Chapter 143: The Palace

"Indeed, luring the monsters is up to you," Luo Yong said.

"Huh? Me?" Fiona took two steps back, looking a bit fearful. "Captain, I don't know how to use Soul Scream. I won't be able to lure many monsters..."

"Take out the Wizard's Eyes."

"Oh... so that's what you meant." As she spoke, Fiona suddenly became alert. Realizing something, she felt a wave of resentment. "Captain, you really were leaving just now, weren't you? You were going to abandon me!"

"You only came back for me because I have the Wizard's Eyes! You want to use them to lure monsters!" Fiona shouted.

"If you know that, then good."

Luo Yong took the two blue crystals, thinking they were quite beautiful. However, the thought that they represented the eyes of an ancient wizard—or were perhaps literally transformed from them—was unsettling.

Well, if it were before, Luo Yong might have been repulsed. But now, aside from leveling up and reviving the elven beauty Yan Bao'er, nothing else mattered.

"Fiona, if you're bored, go play elsewhere. I'll hold onto these for now and return them later," Luo Yong said.

As the young girl had pulled out the crystals, magic had begun to surge in the surrounding tunnels. Strange light flickered, runes condensed, and a profound summoning magic circle began to take shape. Luo Yong had noticed it before, but he had been too busy grinding monsters to pay close attention. Now, he saw it clearly: the tunnel walls were covered in dense, intricate, and mysterious runes, forming an incredibly powerful formation. Once triggered by the right conditions, it would activate on its own, summoning endless monsters from an unspeakable realm, pouring out like a landslide or a tsunami to drown the entire dungeon. Even the nearby tunnels, while currently quiet, hummed with a magical energy that felt like an open gateway to the abyss.

"Hmph!" Fiona was indignant. She had set her heart on teaming up with the mercenary uncle and going on missions together, yet he kept trying to shake her off! "Am I really that unlikable?!"

Fiona stomped her foot and decided to leave. She wouldn't team up with the mercenary uncle anymore! He was old and only around level ten—not much higher than her! He must have been lazy in his youth, and now he was desperately trying to level up! Muttering to herself, Fiona walked out of the hall and headed in a different direction.

"Hmph! If I had known it would be like this, I shouldn't have met him in the first place! It’s just an extra headache!"

*Swish!*

As she walked, she struck down the scattered monsters that had been disturbed and drawn in by the anomalies in the hall. After a while, she had traveled a long distance, far enough that she could no longer sense what was happening with Luo Yong. She looked back, but saw only pitch-black darkness. A strange, lingering dissatisfaction settled in her heart.

A little further on, she heard the sounds of combat. Turning a corner, Fiona entered a vast palace. There, she saw a group of people struggling to defeat a swarm of awakened monsters. Some of these monsters crawled on all fours, while others stood on two legs in a humanoid fashion. They looked terrifying.

"Ah!"

A familiar cry rang out from the crowd. Fiona immediately spotted Susie the Speedster, who was clutching something in her arms again. "She’s still here? Is she just finding a new place to scam people?" Fiona wondered. The girl should have had an invisibility cloak; why wasn't she using it?

"Human hero?"

Just then, someone noticed Fiona and quickly approached. "Are you alone? Want to join us? We could really use the help!"

"..."

Fiona didn't know what to say. The few monsters in front of them weren't even enough for her captain to farm alone, yet these people, with so many members, were asking for help!

"I... I have a team. For now, I can't join another group," Fiona declined. Regardless of everything, she had joined a team. Even if the captain was annoying, his combat power was undeniable! Even if she wasn't with him anymore, she couldn't just join such a weak team! Only a stronger team was worth joining.

"But you're all by yourself right now," said the hero who had invited her—a young boy, likely around level ten based on his magic fluctuations, wearing decent gear. As the light from the others' combat illuminated them, she saw his face flush slightly.

"So what if I'm alone? I can still hunt monsters and level up by myself!" Fiona retorted righteously, the image of Luo Yong fighting monsters flashing through her mind. These people were grouping up, and Captain Zorro was practically running a military operation! Comparing the two, Fiona felt a sudden sense of confusion—why had she left in the first place?

"Regardless, please help us!" The boy pointed at the monsters swarming them. "We need your help!"

"Uh... need... help..." Fiona suddenly understood: the captain didn't need her at all! He didn't even need her help to fight! "Fine!"

Fiona sighed and temporarily joined the group. She walked into the fray, pulled out her sword, and faced the roaring monsters. "Holy Cross Slash!"

With Fiona's arrival, the monsters in the palace were quickly cleared. This group had very little combat power. It was an eight-person team; aside from Susie the Speedster, whose only contribution was screaming, the highest level among them was fourteen, and that was only one person. The rest were between levels ten and thirteen.

"So weak and they still dare to enter the dungeon..." Fiona muttered to herself, not caring if they heard.

"Uh..." The ten-year-old boy paused, blushing as he approached. "Thanks for the help. We’re actually quite capable, and everyone is growing fast. To use a trendy phrase, our future is promising... um, would you consider it?"

"Consider what?" Fiona asked, devoid of emotion.

"Joining our team!" the boy said earnestly.

"Forget it..." Fiona watched as Susie donned her invisibility cloak and vanished silently, not knowing what she was up to—and not wanting to know.

"Truly, heroes emerge from the youth!"

Just then, a woman's voice rang out, followed by the sound of footsteps. Another expedition team had arrived at the palace. "I didn't expect a group of teenagers to beat us to it!"

The new group consisted of dozens of people in fine armor, divided into several factions. It seemed they had banded together temporarily inside the dungeon. Based on their magical signatures, they averaged between levels fifteen and eighteen.

"Little girl, being level fifteen at such a young age is impressive. How about joining our team?" the woman who spoke first asked.

This woman had a beautiful face—above average, though not exactly world-toppling. Fiona couldn't tell how old she was. *Cough.* That wasn't something to ask. Facing her invitation, Fiona instinctively refused.

"I have a team. My captain is very strong, and I don't join other groups."

"Oh?" The woman had a powerful presence and took control of the situation as soon as she arrived. She looked at the teenagers, then at Fiona. "Who is your captain? And where are your teammates?"

"Captain... they are fighting monsters," Fiona stammered.

"Then why are you here alone?" the woman asked.

"The captain thinks I'm in the way..." Fiona said, feeling dejected.

"..."

The woman paused, unsure how to react. The people behind her began to murmur. "What kind of team is so arrogant that they think even a level-fifteen hero is 'in the way'?" one of the woman's followers said, clearly unconvinced.

"Yeah, I've never heard of such a team!"

"Pfft!"

A suppressed giggle rang out from not far from the entrance. No one else noticed, but Fiona sensed it keenly and immediately identified it as Susie! She was laughing at her!

*Hmph!*

"Susie, you jerk! Don't let me catch you!" Fiona lunged forward, but grabbed nothing. Susie had already run off.

"Eh?" The woman nearby was slightly surprised, not expecting another person to be hiding so close by. She pointed and said, "She's over there!"

"Eh?" Fiona turned and, though she saw nothing, instinctively lunged in that direction.

"Ah!"

A shriek rang out, and a strange magical ripple spread through the air. Outside the palace, the roar of monsters sounded once again.

"Hm? This person is strange!" The woman sensed something odd in Susie's cry—a power that seemed capable of attracting monsters.

"You little liar! Let's see where you run to this time!" Fiona shouted, summoning her Wings of Light and taking flight, diving toward the source of the sound.

"She... she actually has equipment like that!?"

In an instant, all the heroes in the palace fixed their eyes on Fiona.

"You're the liar! You said you wouldn't catch me!" Susie's angry voice echoed.

"I wasn't going to, but you laughed at me just now!" Fiona yelled, furious.