Chapter 69: Rewards and the Mine

Activating a berserk mode is exhilarating in the moment—keep it going and the thrill never ends! But when the ultimate skill is spent, the ensuing weakness feels as if my body has been utterly drained…

Ahem. In truth, it’s not quite so dramatic. My entire body just aches, as though I’ve been thoroughly battered.

When Luo Yong awoke, he found himself lying in the camp within the secret realm, his own cloak draped over him. Beside him sat a little girl, her face streaked with tears and her eyes swollen from crying.

She must have stayed by his side the whole time he was unconscious, nearly weeping herself dry.

Now, seeing him awake, the clouds seemed to part for her, and a bright smile finally appeared on her face.

“Were you that worried about me?” Luo Yong gently patted her head, retrieving some delicious treats from his storage space and handing them to her.

Yet she shook her head, pushing the food back.

“Let’s eat together,” she insisted.

So Luo Yong produced even more, showing her he had plenty to spare. Only then did Selly accept, and they ate side by side.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team appeared to be in heated discussion, perhaps even arguing.

“What are they fighting about?” Luo Yong asked as he ate.

“I don’t know,” Selly replied, shaking her head. She glanced over at them, a trace of annoyance in her expression, and silently continued eating.

Hmm…

Luo Yong pondered for a moment, then reached over and grabbed the miserly spider—

Ahem.

It struck him how entwined his fate was with this spider—truly, a remarkable bond!

With a clatter, Luo Yong shook the spider’s storage space, spilling a trove of gemstones, scrolls, and heaps of gold coins.

The commotion drew the others over, and soon a crowd gathered to gawk at the spectacle.

Luo Yong rummaged through the loot and finally unearthed a unique scroll, instantly recognizing it as different from the others.

“A Mind Enhancement Scroll!”

This had dropped from the little green spider—an exceedingly rare find, with low odds of appearing. Luo Yong hadn’t expected it, but here it was.

“That scroll…”

“Luo Yong’s a little tycoon, isn’t he?”

“What are you saying? The captain’s a man!”

“I don’t care, he’s still a tycoon! I demand—mmph—”

Before Elia could finish, the storm mage clamped a hand over her mouth, signaling that there were children present.

Smack! Just then, a white glove landed atop the pile of scrolls, gems, and gold.

“A duel! Only one can claim…”

“Oh, give it a rest!” Before the wild hunter could finish, the group erupted in collective protest.

“This guy, honestly—he actually threw down a white glove!”

“Whatever he throws, it’s all for nothing!”

As their bickering continued, Luo Yong had already opened the scroll, unrolling it for all to see the glowing magic circle emblazoned upon it.

Without hesitation, he pressed his hand to the array.

“Hey! Wait!” Lillian suddenly shouted, rushing forward to stop him, but it was too late.

She had assumed that, as captain, Luo Yong would at least consult everyone before deciding who should receive such a rare and precious scroll. She never imagined he would act so unilaterally and claim it for himself!

“We all fought in that battle!” Lillian glared at Luo Yong, displeased. “Everyone contributed and got hurt to some extent. Now when something valuable drops, you don’t even ask—you just take it? Is that how a captain should behave?!”

“Lillian…” Wendy pulled at her sleeve, as if wanting to say more.

“What? Am I wrong?” Lillian said earnestly, glancing at Wendy and the others, a look that seemed to lament their indifference.

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right,” the storm mage replied with a perfunctory nod.

“You all—” Seeing their indifferent expressions, Lillian was at a loss, anger surging within her, yet she had no outlet for it.

The tension threatened to escalate; new members might even leave the group over this.

Sigh…

Luo Yong let out a long breath, thinking, “Is this really such a big deal?”

Many problems in this world are trivial at first, but when left unresolved and allowed to fester, they gradually spiral out of control…

For Luo Yong, problems that can be solved with money aren’t really problems at all.

He also realized that the new members valued “fairness” above all else.

And, admittedly, his actions just now were unfair.

“Alright, I was in the wrong,” Luo Yong conceded, waving his hand. Given his current state, standing up would be difficult, so he stayed seated and pulled out several blue potions from his storage.

“In our last battle, everyone contributed. I can’t take all the spoils for myself.”

“These are energy-boosting elixirs—one for each of you. Selly, hand them out and bring the rest back to me.”

“Okay,” Selly obediently gathered the potions and distributed them among the team.

“This—”

“These are… legendary elixirs that restore energy?!”

“They actually exist?”

Everyone gave Luo Yong a strange look, then glanced at Dodo, who was busy tinkering in the workshop, their minds racing.

“An alchemical sprite!”

“Could it be…”

“Luo Yong must have other secret potions!”

“No wonder he suddenly unleashed such power!”

“Enough talk—let’s duel!” The wild hunter, who somehow had produced another white glove, threw it into the midst of the group.

“…”

“The rest of the spoils will be distributed by merit after our next battle,” Luo Yong announced, adopting a businesslike tone as he stored away the remaining elixirs.

“Damn, I feel like I lost out,” the storm mage muttered, expressionless, glancing at the somewhat dazed Lillian.

“Yeah, we definitely got the short end…” Elia echoed.

Wendy and the others felt much the same.

With their existing camaraderie, many rewards could have been treated as perks, easily shared among them—the scrolls, gems, gold, delicacies in their storage gear… and surely more to come.

But now, thanks to Lillian’s protest, everything had become strictly official…

Of course, in a proper team, this is how things should be handled for the long run.

Yet why did it feel so uncomfortable?

“Does this satisfy you?” Luo Yong looked to Lillian with a calm gaze.

“Uh… if rewards are distributed by merit and without favoritism, I have no objection,” Lillian replied.

At the same time, Lillian, now coming to her senses, felt as if she’d made a mistake.

But she truly hadn’t—surely it was this team that was so odd!

“Speaking of merit-based rewards, I don’t think we need to debate it further,” Elia, having downed her energy potion, stood and addressed her companions. “This secret realm belongs to Luo Yong; we just happened to make a discovery here.”

“What discovery?” Luo Yong glanced at the team, noting their conflicted expressions—clearly, they’d been busy during his coma.

“Green crystal ore!”

“We found a huge deposit of green crystal ore in the valley!”

At this, the team gathered around, each adding their excited voices.

“An ore vein?” Luo Yong was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something, and his expression grew odd.

So this was it—people always joked about others having a mine at home. Now, here in another world, he actually had one himself!

He couldn’t help but laugh, his expression turning a tad manic.

Ahem.

To maintain his image, Luo Yong quickly composed himself, working to control his unruly features.

“Where is it? Let me see!”

He leapt to his feet. Despite lingering weakness, the news of a mine revitalized him—his back no longer ached, his legs were strong, and he felt ready for anything, even a wedding night…

Still, using that berserk technique, while exhilarating, truly was a double-edged sword—wounding the enemy a thousand times at the cost of eight hundred of your own.

If not for being in his own secret realm, knowing the green spider’s exact level, he would never have dared use it so casually.

Tsk tsk.

Riding on the back of the multicolored giant spider, Luo Yong and his party sped to the valley Wendy had described.

Traces of battle remained starkly visible.

Only time, only the power of years, could eventually erase them.

Luo Yong dismounted, half-slung over Fatty’s back, and under the team’s guidance finally glimpsed the hidden green crystal mine deep within the valley.

The vivid, pure green shone with a natural brilliance, a masterpiece of nature’s artistry.

One could only marvel at the wonders of creation.

“This is a gift from the goddess of fortune,” Luo Yong remarked lightly, unable to hide his smile.

“As your captain, I declare that everyone has a share in this mine—rewards will be distributed by merit!”

As he spoke, he produced bottles of red liquid from his storage.

“Wait—is that…?”

“A legendary potion to enhance physique?!”

The group exclaimed in astonishment.

“Just like before—one for each of you. Selly, distribute them and bring back what’s left,” Luo Yong instructed, once again entrusting the task to her.

“These used to be perks for the team, handed out without ceremony. Now it’s all by merit, and any surplus gets taken back…” Elia muttered under her breath.

“…”

Lillian felt a wave of collective resentment.

Who would have imagined he’d dispense gemstones as if they were mere pebbles?!