be avoided… it would be better to avoid it.
The opponent’s strength was not insignificant.
The tall archer maintained his drawn bow the entire time. A faint green glow flowed along the arrow.
The girl in the mage robe looked hesitant.
Meanwhile, the burly man holding the spiked mace stepped forward slightly.
Reis waited for Chenxi’s answer.
His demand lay somewhere between excessive and reasonable.
They could secure sufficient profit while still leaving a chance to avoid conflict.
If possible, he would even ask for less—but he could not.
Otherwise, the mission would fail.
“Half? Go to hell! I will tear you apart!”
“Come back.”
Chenxi finally spoke.
Hongxu glared at Chenxi, still wearing that calm expression.
Boss would not actually agree, would he?
That would be far too cowardly!
The Oni race could not accept that…
…Well, it was the Boss. He must have his own plan.
Yes! That must be it!
Chenxi had absolutely no idea that Hongxu was frantically rationalizing everything in her mind.
“Alright.”
Chenxi’s voice remained calm.
“We are all here to make money. There is no need to fight to the death.”
Reis’s smile instantly became more genuine, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
He laughed loudly and removed his hand from the sword hilt.
“Excellent! I like dealing with smart people! Saves both trouble and effort!”
He gave Chenxi a thumbs-up.
“You understand the situation well. So, to show sincerity—and to reassure everyone…”
He pointed toward Chenxi’s backpack.
“Please remove the egg bags and place them on the ground. Then slowly step back and exit the passage. We will send one person to collect them. Do not worry. We will keep our word—only half, not a single egg more.”
As he spoke, he signaled subtly to the archer and the mace-wielding man behind him.
The archer kept the arrow nocked, though the angle of his aim relaxed slightly. The mace-wielding man stepped half a pace forward again, subtly blocking any sudden charge Chenxi might attempt.
“I see that you look a little pale, brother. And your Oni companion fought quite fiercely just now, did she not? If another fight breaks out, it will benefit no one. Injuries—or even losing your lives here—that would be a terrible loss, would it not? Let us finish this transaction peacefully and return home safely.”
Reis continued applying pressure, reminding Chenxi again and again:
You have just finished a battle.
We are at full strength.
Hongxu stared at Reis’s scarred face, anger swelling in her chest.
Chenxi stopped looking at Reis.
He slowly began moving, following the instructions.
His movements were calm and deliberate, facing Reis and his group the entire time.
He removed several thick leather pouches hanging from the outside of his backpack.
Each one was heavy, the round outlines of spider eggs visible inside.
He bent down and gently placed the pouches onto the rocky ground covered in slime and shattered shells.
“Lina, go collect them.”
The female mage slowly stepped down from the raised rock platform and walked toward Chenxi.
“If you are injured or exhausted, do not let Reis notice. Reis only chose negotiation because he realized how strong you are. Maintain your current demeanor. Do not show even the slightest weakness. If you want to live.”
Chenxi’s pupils shrank slightly as he looked at the girl before him.
Her eyes were dull, lacking any sparkle.
“Let us go.”
Chenxi spoke softly to Hongxu.
Hongxu forced the words out through clenched teeth.
“Boss…”
She was unwilling. Extremely unwilling.
But Chenxi had already begun stepping backward toward the tunnel exit, retreating step by step while facing them.
Hongxu stomped her foot in frustration, crushing the stones beneath it.
She shot Reis one final murderous glare before retreating with Chenxi, gripping her enormous double-bladed axe tightly.
Her eyes never left the archer’s fingers or the restless mace-wielding man.
Reis watched them withdraw, his smile never fading.
But his eyes were dark.
Only after the two figures disappeared from the passage filled with spiderwebs and battle marks did Reis finally relax.
They were no sheep.
He had simply seized a favorable moment.
He tightened his grip on his staff, the joints of his fingers turning white.
As long as they waited patiently… an opportunity would eventually appear.
…
“I am furious! Boss, are we really just leaving like this?!”
Hongxu glared at Chenxi angrily.
Then…
She saw him take out the M24.
A savage glint appeared in Chenxi’s eyes.
“Kid, you had better have a storage box to put those things into. And you had better be able to resurrect like that Reis fellow. Otherwise…”
A smile spread across his face.
“I retreated only to find a safe shooting distance. What about you?”
Hongxu’s expression instantly turned excited.
“That is more like it, Boss!”
【Mission Issued: Surprise—SSR!】
Surprise—SSR!: A recruitable SSR character has been discovered. Recruit the character.
Reward: Third Character Slot Unlocked, Exclusive White-Grade Growth Weapon for That Character
Chenxi looked at the image of the girl displayed by the system.
Mm.
Now he had no choice but to go back.