Yuan Qingchen's mouth twitched as he looked at Fang Xinhan's enchanted gear. So much for 'anything will do'.
"Get some good rest tonight. Tomorrow, we'll go find Chuckel."
Fang Xinhan didn't want to waste time, so he continued fishing. Yuan Qingchen didn't say anything and returned directly to his lodging.
The sky was gradually replaced by darkness, and the Old Town Chief rang the bell as usual.
Fang Xinhan returned to his lodging and began tinkering with the things he had fished out. After he had mostly sorted through them, he used the diamond dropped by the Sludge Golem to craft a Disassembly Table.
Then, Fang Xinhan disassembled all the unneeded items into basic materials. He also used leather to make a backpack and upgraded it with iron ingots, gold ingots, and diamonds.
"No Netherite Ingots, but this is good enough for now."
Fang Xinhan disassembled as much equipment as possible to obtain materials, first crafting the essential tools for survival.
Fang Xinhan turned to look at the already sleeping Yuan Qingchen, silently crafted a white sheath, and then went to sleep himself.
On the fourth day, Fang Xinhan and Yuan Qingchen did not join everyone else to listen to the teachings. Instead, they followed the flames of the lanterns into the mist. Fang Xinhan held up his shield, clearing the path ahead, while Yuan Qingchen, behind him, held the white sheath in his hand, looking as if he couldn't bear to part with it.
But what he didn't know was that he had already become Fang Xinhan's guinea pig.
"Be careful. There are still monsters in the mist."
Fang Xinhan reminded Yuan Qingchen, who had a dazed look on his face.
"Don't worry. I may seem careless and exposed, but I'm actually observing my surroundings. I'll strike at the slightest disturbance."
Suddenly, a 'Plant Man' rushed towards the two. Yuan Qingchen seized the opportunity and slashed at the opponent's waist. The 'Plant Man' was instantly cut in half.
"This feeling, it's exhilarating!"
Although there were monsters in the mist, they were far fewer than in the town at night, making it relatively easy for the two to handle.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the two saw huge plant roots appearing on the ground. It was clear at a glance that these were no small things.
"Such massive plant roots! Could the boss be a mutated plant?"
Yuan Qingchen couldn't help but mutter. At this, the lantern's flame grew brighter, pointing in one direction.
"We're about to find Chuckel."
The two followed the flame to an old, dilapidated house. Seeing that the exterior was identical to the old houses within the town, Fang Xinhan confirmed that Chuckel lived there.
"Is this the wizard's residence?"
Yuan Qingchen looked again.
"Is he broke? Or does he just like this style of decoration?"
Without a word, Fang Xinhan walked to the door and gave it an 'FBI open the door' American-style kick, sending the door flying.
This startled Chuckel, who was in the middle of brewing potions inside.
"Who are you people?"
The speaker was dressed in stereotypical wizard attire, a middle-aged man with a face that looked like he'd been up for a long time, his eyes red and dark circles prominent.
"Us? We are Exorcists passing by. Remember that."
Chuckel was visibly startled by the mention of Exorcists, but quickly recovered.
"So what if you're Exorcists? If you get in my way, I'll still take you down."
A magic staff appeared in Chuckel's hand, and he unleashed a Fireball spell at the two.
Fang Xinhan immediately raised his shield. The fireball struck the shield without causing any damage.
"How is this possible!"
Chuckel couldn't believe it. Although it was just a casual Fireball spell, it should have been able to pierce through an iron plate, yet it couldn't even penetrate this shield!
"Is this shield also an alchemical artifact? But let's see how long you can last."
Chuckel began to cast Fireball spells in quick succession. Though rapid, he still had to chant the incantations.
Fang Xinhan watched the shield's durability slowly decrease. He simply put away his shield and switched to the white sheath. A fireball flew towards him.
Fang Xinhan seized the opportunity, slashed horizontally, and the fireball was deflected back, hitting Chuckel in the face.
"Ahhhhhh~, you damned fellows, I won't let you get away with this!"
Chuckel's face immediately showed severe burns, looking terrifying.
He waved his staff, and many Sludge Golems emerged from the ground.
"Go! Kill them!"
Chuckel, clutching his face with his right hand, gave orders to the golems and then ran off himself. The Sludge Golems, following Chuckel's command, launched an attack on the two.
"Qingshui, this is how you deal with these monsters."
Fang Xinhan took out a flint and steel in his left hand and a simple incendiary bottle in his right, lit it, and threw it at the Sludge Golems. Instantly, the entire house burst into flames.
Fang Xinhan, at the first sign of the house burning, quickly led Yuan Qingchen out of the house. The Sludge Golems, engulfed in flames, began to dry up and crack.
Fang Xinhan, relying on his flame protection enchantment, picked up the cores and diamonds from the Sludge Golems.
When Fang Xinhan had obtained the Flame Aspect enchantment book, he tried making an anvil to see if he could enchant, and it actually showed that it required 6 energy.
Knowing the source of energy, Fang Xinhan didn't hesitate to choose the enchantment.
Returning to the present, the two continued to pursue Chuckel in the direction he had fled.
As they went further, the two found the mist growing thicker. They had originally been able to see each other, but now they could only make out silhouettes.
"Why is the mist so thick here, damn it?"
Yuan Qingchen, unable to see anything clearly, complained.
"Let's go back. We can't see anything now, can't do anything, and wouldn't even know if we encountered danger."
Fang Xinhan grabbed Yuan Qingchen, indicating that if they continued like this, they wouldn't know how they died.
"Sigh, what a shame, we were so close."
Yuan Qingchen couldn't help but sigh, then followed Fang Xinhan back to the town.
Upon returning to the town, the Old Town Chief had been waiting for a long time.
"Have you two dealt with Chuckel?"
the Old Town Chief asked.
"No, we injured him, but he got away."
Yuan Qingchen replied.
"That's good. Go get some rest."
The Old Town Chief appeared genuinely concerned for the two.
Meanwhile, Chuckel, with half his face disfigured, had become completely deranged.
"Damn Exorcists, you forced my hand."
He came to a giant flower, about 10 meters tall. Upon seeing Chuckel approach, the flower's tentacles wrapped around him, enveloping him and drawing him into its pistil.
Once Chuckel was drawn into the pistil, they began to merge. The organs that had been releasing mist closed, and Chuckel's giant upper body appeared at the pistil. His ruined half-face began to slowly recover.
"This power is truly magnificent. I feel as if I have become a god."
Chuckel looked at his half-human, half-monster appearance, feeling both happy and enraged.
Happy because he had finally created a perfect being, and enraged because he had been forced to merge with his creation by two Exorcists.
"Damnable Exorcists, you will pay for this!"
After sending Fang Xinhan and his companion away, the Old Town Chief's lips curled into an evil, charming smile.
"That fool Chuckel has finally merged with his flower. I suppose he thinks he has become a god, but no matter what he does, he is nothing more than a pawn."
Fang Xinhan and his companion, walking back to their lodging, suddenly noticed the mist around the town beginning to dissipate.
"Huh? The mist is thinning?"
Yuan Qingchen watched as the mist surrounding the entire town grew lighter.
"It looks like we might have pushed that guy too far."
The 'Plant Men' in the mist rapidly withered and shriveled, and then a giant flower appeared in the forest a few kilometers from the town. The flower's leaves were covered with fruits; once ripe and fallen, each would become a humanoid monster.
The townspeople also witnessed this scene and expressed their fear.
"Are these monsters the 'people' from the mist?"
One townsperson asked.
"Probably, and tonight, I don't think they'll be knocking on doors as usual."
(ps: This dungeon is almost over, but there are still a few chapters.)