Chapter 113: Mad with Love

"Elf Goddess Returns to Her People, Human Hero Abandoned and Left in Tears—"

Luo Yong could never have dreamed that he would one day make headlines because of a gossip scandal. This news had spread far beyond the Goge camp; it had reached every place where a Mages' Guild existed. It didn't take much thought to realize that those two sour-grapes, jealous elf heartthrobs were behind it. And for all he knew, the elf elders had likely played a hand in it too…

What a shameless old man!

Under the sympathetic yet excited gazes of his team members, Luo Yong felt utterly defeated. He was filled with a frustration he couldn't vent and a bitterness he couldn't share. At that moment, for no apparent reason, Pang Ding came to mind.

"What use is this card to me?"

Luo Yong pulled out his identity card and, while no one was watching, checked the list of cards he still needed to collect. An inexplicable surge of anger rose within him.

"Is the final spider card truly Adela, the Scarlet Spider Queen?"

After spending some time preparing at the camp, Luo Yong returned the sword-and-shield badge—the symbol of the team captain—to Wendy before his departure.

"From now on, you are the captain of the Gale Squad. If you don't like the name, you can change it back to the Wrath Squad."

"Luo Yong..."

"I have to go; I must leave this place of heartbreak." Luo Yong sighed, patted Celi on the head, and said, "I have something very important to do, so I must leave. Perhaps I will return soon, or perhaps I will never return at all..."

"Captain!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the beautiful team members turned red. Celi, as emotional as a tribal shaman, burst into tears.

"Captain, don't leave! Wuu wuu wuu..." Celi grabbed onto Luo Yong's clothes, crying and refusing to let go.

But this time, Luo Yong’s resolve was firm.

"Time is short; let me settle some matters," Luo Yong said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Continue to hold the grocery store; my share is forfeited to you all. The Bear Island secret realm has been ruined by that fat guy, Pang Ding. There are many things inside you can just pick up; it shouldn't be dangerous anymore."

"As for the ore inside, it all belongs to you. Wendy, you can divide it up later, or cooperate with the elf clan. I’ve already spoken to the elders; they won't treat you unfairly."

"Oh, and one more thing..."

As he spoke, Luo Yong took some scrolls from his storage space, along with a large package he had set aside for Celi.

"These are for you. They include combat techniques and secret arts, all taken from the elf clan's treasury. Use them without worry."

"Celi, be a good girl and grow up to be an excellent prophet!"

"Wuu wuu! And beautiful, and cute, and... wuu wuu! Don't go..."

The little girl was already a tear-stained mess.

"Alright, until we meet again!" Luo Yong pushed Celi away, refused to look at his team members, and walked out of the camp alone to activate the portal.

"Captain!"

"Luo Yong..."

"This man has such a cruel heart!"

"Wendy, are we changing the name of our squad again?" Elia asked.

"No, the Gale Squad will not change its name, and there will only ever be one captain," Wendy said firmly, watching the direction in which Luo Yong had disappeared. "We will recruit more members and build a powerful mercenary group. When he returns..."

"When he returns..."

***

Valley of Fear.

It had been quite some time since his last visit, yet the journey felt as though it were only yesterday. Luo Yong could still recall every movement the elf beauty had made and every word she had spoken, as if she hadn't left at all and was still by his side.

Now, all he had for company was a hairband that carried a faint, exotic fragrance.

The Valley of Fear was different from before; it felt desolate, stripped of the swarms of spiders that once made one’s skin crawl. Now, only a few spiders of various colors and sizes were scattered sparsely in the corners.

Luo Yong remembered that during their last visit, the elf beauty had mentioned that deep within Katherine’s lair lay a mysterious power that even she feared. Luo Yong suspected it might be connected to Adela...

This time, he was determined to uncover the secrets hidden within!

*Swish!*

Suddenly, a figure flashed, and a spherical creature appeared before Luo Yong.

"You got dumped?"

Pang Ding went straight to the point as soon as they met, his tone laced with schadenfreude.

"No, Bao'er will come back," Luo Yong said firmly, sounding like a fool, as if he were truly abandoned.

In truth, it was much the same. To protect her people and for the sake of the greater good, the elf beauty had been forced to leave him...

"It’s my own incompetence!"

Luo Yong walked on, saying, "If I had resolved my own problems sooner, perhaps things would be different now."

"But life has no 'ifs'," Pang Ding said with cold indifference. "How long do you intend to stay stuck at your current level? Is it a mental block, or did something else go wrong?"

"It’s Adela’s problem!" Luo Yong replied seriously. "What I need to do now is find her and kill her! It’s that simple."

"Or be killed by her," Pang Ding retorted. "You’ve lost your mind."

"Then why are you following me?" Luo Yong quickened his pace, yet he could never shake the other man off.

"I lost my mind a long time ago," Pang Ding said with a bitter smile, his face showing a trace of madness.

When emotions run too deep, they are hard to suppress.
In the end, the heart turns cold as frost.
Are those who act cold simply hiding wounds that will not fade?

For some reason, these thoughts surfaced in Luo Yong’s mind. He forgot who had said them—perhaps it was from some sentimental literature he had read in the past.

Neither spoke. They quickly crossed the silent valley and reached Katherine’s lair.

"Are you really going in?" Pang Ding couldn't help but ask. As they drew closer, he felt a hair-raising surge of energy. It was as if a super-powerful magical beast lay dormant deep within that dark, cavernous hollow, ready to swallow him whole at any moment.

"Obviously!"

Luo Yong cast him a glance, his eyes filled with disdain. A real man should brave Katherine’s lair!

"What the hell is that look? Who are you looking down on?!" Pang Ding flared up, his anger rising. He was tempted to draw his sword and poke a few holes in Luo Yong just to show him the strength of Master Pang.

But at that moment, Luo Yong carried the air of someone who had accepted death—as if he would charge headlong even if the Scarlet Spider Queen, Adela, were waiting on the other side.

"Tsk, tsk!"

Thinking of this, Pang Ding sheathed his sword. He seemed to see a reflection of his own past self in Luo Yong. There was a time when he, too, had been in that state—

"So, you weren't dumped... your lover died?" Pang Ding guessed casually.

"..."

Luo Yong’s figure faltered for a second. He continued walking without looking back, merely saying coldly, "She isn't dead. There is still a chance; I can still save her!"

"So—"

Pang Ding instantly caught up, walking side-by-side with him. "You really are going to find Adela and kill her? Only then can you level up?!"

"Really."

Luo Yong nodded. After a moment of thought, he added, "It’s the fastest way!"

Katherine’s lair was unimaginably deep and filled with a foul, pungent odor. As they moved deeper, twisting through turns, they encountered no obstacles. Occasionally, a massive, thick, and sticky spiderweb would block the path.

At first, Luo Yong’s level 15 Wind Blade could cut through them. But later, the webs became incredibly resilient, impossible to slice.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

This time, Pang Ding took action, using his sword to destroy the webs. As they progressed, the strange magical fluctuations began to surge. Every step forward felt like moving closer to the abyss. Yet, both men felt no fear; they possessed the courage to conquer the abyss itself.

*Clang!*

Until—

They had ventured deep into the cave when they encountered a massive spiderweb, so thick and tightly woven that even Pang Ding’s sword could no longer cut it. He thrust forward with all his might, only to produce the sound of metal striking metal.

"Let me."

Luo Yong emotionlessly pulled out a tactical scroll and activated it against the web.

*Hiss!*

A bright flash of electricity tore through, and the spiderweb was pierced with several holes. Then, Luo Yong pulled out a bundle of tactical scrolls.

*BOOM!!!*

Several fire-element scrolls detonated in the confined space. The massive energy shockwave hit them, and even though Luo Yong and Pang Ding had ducked into a corner, they were still buffeted by the force.

"It’s open, let's go!"

Luo Yong inspected the area; the web had been blasted away, revealing a dark, straight passage ahead. He walked forward quickly.

Pang Ding, the moment he moved, seemed to sense something. He slowed his pace, activated Shadow Stealth, and followed silently behind Luo Yong.

Suddenly, the fat man felt a powerful magical force gathering in the darkness—and it wasn't just one source. He peered into the distance and saw faint, ghostly lights flickering. One by one, half-human, half-spider Katherines lay slumbering in the dense magical energy, as if they might awaken at any moment.

These were level 30 monsters. With Pang Ding’s meager skills, he couldn't fight them; his only option would be to run.

"Could it be that Adela, the Scarlet Spider Queen, is truly sleeping deep within this cave?"

Pang Ding shuddered, his legs turning to jelly.

But at that moment, Luo Yong’s figure flickered and vanished into the passage ahead.

"Damn it! How is the one who went crazy later even more insane than the one who went crazy first?!" Pang Ding cursed under his breath and scrambled to keep up.

Along the way, more Katherines lay in slumber, but Pang Ding could no longer care. He simply followed Luo Yong’s aura, running forward. Finally, after passing through a transparent barrier, he saw it...