Staying Overnight

He froze for a moment when he saw the two of them resting.

His gaze first fell upon the giant axe in Phoebe's hands, then shifted to her striking silver hair.

Finally, his eyes locked onto her exposed arm.

The golden pattern was exceptionally conspicuous in the dark, impossible to hide.

Bai Xuan's peripheral vision keenly caught the man's gaze, and he instantly grew alert.

He immediately stood up, using his own body to shield Phoebe.

At the same time, he pulled up her hood to cover her face.

“Let's go,” he said, his tone as calm as ever, but his movements were swift.

Phoebe didn't ask any questions. Sensing that something was wrong, she skillfully began wrapping the bandages back around her arm.

Bai Xuan reached out to hold down the end of the bandage for her. The two of them worked in perfect harmony, quickly securing the bandages tightly.

By then, the adventurer had already walked away, but Bai Xuan still dared not let his guard down, leading Phoebe into a side path.

After taking several twists and turns to repeatedly ensure that no one was following them, he finally slowed his pace.

He stopped and turned to look at Phoebe, who had already pulled her sleeves down low, completely covering the wrapped bandages.

“Those patterns... you must never let anyone see them,” Bai Xuan said in a low but serious voice.

“Understood?”

Phoebe looked up at him, her gold-red eyes calm and undisturbed, and gave a gentle nod.

Without another word, Bai Xuan turned and continued deeper into the passage.

Phoebe silently followed behind him.

...

They made rapid progress.

Bai Xuan leaned against the stone wall of the passage, watching Phoebe squatting on the ground, carving out a Magic Core from a monster's corpse.

Her movements were already highly practiced; with a gentle pry of her axe's tip, a whole Magic Core popped out.

She wiped away the blood and tossed it into the pouch at her waist.

Along the way, she had handled all the combat, and she was the one collecting the scattered monster materials.

Bai Xuan only had to stand behind her and watch the experience points on his status panel tick upward.

Occasionally, he would softly warn her to watch her left or watch out for a sneak attack from behind.

This level of ease was a world away from his past days when he had to fight for his life alone in the dungeons.

The two of them pressed forward, quickly reaching the sixth floor.

The air in the mine tunnels was even more humid than on the upper floors. The stone walls were covered with patchy moss, some glowing with a faint fluorescence, while others were a dark, murky green.

Water seeped constantly from the cracks between the stone slabs underfoot, squelching softly with each step.

Bai Xuan stopped at a fork in the path, his gaze slowly sweeping across the uneven, potholed cave entrances as his expression gradually grew serious.

The information on the map indicated that Decay Moss Beasts were not easy to find.

These monsters were already few in number, and their range of activity was extremely vast.

Even if one were lucky enough to encounter one, its thick, tough hide and highly corrosive attacks were enough to deter most adventurers.

It was precisely for this reason that the Silver Rank commission to hunt Decay Moss Beasts had been hanging on the quest board for so long.

Bai Xuan composed himself and walked down one of the tunnels. Phoebe followed silently behind him, her steps light yet alert.

After walking for about half an hour, a low, rumbling sound like a snore suddenly echoed from around a bend in the passage ahead.

Bai Xuan immediately raised his hand to signal Phoebe to stop, then peeked around the corner with caution.

Huddled in a corner was a grayish-green monster that looked like a clump of moss with legs.

Its body was round and chubby, its limbs short and thick, and several clusters of glowing fungi grew on its back, shining faintly in the dim tunnel—making it highly conspicuous.

It was a Decay Moss Beast, Level 4.

Being one level higher than Phoebe, the gap between them was almost equivalent to a major realm.

Bai Xuan was in no hurry to strike. He glanced back at Phoebe and said calmly,

“Go give it a try.”

Hearing this, Phoebe slowly set down the materials she was carrying, gripped the axe handle tightly with both hands, and crept toward the Decay Moss Beast.

Her footsteps were light, and only the blade of her axe dragging against the ground made a soft scraping sound, breaking the silence of the mine.

The Decay Moss Beast quickly noticed the noise and snapped its head up. Its small, cloudy eyes locked onto Phoebe, instantly filling with wariness and hostility.

It slowly opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp, yellowish-green teeth, and let out a low, warning growl from its throat.

Yet Phoebe did not falter, continuing forward with steady steps.

In the next instant, the Decay Moss Beast lunged forward, moving far faster than its round, chubby form suggested.

Phoebe sidestepped to dodge, and using the momentum, she swung her axe upward, hacking fiercely into the beast's shoulder.

There was no struggle like Bai Xuan had anticipated; the sound of the blade slicing through flesh was clean and decisive.

The force of the blow sent the Decay Moss Beast stumbling half a step sideways, instantly tearing open a gruesome gash on its back.

Thick, green blood poured out immediately, releasing a pungent, metallic stench.

Howling in pain, the Decay Moss Beast turned, preparing to spit corrosive fluid in retaliation.

But Phoebe had already flashed to its side. Her second strike slammed heavily into its hind leg, followed by the clear, sickening crack of breaking bone.

With its leg shattered, the Decay Moss Beast collapsed, kneeling awkwardly. Phoebe gave it no room to struggle, raising her axe high with both hands.

Her third swing smashed brutally onto its head. After a dull impact, the Decay Moss Beast stopped moving entirely, and the battle was over.

Standing in place, Bai Xuan watched the experience points that instantly popped up on his status panel, silently calculating the gains.

From the moment Phoebe struck to the end of the battle, less than ten breaths of time had passed.

He was secretly amazed. The boost in combat power from Level 4 Strength Enhancement was far greater than he had anticipated.

The only fly in the ointment was that most of the glowing fungi on the Decay Moss Beast's back had been shattered, leaving only two small clusters intact.

Bai Xuan walked over, squatted down, and carefully harvested the two intact clusters.

He wrapped them carefully in a clean, soft cloth and stored them in his Space Ring.

He even gathered up the shattered fragments; in case some merchant was willing to buy them, they could still be traded for resources.

Once everything was packed, he stood up, glanced into the dark depths of the passage, and said to Phoebe,

“Let's find a place to rest. It's about that time.”

Having spent so much time in the dungeon without seeing daylight, it was impossible to tell the exact hour.

However, the weariness creeping into his body told him that night had likely fallen.

Bai Xuan looked around and quickly found a relatively spacious abandoned mining chamber.

With solid rock on three sides and only one opening facing the passage, it was easy to defend and hard to attack—making it an excellent spot to rest.

He pulled a sleeping bag from his Space Ring, quickly laid it out on the ground, and lit a campfire.