Chapter 92: Beating the Snake

Kamiyu was well-versed in Aesop’s Fables and knew the story of The Farmer and the Snake all too well. Often, rescuing someone could lead to a backlash from the very person saved.

It was like the real-world news stories where passersby or police officers tried to save drowning victims, only to be killed by them. Afterward, they wouldn’t even receive a word of thanks; some families of the rescuers were even mocked with, “Who asked you to save them?”

Whenever she saw such news, Kamiyu would seethe with anger.

In Crimson Earth, at this very moment in the Valley of the Deathly Echo, Kamiyu wasn’t acting out of a desire to save anyone. She didn’t consider herself that noble, nor did she want to be.

She was afraid these people would snatch the dropped items and experience points from the skeleton monsters. In her haste, she fired a Thunderstorm Bullet with triple attributes.

Not only did she successfully take down the monster, but she also unexpectedly discovered the Arc Splatter Mode of the Thunderstorm Bullet: each bullet fired would generate five arcs dealing 100% damage to every enemy it hit.

Excitedly, she thought, If I unlock the powerful Armor-Piercing Round from the Magic Bullet branch, wouldn’t I be able to clear a path with a single shot during a Hell Tide, when monsters come in waves?

Kamiyu thought this was a great idea. She had finally discovered an Enhancement Point worth using.

For now, though, she had to deal with these troublesome people. When they saw her take action, their initial reaction was gratitude. But upon noticing she was wearing the Guild Leader robe of the Invincible Guild, their expressions changed.

Some grew tense, while others showed outright hostility, not even bothering to hide it.

The Sorceress noticed the Golden Phoenix Emblem on Kamiyu’s Guild Leader robe and spoke with even more disdain, her tone dripping with disgust. “So it’s someone from the Stinking Chicken Guild. No wonder I smelled something foul from far away.”

This Sorceress was clearly unfriendly toward her. Kamiyu had originally thought wearing the Invincible Guild’s robe would intimidate them and make them back off, but it seemed they were enemies of her guild instead?

“I don’t think I’ve offended you, and I don’t even know you. Why is your mouth so foul? Did you eat shit this morning?” When it came to being sneaky and sarcastic, Kamiyu’s combat power was nothing to scoff at.

“Eno, she’s a high-level player from the major guild, the Invincible Guild. Besides, she saved us. Don’t be so rude,” the Archer said, pulling the Sorceress Eno back.

The Sorceress Eno shook off the Archer’s hand and shouted at Kamiyu, “So what? Who asked her to save us? I could’ve taken out these monsters with a single Fireball Spell. She’s just stealing my spoils of war.”

Kamiyu glanced at the Grimoire in her hand. She had seen it in the Construction Sage’s Crafting Panel—it was just a very common, ordinary-tier Grimoire with mediocre stats.

In Crimson Earth, where equipment was far more important than skills, she could tell at a glance that this person was lying. One shot? Ten shots might not even scratch off one-tenth of a skeleton monster’s health.

This person was truly talking nonsense, and her ability to twist the truth was top-notch.

The Warrior who had been saved by Kamiyu earlier also tried to reason with her. “We can’t handle this Instance Dungeon. If it weren’t for this Mage friend stepping in, we would’ve been wiped out already, Eno. You can’t be so ungrateful.”

“Are you telling me what to do? You can’t even handle monsters properly, you worthless trash. What right do you have to lecture me?

And you call yourself a level 15 Axe-Wielding Warrior? I only hired you to clear maps for me.

Let me tell you, I won’t pay your medical bills, and since you didn’t get the job done—didn’t clear the monsters—I won’t give you a single coin.” The Mage Eno unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse.

“How can you do that? We agreed that once we entered the Instance Dungeon, you’d pay us regardless of whether we killed the monsters or not. You promised us,” the Axe-Wielding Warrior argued.

The other four Warriors and the Archer nodded in agreement.

“Oh, how dare you speak to me like that? Don’t you know I’m the younger sister of the Deputy Captain of the Immortal Squad? When I get back, I’ll have my brother capture and torture every single one of you.”

The female Archer player whispered, “If you’re from the Immortal Squad, why did you hire us Solo Players in the first place?”

It went without saying—even the members of her own Squad couldn’t stand Eno. No one wanted to play with her.

“Wow, this person’s Combat Power is off the charts,” Kamiyu thought, sensing that this individual had some mental issues, as if she were spoiled rotten, expecting everyone to obey her and follow her orders.

Kamiyu wanted nothing to do with this melodramatic nonsense. She waved her hand dismissively and said, “I don’t care if you’re from the Immortal Squad or the Dead Person Squad. This has nothing to do with you. Take your people and leave, now.”

Kamiyu’s words seemed to hit a nerve. Eno shrieked, “Why should I? Who do you think you are? Just another useless nobody from the Stinking Chicken Guild, daring to order me around?”

“Annoying.”

Kamiyu had no patience for foul-mouthed people like this. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and fired a shot.

The Demon-Repelling Holy Flame, concealed in her right hand, slid out and took aim at the female Sorceress. With a loud “bang,” she fired.

The female Sorceress was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Kamiyu’s eyes lit up. “Oh, not bad. She’s actually wearing Legendary Armor.”

She knew exactly how much Damage a single shot could inflict. Even with Common Bullets, Common Armor would shatter on impact, leaving the wearer severely injured if not dead.

But this person only coughed up blood, with no telltale glow of armor breaking. That meant she was wearing Legendary Armor.

The players beside Kamiyu watched, their faces lighting up with delight, grateful that Kamiyu had stood up for them and given them a taste of justice.

Even Eno’s personal caretaker, the Bard from the Immortal Squad, showed no reaction or stance, standing motionless in place.

Kamiyu didn’t forget to add insult to injury. Tilting her head back, she declared, “If you’re going to talk trash and be Sneaky, at least have the strength to back it up.”

“If you don’t have the power, then crawl away quietly.”

The female Sorceress Eno, who had been lying on the ground gasping for breath, was so provoked by Kamiyu’s words that she couldn’t even speak. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, and she fainted from sheer rage.

The female Archer player, who had been bullied the entire way, felt an immense sense of satisfaction upon hearing Kamiyu’s bold words and seeing Eno faint from anger.

Gratefully, she said to Kamiyu, “Thank you for stepping in, friend. You truly live up to the reputation of a righteous Guild Player. These are the Spoils of War I collected along the way in the Instance Dungeon. Please take them.”

Though timid, the female Archer player was very clever. Rather than lamenting the lost payment, she decided to use her own gains to befriend Kamiyu.

Besides, they genuinely saved them, so this is just a small token of gratitude.

Seeing this, the other three followed suit.

“Friend, these are my spoils of war.”

“Thank you, Big Shot, for saving us. This is just a small token, please accept it.”

“Same here.”

Kamiyu blinked and received 3 kilograms of Magic Crystal Ore, along with a pile of miscellaneous materials.