Chapter 44: Complacency Leads to Death

Chapter 44: Complacency Leads to Death Jehanne was a woman of action. As soon as she got an idea, she moved to act on it. As such, without delay, she headed out of her room, down the stairs, and out of the Log House. She rushed next door and knocked loudly. "Miss Dark Elf, can I have a word with you!" she shouted. The Log House didn’t have very good soundproofing—it was made of logs, after all. As such, the faint moans coming from inside, and the sound of things rattling in panic, echoed clearly. "Hmm?" Jehanne frowned, puzzled that nobody came to the door even after some time passed. Just as she was getting worried and about to barge in, the door creaked open. "Oh, my goddess... Ha... Do you need something?" And the one who appeared was the blonde playboy, Arthur—his clothes disheveled, hair a wild mess as if he had just gotten up from bed, and his body covered in red marks and sweat. He was panting hard, trying to catch his breath, but every part of him screamed of "activity." "Ah, it’s nothing, actually..." Jehanne gave her usual smile, answering politely—clueless as to what Arthur had just been doing. "I just want to ask some questions to the Dark Elves with you. Do you mind?" "Oh, no no, I’d never refuse a lady’s request." Arthur smiled, calming his breathing as he tried to compose himself. "Please, come in." "Ah, no..." Jehanne scratched her cheek. "Actually, I’d rather invite them to my room instead... The question I want to ask is a little... embarrassing. Something only women should talk about." "I see. Do you need all of them, or just one?" Arthur asked. Jehanne thought for a moment, before shyly answering, "Getting more varied responses is better... but if they’re busy, one of them is enough." "Then, I’ll call on Irithel," he said quickly. "Speak to her first." Irithel—the Dark Elf leader who had also explained things to them earlier—was indeed the best choice. After he went back in, a series of dissatisfied boos echoed from inside, followed by some clamor. Then the door swung open, wider than before, revealing three beauties standing before it. "The Proxy, Miss Jehanne, was it?" the leader-figure, Irithel, asked with a sharp smile. Her eyes narrowed, as if judging Jehanne carefully. "Do you need anything from us? Or is it that... you’re going to chase us out?" "Huh? Oh, no, no!" Jehanne realized her sudden visit could be misunderstood, so she quickly shook her head and waved her hands around. "I—I just have some questions I want to ask from you, that’s all!" "Questions?" Irithel raised a brow. "Can’t talk about it here?" "That’s..." Jehanne peeked behind them, toward Arthur, who was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, with the rest of the Dark Elves swarming around him. Irithel followed her gaze and, as expected, understood Jehanne’s concerns. "I see... sensitive questions, is it?" Though a little embarrassed, Jehanne nodded faintly. ’This girl... is so cute,’ Irithel thought with a faint smile forming on her lips as she watched Jehanne squirm. ’Somehow, I get the urge to bring her home and keep her as a pet.’ After a short pause, Irithel smiled and said, "Alright, I get it. Us three grannies will listen to your worries, young lady. Lead the way." Jehanne’s face brightened up immediately. "Right! Thank you!" "Save the thanks for later. We haven’t even begun talking yet." "Oh, sorry. Please, this way..." And just like that, with a simple Q&A as the excuse, Jehanne took a step into a world that she never thought existed. ???????????? Back to the present. Xu Tao was busy hunting Death Stingers, raising his levels slowly but surely. Thanks to the first one dropping an SR Robe—the Celestial Night Robe—his mood had completely turned around. Not only that, the new robe’s performance was leagues better than his damaged one! +50% cultivation speed, +10% Strength and Agility, and 33% flat damage reduction. As a cherry on top, it even had automatic self-repair, mending any damage it took over time! The robes the outer disciples chose earlier couldn’t even begin to compare! "SHIT!" But maybe because of this advantage, Xu Tao "enjoyed" hunting the Death Stingers a bit too much. He headed deeper and deeper into the desert without noticing, the enemy’s level increasing ever so gradually, until they reached level 200... And then, it happened. The sand around him, like an antlion’s trap, began to collapse. But this time, it wasn’t another Sand Beetle Larva. No—it was a sinkhole, leading to a cavern beneath the sand. A spacious formation of limestone rock—solid, cool, and perfect as a breeding ground for monsters. Upon landing, Xu Tao quickly realized his mistake. He had gotten too complacent, forgetting to watch his footing. Now, he was surrounded by a monster swarm. Long, slithering bodies covered in thick scales. All of them twisted and entwined into a single writhing mass. When Xu Tao focused his gaze, his scalp tingled. Red names. Everywhere. [Sand Snake – Lv. 300] Level 300 monsters—and hundreds of them! Without hesitation, the moment Xu Tao hit the ground, or rather, the mass of snakes, he jumped. "P-PUIIII...!!!" "Pepe!" He didn’t forget to catch his buddy, who had fallen right in after him. And then, using Cloud Steps, he launched upward, aiming for the spot of light above—the hole they fell through. HISS! But of course, the monsters wouldn’t let the intruder, their prey, escape so easily. The mass of snakes surged together, forming a tower of writhing bodies that chased after him. A massive serpent at the lead bared its fangs—two sharp, gleaming fangs and a forked tongue as long as Xu Tao’s height. "...!" It was too fast. No time to dodge. No way to escape. The serpent’s maw opened wide, about to swallow them both whole— "CALL FOR HELP!" In that split second, Xu Tao hurled the little pumpkin upward with all his strength, sending it flying toward the exit. "PUI! PUIIII!!!" Pepe cried out as it soared through the air, watching its master smile one last time—before being swallowed whole. "...!" Pepe froze in the air, trembling. It was too weak. It couldn’t even protect its master from danger. All it could ever do was hover nearby and help with gathering loot... ’Call for help!’ It remembered Xu Tao’s last words. Right—Xu Tao didn’t look like someone ready to give up. He had to still be alive! Pepe clung onto that hope, then turned and shot off—flying faster than ever before. Normally, it would conserve energy, mixing floating and hopping... but now, there was no time. The little savior sped across the desert, on its way to call for backup. And beneath the earth, in the dark cavern, a terrible hiss echoed once more.