Chapter 9: Human Nature Cannot Be Spoken Of

Inside the Lin family villa.

Several young people stood stiffly in place, clearly stunned by the opulence of the estate.

Lin Tianhao strode ahead, while Su Wan walked closely behind, holding Lin Mo’s arm.

“Hahaha, welcome, welcome! Don’t be formal—treat this like your own home!”

Lin Tianhao’s booming laugh broke the silence.

Leading the group was a young girl dressed in a light blue mage’s robe.

Her long hair flowed like a waterfall, her skin whiter than snow, her features delicate as a porcelain doll—but her eyes radiated a cold detachment that kept others at arm’s length.

Behind her followed two boys and one girl.

A tall, slender boy with a longbow on his back, a broad-shouldered giant bearing a massive shield, and a timid little priestess with twin pigtails.

“Hello, Uncle Lin, Aunt Su.”

The cold-eyed girl gave a slight nod and greeted them politely.

“Oh my, this must be the Xia family’s daughter?”

Su Wan released Lin Mo and stepped forward with a gentle, maternal smile, taking the girl’s hand:

“You’ve grown so beautiful! Your father told me you’ve awakened an A-rank Water affinity mage? That’s wonderful.”

“Auntie, you flatter me.”

The girl replied with calm composure.

Lin Tianhao waved his hand and introduced Lin Mo:

“Mo’er, come meet them. This is Xia Qingyue, team leader and a powerful Water Mage.”

Xia Qingyue extended a pale hand, her voice crisp: “Hello, Lin Mo.”

“Hello, Miss Xia, the campus queen.”

Lin Mo reached out and shook her hand politely.

Though they had no prior connection, Lin Mo had heard her name countless times.

The aloof campus beauty from the neighboring high school—rumor had it her suitors could stretch from the southern city limits to the northern ones, the dream of countless teenage boys.

But Lin Mo felt no stir within him.

He never pursued such cold, distant types—they were too exhausting.

Today was just about teaming up for a dungeon run.

Xia Qingyue noticed Lin Mo’s gaze was clear, not leering like other boys’, and felt a faint flicker of approval.

She turned slightly and began introducing her teammates:

“Since we’re teamed up, let me introduce the others.”

“This is Wang Meng, frontline shield warrior, high defense, handles tanking damage.”

“That’s Zhang Kai, ranger, specializes in ranged physical damage.”

“And Liu Weiwei, Holy Priestess, handles healing and buffs.”

“All four of us are currently Level 4, well-equipped, and highly coordinated—we shouldn’t have trouble clearing this dungeon.”

Hearing this, Lin Tianhao smiled and added:

“Mo’er, don’t worry.”

“Their fathers are all old subordinates of mine in the military—I know their backgrounds inside and out.”

“They’ve undergone formal military-style combat training since childhood. Though they’ve just been reclassified, their combat discipline and awareness far surpass ordinary students.”

“Understood, Dad.” Lin Mo turned and gave the four a polite nod. “Thanks for your help.”

At that moment,

Footsteps echoed from the side hall.

“Young Master, the gear has been brought.”

Ye Hongyu stepped out, carrying a pile of gear emitting a faint orange glow.

Simultaneously,

The four youths stared, wide-eyed.

“Is… is that the legendary ‘Ziyun Set’? The divine gear for Level 5 and below mages?”

Zhang Kai, the archer, involuntarily swallowed hard.

Even Xia Qingyue, usually expressionless, flickered with surprise in her eyes.

Is this the true depth of a top-tier aristocratic family?

In this world, gear is ranked: [Bronze], [Silver], [Gold], [Diamond], [Legendary], [Mythical]…

To hand a brand-new, two-day-old white-level mage a Legendary set as transitional gear?

It was… sheer waste!

Lin Mo felt nothing. Under Ye Hongyu’s attentive service, he stood like a helpless invalid, letting her dress him in the gear.

“Hmm, fits well. Thanks, Sister Ye.”

Lin Mo moved his arms—the shimmering, radiant mage robe dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished into his body, his outer appearance reverting to his casual clothes.

This was a special feature all gear in this world possessed.

Unless in combat or manually activated, gear automatically concealed its appearance during daily life, causing zero interference.

Lin Mo eagerly opened his panel and scanned the Ziyun Set’s stats—his breath hitched.

Too brutal.

The gear had no flashy modifiers—its entire design screamed one thing: cooldown reduction.

Robe: -10%, Boots: -10%, Necklace: -15%… plus the set bonus.

Total cooldown reduction: 60%!

What did that mean?

The [Fireball] spell, originally on a 3-second cooldown, now exploded every 1.2 seconds.

The [Multiple Exploding Fireballs], previously requiring a 15-second cooldown, now fired every 6 seconds!

No wonder it was top-tier gear—so good.

Zhang Kai and Wang Meng exchanged glances from afar, their hearts aching with envy.

Is this what it means to be born lucky?

They were born in Rome, and now this gear was on a white-level mage—what good was it besides looking pretty?

Every subtle expression changed, every flicker of emotion, escaped Lin Tianhao’s eyes.

A war god forged in mountains of blood and corpses, he understood human nature with razor-sharp clarity.

He saw Zhang Kai’s jealousy, Wang Meng’s envy, and their hidden contempt for Lin Mo.

Lin Tianhao’s smile faded slightly, his eyes glinting with cold steel.

He pulled Lin Mo aside, lowering his voice to an unprecedented seriousness:

“Son, remember this.”

“This dungeon scroll was provided by our family, and we paid them well—you’re the boss, they’re the employees!”

Lin Tianhao placed his large hand on Lin Mo’s shoulder, speaking with grave weight:

“Mo’er, understand this: whether outside the city or in a dungeon, this world is a blood-soaked arena where people die.”

“Human nature cannot withstand testing. In extreme danger, instinct drives a person to save themselves first—even… to harbor dangerous thoughts toward you because of this gear.”

Saying this, Lin Tianhao glanced back at the four youths, his voice rising slightly:

“If anyone in the dungeon dares to boss you around or sneer at you, make you feel slighted… come tell Dad! I’ll rip their mouths apart!”

Though these four were children of his old subordinates, human nature was unpredictable, unmeasurable, unverifiable.

Only by making them fear Lin Tianhao more than they feared monsters could Lin Mo be truly safe.

“Understood, Dad.”

Lin Mo couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

It felt like a gangster movie.

Then Lin Tianhao turned to Ye Hongyu:

“Hongyu, after you deliver them to the dungeon entrance, wait outside. If they show any disrespect toward Mo’er on the way, handle them as you see fit.”

“Understood.”

Ye Hongyu’s eyes flashed with icy light as she swept a chilling gaze over Zhang Kai and the others.

“….”

Zhang Kai and Wang Meng felt a chill crawl down their necks.

Even Xia Qingyue’s expression hardened.

“Alright, Sister Ye, don’t scare them.”

Lin Mo waved his hand and walked ahead. “Let’s go, everyone. Don’t waste time.”

“Oh, yes, Young Master Lin!”

Zhang Kai and Wang Meng immediately darted to follow behind Lin Mo, acting like two devoted lackeys.

Lin Mo walked at the front, leading them toward the villa gate.

On either side of the villa, the rows of maids who had been waiting suddenly bowed in perfect unison to ninety degrees.

“Young Master, take care! Young Master, stay safe! May Young Master triumph!”

Their synchronized chorus startled the four youths.

Is this what a wealthy family is like...

This display...

It’s fucking terrifying!