Adventurer A's report,
"I'm Copper Level, but when it comes to exploring dungeons, I'm no less than Silver Level. This time, I entered the Sain Dungeon with a curious mindset, wanting to see what it had become. To my surprise, the Poison Swamp was unlike anything I had ever seen; I've encountered such terrain more than once, but never with such strong toxicity. It's embarrassing to say, but I didn't think to bring Detoxification Potions for my pets, and they didn't last long before dying, which greatly reduced my scouting ability."
"In my opinion, the swamp area's terrain wasn't complex, even simple, but the similar scenery being piled up makes it look homogeneous. People with weak directional sense can easily get lost. The terrain beneath the swamp is treacherous, with deep pits or sharp traps. The commonality between them is that they're not very damaging, but they can restrict movement."
"Once your movement is restricted here, it's tantamount to a death sentence, as monsters lurking underwater will swarm madly. Unfortunately, I stepped into a deep pit and couldn't pull out my leg in time before being killed by the monster."
Adventurer B's report,
"Damn the swamp, damn the skeleton monsters, damn the Fishmen, damn the Stone Statue Ghosts, damn the big rats!!!"
"I'm never coming back in my life! I'm going back to the countryside to farm, never to return!"
Adventurer C's report,
"A Monster Scholar commissioned my team to investigate whether new types of monsters emerged after the mutation of the Sain Dungeon. Since he was generous, we were better prepared with supplies than usual, which helped a lot."
"The Levitation Skill scroll that I bought for fun turned out to be very useful. My partner and I never touched a bit of the swamp. The monsters' anti-air methods were quite lacking. Except for a few archers among the skeleton monsters, the other monsters could only throw mud at us like children. Just a Low Tier Magic Power Shield could block them all, and with our continuous efforts, we really discovered new monsters. They were extremely peculiar, looking like enlarged frogs, and the most important was their ability—"
"Next is exclusive content. If the City Lord wants to know, please show some sincerity~"
Adventurer D's report,
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it was so thrilling, there's a type of monster I'd never seen before, looked like a frog, with two big eyeballs that scared me to death, it blew on me and I died. That black smoke seemed to instantly kill people, so bizarre, hahahaha, I want to go meet it again."
"Oh right, my wife got blown up while opening a treasure chest, hahahahaha, it's hilarious, who would have thought there'd be a Flame Explosion Technique hidden in the chest, she got blown to bits on the spot. Later, I saw another chest, and from a distance, I threw a Fireball at it, and guess what, it was an ordinary chest! I blew the treasures to bits with my own hands and got nothing!"
"Investigator's note: This adventurer seems to have mental problems."
Adventurer E's report,
"Screw off."
"Investigator's note: This adventurer insulted nobility and has been detained by the guards."
Miner's report,
"Well, um, I didn't collect any Blood Essence today, will I have my pay deducted? I won't? Thank you, thank you, I thank you on behalf of my whole family."
"What, you said what did I see in the dungeon? Let me think... just some kind of blah blah monsters, whoosh whoosh big wind, clatter clatter swamp, rattle rattle skeletons..."
"Investigator's note: Really can't understand..."
A dungeon worker's report,
"People in my line of work regret it more as they age. Over the years, I made a lot of mistakes, disappointed many people, and lost a lot of folks, so I can't face entering the dungeon anymore. I just wander around the periphery; don't ask me."
"Investigator's note: This person provides tourist guidance for the Sain Dungeon, essentially a tour guide..."
Charon's report,
"I'll provide a detailed report later, so don't bother me now. Where is Wild, why hasn't he returned yet?"
"Investigator's note: Young Master Charon seems to be in a bad mood."
"How does it look, friend, do you have the confidence to conquer it?"
Sali brought a pot of red tea, elegantly pouring a full cup of reddish-brown liquid for the young girl. The fragrant aroma instantly attracted her attention.
Two sugar cubes melted into the tea. Sali sat on the sofa opposite with a smile, stirring the tea, legs instinctively closing.
The girl stared at him for a while, saying softly, "I have a name."
"My bad, I'm sorry, Elsa."
Sali seemed to realize his gesture was a bit inappropriate, so he crossed his legs again, asking, "Do you remember our agreement? You help me become the Family Head, and I'll be your companion."
"Mm," Elsa nodded.
"If I manage to conquer the dungeon before my brothers, it will undoubtedly add weight for me. So, fri—Elsa, please help me conquer it."
Seeing the young girl agree in front of him, Sali's smile was barely contained.
Going out for a year, Elsa was his biggest gain!
A lone, companion-seeking Hero, still a naive little girl—gaining her trust was really too easy!
Sali simply set the stage, hiring a group of people to pretend to be bandits robbing himself on Elsa's path. This allowed him to thank Elsa after being robbed, approaching her with the excuse of repaying the favor, and quickly uncovering Elsa's identity thoroughly.
She was an orphan, awakened as a Hero when the Demon Clan slaughtered the orphanage, embarking on a path to slay the demons, with the ultimate goal being the Demon King's head.
In fairy tales, a Hero is always surrounded by companions. Elsa had only read fairy tales, so she firmly believed that she must find companions before vanquishing the Demon King.
Incidentally, Heroes are not unique. As long as you have hatred for the Demon Clan, enough talent, and a suitable sense of justice, you can become a Hero. Historically, there were up to twenty-three Heroes appearing simultaneously.
But only the one who successfully defeats the Demon King is recorded, becoming the true Hero.
Sali clenched his fists, feeling his arms ache, unable to lift them.
This was the effect of overtraining. As for why he overtrained...
Because to be a companion of a Hero, you must at least have some strength! So he, as a young master, earnestly trained his body.
Though shrewd in some areas, Sali is a person who keeps promises, and she also believed Elsa could truly help her become the Family Head.
"In the next couple of days, I'll help you get familiar with the environment. Once we gather more information about the dungeon, we'll take action, how about that?"
Elsa sipped her tea in small gulps, nodding slightly.
Suddenly, she lifted her head sharply, her nose twitching as if she smelled something.
"What's wrong?" Sali's attention was drawn by this unusual action.
"There's a sickening smell," Elsa frowned in disgust, then shook her head and said, "The smell disappeared. I probably smelled it wrong."
Sali's face turned red because he had quietly farted just now.
He'd have to spray more perfume next time.
In the corridor, a tall figure had just passed by their door, seemingly about to go out.
Under the lights, his appearance was clear.
He was a very familiar person.