Chapter 10: The Savage Bone Staff and the Arcane Golem

"Don't tell me that's what you really think?" Wendy frowned, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Hmph, who doesn't?"

Before the Storm Sorcerer could reply, the Wild Hunter spoke up first.

"You—" Wendy was nearly speechless.

"Elia, what do you think?" asked the Storm Sorcerer.

"Me?"

Suddenly called upon, Elia was momentarily stunned, then a sly gleam lit her eyes. "Of course, I’d keep this walking purse tightly in my hands!"

Wendy: "..."

"See, everyone thinks alike."

"So, what do we do now?"

"The two of them fell into the hidden passage, their situation unknown. We can't just stand around and do nothing!"

"Let's check the underground palace again. Maybe they've triggered another mechanism and returned there!"

"Oh my god! If that's the case, they'll be surrounded by a horde of monsters..."

"Quick! We have to save them!"

...

Meanwhile, Royoung and the barbarian priest tumbled down into a tunnel, but luckily, they landed on a pile of dry grass and weren't hurt.

Moreover, Royoung was enveloped in softness and warmth, so much so that he was reluctant to let go.

"Ouch!"

The barbarian priest rolled over and sat up, instinctively shoving Royoung aside, about to get angry. But upon seeing Royoung's dazed, foolish look—like a rookie—she couldn't help but laugh.

"Little brother, didn't get enough of a hug? Want to come over for another?"

"Uh..."

Royoung gazed at the alluring enchantress, involuntarily nodding, but immediately snapped out of it and shook his head vigorously.

In that moment, thoughts of his first love flashed through his mind. He sighed quietly, patted his cheeks lightly, and began to examine his surroundings.

It appeared to be a secret chamber.

A gemstone embedded in the wall emitted a faint glow.

By that dim light, the two could see one another and survey the chamber.

Apart from the dry grass where they’d fallen, the room was clean, with only a few broken chests piled in a corner.

Clearly ancient, left behind by some long-forgotten era.

Usually, such chests held remarkable things.

Royoung approached the chests, careful not to trigger any further mechanisms.

He stretched out his left hand, eyed the dusty chests, thought for a moment, and then used his sword-wielding right hand to poke them with his longsword.

Whoosh!

Like a gust of wind, the barbarian priest pounced on the chests, blocking Royoung, her greed showing as she declared, "I saw them first! Everything here belongs to me!"

Royoung: "..."

Both were level eight, and she was a blessing-type mage, standing so close—why should he yield?

"Open them already, let's see what's inside!"

Royoung rolled his eyes and, while she rummaged through one chest, opened another himself.

"Whoa!"

As soon as he opened the chest, Royoung exclaimed, slammed the lid shut, and retreated several steps.

"What happened?"

The barbarian priest cast him a puzzled glance, then slowly opened the chest Royoung had just touched.

"Ah!"

She too cried out, stepping back.

Inside the open chest lay a colorful spider.

One pair... two pairs... three pairs...

Several pairs of eyes glared out, making it look terrifying.

"Sanctuary Light!"

Without hesitation, the barbarian priest unleashed an eighth-level spell.

Yet the spider didn’t move; nothing happened.

"It's not alive?"

"Seems like a magical item."

"Ugh! What kind of item looks like that? It’s disgusting... terrifying!"

"You don't want it?"

"No! Whoever wants it can take it!"

"Alright then."

Royoung moved forward, gently prodded the spider with his sword to confirm it wasn't alive, then reached out...

Halfway, he withdrew his hand.

"Do you have gloves? Lend me one."

"You don't have gloves yourself?" The barbarian priest glared, then noticed Royoung's left hand, realized something, and smiled, "I'll lend you a glove—just call me something sweet."

"Something sweet," Royoung said as he reached for her.

The barbarian priest: "..."

"What are you saying? Call me sister! Say 'sister', and I'll reluctantly accept you as my little brother. From now on, I'll look after you!"

"I just want a glove," Royoung said weakly.

For safety, he dared not grab the spider barehanded.

"Call me sister!"

"Sister."

"Good, that's better." The barbarian priest smiled and placed a glove in Royoung's hand. She patted his head gently and said, "Good brother, from now on, when fighting monsters or doing quests, sister will take care of you!"

Royoung: "..."

She just wanted to leech his luck!

Now wasn't the time to argue. Royoung donned the glove and picked up the terrifying-looking spider.

Immediately, information flooded his mind.

Item: Arcane Automaton (Inactive)

Level: 0

Skill: Miser

Durability: ——

"Wow!" Royoung couldn't help but exclaim.

Yet, the barbarian priest right beside him didn't hear.

"Ha ha ha!"

She shouted triumphantly, pulling a staff from another chest.

"Barbarian Bone Staff!"

She held the staff aloft, instinctively glancing at Royoung, suddenly realizing no one else was around.

Only Royoung.

An unskilled novice.

"A golden-quality Barbarian Bone Staff! Ha ha ha!"

She laughed wildly, radiating a bold, untamed beauty.

It stirred something unusual in Royoung, who was momentarily transfixed, reluctant to avert his gaze.

"Is it part of a set?" he asked.

"No," the barbarian priest replied, stifling her laughter and putting away the staff. "It's just a powerful standalone piece, much better than the one I'm using now."

"Congratulations," Royoung said calmly.

Aside from equipment tied to his fate, other items were nonessential to him.

"If you learn magic, you'll need a staff to cast spells—better prepare early," the barbarian priest said, glancing at him.

She resumed searching the chest, but found nothing else of value.

Royoung activated the arcane automaton—

Clatter!

The spider's eight legs began moving rapidly, startling him so much that he flung it away.

Whirr!

This mechanical spider zipped around the small chamber several times.

Then, as if the power had been cut, it stopped dead, all its colors fading.

It had disguised itself automatically.

Ding!

Royoung tossed a gold coin experimentally.

Rolling...

The coin hit the ground.

Whoosh!

A shadow flickered and faded from view.

The coin disappeared, and the spider was nowhere to be seen.

If not for a faint, elusive sense of connection, Royoung might have thought this arcane automaton had absconded with the loot!

"Next time gold drops, I won't have to pick it up myself," Royoung muttered.

"Won't have to pick up what?" The barbarian priest had finished searching the remaining chests, finding nothing remarkable—just a few dozen extra coins in her pouch.

"What is this place?" Royoung gestured around, indicating that if they were trapped, nothing could be collected.

"This is just a secret chamber!" The barbarian priest stomped the floor, then tapped the walls with her new staff.

"Let's search—there might be a mechanism or something. If we find it, we can get out."

"Alright."

Royoung imitated her, tapping the nearby walls with his sword.

"Where did we fall from? Can't we return the same way?"

"We triggered a mechanism... We've visited this underground palace many times, but never encountered anything like this," the barbarian priest said, rather helplessly, indicating she had no experience to draw upon.

"Uh..."

Clatter!

A faint sound drew Royoung's attention. In a corner, a stone wall rippled like water.

The invisible mechanical spider seemed to have passed through to the other side.

Did this thing have the ability to phase through walls?

Royoung approached and gently prodded the wall with his sword.

The tip seemed to pierce some void and reach another space.

"It's an illusion," the barbarian priest suddenly appeared beside him, quickly casting a spell with her newly acquired staff.

Though the chamber looked unchanged, Royoung could tell from her expression that she was deeply satisfied with the equipment.

The illusion dissipated, revealing a half-human-high opening.

From the other side, monster roars echoed.

"See, rookie? This is just a small magical barrier, meant to deceive the senses, but it’s easily dispelled."

"Understood."

Royoung was about to say more when suddenly, angry roars erupted—the monsters sensed intruders and immediately went berserk.

Like a tide, they surged toward them.

Boom boom boom!

The ground vibrated faintly.

Either there were countless monsters, or they were massive individually.

"In this situation, what’s the usual solution?" Royoung humbly asked, seeking guidance.

The barbarian priest: "..."

She wasn’t the main force; even with a golden-quality Barbarian Bone Staff, or even a full set, she might not manage it!