Chapter 20: A Thought

In the place closest to the BOSS, the Squad fought the hardest. In this small space, there were nearly a hundred specimen jars placed in rows. The appearance of Leon and his team directly activated the monsters inside these jars.

Unlike the monsters encountered in the passageways, these monsters appeared incredibly fast. In almost an instant, nearly a hundred of them were fully activated.

Almost simultaneously, these monsters charged towards Leon and his team from all directions.

The Squad were well-prepared for this situation. The Druid, transformed into a giant bear, let out a roar, and a red aura expanded outward from the bear, attracting all the monsters' attention.

At the same time, the Shaman immediately cast the strongest defensive shield on the Druid, allowing it to withstand the first wave of attacks.

The thief stood directly beside Leon, holding a dagger in each hand, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The Hunter took a step back, raising his bow high into the sky, with an arrow glowing with a blue light nocked on the string.

As the Hunter released the arrow, it transformed into a rain of blue light. Amidst this rain of light, the Hunter's leopard rushed out like lightning, its claws slashing downward heavily, leaving a red scratch in the air.

Under the combined attack of the Hunter and his pet leopard, more than half of the monsters were knocked away, falling to the ground and unable to rise again.

The remaining monsters were on the verge of death and couldn't withstand even a casual blow from the Druid. In just a few strikes, all the monsters were cleared out, and the entire hall became safe.

Standing at the door, the Druid didn't revert to human form but sat directly on the ground. The thief patrolled nearby, seemingly guarding against something.

The Hunter and the leopard, having exhausted all their energy, lay on the ground, unwilling to move. The Shaman took out camping equipment and began setting up, then turned to Leon and said, "We'll rest here for about half a day. You can start collecting the corpses and equipment."

"Me alone?" Leon asked in some confusion.

"Yes. The Druid and the thief need to guard the door to prevent the BOSS from charging out. I need to prepare some supplies. The Hunter used up his most powerful skill just now and needs to recover, and he also needs to adjust his talents. The next BOSS won't be suitable for the previous strategy."

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Hearing the Shaman's explanation, Leon didn't ask further. Since they had already confirmed that this place was safe, wandering through the passage should be without danger.

Moreover, Leon also wanted to explore the dungeon alone. Throughout this journey, someone from the Hunter's team had always been protecting him. Although this ensured safety, it also took away many opportunities for him to observe freely.

This was a good opportunity. Leon nodded to the Shaman and happily set off.

Following the path they had taken earlier, Leon carefully collected the corpses along the way. Every piece of equipment and every corpse was meticulously classified and handled.

After about two hours, Leon reached the place where they had previously fought the Hundred-Eyed Giant. Earlier, in their rush to enter the passage, although they had collected the Hundred-Eyed Giant's corpse, they hadn't searched the area carefully. Now that there was still some time, Leon didn't mind checking to see if the Hundred-Eyed Giant had left anything behind.

Leon first checked the spot where the Hundred-Eyed Giant had fallen, then followed the traces of the battle to the place where the Hundred-Eyed Giant had originally stayed.

He quickly discovered a nest made of water plants, with some broken shells inside.

Leon believed this was the Hundred-Eyed Giant's resting place, and if anything was left behind, this spot should be key.

So, Leon began searching the area, but to his disappointment, he found nothing.

Leon also understood that this dungeon had been cleared countless times. If there was anything, the Hunter would have reminded him, and it was unlikely that anything would be missed.

Just as Leon was about to leave, a thought suddenly appeared in his mind. At that moment, he stopped in his tracks. This feeling reminded him of the various thoughts that arose after his usual meditation. This was the first time he had such a feeling while awake.

"The Hundred-Eyed Giant in front of me is the Pearl King. The Pearl King's obligatory drop, the Emperor's Pearl, doesn't align with the dungeon's loot rules."

Previously, the value of the Emperor's Pearl was so high that when people obtained it, their first reaction was to consider it a reward from the dungeon, rather than questioning whether it was a legitimate drop.

As this thought emerged, Leon's hand instinctively reached for his backpack, but he stopped at the moment he touched it.

Leon understood that the Emperor's Pearl was already very important to him. He didn't think he could obtain anything better at his current stage, and this dungeon was only a Level 1 dungeon. The appearance of the Emperor's Pearl was already an extremely rare occurrence, so what better item could there be?

No matter what the dungeon produced, it couldn't break the game's rules, and it was impossible to give equipment that exceeded the dungeon's level. Even if it did, what use would it be? Leon couldn't use Level 1 equipment right now, so what good would Level 2 or Level 3 equipment do him?

Thinking this through, Leon took a deep breath, glanced at the battlefield once more, and turned back into the passage.

Leon moved much faster on his way back than when he had come. He was afraid he might regret it and return to open the real reward. He even ran the last part of the way.

Leon’s sprint through the passage alerted the resting Hunter and others. The Shaman, who had just prepared lunch, was the first to run to the edge of the passage to meet Leon.

Seeing that Leon was safe and not being chased by enemies, the Shaman couldn't help but ask, "What happened to make you run like this?"

Leon hesitated for a moment, then finally shared the thought that had occurred to him earlier.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the Squad turned their gaze towards Leon. Their eyes revealed a trace of hesitation and a hint of gambling spirit.

The Shaman thought for a moment before speaking, "You're not wrong in your thinking, but your perspective is still narrow. You know how to lay a solid foundation and understand that Level 1 items are useless to you, but you don't know that in this world, there are things more important than a foundation—those are opportunities.

The game won't give items beyond the rules, but how much do you know about the things within the same set of rules? How much do you know about the hidden rules?"

Leon was taken aback by the Shaman's words. He didn’t immediately rush back to the place where they fought the Hundred-Eyed Giant to see if there really was an opportunity there. Instead, he seriously considered everything.

The Squad didn't disturb Leon's thoughts. They all knew that making choices was a personal matter—no one could make decisions for someone else. Finally, Leon stood up, trusting in that fleeting thought he had.