The dungeon walls trembled as heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead.
Lin Fan's legs felt like jelly. Blood kept dripping from the wound on his stomach, but he forced himself to stay standing.
Bai Yuling was still three meters away, frantically scrubbing the hem of her dress with a pure white handkerchief. Her face was full of disgust and panic.
"Disgusting… so disgusting…" she muttered repeatedly, voice trembling. "How can such filthy creatures exist in this world?"
Zhantian Jian's righteous voice boomed inside Lin Fan's head again.
"Host! This is no time to stand around! A true warrior faces danger head-on! Draw me and charge forward with honor!"
Lin Fan gritted his teeth. "Honor my ass! I'm one stab away from dying and my only fighter is having a mental breakdown over goblin blood!"
The boss finally stepped into view.
It was a massive C-Rank Ogre. Easily four meters tall, with bulging muscles, a crude iron club in one hand, and drool dripping from its yellow fangs. Its skin was covered in warts and old battle scars.
The Ogre roared, eyes locking onto the group.
Bai Yuling glanced at the monster for half a second, then immediately looked away in horror.
"Eek! It's even slimier than the goblins! Its skin is glistening with… with… ugh!" She took another step back, almost hiding behind Lin Fan. "I refuse to touch that thing! Make it go away!"
Lin Fan's eye twitched violently.
"You're an SSR! You just sliced three goblins like vegetables! Why are you acting like this?!"
"It's different!" Bai Yuling protested, her icy blue eyes wide. "Those were small. This one is huge and… and wet-looking! What if its fluids get on me? I'll never recover!"
Zhantian Jian couldn't stay quiet.
"In my day, female cultivators were brave and valiant! They would never scream at the sight of a mere ogre! Young lady, you must overcome this weakness and—"
"Shut up, old man!" both Lin Fan and Bai Yuling shouted at the same time.
The Ogre didn't care about their argument. It raised its massive club and charged straight at them, shaking the ground with every step.
Lin Fan's mind raced. He was too weak to run, and his only damage dealer was currently refusing to fight because the enemy looked "too slimy."
He had no choice.
"System! Is there any way to make her fight?!"
[Ding! Bai Yuling's Acute Disgust status is active. Attack power increased by 500%. However, willingness to engage in close combat decreased by 95%.]
Lin Fan wanted to scream.
He looked at the approaching Ogre, then at the terrified SSR beauty behind him.
Desperate times.
Lin Fan took a deep breath and shouted, "Yuling! If you don't kill that thing right now, its blood and guts will splash all over your dress! The entire floor will be covered in it!"
Bai Yuling froze.
Her expression changed instantly. From fear to pure, unfiltered determination.
"…It will what?"
She stepped forward, her silver hair flowing behind her. Cold sword intent exploded around her body like a blizzard.
"No… I won't allow it!"
In a flash, she vanished from her spot and reappeared right in front of the Ogre.
The Ogre swung its club down with terrifying force.
Bai Yuling didn't dodge.
She raised one delicate hand and caught the massive club mid-swing. The impact created a shockwave that cracked the dungeon floor.
"Filthy creature," she said coldly, her voice now completely different from the screaming girl earlier. "You dare try to dirty my clothes?"
With a single elegant slash of her other hand, freezing sword qi erupted.
The Ogre's entire body was instantly encased in thick ice. Its roar was cut short.
Bai Yuling spun gracefully and delivered one final strike.
Crack!
The frozen Ogre shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. Chunks of ice and monster parts flew everywhere.
Lin Fan quickly ducked behind a rock to avoid the flying debris.
When he peeked out again, Bai Yuling was standing proudly in the middle of the destruction, looking satisfied.
However, a single tiny droplet of ogre blood had landed on her left sleeve.
Her face turned deathly pale again.
"N-no… not again…"
She dropped to her knees, eyes watering. "It touched me… the filth touched me…"
Lin Fan facepalmed so hard it echoed.
Zhantian Jian laughed heartily in his mind. "Hahaha! See, Host? Even the strongest must face their inner demons! This is a good lesson for—"
"Both of you are going to give me high blood pressure," Lin Fan groaned.
He limped over to Bai Yuling, who was now quietly sobbing while trying to clean her sleeve with the already dirty handkerchief.
Lin Fan sighed and pulled out a small pack of wet wipes from his inventory — the only useful thing he had brought for the dungeon run.
"Here," he said, handing it to her. "Use this. It's cleaner than your handkerchief now."
Bai Yuling looked up at him with teary eyes. She accepted the wet wipes like it was a holy artifact.
"Thank you… Master," she whispered softly, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
For a brief moment, the chaotic dungeon felt strangely quiet.
Then the system notification appeared.
[Ding! Bai Yuling's Affection has increased by 10 points.]
Lin Fan blinked. "Wait, there's an affection meter?"
Before he could check, a new message popped up.
[Warning: Dungeon Boss defeated. Abyssal Core drop detected.]
A small, glowing black orb floated above the shattered ice.
Lin Fan's eyes lit up. Finally, something good.
He reached out to grab the core.
But right as his fingers touched it, the ground shook again — much stronger this time.
The walls cracked.
A loud system alert rang in his head.
[Emergency Broadcast: C-Rank Dungeon is destabilizing! A Dungeon Break is imminent! All Hunters in the area, prepare for evacuation!]
Lin Fan's face turned pale.
"Oh come on… not now."
Bai Yuling stood up, still clutching the wet wipes like her life depended on it. She looked at him worriedly.
"Master… what do we do?"
Zhantian Jian's voice turned serious for once. "Host, if this dungeon breaks, the monsters will spill into the city above. Many innocent lives will be lost."
Lin Fan looked at the beautiful but germaphobic swordswoman beside him, then at the yapping sword floating nearby.
He took a deep breath and muttered,
"…I guess my career as a professional babysitter starts today."
Just as he said that, the dungeon ceiling began to collapse. Bright light from the surface world poured in from above.
And in the distance, Lin Fan could already hear the panicked screams of civilians.