Dungeons aren't actually just underground.
That was common knowledge in this world.
"Gaidun, you walk in front of me," Lu Cang commanded.
"Huh?"
"Me?"
The chubby man holding the Shield froze for a moment.
Lu Cang nearly rolled his eyes.
'What is this guy talking about? You're the tank of this party. If you don't go first, am I, the Mage, supposed to?'
"Yes."
"Oh... okay."
Gaidun walked ahead of Lu Cang.
Behind Lu Cang was the Healing Mage, Ji Di. And a little further behind her was the Gatherer, the older man Zhou Er.
'You're a Warrior, aren't you? Positioning yourself even further back than the healer? Are you even a man...'
But Lu Cang couldn't be bothered to say anything.
After all, he'd hired him as a Gatherer and was only paying him for that one role.
If he didn't contribute as a Warrior, Lu Cang couldn't really complain.
The Forest was thick with fog.
After the four of them stepped into the Forest, Lu Cang lightly raised his hand.
Wind Roar (Level 172)
BOOM!
A terrifying hurricane blew out in all directions!
In an instant, the fog that had permeated the entire Forest vanished completely.
After the fog dispersed, the entire Forest lit up with a clear and gentle glow. This light illuminated every detail, leaving no corner or shadow untouched.
Everlasting Lamp (Level 200) (Evolvable)
The maximum Magic proficiency Level for a Level 2 Mage was Level 200.
Beyond Level 100, the Experience Points required to Upgrade each Magic also increased drastically.
In five days, Lu Cang hadn't been able to train all his Skills to Level 200.
He couldn't practice his other Magic on the go. Only a harmless Magic like Everlasting Lamp, which could be cast at any time, had been maxed out by Lu Cang.
Moreover, it was only after training it to Level 200 that Lu Cang discovered a Level 200 Beyond Magic could evolve further.
But he wasn't in a rush to evolve Everlasting Lamp, so he decided to hold off for now.
He blew away the fog and lit up the area, and the entire Forest, once a hazy blur, instantly became clear.
He could clearly see how many snakes were on which trees and what dangers lurked in which tree hollows.
Immediately after...
BOOM!
BANG!
CRASH! CLANG! CRACK!
Flame Ball, Ice Shuttle, Earth Spike, Curse Arrow, Silent Wind Swarm...
All sorts of Magic rained down.
A pitter-patter like rain was heard as charred, frozen, and sliced-up snakes of all kinds fell from the trees.
Before long, all the Demons within visible range were wiped out.
At least, as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single one that had escaped.
"So... so strong."
They had just entered the Dungeon, and he'd already dispatched all visible Demons as if he were slicing melons and chopping vegetables.
"Go gather," Lu Cang said to the older man.
The older man froze for a second before snapping out of it and starting to collect the Demons Lu Cang had slain.
Lu Cang watched him work.
"Repair," he was heard murmuring.
When he touched the dead Demons, the damage to their bodies was partially restored.
'Repair, huh?'
Gatherer was a Profession, after all. And since it was a Profession, it had its own corresponding Skills.
However, the restoration wasn't perfect; it didn't return the Demon corpses to their original state.
The snakes that had been burned to a crisp, in particular, could barely be restored at all.
But it worked much better on snakes with less obvious injuries, like those killed instantly by the electric arcs of Thunder Flash. Those could be restored almost completely.
But as for those hit directly by Thunder Flash and blown to smithereens... well, there was truly nothing to be done.
After gathering the snake corpses, he also found and collected two special mushrooms.
Once he finished gathering, he reported, "Seventy-two gray snakes, each worth about 10 to 20 copper. Fifteen gray vipers, all with intact Poison Sacs, each worth 12 silver. Plus the two Snake Mushrooms I gathered. The total haul is about 2 gold and 15 silver coins."
"Huh? That's so much."
Back in the Shadow Cave, the reward for clearing it plus the commission was only 2 gold and 26 silver coins.
Now, they had already made 2 gold and 15 silver coins, and that didn't even include the final reward.
And they hadn't even fought the Dungeon's Lord yet.
It seemed that bringing a Gatherer really did increase the profits by a lot.
Of course, it might also be because of the Harvest Moon.
"Mm, let's keep exploring."
They continued forward.
They didn't run into many more monsters.
Perhaps it was because Lu Cang had already cleared out most of the Demons the moment he stepped into the Dungeon's territory.
Normally, they would have had to grope their way through the fog for quite a while before encountering the snakes hidden in the trees one by one.
But Lu Cang had just brazenly blown away the fog, lit up the area, and then immediately started the slaughter, giving the Demons no chance to ambush them.
As they explored further, they encountered a few more straggling Demons.
Lu Cang was extremely cautious.
He used Wind Roar to clear away the fallen leaves, ensuring their path was completely unobstructed.
At the same time, he cast Sinking Shadow Swamp ahead to pave the way, making sure there were no hidden pitfalls or traps in the ground they walked on.
As for any Demons that appeared in their line of sight, the moment they were spotted, Lu Cang would immediately greet them with a Thunder Flash and a Wind Blade.
The Demons were blasted to death by his furious Magic long before Lu Cang even entered their attack range.
His cautious approach made Gaidun and Ji Di break out in a cold sweat.
'Seriously, buddy... you're so strong, what did you even bring us here for? This kid's strength is on a whole other level; there's no way he could get hurt.'
They had actually partied with Level 2 Mages before.
The power those Mages displayed probably wasn't even one percent of Lu Cang's...
When it was their time to shine, the party would have to listen to them mutter a long string of gibberish, only for them to finally toss out a pathetic little Fireball.
If it weren't for Magic's flexibility and versatility, Adventurers would much rather team up with Archers than Mages.
Both are ranged attackers, but at least Archers don't have to chant Spells or restore their mana.
Gazing at Lu Cang's back, Ji Di couldn't help but feel a budding sense of admiration for the young man before her.
'So this is the second-ranked genius Mage...'
After walking for about a kilometer,
the biggest delay along the way was actually Zhou Er the Gatherer collecting materials.
He couldn't even pick them up as fast as Lu Cang could kill them.
"Zhou Er, come back."
"But Captain, there's still..."
However, upon seeing Lu Cang's calm gaze, Zhou Er immediately stopped what he was doing and regrouped with the party.
Lu Cang could feel it.
The Dark Element ahead was growing restless, gathering intensely in one direction.
The leaves on the surrounding trees rustled.
Lu Cang looked in the direction the Element was flowing.
WHOOSH—
Finally, a massive snake head appeared from behind the dense thicket of trees!
Its body, camouflaged in a color that nearly blended in with the trees, also became clear!
HISS—
The Giant Snake coiled between the trees, flicking its scarlet tongue.
Lu Cang's expression darkened slightly.
'This snake. I recognize it. What a coincidence. You're the Lord this time, too?'
Shadow Giant Snake Monarch