Chapter 26: Aria’s bad luck

The girl stared at Ethan for a few seconds. When she finally got a clear look at his face, her eyes widened.

"It really is you. I knew I wasn’t mistaken."

Ethan recognized her as well.

Aria.

She was the silver-haired girl from the Spirit Vein Cave.

Aria pointed at him, her expression quickly turning into one of annoyance.

"You’re that miser who took almost all the treasures in the Spirit Vein Cave!"

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Miser?"

"Of course you’re a miser!"

Aria crossed her arms. "Do you know how much time we spent searching for that place? And the moment we finally got inside, you went around picking up everything you could find."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"I told you. You were too slow."

"Too slow? You..."

Aria’s face twitched as she pointed at him.

"You say that like it’s completely normal!"

Ethan simply looked at her.

"It is."

Aria stared at him, clearly unhappy with his answer.

"You really haven’t changed."

Ethan didn’t respond.

Aria folded her arms and looked him over. "I thought you’d already left after the cave. What are you doing here?"

"I came to the city."

"I can see that." She rolled her eyes. "I mean, why?"

"To sell some things."

Aria’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t tell me you found another place full of treasures."

"No."

She let out a small sigh of relief. "Good."

"I came to sell the things from the Spirit Vein Cave."

Aria froze.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

"The things..."

Her eyes slowly widened.

"You mean the treasures you took from the cave?"

Ethan nodded.

Aria’s face darkened.

"You came all the way to the city just to sell the things you stole from us?" ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I didn’t steal them."

"You took almost everything!"

"Like I said, you were too slow."

"Stop saying that!" Aria stomped her foot.

Ethan didn’t seem bothered by her reaction. He simply turned around and started walking.

"Hey!"

Aria quickly followed him.

"Where are you going?"

Ethan kept walking.

"Hey, I’m talking to you!"

He still didn’t answer.

Aria hurried a few steps and moved beside him.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere."

"Somewhere?"

Aria frowned. "What kind of answer is that?"

Ethan glanced at her before looking ahead again.

He already had a few places in mind.

As an Ancient Pathfinder in his previous life, he had explored a large part of this region. There were several places nearby that held treasures most people had yet to discover.

Aria walked beside him following like a pest, glancing at him from time to time.

She still couldn’t figure out where he was going.

"Since you’re new here, you probably don’t know much about the city."

Ethan said nothing.

Aria’s lips curled into a small, proud smile.

"I know this city very well. There isn’t much I don’t know about."

She lifted her chin slightly.

"The markets, shops, hunting grounds, nearby villages... if there’s a place worth visiting, I’ve probably been there."

Ethan almost scoffed.

He knew this city better than she could imagine.

In his previous life, he had spent years exploring this region. He knew its streets, its hidden places, and even some of the treasures that had yet to be discovered.

Compared to him, Aria’s knowledge of the city was nothing.

Still, he didn’t bother correcting her.

Aria took his silence as a sign that he was listening.

She followed for a few more steps. "So at least tell me what you’re looking for, I,might be able to help."

"Nothing."

Aria clearly didn’t believe him.

"You walked straight from the store and now you’re heading somewhere like you already know the way. You definitely have something in mind."

Ethan glanced at her. "You’re very curious."

"Of course I am." Aria smiled. "Besides, if you’re looking for something, I might know where it is."

Ethan already had his first destination in mind.

Before Aria could say anything else, several hurried footsteps came from behind them.

"Lady Aria!"

Aria’s expression changed.

A group of warriors soon appeared at the end of the street. They looked around until one of them spotted her.

"Lady Aria, we finally found you!"

The warrior quickly walked over, breathing a little heavily.

"Your father has been looking for you. He told us to bring you back immediately."

Aria’s face fell.

"Already?"

"Yes, Lady Aria."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I only left for a little while."

"A little while?" One of the warriors gave her a helpless look. "You’ve been gone for hours."

Aria clicked her tongue.

"Fine. I’ll go back soon."

The warrior glanced at Ethan, then back at Aria.

"And who is he?"

Aria looked at Ethan.

For a moment, she said nothing. Then a small smile appeared on her face.

"He’s my new friend."

The warriors exchanged confused looks.

"Your... friend?"

"Yes." Aria nodded. "I met him while I was outside the city. We were just talking."

One of the warriors frowned.

"Lady Aria, your father is waiting for you. He was quite clear that you were to return as soon as we found you."

Aria’s smile faded.

"I know."

She glanced at Ethan, then quickly came up with another idea.

"Actually, he was just about to take me somewhere."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

The warrior looked at him.

"Is that true?"

Before Ethan could answer, Aria stepped closer and gave him a look that clearly said play along.

"Right?"

Ethan stared at her for a moment.

Then a small, mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

If she wanted to play, he didn’t mind playing along.

"That’s right. I was planning to take Aria to level up."

Aria blinked.

"Level up?"

She hadn’t expected him to take the lie this far.

The warriors, however, immediately looked pleased.

"That’s good news, Lady Aria."

Another warrior nodded. "Your father has been worried about your progress. You’ve barely gained any levels since awakening."

Aria’s expression became awkward.

The warrior continued, "If you’re willing to go to a dungeon and level up, we’ll keep an eye on you from outside."

"Then we can report it to your father when we return," another added with a smile. "He’ll be happy to hear that you’re finally taking your training seriously."

One of the warriors smiled. "Good. Let’s make sure you get some good experience today."

Aria opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She had only wanted an excuse to stay with Ethan.

Now the warriors were actually planning to watch her level up and report everything to her father.

With no other choice, Aria followed Ethan and the warriors toward the dungeon.

People gathered in small groups around the dungeon entrance, looking for others to form parties with.

"There’s really a lot of people today," one of the warriors said, looking around. "The annual awakening happened only a week ago. Most of these people are probably here to level up."

"That makes sense. This dungeon is one of the safest places for them."

The warrior pointed toward the large stone entrance ahead.

"This is a First Order Dungeon. It’s mainly meant for professionals between Level 1 and Level 10. The monsters inside aren’t too strong, so it’s a good place for new professionals to gain experience."

He then looked at Ethan.

"By the way, what level are you?"

"Eight."

The warrior paused.

"Level 8?"

Ethan nodded.

"That’s pretty impressive. You’ve only been awakened for a week, right?"

"Something like that."

The warrior didn’t ask any further.

"Then you shouldn’t have much trouble here. You can join a party with some of the other new professionals if you want."

The warrior glanced toward the dungeon entrance.

"Or you can just choose the easy difficulty. At Level 8, you should be able to handle it. With Lady Aria with you, there shouldn’t be any problem clearing it."

Aria’s expression changed slightly.

"Of course," she said quickly. "The easy difficulty should be fine."

One of the warriors smiled.

"That’s good. Your father will be more happy to hear that you’re finally taking leveling seriously."

Aria’s smile became a little stiff.

"Yes... I’m taking it very seriously."

Ethan didn’t say anything. He simply turned and walked toward the the five glowing portals that stood side by side, each marked with a different difficulty.

Aria quickly followed beside him.

As they got closer, several groups of newly awakened professionals were calling out to people passing by.

"Hey! We’re one person short!" a young man shouted. "Want to join us?"

Another group waved at Ethan.

"We still need one more! Come on!"

Ethan ignored them and kept walking.

When they reached the portals, Aria’s mouth twitched.

"You’re really good at making people feel safe."

"Of course."

Before she could say anything else, Ethan suddenly reached out and pushed her toward one of the glowing portals.

"Hey!"

Aria stumbled forward and turned around in surprise.

She had only taken a few steps when she realized which portal she was heading toward.

Her face changed.

"Ethan!"

It was the Hell Difficulty portal.

The portal swallowed her figure in a flash of light.

Ethan followed right behind her.

The warriors stared at the portal Aria and Ethan had just entered in shock.

"Wait! That’s the Hell difficulty!"

They rushed forward, but an invisible force pushed them back.

"We can’t get in!"

One of them turned pale. "Lady Aria just entered the Hell difficulty!"

"Quick! We have to inform the City Lord!"