Chapter 113: Underground Journey (Third Chapter, 9,000 Words—Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Steel boots crushed dry mud, while glowing moss overhead faintly marked the path, allowing Li En's Dragon Eyes to gradually adapt to this underground wilderness.

"You might not believe this, but compared to the dark elf cities, I actually find this underground wilderness more comfortable."

Li En stretched his body and swung his longsword casually, slicing a venomous snake hiding in the tree into pieces.

As bloody, stinking snake flesh fell to the ground, Li En frowned at the bark-like skin.

This place was truly not survivable for ordinary people; most underground life was extremely aggressive and had evolved abilities in stealth and perception.

Judging by its triangular head, this was a venomous snake—most creatures here possessed one-strike lethal methods; without Dragon Eyes, I'd probably have been ambushed nonstop.

"I also think it's way more comfortable than the inn. I always feel like the dark elves might sneak in at any moment—it's stressful. I mean, they've arrived, but not in large numbers."

Larry fully agreed with Li En's words but kept advancing steadily, scouting the path.

Li En took position one, watching right; Larry took position two, watching left—their stance followed the standard diagonal guard formation.

In adventuring parties, it was traditional for melee fighters like Holy Knights to lead the front line, usually the strongest knight in front.

Li En had no desire for this honor—he thought Larry's armor was far superior to his own, so Larry should be first tank—but Larry stubbornly insisted on following his senior, and Li En couldn't say it too plainly.

"Whatever. It's about the same anyway—I'll go first so I can use Dragon Eyes to see farther. Damn, another ambush predator in the grass—hope it's smart enough not to jump out."

Larry followed three steps behind Li En, the standard following position, convenient for timely support.

From her performance so far, her basic tactical training was solid; Li En had even learned some tactical maneuvers from her.

Unlike other surface orc warriors who panicked the moment they entered underground, both frontliners in this squad had adapted effortlessly to the environment.

Li En's faintly glowing Dragon Eyes and Larry's spider-sense could easily detect hidden threats—most local creatures' camouflage was useless against them.

Occasionally, a few that fooled both were warned by the "seniors" behind.

But behind them weren't just seniors—they also had a dad.

"Are we there yet?" came the weak, gasping complaint from behind Li En—Salaman's third complaint.

"We've only walked for less than twenty minutes."

Li En sighed—it was Salaman's third complaint.

Is this the legendary stamina of a noble lady? But you've at least undergone one racial evolution—your base stats shouldn't be this low.

"This hellhole—I can't even walk! It's so sticky, so exhausting."

The snake woman stared at her tail, face twisted in disgust.

Snakefolk did have their own "boots"—they often wore scaled tail guards when traveling.

They weren't as nimble as ordinary boots, but in certain situations, they were faster—if Salaman were willing to slither low like a snake, she'd be the fastest.

Her body had internalized the "noble snake woman (launch-step)" posture—this was the true source of her exhaustion.

This gait was designed purely for aesthetics, defying the species' natural physiology; only someone like Salaman would cling to it now.

"I can't take it anymore. I want a carriage."

She seemed mentally drained—this brightest pearl of Huicheng had regressed into childlike whining, likely overwhelmed by the wilderness to the point of surrender.

Since they'd used teleportation magic, not even Larry's giant spider-beast had been brought out—everyone walked on foot except him.

"Giddy-up!" A Kuku rode past on a mechanical dragon—no one knew how he'd assembled it from junk parts in minutes.

The dragon was exquisite, built with classic gearwork design from Li En's memories of mechanical dinosaurs.

Paired with its rider, a mechanical Kusla, it looked like a comically oversized toy set.

But now, this "toy set" was getting boring.

So he made his mount circle Salaman repeatedly, using action to urge her forward.

"I can't walk anymore." This finally broke Salaman completely.

She stopped moving entirely.

Li En sighed—he felt bringing Salaman along had been the worst decision.

"Forget it. I'll handle this." Suddenly, the ever-bouncing Violet Rose spoke up.

She murmured softly, and next moment, a giant serpent materialized on the ground.

It was a serpent with a seat, a sunshade, even a fishing rod and a barbecue stand.

Of course Violet Rose had a mount—she wouldn't walk such a long distance on foot.

Li En felt a pang of envy—he'd heard high-rank Holy Knights could summon divine mounts—but he doubted he'd ever get such a perk; he had no intention of believing in gods.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Salaman grumbled as she struggled to climb onto the serpent, now acting like a spoiled child.

"I…" Violet Rose touched her brow and sighed—she'd only wanted to train her little niece.

What do you do when a child misbehaves? Violet Rose felt her fingers twitching.

But time was tight; delaying the whole team wasn't worth it.

Violet Rose silently watched her niece climb onto her chair and rummage through her drink bag, adding another note to her mental list.

A child being a bit naughty or lazy was normal—especially one without discipline. Very normal. So after returning, as an elder, I'll properly discipline her—with magical girl love!

Violet Rose clenched her fist, recalling how her seniors had shown her "love," and smiled more cheerfully.

She'd previously let Salaman slack off because she hadn't seen her potential—but now, she'd train her as a probationary candidate.

Being chosen by the Hall of Spirits meant her potential was certainly not low—hellish training shouldn't kill her… right?

Violet Rose smiled, secretly scheduling her niece for magical-girl-level hell training.

With this burden gone, the team moved more easily; the other noble lady, Larry's younger sister Xiao Nona, had kept pace the entire time without complaint.

But from the fatigue on her face, she likely wasn't suited for travel in this region either—especially with constant vigilance required, or else—

"Here we go again." Sudden rapid footsteps announced another encounter.

Li En sighed—this underground zone was truly insane; they'd already faced enemies three times in twenty minutes.

But unlike previous monsters, this opponent was surprising.

"Weak." Before the rear spellcasters even moved, Li En slashed twice, severing the lead gray dwarf's weapons.

With the frontline tank down, the rest collapsed—the gray dwarf squad was eliminated in two strikes by the outsiders.

He'd fought gray dwarves before—they were well-equipped and highly experienced on the battlefield. Why were they so weak now?

"You fought professionals before, right? This one's a civilian militia—not even a professional?"

The gray dwarf warriors who struck first were all down—compared to Li En's previous opponents, they were pathetically weak.

And this suggested—

"There should be a gray dwarf village nearby." Their range of activity rarely extended far.

"We must be close to our destination."

Perhaps we could borrow some labor? For the evil force trying to kill him, forcing them to mine and work for a while gave Li En zero guilt.

"No need! I've already reserved laborers! Very reliable."

At that moment, Kuku seemed to have another opinion.

"True, no need to stir up trouble—but gray dwarves are, in a sense, dark elf vassals and enforcers. Wild gray dwarf tribes usually guard something—let's go check."

But one sentence from Violet Rose made Kuku, whose curiosity had been fully piqued, instantly change his mind.

"Let's go! Let's go! Tell Gu Gu to wait! No problem!" Kuku had revealed something.

"Who's Gu Gu?" Li En wanted to ask, but Kuku had already dashed off.

Helplessly, Li En sighed and followed.

If they'd pulled even a street's distance apart, Kusla would've crashed outright; when Kuku reconnected, he'd complain again.

Li En didn't want to stir up trouble—he had no idea what monsters lurked underground.

But this time, stirring up trouble might be the right choice.

"Mind flayers?! How can there be mind flayers here? Are these gray dwarves their slaves?"

In the empty village, an octopus-headed mind flayer was speaking to gray dwarves wearing collars.

Li En hesitated—should he ambush?

"I'll go!"

He saw Kuku charge ahead without hesitation.

This was a mind flayer—a mid-tier boss in countless stories. Are you really sure your tiny frame can handle this?

"Mind flayers mean treasure! They rob—so we rob them!" Fine, you're in a hurry to rob the rich and help the poor.

But since mind flayers only pursue treasure… cough, since evil stands before us, what's a Holy Knight waiting for? Charge!

"Smite Evil!" Li En's sword was always swift.

(End of Chapter)