Pov: Vik
Then she said, "I was right to have doubts. This insect Gu is cultivated by someone very powerful. They have ancient knowledge and talent for Gu cultivation. Apparently, it's another Chosen one like us."
I was surprised for a moment. I already knew about the other protagonist. Facing this insect, I was sure that whoever controlled it was very strong. Even if we ignore the Manticore, which this insect probably created, the ability to spawn thousands of beasts rank D and C alone made it a tough opponent for most people in this world.
Being confronted by a constant horde of these beasts is a nightmare for any city. Even a Nascent Soul rank cultivator could fall if they aren't careful and get trapped in such a horde.
Now that we solved the main problem of this dungeon, we walked toward the exit. It was the same place where we entered— the portal that served as both the entry and exit point. Before we could leave, Louriel instructed her raid party to collect the corpses of the monsters and any useful materials from the dungeon.
Once most of the beasts in a dungeon are dead, it disappears and gets assimilated into the world. Sometimes, this creates new land where its gate first appeared, or it shows up in another location.
It all depends on the dungeon's rank. This one is mostly B rank, forcibly evolved by that insect Gu, so it will generally create a forest area spanning thousands of miles after assimilation. If it were a true S rank dungeon, then the area created after assimilation could be as large as a small continent.
Thinking about this, we both exited the dungeon. The scene outside remained unchanged. Those soldiers were still on high alert, with guns and bombs aimed at the dungeon gate. When they saw us coming out, a soldier who looked like the captain of the unit approached us.
He greeted Louriel and asked her about the situation inside the dungeon. She explained, but not in detail, just saying that we cleared the whole dungeon, so other teams from the city could enter to collect the remaining materials after her raid party finished collecting their share.
Since her guild cleared the dungeon, they had the first rights to collect resources from it, but only for a certain period. After that, the city authorities would use it as a resource mine. Generally, a dungeon ranked C or higher takes weeks to months to assimilate after being cleared, giving her guild exclusive rights for a few days. I thought I should take this opportunity to train my disciples inside the dungeon; it would be good experience for them.
After she explained everything to the captain, we took our leave. We walked without a specific destination in mind. The nearest city was still several miles away, and currently, we were in a forest.
There were no beasts around; the soldiers must have cleared them. Now that I think about it, walking alone with Louriel feels a bit like a date. With that thought, I looked at Louriel. She looked beautiful even in her formal attire. Her red hair fell over her shoulders, neither too long nor too short.
Her face is the most beautiful I've seen in this world. Feeling my gaze, she looked back at me. We both stared into each other's eyes.
I got lost in the beauty of her eyes and forgot to say anything. She didn't say anything either but looked at me with a confused expression, wanting me to explain my stare. Lost in the moment, I thought this might be what people call first love.
But my happiness didn't last long. My system sent me a notification.
System: "Host, sorry for the disturbance, but the girl we found earlier, Lina, is in danger."
Hearing the system's notification broke the spell. I needed to say something to escape this awkward situation, so I quickly said, "Louriel, something important came up. I need to leave immediately."
With that, I dashed off into the distance, wanting to escape the awkwardness since I didn't know what to say next. Once I had created a bit of distance from Louriel, I teleported back to Azure Mountain City. Generally, teleporting such a distance is not easy, even for cultivators in the Void Traveling realm, because I was thousands of miles from Azure Mountain City.
But relying on my vast pool of spiritual energy, I teleported. That alone cost me 30% of my total energy. That's not crucial since I can replenish that in minutes by just using the Nuclear Spiritual Energy technique.
Once back in the city, I locked onto Lina's location. I asked the system to keep an eye on her, and moments ago, it informed me she was in danger.
After entering the city, I used short-distance teleportation to reach her location. Soon, I found myself in the basement of an under-construction building. There, I saw her bound with ropes while several thuggish-looking people surrounded her, smoking and drinking.
Among them was a woman with a scar on her face. She smoked and talked with the others, saying, "This girl is a rich lady with plenty of money. She claims to come from a wealthy family. I didn't believe her at first, but seeing her latest phone model, I'm confident her family can at least pay us a hundred thousand as ransom for her release. For now, until I can contact her family, don't do anything to her and make sure she stays here."
Hearing their talk of ransom, I understood they had kidnapped Lina and were trying to extort her family.
With a heavy sigh, I raised my hand. All of them in the underground base lost consciousness at once. I walked over to Lina, freed her, and lifted her into my arms. Then I asked the system to call the police; they would find these unconscious thugs, most likely wanted by the authorities.
After taking Lina out, I teleported back to the manor. She was slightly conscious and in a sleepy state. She looked at me and said, "Father! Father! I always knew you would come to save me. Those people are lying and saying you died."
Hearing her words made me realize she probably had a tragic past, much like Lu Xiaoran.