Chapter 37: A Team in the Midst of Growth

Taking advantage of the precious opportunity, Lu Kuan rushed forward from behind, leaping onto the back of the Caveman Captain and unleashed a flurry of powerful strikes against the back of its neck!

“-40!”
“-35!”
“-20!”
“-48!”

The Caveman Captain howled in agony, struggling to stand but collapsing repeatedly, unable to keep its balance. It tried to reach back and grab the annoying human clinging to its back, but time and again, Lu Kuan deftly dodged its grasp.

Only when the effects of the Binding Totem and Lightfoot Technique faded did the caveman finally manage to stand, roaring in fury as it turned to tear apart the shameless ranger. But Lu Kuan had already leapt far away, his hunting bow flashing with a green glow that lit up his face, brimming with murderous intent.

The caveman charged straight at Lu Kuan, who was just about to employ his signature hit-and-run tactics, when a tall figure stepped between him and the monster.

Under Bai Keke’s healing, Qingyi had swiftly regained her mobility. With shield in hand and long hair flowing, she faced the raging Caveman Captain without a trace of fear.

Lu Kuan paused, then broke into a smile of admiration.

By now, the Caveman Captain was on its last legs, its health nearly depleted by Lu Kuan. Bai Keke and Akui quickly collected themselves, and with the group reformed, the pressure on each of them lightened considerably.

Just a dozen seconds later, the massive body of the Caveman Captain crashed to the ground.

The three girls stared in disbelief before erupting into simultaneous cheers.

“Wow! We did it, we won!” Bai Keke was so overwhelmed with excitement that her eyes shimmered with tears.

“Haha, victory! Hahaha~” Akui laughed heartily.

Qingyi remained reserved as always, but the slight curl of her lips and the subtle tremble in her hands betrayed the tumult of emotions within her.

An elite level-11 monster! Higher than the final boss of the Molten Fortress Prison. In other words, wasn’t their team now capable of clearing the prison with ease?

Such an achievement had never even crossed their minds before.

Each of the three girls was lost in thought, but all of them looked, in unison, toward the beaming Lu Kuan.

The sudden battle had perfectly tested the girls’ abilities. Of them, Qingyi Wumao was usually the quietest, but when faced with adversity, she proved the most composed, never making a mistake from start to finish.

Especially for a girl, to stand her ground and face such a terrifying monster head-on—Lu Kuan had rarely seen such courage in either of his lives. The only drawback… was that her combat technique was still lacking.

“Let’s not waste time. Clean up the battlefield, recover a bit, and we’ll get moving,” Lu Kuan said with a smile, sensing the silence among the group.

The girls sprang into action, each gathering loot. Almost instinctively, they fell into a tacit understanding, accepting Lu Kuan’s captain-like commands without a word of dissent.

Soon, the spoils of battle were gathered and handed to Lu Kuan by Akui.

The Caveman Captain had dropped two green items: a pair of mage gloves and rogue shoulder guards—decent loot for an elite of its caliber. The other two scruffy cavemen, unsurprisingly, dropped nothing at all.

Seeing the others awaiting his decision, Lu Kuan said helplessly, “Don’t all look at me. Akui, you’re the captain, you handle the distribution.”

“Oh, please, I know my place,” Akui said playfully, shooting Lu Kuan a glance and pretending to be annoyed. “From now on, you be the captain! I’m stepping down and letting the best lead~”

Before Lu Kuan could protest, she shoved the items at him. Noting the expressions of the three girls, Lu Kuan let it go without further fuss.

“Akui, take these gloves—they add +1 to spell damage, very nice. The rogue’s shoulder guards and the rest, Qingyi can hold onto for now. Once we’re back in town, you can sort them as you wish,” Lu Kuan said, distributing the loot efficiently.

As he glanced through his backpack, he happened to notice two items tucked in the corner. Smacking his forehead, he exclaimed, “Oh, how could I have forgotten these? My memory!”

With that, Lu Kuan sent a trade request to Qingyi, placing the “Demon’s Guard” and “Weathered Bracers” into the trade window.

“Ah!”

At the sight of the two items, even the usually serene Qingyi couldn’t help but part her lips in surprise. She looked up at Lu Kuan. “What… what are these?”

“Long-term loan,” Lu Kuan replied simply.

In “Echoes of the Gods,” unbound equipment can be loaned out. The lender can reclaim them at any time, while the borrower can use the items but cannot bind, drop, or otherwise dispose of them.

It was a compromise, meant for players who needed better equipment but couldn’t afford to buy it outright.

Akui, who had been thoroughly confused, gasped when Qingyi shared the items’ attributes. Bai Keke and Akui both cried out in astonishment.

“A blue shield! They say shields are even rarer than weapons. Master, where did you get this?” Bai Keke asked breathlessly, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

“It dropped during a class quest, though it’s really rare,” Lu Kuan explained with a smile, then turned to Qingyi. “Hold onto it for now—no need to talk about rent. We’ll definitely face tougher monsters soon, so you should use it.”

After a brief moment’s thought, Qingyi accepted the shield and bracers. The boost to armor and defense was a huge benefit for her as a tank.

Bai Keke and Akui urged Qingyi to equip the new gear. She replaced her wooden recruit’s shield with the new one—a pale red metal shield appeared on her left arm.

Shaped like a hexagon, the shield’s polished surface gleamed. At its center was a relief of a demon’s head with twin horns, its open mouth exuding wisps of black mist—an intimidating yet commanding design.

Akui couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it, eyes shining with stars. “So… cool… wow…”

Unable to stand Akui’s starry-eyed expression, Qingyi slung the shield onto her back and said to Lu Kuan with quiet solemnity, “I’ll borrow it for now—once the quest is done, I’ll… I’ll return it.”

Lu Kuan just smiled and ushered the group onward.

Having encountered a patrolling caveman squad, they knew the caveman lair couldn’t be far. Lu Kuan quickly picked up the trail in the woods a dozen meters ahead, and they followed the tracks forward.

While Lu Kuan scouted ahead, the three girls huddled together, speaking softly in the private chat.

“We’ve stumbled into a god-tier quest! A blue item as soon as we join! Xiaoxiao, that Liu Xueliang last time only brought out a green one-handed axe!”

“Don’t… be ridiculous.”

“I mean it! This Old Deer is way better than Liu Xueliang—he’s a real expert, and so much more reliable…”

“If you two keep going…” Qingyi’s face cooled as she cut in.

Bai Keke and Akui, well aware of their friend’s chilly and indifferent nature—especially toward boys—exchanged glances and quickly fell silent.