Chapter 377: An Unexpected Encounter with a Guy Named Eber
After studying for a while, Yuliya finally grasped the basics.
This crystal seemed to be a product of the ruins, while the energy inside came from a spider monster.
It was likely that the monster used this as its own power storage device, with the three crystals storing three portions of energy.
And then… Yuliya broke off the largest chunk from the middle.
While Yuliya was examining the crystal, the five-member adventurer team was struggling to battle the spider.
But during the fight, they sensed something was off.
For some reason, the spider seemed a bit skittish, always looking like it wanted to escape.
Plus, it looked pretty lethargic, like it hadn’t had a decent meal in ages.
But hey, that just made things easier—the difficulty of the battle dropped significantly.
What was supposed to be an epic showdown with the monster was settled in mere minutes.
After the battle ended, the leader of the swordsmen walked over to Yuliya.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“Oh, I’m…” Yuliya lifted her gaze, about to respond politely since the guy meant well.
But as she looked up, the words got stuck in her throat.
“Yue, why are you here?”
“Huh? You? What a coincidence!”
Yuliya was speechless.
Who else could it be but the guy from the adventurer’s guild who had lost a thousand reputation points thanks to her?
What a bummer! This guy was interrupting her even in the ruins!
Well, it wasn’t all bad; they showed up, and that pushed her to break off that piece. Good thing she did it right!
“Eber! We’ve collected the loot, but we’re missing the most important crystal.”
A girl came up to report.
“Huh? How can that be? Look harder.”
“We’ve searched everywhere; it’s definitely not here. Not every monster in the ruins might have one.”
“That shouldn’t be the case. Theoretically, this monster should have had one… Whatever, if it’s not here, we’ll find another target.”
Listening to their conversation, Yuliya thought about the crystal she had hidden in her black robe.
Uh… could they be looking for this?
Wow! Lucky them!
So, with a swift motion, Yuliya tucked the item into her spatial pocket.
Finders keepers, right? She earned it fair and square.
And honestly, even if they hadn’t shown up, she would’ve still pocketed it.
This object looked like it had some extra uses anyway; better to hold onto it for now.
“Alright, we’ve gathered the loot, so let’s get ready to leave!”
Eber called out, then turned to Yuliya, “Miss, how come you’re here all alone?”
“How come you’re here? Same thing,” Yuliya shot back.
“Uh… what about your companions?”
“Eber! Let me take this one,” someone pushed Eber aside, “Don’t worry, sis. Adventurers often face unexpected situations during their quests; coming together and drifting apart is common. Relax!”
Yuliya: ???
What in the world? Why can’t I understand a word!
Another person chimed in: “Yeah, adventurers can’t always stay as a team. Some are bound to leave early, but others will join later. Like how you’ve met us now, right?”
Now that made sense.
They were trying to comfort her…
She had just been a bit brash in her earlier statement, and now they mistook it as her venting her feelings.
Why vent? Her companions were gone, and she’d almost ended up as spider chow herself.
But she was just reacting to people, not the situation!
These two really had a knack for comforting others.
Yuliya could only offer a polite smile: “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“Mm-hmm, so strong! You’re an excellent adventurer!”
“…”
“Well, I’ll just be on my way, thanks!”
Yuliya said with a nod and was ready to skedaddle.
“Wait! Since you’re alone now, why not join our party? You must be a mage, right? We could use another member!”
“No thanks, I’m just here for a look. I got interested and came down, but it’s about time I head out.”
“Have you completed your mission and gotten your reward yet?”
“Not yet. No rush; I could come back later when I’m stronger.”
After saying that, Yuliya prepared to leave.
“Hold on!” Eber suddenly called out, “After this, there might not be such good opportunities. Why not reconsider?”
Yuliya turned back, adjusting her expression: “What do you mean? What opportunity are you referring to?”
“What layer do you plan to claim your rewards from?” Eber continued to question.
“Assuming I can handle it, of course, the deeper the better. Ultimately, my goal is the tenth layer.”
The rules of the Darank Ruins only allowed one reward per layer—just one chance. If you had already claimed a reward from a certain layer, you wouldn’t get to claim a deeper one later, even with more strength.
Eber suddenly flashed a bright smile: “Are you sure the tenth layer is the lowest?”
Yuliya frowned: “Isn’t it?”
“No, no, no! From what I know, there’s a hidden layer beneath the tenth.”
“A hidden layer? Why hadn’t I heard of that?”
Eber shrugged: “If everyone knew about it, it wouldn’t be called a hidden layer.”
Yuliya glanced at the group: “So, you’re planning to go to this so-called hidden layer?”
“Yep! That’s why I said if you don’t seize this opportunity, you may not get another like it.”
Yuliya chuckled: “But you all must be at Gold Level, and with those skills, you probably can’t even get through the ninth layer. How are you planning to reach this hidden layer?”
Both the ninth and tenth layers were crawling with Emerald Level monsters! Their little squad would probably be signing their own d*ath warrants if they went there.
“Eber has a way to get past!”
“Right! If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be here!”
Two of them chimed in to support Eber.
Yuliya sighed and shook her head: “I can’t just join because of your unfounded claims.”
But she couldn’t help but keep their words in mind—maybe she could check it out later, see for herself.
Joining their team could work, but it seemed quite a hassle.
“Well, let me share one more piece of information.” Eber smiled mysteriously, “I know that years ago, a legendary item produced by the Darank Ruins was obtained from this hidden layer.”
Are you kidding me?
Yuliya scoffed internally.
She knew better! Uncle Edward had explicitly said it was from the tenth layer.
But suddenly, a twinge of doubt crept into her mind.
“Why are you guys telling me this? Why do you want me to join your team so badly?”
Eber fell silent, but another person replied, “It’s just too dangerous for you to leave alone. Eber is worried about you and hopes you can join us—it’ll be safer.”
“Huh?”
Yuliya paused.
Only then did she really notice the overall situation of this team.
Holy smokes! Eber was the only guy, and the other four were all women—and they were all pretty cute!
Good lord! This guy was running a harem!
“Hehe, Eber is quite gentle, right?”
Woah! He’s a real charmer!
(Just a few more chapters, I’ve got something going on tonight, so I’ll post more in a few hours.)
