Cure!

For the eighteenth time, I used my spell on the last member of Yadav’s team. Compared to the previous times where I used my three spells, I only used Cure on Yadav’s teammates. I was curing them under the eyes of the other teams and did not want to set up a precedent. By using only Cure, I was only removing the virus out of their bodies; they would still need a relatively long period of time to recover properly.

This way, I was minimising the chances that the healed hunters would turn against me. It may not be the case for Yadav and his team but I held my guards against Mustafa and Xia Shiyu’s teams.

1800 Nazlock Coins found their way into my storage pouch as Yadav’s team sat down in a corner to rest. Their weak appearance did not change much but they knew they were getting better as the dizziness and headache they were starting to experience disappeared.

Silence once again fell on the canyon but in the corner of my eyes, I noticed a few hunters approaching Yadav’s team. I was not able to overhear their conversation but before long, Roberto’s team approached me.

“What? 150 Nazlock Coins per person? Isn’t this too much? The team you just healed only paid 100 coins per person. We were not able to gather that many…” The team leader whose name was Carlos complained furiously.

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. Did he think I was stupid? His team was the first to enter the Nobles’ section. They probably cleared the most rooms out of the different teams. “It is up to you. The longer you wait, the more energy I have to use to remove the virus. Naturally it also leads to an increase in price.”

Unable to argue with me and starting to feel even weaker, Carlos gave in and took out 2550 Nazlock Coins. I grinned as I pocketed the heavy metallic coins and got to work.

Only two teams remained but they both had a grudge against me. Still, I was not going to change my plans. The first one to approach me would pay 200 coins per person and the last one 250 coins.

I noticed Xia Shiyu’s venomous stare. She was biting her nails nervously as droplets of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her symptoms were a lot more advanced than the others to the point that I wondered whether she was bitten by one of the giant rats who failed their advancement. I smiled mockingly at the Asian woman who turned red in anger.

In the end, both teams approached me at the same time.

“We would like to request the treatment of our team members.” Mustafa stiffly said as he averted my gaze.

I paused for a moment, considering what to do since I did not expect the two groups to move together. “Sure. 200 Nazlock Coins per person to pay upfront.”

“This is too much. We did not manage to collect that much.”

“Then, take out the other items that you collected. I will accept them as substitute and give you a fair price.”

I could see the impatience and frustration in their eyes as I took my time browsing through their treasures. I was curious about how much I could push the limits but in the end, chose to remain fair.

“Alright. I had a look at what you have. I’ll take 2000 Nazlock Coins, 40 giant rat corpses, two wine barrels and this Jade Bracelet.” It did not take me very long to make a decision. Mustafa and Xia Shiyu’s teams came across a few treasures as they explored the rest of the Soldiers’ section. The most interesting one was the Jade Bracelet.

It was a green feminine bracelet, covered with a flower motif. It was covered with dust and had lost its lustre but its enchantments were still active. I could not fully evaluate the bracelet but once I held it in my hands, I felt the mana entering my mana pool flow slightly faster. It was faint and if it was not for me having just used my spells many times over the past hour, I would not have noticed it. It led me to suspect that the bracelet had at least one enchantment: Mana Regeneration.

“This… The Jade Bracelet is the most precious treasure we found. It should be worth a bit more…” Mustafa tried to argue but I refused to move on the price.

“Just agree to it. It’s not as if we can refuse even if he raises the price…” Xia Shiyu grumbled. She kept her cold and arrogant attitude but nevertheless agreed to the unfavourable exchange. I had a feeling she was planning something but whatever she had in mind was bound to fail. As long as I had the First Floor Ticket, I could escape at any time.

I put on the Jade Bracelet and tossed a few mana stones in my mouth to recover my mana. “Let’s begin then.”

Cure!

I crouched next to the hunters one by one, casting my spell to expel the virus. I started with Mustafa’s team but when I reached Xia Shiyu’s team, I felt that someone was missing. “Where is Old Wu?” I asked, not finding the elder who formed part of my team in the previous room.

“He died. He sacrificed himself to let us escape from the giant rats.” A hunter replied sharply. A guilty look flashed through his eyes as his lowered his head. His arm tensed when I grabbed it but he allowed me to cast my spell.

‘Did he sacrifice himself or did you abandon him?’ I sneered internally.

I silently moved to the next hunter. I felt Xia Shiyu’s murderous glare during the entire process. Fortunately, she did not make any move against me, partly because she was not in good shape and we were currently in public in front of many other hunters.

As soon as I finished healing the last hunter, I took a step back and distanced myself. “Job’s done.”

“Job’s done? How can this be considered done?” Mustafa exclaimed angrily.

Looking at his current appearance, I could not deny that I did a sloppy job. His body was covered with freshly opened wounds that allowed the contaminated blood to flow out. The blood has hardened on his skin and together with his pale face, gave him a sickly look.

“I gave you the same treatment as the others.” I replied, pointing at Yadav and his team whose complexion have improved. “It will take some time for your body to fully recover. It is like taking medicine, you do not expect your body to heal in an instant.”

“But you did also heal your own team and Eric’s. These two teams look perfectly fine already! You can close our wounds by casting Heal and hasten the recovery process. You can’t have double standards.”

“These two teams accepted my treatment earlier so naturally they will be in a better shape. They also agreed to pay a different price.” I replied calmly.

“If it is a matter of price, we can also match it. You’ve looked at the loot we collected.”

“No need. It is not about price.” I refused without second thoughts. “If there is nothing else, I will take my leave as I am very busy.”

I left without further ado, ignoring the increasingly loud complaints of the injured hunters. I purposedly left them in this state, so naturally, I would refuse any offer they made. I just extorted a large portion of the treasures they collected from the tombs. With such a large amount of wealth on me, I was a very attractive target.

By leaving them in this injured state, I was allowing myself a small window of opportunity to run back to the village and exchange the Nazlock Coins before leaving the zeroth floor. The return journey would take about thirty minutes which was also the time I estimated it would take the hunters to recover.

Yadav and his team were already in good shape. While I doubted that Eric, Jacob and Yadav’s teams would make a move against me, I did not let my guard down.

…

“I see that you’ve made a great harvest.” Levi appeared next to me as I walked down the path to the village.

“A decent one. Anything to say? Did you find something unusual on the path?”

“No. But you should hurry up. They are coming for you.”

And as soon as Levi spoke, a light breeze started blowing against me out of nowhere. My expression hardened as I felt a sense of unease creeping in.

Swoosh!

My ears picked up a suspicious sound but it was too late to react. I grunted in pain as an arrow pierced through my left shoulder. My heart sank.

I glanced behind me and found a few silhouettes poking out of the landscape. I was unable to identify these people because of the distance but it was clear that they did not have good intentions.

‘Is this Lovin? Not sure but he is d*mn accurate. Having the high ground increases his range by so much…’

Cleanse! Heal!

I quickly used my two spells in quick succession as I consumed a mana stone. “How many are there?”

“Many. There are more coming behind them.” Levi replied in a serious tone.

‘As I expected. They probably kept some healing potions after noticing that they did not work. They must be  mad that I took so much from them and want to take it back. I kind of deserve it but I won’t give myself to them.’

I noticed several more silhouettes appearing in the distance. Knowing full well what they came here for, I wasted no time and broke into a run.

‘Let the chase begin.’ I said to myself confidently.