Chapter 33: Ghost Snake Forest

Dungeons are not truly only underground.

This is common knowledge in this world.

"Gatton, you walk in front of me," Lu Cang commanded.

"Huh?"

"Me?"

The fat man holding the shield froze for a moment.

Lu Cang almost rolled his eyes.

What was this guy talking about?

You are the tank of the party; if you don't walk in front, am I supposed to, the mage, lead the way?

"Yes."

"Oh... alright."

Gatton walked ahead of Lu Cang.

Behind Lu Cang was the healer, Jidi, and slightly further back was the Collector, Zhou Er.

*At least you're a warrior, right?*

*Your positioning is even further back than the healer? Are you even a man...*

However, Lu Cang couldn't be bothered to say anything.

After all, he had recruited him as a Collector and had only paid a single share.

Since he wasn't contributing the strength of a warrior, Lu Cang had no right to complain.

The forest was filled with mist.

As the four of them stepped into the forest, Lu Cang lightly raised his hand.

「Wind Blast (LV: 172)」

Boom!

A terrifying hurricane blew in all directions!

The mist that had permeated the entire forest vanished in an instant.

Once the mist cleared, the entire forest lit up with a bright and soft light.

This light illuminated every detail, shining into every shadow without a single blind spot.

「Everlasting Lamp (LV: 200) (Evolvable)」

The maximum proficiency level for a Level 2 mage's spells is LV: 200.

Once a spell reaches above LV: 100, the experience required for each subsequent level increases significantly.

In five days, Lu Cang hadn't been able to train all his skills to level 200.

Other spells couldn't be practiced on the go.

Only harmless spells that could be cast at any time, like Everlasting Lamp, had been maxed out by Lu Cang.

Furthermore, only after reaching level 200 did Lu Cang discover...

A level 200 Transcendental Magic could continue to evolve.

However, Lu Cang was in no hurry to evolve Everlasting Lamp and simply chose not to select an evolution for now.

The mist was blown away, and the light was cast.

The once hazy forest instantly became clear.

One could see exactly how many snakes were on which tree.

One could clearly see what dangers lurked in which tree hollow.

Immediately following that...

Boom!

Bang!

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Fireballs, ice shards, earth spikes, curse arrows, silent wind swarms...

Various spells rained down.

It looked like a torrential downpour of various colored snakes—charred, frozen, or sliced into fragments—falling from the trees.

Before long, within visible range, all the monsters had been cleared out.

At least, to the naked eye, not a single one had escaped the net.

"So... so strong."

They had only just entered the dungeon, yet he had cleared all visible monsters as if he were merely chopping vegetables.

"Go collect," Lu Cang said to the older man.

The man froze for a moment before realizing what was happening and began gathering the monsters Lu Cang had slain.

Lu Cang watched him work.

"Repair," he heard him mutter softly.

Upon touching the dead monsters, the damage to their bodies would partially restore.

*Repair?*

Collector was also a profession.

Since it was a profession, it came with corresponding skills.

However, the restoration wasn't perfect.

It didn't restore the monsters' corpses to their original state.

Especially for snakes burned to charcoal; they could only be partially restored.

But for snakes with less obvious injuries, such as those killed directly by the electric arcs of 「Lightning Flash」, it worked much better.

They could basically be restored to a complete state.

But those hit directly by Lightning Flash and blasted into mush...

Well, he was truly powerless there.

After collecting the snake corpses, the man also found two special mushrooms and harvested them.

Once finished, he reported: "Seventy-two Gray Snakes, each worth about 10 to 20 copper; fifteen Gray Venomous Snakes, all with intact venom sacs collected, worth 12 silver each; plus the 2 Snake Mushrooms. The total harvest is approximately 2 gold and 15 silver."

*Huh?*

That was a lot.

Back in the Shadow Cavern, the reward for clearing the dungeon plus the commission had only been 2 gold and 26 silver.

Now, even without the mission reward, they already had 2 gold and 15 silver.

And they hadn't even fought the dungeon boss yet.

It seemed that bringing a Collector indeed significantly increased the harvest.

Of course, it might also be because it was the harvest month.

"Mm, let's continue exploring forward."

They continued onward.

They didn't encounter many monsters.

Perhaps it was because Lu Cang had cleared out the vast majority of monsters the moment he stepped into the dungeon's territory.

Normally, if one were to grope through the mist, they would have to walk a considerable distance before encountering the snakes hiding in the trees.

But Lu Cang's brute-force wind and light...

Followed immediately by direct slaughter, gave these monsters no chance to ambush.

As they continued exploring, they encountered sparse monsters.

Lu Cang was extremely cautious.

He used 「Wind Blast」 to clear away fallen leaves, ensuring there was no obstruction on the path ahead.

At the same time, he used 「Sinking Shadow Marsh」 to pave the way, ensuring the ground they walked on had no sudden pitfall traps.

As for the monsters that appeared within his line of sight, the moment Lu Cang saw them, he would immediately greet them with Lightning Flash and Wind Blade.

The monsters couldn't even wait for Lu Cang to enter attack range before being blasted to death by his violent magic.

This cautious way of operating made Gatton and Jidi feel somewhat ashamed.

*I mean... buddy.*

*You're so strong, what are we even here for?*

The strength of this kid didn't look like someone who could ever be injured.

They had actually teamed up with Level 2 mages before.

The strength those mages displayed was likely not even one percent of Lu Cang's...

When they were needed, they had to mumble incantations for a long time, only to eventually cast a lukewarm fireball.

If it weren't for the flexibility of their spells and the variety of scenarios they could be used in... otherwise, adventurers preferred teaming up with archers over mages.

In a long-range combat situation, at least archers didn't need to chant incantations or wait for mana to regenerate.

Looking at Lu Cang's back, Jidi couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for the child before her.

*So this is a mage of the Second Heaven...*

They traveled for about a kilometer.

The thing that took up the most time along the way was actually the Collector, Zhou Er, recovering materials.

He couldn't pick them up as fast as Lu Cang could kill them.

"Zhou Er, come back."

"But Captain, there's still—"

However, seeing Lu Cang's calm gaze, Zhou Er immediately stopped what he was doing and rejoined the group.

Lu Cang could feel it.

The dark elements ahead were agitated, gathering intensely in one direction.

The surrounding leaves rustled.

Lu Cang looked in the direction of the elemental flow.

*Swish—*

Finally, from the view obscured by the dense forest, a massive snake head appeared!

Its body also became clear, emerging from the mimetic colors that had almost blended it into the trees!

*Hiss—*

The giant snake coiled among the trees, flicking out a crimson tongue.

Lu Cang's expression darkened slightly.

He knew this snake.

*What a coincidence. Are you the boss this time as well?*

「Shadow Giant Snake King」

(End of Chapter)