Free Web NovelChapter 110: Contract Extension
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The progress of the party through dungeon levels evidently slowed down once they started going to stage 16 and above.
They weren’t in the process of having Ren catch up to the party’s overall progress anymore; they’re now advancing and retreating together. Additionally, they are also spending time training in the dungeons, putting themselves at risk and honing their skills under pressure.
Since it doesn’t matter how much time they spent inside the dungeons, when only 30 minutes will pass in real life upon their return, this is how they could squeeze more time in the day to advance their martial practice.
Of course, this isn’t applicable every single time, but for the most part, many martial artists take advantage of this.
This is exactly what the Green Tea Party was doing right now.
They stayed on stage 16 for a whole week. They repeatedly cleared it even though they’ve grown more than strong enough to handle it.
For the most part, they stayed in the volcano to get their chakra used to high temperatures. They also hone their mobility and capability to survive in harsh conditions.
After a week of grinding stage 16, they moved on to stage 17 and did the same thing.
Although the kobolds at stage 17 aren’t stronger than those at stage 16, the temperature of the environment was higher; therefore, it’s more uncomfortable there.
Even though they spent an entire week getting used to stage 16’s high heat, it wasn’t enough to get them completely used to it. They had to move to stage 17 where the heat was higher and fiercer, which made them feel like they made no progress at all.
This is pressure.
It’s not that they didn’t make any progress; it’s just that they weren’t given enough time to actually realize that they did. This is to prevent them from being complacent.
Sir Justin arranged this schedule for them, knowing that the party needs this to happen. This kind of pressure is beneficial for their growth. The further they go into the dungeon levels, the harsher it becomes.
Dungeon exploration wasn’t meant to be comfortable or easy. They’re essentially invading a world where humans weren’t meant to be seen and is inhabitable to them, hostile, even. All for the sake of earning resources.
The only ones who didn’t mind this pressure was Jen, first and foremost, and Ren. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Jen, because of her fiery, martial physique. She’s like a fish in a sea in the hot temperatures of the kobold lairs. Not only that, her practice speed is actually faster here compared to other places, especially since this was a natural environment, not man-made. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Ren was surprising. They’ve learned that he’s weird long ago. He’s too strong and too fast for someone at his level. In their party exercises, Ren never lost to anybody. Not to someone at the same level as him, and not to anybody who’s at least two minor levels above his own martial level. And of course, never to somebody who’s weaker than him.
They’ve yet to see him truly go all out. They’ve yet to see him angry and upset. They’ve yet to see him desperate or cornered. Even when it was clear to everybody that he was at a disadvantage, somehow, he won.
He always won.
On their own, these made him unique, but now he’s also adjusting to harsh environments faster than anybody...it made them seriously doubt if Ren was being honest when he told them that he’s only a common grade 1 martial physique, because the feats he’s displaying surely doesn’t conform to that.
But he’s their teammate, a very reliable one at that.
They knew that he could easily outperform them all, but Ren doesn’t. He works with the team. He doesn’t demean or invalidate anybody’s progress or results. He doesn’t complain even though he finds everything slow.
All of them knew that they were incredibly lucky when he joined the team. The Green Tea Party would’ve made this kind of progress if it were anybody else.
That’s why they didn’t ask. Ren’s secret was his own. It’s not something they should concern themselves with too much. He’s an ally and he’s done nothing to cause damage to the team.
Hell, Derek caused more trouble than he does with penchant for explosives, and he’s the party leader!
That’s why they leave him alone with his secrets. If he’s telling the truth, great! If not, fine. So long as it doesn’t cause any irreparable damage to the party, it could be excused.
In truth, this was all because of the Limitless Martial Physique. Ren is twice as everything compared to anybody within his level.
Of course, this also applies to his adaptation.
However, Ren couldn’t just go ahead and tell everybody about this now, could he? Not even to his own party.
Don’t get him wrong, it’s not that they’re bad or untrustworthy people. Ren simply couldn’t risk it. There’s just too much riding in this. The Limitless Martial Physique was one of the key points for his survival in the future.
As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t exactly publicize it since doing so might doom the entire race.
Therefore, as much as he’d love to talk about it, Ren must guard this secret as close to his heart as possible.
**
A month and seven days.
That’s how long it took for the Green Tea Party to finally leave the cobold stages behind them.
Currently, they’re making their way to their temporary lodgings to fetch their stuff so they can go home. They just returned from clearing stage 20.
First of all, the volcanic heat in stage 20 was a lot harsher compared to stage 16. If the heat on stage 16 was like being in a hot oven, the heat on stage 20 feels like hell if it were real...at least, that’s how it felt for Derek.
Furthermore, compared to other kobold stages, stage 20 has the higher risk of a volcanic eruption happening mid-exploration. The lava was practically boiling when they arrived at the lair.
To top that off, they had to kill 400 ordinary kobolds, four elite kobolds, two lord kobolds, and a kobold boss.
They’re under a time limit since the volcano looks like it’s going to erupt at any given moment.
Actually, they experienced a team wipe at least once a day this following week because of the eruption.
This past week, they did nothing but use their daily quota to clear stage 20, and once every day, the stage will erupt, causing them all to die and fail the clear.
’Dying sucks! ’As Derek would say, and that’s basically the long and short of it.
The only reason why they haven’t collapsed is because this was a beginner-level dungeon. They have unlimited revives here. If they all died and failed to clear the dungeons, all that would happen is that they would lose all the loot they collected and they’d be expelled from the dungeon level.
They will all wake up at the Archstone Plaza pained and agonized. The sensation was spiritual, not physical. That, however, doesn’t make it better.
At the very least, though, they won’t actually die. That cannot happen in beginner-level dungeons. But it still sucks.
This was one of the things that Ren had to adjust to as well. Dying will probably become very common for him soon.
It will slow down once they’re past stage 30, obviously. From that point, training wheels are off.
Every explorer will only ger one ressurection chance every month, and they don’t stack. From there onwards, explorers have to be more careful because any accident can become fatal and could kill them.
For now, there’s still time, but once they reach that level, the severity and reality of the dungeons’ existence will start feeling more real than ever.
On another note...
All that training and suffering weren’t for nothing. Ren advanced to the mid-stage bone forging stage. He was early by two full weeks from his assumed timeline, which was nice.
He wasn’t the only one.
Derek and Jen also broke through. Both of them are now at the marrow cleansing stage.
The only reason why Derek’s breakthrough happened first was because he was originally the one who was ahead. Jen practiced a bit slower than him because she slacked off sometimes, while Derek didn’t.
However, the kobold stages were a boon to Jen and her progress speed. She actually bridged the gap and fixed the instabilities in her foundation there. That’s why she was able to catch up fast with Derek.
Derek’s breakthrough came first, but Jen’s came close after. They broke through on the same day.
With two Marrow Cleansing practitioners in the team, the party’s might became higher and their future brighter.
Sir Justin was revealed. He even gave them a day off because of this. Obviously, the team took it and threw a small party.
Jules and Kaycee also made a minor breakthrough. Both of them are at the peak of bone forging now.
All in all, the team’s future looked bright. If no accident occurs, then soon, Q-City will have another reliable party as representatives.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
There was a reason why Ren only signed to be with the team up to Stage 30 only.
