Chapter 32: One's Own Actions

It rained heavily the day after Iz and the others left.

Lu Cang lay in bed for an entire day.

This was the first time he had been so decadent since arriving in this world.

No reading, no practicing spells... just lying there doing nothing.

No one saw him.

And no one knew what he had been thinking about all day.

The next morning, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.

Lu Cang bought a copy of *The World Shocker* from a street vendor who sold news.

*Shocking Event: The Seventh-Tier Dungeon—God-Burial Monument Valley—The Conquest Expedition Officially Begins Operations!*

*God-Burial Monument Valley, discovered last November, has had its seal lifted today. The conquest begins!*

...

Was God-Burial Monument Valley really that famous?

They were actually going to conquer a seventh-tier dungeon.

After lying in bed all day yesterday, Lu Cang had come to terms with things.

Since Iz and the others were going to conquer a dungeon, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing.

In this world where extraordinary powers existed, strength was the ultimate guarantee; continuing to explore the world was an inevitable path he could not avoid.

The next day, he went to the Adventurers' Guild.

"Yo! Little Lu Cang!"

"Haven't seen you here in a long time, Little Lu Cang!"

"Little Lu Cang, want a drink?"

These adventurers still greeted him warmly.

Lu Cang felt the emptiness in his heart fill up slightly; it was a sign that he had somewhat integrated into this world.

He declined their invitations to drink with an awkward smile.

"Shili."

He seemed to have grown a little taller over the past few days; now, standing on his tiptoes, he could barely reach the counter.

"I want to post a commission."

Shili looked down at the "little" Lu Cang behind the counter.

"Post a commission?"

...

Soon, Lu Cang's commission was posted on the bulletin board.

[Protection Commission—Seeking for different party roles: Healer, Defender, Gatherer. To protect the exploration of a second-tier dungeon. Reward: 20 Silver per dungeon.]

[Additional Requirement: The Defender must master the combat skill—Damage Sharing.]

The effectiveness of the commission was much better than expected.

Lu Cang sat in the Adventurers' Guild reading a book while waiting, and before long, several adventurers approached him.

"Little Lu Cang, right?"

"I'm a Level 2 Healer, Kidi."

"I saw the commission you posted."

Lu Cang looked at the girl beside him, who appeared to be about 18 years old. She had black hair tied in a dangerous ponytail, a few freckles on her face, and her looks were average.

Lu Cang closed his book and asked, "What kind of injuries can you heal?"

The child before him possessed a sense of composure that didn't match his age.

Kidi couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

But she quickly replied, "I can temporarily alleviate the effects of serious injuries, block pain for a short time, and weaken the impact of wounds during combat. Light to moderate injuries require one day for full recovery, but I can provide emergency treatment for serious wounds to bring them to a non-life-threatening level."

So it was mainly about mitigating the impact of injuries during combat.

However, the most dangerous moments often occurred during battle; ensuring one could finish the fight was the most critical factor.

Subsequent injuries could be treated slowly if there was an opportunity.

Lu Cang nodded. "Alright, it's you."

Not everyone was a Kumironi; Lu Cang already had an understanding of the standard for a Level 2 Healer.

Soon, a Defender was also recruited—a fat man wearing plate armor who looked... very meaty. Just as Lu Cang required, he knew "Damage Sharing," a skill that would allow some of the damage Lu Cang took to be distributed onto him.

The last to arrive was a Warrior-Gatherer.

A Level 2 Warrior and a Level 2 Gatherer.

However, he only asked for a single share of the pay, which was an unexpected bonus.

Since he didn't ask for extra, Lu Cang naturally didn't mind his additional Level 2 Warrior class.

Lu Cang walked up to the counter.

"Shili, I want to find a second-tier dungeon commission."

Shili: "Hmm..."

"It's the Harvest Month, so everyone's enthusiasm for taking missions is very high."

"There aren't many second-tier dungeon commissions left."

As she spoke, Shili pushed two mission slips toward him.

One was [Serpent Forest].

The other was [Strange Spider Cavern].

Looking at the detailed descriptions of the two commissions...

Lu Cang chose [Serpent Forest].

"This one, Serpent Forest... it'll be troublesome."

Shili took Lu Cang's commission and stamped it.

When handing the slip back to Lu Cang, she couldn't help but say worriedly, "Little Lu Cang, don't worry too much about Iz and the others. They are very strong; they will come back."

Lu Cang looked up at Shili, and she gave him a warm smile.

Lu Cang also smiled. "Thank you."

Taking the commission, Lu Cang waved to his newly recruited teammates.

"The commission is accepted. Let's head out."

...

On the Dragon-Rhino carriage.

This Dragon-Rhino had been brought back by Chicheng two days ago, claiming it was for his mount.

It even came equipped with a carriage.

He had been truly happy the day he received his mount.

Who wouldn't want a cool mount?

This also caused Lu Cang's evaluation of Chicheng to rise slightly; his impression was no longer just that of a bastard who only knew how to drink to celebrate.

They had decided on the departure schedule long ago, but they only told him right before leaving.

Were they afraid he would make a scene?

True... if it were a normal child, he certainly would have.

Unfortunately, his soul was that of an older man.

Hearing such a reasonable explanation, there was no way for him to be willful. This was the inconvenience of being an adult—you couldn't demand things like a child.

"Um..."

Just as Lu Cang was feeling sentimental, the Warrior-Gatherer in the carriage raised his hand.

Come to think of it, it seemed most Gatherers were Warrior multiclasses.

Lu Cang asked in a youthful voice, "Hmm? What is it?"

"May I ask..."

"You should have the strength to solo a dungeon, so why did you choose to recruit teammates?"

*You?*

Looking at an older man who was likely 20 years older than him, being addressed with such respect felt a bit strange.

Even though his soul was an older man of a similar age to him.

But right now, he was a child.

Lu Cang paused for a moment, then replied with a smile, "Uncle, there's no need to address me so formally. Just call me Lu Cang. I just don't want any accidents. But why do you ask me that?"

Iz had said that being alone in a dungeon was a completely different matter from having teammates.

It's easy to dodge a spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow.

Lu Cang was quite humble toward his temporary teammates; there was nothing wrong with being a child...

After all, a child can become an adult, but an adult can't become a child.

Hearing Lu Cang's answer, the man seemed a bit embarrassed. He scratched his head and gave a dry laugh. "Haha, I just thought that if I had strength as great as yours, Lu Cang, I would definitely choose to solo it."

"To keep all the dungeon loot for myself."

"At most, I'd bring one extra Gatherer."

Lu Cang sized up the warrior in front of him.

He had a face full of stubble and shifty eyes.

His equipment also looked somewhat old and shabby.

"Is that so? But I don't like risks. I'd rather have a few people to protect me."

It seemed he was quite famous.

In Rain Town, he was already considered the type of adventurer who was "very capable."

Even though no battles had been seen, the man defaulted to assuming Lu Cang had the strength to solo a dungeon.

Perhaps it was because of the reputation Chicheng had built for him during the celebration banquet.

"Then, why did you brothers and sisters choose to join my team?"

"It's the Harvest Month, so a reward of 20 silver is clearly lower than the normal earnings, right?" Lu Cang asked curiously in his innocent child's voice.

He appeared completely harmless.

Come to think of it, he rarely communicated with anyone other than Iz.

He would take this opportunity to interact more with the locals, making it easier to gain a deeper understanding of the world.

After all, knowledge from books is always superficial.

"Because... it's safe," said the Healer, clutching her wooden staff.

"Safe?"

"Because your strength is very high. I think it's safe to follow you."

Oh... so that was the reason.

Indeed, compared to risking one's life to explore a dungeon, following a powerhouse for a fixed reward of 20 silver was not a bad choice.

The fat man beside her also spoke up: "I... I feel the same way as her."

The older man nearby also nodded in agreement.

Oh~

So, even though they said they would solo a dungeon if they had the strength, they actually chose to follow a powerhouse for a fixed salary?

Their words and their actual behavior were completely different...

Was this the norm for adventurers?

Lu Cang noted these things in his heart.

The dungeon was not far away.

The Dragon-Rhino was indeed very fast; after all, it was a mount hand-picked by Iz and Palut. No accidents occurred during the journey.

They traveled on main roads, and the wilderness around Rain Town had been cleaned quite thoroughly; monster nests had basically all been cleared.

In less than half an hour, they had arrived at their destination.

A dark and ancient forest.

(End of Chapter)