Chapter 137: S-Rank Explorer

"Ich glaube, wir sind verloren"

"Nein! Mein haus ist irgendwo hier!"

"Bist du sicher? Ich sehe nur gershafte!"

"Es ist hier!"

Diao Mei could not contain her rapidly beating heart as she stared at the golden-haired boy walking hurriedly through the street.

"Warum fragst du dann nicht die dame? Die dort drüben steht."

"Dame?"

Diao Mei's whole body froze as she found herself unable to breathe as the golden-haired boy suddenly looked at her.

"Ah! Hello", the golden-haired boy then started to run towards her while waving his hand, "Have you seen a- AH!"

Diao Mei was about to raise her hand, but she could not help but flinch as the golden-haired boy suddenly shouted as he pointed at a house.

"Sofi! Hier ist es!", the golden-haired boy shouted as he looked back towards his companion, "Wir sind wirklich in Taizhou City!"

"Oh?", the golden-haired boy's female companion walked towards the house with a curious expression.

"Wollkommen! Willkommen!", excitedly shouted the golden-haired boy as he opened the door. The two then walked through the door, with the woman in glasses bowing towards Diao Mei as she entered the house.

"...Eh?", Diao Mei looked at her hand that was raised halfway. She was… ignored?

Her eyes could not help but twitch as she looked at the house. And with hesitant steps, she slowly approached the house and walked inside.

"Viel?", she wanted to shout, but all the came out was a whisper.

"Vi, Diese seltsame... Dame ist hier"

It was the beautiful woman with glasses that first noticed Diao Mei entering the house. The woman looked at her with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh?", the golden-haired boy then looked at Diao Mei as soon as the woman wearing glasses called his attention.

"H-hello?", the golden-haired boy as he looked at Diao Mei.

"We...We don't have money to spare, sorry", the golden-haired boy then said.

Hearing the golden-haired boy talk, Diao Mei's eyes instantly began to water.

"Ah! We really don't have any money!", the golden-haired boy panicked as he waved his hand.

Viel…

This really is Viel.

***

"I don't think she is coming anymore"

The lady with a scar on her face pulled her huge golden weapon from the ground and effortlessly placed it on her back.

"Are we not waiting for her anymore, Xing Cai?", a woman with long black hair and a bow on her back approached her.

Hearing this question, Xing Cai, who now fashioned a scar on her cheek, once again looked towards the distance.

"No", she said as she shook her head, "Just tell the standby unit to let her enter as soon as she arrives"

"Alright, if you say so"

"Thank you, Guang Yan"

The archer, Guang Yan, casually waved her hand as she approached a group that were cleaning up… dismembered corpses of what seemed to be women with ominous looking wings attached to their backs. Their long and thin tongues were hanging from their abnormally wide mouths as the group were throwing them in the fire.

What was weird though, was that all of the women were cut from their waist, but no legs could be found in the area.

It took a few seconds for Guang Yan to return to Xing Cai.

"Done", she said, "Diao Mei should have no trouble entering the dungeon on her own"

Xing Cai nodded as she started to walk towards the blue portal.

"You think we will find him here?", Guang Yan asked as she followed behind Xing Cai.

The only response she got from Xing Cai, however, was a cold glare.

"O-okay!", seeing Xing Cai's stare, Guang Yan quickly put up her hands in surrender, "Just asking, you never know"

And with a long sigh, and a slight shake of her head, Xing Cai casually entered the portal.

Guang Yan could only scratch her chin as she stared at Xing Cai's disappearing back.

Based on her knowledge, Xing Cai was one of the first explorers to enter a dungeon, at least in Choryu, that is. She first met her about 5 years ago when a dungeon opened up near her village.

Guang Yan was what you would consider a normal woman back then, or a mortal, so were they demeaningly called by the cultivators. But due to her panic when her village was suddenly being ransacked by small little green colored looking humans, she entered the portal unknowingly.

She doesn't remember for how long she tried to survive inside the portal. But she remembered being chased day and night by those ugly little creatures. In time, she learned to fight and eventually killed some of them.

But for every one she kills, two more chases after her. She was tired.

Exhausted and hungry.

She ran and she fought. Repeating this process over and over again.

Until one day, she just gave up.

Surrounded by those ugly little creatures, feeling their tongue licking her face. Guang Yan was about to kill herself, but that was when Xing Cai arrived.

She rescued her from the dungeon, and once they were out, she found herself gaining power. Not yet matching those of cultivators, but still, she gained power enough to protect herself.

And so, from then on, she followed Xing Cai. And with each dungeon, she grew stronger.

Until eventually, the people gave them titles and ranks.

Explorers.

And Xing Cai, obviously, was dubbed as an S-Rank explorer.

The appearance of the dungeons was, perhaps, a boon for those who can survive it.

She heard a rumor that dungeons also appeared in the western continents, and that they used it as a tool to recover from the ashes of war that was left by the Evil Monarch.

But of course, she was not knowledgeable on that part of the world. But maybe someday, if Xing Cai travels to the west, then she will confirm the rumors herself.

Guang Yan shook her head. This was not the time for her to have her own monologue. Xing Cai has been alone in the dungeon now for a few seconds.

And so, with a final sigh, she grabbed the bow from her back and entered the dungeon.

[Objective: Defeat the Manananggal Queen!]

Another weird looking name, she thought as her eyes adjusted to the sudden shift of surroundings. But as soon as her vision became clear, she quickly drew her boy as her eyes widened.

"C...crap", she whispered as she saw the sky being covered by thousands of flying creatures...and no Xing Cai in sight.

"...It just had to be a random spawn"