Chapter 37: An Accident? Or Was It a Scheme!
With steady steps, a silhouette emerged from the entrance of the underground dungeon, one after another. Among the returning figures, one stood out from the rest.
Bathed in sunlight, Ethan took a deep breath and then let out a long sigh of relief.
This time, he truly received a solid wake-up call. He clearly understood a fact.
No matter which world one is in, to live freely, one must have the capital to do so.
Before his journey through dimensions, that capital was 'money' and 'power'; in this fantasy world, it became 'strength'.
Only with strength can one have the fundamental capital for everything. Otherwise, they will forever be at the mercy of others.
At that moment, a pleasant sound echoed in Ethan's ear, indicating the completion of the special mission.
[Special Mission: Malice of the Dungeon!]
[Completion Criteria: Leave the dungeon alive]
[Mission Reward: 500 Diamonds, Time-limited Card Pool is enabled]
Opening the card draw interface, Ethan smiled.
He was fortunate enough to survive a near-death experience, and through this, he became acquainted with Orario's strongest blacksmith.
[Name: Ethan Starfall]
[Current Card Pools: "Fate/Type-Moon" and "Jujutsu Kaisen - Limited to Seven Days"]
[Diamonds: 530]
The new card pool was unexpected for Ethan.
He had been guessing it could be from worlds like 'Bleach/Naruto/One Piece' or various other world-famous anime.
However, he never anticipated the "Jujutsu Kaisen" card pool, which was a surprise to him.
Regardless, it didn't matter anymore.
The new card pool had a time limit, so Ethan decided to set aside the "Fate" card pool for now and use all his draws on the new "Jujutsu Kaisen".
"Ethan, kun?"
A familiar voice called out, causing Ethan to turn instinctively.
Not far away, a familiar half-elf guild advisor in official attire stood with some documents in her arms, clearly just passing by.
"Eina-san~"
"Ethan-kun, you look..."
Eina was taken aback by Ethan's appearance, his clothes soaked in blood and a finger missing, indicating he had encountered some misfortune in the dungeon.
"Well, I ran into some trouble, so I ended up like this."
Ethan took it in stride. Despite the severity of his injuries, he knew that given some time, he could recover fully, including his missing finger.
Seeing Ethan in such a sorry state, Eina thought his luck was incredibly poor, barely surviving out of the dungeon.
"Ethan-kun, did you go 'adventuring'? I've told you, adventurers should not take unnecessary risks. Why won't you listen?" Eina couldn't help but lecture him.
"Eina-san, it wasn't recklessness on my part. I just had bad luck and encountered a 'Monster Party'. I didn't see it coming." Ethan patiently listened to her and retorted.
"Monster Party"—
As a guild staff member and adventurer advisor, Eina was well aware of what a "Monster Party" entailed.
Ethan's encounter with such an event in the dungeon less than half a month after joining a Familia was beyond unlucky.
"I'm sorry, Ethan-kun. I thought..." Eina didn't know what to say.
"It's okay, Eina-san. You were just looking out for me. But I shouldn't keep you, with my injuries being quite serious. I need to head back." Ethan just wanted to rest.
"Ah, do you need help getting back?" Eina offered help.
"What are you talking about? I'm a grown man. Do I need a girl to help me? No, I'll take the elevator." Ethan wasn't so weak that he had to be carried back home.
"If you insist. But please be careful." Eina could only say so.
"Will do~"
Ethan waved at his advisor and headed towards the guild's elevator, leaving a trail of bloodstains on the floor.
Seeing this, Eina couldn't help but cover her mouth in shock.
Despite his severe injuries and blood loss, Ethan still managed to chat and even joke with her as if nothing was wrong. She felt she had been too harsh on him before.
"Ethan-kun~"
Watching Ethan's departing figure, the half-elf felt a twinge of guilt. She shouldn't have been so harsh on him before.
"Next time, I must apologize."
With that thought, Eina went back to her duties, but her focus was no longer on her work.
The image of Ethan, bloodied and injured, weighed heavily on her mind. After this incident, her impression of the boy underwent a 180-degree change.
Meanwhile, after entering the elevator, Ethan sighed with relief.
He was aware of his condition; even under the repair of "All the Evil of the World," his injuries were not completely healed.
But complete recovery would take some time.
Looking at his blood-soaked clothes, Ethan sighed.
If not for the "Black Mud" continuously repairing his damaged body and even replenishing his blood, he might have already died from blood loss.
The elevator soon reached its destination, and Ethan headed straight to his room.
Upon entering, he stripped off all his clothes and threw them into the trash, then headed for the shower.
He couldn't stand the smell of blood on him.
Turning on the "Magic Stone Heater," the cold water was heated to a comfortable warmth.
The sensation of the warm water on his wounds was both painful and a sharp reminder of the day's events.
Ethan knew the risks of exposing wounds to water but chose to do it anyway, wanting to remember this day forever.
As Ethan dealt with his injuries, a figure emerged from the shadows of his room door and knocked softly on Freya's room.
"Ottar?"
Freya's voice came from inside.
"It's me, Freya-sama~"
"Come in~"
Ottar entered, finding Freya seated on her throne, gazing out at the city through the large floor-to-ceiling window.
"Well done. Although you did nothing. I never expected the dungeon to stage such a brilliant show."
"Yes~"
For Ottar, fulfilling the goddess's will was his sole purpose, willing to execute any task without hesitation, even at the cost of his own life.
"After this ordeal, our future hero won't be able to stay idle. With such potential, it would be a waste if it weren't utilized."
Unknown to Ethan, his encounter with the "Monster Party" on the seventeenth floor was originally intended to be orchestrated by Ottar as per Freya's order, but the goddess didn't expect Ethan to disgust the dungeon so much that it resulted in the previous incident.
It was really an unforeseen incident.
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