Chapter Fifty-eight: Awkward People, Awkward Monsters

Floor four of the labyrinth: the exhilarating journey of leveling continued. This was Zhao Nan’s second day inside the maze. The fourth layer was twice the size of the third, its branching paths even more labyrinthine, and the monsters regenerated at shorter intervals.

For Zhao Nan, a day spent slaying monsters was more about honing the team’s coordination than about the grind itself. Their party included an archer, a priest, and a sage. When it came to offense, Finina took the lead, but Zhao Nan was able to handle comprehensive suppression himself. He and Finina could even swap roles as main attackers.

Zhao Nan kept experimenting with various attack patterns. Early on, it was easy to clear minor monsters and small bosses, but as they advanced to larger dungeons, even elite monsters in the wild demanded teamwork.

Gao Mingyang was thoroughly addicted; this rapid leveling was intoxicating. Except for Zhao Nan and Finina, the others had already gained three full levels, jumping from level ten to thirteen. In another half day, level fourteen would be within reach.

Back and forth they went, farming monsters in the dungeon. Usable equipment was equipped immediately; the rest was stored away. Their packs were full to bursting, and the surplus was deposited in the guild’s warehouse.

At the blood-stained end of floor four, the group, exhausted from a day and night of relentless battle, slumped beside the teleportation magic circle. With half an hour left before the next elite monster spawned, Zhao Nan’s cool voice broke the silence: “After you reach level fourteen, you’ll unlock the fifth floor of the labyrinth.”

“Zhao Nan, how much longer until you level up?” Gao Xiang, fiddling with a newly acquired blue-grade longbow from the last elite monster, could barely contain his joy.

“Once the elite monster appears, I’ll have enough experience for the next level.”

Gao Xiang nodded thoughtfully, but Gao Mingyang suddenly beckoned Zhao Nan over, scratching his head. “I need to talk to you about something.”

They walked off together. Gao Mingyang wore a mysterious expression, his voice low, “How do you plan to deal with that?”

“What?”

Gao Mingyang gritted his teeth, half exasperated, half resigned. “I mean Xu Yang! I’ve watched all day, and so has everyone else. She casts buffs on you faster than anyone else—whenever she’s free, she’s always looking to boost you. We all know it, even if no one says it out loud. I’d wager anything she’s fallen for you!”

At the deep end of floor four, Zhao Nan laughed, patting Gao Mingyang’s shoulder, his brows knit. “You really like meddling in other people’s business.”

“This isn’t meddling, this is a major guild matter. If she’s heartbroken and leaves after this dungeon, where am I supposed to find another level fourteen sage? And let me tell you, if you don’t pursue such a great girl, it’s a crime against humanity!”

“You want me, a man with a girlfriend, to chase another woman? Isn’t that even worse?”

Gao Mingyang was stunned by this response. He looked at Zhao Nan as if seeing a stranger—this ruthless killer actually harbored such traditional, almost absurd notions of love?

“In this day and age… If you don’t pursue her, there’ll be plenty of others who will. Won’t you regret it if someone else wins her over?”

Zhao Nan was momentarily taken aback. He knew Gao Mingyang was blunt and foul-mouthed, but to hear such crude yet piercing logic in a discussion about love was oddly refreshing—it cut straight through to the most hypocritical corner of a man’s heart.

Gao Mingyang sighed. “Take care of yourself. Don’t regret missing your chance… and don’t make excuses to look good in front of others!”

He turned and walked back to his original place, sitting down and watching Zhao Nan, who was still lost in thought—this guy was mature beyond his years in some ways, but in others, hopelessly naive and awkward. Gao Mingyang had seen all kinds of people in his years, but never someone so contradictory. He suspected Zhao Nan was still holding back, or perhaps deliberately feigning ignorance; whatever the case, it was infuriating.

Gao Mingyang walked away. Zhao Nan, now alone, attracted a variety of curious glances. Finina’s look was one of inquiry—he was most familiar with that gaze. For a moment, Zhao Nan was tempted to avoid it, but then decided there was no need.

He smiled gently, and her gaze softened further.

He finally found Xu Yang’s eyes—curious, searching. Their eyes met. In truth, the notion that you could read a multitude of emotions from someone’s eyes was nonsense; without facial expressions, features, and the interplay of gaze, no one could truly decipher so much.

Xu Yang’s expression was complex.

It wasn’t, as Gao Mingyang claimed, a matter of love. It was uncertainty—a state of mind unknown even to herself. Zhao Nan couldn’t guess what Xu Yang was thinking.

Women were the most inscrutable beings under heaven, and naturally she didn’t know what he was thinking either. Neither could truly understand the other’s heart, let alone speak of affection or lack thereof.

Awkward.

That was Zhao Nan’s only feeling at this moment. Fate had brought them together, placing them side by side in this labyrinth, forcing an awkward closeness upon them, just as it had been when they first met.

There were more important matters to attend to.

Zhao Nan sighed, regaining his composure, clapped his hands and said, “Alright, let’s not waste time. Back to leveling.”

“Got it!” The young mage, Jiang Lun, sprang to his feet, brimming with enthusiasm, and hurried to Zhao Nan’s side.

Zhao Nan looked at Jiang Lun.

Such a wonderful age.

…

Neither the ‘Guardian Knights’ nor ‘Inferno’ could keep pace with ‘World’s End.’

Jiang Lun’s idea was to leave markers for future adventurers, to boost the guild’s reputation and attract new members. It was a good plan.

But since they’d committed to leveling, Zhao Nan had vetoed the idea. The current eight, himself included, lacked the heart and skill to be true leaders. Growing a guild was far more difficult than it sounded; the practical challenges were countless.

Since they couldn’t take the route of large numbers, they would follow the path of the elite. Even a guild of eight had its own way to survive.

Now they stood on the fifth and final floor of the labyrinth, before the last boss’s chamber. The heavy doors were shut. To either side lay a narrow path, bordered by bottomless chasms, with a candle burning every meter.

The scent of wax was sharp and pungent.

Another two days had passed.

Zhao Nan and Finina were now level sixteen and a half; the others had already broken through to level fifteen. Their strength had multiplied several times over since before entering the dungeon.

Elite monsters in the wild rarely dropped good equipment, but in the dungeon, even ordinary monsters had a chance to drop gear, with at least green quality.

To say the eight-person team had upgraded from slingshots to cannons would not be an exaggeration.

Zhao Nan pushed open the door.

He had to do it himself. The guild leader was Gao Mingyang, but in legion-mode parties, Zhao Nan was the captain, responsible for distributing all loot.

Inside the pitch-black chamber, smoke billowed everywhere. A hulking shadow appeared before them, easily two stories tall.

The room’s candlesticks ignited with a loud ‘whoosh,’ and the shadow gradually came into focus. Its whole body gleamed with a blue sheen—no terrifying claws, no imposing armor, no menacing weapons.

All it had were round, bulging eyes, an innocent smile, and teeth sharp as wolf fangs.

And at its belly, a gigantic pouch.

“Teletubby?!” Xu Yang gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment.

Level 18 Labyrinth Boss: True Teletubby.

Before them stood a name glowing with golden light, and the boss’s wide, toothy grin.