Chapter 21 - Journey to the Underground Cave

In addition to Han Sen, the Son of A Suck and his group also joined some paid mercenaries, each worse than the other. Just by looking at their faces, someone would know that they must have already committed the worst crimes with a smile. The group left the Steel Armor Shelter and headed towards the mountains.

Although they didn't expect anything good to happen, they still wanted to take advantage of the opportunity for the generous reward. Their employer's reputation wasn't that good among the Shelter, but who doesn't like to bet on their own survival?

’Although I preferred to follow in secret, this situation isn't bad either. At least I can gain information from the inside.’ Han Sen was following all of them, walking alongside several others. It seemed like nobody wanted to provoke the newcomer, as his face showed anything but fear.

By the way, Han Sen was currently using his ordinary black beetle armor, which was Level 2, and also an ordinary Beast Soul dagger. He couldn't reveal anything more expensive than that, or else much more attention would be drawn to him.

’It's become quite clear that these two want to kill me on this trip, so I have to jump ship at the best possible moment.’ Despite not liking to follow the plot, Han Sen was going to do the same as in the novel.

Jumping into the water in the cave and pretending to be dead seemed to be the best current strategy, since otherwise he would either dare to stay alone with their group or earn the nickname of coward if he fled in daytime. Not that he cared, but who likes to give the enemy reasons to attack or mock?

Han Sen followed silently, while also looking at the greedy mercenaries beside him. The scheme was so obvious, but greed blinded them too much. When recruiting people, the gang said they were hunting a mutant creature, and it was only because there were also many common and primitive creatures that needed more hands.

The problem is that to kill a mutant creature, the regular gang was more than enough. The dozens of people around Son of A Dork could kill a mutant creature on their own, let alone the idiot himself. The extra hands were completely unnecessary, according to their story.

Luo Tianyang and others killed the creatures they found along the way and casually gave the meat to the hired hands, which made everyone very happy. It was the famous tactic of fattening the turkey before eating it at Christmas. Han Sen could feel his IQ decreasing over time spent with these idiotic mercenaries. The situation was so obvious that it was ridiculous.

To avoid any mishaps, Han Sen only ate at night, being forced to make jerky every time he could get his hands on an animal. Practicing the [Frost King Sutra] like crazy, Han Sen forced himself to stay awake while everyone else slept, constantly hunting wherever he found nests of creatures.

The group had already been active for six or seven days and they still had no intention of stopping. They walked around 20 hours a day, stopping to sleep for only 4 hours before continuing their journey. Han Sen often disappeared during the walking periods and no one noticed, as Level 3 Stealth was a huge help in that regard.

On the eighth day, they stopped in a mountain gorge. Han Sen was at the back of the group, eating a roasted chicken leg. It was his meal for the day, as he had found a nest of chicken-like birds. On this trip, he gained a total of 1008 EXP, and adding what he had left before, he had 1247 EXP. A good amount overall.

Far from the shelter, there was no human activity. They encountered many different creatures. Son of Heaven and his gang killed many primitive animals along the way and kept part of the meat as food. These excursions were very profitable because of the enormous amount of Beast Souls and gene points they gained. It's a shame that the creatures' meat couldn't be sold, as it could spoil during the journey back.

’Can I use them to hunt both Obsidian Dragons?’ Han Sen wondered as he ate, looking at the two individuals in the front line and contemplating whether he should use them to achieve a decisive victory.

He didn't care if Luo Tianyang would die or not. The guy could have a heart attack right now for all he cared. But Son of A Rich Daddy, he cared. The guy was filthy rich and there were still many chances for Han Sen to extort benefits from him. It would be like throwing the piggy bank full of money into the abyss just because you didn't like the look of it. It was stupid, no matter how much you disliked the little piggy.

They rested for a day at the camp, which Han Sen used to gain an additional 288 EXP, and crossed the mountain pass the following morning. After walking about twenty kilometers, they saw an opening in the canyon that was so deep and dark that no one could see the bottom.

Conversation went back and forth, and everyone knew that now was the time to risk their lives. Lighting several torches, the darkness retreated as the light came, and everyone began to descend the steep slope. It was difficult, but not impossible.

Not being able to bear everyone's slowness, Han Sen was the first in line. Seeing how he was willing to risk his life and go ahead, the others naturally became more courageous and followed quickly. And Han Sen wasn't foolish to be the first. He just knew that nothing would happen if he was in frontline.

Shortly after, they arrived at an underground river that crossed the cave and separated one side from the other. The river seemed to be deep but it wasn't very wide, at most 30-40 meters.

’Well, this is where most will die, just like I'm about to say goodbye. I wonder if the water is hot?’ Han Sen didn't care if there was an Obsidian Dragon deep down, capable of killing any chance of survival for anyone here.

While he was lost in thought, Luo Tianyang fought with a mercenary who claimed he couldn't swim and threw some inflatable boats into the water, something he was carrying in his Mount Beast Soul. If the mercenaries didn't realize by now that all of this is planned, then they might as well give up on their own human race and go back to their primate origins.

Each boat fit five to six people, and that was a huge amount of people. Counting on everyone to swim across the river would be madness. Entering a boat with two mercenaries, Han Sen started rowing slowly. Despite knowing of the plot, he wouldn't trust his life to the two idiots in front of him. What if they rowed straight into the Dragon's mouth? Would he have to cry tears inside the creature's stomach?

Meanwhile, two boats had already reached the center of the river when suddenly, with a roar, a dark creature emerged from the water with half of its body exposed, its appearance that of a black python. Worthy of the name Dragon, its beauty was terrifying and the black scales on its skin made it show high defense.

"Roar!" Roaring to everyone, the Obsidian Dragon dove back into the water, this time carrying a mercenary in its mouth.

The others, who fell into the water due to the inflatable boats bursting, swam towards the other side, wanting to reach the goal. Two idiots ran to the opposite side, but Han Sen already knew their fate. The romance between a head and a neck that would soon be separated by a jealous sword.

With a glint of cold steel, the two running the fastest were beheaded by Luo Tianyang and another gang member. Luo Tianyang pointed the knife with blood on it at the rest and cried ruthlessly, "There is but one monster, so whoever reaches the other side can live. And I’ll kill anyone who took the money and tries to run away. To live or to die, it is up to you."

As more people sank, the torch lights went out one by one. Despair set in and Han Sen was using all his senses to see where the Obsidian Dragon was.

Thanks to the [Frost King Sutra], his ability to see was greatly enhanced, and he could watch the black snake dancing and feasting under the water. The sight of it was even scary, as the blood spread and arms and legs were eaten.

"Row, idiots!" Han Sen ordered as he saw himself falling behind the boats. His shout caught the attention of the two cowardly mercenaries in front of him, and they started rowing, wanting to avoid the fate of being swallowed up.

Shortly after, when they had followed all the other boats, Han Sen managed to see the Obsidian Dragon coming towards him. Using Stealth, he disappeared from the sight of everyone who didn't pay attention, and soon the boat collided with the head of the black serpent.

BANG!